Meg: Origins [Kindle Edition]

I've been pretty disappointed with Steve Alten's recent novels, which just don't quite have the intrigue and suspense that made me latch onto his writing and quickly made him become one of my favorite authors. With Meg: Origins, Alten returns to form and creates a fairly compelling story, which serves as an extended prologue to MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror.

(POTENTIAL SPOILERS FROM FIRST BOOK) The first Meg novel frequently refers to an incident with the series' protagonist, Dr. Jonas Taylor, that occurred during his Navy days while piloting a submersible in the depths of the Mariana Trench. A sighting of a cryptid known as a Megalodon Shark causes Jonas to make an emergency ascent, killing his two crew members and ending his Navy career in disgrace. (END SPOILERS). This prologue tells that story in more detail and gives the reader a closer look at the event that defined Taylor's life and set up his whole reason for hunting the Meg.

Alten couldn't really combine this story with Meg, since it was important for the plot to set up the idea that Taylor might actually be crazy, and he didn't want to introduce the Meg too early. That's why this story works so well as a standalone. Additionally, it provides a short introduction to Taylor's best friend, James Mackreides, as well as another central character from the Meg series. It's a very quick read at around 100 pages and priced well. I would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of Meg and it can be read right after the first Meg book, although I would probably recommend waiting until after finishing The Trench.

The books in the Meg series (ordered chronologically) are:

Meg: Origins (Prequel)
MEG: A Novel of Deep Terror
The Trench
MEG: Primal Waters
Meg: Hell's Aquarium
Meg: Night Stalkers (To be published in 2012)

I've been waiting for this for quite some time. I have to say that it was well worth the wait and didn't let me down at all. I won't get into the specifics of the novel because the others before me have done that very well. I can say that Steve Alten has done it again and written a wonderful story that really draws you in. It's well thought out, written in a way that everyone can understand and enjoy. I introduced the Meg series to a friend of mine through this story & she's already purchased the entire series.

Meg: Origins
By: Steve Alten

Meg: Origins is another awesome book by Steve Alten. If you haven't read any of the Meg books by Steve Alten, start with this one. Meg: Origins gives you the background of Jonas Taylor 7 years before the first book, Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror. I would recommend reading the books in order so you don't miss anything, but just picking up a book and starting anywhere will work, too. Steve Alten does a superb job of weaving a story about Megalodons and Jonas Taylor's association with them. By reading this book, you understand Jonas's fears of the Megalodon, and get to witness his first run-in with one. This book also explains the relationship Jonas has with Mac and how that came about. The research that goes into these books will astound you. The details depicted help you to see what is going on as it happens, and helps you feel connected to the characters. Images are placed at the beginning of each chapter. These will take your breath away. You will want to spend time examining the photos.

How deep is the Marianna Trench and what strange life forms could it conceal? Jonas Taylor finds out. Steve Alten's depiction of the submersible going down into the Marianna Trench, and the life forms encountered along the way, make this book a must read. You can see the fish glowing, the Meg's blue-gray eyes, and the volcanic plume that keeps the water warmer in the Trench.

The Megalodon is an ancient sea monster that attacks the submersible Jonas has driven to collect manganese nodules in the Trench--which is the lowest point on Earth at 7 miles deep, 1550 miles long, and 40 miles wide formed by a volcanic subduction zone. The depictions of what the descent is like, what animals are seen, and how the submersible operates are realistic and described in intricate detail. You can see exactly what Jonas sees as he descends--even the Meg as she comes for his submersible! Jonas is falling asleep, since this is his fourth dive in 8 days. The Meg attacking the ship worked better than the caffeine pills Jonas was taking to stay awake. You feel his fear and awe of the shark. You want to get away from the Meg as quickly as Jonas does. When the submersible ascends, two people die and Jonas is marked as a man who lost it when the pressure got to be too much. Mac becomes his new best friend and helps him escape from the Naval Medical Center. This helps explain their close relationship in the later books. Meg: Origins also opens the door for another Meg book. Wonder what happens to Gustav Maren's son Michael? Gustav is pocketing manganese nodules to sell to Benedict Singer for a huge fee to pay for his child's future education. Does Michael go to an Ivy League school and show up later to impact future Megs? We'll have to wait and see. I highly recommend this Meg book to anyone who loves Steve Alten's books, loves reading about sharks, or just wants a great book to read. You will not want to stop reading until the last page is turned!