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Predator X
When deep level oil fracking uncovers a vast subterranean sea, a crack team of cavers and scientists are sent down to investigate. Upon their arrival, they disappear without a trace.
A second team, including sedimentologist Dr Megan Stoker, are ordered to seek out Alpha Team and report back their findings. But Alpha team are nowhere to be found – instead, they are faced with something unexpected in the depths.
Something ancient. Something huge.
Something dangerous.
Predator X.
A second team, including sedimentologist Dr Megan Stoker, are ordered to seek out Alpha Team and report back their findings. But Alpha team are nowhere to be found – instead, they are faced with something unexpected in the depths.
Something ancient. Something huge.
Something dangerous.
Predator X.
154 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 2014
62 people are currently reading
222 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
July 21, 2025
At first, my interest faded quickly, as this followed the same path of similar stories. Team of explorers and scientists going into an unknown subterranean destination and all hell breaks loose with creatures of all shapes and sizes. Again, nothing jumped out at me as being terribly unique and I kept thinking back to Grieg Beck's Fathomless as the standard. But the story won me over past the halfway point with some unexpected twists and turns, setting it apart from the pack. Very much leaned into more science fiction than being just a standard creature feature, which was wonderful. Great plot points established, and it created such an enjoyable niche for itself. And I appreciated how much the author was able to cram into such a short runtime, as books like this tend to be 200 pages and up. A fun time in an unexpected place, the slow burn approach was well worth the time.
August 17, 2019
This was a useless book. I really should just leave the review at that because it's the one thing I consistently thought when reading it. But the critic inside of me would never forgive me if I didn't at least try to explain why I found this "book" so wretched.
First up, and this is just a personal preference, the book is written from a first person narrative. I've said before that I'm not a fan of this and I stick by it. And this rating is entirely subjective so there you go. But some authors can pull off a first person narrative really well, making for a very tight and personal experience reading it. But here it's a complete mess, the whole thing reading like a scrambled, disjointed train of thought that never seems to end. The protagonist's thoughts run on constantly and go off on complete tangents or repeat themselves in what can only be described as terminal case of padding or desperate need of an editor.
The amount of times that I thought "I don't care about any of this." was really stacking ceiling-high towards the end of it. The protagonist, whose name I can't even remember anymore, was the dullest person in the group and that's saying something considering nobody in that group of characters was interesting.
The second thing that really hurt this book was the teasing of the pliosaur. The title of the book is, after all, Predator X and there's a damn pliosaur on the cover of the book. But know that it is a complete lie. Well, not complete, it does feature but it's hardly the main focus of the book and selling it as such is complete bullshit. I bought this book specifically for that and it did not pay off.
Another thing that really bugged me was the inconsistencies of the character. I get that not everyone acts their part when in a stressful situation but there's some extreme differences here that really threw me for a loop. Characters will flit between murderous rage and stoic acceptance within a heartbeat. A change in chapter can bring about a remarkable difference in characters where they seem to change roles depending on what's needed. A character who has so far balked at the ideo of anything being particularly interesting will lose themselves in the science while someone who was a dedicated scientist moments before will tell them to cut it out and get back on track.
And for scientists, they sure don't really seem to care all that much about the science. Sure, stressful life or death situation but you'd think at least one of them would take some of the downtime (of which there was, apparently, a lot) and actually science something. But no, any hint of a character doing anything scientific and the other characters will explode with indignity at how the character could do such a thing.
Of course, there were also more spelling errors than I could count. Simple stuff too, stuff that an editor without a doubt would've caught. Stupid mistakes that alone do nothing but en masse drag the enjoyment down like a lead weight.
That's saying nothing about the fact that the book just couldn't decide what to really be and instead chose to be all of it. It felt like five or six books, or at least parts of them, cut and pasted together to form a whole. Or at least something resembling a whole. I do this too, I start writing on something then I get another idea, like "What if there were aliens too?" The difference is, once I realize that I've done this, I delete it all 'cause it's crap.
Here, the author clearly didn't have that realization.
This book is useless. I couldn't even really muster up the energy to get mad about it. It was mostly a "bleh" feeling. One that made me think of all the other things I'd much rather be doing. It was a dull slog of a read that never really got me excited and even the parts that should've been interesting failed to get me even peaked. I read reviews that promised it was better than it would suggest and those were also lies.
