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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you love/loved Jaws, you'd love this book! If you love underwater/claustrophobic feeling type stories, you'd love this book! Definitely an on the edge of your seat type story! Whoa!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Blood
Minor: Vomit
(I read the revised and expanded edition, which included a new prequel.)
In "MEG: a novel of deep terror," the truly deep terror is Alten's abysmal writing. It was just bad, but also: I have some serious qualms about the way Alten described women and Asian American characters in this book.
In "MEG: a novel of deep terror," the truly deep terror is Alten's abysmal writing. It was just bad, but also: I have some serious qualms about the way Alten described women and Asian American characters in this book.
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
N/A
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This is horrible in so many ways, I don't know where to start.
The spelling was horrifying. The author was clearly misogynistic, given the fact that in a cast of - at least - twenty men, there were only two women, both of which were love interests, one being the devil and the other being the savior. Let's not forget the fact that Jonah and the whale have now become Jonas and the shark. In the most improbable and stupid way possible.
It was extremely predictable. The way to get through it - if you must - is making a game of guessing or betting on what will happen next. You'll be bored, but at least you'll be right. That's the only consolation you're going to get from this.
Also, the science and general knowledge on real life stuff was seriously lacking. I know some of that stuff has to be suspended because sharks - for the most part - don't really attack or eat humans but still. The stupidity of how submersibles work was completely bogus, the whole thing about how a shark hitched a ride on another shark to get through the colder layer of ocean floor and proceeded to eat her own babies - listen kids, if you're a human woman, you must save me or die, but if you're a woman shark, congratulations! You are saved! But your brothers will get eaten, one by mommy and one by Shamu! - which would explain why they're extinct if that has a real biological basis though I'm guessing it doesn't. Like everything else in this book.
I read a review somewhere on here that said it was at some point compared to Jurassic Park for sharks, which caused me to break out in hives. HORRIFYING! DON'T CALL MY DINO CHILD NAMES!
Anyway, moving on. Team Dumb wanted to capture the shark because apparently Mother Nature can't handle the inclusion of a new predator that eats its young and therefore will soon die out and hasn't sorted this out a million times before and oh! Oh!The poor fishermen, FML! And then we have Team Ahab - Moby Dick, anyone? Poor Moby Dick, having had its plotline pulled down by this - with their plan to highjack the shark saving and kill it because Ahab. I mean, because Bud 'my girlfriend that I didn't even like until she died' and Heller 'my brother that I sort of liked because I am/have no one' wanted to be the Avengers so...yeah. Avenging. Tearing shit up. Sorry, I had to swear once. This was traumatizing. Both sides were doing the same thing in the end though, just in different ways. Being equally stupid. And predictable, especially Team Ahab.
Also, their names. Sweet Jesus. Who the hell is named DJ?! Who lets a guy named DJ pilot a submarine?!?! Hellooo??? And Terry. Like, they're token Asian. And he didn't even bother to maybe give them interesting Asian names other than the dad. Just toss whatever in there and put an Asian last name at the end, make up some bullshit story about geishas and fishermen and that's Japan for you, you're good. And the one black man whose name we never know, or at any rate that I can't remember. Like, if you're going to be racist just go all out. Don't insult people by pretending you're not.
This is a super rant, I'm sorry. I'm basing most of this off of my angry reading notes. There are so many.
And it's extra disappointing, because there were times when it seemed like Maggie - the stereotypical supermodel journalist - and Terry - the seemingly un-stereotypical pilot that got sidelined so our little b**** Jonah sorry not sorry Jonas, if you switch out one letter he's not our whale guy you know! could go back and face his fears even though he caved right away I digress I digress! - were going to be amazing.
Like when Maggie was chasing down her stories knowing what she wanted and when Terry was putting Jonah in his place - I'm just gonna call him Jonah because I hate him and that's one of the best ways to show someone you don't like them - but all of that never went anywhere, because in the next paragraph he - the author or Jonah, take your pick, they seem to be nearly one and the same - belittled them by making fun of their intensity (Terry, when she tells Jon-nah she's perfectly capable of piloting and he just rolls his eyes and tells her to chill) or comments on their bodies (Maggie, when she first appears with a description of her legs, or later, when she turns to walk away and gets a description of her butt because of course it's a man looking at her because. there. are. no. women. here!) which is just rant inducing.
