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MEG #2
The Trench
Its appetite is ravenous. Its teeth scalpel-sharp. Its power unstoppable as it smashes the steel doors holding it in a Monterey Aquarium. For the first time, the captive twenty-ton Megalodon shark has tasted human blood, and it wants more. Now, it's feeding time.On the other side of the world, in the silent depths of the ocean, lies the Mariana Trench, where the Megalodon has spawned since the dawn of the time. Paleo-biologist Jonas Taylor once dared to enter this perilous cavern. And he wears the painful scars of that deadly encounter. Now, as the body count rises and the horror of a monster's attack grips the California coast, Jonas must begin the hunt again.
But to do it means returning to the dark terror of the trench...where the MEG is waiting. Using himself as a bait, Jonas will enter the ultimate battle -- a fight to the death between man and beast in the darkest recesses of the ocean, and the fight for his sanity from the depths of his own tormented soul.
Steve Alten once again unleashes the power of the MEG in a new heart-stopping thriller. "The Trench" takes us into the zone of the unknown and the primal terror of what is "down there." Tense, realistic and action-filled, it will hold you in its grip until the last chilling page...
But to do it means returning to the dark terror of the trench...where the MEG is waiting. Using himself as a bait, Jonas will enter the ultimate battle -- a fight to the death between man and beast in the darkest recesses of the ocean, and the fight for his sanity from the depths of his own tormented soul.
Steve Alten once again unleashes the power of the MEG in a new heart-stopping thriller. "The Trench" takes us into the zone of the unknown and the primal terror of what is "down there." Tense, realistic and action-filled, it will hold you in its grip until the last chilling page...
296 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
About the author
Steve Alten
48 books1,313 followersSteve Alten grew up in Philadelphia, earning his Bachelors degree in Physical Education at Penn State University, a Masters Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Delaware, and a Doctorate of Education at Temple University. Struggling to support his family of five, he decided to pen a novel he had been thinking about for years. Working late nights and on weekends, he eventually finished MEG; A Novel of Deep Terror. Steve sold his car to pay for editing fees. On September (Friday) the 13th, 1996, Steve lost his general manager’s job at a wholesale meat plant. Four days later his agent had a two-book, seven figure deal with Bantam Doubleday.
MEG would go on to become the book of the 1996 Frankfurt book fair, where it eventually sold to more than a twenty countries. MEG hit every major best-seller list, including #19 on the New York Times list (#7 audio), and became a popular radio series in Japan.
Steve’s second release, The TRENCH (Meg sequel) was published by Kensington/Pinnacle in 1999 where it also hit best-seller status. His next novel, DOMAIN and its sequel, RESURRECTION were published by St. Martin’s Press/Tor Books and were runaway best-sellers in Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Italy, with the rights selling to more than a dozen countries.
Steve’s fourth novel, GOLIATH, received rave reviews and was a big hit in Germany. It is being considered for a TV series. MEG: Primal Waters was published in the summer of 2004. A year later his seventh novel, The LOCH, hit stores — a modern-day thriller about the Loch Ness Monster. Steve’s eighth novel, The SHELL GAME, is about the end of oil and the next 9/11 event. The book was another NY Times best-seller, but the stress of penning this real-life story affected Steve’s health, and three months after he finished the manuscript he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Steve’s ninth novel, MEG: Hell’s Aquarium, is considered to be the best of the best-selling MEG series. Steve says his best novel is GRIM REAPER: End of Days. The story, a modern-day Dante’s Inferno, takes place in New York when a man-made plague strikes Manhattan.
Steve’s novels are action-packed and very visual. He has optioned DOMAIN, MEG and The LOCH to film producers. Steve has written six original screenplays. His comedy, HARLEM SHUFFLE was a semi-finalist in the LA screenwriting contest, his comedy MINTZ MEATS was selected as a finalist at the Philadelphia film festival as was his psychological thriller, STRANGLEHOLD. Steve’s reality series, HOUSE OF BABEL won at Scriptapalooza. He has also created a TV Drama, PAPA JOHN, based on his years coaching basketball with Hall of Fame coach John Chaney.
Over the years, Steve has been inundated with e-mail from teens who hated reading …until they read his novels. When he learned high school teachers were actually using his books in the classroom (MEG had been rated #1 book for reluctant readers) Steve launched Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide non-profit program designed to encourage students to read. Teachers who register for the program (it’s free) receive giant shark posters, free curriculum materials, student-author correspondence, an interactive website, and classroom conference calls/visits with the author. To date, over 10,000 teachers have registered, and the success rate in getting teens to read has been unprecedented. Steve now spends half his work week working with high schools. For more information click on www.AdoptAnAuthor.com
As an author, Steve has two goals. First, to continue to work hard to become a better storyteller and create exciting page turning thrillers. Second, to remain accessible to his readers. Steve reads and answers all e-mails, uses the names and descriptions of his loyal fans as characters in all his novels, and even hires readers as editors, depending on their particular expertise.
MEG would go on to become the book of the 1996 Frankfurt book fair, where it eventually sold to more than a twenty countries. MEG hit every major best-seller list, including #19 on the New York Times list (#7 audio), and became a popular radio series in Japan.
Steve’s second release, The TRENCH (Meg sequel) was published by Kensington/Pinnacle in 1999 where it also hit best-seller status. His next novel, DOMAIN and its sequel, RESURRECTION were published by St. Martin’s Press/Tor Books and were runaway best-sellers in Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Italy, with the rights selling to more than a dozen countries.
Steve’s fourth novel, GOLIATH, received rave reviews and was a big hit in Germany. It is being considered for a TV series. MEG: Primal Waters was published in the summer of 2004. A year later his seventh novel, The LOCH, hit stores — a modern-day thriller about the Loch Ness Monster. Steve’s eighth novel, The SHELL GAME, is about the end of oil and the next 9/11 event. The book was another NY Times best-seller, but the stress of penning this real-life story affected Steve’s health, and three months after he finished the manuscript he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Steve’s ninth novel, MEG: Hell’s Aquarium, is considered to be the best of the best-selling MEG series. Steve says his best novel is GRIM REAPER: End of Days. The story, a modern-day Dante’s Inferno, takes place in New York when a man-made plague strikes Manhattan.
Steve’s novels are action-packed and very visual. He has optioned DOMAIN, MEG and The LOCH to film producers. Steve has written six original screenplays. His comedy, HARLEM SHUFFLE was a semi-finalist in the LA screenwriting contest, his comedy MINTZ MEATS was selected as a finalist at the Philadelphia film festival as was his psychological thriller, STRANGLEHOLD. Steve’s reality series, HOUSE OF BABEL won at Scriptapalooza. He has also created a TV Drama, PAPA JOHN, based on his years coaching basketball with Hall of Fame coach John Chaney.
