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On a top-secret dive into the Pacific Ocean's deepest canyon, Jonas Taylor found himself face-to-face with the largest and most ferocious predator in the history of the animal kingdom. The sole survivor of the mission, Taylor is haunted by what he's sure he saw but still can't prove exists-Carcharodon megalodon, the massive mother of the great white shark. The average prehistoric Meg weighs in at twenty tons and could tear apart a Tyrannosaurus rex in seconds. Written off as a crackpot suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder, Taylor refuses to forget the depths that nearly cost him his life. With a PhD in paleontology under his belt, Taylor spends years theorizing, lecturing, and writing about the possibility that Meg still feeds at the deepest levels of the sea. But it takes an old friend in need to get him to return to the water, and a hotshot female submarine pilot to dare him back into a high-tech miniature sub. Diving deeper than he ever has before, Taylor will face terror like he's never imagined, and what he finds could turn the tides bloody red until the end of time.… (more)
User reviews
I kind of came at Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror from the back end...that is to say that I recently read Alten's The Loch, and while flawed, it was entertaining so I thought I'd give this one a go, since I love the premise. I have to say that I was very
We are very quickly introduced to a bevy of characters including Maggie, Taylor's wife with aspirations to be a nationally known newscaster; Terry Tanaka the feisty new love interest who wants to be one of the boys, diving on the subs, but never develops into more than a damsel in constant distress; D.J., Terry's Brother who will be piloting one of the subs on the trip down into the trench; Bud, rich guy and "friend" of Taylor...but not for long; Masao Tanaka, Japanese business man with dreams of opening an Oceanographic Institute in Monterey and old friend of Taylor; Alphonse DeMarco, chief engineer; and Frank Heller, the doctor who declared Taylor fit for diving on his "top-secret" dive then turned around and placed all the blame for the accident squarely on Taylor's shoulders...an adversarial paring to be sure.
So, having set up the damaged hero, we move quickly into getting him back into a submersible and the Mariana Trench, the reason being that Masao, his long time friend is never going to realize his dream of opening the Oceanographic Institute due to the failure of some underwater seismic equipment he developed for JAMSTEC (who are funding the lagoon in return). It's up to Taylor and D.J. to figure out what's happening to the monitors and get things up and running again...and that's when all heck breaks loose! Once the author sets up this back story, the book takes off into a "B" action movie plot with barely believable situational suspense as Taylor and the others attempt to undo the damage they've done in leading the Meg to the surface resulting in non-stop, page-turning action! Ultimately, it's good for what it is...a light, entertaining read. This is not great literature...it's fiction that's meant to entertain and nothing more.
Overall...what is recycled from this book into The Loch...well, the "hero" us unable to dive, traumatized by a previous dive (check, used in The Loch); witch of a wife, well on her way to being an ex-wife (check), and a feisty female love interest who has the potential to be a strong character but winds up having to be saved over and over (check, also in the Loch)...what's really sad is that the characterization here is flat, one-dimensional, and lackluster (fleshed out only enough to get the story moving and never developed beyond that...they are the backdrop for the Meg action sequences, necessary only to keep the action moving)...but it's still better than what he wrote character-wise in The Loch. I didn't think it was possible for an author to get worse at creating characters, but it seems that is the case with Alten. In the end, this is the literature equivalent of spending two hours watching a movie on Sci-Fi...Meg's plot relies on a thin thread of scientific believability. That is to say that once you've committed yourself to the premise - a 60 foot megalodon rises from the Mariana Trench to terrorize the modern ocean - you've found your way to a fast-paced "B" movie of a book. Meg contains just about every cliché you find in an underwater suspense thriller...and while this book has been compared to Jurassic Park/Crichton's work...it's not anywhere near that good. What you do get here is a time wasting, entertaining, edge of your seat read for a few hours...and sometimes that just what you need. I give it three stars because I WAS entertained and really, that's what this type of book is supposed to do! I'll finish out the series just because I am the type who always finishes a book and if I've started a series, I finish it, but I doubt I'll ever feel compelled to pick up future writings by this author, he seems to recycle the same plot elements from book to book, just changing the "threat," this is formula writing and it's not even good formula writing.
I have to say I was a bit leery of whether I'd like this book or not, judging by the blurb on the back of the book. A prehistoric shark didn't seem like it would hold my attention too much. It seemed too...Jaws, I guess. (Note that I've never watched that movie except
This is a thriller that will literally keep you on the edge of your seat--the only downside is the gripping parts are a little beyond the first few chapters. But that was fine by me, it lets you into a few of the characters' lives before introducing everyone in the book.
And that's where the downside of the novel starts. Way too many characters, in my opinion. Toward the end I found myself having to backtrack to remember which character plays which role (aside from the mains ones, of course). Sometimes last names are given, sometimes first names. And after a jumble of names, you tend to forget which first name goes with which last name and vice versa.
Definitely worth the read if you're a fan of thrillers.