The spelling never improves. I thought at first it was a fluke but it happened throughout the entire book and seemed to get worse as it went, which makes no sense to me. I hope the print version isn't like this.
I have run out of notes. I'm so glad to be done with this book.
Please don't read it. Just Go Read Jaws.
The spelling was horrifying. The author was clearly misogynistic, given the fact that in a cast of - at least - twenty men, there were only two women, both of which were love interests, one being the devil and the other being the savior. Let's not forget the fact that Jonah and the whale have now become Jonas and the shark. In the most improbable and stupid way possible.
It was extremely predictable. The way to get through it - if you must - is making a game of guessing or betting on what will happen next. You'll be bored, but at least you'll be right. That's the only consolation you're going to get from this.
Also, the science and general knowledge on real life stuff was seriously lacking. I know some of that stuff has to be suspended because sharks - for the most part - don't really attack or eat humans but still. The stupidity of how submersibles work was completely bogus, the whole thing about how a shark hitched a ride on another shark to get through the colder layer of ocean floor and proceeded to eat her own babies - listen kids, if you're a human woman, you must save me or die, but if you're a woman shark, congratulations! You are saved! But your brothers will get eaten, one by mommy and one by Shamu! - which would explain why they're extinct if that has a real biological basis though I'm guessing it doesn't. Like everything else in this book.
I read a review somewhere on here that said it was at some point compared to Jurassic Park for sharks, which caused me to break out in hives. HORRIFYING! DON'T CALL MY DINO CHILD NAMES!
Anyway, moving on. Team Dumb wanted to capture the shark because apparently Mother Nature can't handle the inclusion of a new predator that eats its young and therefore will soon die out and hasn't sorted this out a million times before and oh! Oh!The poor fishermen, FML! And then we have Team Ahab - Moby Dick, anyone? Poor Moby Dick, having had its plotline pulled down by this - with their plan to highjack the shark saving and kill it because Ahab. I mean, because Bud 'my girlfriend that I didn't even like until she died' and Heller 'my brother that I sort of liked because I am/have no one' wanted to be the Avengers so...yeah. Avenging. Tearing shit up. Sorry, I had to swear once. This was traumatizing. Both sides were doing the same thing in the end though, just in different ways. Being equally stupid. And predictable, especially Team Ahab.
Also, their names. Sweet Jesus. Who the hell is named DJ?! Who lets a guy named DJ pilot a submarine?!?! Hellooo??? And Terry. Like, they're token Asian. And he didn't even bother to maybe give them interesting Asian names other than the dad. Just toss whatever in there and put an Asian last name at the end, make up some bullshit story about geishas and fishermen and that's Japan for you, you're good. And the one black man whose name we never know, or at any rate that I can't remember. Like, if you're going to be racist just go all out. Don't insult people by pretending you're not.
This is a super rant, I'm sorry. I'm basing most of this off of my angry reading notes. There are so many.
And it's extra disappointing, because there were times when it seemed like Maggie - the stereotypical supermodel journalist - and Terry - the seemingly un-stereotypical pilot that got sidelined so our little b**** Jonah sorry not sorry Jonas, if you switch out one letter he's not our whale guy you know! could go back and face his fears even though he caved right away I digress I digress! - were going to be amazing.
Like when Maggie was chasing down her stories knowing what she wanted and when Terry was putting Jonah in his place - I'm just gonna call him Jonah because I hate him and that's one of the best ways to show someone you don't like them - but all of that never went anywhere, because in the next paragraph he - the author or Jonah, take your pick, they seem to be nearly one and the same - belittled them by making fun of their intensity (Terry, when she tells Jon-nah she's perfectly capable of piloting and he just rolls his eyes and tells her to chill) or comments on their bodies (Maggie, when she first appears with a description of her legs, or later, when she turns to walk away and gets a description of her butt because of course it's a man looking at her because. there. are. no. women. here!) which is just rant inducing.
The spelling never improves. I thought at first it was a fluke but it happened throughout the entire book and seemed to get worse as it went, which makes no sense to me. I hope the print version isn't like this.
I have run out of notes. I'm so glad to be done with this book.
