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MEG #6
Generations
In MEG: Generations, Steve Alten New York Times bestselling author continues his terrifying series.
DUBAI: An impossibility is being taken to the Middle East. The transport vessel Tonga is carrying a liopleurodon to the City of Gold. But while investors gawk at the prehistoric creature, any even more dangerous creature is beginning to stir.
The megalodon shark that Jonas Taylor worked so hard to capture is coming out of it’s drug-induced stupor and refuses to be contained. Now both ancient creatures, older than mankind itself, are loose in the waters of the Arabian Sea, and the region will never be the same.
375 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 1, 2018
295 people are currently reading
3332 people want to read
About the author
Steve Alten
62 books1,358 followersSteve Alten grew up in Philadelphia, earning his Bachelors degree in Physical Education at Penn State University, a Masters Degree in Sports Medicine from the University of Delaware, and a Doctorate of Education at Temple University. Struggling to support his family of five, he decided to pen a novel he had been thinking about for years. Working late nights and on weekends, he eventually finished MEG; A Novel of Deep Terror. Steve sold his car to pay for editing fees. On September (Friday) the 13th, 1996, Steve lost his general manager’s job at a wholesale meat plant. Four days later his agent had a two-book, seven figure deal with Bantam Doubleday.
MEG would go on to become the book of the 1996 Frankfurt book fair, where it eventually sold to more than a twenty countries. MEG hit every major best-seller list, including #19 on the New York Times list (#7 audio), and became a popular radio series in Japan.
Steve’s second release, The TRENCH (Meg sequel) was published by Kensington/Pinnacle in 1999 where it also hit best-seller status. His next novel, DOMAIN and its sequel, RESURRECTION were published by St. Martin’s Press/Tor Books and were runaway best-sellers in Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Italy, with the rights selling to more than a dozen countries.
Steve’s fourth novel, GOLIATH, received rave reviews and was a big hit in Germany. It is being considered for a TV series. MEG: Primal Waters was published in the summer of 2004. A year later his seventh novel, The LOCH, hit stores — a modern-day thriller about the Loch Ness Monster. Steve’s eighth novel, The SHELL GAME, is about the end of oil and the next 9/11 event. The book was another NY Times best-seller, but the stress of penning this real-life story affected Steve’s health, and three months after he finished the manuscript he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Steve’s ninth novel, MEG: Hell’s Aquarium, is considered to be the best of the best-selling MEG series. Steve says his best novel is GRIM REAPER: End of Days. The story, a modern-day Dante’s Inferno, takes place in New York when a man-made plague strikes Manhattan.
Steve’s novels are action-packed and very visual. He has optioned DOMAIN, MEG and The LOCH to film producers. Steve has written six original screenplays. His comedy, HARLEM SHUFFLE was a semi-finalist in the LA screenwriting contest, his comedy MINTZ MEATS was selected as a finalist at the Philadelphia film festival as was his psychological thriller, STRANGLEHOLD. Steve’s reality series, HOUSE OF BABEL won at Scriptapalooza. He has also created a TV Drama, PAPA JOHN, based on his years coaching basketball with Hall of Fame coach John Chaney.
Over the years, Steve has been inundated with e-mail from teens who hated reading …until they read his novels. When he learned high school teachers were actually using his books in the classroom (MEG had been rated #1 book for reluctant readers) Steve launched Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide non-profit program designed to encourage students to read. Teachers who register for the program (it’s free) receive giant shark posters, free curriculum materials, student-author correspondence, an interactive website, and classroom conference calls/visits with the author. To date, over 10,000 teachers have registered, and the success rate in getting teens to read has been unprecedented. Steve now spends half his work week working with high schools. For more information click on www.AdoptAnAuthor.com
As an author, Steve has two goals. First, to continue to work hard to become a better storyteller and create exciting page turning thrillers. Second, to remain accessible to his readers. Steve reads and answers all e-mails, uses the names and descriptions of his loyal fans as characters in all his novels, and even hires readers as editors, depending on their particular expertise.
MEG would go on to become the book of the 1996 Frankfurt book fair, where it eventually sold to more than a twenty countries. MEG hit every major best-seller list, including #19 on the New York Times list (#7 audio), and became a popular radio series in Japan.
Steve’s second release, The TRENCH (Meg sequel) was published by Kensington/Pinnacle in 1999 where it also hit best-seller status. His next novel, DOMAIN and its sequel, RESURRECTION were published by St. Martin’s Press/Tor Books and were runaway best-sellers in Spain, Mexico, Germany, and Italy, with the rights selling to more than a dozen countries.
Steve’s fourth novel, GOLIATH, received rave reviews and was a big hit in Germany. It is being considered for a TV series. MEG: Primal Waters was published in the summer of 2004. A year later his seventh novel, The LOCH, hit stores — a modern-day thriller about the Loch Ness Monster. Steve’s eighth novel, The SHELL GAME, is about the end of oil and the next 9/11 event. The book was another NY Times best-seller, but the stress of penning this real-life story affected Steve’s health, and three months after he finished the manuscript he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Steve’s ninth novel, MEG: Hell’s Aquarium, is considered to be the best of the best-selling MEG series. Steve says his best novel is GRIM REAPER: End of Days. The story, a modern-day Dante’s Inferno, takes place in New York when a man-made plague strikes Manhattan.
Steve’s novels are action-packed and very visual. He has optioned DOMAIN, MEG and The LOCH to film producers. Steve has written six original screenplays. His comedy, HARLEM SHUFFLE was a semi-finalist in the LA screenwriting contest, his comedy MINTZ MEATS was selected as a finalist at the Philadelphia film festival as was his psychological thriller, STRANGLEHOLD. Steve’s reality series, HOUSE OF BABEL won at Scriptapalooza. He has also created a TV Drama, PAPA JOHN, based on his years coaching basketball with Hall of Fame coach John Chaney.
