Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror
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| Author | Steve Alten |
|---|---|
| Country | USA |
| Language | English |
| Series | Meg |
| Genre(s) | Sci-fi |
| Publisher | Bantam Books |
| Released | July 1997 |
| Media type | Print(Paper and hardback) |
| Pages | 337 (Paperback) |
| ISBN | ISBN 0-9761659-1-0 (Paperback) |
| Followed by | The Trench |
Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror is a book by Steve Alten. The book follows the adventure of diver Jonas Taylor.
Contents |
[edit] Plot
Jonas Taylor is a deep sea diver working for the US 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 Marianna Trench. Again, they encounter a megalodon in the depths: the species has indeed survived, but is trapped in the Marianna 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, whick 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 to babies. 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:
[edit] Film
- Main article: Meg (film)
A film based on the novel has been mired in development hell since 1997, however recent reports suggest that production will begin in 2007 to aim for a 2008 release date [1].