Over the years, Steve has been inundated with e-mail from teens who hated reading …until they read his novels. When he learned high school teachers were actually using his books in the classroom (MEG had been rated #1 book for reluctant readers) Steve launched Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide non-profit program designed to encourage students to read. Teachers who register for the program (it’s free) receive giant shark posters, free curriculum materials, student-author correspondence, an interactive website, and classroom conference calls/visits with the author. To date, over 10,000 teachers have registered, and the success rate in getting teens to read has been unprecedented. Steve now spends half his work week working with high schools. For more information click on www.AdoptAnAuthor.com
As an author, Steve has two goals. First, to continue to work hard to become a better storyteller and create exciting page turning thrillers. Second, to remain accessible to his readers. Steve reads and answers all e-mails, uses the names and descriptions of his loyal fans as characters in all his novels, and even hires readers as editors, depending on their particular expertise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 589 reviews
April 23, 2021
I read Meg and then I read The Trench.
They have to be two of the silliest and cheesiest action/horror books I have ever read. But you know what – that is just fine! I knew that is what I was getting into and I needed a little bit of escapism with some mindless entertainment. And, I also started this one while on a beach vacation, so it added a little extra spice to the trip.
My 4 stars is because I was entertained and it improved my overall vacation experience, not because of the writing and presentation. The Trench will not blow you away with its fine prose. It is the equivalent of watching a movie with really bad actors and very far-fetched plot lines. But it is not hard to stay interested in and enjoy just like some of the bad, cheesy horror flicks that have come out over the years. If this is the sort of thing you are looking for, then you cannot go wrong with the Meg series.
They have to be two of the silliest and cheesiest action/horror books I have ever read. But you know what – that is just fine! I knew that is what I was getting into and I needed a little bit of escapism with some mindless entertainment. And, I also started this one while on a beach vacation, so it added a little extra spice to the trip.
My 4 stars is because I was entertained and it improved my overall vacation experience, not because of the writing and presentation. The Trench will not blow you away with its fine prose. It is the equivalent of watching a movie with really bad actors and very far-fetched plot lines. But it is not hard to stay interested in and enjoy just like some of the bad, cheesy horror flicks that have come out over the years. If this is the sort of thing you are looking for, then you cannot go wrong with the Meg series.
January 25, 2019
Giant sharks??? Here we go again!!!
Professor Jonas Taylor is back, this time with Terry Taylor in tow. When Angel, a 70 foot long megalodon, escapes from her paddock at the institute Jonas must set sail on a sea voyage to recapture her. But there is great danger lurking in the depths. And Jonas's dreams are getting worse. Can he descend into the Mariana Trench once again to save the life of the woman he loves? Can he face his fears and worse can he face his demon... Angel?
This book is written very much like the first novel. It is very action-packed with loads of suspense and thrills. Although there is a lot of action going on, there are also decent rest points so the reader does not become overwhelmed.
I will say that halfway through this book I noticed that the death toll was already higher than the first book. Which is to be expected in a good sequel.
Towards the latter half of the book there is a lot of scientific and technical jargon that is used. However it is not to the point where the layman cannot understand what is going on. The writer masterfully crafts his sentences so that any reader would be able to pick up this book and follow it.
There were actually bits of espionage in this book. Which, in my personal opinion, I found to be unnecessary to assist in building the suspense leading to the climax of the ending.if the author had ended the book in a different way perhaps the espionage points would have been more relevant but in this case the author has written them as moot points in the story line.
I honestly really like this book. I found the story very engaging and the characters very believable but that goes to having read the first book as well.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes horror, monsters and giant sharks! 🦈
Professor Jonas Taylor is back, this time with Terry Taylor in tow. When Angel, a 70 foot long megalodon, escapes from her paddock at the institute Jonas must set sail on a sea voyage to recapture her. But there is great danger lurking in the depths. And Jonas's dreams are getting worse. Can he descend into the Mariana Trench once again to save the life of the woman he loves? Can he face his fears and worse can he face his demon... Angel?
This book is written very much like the first novel. It is very action-packed with loads of suspense and thrills. Although there is a lot of action going on, there are also decent rest points so the reader does not become overwhelmed.
I will say that halfway through this book I noticed that the death toll was already higher than the first book. Which is to be expected in a good sequel.
Towards the latter half of the book there is a lot of scientific and technical jargon that is used. However it is not to the point where the layman cannot understand what is going on. The writer masterfully crafts his sentences so that any reader would be able to pick up this book and follow it.
There were actually bits of espionage in this book. Which, in my personal opinion, I found to be unnecessary to assist in building the suspense leading to the climax of the ending.if the author had ended the book in a different way perhaps the espionage points would have been more relevant but in this case the author has written them as moot points in the story line.
I honestly really like this book. I found the story very engaging and the characters very believable but that goes to having read the first book as well.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes horror, monsters and giant sharks! 🦈
September 11, 2018
Yeah, I like b-movies no matter how unrealistic, so of course I keep reading this series.
In this second book, which takes place some 4 years after the first, the former baby megalodon is in the artificial lagoon, a grown female now. She's an attraction, a bit like the dinosaurs in the various Jurassic Park movies. A lot of corporate and legal blablabla later and she escapes. Cue second hunt and more bloodshed.
Then, there is a, shall we say, mind-bending evil plot and corresponding espionage (though the spies were ridiculously bad at their job) as well as eyebrow-raising new creatures in the Mariana Trench itself ().
If you thought people couldn't be any more dumb than the ones in the first book, you better think again. Only here, we get a Russian whore (no, I'm not being judgy, that's what she actually is or was) and a latin-quoting billionaire (no, "eccentric" isn't enough to describe this psycho-idiot) as a bonus. Oh, and some of the old characters aren't any wiser now that they are married.
Thus, I found myself laughing along maniacally whenever someone got eaten or at least maimed (though many deaths were quite alike, sadly). The bloodier and more painful, the better. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
As for the criticism that this isn't as good as the first ... I'm not sure. Maybe.
Mostly because of Celeste and Singer, as people as much as their enterprise (). Maybe the big bad Russians were also too trope-y.
Otherwise, we get the same pseudo-science regarding tectonic plates, the titular trench and marine biology in it as well as wonderful descriptions of the meg's hunting tactics when in the water with whales and other creatures, which I enjoyed a lot.
Yes, this is popcorn fiction. No, this will never win any prizes. But it does greatly entertain - at least anyone as bloodthirsty and full of Schadenfreude as myself.
P.S.: Mac is still the best. :D
In this second book, which takes place some 4 years after the first, the former baby megalodon is in the artificial lagoon, a grown female now. She's an attraction, a bit like the dinosaurs in the various Jurassic Park movies. A lot of corporate and legal blablabla later and she escapes. Cue second hunt and more bloodshed.
