Abyss

Cate Granger #2

by Greig Beck

The explosive sequel to the Greig Beck blockbuster FATHOMLESS. Cate Granger is chasing ghosts. The monster shark she once encountered was a remnant of the ancient world - one that had escaped an underwater lair previously sealed off for millions of years. At great cost, Cate and her allies had killed the beast. So, no more ghosts, no more shadows. All gone. Or so Cate thought. A research ship is sound-blasting the deep seabed looking for petroleum signatures. But in doing so they disturb something that has been hiding in the trenches for countless millennia. What Cate thought was dead rises from the cold depths of hell. She, Jack Monroe, a Russian billionaire and her team of marine biologists are forced once more to enter the abyssal zone of the deepest ocean trenches, to confront a creature from the Earth's distant past.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Adventure, Thriller, Science Fiction, Monsters, Audiobook

380 pages, Paperback

First published October 5, 2018

About the author

Hi GoodReaders, I’m an Australian author residing in Sydney with my wife, son and a mad Golden Retriever named Jessie. My novels are now available globally, also in Large Print and now in full AUDIO format.

I grew up spending my days surfing at Bondi Beach before entering a career in Information technology which took me around the world. After completing an MBA, i was appointed both an Australasian director of a multinational software company, and tasked with setting up the USA arm of the organisation.

Today, I spend most of my time writing... with plenty left over for surfing.

More information about me and my works can be found at either www.greigbeck.com, or join me on FaceBook (Greig Beck Author).

Reviews

[Peter Topside · Rating 4 out of 5]

Overall the story was fine and there are obvious plans to continue this series. I really wanted to enjoy this book more than I did, but I just felt it was a little too familiar to the original. I really admire the author's writing style and character development, so I was hoping for something a little more unique here. But, much like the original, it has a lot of action, a good pace, and plays out like a major motion picture.

[❀ Crystal ✿ - PEACE ☮ LOVE ♥ BOOKS · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was another hit if you ask me. Though I really did miss the whole cave exploration science aspect that we got in the first half of the first book. I'm also mildly devastated over the few people we lose. They were outsmarted and it just made it scarier. The book was super intense like book one and I couldn't help berating and admiring these people for having the balls to even go near-let alone in the water. No way in hell. While in book one something gets out of the cave, this time miners scare something up, something the surface cannot handle. At times we got a POV from the shark which was a little odd but I actually enjoyed it, until I started thinking omg what if sharks really are that flippin' smart able to think cognitively. No no no lol. And dammit don't humans taste bad to them, shouldn't they learn after one bad apple??. Really loved the buildup here and while I think it was a smidge less exciting and maybe a bit too long (because they are solely on the surface and in the water), I didn't stop until I was finished. I think the epilogue was just what the book needed as well as there could be many a thing out there and we'd be clueless if it didn't want to be found.

**2023**
These books are intense almost from the start and I'm loving this reread journey. I'm sad we lose an MC but they got to go out in the way they wanted so it was only fitting. Personally everyone in this book is apeshit crazy. After one experience with a shark on the ocean, I would NEVER be able to recover and NEVER be able to go on the water again, time would make no difference. But the MCs kind of feel responsible for the escape of a new predator yet I don't think it's either their fault or their responsibility to handle it. But of course Valerie can't give it up and of course this means Sonia is right there with him, all badass and ready to kick ass. His money sure comes in handy as for weapons and water vehicles but it doesn't help as much with keeping anyone alive. Course being sabotaged doesn't help matters either and with a predator on the hunt the last thing anyone needs is to be dead in the water but time and time again everyone finds themselves treading water with no idea what is beneath them=it's horrifying. The intensity levels remain high and the tension does not let up until the end.

[Steve · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book two was every bit as good as the first. A fantastic adventure. I highly recommend it.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like Jaws, only better.

Greig Beck has the ability to “borrow” another books ideas and improve on it. He did it with In Search of the Lost World where he improved upon Artie Conan Doyle's The Lost World (yes you read that right – but it's just my opinion). Now he's done it with Peter Benchley's JAWS, or maybe Steve Alten's Meg. My first read of Jaws was a long time ago, but I still remember it vividly – and I think I got more thrills out of The Abyss albeit a different fish we're talking about. Beck even borrows Quint's famous (true) story of the Indianapolis tragedy. Look that up. Chilling reading!