Please don't read it. Just Go Read Jaws.
A fun campy action novel with an interesting premise that is really an excuse to have a giant prehistoric shark eat a lot of people and destroy a lot of stuff. The author researched deep water trenches, the Megalodon, and its modern cousins and this book contains quite a few references to what a Meg could/can do. As to why, that's a little flimsier in this book, but the sharks behavior is no more nonsensical than the human characters in this book, and every head scratcher of a decision (and motivation) leads the Meg and the main characters on a predictable collision course leaving a trail of destruction in their wake. An action packed novel that requires you to suspend your sense of disbelief but delivers an entertaining story if you do.
This was a very quick and engaging read. I originally picked up the book because there will be a movie coming out based on it this summer but I think the movie is going to be very different and I'm excited. The book, while much more serious, had some Sharknado vibes which I really liked. The romance was a little forced and some of the book really jumped around from point to point,but I enjoyed all the marine biology the book contained and I'm interested to see what happens in the next one!
The shark bits were good, the people bits were bad.
Huge prehistoric shark, Carcharodon megalodon, that’s managed to survive in the deepest trench in the ocean, is accidentally brought to the surface by some people doing research in the trench. Havoc is wreaked by said shark.
Lots of people getting eaten by giant shark. Good guys trying to stop shark. Assholes trying to profit from shark. Comeuppance is had.
Oh yah, the shark is pregnant too. And there are sequels. I’ll probably skip em though.
Lots of people getting eaten by giant shark. Good guys trying to stop shark. Assholes trying to profit from shark. Comeuppance is had.
Oh yah, the shark is pregnant too. And there are sequels. I’ll probably skip em though.
Another first novel that really impresses! Alten has created characters with depth and placed them in a plausible, yet terrifying situation. The premise of the book is that on a deep sea dive, a monstrous prehistoric shark breaks through the thermocline that has kept its kind prisoner for centuries. OK, that sounds kind of farcical, but Alten sets it up so that you really believe this extinct shark could have somehow survived. The prehistoric predator meets 20th century life is always a good choice for a sci fi thriller.
This was a fun read for me. I will probably look up the rest of the series.
This was a fun read for me. I will probably look up the rest of the series.
3 ½ stars – This was a fun fast paced book. I sped through most of it. I found the last bit a little silly, but overall I enjoyed it. I recommend it for anybody who wants an adrenaline rush book. If you like jaws, this is probably a book for you. The movie was great, too.
3.5 stars
I started listening to this during shark week, so it felt appropriate! Plus, the movie is coming out soon (whether or not it follows the book, I don’t know).
This book starts off a little slow – it has a weird prehistoric intro, and then a slow build up to unveil the inevitable, the megalodon is alive. After that, it reads like a fun thriller book with lots of action scenes. There is a lot of description of the size of the shark – it gets a little old and changes here and there, but I appreciate that we’re still trying to size it up. There are too many characters to follow, so it was hard to know who was who at times. But, knowing the main ones are what counts, I guess.
I guess there are quite a few sequels. I’m not sure if I want to read those or not… Maybe I’ll see the movie first and decide later.
Audiobook narrator [a:Sean Runnette|3143450|Sean Runnette|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515469805p2/3143450.jpg] rating: 2.5 stars
The narrator was ok but there is a lot of room for improvement. I would have liked a different narrator.
I started listening to this during shark week, so it felt appropriate! Plus, the movie is coming out soon (whether or not it follows the book, I don’t know).
This book starts off a little slow – it has a weird prehistoric intro, and then a slow build up to unveil the inevitable, the megalodon is alive. After that, it reads like a fun thriller book with lots of action scenes. There is a lot of description of the size of the shark – it gets a little old and changes here and there, but I appreciate that we’re still trying to size it up. There are too many characters to follow, so it was hard to know who was who at times. But, knowing the main ones are what counts, I guess.
I guess there are quite a few sequels. I’m not sure if I want to read those or not… Maybe I’ll see the movie first and decide later.
Audiobook narrator [a:Sean Runnette|3143450|Sean Runnette|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1515469805p2/3143450.jpg] rating: 2.5 stars
The narrator was ok but there is a lot of room for improvement. I would have liked a different narrator.