Then, there is a, shall we say, mind-bending evil plot and corresponding espionage (though the spies were ridiculously bad at their job) as well as eyebrow-raising new creatures in the Mariana Trench itself ().
If you thought people couldn't be any more dumb than the ones in the first book, you better think again. Only here, we get a Russian whore (no, I'm not being judgy, that's what she actually is or was) and a latin-quoting billionaire (no, "eccentric" isn't enough to describe this psycho-idiot) as a bonus. Oh, and some of the old characters aren't any wiser now that they are married.
Thus, I found myself laughing along maniacally whenever someone got eaten or at least maimed (though many deaths were quite alike, sadly). The bloodier and more painful, the better. BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!
As for the criticism that this isn't as good as the first ... I'm not sure. Maybe.
Mostly because of Celeste and Singer, as people as much as their enterprise (). Maybe the big bad Russians were also too trope-y.
Otherwise, we get the same pseudo-science regarding tectonic plates, the titular trench and marine biology in it as well as wonderful descriptions of the meg's hunting tactics when in the water with whales and other creatures, which I enjoyed a lot.
Yes, this is popcorn fiction. No, this will never win any prizes. But it does greatly entertain - at least anyone as bloodthirsty and full of Schadenfreude as myself.
P.S.: Mac is still the best. :D
September 12, 2018
Oh, wow, what did I just read? Was this about a megashark or was it REALLY a discount-rate James Bond adventure under the sea?
Hmmm. Not telling!
*looks to either side, then up and to the left*
Really! It's NOT just a discount-rate James Bond adventure with hokey science, stretchable wild situations, Russian femme fatales, or overblown (and frankly boring) manufactured pathos.
Truly.
Ah, well, my megashark has interesting competition/snacks. Am I talking about another Trench species, or am I talking about the poor peeps in the novel?
I will leave you with that image.
Hmmm. Not telling!
*looks to either side, then up and to the left*
Really! It's NOT just a discount-rate James Bond adventure with hokey science, stretchable wild situations, Russian femme fatales, or overblown (and frankly boring) manufactured pathos.
Truly.
Ah, well, my megashark has interesting competition/snacks. Am I talking about another Trench species, or am I talking about the poor peeps in the novel?
I will leave you with that image.
October 23, 2016
Guilty pleasure prehistoric shark novel. With espionage, mad scientists, and conspiracy theories galore. But I'm here for the sharks.
SHAAAARKS.
Sharks are cool.
I think this sums it up.
(I swear I'm sober- I'm just tired lol).
SHAAAARKS.
Sharks are cool.
I think this sums it up.
(I swear I'm sober- I'm just tired lol).
September 7, 2018
„Nearly seven miles of water above their heads, sixteen thousand pounds per square inch of water pressure surrounding them.“
Here we go again...
Right off the bat we had characters that really needed to die. And the guy that kept quoting Latin needed to die especially hard. Drove me up the wall.
The depiction of women didn‘t improved from the first book. There are several gems like this one:
„A woman’s love for a man dies when her partner stops paying attention to her.“
Argh. Even for 1997, when this book was published, this is some cringe-worthy stuff. How about this one:
“I’m a woman, Jonas. Don’t try to reason with my emotions.”
Seriously? This chick is throwing back women‘s lib by 20 years.
And I think somewhere in the middle of the book the editor took an extended break. Increased amount of plot holes, grammatical errors, too many repetitions. And some things were just wrong. For example:
“Now pick up your paddle and help me row,” he ordered.
Not really. Rowing requires oars. Different system. There were several instances like this. Either the author just didn‘t properly research or fact-check or he just didn‘t care. Either way, it kept throwing me out of the story.
Here is another one:
„... Captain Hoppe squatting on his knees by the far wall, ...“
How do you squat on your knees? You squat on your feet, either fully resting your weight on your haunches or in a partial squat. No knees involved.
And: „Unzipping his wet suit, he urinated over the side.“
Correct me if I‘m wrong, but I have never seen a wetsuit with a zip in front, at least not that long and all the way down to the crotch.
Or how about this one:
“The landing gear struck the sea, then bounced upward before its rotor could hit water.“
The landing gear had a rotor? I know, I know, I am being pedantic and this is a ficticous story. But come on, a little more effort would have been nice!
To top off my annoyance with the second half of the book and its sloppy writing, I did not care for the spy/conspiracy-story. It was free of suspense and the bad guys were so painfully over the top and one-dimensional, they just came across as caricatures. I wasn‘t having much fun with that part of the book.
Still, I did like all the deep-sea action. So, this is a difficult one to rate. 2.5 undecided stars. And I might even pick up the next book in the series, because this is a bit like a train wreck, it‘s hard to look away.
Here we go again...
Right off the bat we had characters that really needed to die. And the guy that kept quoting Latin needed to die especially hard. Drove me up the wall.
The depiction of women didn‘t improved from the first book. There are several gems like this one:
„A woman’s love for a man dies when her partner stops paying attention to her.“
Argh. Even for 1997, when this book was published, this is some cringe-worthy stuff. How about this one:
“I’m a woman, Jonas. Don’t try to reason with my emotions.”
Seriously? This chick is throwing back women‘s lib by 20 years.
And I think somewhere in the middle of the book the editor took an extended break. Increased amount of plot holes, grammatical errors, too many repetitions. And some things were just wrong. For example:
“Now pick up your paddle and help me row,” he ordered.
Not really. Rowing requires oars. Different system. There were several instances like this. Either the author just didn‘t properly research or fact-check or he just didn‘t care. Either way, it kept throwing me out of the story.
Here is another one:
„... Captain Hoppe squatting on his knees by the far wall, ...“
How do you squat on your knees? You squat on your feet, either fully resting your weight on your haunches or in a partial squat. No knees involved.
And: „Unzipping his wet suit, he urinated over the side.“
Correct me if I‘m wrong, but I have never seen a wetsuit with a zip in front, at least not that long and all the way down to the crotch.
Or how about this one:
“The landing gear struck the sea, then bounced upward before its rotor could hit water.“
The landing gear had a rotor? I know, I know, I am being pedantic and this is a ficticous story. But come on, a little more effort would have been nice!
To top off my annoyance with the second half of the book and its sloppy writing, I did not care for the spy/conspiracy-story. It was free of suspense and the bad guys were so painfully over the top and one-dimensional, they just came across as caricatures. I wasn‘t having much fun with that part of the book.
Still, I did like all the deep-sea action. So, this is a difficult one to rate. 2.5 undecided stars. And I might even pick up the next book in the series, because this is a bit like a train wreck, it‘s hard to look away.