If you're a creature lover, don't read this book. If you love sci-fi, don't read this book. If you like paranoia fueled mysteries, don't read this book. Better yet, don't read this book.
First up, and this is just a personal preference, the book is written from a first person narrative. I've said before that I'm not a fan of this and I stick by it. And this rating is entirely subjective so there you go. But some authors can pull off a first person narrative really well, making for a very tight and personal experience reading it. But here it's a complete mess, the whole thing reading like a scrambled, disjointed train of thought that never seems to end. The protagonist's thoughts run on constantly and go off on complete tangents or repeat themselves in what can only be described as terminal case of padding or desperate need of an editor.
The amount of times that I thought "I don't care about any of this." was really stacking ceiling-high towards the end of it. The protagonist, whose name I can't even remember anymore, was the dullest person in the group and that's saying something considering nobody in that group of characters was interesting.
The second thing that really hurt this book was the teasing of the pliosaur. The title of the book is, after all, Predator X and there's a damn pliosaur on the cover of the book. But know that it is a complete lie. Well, not complete, it does feature but it's hardly the main focus of the book and selling it as such is complete bullshit. I bought this book specifically for that and it did not pay off.
Another thing that really bugged me was the inconsistencies of the character. I get that not everyone acts their part when in a stressful situation but there's some extreme differences here that really threw me for a loop. Characters will flit between murderous rage and stoic acceptance within a heartbeat. A change in chapter can bring about a remarkable difference in characters where they seem to change roles depending on what's needed. A character who has so far balked at the ideo of anything being particularly interesting will lose themselves in the science while someone who was a dedicated scientist moments before will tell them to cut it out and get back on track.
And for scientists, they sure don't really seem to care all that much about the science. Sure, stressful life or death situation but you'd think at least one of them would take some of the downtime (of which there was, apparently, a lot) and actually science something. But no, any hint of a character doing anything scientific and the other characters will explode with indignity at how the character could do such a thing.
Of course, there were also more spelling errors than I could count. Simple stuff too, stuff that an editor without a doubt would've caught. Stupid mistakes that alone do nothing but en masse drag the enjoyment down like a lead weight.
That's saying nothing about the fact that the book just couldn't decide what to really be and instead chose to be all of it. It felt like five or six books, or at least parts of them, cut and pasted together to form a whole. Or at least something resembling a whole. I do this too, I start writing on something then I get another idea, like "What if there were aliens too?" The difference is, once I realize that I've done this, I delete it all 'cause it's crap.
Here, the author clearly didn't have that realization.
This book is useless. I couldn't even really muster up the energy to get mad about it. It was mostly a "bleh" feeling. One that made me think of all the other things I'd much rather be doing. It was a dull slog of a read that never really got me excited and even the parts that should've been interesting failed to get me even peaked. I read reviews that promised it was better than it would suggest and those were also lies.
If you're a creature lover, don't read this book. If you love sci-fi, don't read this book. If you like paranoia fueled mysteries, don't read this book. Better yet, don't read this book.
December 23, 2015
Books with a fairly standard plot rely on their characters to see them through. Unfortunately in the case of Predator X, author C.J. Waller puts a bunch of whiny, annoying characters without much substance through a very standard subterranean horror scenario. The result is something which has its moments - with a second act change of direction especially welcomed after a patience-straining beginning - but which overall never managed to truly engage or make me care.
2.5 Things Worse Than The Dark for Predator X.
2.5 Things Worse Than The Dark for Predator X.
June 27, 2024
Thoroughly enjoyable action thriller.
Five stars.
I picked this up when I was looking for 'Aliens vs. Predator' books on Kindle. It looked promising, and boy, was I glad that I did.
Predator X is a story about a team of scientists that find a cave under a fracking site, and they decide to go and explore. The first team reports back on an underground sea of all things before they disappeared.
A second team is then sent in, and we follow their journey in the steps of the first team, trying to find out their fate.
This was a really fantastic read. Easy to focus on and plenty of action and adventure that kept me glued to the pages; I was unable to put it down.
A chilling premise with a great cast of characters, I really would recommend this.
Five stars.
I picked this up when I was looking for 'Aliens vs. Predator' books on Kindle. It looked promising, and boy, was I glad that I did.
