Rating: 
Summary: Badly written jaws rip-off fluff
Review: The first half of the book is defensively written, trying to make up for the countless hilarious mistakes in MEG. The result is a slightly better written yet somehow flat story. But as long as shows like Power Rangers and Tellytubbys(spelling?)make it to the market so will milktoast drivel like this. It is clear that the author's primary experience with the sea is gazing through the glass of a fish tank(probably with thumb in mouth). At least Cussler was a real diver. This ain't Shakespeare for sure, but it's not even up to Free Willy's low standard. Ellis Richard.
Rating: 
Summary: JUST ANOTHER "JAWS" SHODDY REMAKE
Review: PROBABLY ONE OF HE WORST BOOKS I'VE EVER READ. THE PLOT WAS PREDICTABLE WITH A HUGE, KILLER SHARK ON THE LOOSE. STEVE ALTEN HAS SOME INTERESTING IDEAS ABOUT TECHNOLOGY'S ROLE IN THE ABYSS COMBINED WITH THE WHOLE EVOLUTION CONCEPT. HOWEVER, I THINK HE WAS TRYING TO SAY A LITTLE TOO MUCH IN THIS BOOK. THE STORYLINE WAS VERY CHOPPY WHICH MADE FOR A RATHER BORING READ.
Rating: 
Summary: wonderfully written book
Review: This book was not only a wonderfully written book but was very acurate indeed and has led me in the path of marine biology when I graduate. I thought that the plot was very capturing and I couldn't take my eyes out of it till I was finished.
Rating:
Summary: Better than the First - for a Change!
Review: It's rare when a sequel outdoes its original, but with Steve Alten's "The Trench," he proves it can get better the second time around. This is a much more inventive and exciting story than the first book, "Meg." We get to know the characters a lot better around this time, and Alten has given us two really despicable villains - Benedict Singer and the absolutely sociopathic Celeste. There are so many times in the book I want to punch her lights out, that it gets to be real fun just waiting to find out how she will get her demise! And she does. Jonas is a human character with fears and flaws, and he carries the book nicely. All in all, it's a refreshingly entertaining book and hard to put down in one sitting!Michael Butts
Rating: 
Summary: The Trouble with Two's
Review: I was so taken with Steve Alten's "Meg", even though he annoyed me by writing one of the recent books I wished I had, that I was so desperate to obtain his latest that I even paid for the express delivery price despite the high price of the pound. I took it to bed and read it straight through which is a mark of the sheer story-telling power of this latest; a real page-turner, must- know what next. I am very fond of Megs and wish there had been more about his heroine, which she obviously is, but why it was only a 3 this time round was that the central plot was too similar "Boy meets fish, boy loses fish, etc." The subplot will be interesting to those who do not know of undersea mining and the cover up of Howard Hughes and the "Glomar Explorer ". All in all, it is well worth the read and the ending leaves it open, hopefully, for more to come. I for one have logged it for advance information.
Rating:
Summary: Need another one Steve! =-)
Review: Yet ANOTHER Wonderful awesome thrilling story from Steve! HIGHLY recommend this one as well as MEG.....hope another novel is in the works!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Decent "Summer Read'
Review: The Trench is a big improvement over Alten's first book, "Meg'," which I thought was very poorly written. The Trench is very fast-paced and the many scenes in which the Meg attacks just about anything in sight will make you think twice about going back into the ocean --even if you're in a boat! If you are looking for a book that will hold your attention but make no demands on your intellect, The Trench will be a decent choice. Keep in mind, though, that the writing is just okay, the characters are not particularly well-developed and the dialogue is at times unrealistic. However, the plot moves along at a brisk enough pace that I think you will overlook these deficiencies. Happy reading!
Rating:
Summary: The first one was better
Review: I really can't understand all of these great reviews. I mean, the book was so poorly written, it had to be rushed. I made it a third of the way through and I couldn't take it anymore. I just kept hoping it would get better, but it didn't. The dialog in particular, was awful. People just don't talk to each other like that. And I know writers struggle with ways to tell the reader technical background while at the same time working it into the story, but this writer doesn't even try. And the characters, I didn't care about any of them. And why should I? They weren't believable, their back stories were far-fetched beyond belief. Did I mention the inane dialog? The first book was a good read, not great writing, but still enjoyable. This one was painful and embarrassing.
Rating:
Summary: Scary
Review: I read this book in about 4 hours I just flew through it. It is a great sequal to Meg. A great summer read I love these books about extinct sharks and beasts of the sea. I wish there were more.
Rating:
Summary: Another KILLER Shark Book from Alten
Review: The Trench is the direct sequel to Meg, Alten's previous shark book. While you can understand Trench with out Meg, I'd suggest owning both. Science note: Both books are about the Megalodon shark (think Great White that would have Jaws for an one-bite snack). There is a constant debate about whether or not these fish still exist, but there is no hard evidence either way. Believe what you want. In any case, the shark in The Trench is the offspring of the shark in Meg, only mucho bigger. The first shark was 60 ft. long and twenty tons, this one, named Angel, is 72 feet long and 31 tons. It also has lived its entire life in captivity, but now that she is in estrus (yes, SHE, make all the b*tch jokes you want, female sharks are bigger and nastier than males), Angel wants out of her lagoon in California, and wants to go home to Mom's place: the Mariana Trench. She also is hungry. The human protagonist is Jonas Taylor, who returns from the first book. He is basically a wreck from lawsuits and survivors guilt due to the first fish, which he killed, but too late for many individuals. He hates Angel even though she is a major attraction for his wife's father's sea park. There also are human villians in the story, both of which are creepier and easier to hate then the shark (You'll like the shark, you'll root for the shark, trust me). The nasty people are a husband and wife team, Benidict and Celeste Singer. Benidict has a God-complex, and Celeste is a flirt who uses sex to minipulate men. They own a controlling intrest in Angel's park, and so tell Jonas to take a flying leap when he suggests killing it. But the Singers have a much more sinister agenda in mind once Angel escapes, one that has nothing to do with the shark, but a lot to do with Jonas. Jonas knows a location of a secret Navy project that is in the Mariana Trench, one that Benidict wants very, very badly. There is a problem he doesn't anticipate, though: there is something else in the Trench, a prehistoric creature that is possibly more dangerous than Angel. There are some really awesome sea battles, including Angel vs. a sperm whale and Angel vs. the mystery creature. I read the book, but I'm not telling you what it is, other than it is pretty freaky, but very real. One thing to note: Alten doesn't pull punches in detail. So, descriptions of someone being eaten or someone being crushed by water presure are enough to make you pause, regardless of what you are used to. A twist on the old riddle: What does a 62,000 pound Great White with 9 inch teeth eat? Anything it wants.
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