August 16, 2023
Apparently, hunting prehistoric giant sharks can save a marriage. This is the adorable take-away from Steve Alten’s ridiculously pulpy novel “The Trench”, which is the second book in his strangely addictive MEG series. (The first book is now a major motion picture starring Jason Statham.)
I’m not sure why I love these books so much, although I’m thinking part of the reason is because Alten is a much smarter writer than he lets on. He tells a damn good fish story, with plenty of action and sea-faring adventure, but he also interjects enough fascinating facts about marine biology and paleobiology to sound legitimate.
In “The Trench”, several years have passed since the events of “MEG”: Jonas Taylor is now married to Terry Tanaka. The expensive maritime institute facility built specifically to hold Angel, the captured megaladon, needs serious maintenance work, more than the institute’s budget allows. A billionaire named Benedict Singer makes a generous proposal to help save the facility. Unfortunately, it would entail splitting up Jonas and Terry for several weeks as Terry takes on a position of consultant for an underwater expedition to the Mariana Trench, led by Singer.
The Taylors aren’t doing so well. Since Terry’s miscarriage, Jonas and Terry have felt themselves drifting. Jonas buries himself in work, feeling angry and guilty all the time. Terry struggles with the uncomfortable thoughts that Jonas is partly to blame for the miscarriage, because it was the stress of worrying about her husband’s state of mind that contributed to losing the baby. Perhaps, she thinks, a period of time apart may be helpful.
Unbeknownst to everyone, however, Singer is actually an evil Bond villain bent on world domination. He’s on a hunt for a rare element that can only be found in the Trench (of course). He’ll stop at nothing to get it, including sacrificing his entire crew of Russian mercenaries and kidnapped scientists, as well as Terry, to a bevy of underwater dangers.
Meanwhile, in spectacular disaster movie pyrotechnics, Angel breaks out of her confines, killing many innocent bystanders along the way. Like a giant salmon, she’s heading back to the Trench to spawn.
It’s up to Jonas, and his wise-cracking sidekick Mac, to save the day. And Terry.
What can I say? This book is friggin’ awesome...
I’m not sure why I love these books so much, although I’m thinking part of the reason is because Alten is a much smarter writer than he lets on. He tells a damn good fish story, with plenty of action and sea-faring adventure, but he also interjects enough fascinating facts about marine biology and paleobiology to sound legitimate.
In “The Trench”, several years have passed since the events of “MEG”: Jonas Taylor is now married to Terry Tanaka. The expensive maritime institute facility built specifically to hold Angel, the captured megaladon, needs serious maintenance work, more than the institute’s budget allows. A billionaire named Benedict Singer makes a generous proposal to help save the facility. Unfortunately, it would entail splitting up Jonas and Terry for several weeks as Terry takes on a position of consultant for an underwater expedition to the Mariana Trench, led by Singer.
The Taylors aren’t doing so well. Since Terry’s miscarriage, Jonas and Terry have felt themselves drifting. Jonas buries himself in work, feeling angry and guilty all the time. Terry struggles with the uncomfortable thoughts that Jonas is partly to blame for the miscarriage, because it was the stress of worrying about her husband’s state of mind that contributed to losing the baby. Perhaps, she thinks, a period of time apart may be helpful.
Unbeknownst to everyone, however, Singer is actually an evil Bond villain bent on world domination. He’s on a hunt for a rare element that can only be found in the Trench (of course). He’ll stop at nothing to get it, including sacrificing his entire crew of Russian mercenaries and kidnapped scientists, as well as Terry, to a bevy of underwater dangers.
Meanwhile, in spectacular disaster movie pyrotechnics, Angel breaks out of her confines, killing many innocent bystanders along the way. Like a giant salmon, she’s heading back to the Trench to spawn.
It’s up to Jonas, and his wise-cracking sidekick Mac, to save the day. And Terry.
What can I say? This book is friggin’ awesome...
September 26, 2018
Not as good as the first book.
The beginning was interesting enough. With the meg trapped in the artificial lagoon for the entertainment of the masses. Trying to find a way out, of course.
But this wasn't Jurassic Park with sharks.
At some point Alten decided to introduce new "characters" all the time and then kill them off in the same chapter.
While it was entertaining, it also got pretty repetitive.
The overarching spy story suffered from a lack of tension and interesting characters.
Somehow it was still entertaining. It was decent popcorn fiction. Saying it in the words of my friend Paul, it was suitably ridiculous.
Recommended for b-movie fans.
The beginning was interesting enough. With the meg trapped in the artificial lagoon for the entertainment of the masses. Trying to find a way out, of course.
But this wasn't Jurassic Park with sharks.
At some point Alten decided to introduce new "characters" all the time and then kill them off in the same chapter.
While it was entertaining, it also got pretty repetitive.
The overarching spy story suffered from a lack of tension and interesting characters.
Somehow it was still entertaining. It was decent popcorn fiction. Saying it in the words of my friend Paul, it was suitably ridiculous.
Recommended for b-movie fans.
July 28, 2013
The Story He Meant to Write:
Daring, manly scientist relentlessly pursues prehistoric shark on an all-consuming vengeance quest after evil shark mistakes his noble, spunky brother-in-law for slightly-chewy apertif. Meanwhile his beautiful, feisty wife uncovers world-threatening plot by sociopathic mastermind. Both are imperiled by their brave stands, and their epic love endures many tests as they heroically save the day. Heroically.
The Story He Wrote:
Weedy, emo navel-gazer wallows in self-pity and behaves like a spoiled teenage boy when confronted with past mistakes. Meanwhile, his average, drippy wife with the forethought capabilities of a rock blunders unsubtly around a multibillion-dollar undersea lab run by a deranged, Machiavellian hybrid of Svengali and Sir Hiss. The shark runs roughshod over the ostensible heroes while the more competent, interesting characters, who have been shunted aside in favor of this pair of unappealing nabobs, serve as chum for its gnashing maw. Jaws close. Everyone useful dies. The drippy nincompoops survive, aided by a ridiculous deus ex machina and the low-watt power of their insipid, uninspired love.
I spit at Steve Alten from Hell's heart and begrudge him the dollar I spent on this closing-sale travesty.
Daring, manly scientist relentlessly pursues prehistoric shark on an all-consuming vengeance quest after evil shark mistakes his noble, spunky brother-in-law for slightly-chewy apertif. Meanwhile his beautiful, feisty wife uncovers world-threatening plot by sociopathic mastermind. Both are imperiled by their brave stands, and their epic love endures many tests as they heroically save the day. Heroically.
