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    Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror with Meg: Origins
    Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror with Meg: Origins
    Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror with Meg: Origins
    Audiobook10 hours

    Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror with Meg: Origins

    Written by Steve Alten

    Narrated by Sean Runnette

    3.5/5

    ()

    About this audiobook

    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.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherTantor Media, Inc
    Release dateApr 9, 2014
    ISBN9781494570859
    Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror with Meg: Origins
    Author

    Steve Alten

    Steve Alten is the best-selling author of the MEG series - which was the basis for the feature film The Meg, starring Jason Statham - The Domain Trilogy, and standalone supernatural thrillers such as The Omega Project and Goliath. A native of Philadelphia, he earned a Bachelor’s degree from Penn State, a Masters from the University of Delaware, and a Doctorate from Temple University. He is the founder and director of Adopt-An-Author, a free nationwide teen reading program used in thousands of secondary school classrooms across the country to excite reluctant readers.

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    Reviews for Meg

    3.5/5

    296 ratings30 reviews

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    • 2/5
      Meg - a prehistoric shark (Megaladon) over 60 feet long, the most awesome and feared killer and master of the seas. Believed dead for millions of years the species have survived at the bottom of the Mariana Trench, the deepest trench in our oceans, unable to rise to the surface ... until now. While on a dive in the trench Jonas Taylor sees two thought-to-be-extinct 'megs' fighting, a male megaladon and a larger female. The larger female shark is able to swim through the cold layer of water (which has kept them trapped at the bottom) separating the surface from the warmer waters at the bottom of the trench because she is surrounded by the warm blood of the male megaladon she has bested ... Once she reaches the surface it doesn't take her long to pick up where megs left off millions of years ago ruling the oceans and leaving death and destruction in their wake ....Okay - need I say more? If that sounds like it could be a good read for you then go for it, it is very much a cross between Jaws and Jurassic Park as written by Clive Cussler. I'm not much of a Cussler fan but I have to be honest the premise did intrigue me and I read it and I did enjoy it, but would I recommend it? No. The characters are sacrificed for the plot, which is very much by the numbers; big shark, eating, capture, escape, convoluted ending ... no surprises. I have read that the book is being made into a film and as another reviewer points out it does very much read like a film treatment. There is no real pace to the book, the book just seems to move from one scene to the next as a reason to show the next 'meg attack' and while I am sure it will make a great blockbuster it does not make a great novel.But, as I said, even though I wouldn't recommend this book to anyone if you did enjoy reading Jaws or Jurassic Park (and I did which is why I read Meg) then tuck in and savour the gory feast.
    • 5/5
      Great book bad old man narrator with a denture whistle
    • 5/5
      Nonstop action!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 deep. Jonas is about to find out.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.
    • 2/5
      Great story but horrible narration. Couldn’t get past 2nd chapter
    • 4/5
      Had I read this book BEFORE the movie came out, I would not have been nearly so skeptical about the quality of the storyline to be found there. After all - the likelihood of a quality movie increases significantly with the quality of the source material, and this is a truly legitimately disturbing book. Not only is it believable, but the characterizations lend themselves to only further selling the central storyline. This one does slightly more heavy-lifting than Jaws, since it needs to establish exactly what the central threat even is and why the reader should be scared - but, dang does it do a good job of that. Combined with a suitably ominous atmosphere and setting throughout much of the book - leaving the reader rarely feeling secure or confident - the tension is effectively ramped up, prior to snapping in spectacular fashion.
    • 3/5
      I'm a sucker for a good adventure/thriller novel and this was decent. Not amazing, but pretty much what I expected out of it. Pulse pounding terror, men fueled by revenge, a man who is redeemed (megalodons really are still alive!), the most savage predator on the planet, a bitter ex-wife, new romance, and lots of one liners. Long story short, for years, Jonas Taylor is ridiculed for believing that megalodons could still be alive, but is proved right after once comes up from the deep and starts terrorizing the world. Now his expertise is needed more than ever. Fun, fast paced, and easy to read, but not necessarily one that you'll keep coming back to.
    • 3/5
      Clive Cussler meets Michael Crichton

