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vikingwolf's review
3.0
Tyler is an alcoholic who has finally broken free of his dominating wife Amy and the life she chose for him and is bumming his way from place to place as his money runs out. Finding himself in Australia, a chance encounter with a couple of locals who want to look for legendary gold guarded by a giant shark, which others have gone missing searching for. Now the three men are on a mission to get the gold but the shark awaits them and a free dinner.
This was my first book by the author and it was a decent read. The MC Tyler has had a life run by his wife Amy, who got him a job with her brother that he didn't want, stopped him seeing his friends, then left him for another man. The book starts with Amy leaving the other man and trying to get Tyler to take her back and return to his job, but he is tired of her manipulations and wants to go travelling and enjoy himself until his money runs out. Two years later, he finds himself in Australia, enjoying the coastal resort of Devil's Island, drinking too much. It is here that he meets Scott and his brother Paul who are planning a dive for the gold.
Scott and his friend Karl heard the rumours about the gold and the shark that attacks anyone going for it. Scott does find a gold bar and decides not to tell Karl about it, instead telling his brother so they can claim all the gold for themselves. However, what they find instead is that the shark is real. Nash also has an encounter with the shark which he barely survives but nobody seems to believe his story. He decides to research and watch, waiting for evidence that the shark exists. He does find a gold bar in the water and realises that the legend is true. He and his son Liam decide to employ Tyler to help them get the gold despite the shark being there. Tyler is attracted by the payday but has no idea how badly planned this expedition is and what will happen to them.
I'm not a huge fan of alcoholic or drug addicted MCs in my books but Tyler was ok. Having being married to Amy you can understand why he has a drink problem. She is the manipulative bitch from hell and I'm so glad he didn't cave in to her and take her back. The secondary characters are ok, typical of the shark fodder that you get in these books but interesting enough for the plot. Of course I love the shark! There isn't a ton of action but there are a few good tense shark encounters. Things take a different turn when they get stranded on the island and it turns out that the shark is not the deadliest thing that Tyler needs to fear.
I can never resist getting my hands on a scary shark adventure and this is an author that I really wanted to try. I mean, look at that amazing cover! If that doesn't make you want to grab the book then nothing will! Megalodons fascinate me because of the pure size of the beasts and who knows what could be lurking in the depths of these deep underwater trenches? The thought of this thing in the water makes me want to stay away from islands and boats forever! I have plans to try other horror books by the author and see what they are like. Overall it was a decent shark story for megalodon fans.
This was my first book by the author and it was a decent read. The MC Tyler has had a life run by his wife Amy, who got him a job with her brother that he didn't want, stopped him seeing his friends, then left him for another man. The book starts with Amy leaving the other man and trying to get Tyler to take her back and return to his job, but he is tired of her manipulations and wants to go travelling and enjoy himself until his money runs out. Two years later, he finds himself in Australia, enjoying the coastal resort of Devil's Island, drinking too much. It is here that he meets Scott and his brother Paul who are planning a dive for the gold.
Scott and his friend Karl heard the rumours about the gold and the shark that attacks anyone going for it. Scott does find a gold bar and decides not to tell Karl about it, instead telling his brother so they can claim all the gold for themselves. However, what they find instead is that the shark is real. Nash also has an encounter with the shark which he barely survives but nobody seems to believe his story. He decides to research and watch, waiting for evidence that the shark exists. He does find a gold bar in the water and realises that the legend is true. He and his son Liam decide to employ Tyler to help them get the gold despite the shark being there. Tyler is attracted by the payday but has no idea how badly planned this expedition is and what will happen to them.
I'm not a huge fan of alcoholic or drug addicted MCs in my books but Tyler was ok. Having being married to Amy you can understand why he has a drink problem. She is the manipulative bitch from hell and I'm so glad he didn't cave in to her and take her back. The secondary characters are ok, typical of the shark fodder that you get in these books but interesting enough for the plot. Of course I love the shark! There isn't a ton of action but there are a few good tense shark encounters. Things take a different turn when they get stranded on the island and it turns out that the shark is not the deadliest thing that Tyler needs to fear.
I can never resist getting my hands on a scary shark adventure and this is an author that I really wanted to try. I mean, look at that amazing cover! If that doesn't make you want to grab the book then nothing will! Megalodons fascinate me because of the pure size of the beasts and who knows what could be lurking in the depths of these deep underwater trenches? The thought of this thing in the water makes me want to stay away from islands and boats forever! I have plans to try other horror books by the author and see what they are like. Overall it was a decent shark story for megalodon fans.
rachaelreads666's review
4.0
Feed
Good read, great ending. Definitely recommend. I read the majority in one sitting, very interesting. The author has a good writing style also.