The Story He Wrote:
Weedy, emo navel-gazer wallows in self-pity and behaves like a spoiled teenage boy when confronted with past mistakes. Meanwhile, his average, drippy wife with the forethought capabilities of a rock blunders unsubtly around a multibillion-dollar undersea lab run by a deranged, Machiavellian hybrid of Svengali and Sir Hiss. The shark runs roughshod over the ostensible heroes while the more competent, interesting characters, who have been shunted aside in favor of this pair of unappealing nabobs, serve as chum for its gnashing maw. Jaws close. Everyone useful dies. The drippy nincompoops survive, aided by a ridiculous deus ex machina and the low-watt power of their insipid, uninspired love.
I spit at Steve Alten from Hell's heart and begrudge him the dollar I spent on this closing-sale travesty.
August 30, 2018
A coward dies a thousand deaths, a brave man dies but one.
Series still growing strong with #2 installment of MEG series.
Expecting more mysterious creatures to surface in future...
Series still growing strong with #2 installment of MEG series.
Expecting more mysterious creatures to surface in future...
March 26, 2021
For a book about a shark, the shark sure didn’t get a lot of screen time.
A disappointing turn in the series.
A disappointing turn in the series.
July 7, 2018
Just finished this one. This was another really fun book! The events of the first one as I have detailed in the review for Meg, continue on here. Angel, the offspring of the massive creature from the first book has grown into a 72 foot long Megalodon, even larger than her mother. Jonas Taylor and Masao Tanaka have kept the creature safe, healthy and growing, but it has changed its behavior. Wealthy investors have funded the arena built around Angel's holding lagoon to create a money making opportunity. They have also much deeper and malevolent desires that have nothing to do with Angel. The beast escapes the lagoon and a chase begins as she moves up the western coast and leaving death and destruction in her wake.
Jonas himself is not alright in this book. He has married Terry Tanaka, daughter of Masao, and he has dreams of himself and his wife being killed deep in the Mariana Trench, where this story began.
Events end up putting himself and Terry back there due to the evil plans of a wealthy and eccentric man, Benedict Singe, and his protege, Celeste. The lengths these two will go to to develop their nefarious plans has no end.
Action, chases and violence, tempered with a well crafted action story and solid science and massive creatures. Could you ask for anything more. This book rivals Jeremy Robinson in its depth and overall writing chops. Loved this one! Next on tap? MEG: Primal Waters. Gonna start it this weekend. This one was particularly awesome for me. I read this nearly 500 page book in two sittings. That is unusual for me. This book is a page turner!
Danny
Jonas himself is not alright in this book. He has married Terry Tanaka, daughter of Masao, and he has dreams of himself and his wife being killed deep in the Mariana Trench, where this story began.
Events end up putting himself and Terry back there due to the evil plans of a wealthy and eccentric man, Benedict Singe, and his protege, Celeste. The lengths these two will go to to develop their nefarious plans has no end.
Action, chases and violence, tempered with a well crafted action story and solid science and massive creatures. Could you ask for anything more. This book rivals Jeremy Robinson in its depth and overall writing chops. Loved this one! Next on tap? MEG: Primal Waters. Gonna start it this weekend. This one was particularly awesome for me. I read this nearly 500 page book in two sittings. That is unusual for me. This book is a page turner!
Danny
April 19, 2024
This had basically the exact same plotline as the first one, misogyny and weird stilted science descriptions included. Steve Alten really took the advice "if it's not broke, don't fix it" to heart, and he was right to do so, because any time he spent coming up with a new plotline would be valuable time wasted that could be spent writing shitty shark books. This one did have a weird incest plotline and very descriptive shark sex which I didn't like but it also had a lot of Latin quotes which I did like, so it balanced out quite well.
August 29, 2021
There are some pacing issues and character issues and a couple of situations that were absolutely pointless. I enjoyed the beginning a lot and I'll definitely read the rest of the series.
July 30, 2023
More like ZERO STARS.
This book was awful on so many levels. Spoilers for your protection...
1) A book about a killer giant shark really ought to have MORE killer giant shark that horrible, poorly written plots and subplots featuring Russian terrorists with bad accents.
2) This book comes across as little more than adolescent male rape fantasy:
a) The protagonist's wife (I cannot deign to call her a heroine) managed to get herself trapped underwater with the enemy and was stalked by a Russian thug hellbent on raping her. With every POV chapter change, she was cowering from him, weakly trying to protect her virtue, somehow managing to escape every time, and yet unable to put a stop to it -- either by her own devices or with the 'help' of the other all male counterparts. No one, not even the intended victim, ever acted like this was out of the ordinary.
b) And then the protagonist was constantly being approached (a laughable, weak choice of wording, I'll admit) by the villian's Russian female counterpart, doing her very best to get him to do the deed. I can't help but wonder if she had had a penis if she would have been more successful than the other guy.
3) Also (this could be an extension of #2, but it deserve a separate notation), as a final plot twist, the villain and his sexual Russian female counterpart turn out to be father and daughter -- again, with the male rape fantasy.
This book was blatant and disgusting. I expected it to be trash, to be like a beach read or an airport novel -- entertaining and over the top -- but it was just appalling, so much so that before I even finished listening to this second book in the series, I packed up and returned the third book, MEG: PRIMAL WATERS, which I had also borrowed.
A great big NO THANKS. I'm done with this series.
This book was awful on so many levels. Spoilers for your protection...
1) A book about a killer giant shark really ought to have MORE killer giant shark that horrible, poorly written plots and subplots featuring Russian terrorists with bad accents.
2) This book comes across as little more than adolescent male rape fantasy:
a) The protagonist's wife (I cannot deign to call her a heroine) managed to get herself trapped underwater with the enemy and was stalked by a Russian thug hellbent on raping her. With every POV chapter change, she was cowering from him, weakly trying to protect her virtue, somehow managing to escape every time, and yet unable to put a stop to it -- either by her own devices or with the 'help' of the other all male counterparts. No one, not even the intended victim, ever acted like this was out of the ordinary.
b) And then the protagonist was constantly being approached (a laughable, weak choice of wording, I'll admit) by the villian's Russian female counterpart, doing her very best to get him to do the deed. I can't help but wonder if she had had a penis if she would have been more successful than the other guy.
3) Also (this could be an extension of #2, but it deserve a separate notation), as a final plot twist, the villain and his sexual Russian female counterpart turn out to be father and daughter -- again, with the male rape fantasy.
This book was blatant and disgusting. I expected it to be trash, to be like a beach read or an airport novel -- entertaining and over the top -- but it was just appalling, so much so that before I even finished listening to this second book in the series, I packed up and returned the third book, MEG: PRIMAL WATERS, which I had also borrowed.
A great big NO THANKS. I'm done with this series.