Over the years, Steve has been inundated with e-mail from teens who hated reading …until they read his novels. When he learned high school teachers were actually using his books in the classroom (MEG had been rated #1 book for reluctant readers) Steve launched Adopt-An-Author, a nationwide non-profit program designed to encourage students to read. Teachers who register for the program (it’s free) receive giant shark posters, free curriculum materials, student-author correspondence, an interactive website, and classroom conference calls/visits with the author. To date, over 10,000 teachers have registered, and the success rate in getting teens to read has been unprecedented. Steve now spends half his work week working with high schools. For more information click on www.AdoptAnAuthor.com
As an author, Steve has two goals. First, to continue to work hard to become a better storyteller and create exciting page turning thrillers. Second, to remain accessible to his readers. Steve reads and answers all e-mails, uses the names and descriptions of his loyal fans as characters in all his novels, and even hires readers as editors, depending on their particular expertise.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 229 reviews
May 23, 2021
I have loved the Meg series of novels since the year the first one debuted in 1997.
I've been an avid MEGhead for 2 decades, and I adore Steve Alten, whom I now consider a friend. So it truly hurts me to write this, but....I didn't love Meg: Generations.
My main gripe about this book was simply that there was just too much going on. We had Megs, Pliosaurs, Mosasaurs, Helicoprion, Titanoboa, Plesiosaurs, Leedsychthys, a Livyatan sperm whale...the list goes on and on and on.
Beyond the creatures, there was an astronomical number of groups, all with different motives--some from Dubai, from the California government, and from China. In addition, there were the hired hands of a family who was taking personal revenge on the Meg pups, and finally, the Taylor family, who is more focused on Terri's cancer and Parkinson's disease than any creatures in the water.
It was honestly difficult to keep everyone straight and, because there were so many individual story lines, I didn't feel as though any of them were fleshed out or given the attention they deserve.
There were also really weird, lengthy gaps in the timeline when the reader was virtually left in the dark regarding the happenings in that interim.
I will say, the final 25% of the book was action packed and far more entertaining than the first three quarters.
I miss the days when Alten wrote from the perspective of the sea creatures...that was always highly effective, in my opinion. And don't get me wrong...I still think this book is worth reading, along with the entire MEG series. I just don't personally think it's one of the better books.
Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
I've been an avid MEGhead for 2 decades, and I adore Steve Alten, whom I now consider a friend. So it truly hurts me to write this, but....I didn't love Meg: Generations.
My main gripe about this book was simply that there was just too much going on. We had Megs, Pliosaurs, Mosasaurs, Helicoprion, Titanoboa, Plesiosaurs, Leedsychthys, a Livyatan sperm whale...the list goes on and on and on.
Beyond the creatures, there was an astronomical number of groups, all with different motives--some from Dubai, from the California government, and from China. In addition, there were the hired hands of a family who was taking personal revenge on the Meg pups, and finally, the Taylor family, who is more focused on Terri's cancer and Parkinson's disease than any creatures in the water.
It was honestly difficult to keep everyone straight and, because there were so many individual story lines, I didn't feel as though any of them were fleshed out or given the attention they deserve.
There were also really weird, lengthy gaps in the timeline when the reader was virtually left in the dark regarding the happenings in that interim.
I will say, the final 25% of the book was action packed and far more entertaining than the first three quarters.
I miss the days when Alten wrote from the perspective of the sea creatures...that was always highly effective, in my opinion. And don't get me wrong...I still think this book is worth reading, along with the entire MEG series. I just don't personally think it's one of the better books.
Many thanks to the publisher for my review copy.
October 11, 2018
I'm not sure what happened with this book. It was going along fine, with all the great creature-feature, b-movie goodness that I've come to know and love from this series when, all of a sudden, for no apparent reason, there's
It was somewhat maddening, to be honest. Like another Goodreads reviewer wrote, it's like Alten got bored with the book he was writing and decided to start a new book three quarters of the way through...
Very weird. Having now read eight Alten books in a row, I think I'm going to leave it a while before I got back to him again... a good, long while.
Still, at least there was no time travel/parallel universe bollocks in this one, which was a huge relief.
It was somewhat maddening, to be honest. Like another Goodreads reviewer wrote, it's like Alten got bored with the book he was writing and decided to start a new book three quarters of the way through...
Very weird. Having now read eight Alten books in a row, I think I'm going to leave it a while before I got back to him again... a good, long while.
Still, at least there was no time travel/parallel universe bollocks in this one, which was a huge relief.
October 11, 2018
I have loved the Meg series of novels since the year the first one debuted in 1997.
I've been an avid MEGhead for 2 decades, and I adore Steve Alten, whom I now consider a friend. So it truly hurts me to write this, but....I didn't love Meg: Generations.
My main gripe about this book is simply that there is just too much going on. We have Megs, Pliosaurs, Mosasaurs, Helicoprion, Titanoboa, Plesiosaurs, Leedsychthys, a Livyatan sperm whale...the list goes on and on and on.
Beyond the creatures, there is an astronomical number of groups, all with different motives--some from Dubai, from the California government, and from China. In addition, there are the hired hands of a family who is taking personal revenge on the Meg pups, and finally, the Taylor family, who are more focused on Terri's cancer and Parkinson's disease than anything in the water.
It's honestly difficult to keep everyone straight and, because there are so many individual story lines, I didn't feel as though any of them were fleshed out or given the attention they deserve.
There are also really weird, huge gaps in the timeline when the reader is virtually left in the dark regarding the happenings in that interim.
I will say, the final 25% of the book is action packed and far more entertaining than the first three quarters.
I miss the days when Alten wrote from the perspective of the sea creatures...that was always highly effective, in my opinion. And don't get me wrong...I still think this book is worth reading, along with the entire MEG series. I just don't personally think it's one of the better books in the series.
Having said that, can I get a high five for the MEG movie that's hitting theaters next month? I've been waiting YEARS for this film.
I. Can't. Wait!
I've been an avid MEGhead for 2 decades, and I adore Steve Alten, whom I now consider a friend. So it truly hurts me to write this, but....I didn't love Meg: Generations.
My main gripe about this book is simply that there is just too much going on. We have Megs, Pliosaurs, Mosasaurs, Helicoprion, Titanoboa, Plesiosaurs, Leedsychthys, a Livyatan sperm whale...the list goes on and on and on.
