Fear the Deep with The Meg by Steve Alten

Sometimes, I’m just in the mood for sharks. Tiger sharks, bull sharks, great whites, you name it, just give me the om nom nom sharkie goodness and I’m all kinds of happiness. Now, usually when I get in this mood, I turn to movies or documentaries, but I’m pretty sure I’ve watched every shark B-movie and Shark Week documentary in existence. So, I turned to books this time and what an exhilarating ride it was! The Meg by Steve Alten (the first in a series revolving around the supposedly extinct apex predator—megalodon) may be an oldie, but boy was it a goodie!

The Meg by Steve Alten

We follow the story of Jonas Taylor, a dishonorably discharged Navy commander, who specialized in deep dives. During one of these dives, however, Jonas is sure he saw something that shouldn’t exist … something monstrous, which supposedly attacked them. As a result of him freaking out (because who wouldn’t?), others died on this dive. Fast forward a bit and Jonas is seen as a quack for believing in the existence of megalodon by the scientific community, his wife is cheating on him, and the Navy’s pretty much saying he’s lost his mind.

Then, Jonas is asked to help set up the world’s largest aquarium by an old acquaintance.

Well, things quickly go sideways for Jonas and anyone else involved in setting up this artificial lagoon, because lo and behold, they release a pregnant megalodon from where it’s been living deep in the Mariana Trench.

Techno-Thriller Goodness

This book was the equivalent of a popcorn movie. Is it the type of stuff that will win a Nobel Literature Prize? No. Will the book go down in history as one of the greatest novels ever written? Probably not. Is it freaking fun and will keep you entertained while you read it? Hell yeah! The mix of accurate scientific detail, believable conjecture and breathtaking action is going to keep you on the edge of your seat. What’s more, I kind of found Jonas endearing, even though I wanted to slap him against the head for making silly decisions. The parts I, obviously, loved the most was when our megalodon got all chompy-chompy and terrorized anyone who dared to enter the ocean.

Steve Alten also seemed to give this leftover relic from the prehistoric ages a bit of a personality, which actually made me feel for the poor creature. There she was all of a sudden in the big, bad world, pregnant and alone. All she wanted was some dinner. She was only following her instincts. Is it really her fault for any of the chaos that ensued?

Comparing the Film and Book

So, of course I’ve watched the movie starring action-star Jason Statham multiple times. And, the book version I have is the revamped, updated version (not the original 1997 release), which means it compares well. Sure, there are differences between the two, but I’m kind of leaning toward the book being better. Why? More shark, of course. Also, I want to say the book is a teensy bit more graphic than the movie, which is understandable, due to film ratings and such. I do prefer Jason Statham’s version of Jonas, though—less whiny, in my opinion.

Conclusion

I loved The Meg by Steven Alten, plain and simple. In fact, I loved it so much, I bought the rest of the series! This is the type of book you read just to escape from reality for a while. It’s fun, informative, and will make you wonder what is really lurking behind the surface of the ocean. A must-read for fans of Jurassic Park, Jaws, and anyone already missing Shark Week.

About Steve Alten

Steve 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.