There is a decent preparation of the
How many times do we have to be beaten over the head with the luckly shark tooth? I couldn't wait for that smoking gun to be fired.
The climactic scene was like an Irwin Allen film. A flotilla sinking, helicopters raining from the sky, flames, people pushing. Absurd and way too over the top. Rein in that inner destructive child playing with flaming blocks, Mr. Alten.
I'm not even sure I buy a Meg attack as being capable of damaging an ex-navy war ship.
For all that, it was not a badly written book. I'm sure it'll entertain some people. Just not me.
Well as the cover says, 'Jurassic Shark', if your a fan of tales of sea monsters with a gritty edge of reality, then this book is for you.
Jonas Taylor (a professor of palaeontology) believes that on a previous trip to the depths of the ocean he came
Convinced by a colleague to re-enter the trenches he is once again confronted by his old enemy. Can he put aside his personal issues and confront the terror of the seas?......
A very well written book, full of action and characters that are crammed with personality. I believe that Meg is the first in a series of books, can't wait to read the others.
I have read a few reviews that have marked the book down for it's questionable science, I would just like to add that regardless of whether or not you believe the story could happen in real life, it is still a terrific read.
The only reason I gave the book 4 stars instead of 5 was I felt the ending was a bit farfetched. Shame really.
It's got that very
Update - just to be sure, I flipped through a few pages to be sure I'm remembering the right book. Yup. And I'm going to update by statement above to "VERY badly written." Deleting.
I love stories that are just on the edge of possible when it comes to big dangerous beasties. We know so little about the depths of our oceans and that makes them a good breeding ground for stories of monsters. The Meg holds a lot of credibility since this proficient killer ruled the oceans for far longer than humanity has existed. Sharks as a species are hard to kill and Mother Earth has definitely tried…. and not always won. We still have plenty of sharks.
Terri and her father provide equipment and a pre-prepared California bay which might allow them to capture this prehistoric beast. Yeah, right! Right from the start, I knew this wasn’t going to happen as planned. And what’s more, the Meg appears to be pregnant! Yikes! The ocean’s animal social hierarchy will be changed forever! But I still hoped it would work.
After some sightings of the Meg and several deaths, the US Navy decides it’s best to put this beast down for good. Terri is in agreement with them but has to play for her dad’s team, which means teaming up with Jonas. There’s some playful flirtation between the two that comes off as rather forced and fake. I had high hopes that Terri would get to do some awesome stuff, but mostly she spends time on the sidelines.
The action ramps up and up and up… and it looks like things might just work out for those characters that are still left… and then stuff goes horribly wrong. Jonas ends up covered in blood and nearly drowned. More people die. Terri’s dad doesn’t get his prize. It’s a lovely mess of a situation.
The ending leaves us perfectly set up for the next book but closes off the main fights for this book. It also leaves us with a sappy romantic situation that I had trouble buying into even though I wanted some happiness for Jonas. Over all, 3.5/5 stars.
This particular audiobook version includes Book 0.5 Meg: Origins. It’s the story of how Jonas’s career tanked. I really liked this novella. Not only does it flesh out the bare bones facts in The Meg Book 1 but it also shows us that there are others who bumped into the Meg all those years ago. Jonas has mourned the loss of those scientists in the submersible with him that day but now we know how it all played out. This novella was written years after The Meg and it shows how the author’s skill has grown. 5/5 stars for Book 0.5.
The Narration: First, there’s a short bit from the author about his personal fascination with sharks, especially the Meg. I love when authors take the time to add a personal note like this and love it even more when it’s included in the audiobook. Sean Runnette was great as Jonas Taylor. He really does a great job portraying Jonas’s evolving emotions throughout the story. He starts off indecisive and dissatisfied with his life but as things heat up, the character focuses and becomes more and more sure of himself. Runnette did great with this. His female voices could use more femininity. He was great with Maggie’s venom and Terri’s assertiveness but they didn’t always sound like women. I liked his light Asian accent for Terri’s dad and how he made Terri and her brother sound all American. 4/5 stars
Professor Jonas Taylor is a little obsessed with the idea that a prehistoric monster is lurking in the Mariana Trench. A Carcharodon megalodon. Everyone thinks his crack pot theories are a waste of time and even laughable. But who knows what's really lurking in the dark... in the
Non-stop action packed, does thriller keeps you going from start to finish. Very well written and even reminiscent of works by Michael Crichton. The plot is well-thought-out and well-executed and written in a way that's easy to follow from one point to the next. Even the scientific jargon used in the book is easy for the layman to understand.
This is a book that I really enjoyed. I enjoy how the author moved swiftly and steadily from one action point to the next and kept you on your toes throughout the entire book. I also enjoyed the characters both sinister and heroic and thought they were well developed and even relatable.
This book will definitely make a great film. Let us hope that the movie does not disappoint.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes a good thrill with lots of action and a good, simple plot.
Cheesy fun, with lots of action, exclamation points, and paper-thin characters. Alten's writing is, at times, very amateurish, but he makes up for it in unbridled enthusiasm.