Beyond the creatures, there is an astronomical number of groups, all with different motives--some from Dubai, from the California government, and from China. In addition, there are the hired hands of a family who is taking personal revenge on the Meg pups, and finally, the Taylor family, who are more focused on Terri's cancer and Parkinson's disease than anything in the water.
It's honestly difficult to keep everyone straight and, because there are so many individual story lines, I didn't feel as though any of them were fleshed out or given the attention they deserve.
There are also really weird, huge gaps in the timeline when the reader is virtually left in the dark regarding the happenings in that interim.
I will say, the final 25% of the book is action packed and far more entertaining than the first three quarters.
I miss the days when Alten wrote from the perspective of the sea creatures...that was always highly effective, in my opinion. And don't get me wrong...I still think this book is worth reading, along with the entire MEG series. I just don't personally think it's one of the better books in the series.
Having said that, can I get a high five for the MEG movie that's hitting theaters next month? I've been waiting YEARS for this film.
I. Can't. Wait!
May 23, 2020
Full throttle of a read! Scary goodness! MEG: Generations is the sixth installment of the MEG (Megalodon) series and wow, what a ride it was.
There are several storylines in this novel, but they all work and come together in an amazing way. The objectives are simple: 1) Capture a liopleurodon, 2) Capture a MEG, 3) Rescue a crew trapped at the bottom of the sea. But, there are monstrous and dangerous sea creatures out in the deep blue that threaten the lives of everyone involved.
An excellent book. It would have been a five star read if it weren't for that dang cliffhanger at the end.
There are several storylines in this novel, but they all work and come together in an amazing way. The objectives are simple: 1) Capture a liopleurodon, 2) Capture a MEG, 3) Rescue a crew trapped at the bottom of the sea. But, there are monstrous and dangerous sea creatures out in the deep blue that threaten the lives of everyone involved.
An excellent book. It would have been a five star read if it weren't for that dang cliffhanger at the end.
July 25, 2024
Meg: Generations
By Steve Alten
I started this series because I occasionally like to vegetate in a world where I feel like I am in a B rated movie. Sea monsters, Godzilla, Bigfoot, or Mothra are often good books for that. This series was one, too, at first.
But it started to get crazy! Fantasy is crazy and that's why I read it, but this.. it broke rules. How many times can you trap the same 70-foot monster? How many times can you get ripped off by a rich Saudi prince? How many times can you release the monster you nearly died trying to capture? How many storylines can you have in one book? How many times can you almost die releasing the monster? How many species of monsters can you have in a book, especially extinct animals? Well, between all of these strange plots, a double plot that didn't mesh together well in this one, time jumping somehow in the last book, and unlikeable characters throughout, I am calling it quits on this series!
I liked the sharks more than the people.
By Steve Alten
I started this series because I occasionally like to vegetate in a world where I feel like I am in a B rated movie. Sea monsters, Godzilla, Bigfoot, or Mothra are often good books for that. This series was one, too, at first.
But it started to get crazy! Fantasy is crazy and that's why I read it, but this.. it broke rules. How many times can you trap the same 70-foot monster? How many times can you get ripped off by a rich Saudi prince? How many times can you release the monster you nearly died trying to capture? How many storylines can you have in one book? How many times can you almost die releasing the monster? How many species of monsters can you have in a book, especially extinct animals? Well, between all of these strange plots, a double plot that didn't mesh together well in this one, time jumping somehow in the last book, and unlikeable characters throughout, I am calling it quits on this series!
I liked the sharks more than the people.
September 10, 2025
Book six in Steve Alten's Meg series, "Generations" is probably better than it has any right to be, given the fact that it is the sixth book in the series and it's about giant prehistoric underwater monsters battling it out for supremacy. Mixed in amongst all the submersible chases and the rich people in yachts being eaten in bulk is a pretty emotionally draining story in which Terry---Jonas Taylor's wife---battles a severe skin cancer that has spread to her lungs.
A word of warning: If you start reading one of these books, you won't want to stop. They are addictive as hell...
A word of warning: If you start reading one of these books, you won't want to stop. They are addictive as hell...
March 29, 2020
1.5 stars rounding down...
I’ve been a fan of cheesy monster plots since well, as far as I can remember and Steve Alten’s Meg series fell straight into this crack of a thing I have. A prehistoric monster shark is like Jaws on steroids, so it’s a no-brainer that my own cheesy love for these creatures far outstrips the sometimes-cringeworthy way the various screenplays or books are written.
But the Meg series has come a long way, bagging movie rights along the way, and perhaps this too, has expanded into a franchise that has gotten too big for my liking. Action-driven scenes, a fragmented storyline shooting out in different directions and multiple POVs made for flat 2-dimensional characters—characters who only come to life because of the familiarity gained through reading Alten’s first few Meg books. (The lack of formatting here made the reading experience infinitely more annoying and confusing)
It’s pure entertainment if you like—albeit a hard to follow one if you’ve not read the past few books—with take-it-or-leave-it dialogues, condensed science-fiction, designed so you don’t have to think much about it as scene after scene flip by without much nuanced thought about characters and their personalities, their morals or the unvaried speeches they give.
The loose link here is the Tanaka/Taylor family and the new generation along with the sharks’ offsprings, with the added layers of complications of politics, businesses capitalising on mega-predators, wealthy investing and all the other issues that come with the world discovering that prehistoric (and huge) predators do live among us…if you know where to look.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Meg: Generations; however, I was hoping it would have mirrored the clarity and good ol’ directness of the first few books at least. This was barely readable, somehow and with the cliffhanger ending, I was just ready to throw it all in.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
I’ve been a fan of cheesy monster plots since well, as far as I can remember and Steve Alten’s Meg series fell straight into this crack of a thing I have. A prehistoric monster shark is like Jaws on steroids, so it’s a no-brainer that my own cheesy love for these creatures far outstrips the sometimes-cringeworthy way the various screenplays or books are written.