Predator X is a story about a team of scientists that find a cave under a fracking site, and they decide to go and explore. The first team reports back on an underground sea of all things before they disappeared.
A second team is then sent in, and we follow their journey in the steps of the first team, trying to find out their fate.
This was a really fantastic read. Easy to focus on and plenty of action and adventure that kept me glued to the pages; I was unable to put it down.
A chilling premise with a great cast of characters, I really would recommend this.
July 20, 2014
Reading Predator X is like watching an intense Lovecraftian Final Girl horror movie. Well done!!!
October 17, 2017
I read creature features for mindless amusement but they aren't mindless when they are poorly written; just frustrating. Dr Megan Stoker is a geologist sent down a cave by a fracking company to track down "Alpha team" who have managed to get lost down there. Following their descent into the earth they find an underground sea, a bloodthirsty creature and wait, something else... Mayhem ensues in the surreal sub terrain, followed by a descent into yet another passage. C. J. Waller is a British fantasy writer and to judge from her Amazon page, local kook. That said, she has done a terrific job with Predator X. This book has atmosphere and immediacy lacking in many of its peers. This has to do with the dark and well drawn environment, but especially with the first person narration by Stoker. You can experience her fear from the inside and sensory engagement in the strange world below ground. Her transition towards the end rewards sticking around and makes this a book hard to put away. If you like this sort of thing - and who doesn't want to see people being chased and eaten after a long day of thrashing away at your desk - this book is for you.
October 21, 2024
This was a bit a dissapointement to read. I expected a bit more of the story. It could've worked great as a movie scenario, but as a book, it wasn't worked out enough. The storyline was interesting and you could visualize a lot what was happening. There was also a lot of tension building.
The title missed it's purpose: Predator X was first about the pliosaur in the lake. The expedition team named him Predator X, but the name could also fit easily the Colony that was inhabiting the cave. By the look at the cover you expect the story to be about the pliosaur, but it's role was small in it. The story was told from a first person narative, named Megan, but she lacked a bit of character. Megan's team were scientists, but there wasn't much science to see, only scientists that argued a lot and suffered from excessive emotions: rage and then suddenly fear and then changing again. Maybe it was the atmosphere that caused that, but that wasn't explained.
And then there were the spelling mistakes and there were a lot of them.
It could've been a great movie and with a bit of more, serious writing, a great book.
The title missed it's purpose: Predator X was first about the pliosaur in the lake. The expedition team named him Predator X, but the name could also fit easily the Colony that was inhabiting the cave. By the look at the cover you expect the story to be about the pliosaur, but it's role was small in it. The story was told from a first person narative, named Megan, but she lacked a bit of character. Megan's team were scientists, but there wasn't much science to see, only scientists that argued a lot and suffered from excessive emotions: rage and then suddenly fear and then changing again. Maybe it was the atmosphere that caused that, but that wasn't explained.
And then there were the spelling mistakes and there were a lot of them.
It could've been a great movie and with a bit of more, serious writing, a great book.
May 27, 2015
This is a face-paced page turner that I just couldn't put down. I read this book in one day, a new personal best for me, and it had me hooked from chapter one right up until the devilishly clever ending, that screams write me a sequel. Which I have no doubt will be on the cards. Each character is richly defined and there is never any confusion between them.
If CJ Waller is not a spelunking, cave-dwelling, scientist come archeologist, then she must have some seriously messed up nightmares. I was stuck on that subterranean island with them. The claustrophobic atmosphere was so intense that I actually went out to the pictures halfway through reading it for some light hearted entertainment, only I couldn't stop thinking about it and came straight back to it afterwards.
Don't listen to the haters this book was great, and so much more than meets the eye.
If CJ Waller is not a spelunking, cave-dwelling, scientist come archeologist, then she must have some seriously messed up nightmares. I was stuck on that subterranean island with them. The claustrophobic atmosphere was so intense that I actually went out to the pictures halfway through reading it for some light hearted entertainment, only I couldn't stop thinking about it and came straight back to it afterwards.
Don't listen to the haters this book was great, and so much more than meets the eye.
May 28, 2014
Horrible claustrophobic cave setting - check. Mental underwater ocean - check. Jurassic dinosaur - checks. Alien entity- check. All combined together to make a fantastic, totally enjoyable roller coaster ride. With a great twist in the tale.