I do like how Beck takes Science Fact and extrapolates it into the unknown. Much like Michael Chricton did in his brilliant novels. So you don't have to suspend disbelief too much. The tension is palpable and real enough to the point where you'll lose sleep “reading just one more chapter”.

When I was young, whales had been hunted almost to extinction. Now, when I holiday at the Gold Coast, you can sit on your condominium balcony and watch the humpbacks migrating all day. Unfortunately, shark attacks are becoming more common too. We've just had three fatal attacks in as many months. The sharks are following the whales. And the sharks no doubt, are getting bigger!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always like Greig Beck's books. They're natural history page-turning thrillers. This time, Beck imagines a world where giant megladon sharks, thought to have become extinct 2.6 million years ago, have been released from a natural enclave into the ocean. I enjoyed the ideas in the novel and the imagined ability of exploring the world beyond the ocean depths humans have managed to penetrate. No character is immune to the possibility of death from deep-sea mishaps including a couple of and-then-they-were-smashed-to-a-pulp-from-ocean-pressure moments. There are some real page-turning scenarios. However, I think the book goes just a little long. Strangely enough, the awaited conclusion takes a couple of paragraphs while everything else in the book takes pages and pages to describe. Still, a recommended book.

[Vivienne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abyss’ continues the oceanic adventures of Cate Granger and the other survivors of ‘Fathomless’ as very bad things start happening again in the ocean near to a deep trench. So, yes it appears that there’s another Megalodon wrecking havoc and generally chomping down on everything that crosses its path.

After a while I started to feel a little sorry for the shark as I am certain that swallowing so many metal objects was going to play havoc with its digestive tract.

‘Abyss’ is packed full of seemingly impossible situations for the humans to escape from and generally was just good fun. Will there be a Book 3? Frankly, if I were Cate I would move to the middle of the country as far away from the ocean as possible.

I likely will explore more of Grieg Beck’s titles when I have the urge to read a full-on action adventure that seeks lost worlds or to journey to the centre of the earth a la Jules Verne.

[Per Gunnar · Rating 2 out of 5]

At one time I quite liked Greig Beck’s books. His latest ones not so much though. It feels like he is just churning out books more resembling scripts for mediocre TV-shows rather than books.

The story of this book is a run of the mill monster horror story which is not really much different from the original “Meg” and it is bloody predictable. It’s full of techno babble with dubious realism. The main protagonist is spending most of the time whining about her previous experiences and not wanting to help.

The “heroes” got some science fiction style (and quite cool) equipment at their disposal thanks to a certain Russian billionaire. I quite like this Russian billionaire as well as his body guard by the way. Then of course, the author throws in some silly plot twists that renders the cool stuff more or less useless right away. Again, like the script for a poor TV-show.

Then of course we have to add some arsine bad guys that makes a silly side story that merges with our “heroes” at the worst possible time, also entirely predictable of course, to screws up things in ridiculous ways.

Finally the author decides to kill off one of the few good guys that I actually liked in the book. What the f…?

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am never going in the ocean again. The thought of total blackness, not being able to see anything underneath me, no thank you. Absolutely terrifying.

You know what’s more terrifying? The science is absolutely real. Read the author’s notes at the end. Well worth it.