August 11, 2019
Another book about the Megalodon (Carcharocles megalodon) where a young Meg was captured in the world largest bassin and is used to give a show for people. this shark by the name Angel has grown up a wee bit in big size shark that will not be kept prisoner. Of course he escapes and Jonas Taylor has the job to catch the beastie. At the same time his new wife is visiting the deepsea-station by the current financier of the deep-sea bassin that currently houses the only known living Megaladon on earth.
Meg escapes and the wife Terry is in trouble as the mysterious owner of the bassin has different plans with his deep-sea station and what is he looking for in the Mariana Trench and what does Jonas know that is so important for the man and his plans. Why does he keep Jonas wife as a prisoner.
And of course there is another unknown creature to be found in the deep trenches of our seas. As dangerous as the Meg and certainly a threat for humans at these great depths.
Once again a great sequel that raises the bar and actually continues the story in a quite logical continuation from the original book. Pure popcorn but good fun to read.
Meg escapes and the wife Terry is in trouble as the mysterious owner of the bassin has different plans with his deep-sea station and what is he looking for in the Mariana Trench and what does Jonas know that is so important for the man and his plans. Why does he keep Jonas wife as a prisoner.
And of course there is another unknown creature to be found in the deep trenches of our seas. As dangerous as the Meg and certainly a threat for humans at these great depths.
Once again a great sequel that raises the bar and actually continues the story in a quite logical continuation from the original book. Pure popcorn but good fun to read.
June 25, 2017
After 100 pages or so of shaky character motivations and weird subplots I did find myself rapping my knuckles on the front of the book and asking "You do plan to have a giant shark? In your giant shark book, yes? Hello?"
August 5, 2018
My least favorite book out of the whole series. Just totally different from the first book.
July 3, 2018
This was more uneven than the first one, but I still liked it.
Jonas has nightmares of him and his second wife Terry Tanaka dying in a submersible in the Mariana Trench. His fixation with megalodons threatens to damage their waking marriage. Jonas insists on personally supervising the reinforcement of the security barrier that keeps MEG's daughter Angel in Sea World-style captivity.
Meanwhile, Benedict, a super-villain and billionaire patron of the Tanaka Institute summons Jonas for advice on a special project. Terry and her father go instead. Terry is endangered almost immediately upon her arrival. At the same time, Angel escapes, leaving Jonas once again to stop a megalodon. He is joined by Celeste, the delightfully manipulative femme fatale "ward" of Benedict.
This sets up the two main storylines of this novel: one where Terry is threatened by Benedict during a secret mining expedition in the Mariana Trench, and the other where Jonas tries to stop Angel while Celeste has other motives.
I enjoyed the Jonas-Celeste story a lot more than the Benedict-Terry story. Benedict was over-the-top, the behaviors of his crew were irrational, and I never understood the urgency or timing associated with their operation. The Jonas story--chasing a giant shark before it could kill again while Celeste tries to seduce him to learn the secret coordinates of the original MEG's habitat--was a lot more natural and engaging to me.
I'm really looking forward to The Meg movie coming out this summer. Can't wait to see how it compares to the books.
Jonas has nightmares of him and his second wife Terry Tanaka dying in a submersible in the Mariana Trench. His fixation with megalodons threatens to damage their waking marriage. Jonas insists on personally supervising the reinforcement of the security barrier that keeps MEG's daughter Angel in Sea World-style captivity.
Meanwhile, Benedict, a super-villain and billionaire patron of the Tanaka Institute summons Jonas for advice on a special project. Terry and her father go instead. Terry is endangered almost immediately upon her arrival. At the same time, Angel escapes, leaving Jonas once again to stop a megalodon. He is joined by Celeste, the delightfully manipulative femme fatale "ward" of Benedict.
This sets up the two main storylines of this novel: one where Terry is threatened by Benedict during a secret mining expedition in the Mariana Trench, and the other where Jonas tries to stop Angel while Celeste has other motives.
I enjoyed the Jonas-Celeste story a lot more than the Benedict-Terry story. Benedict was over-the-top, the behaviors of his crew were irrational, and I never understood the urgency or timing associated with their operation. The Jonas story--chasing a giant shark before it could kill again while Celeste tries to seduce him to learn the secret coordinates of the original MEG's habitat--was a lot more natural and engaging to me.
I'm really looking forward to The Meg movie coming out this summer. Can't wait to see how it compares to the books.
July 11, 2012
2nd book in a series. A huge prehistoric shark gets loose and causes havoc in the deep blue sea. The main character is determined to stop the mammoth beast. This book is a decent read. It is a light read and is not meant to be taken serious. It has your heroes and it has bad guys (not including the shark). The author did a good job describing the attack scenes and I will continue with the series.
September 1, 2010
This book sucks. I only read 100 pages. You'd think a book about a ravenous prehistoric shark would be exciting, but...guess again. I hope the author gets eaten.
February 9, 2021
I'm surprised, but I really, really enjoyed this series so far.
The story starts 4 years after the previous book finished.
Angel is not so small anymore. She escapes the lagoon and a chase begins as she’s heading back to the trench to find a mate.
I felt like, overall, the plot was stronger in this book. We have great villains this time around. And some more creatures lurking in the deep.
I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this series.
The story starts 4 years after the previous book finished.
Angel is not so small anymore. She escapes the lagoon and a chase begins as she’s heading back to the trench to find a mate.
I felt like, overall, the plot was stronger in this book. We have great villains this time around. And some more creatures lurking in the deep.
I'm really looking forward to the next installment of this series.
March 22, 2020
Cheesy science fiction creature feature.
I really enjoyed The Meg the first book in tbe series. The Trench was no where as near as enjoyable. It became even more ridiculous, something I didn't even think possible. Conspiracy theories, undercover operations, mad scientists, evil Russians, OTT situations that no one could get out of-this book has it all. Sadly it also has even more repetitiveness than The Meg.
These books are not meant to be the literary equivalent of fine dining, heck they're not even McDonald's and they don't claim to be but The Trench just wasn't as fun a read as The Meg.
Characters you love, characters you hate (and genuinely not sure if you are supposed to and if this is down to good writing or terrible writing.) It's even more mysoginistic than The Meg which I didn't think possible. The testosterone oozes so thickly I'm surprised I didn't develop bollocks :-)
Much like The Meg this is a fun, easy read let down by too many sub plots that were unnecessary.
I really enjoyed The Meg the first book in tbe series. The Trench was no where as near as enjoyable. It became even more ridiculous, something I didn't even think possible. Conspiracy theories, undercover operations, mad scientists, evil Russians, OTT situations that no one could get out of-this book has it all. Sadly it also has even more repetitiveness than The Meg.
These books are not meant to be the literary equivalent of fine dining, heck they're not even McDonald's and they don't claim to be but The Trench just wasn't as fun a read as The Meg.