But the Meg series has come a long way, bagging movie rights along the way, and perhaps this too, has expanded into a franchise that has gotten too big for my liking. Action-driven scenes, a fragmented storyline shooting out in different directions and multiple POVs made for flat 2-dimensional characters—characters who only come to life because of the familiarity gained through reading Alten’s first few Meg books. (The lack of formatting here made the reading experience infinitely more annoying and confusing)
It’s pure entertainment if you like—albeit a hard to follow one if you’ve not read the past few books—with take-it-or-leave-it dialogues, condensed science-fiction, designed so you don’t have to think much about it as scene after scene flip by without much nuanced thought about characters and their personalities, their morals or the unvaried speeches they give.
The loose link here is the Tanaka/Taylor family and the new generation along with the sharks’ offsprings, with the added layers of complications of politics, businesses capitalising on mega-predators, wealthy investing and all the other issues that come with the world discovering that prehistoric (and huge) predators do live among us…if you know where to look.
I wasn’t quite sure what to expect with Meg: Generations; however, I was hoping it would have mirrored the clarity and good ol’ directness of the first few books at least. This was barely readable, somehow and with the cliffhanger ending, I was just ready to throw it all in.
*ARC by the publisher via Netgalley
July 28, 2018
Okay, first off, let me just say that I'm a huge fan of Steve Alten and the Meg series. I love these books.
Now, this book does have some problems. The plot is all over the place, characters are flipping 180's, and we have a huge time gap with very little idea of what happened in between.
But even at that, I was very much enjoying the story.
And then we get to the ending.
Even George RR Martin would blush at this cliffhanger. Literally nothing is resolved and we're left right in the Jaws of the beast, so to speak.
I'm so annoyed by this, I very well may not continue this series, or anything else of Steve's for that matter.
Now, this book does have some problems. The plot is all over the place, characters are flipping 180's, and we have a huge time gap with very little idea of what happened in between.
But even at that, I was very much enjoying the story.
And then we get to the ending.
Even George RR Martin would blush at this cliffhanger. Literally nothing is resolved and we're left right in the Jaws of the beast, so to speak.
I'm so annoyed by this, I very well may not continue this series, or anything else of Steve's for that matter.
September 16, 2018
This is part of a running series but can be read as a stand alone as a reader can quickly pick up what is going on in this series. In this one, we visit the Taylor clan and their friends as they deal with Middle Eastern competition, people who blame them for deaths of beloved family members, and of course larger than life sea creatures that are causing mayhem out in the deep blue sea.
I liken these books to the term "popcorn movie". They are not meant to be serious or deliver a message. They are meant to be fun and deliver a thrilling action ride. This book delivers on that front as we massive creatures chomping away on humans who still go out on the waters. (If these creatures existed today I would move to Kansas) There are several thrilling action sequences with both humans and creatures in this book and I was having so much fun reading it. Why the three star rating then? Structurally this book is weird. About seventy-five percent into the book we get a time jump. I am okay with that but the direction of the book changed direction with this jump. We get a new player and a new concept introduced with this jump. To me, this jump made it look like the author did not have enough material to finish this book and started the next book in this series within this novel. I loved the action during the remaining of the book but I believe this would have been better served as the beginning of the next book of this series.
I didn't think this was the best offering from this series. That being said, it is still a "Meg" book that delivers on the thrill and the action. I do enjoy any of my time that I spend on this series.
I liken these books to the term "popcorn movie". They are not meant to be serious or deliver a message. They are meant to be fun and deliver a thrilling action ride. This book delivers on that front as we massive creatures chomping away on humans who still go out on the waters. (If these creatures existed today I would move to Kansas) There are several thrilling action sequences with both humans and creatures in this book and I was having so much fun reading it. Why the three star rating then? Structurally this book is weird. About seventy-five percent into the book we get a time jump. I am okay with that but the direction of the book changed direction with this jump. We get a new player and a new concept introduced with this jump. To me, this jump made it look like the author did not have enough material to finish this book and started the next book in this series within this novel. I loved the action during the remaining of the book but I believe this would have been better served as the beginning of the next book of this series.
I didn't think this was the best offering from this series. That being said, it is still a "Meg" book that delivers on the thrill and the action. I do enjoy any of my time that I spend on this series.
July 29, 2020
I love this series! I am a huge fan of monster stories....books, movies, TV shows....if it has a monster in it, I'm a fan! When the movie The Meg came out, I discovered it was based on a book series....and I had to read the books....there was no way I was missing out on books about gigantic prehistoric sharks coming to chow down with extreme prejudice!
Generations is the sixth book in the series. It's really best to read these in order, especially this newest one. It starts up right where book 5, Nightstalkers, left off.
I loved this book! It has plenty of action and suspense, and kept me glued to the story to the very end. There is lots of monster goodness and mayhem in this book ..... and more creatures than just The Meg. But that's isn't the entire plot....there is also a possible cancer cure, a daring rescue and several groups with their own agendas. No down time in this story!
Great addition to this series! I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next MEG book!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Macmillan/Tor-Forge. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
Generations is the sixth book in the series. It's really best to read these in order, especially this newest one. It starts up right where book 5, Nightstalkers, left off.
I loved this book! It has plenty of action and suspense, and kept me glued to the story to the very end. There is lots of monster goodness and mayhem in this book ..... and more creatures than just The Meg. But that's isn't the entire plot....there is also a possible cancer cure, a daring rescue and several groups with their own agendas. No down time in this story!
Great addition to this series! I'm definitely eagerly awaiting the next MEG book!
**I voluntarily read a review copy of this book from Macmillan/Tor-Forge. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.**
April 6, 2020
I’m kind of bummed to be giving this one three stars. I love books like this, loved the Meg movie, and was just so excited to read this. I literally moved it up in my TBR pile.
It’s got an unforgivable sin for this kind of book: It’s just not that fun.
Oh, it eventually gets fun…but there’s a whole lot to get through before you get near that point. You have monologues. Confusing characters – sometimes I really didn’t remember them from one scene to another. Enough information on cancer and chemo that I might currently be qualified to be an oncologist. And vomiting. Many characters vomit (one specific one vomits three times). And the fact that I was counting vomit episodes in the book might tell you a bit about my engagement level.
The prehistoric beastie theme park could have been a blast, but it’s mostly glossed over.