[Shawna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome book

[mikaela (spinebreaker) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Also just simply fun

[Any Length · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was unfortunately no better than Fathomless. It was filled with repetitive descriptions, characters that behaved out of character and were unlikable to boot. There were inconsistencies with Kate having a beer with fishermen in the beginning of the book. They are all drinking out of the bottles and later "she raises her glass". WTH???
spoiler alert:
Also the first sub that went down to help the stricken pod was crushed when it went over the edge, but the second one wasn't because of some hot water updraft. Also not crushed was the original pod which was no stronger than the sub that had come to rescue them. Not believable when one gets crushed and the others don't.
The "romance" that was stuffed in there like a herring into a wedding dress (fit just as well) was awful, not described but the participants just about owned up to having had sex when coming back to meet the billionaire. WTH??? Greig, better not do any romance than what you did in this book and the previous. It was just bad.
They also wasted a hell of a lot of time chatting, having dinner, talking, getting supplies, etc onyl to later on become aware of someone running out of oxygen. WTH???
Also Kate's boyfriend who is supposedly the shark expert has extremely little to say about anything and plays the role of an adjunct to Kate who makes all the decisions but has no courage. He should also be punished by her for going out to dinner with her and friends without telling her that her friend form Uni is trapped and running out of air. How rediculous.
The book then dragged on so every possible monster sea-creature got a "bit part" and much boring time was spent with them deciding what to do and how to escape. In the end I was praying for the megalondon to just eat them all so the book could come to an end. The fate of the billionaire was stupid and not in keeping with his character or the rest of his type or person. One star only for getting this sequel published. No stars for the editor who should have stopped this from ever going to the publisher in this form.

[Partuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

Very interesting and compelling premise.

The author sadly fails to capitalise on either.

It has some cheap thrills which are fun but honestly, the book ends up being extremely boring, and pretty much completely ignores the first book.

The author has watched to much game of thrones and thinks that people just want everyone to die and feel no one is safe. Which works, when done right. The author doesn’t do this right with a lot of characters getting a lot of “close calls” only for “shock” it to turn badly anyway.

There was also wayyyy to many plots happening.

You have a shark.
Then the deep.
The rescue.
Other sea creatures.
Sabotage.
The big ship.
The distraction.

And so many more. Nothing feels streamlined and feels like a dart thrown at a board to see what the next twist will be.

You already have a compelling story with just the shark and the deep. Throwing a million other things at the Reader’s is just a sensory overload.

Save yourself the time and effort. Read the first in the Cate Granger series and be done with it as that ends pretty well and while over the top it is still a fun read.

This is not.

[Karl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finished reading Fathomless in September, 2018, which is just over two and a half years ago. This book came out just a month or so later and I was aware that it was coming when I was writing that review and even stated "I'm still pretty hyped about the sequel". I also said I was going to take a break from shark books as I had at that point become pretty fed up with the very specific genre of "megalodons eating people". And I stuck to my guns and have, as far as I know, only read one shark book since, Mega. And that was almost exactly two years ago as well.

So I felt that it was time and since I still enjoy the heck out of Greig Beck, I felt it was the stronger place to start than by going back to Steve Alten and Generations. Might it have been a mistake.

While I gave the original Fathomless 4 / 5 stars, in retrospect I've sort of come to regret that decision. 3 stars might have been more appropriate, 2.5 even more so. This long after reading it, I barely remember anything of it at all except the parts I didn't like very much and in returning to the same setting, found myself running to catch up while trying to remember what exactly had gone down previously. Little by little most of it came back to me and I realized just how little I honestly care for the book. Unfulfilled potential seems like the best way to describe it.
So the more I read, the less excited I actually got and it didn't help that the start is painfully slow. The excuse for megalodons existing in the modern world is flimsy at best and poorly defined at worst. Apparently they've always just kind of been here and somehow managed to stay confined to only myth and legends, seen only by drunk sailors and hysterical women or something. Beck, like many other authors who pen shark books, can't help but to describe them as the perfect animal that went extinct for absolutely no reason and therefor they must still be around. In the back of the book, Beck tries to point out that "science just doesn't know" and that there might still be really big sharks out there. Sometimes the belief in megalodons still swimming in our ocean borders on the religious.