This book gave me so much pleasure, sometimes you just need a read like this. 5 star read!!
This book gave me so much pleasure, sometimes you just need a read like this. 5 star read!!
August 17, 2014
I really liked this little novel; it reminded me of Lovecraft's Mountains of Madness, albeit with a subterranean location.
May 28, 2019
Whilst Predator X follows a relatively familiar subterranean horror formula; (mystery item discovered, team descends, things go astray, people die, the team regroups and fights back, et cetera); it manages to do so in a way that is entertaining and enthralling. Whilst the characters are not particularly deep, as can be expected in a relatively short 154 page book, they do hold the story together in a way that doesn't diminish from the surreal atmosphere the author paints.
In this story Dr Meghan Stoker is roped into exploring a cavern discovered during a fracking operation, the initial exploration team has disappeared without a trace after sending back some amazing, yet disturbing footage of a pristine inland sea 3 miles beneath the surface. Meghan's team is to go in and try to establish what happened to the first team and record observations about the cavern discovered.
As the story continues it appears that not only is there marooned life trapped in the inland sea which may date from millions of years ago, there's also something more sinister.
I thought it was a good tale and particularly enjoyed the way the story wrapped up and the way in which the narrative expanded to be a little more than the basic straight forward tale. I do hope the author writes a sequel from where this ended up as there plenty of potential for the plot to expand and become more encompassing.
In this story Dr Meghan Stoker is roped into exploring a cavern discovered during a fracking operation, the initial exploration team has disappeared without a trace after sending back some amazing, yet disturbing footage of a pristine inland sea 3 miles beneath the surface. Meghan's team is to go in and try to establish what happened to the first team and record observations about the cavern discovered.
As the story continues it appears that not only is there marooned life trapped in the inland sea which may date from millions of years ago, there's also something more sinister.
I thought it was a good tale and particularly enjoyed the way the story wrapped up and the way in which the narrative expanded to be a little more than the basic straight forward tale. I do hope the author writes a sequel from where this ended up as there plenty of potential for the plot to expand and become more encompassing.
January 18, 2019
Noch so ein Buchgewordener NU Images / SyFy Film.
Die Autorin bedient sich und zitiert ganz frei aus den Klassikern der SF, von Verne bis Burroughs zu Lovecraft, die Vorbilder sind unübersehrbar. Hauptsächlich widmet sich die Geschichter der Spielart des Lost World genres und wäre dabei auch ganz Unterhaltsam, wenn auch nie wirklich furchtbar logisch, geworden.
Leider setzt die Autorin auf eine allzu saloppe Sprache welche den Leser auch schon mal direkt anspricht, und der Übersetzer, welcher oft auf zu typisch deutsche Redensarten setzt um noch getreue Übersetzung zu sein, tut sein übriges um dabei den Lesefluss zu hemmen. Verschärfend hinzu kommt dann noch dass man sich nie Recht entscheiden konnte ob man Gegenwarts- oder Vergangenheitsform schreiben wollte und deshalb einfach beides in den Topf warf.
Ein paar nette Ideen enthält die Geschichte, die Umsetzung ist jedoch eher dürftig ausgefallen.
Die Autorin bedient sich und zitiert ganz frei aus den Klassikern der SF, von Verne bis Burroughs zu Lovecraft, die Vorbilder sind unübersehrbar. Hauptsächlich widmet sich die Geschichter der Spielart des Lost World genres und wäre dabei auch ganz Unterhaltsam, wenn auch nie wirklich furchtbar logisch, geworden.
Leider setzt die Autorin auf eine allzu saloppe Sprache welche den Leser auch schon mal direkt anspricht, und der Übersetzer, welcher oft auf zu typisch deutsche Redensarten setzt um noch getreue Übersetzung zu sein, tut sein übriges um dabei den Lesefluss zu hemmen. Verschärfend hinzu kommt dann noch dass man sich nie Recht entscheiden konnte ob man Gegenwarts- oder Vergangenheitsform schreiben wollte und deshalb einfach beides in den Topf warf.
Ein paar nette Ideen enthält die Geschichte, die Umsetzung ist jedoch eher dürftig ausgefallen.