When our beasties finally get to go and kill a bunch of hapless humans, things finally get fun and I did race through the last 20% of the book.
But mostly, I just wasn’t that entertained.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
It’s got an unforgivable sin for this kind of book: It’s just not that fun.
Oh, it eventually gets fun…but there’s a whole lot to get through before you get near that point. You have monologues. Confusing characters – sometimes I really didn’t remember them from one scene to another. Enough information on cancer and chemo that I might currently be qualified to be an oncologist. And vomiting. Many characters vomit (one specific one vomits three times). And the fact that I was counting vomit episodes in the book might tell you a bit about my engagement level.
The prehistoric beastie theme park could have been a blast, but it’s mostly glossed over.
When our beasties finally get to go and kill a bunch of hapless humans, things finally get fun and I did race through the last 20% of the book.
But mostly, I just wasn’t that entertained.
*ARC Provided via Net Galley
March 15, 2021
The first truly disappointing entry in the series. It took forever to read as I kept losing interest, at least a third of the novel is just rehashed and recapped events of the first five books, and wayyyyy to much time is given to a frankly bizarre cancer subplot that feels more like personal therapy recollection than entertainment. Combine that with the complete lack of closure on any storyline, and you get a bad read.
April 5, 2024
Gave this a go when I saw that all except for 2 are currently included with audible. Just in time to head into October spooky reads, and I love some scifi shark horror. Each one’s been a little less science and a bit more fiction, but parts have remained fun.
Let me just say, this dude waited SIX full length novels using the identical formula, to then hit us with a CLIFFHANGER? I’m maddddd. I had read that this was supposed to be the last one, and maybe it had just gotten too long and he had to split it, or maybe he just likes torture. Especially because he apparently hasn’t even started to write the 7th entry, and this one released in 2018…
This one reined in the story a bit, a lot of my complaints about the last one going off the rails were missing from this plot thankfully. It’s still virtually the same story for 6 books in a row, but it’s action packed with an addictive pace. There is something about the way he writes to lends itself to an enjoyable creature feature.
On a serious note, if the objectification and sexualization of every single female character wasn’t enough, the stuff the author puts Terry Taylor through has got to be pretty on the nose about how he feels about women as a whole. She nearly dies over and over, giving Jonas the opportunity to be the hero. She gets an extreme anxiety disorder, more than likely PTSD too. Then she gets Parkinson’s. This one it’s cancer then a coma. Prime example being that Terry is the main reason that Jonas agrees to the mission in this one, and Terry doesn’t even get a mention in the blurb.
If you can get past that, these are still a lot of fun. Personally a 4/5* for me, and definitely my favorite cover. Meg is not the main character anymore sadly.
Let me just say, this dude waited SIX full length novels using the identical formula, to then hit us with a CLIFFHANGER? I’m maddddd. I had read that this was supposed to be the last one, and maybe it had just gotten too long and he had to split it, or maybe he just likes torture. Especially because he apparently hasn’t even started to write the 7th entry, and this one released in 2018…
This one reined in the story a bit, a lot of my complaints about the last one going off the rails were missing from this plot thankfully. It’s still virtually the same story for 6 books in a row, but it’s action packed with an addictive pace. There is something about the way he writes to lends itself to an enjoyable creature feature.
On a serious note, if the objectification and sexualization of every single female character wasn’t enough, the stuff the author puts Terry Taylor through has got to be pretty on the nose about how he feels about women as a whole. She nearly dies over and over, giving Jonas the opportunity to be the hero. She gets an extreme anxiety disorder, more than likely PTSD too. Then she gets Parkinson’s. This one it’s cancer then a coma. Prime example being that Terry is the main reason that Jonas agrees to the mission in this one, and Terry doesn’t even get a mention in the blurb.
If you can get past that, these are still a lot of fun. Personally a 4/5* for me, and definitely my favorite cover. Meg is not the main character anymore sadly.
July 11, 2021
On page 475 of 496 of this I thought, "We are almost at the end of this finally...but 20 pages doesn't seem like enough space to close this mess."
Oh, silly me, I should have known the solution to that problem is to....JUST NOT FINISH THE STORY. To say it ends on a "cliffhanger" is a stretch...it just ends like the next chapter is coming, no sense of closure and no sense of a naturally suspenseful pause to the story.
After 500 pages of this slog we at least should have an ending!
Anyway, per summer tradition, here is an Alten book in my list! This is Book 6, I guess. But, it's really Books 1-5 because we don't just get recaps...oh no, we get cut and pastes of large sections of previous novels! That, paired with about 20 recurring characters and nowadays about 30 variations of a big-toothed monster roaming the seas, make for a bloated mess. How there is any life alive on our planet anymore at this point since these idiots keep bringing prehistoric monsters up to our oceans is beyond me.
Oh, and the distracting technique of breaking up sentences randomly with dashes to "build suspense"--
--is back! In fact one time, there is a chain of--
--four of these! It really makes for a smooth--
--reading experience! Just in case you didn't know the sentence was heading in an--
--exciting direction! Just look for--
--the dashes!
The first one was just so much fun. Nothing special, but a fun romp with a giant shark eating dumb people. Now, we just have a bunch of dumb people and an occasional munch-down...usually of a superfluous character introduced just to die. (But still supplied with 3 pages of back story for some reason...)
And, don't get me started on the miracle cure for cancer subplot...which pretty much brings back Book 2 (The Trench) with an undersea lab...I just can't.
I usually include some gems of a quote or two and this didn't disappoint! Female character crying? Use your deductive skills to hypothesize that: "To be honest, I just figured it was her menstrual cycle." (157) Have an Arab character piloting the boat? Better other him with a sensitive allusion like, "According to Mohammad--our hopper captain, not the prophet--the water's real deep." (196) Thanks, because I thought maybe the Prophet was now a character of the Meg series...actually, that wouldn't surprise me.
Anyway, I had my fill this summer...until next July when I can maybe get my hands on Book 7: MEG: PURGATORY. (The irony of that name...)