But whatever, I've accepted significantly flimsier excuses for giant sharks to suddenly materialized in our world so I should be able to let it go. The problem, however, is that I think the setting is just a little too close to the exact setup of Meg, with the sharks apparently always having lived in the trenches of the world. It also veers a bit close to how the movie version of The Meg tried to justify its setting, which is odd since the movie came out only a little before this book, well after there was time to change such a huge part of the setting. Perhaps Mr. Beck was hugely inspired by one of the trailers?
Whatever the case, it's actually once they're down in the trench (with one of the biggest ass pulls of all times) that the book becomes its best. Suddenly the focus is pulled away from the bloody shark and all manner of creepy crawlers come scuttling out of the woodwork (or silt, as it were). Although it's regular sea creatures blown up to fifty times their normal size due to deep-sea gigantism, it's enough to lend them an otherworldly eeriness that racks up the tension to a solid 10. There's a scene in there, however, that feels completely ripped out of The Meg. One that I saw coming a fathom away precisely because I had seen that movie.

So once in the trench, book good. Everything out of the trench, eh...

It doesn't really help that there's not a particularly well defined arc for Cate, the main character, to actually be there. Jack is a beefy marine biologist with previous experience and deep-sea vehicle piloting experience, Cate is his girlfriend who suffers a pretty bad case of PTSD. Eventually Beck starts parading out more characters from the first book and I'll say this for Beck, he's not above killing off characters that appeared in previous books. He's a stone cold killer-author.
There's still plenty of disposable characters to go around and truly idiotic decisions to go around, however, so have no fear. I would advise not getting too attached to characters you only meet once they got on the hyper advanced sub way too late in the book. They might as well be wearing red shirts.

I won't comment on the science. There was some good, some not so good and... that's about enough of that.

I have to say, however, that I was very disappointed in the rather alarming amount of spelling mistakes that I came across in the book. I just sort of expect better from printed media and I would be very curious to see if the errors persist in the kindle edition. The whole pacing of the book also felt really strange at times, with odd cutaways to things only tangentially related (believe it or not, a shark feeding for the fifth time on non-essentials is not very exciting) and the whole first half is just a meandering mess.
Luckily, Beck still knows how to weave and exciting tale of life and death and in the good parts, it's REALLY good. There was still something about the book that made me unable to put it down and on a rainy, windy day I simply plonked myself down and read the rest of the book. I don't know how I feel about the sequel hook but like with everything else Beck writes, I'll read it eventually.

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

This reads more like a short story with a lot of superfluous detail and events. Basically, the survivors of the first book are back in the water to save some scientists that find themselves stranded at the bottom of the ocean surrounded by prehistorical sharks. They go down, they make their way to the surface. People die. End of story. Sure, there were some gruesome attacks and kills, but the story lacked any real meat.

[BookishDramas · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is time to change the famous quote to -
Hell hath no fury like a megalodon

We thought we saw the end of the war machine of yore unleashed upon the modern seas in the previous book after much mayhem and murder.

But the peace is short lived with humans pushing their limits on nature sometimes there is a pushback. Sound blasting the ocean bed for oil signatures acts as the harbinger for the demon of the deep.

For centuries fishermen across the world have been grappling with hidden murmurs, stories and gossips around fires spoken only when they are high, stories of hitherto unheralded and unimagined sizes of creatures that they think they have glimpsed or have heard rumors of people who claim to have had a glimpse and have been terrified enough not to go into the water in darkness. With no verifiable data and a negligible fossil record one can never be sure but seafarers over generations talk of two stories the kraken and a huge shark.

Abyss picks up from the last book with our protagonists especially Granger in mortal fear of the sea after her last adventure but has enough verve to seek out every one of the seafaring legends across the globe wherein there is any discussion or information about large sea creatures. Having come face to face with the giant living fossil and understanding that the sea rift created in the previous book released ancient organisms into the current oceans but none seemed to have lived to create their own tales. Still she has had the nagging doubt whether the seemingly invincible creature with practically no adversaries could be still out there hidden from humans.
The fact that a significant amount of the sea especially the land beneath has never been explored and practical considerations have always kept it out of the human eye.

My first thought when starting this book was that either the Megalodon from Fathomless made a return or another had slipped away from the rift. Grieg does warn us about the line he is taking here with the title but still the attack comes as a pleasant surprise and the incident of a submersible stuck deep on the seabed made a compelling story made more unpleasant when correlated with the 2023 real life crisis in the news in June of the Titan, the submersible which was exploring the Titanic and which was finally lost with all hands down including a young 17 year old. The book and real life merged and made this story seem so real with the pangs of someone stuck alone in a small chamber with no escape.

