Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror
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| Meg: A Novel of deep terror | |
| Author | Steve Alten |
|---|---|
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Meg |
| Genre(s) | Science fiction/horror |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Publication date | July 1997 |
| Media type | Print(Paper and hardback) |
| Pages | 337 pp (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-9761659-1-0 (Paperback) |
| Followed by | The Trench |
Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror is a science fiction novel by Steve Alten, and was first published in July 1997. The novel, along with its sequels, follows the under water adventures of deep sea diver, Jonas Taylor.
Contents |
[edit] Plot summary
Jonas Taylor is a deep sea diver working for the United States Navy on a top-secret dive in the Mariana Trench. He sees a megalodon, the "Meg" of the title, an ancient predator that is believed to be extinct. Because he is the only survivor he is disbelieved. He becomes a paleontologist and tries to prove that the megalodon is real, but is still considered a crackpot.
An old friend, Masao Tanaka, asks him to go back and help recover a UNIS (Unmanned Nautical Informational Submersible), which helps predict earthquakes, from the Mariana Trench. Again, they encounter a megalodon in the depths: The species has indeed survived, but is trapped in the Mariana Trench due to the 'cold water barrier' (the bottom of the Trench is heated by geothermal ducts, keeping the water warm, but that warmth has limited range and the far colder water above it keeps the sharks trapped there as the cold water would apparently have highly negative effects on the giant sharks unless traversed properly). A male megalodon attacks them and kills Tanaka's son before being entangled in the metal ropes connected the submarine to the ship, which start dragging the shark up. However, the male shark's vulnerable state prompts an even larger female megalodon to emerge and attack it, and as the female rips it apart, it is bathed in the shark's warm blood as it follows the entangled male upwards, the warm flood of liquid keeping the female protected from the cold water long enough for it to reach the warmer surface waters of the ocean, hence unleashing the megalodon anew on the ocean's ecosystem.
It doesn't take long for the shark to pick up where it left off after it reaches the surface, as it starts killing and eating whales, and sometimes people. To make matters worse, the female is pregnant and eventually gives birth. Both are tracked, as Taylor and Tanaka wish to capture the creature. They manage to get the mother, but it breaks free and starts attacking boats in the area where it was captured. Taylor manages to kill the mother in the carnage by ramming a submersible down its throat, doing the rather insane task of slicing his way through its inner body, and eventually cutting out its heart before escaping. Jonas also manages to capture the offspring of the meg, ending the novel.
[edit] Sequels
The novel spawned a series with the following sequels:
- The Trench
- Meg: Primal Waters
- Meg: Hell's Aquarium
- Meg: Night Stalkers
[edit] Film
A film based on the novel has been mired in development hell since 1997. Recent reports state that the film was slated for a 2008 or 2009 release date and was to be made by New Line Cinema who recently bought the rights from Alten. As of October, 2007, the rights are Alten's and the film is once again in development hell. Hopefully another studio will buy the rights soon and make Meg the newest "best shark movie ever created".[1]