      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.
    • 5/5
      Nonstop action!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 deep. Jonas is about to find out.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.
    • 4/5
      Jonas Taylor is an interesting character because he’s struggling. A few years back, his career tanked and he’s been kicking around since then between therapists and his hunt for the Meg. His wife, Maggie, has made her journalism career her priority and has turned rather nasty towards Jonas and his hunt. Meanwhile, the star of this story, Meg herself, inadvertently escapes from the warm water layer of the Marianas trench, up through the cold water section, into the upper warm waters of the Pacific. She’s on the loose and happy to be hunting.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
    • 4/5
      This was a great book! I wanted to read it since the movie is coming out. I was not disappointed. It's about 2 megalodons ... definitely big and definitely hungry! Much more scarier than Jaws. Great ending and I know this is a series so it left it open for Jonas to continue with shark stuff.
    • 4/5
      I was drawn to this one because of the (kind of over the top and ridiculous) trailer I saw for the movie that's set to come out this summer. It looks pretty awful, but also like something I'd totally love. When I found out it was a book I knew I had to read it. Then I found it for 50 cents at the FotL book sale (a signed copy, at that!). It was fate. Anyway, it was a fun little book. Very fast paced. The characters are rather wooden, and the dialogue is at times cheesy. But, like I am sure the movie will be, it was a pretty thrilling ride. If you're not looking for great literature and just want a fun, larger than life action adventure story, this is a great pick.
    • 4/5
      The way the shark died was ridiculous, funny, stupid, 'jump the shark' ish. It was awesome. I was in the mood to read this book. Perhaps at another time I would not have been, and it would have gotten a lower rating. There were a couple scenes that were respectfully creepy and I like it.
    • 4/5
      Every part of the book that had to do with the Meg was awesome. The science was factual (I'm a slightly self-taught marine biologist haha), the attacks were expertly written, and everything was on point. And then Jonas Taylor's life got involved. The main problems I had with the book surrounded Maggie and Terry. Maggie's boring cheating Bud-related nonsense bored me and I really don't understand why she existed, and I was very happy to see her meet her fate at the jaws of Meg. Terry confused the hell out of me. One page, she hates JT with a passion and wants nothing to do with him. Literally 20 pages later, she's all over him, dreaming of Bora Bora and snuggled up together as if they're high school sweethearts. I'm not sure what brought around the change, but I rather wished Terry stayed the strong, independent woman she was to begin with and fell in love later. Bud was also a confusing, melodramatic character, but he's less important. Mac made me laugh and I really loved his character and what comic relief he added to the book. The star was the Meg, however, and I loved every minute of her action. Very excited to start the second one and keep going.
    • 1/5
      I just downloaded this, along with its sequels, as part of a filling-up-my-ebook-reader megaupload. I just realized that I read it, years and years ago, and really did not like it. I remember it being pretty dumb, not very well written, and pandering to cheap fear-mongering.

      It's got that very specific but hard-to-describe contemporary-thriller style that I particularly dislike.

