The Loch by Steve Alten Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of The Loch
Book Review: Back to the loch with you, Nessie!
Summary: 2 Stars
This book is a silly/fun read if you've ever been interested in the Loch Ness mystery, but its "fun factor" can't hide the plain truth that it is loch-full of laborious prose, fraught with lame Scottish stereotypes, and openly derivative of numerous contemporary nonfiction works spanning "Braveheart" to "The Da Vinci Code." I'd never read anything by Alten before picking up this book, but a childhood fascination with Loch Ness coaxed me into throwing it into my purchase pile. Suffice it to say, I won't be buying another Alten book in the future.
For those out there that are seriously interested in reading "El Lago," I'd recommend getting it from your local library, rather than dropping your own money on it and subsequently allowing yourself to be dragged into the murky waters of a the author's self-promoting machinations and his publisher's insultingly transparent publicity machine. From "tooth of Nessie" websites to guys named "Chuck Jones" (a side character from this book) posting reviews here on Amazon, it strikes one as a poor attempt to slap some "Blair Witch" fauxblicity on an otherwise unremarkable horror novel.
If you've ever studied science beyond the seventh grade, or written an actual research paper on any topic, I doubt you'll be shocked and amazed at the accuracy of the "science" and "history" portrayed in this book. Call me crazy, but I think it's hard to slay sea creatures with a legendary warrior's sword when it's been sitting in a Scottish museum for the past few hundred years. That, and this book's leap onto the 21st Century Knights Templar Bandwagon(TM) has me wondering if I should call 1-800-TEMPLAR every time I misplace my car keys.
Overall, a story as adroitly told as the dramatic epic that is Warner Home Video's "Scooby Doo and the Loch Ness Monster."
Book Review: Beautiful women an' sea monsters, whit mair could ye want?
Summary: 3 Stars
Steve Alten has written a great summer story and just the sort of beach novel everyone looks for, or should. Set primarily in the Scottish Highlands, in and around the Loch Ness, this book is like a tour guide for anyone who ever wanted to visit the region. Dr. Zachary Wallace is the world famous marine biologist who has returned home at the request of his father (Angus) who is on trial for murder. Angus claims he didn't kill the victim, rather it was Nessie! There is a lifetime of bad blood between father and son, and Zack is convinced Angus did the deed. As the Loch Ness region fills with press and Nessie hunters, professional rivalry takes hold and Zack joins the search for the monster.
There is a love story here, a history lesson of sorts since Zachary is a direct descendant of Sir William Wallace, and a suspense filled sea tale with lots of bloody carnage to the very end. Just the sort of story that keeps your interest long past a decent bedtime.
The Loch is an entertaining book that will appeal to readers of all ages!
Book Review: Big book, big monster, not so big impression
Summary: 3 Stars
To me, Steve Alten's books are a bit like junk food: tasty, but with no literary value. A quick snack when you don't feel like ingesting, say, Faulkner.
As for the Loch specifically, here are my impressions:
Alten spends too much time on the intro: it's an extremely long sequence, that, while it comes together in the end, could definitely have been compressed. I think the author also tries to (sadly) develop his characters more. I say: halt! Alten is way better writing about blood and teeth and dinosaur-ish creatures of the deep than picking the brains of his protagonist. Actually, the way it turns out, Zachary is probably the dumbest smart guy, ever. Alten gives you all this impressive background (graduated blah-de-blah at 15, etc) and then has him get dumped by his lecture student--wait for it--while he's in the hospital with a tube down his throat. Sorry, I really can't explain my dumb smart guy impression coherently.
Anyway, my three-star rating doesn't mean you shouldn't read this book. It's a nice, quick read. Just don't expect anything spectacular, and take the characters with a grain of salt.
Book Review: Braveheart Meets DaVinci Code
Summary: 4 Stars
An enjoyable read, as long as you keep it in perspective. This book is the equivalent of a summer block-buster movie. In other words, light by-the-numbers entertainment (with lots of action and special effects) that you don't have to put too much thought into. As I read it, I could imagine this book coming out of a Hollywood pitch meeting ("hey, people loved Braveheart, combine it with a conspiracy involving the Knights Templar and the Loch Ness Monster and we'll have a bestseller.")
The action comes fast and furious and you certainly won't be bored, just don't dwell too much on the details (it certainly wasn't the next "King Kong" or "Lost World"). The characters are somewhat stereotypical (good guy, hot Scottish "lass" and prototypical bad guy who meets a predictable end), and the MacDonalds (father and son) were straight out of "Braveheart". The whole murder trial sub-plot was also rather ridiculous.
Regardless, good harmless, mindless fun.
Book Review: Braveheart Meets Jaws
Summary: 4 Stars
If you started with Michael Crichton, added a bit of Peter Benchley, and then threw in some Dan Brown, you may end up with Steve Alten and "The Loch." Told in the first person of Zachary Wallace, a twenty-something American marine biologist with Scottish roots, this is an imaginative yarn that unlocks the secret of Lock Ness and her apocryphal monster. Alten is nothing if not ambitious: not content to spin a simple Jaws-like tale of mutant beasts and mayhem, Alten loops the mystery back to the days William Wallace and Robert the Bruce (Braveheart), of Knights Templar, The Crusades, and Freemasons! Meanwhile, Zach's estranged father, a womanizing curmudgeon who has no contact with Zach for seventeen years, is on trial for murder. His defense? "Nessie" did it. So it's up to young Zach to prove the existence of Nessie and rescue dad from the gallows.
Convoluted? You bet, but it works. In the mechanics of setting up the various layers of plot and subplots, I couldn't help recalling Jeff Goldblum in "Jurassic Park": "We are supposed to see some dinosaurs, weren't we?" But once the action starts, it doesn't let up, and what Alten lacks in character development and dialogue he well compensates with genuine suspense and an intelligent - if peculiar - thesis. Alten has done his homework, with enough fact and research to lend plausibility, complemented by enough action and gore to keep the pages turning well into the night. Top-notch entertainment!