Sharkman by Steve Alten

I wasn't sure what to think when I read the synopsis of this book. I was used to Alten's sea creature novels and this sounded a bit left-field for him.

A paralyzed boy gets a chance to regain the use of his legs but at what cost? Once this book was finished I felt like I had read a reincarnation of Peter Benchley's White Shark. Or maybe a prequel/reboot.

Alten knows how to write quick plot-driven stories. Once we got into the scientific aspects of the tale I was hooked. I pushed myself really hard to get past the early "school drama" and the teenage relationship stuff.

It ends up with an exciting climactic race and I'm hoping to see a new series of books spawned from this first one.

Kwan is the name of the boy without the use of his legs due to an unfortunate accident. The son of a ruthless military brass man, living with an older relative, victim of endless embarrassments. I wasn't sure if he was going to be a likable protaganist and maybe that's the idea. He's abrupt, brash, and boorish.

The other characters fill in nicely with the rest of the story as we experience Kwan's transformation. The villains are ruthless. You'll be chomping at the bit to see if they get theirs by the end.

And again, I hope Alten continues the exploits of Sharkman!

This book was provided for review, at no cost, by Taylor Trade Publishing.

Meg: Origins by Steve Alten

I enjoy the Meg series by Steve Alten. Even though they have gotten sillier by way of plot as they go, it's still great to sit down and read through Alten's science/adventure books.

Origins takes us back to the dive that started the nightmare for Jonas. (Main character of the MEG series) While this is a short e-book, I found the read mildly fun. (Getting it for free didn't hurt either)

This tale reveals the details around the shark that caused Jonas to flip out and be blamed for the death of the two scientists along for the ride.

There are a few subplot stories about scientist actually looking for the creature and then about subversive military man named Mac (whom you know from the later books).

All in all, this isn't the best Alten book. It doesn't have much of the shark but it does have the science that typically surfaces in his books. It does give the backstory but I wasn't sure the story needed to be revealed.

The other strike against this is that Alten has been promoting his Meg movie and sequel book for how long now? And we still have nothing. I realize making movies can be a difficult deal but my goodness. Don't give us the hope unless you have a director, script and actors all lined up!

Bottom line: You don't need to read this to enjoy the series. But nonetheless, I did because it was free.

Grim Reaper: End of Days by Steve Alten

New York Times Bestselling author Steve Alten has had a spiritual experience and decided to create a new apocalyptic series as a result.

Grim Reaper: End of Days is the story of what could possibly happen if the plague was released in Manhattan.

Patrick Shepherd has been wounded in one of his tours of duty overseas. He has lost his arm and is looking for his wife and daughter in New York City.

There is a crazy religious woman who has worked on a genetically altered bug, called Scythe, in a military biological facility. She feels called to infect the world leaders at the U.N.

Shepherd and his therapist must traverse the landscape in order to find his family. All the while, death is taking control.

Grim Reaper is part Stephen King, part Dante's Inferno with a heavy dose of Kabbalah thrown in.

Alten is a skilled writer who can keep you guessing long after you've finished his novels. I loved his MEG series and his 2012 books as well. This new series may go a little too far for me.

While the story touches on the human condition, the teachings of Kabbalah are the thrust of this book. The last couple pages is the full on push.

There are so many characters and strange circumstances that you'll need to remind yourself that you're not reading The Stand - even if this is just as gruesome.

That being said, I did finish this book and enjoyed it thoroughly.

Meg: Hell's Aquarium by Steve Alten

Hell's Aquarium is the 4th book in the Steve Alten Meg series and they keep the mindless entertainment at peak proficiency. With the influx of all these SyFy channel monster movies, this book has to be made into a film.

The main character, Jonas Taylor, has aged 20 some years since this all started, he and his wife have an attraction like Sea World that is home to a Megalodon (giant prehistoric great white shark) and her pups.

Problems arise and people get eaten. This is a given seeing as it's a shark story.

David Taylor, Jonas' son, is offered a job by the United Arab Emirates to be a keeper of the younger Megs in their new state-of-the-art aquarium back in the Middle East.

These princes want more than just Megs as they desire to capture the largest prehistoric creatures they can find in the ocean's deep. David and his team of submersible pilots are tasked with retrieving them.

In this book you'll find lots of blood and underwater creature chases.

One of the problems with this novel is trying to pronounce all the names of the prehistoric monsters. I needed to look all of them up! And this distracted me from the story a bit.

You won't find deep plots or heavy character development. the Meg series is the Twilight version of Jaws; and I love 'em!