Characters you love, characters you hate (and genuinely not sure if you are supposed to and if this is down to good writing or terrible writing.) It's even more mysoginistic than The Meg which I didn't think possible. The testosterone oozes so thickly I'm surprised I didn't develop bollocks :-)
Much like The Meg this is a fun, easy read let down by too many sub plots that were unnecessary.
August 15, 2023
The Trench is a sequel to The Meg , the second in a long series by Steve Alten. I enjoyed this one alot. Yes , cheesy action and violence. But also, good research and scientific fact of the ocean, the marine life and good theory on these prehistoric beasts
Take The Meg, add an offspring, add a new institute and aquarium, some debt and a lying billionaire and get ready for more giant shark action.
RE-READ 8/15/23
Angel Escaped. Tanaka Institute is financially in trouble due to Angel's mother in first book and lawsuits. Corporate Terrorist Singer helps Tanaka just to get into Trench legally and harvest rocks that will help him with Fusion and Terrorist agenda...greed, wealth, power etc etc. We are introduced to another pre-historic survivor in a marine reptile subspecies of a kronosaurs...looks like a crocodile with flippers...only bigger.
Singer has a protege that is also his lover and then we find out is also his daughter ( yup). Terry is caught in his sub, Jonas has to save her and try to catch the Meg.
Great action, Fun story. A little convoluted due to corporate takeovers, energy moguls, terrorism, 3 or 4 different subs ...i don't know it was a lot going on.
Take The Meg, add an offspring, add a new institute and aquarium, some debt and a lying billionaire and get ready for more giant shark action.
RE-READ 8/15/23
Angel Escaped. Tanaka Institute is financially in trouble due to Angel's mother in first book and lawsuits. Corporate Terrorist Singer helps Tanaka just to get into Trench legally and harvest rocks that will help him with Fusion and Terrorist agenda...greed, wealth, power etc etc. We are introduced to another pre-historic survivor in a marine reptile subspecies of a kronosaurs...looks like a crocodile with flippers...only bigger.
Singer has a protege that is also his lover and then we find out is also his daughter ( yup). Terry is caught in his sub, Jonas has to save her and try to catch the Meg.
Great action, Fun story. A little convoluted due to corporate takeovers, energy moguls, terrorism, 3 or 4 different subs ...i don't know it was a lot going on.
May 28, 2019
Audience: Adult
Format: Audiobook/Owned
This is book 2 in the Meg series. It was very similar to the first book. Not a bad killer shark story but I still had issues with the way the author characterized the women in the book.
I won't be continuing the series.
April 5, 2022
Another opening scene that ends in a death, in several as a matter of fact. Great way to kick off this novel.
We find out that one of the meg's pups had survived at the end of the first book and is currently in captivity at the Institute that Jonas works at, allowing him to study it more closely .
Misery and intrigue surround the Goliath... I can see something much more sinister is going on. And we got a good dose of horror as the Meg managed to break out of her tank and attack three people(who sort of deserved what was coming to them)
Not only was Jonas later attacked by a great white shark, but to make matter worse Angel, the captured Meg has now escaped captivity.
You get a sense just how truly dangerous and magnificent a creature the Meg is. The attacks told in great detail to both terrify and thrill the reader.
Things are starting to go just as equally bad for Terry, Jonas's wife as she finds herself on board the Benthos which is situated at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, though her horror is of a different and sinister nature.
Turns out there is just more than a megalodon to worry about deep in the Mariana Trench. Something just as old and just as dangerous.
A truly great action packed and very tense climactic ending to this great story. I enjoyed this over the first book to be completely honest.
We find out that one of the meg's pups had survived at the end of the first book and is currently in captivity at the Institute that Jonas works at, allowing him to study it more closely .
Misery and intrigue surround the Goliath... I can see something much more sinister is going on. And we got a good dose of horror as the Meg managed to break out of her tank and attack three people(who sort of deserved what was coming to them)
Not only was Jonas later attacked by a great white shark, but to make matter worse Angel, the captured Meg has now escaped captivity.
You get a sense just how truly dangerous and magnificent a creature the Meg is. The attacks told in great detail to both terrify and thrill the reader.
Things are starting to go just as equally bad for Terry, Jonas's wife as she finds herself on board the Benthos which is situated at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, though her horror is of a different and sinister nature.
Turns out there is just more than a megalodon to worry about deep in the Mariana Trench. Something just as old and just as dangerous.
A truly great action packed and very tense climactic ending to this great story. I enjoyed this over the first book to be completely honest.
October 6, 2024
It's not often I want to actually burn a book, but here we are. If I was Steve Alten's wife I would be worried that he writes prehistoric sharks better than he writes women.
For a book about a big shark, it sure had a small amount of page time. Every scene with the shark I was actually very engaged with, they were exciting and I was on the edge of my seat for some of them! And then the next page was about how a girl became a prostitute at age 12, and I lost faith in his writing again.
There was FAR too much time spent of random sideplots and other characters than on the shark, which he should have spent most effort on given it is definitely the (small) strength of this book. Sorry but I came here to read about a massive prehistoric shark eating people and causing chaos, not about the child prostitute or incestuous rape or russian murderers or the CIA or a man *attempting* to be faithful to his wife or someone attempting to rape said wife over and over or goddamn BIN LADEN?!? Why the hell was that a plot point in this??????? Plus I don't think this book would pass the Bechdel test to be honest.
Also like some other reviews mention, there's some stupid little bits just like how Jonas unzips his wetsuit to pee? What wetsuits are you wearing that have a fly on them? Hello back zipper?
Anyway, if I had to read the next four books I would ask you to shoot me in the face instead.
For a book about a big shark, it sure had a small amount of page time. Every scene with the shark I was actually very engaged with, they were exciting and I was on the edge of my seat for some of them! And then the next page was about how a girl became a prostitute at age 12, and I lost faith in his writing again.
There was FAR too much time spent of random sideplots and other characters than on the shark, which he should have spent most effort on given it is definitely the (small) strength of this book. Sorry but I came here to read about a massive prehistoric shark eating people and causing chaos, not about the child prostitute or incestuous rape or russian murderers or the CIA or a man *attempting* to be faithful to his wife or someone attempting to rape said wife over and over or goddamn BIN LADEN?!? Why the hell was that a plot point in this??????? Plus I don't think this book would pass the Bechdel test to be honest.
Also like some other reviews mention, there's some stupid little bits just like how Jonas unzips his wetsuit to pee? What wetsuits are you wearing that have a fly on them? Hello back zipper?
Anyway, if I had to read the next four books I would ask you to shoot me in the face instead.
February 4, 2022
Esta segunda entrega de la saga Meg me gustó más que la primera, sobre todo el final que no se me hizo tan fantasioso como el anterior.