Good read, great ending. Definitely recommend. I read the majority in one sitting, very interesting. The author has a good writing style also.
peritract's review
3.0
The dive bars of Australia are filled with unlikely and unverified rumours. Rumours of an area where ships go mysteriously missing. Rumours of sunken wrecks and scattered bars of shining gold. Rumours – the most ridiculous and unbelievable of all, of a vast dark shape gliding through the water, territorial and shockingly violent.
Tyler Matthews is an alcoholic with an ex-wife and a rapidly shrinking bank account. A scarred stranger, met in yet another bar, offers him a chance at solving the third of those issues. All he has to do is retrieve a possibly-mythical fortune while avoiding an almost-certainly mythical prehistoric shark.
Feed is a story of treasure hunting, redemption, and man-eating marine fauna. It’s also a story about cannibalism, desperation, and exactly how far people will go to survive.
Michael Bray understands the key idea behind monster stories: they aren’t actually about the monster. Jaws is, as always, the best example of this, but any decent creature feature should focus on the characters and how they react to the monster. The monster is a force, a reality that the characters have to deal with – it’s not the antagonist.
And so Feed doesn’t focus too much on the monster. Obviously, as the cover suggests, it’s there; a giant shark absolutely features in the story. But it’s not the main idea. The shark is there to provide the catalyst for the real plot – it forces the characters into a situation that plays them off against each other. Mostly, Feed is about desperation – about how low people will sink and what they will contemplate when in seemingly hopeless situations.
The prose is strong enough to make that effective – descriptions of new lows and horrific acts are detailed and convincing. If you’re going to try and show the darkness of man’s heart, it helps to write well enough to pull it off; cannibalism, for example, needs to be both repulsive and compelling.
My biggest issue with this book was that it felt, in places, a little rushed. Mental states and situations deteriorate too fast, sometimes leading to supposedly desperate characters not trying obvious solutions because the plot demands that they move onto the stage of their decline. There’s a lot going on in the story, but it’s a short book – several scenes/sections could have done with more elaboration and a greater build-up.
All in all, Feed is a well-written addition to the “prehistoric shark attacks everyone” genre, and one with rather more depth and thematic coherence than the norm. If you want a non-stop action extravaganza, this isn’t it – pick one of the many other books with a similar cover. If you want something a little more thoughtful and character-driven, but still with sea monsters in, this is a good pick.
Tyler Matthews is an alcoholic with an ex-wife and a rapidly shrinking bank account. A scarred stranger, met in yet another bar, offers him a chance at solving the third of those issues. All he has to do is retrieve a possibly-mythical fortune while avoiding an almost-certainly mythical prehistoric shark.
Feed is a story of treasure hunting, redemption, and man-eating marine fauna. It’s also a story about cannibalism, desperation, and exactly how far people will go to survive.
Michael Bray understands the key idea behind monster stories: they aren’t actually about the monster. Jaws is, as always, the best example of this, but any decent creature feature should focus on the characters and how they react to the monster. The monster is a force, a reality that the characters have to deal with – it’s not the antagonist.
And so Feed doesn’t focus too much on the monster. Obviously, as the cover suggests, it’s there; a giant shark absolutely features in the story. But it’s not the main idea. The shark is there to provide the catalyst for the real plot – it forces the characters into a situation that plays them off against each other. Mostly, Feed is about desperation – about how low people will sink and what they will contemplate when in seemingly hopeless situations.
The prose is strong enough to make that effective – descriptions of new lows and horrific acts are detailed and convincing. If you’re going to try and show the darkness of man’s heart, it helps to write well enough to pull it off; cannibalism, for example, needs to be both repulsive and compelling.
My biggest issue with this book was that it felt, in places, a little rushed. Mental states and situations deteriorate too fast, sometimes leading to supposedly desperate characters not trying obvious solutions because the plot demands that they move onto the stage of their decline. There’s a lot going on in the story, but it’s a short book – several scenes/sections could have done with more elaboration and a greater build-up.
All in all, Feed is a well-written addition to the “prehistoric shark attacks everyone” genre, and one with rather more depth and thematic coherence than the norm. If you want a non-stop action extravaganza, this isn’t it – pick one of the many other books with a similar cover. If you want something a little more thoughtful and character-driven, but still with sea monsters in, this is a good pick.
_stargirl's review against another edition
4.0
Feed
Good read, great ending. Definitely recommend. I read the majority in one sitting, very interesting. The author has a good writing style also.
Good read, great ending. Definitely recommend. I read the majority in one sitting, very interesting. The author has a good writing style also.
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