What I loved about this story was the compelling human emotions attached to the rescue of the submersible and which was juxtaposed with our protagonists still reluctant to join the rescue efforts because of their past traumatic experience.

The human element brought by Cate in the story is like any of us would have when faced with a single minded terminator which knows no stopping. Her subsequent regret at losing a dear friend, her indignation at her own impotence and her decision to face her fear by destroying her inner and outer demons carry this book from being another creature feature to a human interest one.

Enter the Russian oligarch, good friend and fellow adventurer with a mean machine as the team gathers together to go after the booty - Cate and Jack to kill a monster and Valery and Sonya after the biggest game hunt with the head as prize.

So far the story seems a routine search and destroy mission but it is when their submarine enters deep water and into the abyss that the book has another turn and Beck's expertise comes to the fore - creating a divine underground world where big is small and giants are a norm. Beck digs into his bag of tricks which we have seen blossom in diverse books like the Primordia trilogy and the Centre of the Earth trilogy (I have yet to start with the Mysterious Island series which are in my TBR) and he writes some very good monsters both real and imagined.

This was also where I was a trifle disappointed with the story as I hoped that this underground world would be explored but with the rescue on a timeline and a promise of another sequel this option is sent to the backburner and the rescue with a underwater fight with another titan followed by a clash of titans where things seem like the progress chart of a cup final.

The final clash with the megalodon is fraught with despair, loss and immense firepower before the protagonists come out on top with their own deep losses.

As I am writing this review, the third book in the series Leviathan has just released and I am hoping that some of my story remnants are fulfilled.

Recommended adventure.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another highly entertaining story from Greig Beck. Wonderfully written, and beautiful read by Sean Magan.

Although the same basic premise, and following the same basic premise as 'Fathomless', Beck manages to shake it up enough to make it feel fresh and novel, even after back to back reading/listening of the two books in the series. And he does it well.

Even though the main cast square up to the monster again, knowing that it was all luck and no skill that saved them last time, there is no lemming-like eagerness, making them sympathetic, and more heroic, and their fear that much more believable.

And best of all is the extraordinarily high level of continuity of character from the first book to this one. Yes, the characters have grown, but believably, in small ways.

Comfortably feasible background science is woven in just enough to ground what is happening, without the exposition being boring, lecturing, or - god forbid - preaching. A difficult, and delicate balance to make. The authors notes at the end of the book goes into some more detail, if you want to learn a little more, and if you are so inclined, provides a starting point for a little light research. (And yes, I'll probably hit the Google at some point.)

The epilogue is a neat little loop around to a sequence at the start of the book, tying up a potential mental niggle - and, if necessary providing an opening for a third book. Though, honestly, I think that would be a disservice to the characters.

[Toni Cooke · Rating 3 out of 5]

After re-reading 'Jaws' this year I was in the mood to read about other terrifying creatures from the depths. This is how I stumbled across Greig Beck. The first book in this series 'Fathomless' unfortunately did not grip me. It was full of scientific explanation and focused more on the Political side of sea expeditions - such as how to get funding for the trip. However, I was hoping that book set the background for more action in future instalments. It did and this book was much more enjoyable.

Cate Granger goes back into the watery depths as she feels responsible for 'unearthing' these terrifying sea creatures - thought to have gone extinct 2.6 million years ago. The story was filled with much more action, tension was built well and I was left in suspense often. There was more Megalodon action - something which was sorely missing from the first book.

However, although this book was more thrilling than the first, I found it went on way too long. There are a lot of details which are pointless to me that I didn't enjoy reading about such as the forced romantic relationships between those on the expeditions. There are also a lot of scientific explanations that I found to drag. I found myself willing these parts to be over to get to the action I came for.

All in all, this book delivered what I was hoping the first one would. But now I am in a position where I'm not sure whether I will be continuing the series. Mainly due to how long-winded the books are.

