The Loch by Steve Alten Summary and Reviews
|
List Price: Our Price: $7.78 You Save: $20.17 (72%) Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days Buy Used: from $0.01 (click here) Category: Book See more book details and other editions |
|---|
Book Reviews of The Loch
Book Review: "See ye later, Dragonslayer."
Summary: 4 Stars
I've followed Steve Alten's Meg series since they first came out. He has a knack for making some genuinely strange biology digestible and creating cryptozoological horror stories that almost seem based on fact. This time Alten has taken on one of the world's favorite hidden creatures - the Loch Ness monster. He does this in truly original fashion, mixing in Knight Templar legend, Scottish history, Darwin, and a handful of other tidbits to create a story that is part horror and part the story Zachary Wallace, an oceanographer trying to recover from a near fatal encounter with a giant squid.
Zachary returns to Scotland and the Loch at the request of his father, who is standing trial for a murder that might have been committed by the monster. Zach's relationship with his father is a bad one, and now he is drawn into the quest for Nessie reluctantly. For one thing he doesn't believe in the creature, and for another he is still terrified of the water after his accident. Gradually, Zach realizes that there is something going on in the Loch, but it is something even worse than the world's longest-lived plesiosaur.
Staying current on literary fads, Alten mixes in the story of Zachary's ancestor, Sir Adam Wallace, who returns to Scotland from the Holy Land with a group of Templars bearing a sacred relic of the Braveheart. The nightmarish tale is the truth behind the murder and the many death's and disappearances that haunt Loch Ness. But the Knights Templar are now the Black Knights and they guard their secrets passionately.
Alten has returned to the original formula of Meg for this story, a scientist trying to recover from the shock of a deep sea accident, and then layered in some more current interests of popular fiction. He almost makes this a complete success. The flaws in this otherwise well-written story are the unending amount of scientific explanation required to make it work, and the fact that few of the characters are actually likeable. Zachary spends much of the book coming across as a wimp, and then suddenly puts on his hero hat.
Nevertheless, as long as you can put up with a constant supply of Scots brogue, this is an entertaining story. The explanation for the monster is quite original and there is plenty of drama and action. The book is also a great tour guide of the Loch area - you will come away both educated and entertained.
Book Review: A Great book on an old subject
Summary: 4 Stars
Being a monster "junkie", I was a bit skeptical to pick up the newest offering from Steve Alten. As a kid, I loved to read about the Loch Ness monster, ect. I was not dissapointed at all in The Loch, it put a new twist on an old legend.
The Loch has the feel of Alten's other works while dealing with a fresh new subject, for him that is. The only slight hang up on the book is the Scottish accents that some of the charecters have. Once you get used to reading them though, they go by without notice.
Overall, The Loch is a good summer book. Great to have as you are at your local lake. Just watch out for the shadows.
Book Review: A Very Entertaining Read
Summary: 5 Stars
I finished reading The Loch earlier today and really enjoyed it alot.The characters were very interesting and you really cared about what was happening to them.You could feel Zach's fear whenhe was in or near the water and you could feel his
rage when he saw David.Zach's old friend,True and his sister Brandy were also good characters and they added alot to Zach.Zach's father,Angus was a little harder to pinpoint.One minute you hate him and then the next you wonder if he really does care for his son only to change your mind again a few
chapters later.I flipped back and forth quite a few
times when it came to him.
As I was reading the book,I kept thinking what a
great movie this would make.The scene where Zach is
watching Calum in the middle of the night taking some sheep to feed to the creature and then seeing it appear and attacking the
sheep would look great on the big screen.
What you have here is another classic to go along with the Meg series.If you haven't read this yet,I highly recommend it.
Book Review: A constant page turner
Summary: 5 Stars
I've really enjoyed Steve's books but this one far exceeds his previous writings - its a real CPD (Can't Put Down)type book that will keep you on the edge of your seat wondering where he is going to go next - A definite 6 stars if the ratings went that high. Can hardly wait until his next set of writings.Book Review: A fantastic adventure that will keep you entranced for hours
Summary: 5 Stars
Steve Alten weaves a fascinating adventure that blends Scottish history and legend with marine biology and horror. Marine biologist Zachary Wallace, suffering night terrors after a near-death experience in a submersible in the Sargasso Sea, returns to his native Scotland to see his estranged father, on trial for murder. He ends up on a quest to prove the existence of Nessie, which may be the only way to prove his father's innocence. His search is hampered both by his own terror of the water, which has its roots in a near-drowning as a child, and the members of a secret society that trace their roots back to the time of William Wallace and Robert the Bruce. The fast-paced novel will keep your interest from the first page to the last. A must-read for anyone who loves a good monster novel, as well as anyone who is interested in Scotland and its history.