Oh, silly me, I should have known the solution to that problem is to....JUST NOT FINISH THE STORY. To say it ends on a "cliffhanger" is a stretch...it just ends like the next chapter is coming, no sense of closure and no sense of a naturally suspenseful pause to the story.
After 500 pages of this slog we at least should have an ending!
Anyway, per summer tradition, here is an Alten book in my list! This is Book 6, I guess. But, it's really Books 1-5 because we don't just get recaps...oh no, we get cut and pastes of large sections of previous novels! That, paired with about 20 recurring characters and nowadays about 30 variations of a big-toothed monster roaming the seas, make for a bloated mess. How there is any life alive on our planet anymore at this point since these idiots keep bringing prehistoric monsters up to our oceans is beyond me.
Oh, and the distracting technique of breaking up sentences randomly with dashes to "build suspense"--
--is back! In fact one time, there is a chain of--
--four of these! It really makes for a smooth--
--reading experience! Just in case you didn't know the sentence was heading in an--
--exciting direction! Just look for--
--the dashes!
The first one was just so much fun. Nothing special, but a fun romp with a giant shark eating dumb people. Now, we just have a bunch of dumb people and an occasional munch-down...usually of a superfluous character introduced just to die. (But still supplied with 3 pages of back story for some reason...)
And, don't get me started on the miracle cure for cancer subplot...which pretty much brings back Book 2 (The Trench) with an undersea lab...I just can't.
I usually include some gems of a quote or two and this didn't disappoint! Female character crying? Use your deductive skills to hypothesize that: "To be honest, I just figured it was her menstrual cycle." (157) Have an Arab character piloting the boat? Better other him with a sensitive allusion like, "According to Mohammad--our hopper captain, not the prophet--the water's real deep." (196) Thanks, because I thought maybe the Prophet was now a character of the Meg series...actually, that wouldn't surprise me.
Anyway, I had my fill this summer...until next July when I can maybe get my hands on Book 7: MEG: PURGATORY. (The irony of that name...)
May 12, 2022
Well, that's me done.
The first 3 books like most people, I enjoyed and had some good times. Then came the stretching of the story and bullshit science of 4 and 5. I thought I was done but then I reached out and gave it one more chance.
Nope, this was worse than I thought it could be.
Plot: Something something cancer, something something look a shark, something something cancer sucks, something something big fish swimming, something something cancer but with a doctor, something something a baby shark, something something side story that goes nowhere and here's a song to go with it too.
To say I didn't finish means that if this were a physical book I owned I would throw it at Steve Alten.
Also from other reviews, it seems this ends on a cliffhanger. So, it shows like the last book he's just peddling on his fanbase to buy the series instead of writing good stories.
DNF with a huge DID NOT FUCKING FINISH in the middle.
The first 3 books like most people, I enjoyed and had some good times. Then came the stretching of the story and bullshit science of 4 and 5. I thought I was done but then I reached out and gave it one more chance.
Nope, this was worse than I thought it could be.
Plot: Something something cancer, something something look a shark, something something cancer sucks, something something big fish swimming, something something cancer but with a doctor, something something a baby shark, something something side story that goes nowhere and here's a song to go with it too.
To say I didn't finish means that if this were a physical book I owned I would throw it at Steve Alten.
Also from other reviews, it seems this ends on a cliffhanger. So, it shows like the last book he's just peddling on his fanbase to buy the series instead of writing good stories.
DNF with a huge DID NOT FUCKING FINISH in the middle.
July 22, 2020
I edited this book. So I know it's good.
July 21, 2021
This was an odd book for me. There were moments that I hated it. There were moments that I LOVED it. There were moments that I disliked it. There were moments were it was pretty intense and the suspense was ratcheted up; those were some of the best moments of the book! And then there were what I felt to be too many "stupid" moments that took away from my overall enjoyment of the book, making it a bit of a disappointment in the end. And the ending? What the heck was up with that? The character development was so-so. The book is broken into three parts, and the third part takes place fifteen (15!) months after the end of the "Second Act" (or Book II or whatever it's called).
As much as I would like to rate this a 3-star book, at the very least, I find I cannot do it. It was okay; there were some great moments, but not enough to elevate it to 3 stars. While I am glad I read it, I am still pretty ambivalent about it. When it is "good," it is REALLY good, but there are not enough of "these" moments to save it. I am sure I will read the next book when it comes out; hopefully it is better and stronger than this one. In any case, I am glad I took a chance and read this book (even though the blurb on the back corner is quite misleading).
As much as I would like to rate this a 3-star book, at the very least, I find I cannot do it. It was okay; there were some great moments, but not enough to elevate it to 3 stars. While I am glad I read it, I am still pretty ambivalent about it. When it is "good," it is REALLY good, but there are not enough of "these" moments to save it. I am sure I will read the next book when it comes out; hopefully it is better and stronger than this one. In any case, I am glad I took a chance and read this book (even though the blurb on the back corner is quite misleading).
November 10, 2022
Great read, good pace. Total set up though for the next book! There were some lulls here and there and time skips that left you going, um what. Like David all of the sudden has a fiancé you never meet until now. Cannot wait for the next one though! Should be a good one!
August 1, 2020
Not a new book. Was published two years ago.
August 26, 2020
There is so much going on in this book and absolutely none of it is fleshed out. I couldn't even attempt to explain the "plot" of MEG: Generations, as there's certainly no central conflict, none of the many storylines could be considered an A story, and there isn't even a clear antagonist or protagonist. The action scenes, usually the highlights of these dumb (but generally enjoyable) books, are messy, chaotic, and confusing - occasionally verging on unreadable. This series works because of it's charming simplicity, and that was all thrown out the window here in exchange for too many characters and a whole lot of half formed ideas. Also the quote on the front says "TWO WORDS. JURASSIC SHARK!" and half the book is about a middle aged woman dying of cancer.