February 7, 2024
An Alpha team has been sent down a cave which is 3 miles below the surface... But the Alpha team has gone missing. A second team which consists of Dr Megan Stoker is a Sedimentologist, Janos a survivalist/military man, Marcus, Fi and Brendan who are historians, Ex Military and Scientist are sent down to see what happened to them.
They find something...something that shouldn't be alive today... A Pliosaur... As well as some other things.
Is everything as it seems? What will come of Dr Stockton and the rest of them?
It's kill or be killed and the team are frightened.
Wow I really really enjoyed this, I wish their was a second one but wow what a great story. I highly recommend if you're into sci-fi, monsters/creatures and science. I couldn't stop reading!
They find something...something that shouldn't be alive today... A Pliosaur... As well as some other things.
Is everything as it seems? What will come of Dr Stockton and the rest of them?
It's kill or be killed and the team are frightened.
Wow I really really enjoyed this, I wish their was a second one but wow what a great story. I highly recommend if you're into sci-fi, monsters/creatures and science. I couldn't stop reading!
October 23, 2016
Had to give this one 4 stars. Its a quick read, couldn't put it down. Its creepy and claustrophobic and the action and questions keep on coming. Its not the best written book I've read, but you won't even notice once you start reading and the story takes off. Its been on my Kindle for a while and I'm only sorry it took me so long to read it. The story starts out with fracking by an oil company that has collapsed the earths crust. And you know this hole must be explored. From there things get interesting.
July 9, 2021
I want to start off, anyone reading this for a creature feature, Dont. This book does have a monster but it very quickly is ignored and used as a plot device that honestly wasn’t needed.
It’s overall okish but for what it advertisers it never pays off. The characters are trapped in a huge cave where no light can reach but never once do you truly feel that there is always light somehow.
Honestly if you have a few hours to kill maybe give this a go. Otherwise ignore it and don’t waste your time.
It’s overall okish but for what it advertisers it never pays off. The characters are trapped in a huge cave where no light can reach but never once do you truly feel that there is always light somehow.
Honestly if you have a few hours to kill maybe give this a go. Otherwise ignore it and don’t waste your time.
August 25, 2021
The setting is awesome. The potential is there. Unfortunately, the monster really isn’t. I bought this book for the titular predator and it barely makes an appearance, serving only as a plot device to set up the rest of the story. I’m really disappointed because the setup was amazing. I guess the problem comes down to false advertising. I’ll give it two stars because what’s here is not bad, it’s just not what was advertised.
If you want a creature feature, give this one a miss.
If you want a creature feature, give this one a miss.
September 19, 2021
If it was possible to give 0 stars that’s the rating I would give this absolute dross, for the life of me I’m bewildered by the 5 star reviews some have given this. I’ve read close to 1,000 books in my lifetime and this is in my worst top 5. The only let off was it’s pretty short but not short enough. If you have any sense don’t read this rubbish.
June 16, 2023
Not what I was expecting
I started reading this book thinking it was about one thing, and it was something completely different. Not that that’s a bad thing. However, the didn’t care for any of the characters. Through the entire book all they did was whine and complain. Maybe that’s what the author was going for, but it didn’t work for me.
I started reading this book thinking it was about one thing, and it was something completely different. Not that that’s a bad thing. However, the didn’t care for any of the characters. Through the entire book all they did was whine and complain. Maybe that’s what the author was going for, but it didn’t work for me.
August 1, 2018
Exciting and dark
I liked this book but wish it had been longer as I was left feeling like I'd finished reading an unfinished story. I would like to know more about certain characters and important things in the story.
I liked this book but wish it had been longer as I was left feeling like I'd finished reading an unfinished story. I would like to know more about certain characters and important things in the story.
August 5, 2020
Not my cup of tea. Monster was barely in it and it just wasn't one I would ever read again.
October 26, 2020
An absolute blast of action horror meets Lovecraft meets SF. This is a Friday night beer film waiting to be made.
November 14, 2024
Loved it
Enjoyed beyond words will get more books by this author. You will enjoy the read. I hope as much as I did.
Enjoyed beyond words will get more books by this author. You will enjoy the read. I hope as much as I did.