Tenemos al pobre Jonas que nuevamente deberá enfrentarse a su peor pesadilla, un hermoso tiburón prehistórico, un megalodón. Habrá una persecución, habrá muertes (no tantas de humanos, si de ballenitas T.T) todo eso en la superficie pero también habrá tensión y sorpresas en la fosa de Las Marianas, con una nueva criatura que entrará en escena. Un ser que se mantiene en las sombras, que causa muertes, problemas pero .... que para mi gusto, debió haber tenido una mayor participación y no tanto suspenso hasta que se desveló que ser era.
Y por si todo esto fuera poco, una vez más queda demostrado que los verdaderos monstruos son los humanos, que el peor enemigo de un humano es otro humano, y que el villano en este caso son de nuestra propia especie.
Si les gustan las historias con seres prehistóricos y solo para pasar el rato, este es su libro.
Tenemos al pobre Jonas que nuevamente deberá enfrentarse a su peor pesadilla, un hermoso tiburón prehistórico, un megalodón. Habrá una persecución, habrá muertes (no tantas de humanos, si de ballenitas T.T) todo eso en la superficie pero también habrá tensión y sorpresas en la fosa de Las Marianas, con una nueva criatura que entrará en escena. Un ser que se mantiene en las sombras, que causa muertes, problemas pero .... que para mi gusto, debió haber tenido una mayor participación y no tanto suspenso hasta que se desveló que ser era.
Y por si todo esto fuera poco, una vez más queda demostrado que los verdaderos monstruos son los humanos, que el peor enemigo de un humano es otro humano, y que el villano en este caso son de nuestra propia especie.
Si les gustan las historias con seres prehistóricos y solo para pasar el rato, este es su libro.
May 21, 2023
After the first book of this series, I was really excited to dive into the second one, but this one was a huge disappointment.
The meg was hardly around at all! Instead 80% of the book was silly relationship drama as the cartoonishly evil villains tried to tear apart Jonas and his wife. And that is just SO not want I wanted to read about in a book that's supposed to be about a giant shark!
And not only was there a heaping helping of relationship drama, there's also incest! Oh, and some plesiosaurs. Because I guess the author decided that the shark wasn't exciting enough and needed some plesiosaurs to spice it up. Overall, I'm probably going to try the third book and hope that it goes back to its roots a little bit instead of the ridiculousness that was The Trench.
The meg was hardly around at all! Instead 80% of the book was silly relationship drama as the cartoonishly evil villains tried to tear apart Jonas and his wife. And that is just SO not want I wanted to read about in a book that's supposed to be about a giant shark!
And not only was there a heaping helping of relationship drama, there's also incest! Oh, and some plesiosaurs. Because I guess the author decided that the shark wasn't exciting enough and needed some plesiosaurs to spice it up. Overall, I'm probably going to try the third book and hope that it goes back to its roots a little bit instead of the ridiculousness that was The Trench.
March 4, 2016
This series was recommended to me by my sister. I'm not one for these thriller types, but since I have a strange fear-fascination with sharks, I couldn't resist.
I haven't yet read the first Meg book. This one came to me in a pile of used books by someone and I thought, oh well, might as well jump right in. I'd already finished Jurassic Park and lived to tell the tale, so why not give Mega go?
Like a lot of authors, Alten wrote this book as a stand-alone. You didn't need to have read the first one to understand what was going on. However, I intend to read the first book because this book is directly link. All I'll say is the first book is why the second book even happened.
Anyway, as for this book, I wasn't disappointed. If you thought the movie/book Jaws was on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling, Steve Alten does a great job of making your nerves stand on end. And he does that by actually putting you in the point of view of the shark's victims. The death scenes are somewhat gory. At least, I think they are, but I couldn't say for sure not having read a lot of books like these. I think it could be on par with the gore of Jurassic Park.
The plot is detailed and in my opinion, excellently thought out. I was impressed at how everything linked together. Some ways our favorite characters escapes death is a little...well, things are stretched a little. In real life miracles like that don't always happen. But I think this is why we read fiction. We want to see our heroes defy death and live to get revenge on their enemies.
I realize this review doesn't have specific details about the book. I did this because in my opinion I wouldn't know where to start. I fear of dribbling out a synopsis for people to read and possibly giving away spoilers.
All I can say is that despite what some reviews said, Angel is my enemy. I liked some characters and I hated others. I'm also glad, I will say, that Terry, Jonas's Japanese wife, didn't just lay down and play dead in the book. She fought back even when the odds were against her. Maybe the other female characters in the Meg series are different? I don't know, but I liked Terry because Alten made her a woman with a woman's fears and flaws, but also made her strong enough to cope with the terrors that lurked beneath the ocean. And I'm not just referring to those with fins.
Overall, if you like thrillers, i.e., Jurassic Park, Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, etc, then this is the series for you. I fully intend to read on.
I haven't yet read the first Meg book. This one came to me in a pile of used books by someone and I thought, oh well, might as well jump right in. I'd already finished Jurassic Park and lived to tell the tale, so why not give Mega go?
Like a lot of authors, Alten wrote this book as a stand-alone. You didn't need to have read the first one to understand what was going on. However, I intend to read the first book because this book is directly link. All I'll say is the first book is why the second book even happened.
Anyway, as for this book, I wasn't disappointed. If you thought the movie/book Jaws was on-the-edge-of-your-seat thrilling, Steve Alten does a great job of making your nerves stand on end. And he does that by actually putting you in the point of view of the shark's victims. The death scenes are somewhat gory. At least, I think they are, but I couldn't say for sure not having read a lot of books like these. I think it could be on par with the gore of Jurassic Park.
The plot is detailed and in my opinion, excellently thought out. I was impressed at how everything linked together. Some ways our favorite characters escapes death is a little...well, things are stretched a little. In real life miracles like that don't always happen. But I think this is why we read fiction. We want to see our heroes defy death and live to get revenge on their enemies.
I realize this review doesn't have specific details about the book. I did this because in my opinion I wouldn't know where to start. I fear of dribbling out a synopsis for people to read and possibly giving away spoilers.
All I can say is that despite what some reviews said, Angel is my enemy. I liked some characters and I hated others. I'm also glad, I will say, that Terry, Jonas's Japanese wife, didn't just lay down and play dead in the book. She fought back even when the odds were against her. Maybe the other female characters in the Meg series are different? I don't know, but I liked Terry because Alten made her a woman with a woman's fears and flaws, but also made her strong enough to cope with the terrors that lurked beneath the ocean. And I'm not just referring to those with fins.
Overall, if you like thrillers, i.e., Jurassic Park, Jaws, Deep Blue Sea, etc, then this is the series for you. I fully intend to read on.
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