[Samyann · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cate Granger's grandfather disappeared before she was born. While exploring a cave in Alaska, he discovered local lore and myths were true, that the cave harbored prehistoric behemoths - giants of the ancient world long believed to be extinct. Think shark teeth ten inches long, sperm whales with a calf the size of a bus, or Volkswagen-sized snails, spiders, and other yukky beasts—Jules Verne-on-steroids stuff.

Cate's explorations eventually involve a team of professionals, including a wealthy eccentric, and there are Russian bad guys, of course. The imaginative high-tech science of submarines, smaller submersibles, sophisticated research vessels, etc., all come into play through the three novels with good guys, bad guys, and creatures big enough to use an ocean liner as a toothpick.

No sex, no objectionable language - a bit grizzly at times, page-turning adventures. Narration is okay, nothing special. Production is fine but slow - had to bump the speed to 1.8 on the iPhone.

Written by Greig Beck, all novels are narrated by Sean Mangan and total over 40 of listening in unabridged audiobook format, released from 2016-23 by Bolinda Publishing.

[William (Mr. Bill) Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Abyss: A Cate Granger Novel book 2 - very exciting

Whenever I see a book authored by Greig Beck, I will immediately read the preview and add it to my library. Abyss: Book 2 is that kind of book. This series is like several of his other books, and I'm never disappointed. There are a few things a novice reader of a Beck Books need to know. In my opinion, the main thing is that these are not Cliff's Note summary of a story. (Are those still around?) I find that Beck creates a complete story and deserves to be read completely. No detail is left out. It's easy to visualize the action, and like a great movie, difficult to 'pause', and a great book is equally hard to put down. Depending on the book, I always come away a bit more knowledgeable about the subject, location, and tech described in his books. Another thing you'll be impatient to read his next book. In this case, I'm in luck. Leviathan, Book 3 of the Cate Granger series is available now. If you enjoy audible books, be sure to check out Sean Mangan excellent performance. -Mr.Bill

[Christian · Rating 5 out of 5]

I still remember when Grandma and Grandad gave me a Paper Plus voucher for my birthday years ago, and used it to buy Beneath The Dark Ice. Ever since then, I’ve been absolutely hooked on the fiction of Mr Greig Beck.
Really enjoyed this, even though I don’t think it appealed to me as much as book #1 in the series. This was solely to do with how Greig Beck set up the first in the series, which I think had an unbeatable formula. If I could truly be objective I’d be able to separate the novels on this issue, but alas.
The story has so many great things going for it: a mysterious known world we haven’t truly explored yet, the ocean, great characters, great action, and a giant Megalodon shark. Couldn’t ask for much more. Beck’s writing brings up so much vivid imagery that makes it such a joy to read. I’m hoping there’s a third in the series, as I want to see more Cate Granger, but even if there isn’t I can’t wait to read even more from the author.

[Monica Mac · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another terrific book by Greig Beck.

The super shark is back in this book, how and why is a bit of a mystery, but there it is. At stake are the lives of colleagues of Cate's, which Cate, her man Jack and a Russian millionaire must try to rescue. Naturally, such a huge shark has a huge appetite, which isn't great for the seagoing people in this book who are in its vicinity!

There are parts of this story which are edge-of-your-seat, which you might expect from a book like this one, after all, you just have to HEAR the song associated with "Jaws" and you get a shiver down your spine - or is that just me? The thought of an even BIGGER shark roaming around the place would make me never want to go on the ocean again....

Anyway, good read, worth getting.

4.5 stars from me.

[BookzBookzBookz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abyss, by Greig Beck, is a good story. Action-packed and filled with nightmarish situations, but it’s not one that I’d call a favorite (And still, it's in my audio-library). It's good, don’t get me wrong, but Cate was a prude in the beginning and a pain in the butt, making think she's the first character I detest by Beck. She made me mad on more than one occasion and I was just like, Forget her! Leave her! But she’s the star of the story...

I finished this book in two and a half days. I probably would have finished it in one, if I didn't have so much to do in my day. Abyss had me cringing, even while working out at the gym! The things described, especially the car-sized spider crabs, were terrible to imagine and had me swatting the air as I listened. Beck knows how to tell a story. Though I wasn't a fan of Cate, I did thoroughly enjoy the book.

