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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fast paced, creature feature page turner! Solid writing, great story, we'll developed characters.
It's really a shame that the film based on this novel has been trapped down in the depths (har har) since 1997, even after millions were invested in it, but that’s Hollywood for you.
MEG is likely the best modern shark thriller worthy of being turned into film.
I still believe that, even after it's been nearly 15 years since that one fateful summer when I was really just learning about cryptozoology, already having been an avid learner of marine life, particularly sharks.
So yes, yes I enthusiastically read this book, but it really all started quite accidentally when I walked past a book carousel at an end-cap at my local bookstore, then stopped, as my brain registered a curious cover with my periphs, and I went back to see what I thought I had saw.
Yes, I did see what I thought I saw.
And I bought that book straight away, I did! Based on the book cover alone...
Because on that cover of MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror was a motherf@%king MONSTER SHARK eating a go@#*amn tyrannosaurus rex in what could only be called one of the GREATEST NATURE BATTLES of all time. Of ALL time!
So it was actually then that I added Carcharodon Megalodon to my studies, and subsequently my fascination with prehistoric marine life was born, specifically "extinct" marine predators, all in good thanks to this book. I mean how can anyone not be fascinated with, or at least be frightened of, the largest shark to ever swim in the ocean!! And having grown to lengths of at least 50 feet and potentially as much as 70 feet, with some some scientists even saying closer to 100 feet or more, weighing 50 to 100 tons, Meg was easily one of the most massive predators in the history of life on Earth!
So yeah, when I discovered this story about a deep sea exploration mission that comes upon a modern-day Megalodon shark unleashed upon the world’s oceans, I may have been slightly exhilarated.
If you are now thinking to yourself, yesss! Yes, what a fantastic creature! Then, you may just enjoy this rip-roaring gem of a read.
I personally REALLY liked it and it was so fast-moving and engrossing that I read it in a couple days, if that.
Part edge-of-your-seat ocean thriller and part exploration of what-if there really was a giant sea monster, lurking deep within earth's oceans, this exciting story involves a deep sea diver, the Mariana Trench, the ancient giant shark MEG, and is glued together with enough suspense and description that you can envision the scenes unfolding before your very eyes, carnage and all!
Like many others that appreciated this thrilling tale, I had the pleasure of corresponding with author Steve Alten, who proved to be a very encouraging and polite individual who genuinely wanted to know what his fans thought of his writing and was very willing to accept feedback. So that encounter only added to the positive experience I had with this book.
I really enjoyed that he brought to attention how little we know about the deep sea and what could plausibly live down there. 90% of the ocean has never even been seen, so with only a tiny fraction of the deep sea having been explored, who knows if megalodon is really extinct...
I thought this was a really fun read, I enjoyed it so much that I loaned it to one of my friends as well as my brother, both whom loved it.
My brother never gave it back.
My summary -
PROS: MEG makes a great summer/beach read, it's perfect for anyone captivated by sharks or sea monsters and it's educational for people who don't know about ocean trenches and volcanic vents. It is a fast read and really descriptive. If sharks fascinate you and you appreciate their awesomeness - READ THIS BOOK if you want a good thrill!
CONS: A somewhat weak ending, a lot of clichés and yes it has cardboard characters, but thats the kind you need to make a story like this manifest as a fast thrill-ride.
As to the techies that whined about the correct scuba diving equipment lingo and all that stuff and argue whether the idea of an ancient monster shark is conceivable, I say, please just let the rest of us enjoy this book for what it is.
Some books are simply meant to take you for a ride.
If you enjoyed and can accept "the science" behind the Jurassic Park movies, then you can accept this monster shark tale, and you'll probably get a kick out of it!
This was fun, this is what I was expecting from the Jaws books.
adventurous
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Solidly okay novel. It was surely entertaining, but it certainly didn't blow my mind. I only read this novel because it is becoming a motion picture soon.
Interesting enough, but not interesting enough to continue reading the rest of the series. The ambiguous ending doesn't bother me.
Interesting enough, but not interesting enough to continue reading the rest of the series. The ambiguous ending doesn't bother me.
Very fun and adventurous but pretty sexist. Few female characters let alone strong or well rounded female characters. I also thought I was a little silly how if anyone died they were usually ‘bad guys.’ It would be set up so you hate them before they were eaten by a wild predator like they deserved it, like a wild predator cares if you are jerk or a saint. But still pretty fun and exciting!
I read this book for the first time years ago, perhaps around 2004 or so. I felt like reading it again to celebrate 2014 Shark Week. This is basically an equivalent of Sharknado in book form, if you must ask. Meaning that it was exactly the trashy, exaggerated, airport-type of book that makes Dan Brown's novels look like Pulitzer Prize winners in comparison. So why am I reading it? Because of the awesome 60ft dino-shark, that's why!
The premise of the story is quite fun. Deep sea scientists accidentally unleash a prehistoric shark, previously trapped in the remote depths of Mariana Trench, unto the unsuspecting beach-goers. And that shark makes Jaws look like a friendly guppy. There is a lot of AAAARRGH and NOM NOM NOM, and other pure goodness. I mean look at that cover with the shark eating a frickin' T-rex!
So why the four stars? The action in this book is nonstop and over the top, which on its own deserves at least six stars. But the characters are so bad, they go way beyond you average Tara Reid impersonator. Every time they open their mouths, they get a foot in there, and so much foot is never good for a book. You have your:
- typical smart/handsome/tanned/smart/misunderstood/smart leading man who is just an idealized representation of the author
- an exotic love interest that miraculously has feelings for the leading man too
- a typical blonde, dissatisfied, cheating bitch of a wife who must die to give room to the exotic love interest
- a crazy, all-American, lovable rogue that serves as a comedic relief
- an authority representative that constantly blames the leading man for everything that goes wrong and learns his lesson in a gruesome, painful way
- and a giant-ass shark that, nevermind the vastness of the ocean, manages to pop up exactly where our heroes are for the entire length of the book
Did I mention that this book is awesome? Yes, go ahead, pick it up and blissfully kill a couple of your brain cells. Happy belated Shark Week everybody!
The premise of the story is quite fun. Deep sea scientists accidentally unleash a prehistoric shark, previously trapped in the remote depths of Mariana Trench, unto the unsuspecting beach-goers. And that shark makes Jaws look like a friendly guppy. There is a lot of AAAARRGH and NOM NOM NOM, and other pure goodness. I mean look at that cover with the shark eating a frickin' T-rex!
So why the four stars? The action in this book is nonstop and over the top, which on its own deserves at least six stars. But the characters are so bad, they go way beyond you average Tara Reid impersonator. Every time they open their mouths, they get a foot in there, and so much foot is never good for a book. You have your:
- typical smart/handsome/tanned/smart/misunderstood/smart leading man who is just an idealized representation of the author
- an exotic love interest that miraculously has feelings for the leading man too
- a typical blonde, dissatisfied, cheating bitch of a wife who must die to give room to the exotic love interest
- a crazy, all-American, lovable rogue that serves as a comedic relief
- an authority representative that constantly blames the leading man for everything that goes wrong and learns his lesson in a gruesome, painful way
- and a giant-ass shark that, nevermind the vastness of the ocean, manages to pop up exactly where our heroes are for the entire length of the book
Did I mention that this book is awesome? Yes, go ahead, pick it up and blissfully kill a couple of your brain cells. Happy belated Shark Week everybody!
adventurous
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This was a super fun read. It's like those Scyfy giant shark movies, but soooo much better.
Sure it stretches credibility, but so what?
If you like a good monster story, then this is it.
Sure it stretches credibility, but so what?
If you like a good monster story, then this is it.