October 17, 2025
great cave world
This book took some fun twists and turns, form traditional monsters to something unexpected. I look forward to reading more from this author
This book took some fun twists and turns, form traditional monsters to something unexpected. I look forward to reading more from this author
May 24, 2025
"Predator X – Wächter der Tiefe“ unterhält definitiv, ist aber kein Buch, das ich noch mal hören würde. Die Geschichte ist spannend, aber nicht tiefgründig oder gut durchdacht. Die Charaktere wirken wie Pappfiguren, die nach Drehbuch handeln, und der Hörgenuss wird durch die schlechte Lesung leider massiv getrübt. Und trotzdem mochte ich das Ende. Es ist offen – aber auf eine Weise, die Raum für eine Fortsetzung lässt. Genau mein Ding.
Wem ich es empfehlen würde? Allen, die Lust auf eine unterirdische Monsterjagd mit Science-Fiction-Flair haben und bei dünnen Figuren ein Auge zudrücken können.
Wem ich es empfehlen würde? Allen, die Lust auf eine unterirdische Monsterjagd mit Science-Fiction-Flair haben und bei dünnen Figuren ein Auge zudrücken können.
May 1, 2014
This had the potential to be a really great story and I very much enjoyed the beginning. It gives a brief paragraph about events so far and then gets straight on to the rescue mission entering the cave system. Megan is a bit claustrophobic on the journey down and gets tense when anyone is out of contact for a few minutes in case she is abandoned. We find out her opinion on her team through her thoughts. More on that later.
The action seems to start quickly once they find the sea and try to cross it in search of Alpha Team but in truth there is no other monster action until p70 which was a disappointment. I had hoped to see a lot of Predator X as I assumed that this is what the book is about. Instead between pages 19 and 70, the team explore the island they are stuck on, find some alien type structures and weird things and start to realise what happened to the other team.The short piece of action for a few pages around p70 is ok but could have been written to make it sound a bit more exciting. Then we go back to the living on the island thing and fighting amongst ourselves thing that has been there for most of the book. Calling the book Predator X is as misleading as the blurb which makes the sea monster sound like the main story where it actually only appears significantly three times in the book. The rest is an exploration of this alien structure and finding the strange entity that lives there. It was a bit disappointing to discover that what I thought was a horror story is really a complex science fiction story, a genre I'm not keen on.
As for the characters, I barely liked any of them. Marcus was an asshat from page one-and why is that true of most of these kinds of stories? You get the total jerk who then argues with everyone then they argue with each other and it gets old very fast. Megan is a real pain and I wish I could have blocked out her thoughts on the others. One minute she thinks Marcus is harmless flirt guy then seconds later he is the biggest sexist asshat the world has seen and she can't stand him. When he is mouthing off she hates it but as soon as he goes quiet or gets depressed she wants the old Marcus back, and when THAT happens she hates him again! She thinks Brendan is a sweet nerd, then a psychotic fanatic that needs watched then she likes him because he is the most sensible. She hates Fi for looking down on her, then loves her as a fearless capable leader, then thinks she is an autocratic bitch, then a great person to get them out. WTF??? Megan, you were seriously getting on my nerves with all this rubbish! As for Megan's grand plan to kill the monster, well that was so stupid that I was laughing out loud. The big plot reveal was hardly a surprise when the author dropped massive clanging hints with neon arrows pointing before it with Yuri's warnings and what Megan sees and chooses not to believe.
The ending also left me cold. I didn't find it a surprise, didn't hate it, didn't love it. By this point I was feeling pretty indifferent and just read to the end to see if anyone survived. Overall a great idea was spoiled by all the alien stuff in the middle. If the author had stuck to the horror plot that the blurb suggests, then this could have been a really good book. What a pity!
Sci-fi fans might enjoy this.
The action seems to start quickly once they find the sea and try to cross it in search of Alpha Team but in truth there is no other monster action until p70 which was a disappointment. I had hoped to see a lot of Predator X as I assumed that this is what the book is about. Instead between pages 19 and 70, the team explore the island they are stuck on, find some alien type structures and weird things and start to realise what happened to the other team.The short piece of action for a few pages around p70 is ok but could have been written to make it sound a bit more exciting. Then we go back to the living on the island thing and fighting amongst ourselves thing that has been there for most of the book. Calling the book Predator X is as misleading as the blurb which makes the sea monster sound like the main story where it actually only appears significantly three times in the book. The rest is an exploration of this alien structure and finding the strange entity that lives there. It was a bit disappointing to discover that what I thought was a horror story is really a complex science fiction story, a genre I'm not keen on.