January 14, 2023
Wow. I was a tad disappointed at how much we were reading about people at first. Terry is battling cancer, stage 4. Understandably the author will spend some time on this as the Taylor's have been our stars alongside the Megs and other prehistoric players. It didn't really take away from the pace of the book at all, i'm just a sucker for needing all the megalodon I can have in a story. Having finished the book, I am found only hoping Steve puts out Purgatory quickly because you can't just end there! Here I was, taken from my world and plunged into the depths of the Panthalassa Ses and boom end of the book. To say I wasn't ready for this one to end is an understatement. While the entire series are great reads, this quickly ranked up at the top of best books in this series.
Waiting for the release of this was worth the wait. I'm glad I couldn't wait for the hardcover to come and bought the ebook. Now for the endless wait for book 7 to come.
To touch base on the goings on. We have Jackie going after the Lio. David has Luna, Lizzy's offspring. And we have Bella, Bela's offspring. We have returning players from the previous book who really just let money control their morals. Then we are introduced to a new species at the beginning of the book. You may forget about it while reading along. I mean, there's so much going on and the pace of the book is rather fast. It will be interesting to see how this species will tie in the next book. And how the Prince will react to regarding the Lio.
Waiting for the release of this was worth the wait. I'm glad I couldn't wait for the hardcover to come and bought the ebook. Now for the endless wait for book 7 to come.
To touch base on the goings on. We have Jackie going after the Lio. David has Luna, Lizzy's offspring. And we have Bella, Bela's offspring. We have returning players from the previous book who really just let money control their morals. Then we are introduced to a new species at the beginning of the book. You may forget about it while reading along. I mean, there's so much going on and the pace of the book is rather fast. It will be interesting to see how this species will tie in the next book. And how the Prince will react to regarding the Lio.
March 6, 2021
So I have to wait another year to know what happened? I hate cliffhangers...
MEG: Generations is the latest instalment of the MEG series. With Jonas getting older, it is up to David to keep the action going.
I felt like I missed a book in between, because of the time-jump in the story.
There are so many individual story lines in this one. And even more new creatures. It also has plenty of action and suspense.
This series was my first try in the sci-fi genere. I kind of want to read more, but I think I need a little break. 😅
MEG: Generations is the latest instalment of the MEG series. With Jonas getting older, it is up to David to keep the action going.
I felt like I missed a book in between, because of the time-jump in the story.
There are so many individual story lines in this one. And even more new creatures. It also has plenty of action and suspense.
This series was my first try in the sci-fi genere. I kind of want to read more, but I think I need a little break. 😅
January 2, 2021
My Megheadiness has gone up a notch, great read!
December 17, 2023
He's like 100 years old?!?
December 31, 2020
The best of the four that I've read so far. (didn't read the first two yet). Still multiple plot lines, but it didn't feel as all over the place. Curious to see what will happen next since this one was a cliffhanger.
July 17, 2021
Every time I start one of these I wonder, What the heck am I doing? Then I dive in and pow I’m hooked. It’s so silly, fun, eye-rollingly intriguing I can’t look away. Steven Alten adds enough real science to knock at my brain’s happy place and for my heart’s desire plenty of action. Check & check!
September 27, 2020
Not sure why , but they fascinate me and are pretty quick reads..
December 18, 2020
I think nostalgia allowed for a 4 star rating. Its feels more like a 3.5 if I'm honest. The book didn't feel like it had as cohesive a storyline as the other novels, and there was a thread of a story that Kept Jonas and his wife sidelined for most of the book... Frankly, I'm starting to lose track of which shark or monster fish is which...
April 18, 2020
As I did with my other reviews I'm going to give a little back story. At the end of 2016 I was going through a very rough time in my life and my aunt suggested that I start reading again. Meg was the first book that I started and I started reading it at midnight on a Sunday evening/Monday morning and I didn't put it down until 7 a.m. when I finished it. I did the same thing for the next 4 nights and I read the entire series at that point in five days. I proceeded to read around 40 books in 60 days. Fast forward a few years and I have read this book and now I'm going back and listening to all the audio books which I also did last year but I'm doing it again this year. But I'm not doing this book. The first three books I absolutely loved. The fourth book I liked a lot as well especially Kaylee, but book 5 was a huge step in the wrong direction in my opinion. The stuff in that book with Bella and Lizzy was okay but Jackie, the Leviathan melvillei, the psychic crap, the guy from the lock, didn't really enjoy it. But I was looking forward to this anyway.I pre-ordered the book just because I wanted to get it before everyone else. Well he ended up having a delay and I wanted a refund because the only reason I ordered it ahead of time was so I could read it first but I ended up having to read it on my Kindle. But that has nothing to do with the low score. I realize that this is a book about megalodon being alive and living in the Mariana trench which is absolutely ridiculous and not possible if you knew anything about the deep Waters or the megalodon. But I can suspend disbelief. It's not a big deal. And it was already a stretch having reptiles that have gills but the inclusion of the animal towards the end of this, obviously spoilers if you do not want to read do not read, the titanoboa is ridiculous. Way too much. I know there's only so much that they can write on megalodon but this is so stupid. But what really bothered me was the whole cancer storyline. This book was way all over the place there was too much going on the whole crap with Jackie and then all of a sudden jumping forward a year and now he's engaged to this girl. but the thing that really bothered me and something that I just couldn't suspend disbelief on, was the cancer storyline. My mother passed from cancer and essentially what they're saying is the Terry was a day or two away from death and all of a sudden this miracle cure brought her back from the brink. It's not the fact that they found a cure it's the fact that I saw someone who was a day away from death and by the time they're at that point even a miracle cure is not going to bring them back. The cancer has eaten away at them and there is no recovery. And I know it's just a book but they went too far with that crap it's just not believable its way way way off base from what I want to read in this series and there was just way too much crammed into the book and it was just sporadic and all over the place. I really liked in book 3 when they bounced between Jonas and one megalodon, Terry and another and then Mac and David and another. But this was just too much.even though I don't care for the last book too much dis I really have no desire of ever reading again. Or listening to the audio book. I listen to the first three books at least a couple times a year and for I will listen to as well and every once in awhile I'll listen to 5 but I don't ever want to hear six again and it really makes me not look forward to book 7. I hope he can bring it back but at this point I don't think so. If you're a fan of the series I mean I guess you should read it but I thought it was really bad and I was very disappointed. But it still wasn't as bad as the movie. That was a disgrace to the book series. I wrote this review using talk-to-text so if there are errors I apologize.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 30, 2022
I don't think it's the slightest bit of a secret that I've been highly critical of Steve Alten's writing his last few books. At least the ones that I read.