      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.
    • 4/5
      This novel is the first in a series about a giant killer shark left over from prehistoric times that rises from the deep to wreak havoc. A Jaws rip-off, one might say, and indeed there are other similar novels. However, the scientific background in this is rather more prominent, with plausible reasons advanced for how such a creature might have survived in the depths of the ocean in the layers kept warm through vents in the ocean floor sustaining the necessary conditions for life to flourish there; though I must admit I am yet to be convinced how a creature so vast as the prehistoric Megalodon could have done so. I did learn a fair bit about the ocean depths and the habits of sharks from this book. In any case, this is a good page turner with a very tense and quite horrifying final section (don't read this while you're eating!). The characters are mostly fairly one-dimensional, though the main character, Dr Jonas Taylor, and one or two others are a bit better drawn. Pretty good overall.
    • 5/5
      Amazing novel. This glorious work of historical fiction taught me many wonderfully unappreciated and uncommon aspects of the deep sea while equally balancing a remarkable terror-filled work of fiction that keep readers wanting more. Exceptionally beneficial to any reader who wishes to learn and also parallel with a good fictional story. Truly, is there any other better way to learn?
    • 5/5
      Intense!! MEG has a shark that makes Jaws look like a clown fish and scenes full of action, suspense, and a great cast of characters. For fans of books like Jaws, Jurassic Park, or Fragment, I highly recommend this title.
    • 4/5
      Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror - Steve Altern ****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 across a living megladon. In his panic he caused the death of his crew. This has haunted him ever since and instilled a distinct fear of the deep.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.
    • 4/5
      A chillingly good book. Sadly, it has "SyFy Channel original movie" written all over it.
    • 3/5
      Meg is exactly what you are expecting it to be. A highly improbable plot where a megalodon has survived and is now terrorizing the oceans. You have all the usual characters: the save the shark crew, the kill the shark crew, the expert no one listens to until it’s too late. There aren’t too many surprises. You are not going to be blown away by the great writing or intricate plotting. But if you are picking up the book in the first place I don’t really think that’s what you’re looking for. It was what I was in the mood for at the time so I enjoyed reading it. It has the appropriate amount of people getting eaten, bloody scenes, people getting in each other’s way and good plans going wrong along with some mayhem and things exploding. There were even some shark facts thrown in. And a few people who you honestly didn’t know if they would get eaten or not. Good stuff. If you like that sort of thing.
    • 3/5
      Put me down as another reader who read Meg and said, "meh." The plot had potential. The infodump is less severe than it was in his book The Loch. Some of the set-up is indeed too much recycled between these two books (see the_hag's review here, spot on).There is a decent preparation of the protagonist but the plot advances in jerky absurd ways. Wide dead? Yep. Time to sleep with, off camera, babe #2 then. Is Alten writing this for infants? Because it felt that way at times.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.
    • 4/5
      I enjoyed this for what it was, an over the top shark thriller taking Jaws and upping the stakes by a dinosaur. Writing was well done and kept an extremely fast pace going. Overall a great have some fun with it thriller.
    • 1/5
      This is proof that bigger is not better. "Meg" is short for megalodon--a Jurassic Age shark four times as large as the Great White. This novel isn't anywhere near as good as Jaws though. That book and film generated its terror because it gave us a real, extant creature stalking people where we all play during the summer--in the surf off the beach, allowing us to easily imagine we could be a victim. Jaws's Chief Brody is an everyman. Meg's Jonas Taylor? A flat Marty Stu--and the style is flat too, with lots of head-hopping and truly clunky writing. And the female characters in this book? Especially Jonas' wife? Man, it's so misogynistic a portrayal it's hard not to speculate the author has issues with women. I couldn't take much of this one, so I skipped to the end... and found just about the most ridiculous exit since the explorers of Journey to the Center of the Earth rode out of the Earth's depths through floating on an exploding volcano...
    • 5/5
      Novel of deep terror indeed.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 for bits and pieces, but those bits and pieces combined with a trip to a theme park where there was a Jaws ride--just...no.) Halfway through the book I wasn't thinking Jaws at all--I thought more about the movie Deep Blue Sea, instead. I loved that movie so much (and damn, I want to watch it again right now).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.
    • 3/5
      MEG seems to be a combination of shoddy science (a little research would have completely changed the first chapter), and shallow characters. Does this create a bad story? No, it just creates an ordinary story. At times the story was interesting, but it took a lot of effort to get past painfully two dimensional characters and plot twists that could be seen a mile off. While not a bad novel, I cannot go so far as to say that it was a good novel.
    • 4/5
      Exciting, thrilling, great underwater scenes....This is a powerhouse of a thriller, much like JAWS was when first released. I loved this book,Alten gets you involved with the characters and builds suspense with every chatper. I was hooked from the first page...Highly recommended for what is aims to do, ENTERTAIN. I can't believe some of the negative reviews this has received, did we read the same book?
    • 4/5
      This was a very scary book. The concept is frightening for it's plausibility. There are still unexplored places in our world and it is not just possible, but probable that some prehistoric species have survived in these regions. Therefore, the idea that, somewhere in our deepest oceans, Megalodon still hunts is not unrealistic and Meg is all the more frightening for that possibility. With plenty of suspense and lots of blood, this is a book that will keep you awake at night.
    • 5/5
      This excellent story teaches many scientific things while being a great novel. This book kept my attention the entire time. Alten writes kind of like Michael Crichton but on an oceanographic sense instead of physics and biology.
    • 3/5
      Entertaining, if Shallow Read, January 28, 2007 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 shocked at the recycling he did with material from this book in the Loch. The premise here is Jonas Taylor was involved in some top-secret dive into the Mariana Trench which went horribly awry when he sees a giant shark and winds up as the sole survivor of the three man sub crew. Taylor, once a star of the submersible world becomes a laughing stock....viewed as little more than a crack pot suffering from PTSD by those in the scientific community, devoting 7 years to research on the Meg, writing several books and as we join the story is currently on the lecture circuit pimping his theory. 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.
    • 3/5
      Ummm, as other overly critical reviewers will undoubtedly point out my main reason for buying and grudgingly enjoying this book is that "big sharks are cool". I can't say much for the quality, although I did rush out and buy the sequel, but big sharks are cool, and isn't that enough.