As for the characters, I barely liked any of them. Marcus was an asshat from page one-and why is that true of most of these kinds of stories? You get the total jerk who then argues with everyone then they argue with each other and it gets old very fast. Megan is a real pain and I wish I could have blocked out her thoughts on the others. One minute she thinks Marcus is harmless flirt guy then seconds later he is the biggest sexist asshat the world has seen and she can't stand him. When he is mouthing off she hates it but as soon as he goes quiet or gets depressed she wants the old Marcus back, and when THAT happens she hates him again! She thinks Brendan is a sweet nerd, then a psychotic fanatic that needs watched then she likes him because he is the most sensible. She hates Fi for looking down on her, then loves her as a fearless capable leader, then thinks she is an autocratic bitch, then a great person to get them out. WTF??? Megan, you were seriously getting on my nerves with all this rubbish! As for Megan's grand plan to kill the monster, well that was so stupid that I was laughing out loud. The big plot reveal was hardly a surprise when the author dropped massive clanging hints with neon arrows pointing before it with Yuri's warnings and what Megan sees and chooses not to believe.
The ending also left me cold. I didn't find it a surprise, didn't hate it, didn't love it. By this point I was feeling pretty indifferent and just read to the end to see if anyone survived. Overall a great idea was spoiled by all the alien stuff in the middle. If the author had stuck to the horror plot that the blurb suggests, then this could have been a really good book. What a pity!
Sci-fi fans might enjoy this.
September 8, 2016
I'm almost embarrassed to give this book 4 stars, but I really enjoyed it. It's horror/sci-fi, full of holes, a bit patchwork and not well developed, but the author is skilled at keeping up a breakneck pace.
Not all story tellers are masters of language, and Waller knows his (her?) limitations. Every time there is a little flaw, a "wait a minute" moment for the reader, you dont have time to stop for analysis. You are kept busy with the next threat, the next horrible decision that has to be made. It's not a great novel, but it is a good fast short scary story. Similar to enjoyable horror films, he gets right to the point, includes a whole bunch of stuff to make you feel squeamish, claustrophobia and conspiracy theories, crazy people, mosters/ aliens, splashes around some blood and guts to mask deficiencies and delivers a satisfying ending. If you're one of those people where the movie is completely ruined because you just cant make yourself believe she was stupid enough to go into the basement to check out that noise, you wont like this.
I, for one, am thrilled the author didnt go to lenghts developing the concepts further. The deeper you get into any "lie" the more obvious the make-believe becomes. If the author did any more "development" the cracks would start to show. You better have all your ducks in a row if you want to try that. If not, do it like Waller and run me through it so fast my head spins and I just end up thoroughly entertained.
This is not for deep thinkers. Like a well timed side-show, before you can say "did I just see something up his sleeve" the next act is on stage. Let your inner ADD out and go with it. Its a ton of fun.
Not all story tellers are masters of language, and Waller knows his (her?) limitations. Every time there is a little flaw, a "wait a minute" moment for the reader, you dont have time to stop for analysis. You are kept busy with the next threat, the next horrible decision that has to be made. It's not a great novel, but it is a good fast short scary story. Similar to enjoyable horror films, he gets right to the point, includes a whole bunch of stuff to make you feel squeamish, claustrophobia and conspiracy theories, crazy people, mosters/ aliens, splashes around some blood and guts to mask deficiencies and delivers a satisfying ending. If you're one of those people where the movie is completely ruined because you just cant make yourself believe she was stupid enough to go into the basement to check out that noise, you wont like this.
I, for one, am thrilled the author didnt go to lenghts developing the concepts further. The deeper you get into any "lie" the more obvious the make-believe becomes. If the author did any more "development" the cracks would start to show. You better have all your ducks in a row if you want to try that. If not, do it like Waller and run me through it so fast my head spins and I just end up thoroughly entertained.
This is not for deep thinkers. Like a well timed side-show, before you can say "did I just see something up his sleeve" the next act is on stage. Let your inner ADD out and go with it. Its a ton of fun.