The full review to Abyss will be available on my website, March 4th, so check it out! www.areneehunt.com

ABYSS
Written by Greig Beck
Narrated by Sean Mangan
Published by Bolinda Audio
Released October 2018
Runtime: 13h 43m

[N.L. McFarlane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is book two of the Cate Granger series and I thought the first book was a great story, this sequel tops that. I love the mix of both the fiction and the facts in these stories, the action is non-stop, the suspense is a killer, and the build up to it all is just fantastic. The characters are all so unique and 'normal' not over glorified etc... you can completely see them as relatable people and connect to them which I love, the wildlife is just explosive and I cannot wait for the next, especially with that ending... I never pick up one of Beck's books and leave it, it has to be read cover to cover with minimal breaks xD.

[Toni · Rating 3 out of 5]

Abyss-I Wanted To Like This Series

Abyss is a book with a lot of action. I was hoping this Meg book would go in a different direction. It does have its unique moments. Unfortunately, this series seems like a weak, prelude to the Meg books by Steve Alten. This is the second book in this series. I read the first two books so I can read the last book, recently released. I love shark books. Shark week is just around the corner. You may love this series, but as an OG MegHead, read Steve Alten’s books. Mr. Beck, thank you for your work, but you can do better. Also, this book had spelling and grammar errors, that should have been corrected. Thank you for your writing.

[Gary Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Read

This book was a good read, full of action, and you have the sense that the megalodon is tracking the main characters, the same main characters in fathomless.

This book can be read alone, but is better when read after the first one. I enjoyed the fact that even when the characters were down in the trench, there were other creatures in the story

A definite good read if you enjoy action, prehistoric shark, or just wonder what's in the ocean that hasn't been discovered yet.

[Peter Benton · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think the megalodon featured very little, but when it did, it was amazing. I feel that the author kinda strayed away too much from the Megalodon part of the story. It was more of a "get down into the abyss and rescue the crew of the Alvin, and not get eaten". First part of the plan features more than the shark itself. What was sad about it: Valery Mironov, my favorite character gets eaten by the shark!
Noooo! I think the novel kinda rides on the success of the first one. Nonetheless, I can't wait for the sequel.

[littleM · Rating 4 out of 5]

Was it necessary to include Quint's recount of the real life Indianapolis? No. Was it necessary to permanently scar me with the mental image of a creature with garage door sized eyes? NO! Was this whole sequel necessary? Nooo. Do I care? NOOO! Cos SHARK!!

[Hendrik · Rating 3 out of 5]

Knüpft an vielen Stellen nicht an den vorherigen Band an, der das Konzept noch einigermaßen glaubwürdig rüber brachte.
Auf einmal gab es doch schon die ganze Zeit Megalodons, sie haben sich nur versteckt? Dass sie in einem abgeschiedenen Ökosystem weitergelebt haben und dann entkommen konnten war deutlich sinnvoller dargelegt.

Das Buch sollte wahrscheinlich auch als neuer Einstieg in die Trilogie dienen, hätte meiner Meinung nach aber besser gemacht werden können. Die Charaktere sind ja dieselben, wieso sind auf einmal die Ereignisse aus dem ersten Teil nicht mehr wirklich relevant?

[Steven Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've loved stories about the seas, and especially sharks since my paternal uncle handed me a very beat-up paperback copy of Jaws. As I got older and learned about the huge prehistoric sharks, I was immediately captivated, imagining a world where such ocean-hunting giants roamed. With the the Meg series by Steve Alten, this is series is now one of my favorites. Per the author's web page, book #3 Leviathan is going to be the last in this series.

[Soumyajit · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really didn’t enjoy this one, especially compared to how much I loved the first book. The middle section dragged, and the ending just didn’t work for me.

The plot took some bizarre turns that felt more like forced drama than proper storytelling, and the over-the-top stupidly heroic bits and cringeworthy romance made it worse. Honestly, what on earth was that?

I don’t think I’ll bother with the next book — it really should’ve ended with Fathomless.