But then again, my love for the MEG series is also not a secret. From the day that I read the first book, I've been a fan. Through all the dodgy science, strange and absurd detours into philosophy, the nonsense shared universe malarkey and really lazy writing, I've remained determined to read this series to the end.
And at least this time, I can at least confidently say that it's not the series low point. Primal Waters keep that particular trophy. But there's an overall feeling that I've been through all this before. Both in terms of the plot of the book and in terms of how I feel about it.
The few new additions to the universe that Generations bring are either uninteresting or utter nonsense. Alten has always been generous when it comes to monster sizing, sometimes seeming petty when science disagrees with him, but this time he threw caution to the wind and said "**** it, let's make them massive."
If this ever makes it onto the silver screen, it's gonna look ridiculous. Yes, even more than the first film.
But dodgy science I can overlook. If it ultimately serves up the frights, the science is an acceptable loss (to a certain degree, anyway). And this is where the book, and honestly the last few Meg-related books as well, fail. In cranking up the fantasy and action, horror and thriller were left on the cutting room floor. None of the deaths in the book particularly bothered me, the vast majority newly introduced Meg bait or superfluous characters nobody liked from the last three Meg books.
There's also way too much focus on side characters doing things that ultimately amount to nothing. Or at worst, undoing what had been established in previous books. It seems like Alten regrets nearly everything he wrote since The Trench, desperately trying to get back to what worked but unable to stop himself from introducing a bunch of nonsense. Nonsense he then has to spend another book getting rid of.
More than ever in this book, I struggled to care about anyone. You get to follow more characters than ever, more groups doing things and more side stories that go absolutely nowhere. There's a whole subplot about cancer that goes absolutely nowhere and many threads are introduced way too early, eliminating any sort of mystery that a later reveal could've had.
"Word diarrhea" seems to have inflicted Alten badly for this one as he never seems capable of just not writing something. I'd venture a quarter of the book is spent recapping the events of the previous books, another quarter of the book dedicated to side stories that either don't go anywhere or never needed to be there, and that still leaves a huge chunk dedicated to nonsense that's only tangentially related to anything going on.
If anything, it seems like parts were written specifically so they could be used in a movie script... hmm, odd that.
I'm not going into the fetishizing of Chinese culture (and eastern Asia in general) and the vilification of the middle eastern. I'm sure that's completely unrelated to China co-producing the movie.
As for any review of the plot itself, if you've read the previous books, then you've seen all of it before. Sharks need to be captured, monsters are on the loose, a climactic battle is destined, Jonas needs to save someone from the bottom of the ocean, David has to capture creatures, the Tanaka Institute is in legal trouble but the megalodons can save them this time for sure and, of course, there's something much worse in the ocean than we ever knew before.
Rinse.
Repeat.
I am, unfortunately, dedicated to the Meg series and will go down with the ship. Supposedly the next one, Purgatory, will be the last one.
But we've heard that before.
Let's just pray THIS TIME, it takes.
But then again, my love for the MEG series is also not a secret. From the day that I read the first book, I've been a fan. Through all the dodgy science, strange and absurd detours into philosophy, the nonsense shared universe malarkey and really lazy writing, I've remained determined to read this series to the end.
And at least this time, I can at least confidently say that it's not the series low point. Primal Waters keep that particular trophy. But there's an overall feeling that I've been through all this before. Both in terms of the plot of the book and in terms of how I feel about it.
The few new additions to the universe that Generations bring are either uninteresting or utter nonsense. Alten has always been generous when it comes to monster sizing, sometimes seeming petty when science disagrees with him, but this time he threw caution to the wind and said "**** it, let's make them massive."
If this ever makes it onto the silver screen, it's gonna look ridiculous. Yes, even more than the first film.
But dodgy science I can overlook. If it ultimately serves up the frights, the science is an acceptable loss (to a certain degree, anyway). And this is where the book, and honestly the last few Meg-related books as well, fail. In cranking up the fantasy and action, horror and thriller were left on the cutting room floor. None of the deaths in the book particularly bothered me, the vast majority newly introduced Meg bait or superfluous characters nobody liked from the last three Meg books.
There's also way too much focus on side characters doing things that ultimately amount to nothing. Or at worst, undoing what had been established in previous books. It seems like Alten regrets nearly everything he wrote since The Trench, desperately trying to get back to what worked but unable to stop himself from introducing a bunch of nonsense. Nonsense he then has to spend another book getting rid of.
More than ever in this book, I struggled to care about anyone. You get to follow more characters than ever, more groups doing things and more side stories that go absolutely nowhere. There's a whole subplot about cancer that goes absolutely nowhere and many threads are introduced way too early, eliminating any sort of mystery that a later reveal could've had.
"Word diarrhea" seems to have inflicted Alten badly for this one as he never seems capable of just not writing something. I'd venture a quarter of the book is spent recapping the events of the previous books, another quarter of the book dedicated to side stories that either don't go anywhere or never needed to be there, and that still leaves a huge chunk dedicated to nonsense that's only tangentially related to anything going on.
If anything, it seems like parts were written specifically so they could be used in a movie script... hmm, odd that.
I'm not going into the fetishizing of Chinese culture (and eastern Asia in general) and the vilification of the middle eastern. I'm sure that's completely unrelated to China co-producing the movie.
As for any review of the plot itself, if you've read the previous books, then you've seen all of it before. Sharks need to be captured, monsters are on the loose, a climactic battle is destined, Jonas needs to save someone from the bottom of the ocean, David has to capture creatures, the Tanaka Institute is in legal trouble but the megalodons can save them this time for sure and, of course, there's something much worse in the ocean than we ever knew before.
Rinse.
Repeat.
I am, unfortunately, dedicated to the Meg series and will go down with the ship. Supposedly the next one, Purgatory, will be the last one.
But we've heard that before.
Let's just pray THIS TIME, it takes.
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