December 16, 2015
A SIMPLE MAN'S REVIEW:
I needed a quick read while waiting for a library book and found this as one of my recommended reads from Amazon. It sounded fun: an underground sea, an unknown monster within that sea, and possibly something to do with aliens. And I've got to say, it delivered on those things in an almost-always entertaining story. But these types of stories are now "a dime a dozen" and in order to stand out, the author really needs to expand the narrative into intriguing ideas and speculation. This story was on the cusp of doing that, but then seemed to pull back and fall into the typical "shoot 'em up" thriller. It was rather disappointing.
The main character was likable and her inner dialogue was often humorous. But most of the other characters were unrealistic. Now granted, I've never been trapped underground with a sea monster, but I can't even imagine a person behaving the way some of the characters acted. It was as if each had a formulaic role to play and the author couldn't afford the natural deviation from those roles as the story progressed. It became an irritating distraction.
The ending left the possibility of a sequel, but even though this book was entertaining, I didn't end up caring enough to see what might happen next. If you like the mysteries that are described in the description of the book, you may enjoy this quick read. Otherwise, you'll be fine skipping this one.
I needed a quick read while waiting for a library book and found this as one of my recommended reads from Amazon. It sounded fun: an underground sea, an unknown monster within that sea, and possibly something to do with aliens. And I've got to say, it delivered on those things in an almost-always entertaining story. But these types of stories are now "a dime a dozen" and in order to stand out, the author really needs to expand the narrative into intriguing ideas and speculation. This story was on the cusp of doing that, but then seemed to pull back and fall into the typical "shoot 'em up" thriller. It was rather disappointing.
The main character was likable and her inner dialogue was often humorous. But most of the other characters were unrealistic. Now granted, I've never been trapped underground with a sea monster, but I can't even imagine a person behaving the way some of the characters acted. It was as if each had a formulaic role to play and the author couldn't afford the natural deviation from those roles as the story progressed. It became an irritating distraction.
The ending left the possibility of a sequel, but even though this book was entertaining, I didn't end up caring enough to see what might happen next. If you like the mysteries that are described in the description of the book, you may enjoy this quick read. Otherwise, you'll be fine skipping this one.
May 11, 2014
Not a monster book like I expected
I wanted more:
* more character development
* more world building
* more monsters like the cover indicates
I bought this book because it was supposedly about a monster AND because it takes place in a cave, both of which I like. Well, neither one figured too much into the story. The rescue team entered the cave and about two pages later are at their destination - with very little description of the surroundings or the trip.
Yes, there is a monster but it takes a backseat to a whole other story - not one I would have bought.
This is a quick read at 150 pages and it's not terrible. It's just not very good. I didn't feel close to any of the characters. Most of them were whiny jerks.
It's not the money I regret spending on this short novel so much as the time I could have used reading something a whole lot better.
I wanted more:
* more character development
* more world building
* more monsters like the cover indicates
I bought this book because it was supposedly about a monster AND because it takes place in a cave, both of which I like. Well, neither one figured too much into the story. The rescue team entered the cave and about two pages later are at their destination - with very little description of the surroundings or the trip.
Yes, there is a monster but it takes a backseat to a whole other story - not one I would have bought.
This is a quick read at 150 pages and it's not terrible. It's just not very good. I didn't feel close to any of the characters. Most of them were whiny jerks.
It's not the money I regret spending on this short novel so much as the time I could have used reading something a whole lot better.
April 28, 2014
Fantastic sci-fi horror from CJ Waller. The set up is intriguing - a rescue team of cavers and scientists sent after a missing expedition to a newly-discovered underground sea - and things get more and more interesting from there. Soon the rescue team is itself trapped, and finds itself facing terrors beyond its comprehension - not least of which is the titular Predator X, a prehistoric sea creature of unparalleled ferocity and power. Predator X has it all - pace, tension, immediacy, twists, turns and an uncomfortably close view of a group of characters rapidly unravelling.
August 11, 2015
Good story
This book was a good read, but it was more a character driven story. That is not too bad, but you don't get much backstory on them. The predator of the title is not who or what you think it is. My one big problem with the story is how close it was to Vostok by Steve Alten. I know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but come on now. If you want a good story that does have you guessing what happens then give it a try.
This book was a good read, but it was more a character driven story. That is not too bad, but you don't get much backstory on them. The predator of the title is not who or what you think it is. My one big problem with the story is how close it was to Vostok by Steve Alten. I know that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, but come on now. If you want a good story that does have you guessing what happens then give it a try.
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