Rating: 
Summary: gripping sequel!
Review: i picked up this book whilst browsing in a bookstore recently. having previously read 'MEG', which i'd enjoyed, i was familiar with the subject(a huge prehistoric shark emerges from the depths), and keen to see how the story had progressed. once i'd re-oriented to the characters - and had got back into the story line - i found myself reluctant to put the book down - as with each page the story became more and more gripping! towards the end i started to imagine how things could end, and was pleasantly surprised at how it actually did. i'm now eagerly awaiting the next book in the series(as yet untitled), and can only imagine what fresh surprises await! i would recommend this book to anyone, especially if you're a fan of the original 'jaws' book, and have read 'MEG' already - you won't be dissapointed?
Rating:
Summary: Meg 2, People 0
Review: The Trench opens four years after Meg concludes, only to find hero Jonas Taylor at the lowest point of his life. Once his acclaim for killing the first meg was over, he and his father-in-law's company were hit with lawsuit after lawsuit from bereaved families of those eaten by Meg 1. Bankrupt and being held accountable at the trial for all of those deaths combined with the loss of his and Terry's unborn baby has made Jonas a broken man, haunted with nightmares of not only those deaths, but also with premonitions of his own death at a similar fate. His all-consuming goal is to prevent anything like that from ever happening again, and, to that end, tries to warn Sea World authorities that Meg 2 (now called Angel) has the capability to break through the gates to her lagoon and should be stopped. Naturally, they wait too late and Angel escapes, eating three delinquent teenagers for lunch on her way out of captivity. As Angel heads for the open sea, evil Benedict Singer is heading for the trench with Jonas's wife Terry as his captive. His plans to mine manganese from the floor of the trench are brought up short by the presence of yet another prehistoric creature that has managed to survive the Ice Age, the kronosaur. The interwoven plots involving the above sea-level chase of Angel and the deep undersea chase of Benedict will keep you reading. The Trench was a real page-turner, with the characters getting in (and out) of predicament after predicament, including meg attacks, kronosaur attacks, attempted rape, murder, and blackmail, to name a few. The Trench built up to an exciting climax with Jonas trying to save Terry, much like the premonition of his nightmare in which they both die. Once you start reading The Trench, you will not want to put it down. Like Meg, some of the The Trench is a little farfetched, and also like Meg, the ending is left open to another book of this type. However, I think that Alten has done well with these two books and a Meg 3 would just be too much of a good thing. Need I remind you of Jaws 3 and 4? The Trench is a good book for fans of this type of novel, but not as believable as Meg or as Charles Wilson's Extinct.
Rating: 
Summary: The Trench - A Real Page Turner
Review: I am now reading Steve Alten's latest shark novel THE TRENCH for the seventh time, and I must say that it outdoes JAWS a million times over! THE TRENCH is about a 72-foot long prehistoric Great White Megalodon shark that attacks and destroys the Sea-World like seaquarium that it escapes from, and attacks and demolishes a 112-foot ocean liner; and various harbors, ships, boats and submarines and kills many people in the Pacific Ocean. It would actually be a waste not to make this novel into a major motion picture! I also read Steve Altens novel MEG, but it's nowhere near as thrilling as THE TRENCH, which keeps one constantly on the edge of his/her seat!
Rating:
Summary: "TWO FINS UP" for The Trench !
Review: Important Message from a Shark Fanatic: "TWO FINS UP" for The Trench ! After MEG and The TRENCH - I am impatiently awaiting DOMAIN. The Trench has great character development, is definitely action-packed, is filled with intrigue, & has enough plot twists to make the reader feel like a pretzel. The concept of a prehistoric creature such as Carcharadon Megalodon, thought to be extinct for millions of years, existing in the depths our oceans today, is just believable enough that the reader can really "get into" this story. This element of "believability" (realism) is what prevents both MEG and The Trench from becoming too comic book-like in content. Critics who find these books to have a comic book-like element have NOT researched the Carcharadon Megalodon, and have no concept of how vastly unexplored our planet really is. As a true shark fanatic, I appreciate the research that Steve Alten has done for these books. An informed reader will not only be entertained by each page, but will also pause to appreciate how each page brings us known facts about today's predators of the deep, as well as those "thought" to be extinct. (Wouldn't we all be surprised if Alten's fiction became FACT, if we one day discovered evidence that Megalodon still exists in the unexplored depths?) Aside from being a shark fanatic, one of my favorite pastimes is ocean kayaking. Is there enough realism in Steve Alten's books to bring them to mind when I find myself a couple miles from shore in a tiny piece of "plastic"? YOU BETTER BELIEVE IT ! "TWO FINS UP" for The TRENCH !
Rating:
Summary: The Trench
Review: This book is one of the best ive read, and ive read quite a few. it has a lot of interesting twists and turns in the plot, keeping you interested. if theres one book to read at the beach this summer, this is it. But it leaves no room for peopl who cant take action. give it a try.
Rating: 
Summary: Much Better Than Meg
Review: I was hoping that Steve Alten's sequel to "Meg" had something more to offer. I was very pleased to see that Alten has added to his talents, by adding some side storylines and cut down on the carnage of his first novel. This is by no means a stellar novel, it will keep you enticed enough to race through to the end. This story also revolves around Jonas Taylor and his fears of the Trench. Taylor now works at the Tanaka Institute taking care of Angel. The offspring megaladon of Meg. Lawsuits have bankrupted the Institute and Masao Tanaka is forced to do business with a group of explorers interested in the deeps of the trench led by Benedict Singer, who has his own hidden agenda. Angel then escapes the institute and we are on a chase through the Pacific Ocean, ending in the Mariana Trench. The side story with Singer makes this novel read like a techno-thriller. This is nice addition for Alten who does write great action sequences for the megaladons. However with "Meg" it was to overdone and the novel became almost comic book like. "The Trench" is more real and Jonas Taylor fighting his demons within himself are more believable in this on.
Rating:
Summary: Too predictable
Review: Even though I found this story much more enjoyable and the writing style more palatable than the first one, the story was far too predictable, including the ending. I have visions of this series going on and on with similar endings in all the books just so the opportunity is there for yet another sequel. You can only eat so many people, and destroy so many ships before I start to yawn...too much of the same in my opinion.
Rating:
Summary: entertaining but not a masterpiece
Review: The Trench was pretty good. The plot tended to get a little elementary with twists that one could see from a mile away. The ending was a little hokey with all the fighting in 36000 feet of water. I know the book was a work of fiction but it was also supposed to have an underlying truth to it as well. As opposed to the first book, Meg, I personally thought that this book was written better and was more entertaining. I won't reveal the ending to the people who havent read the book yet, but I was more pleased with the ending in The Trench than with Meg.
Rating:
Summary: One sequel that should have never been written
Review: "The Trench" is a book I picked up on the spur of the moment. The more and more I started to read it, the more and more I wished I had thought more before buying "The Trench". There were way too many action sequences between man and shark and man and reptile and shark and reptile. This book was not so much a thriller as it was obviously the author's attempt to write in science fiction and fantasy. There were times I wanted to put the book down, put away, but the more I read, the idiousy of this book just kept bringing me back. Toward the end, it was like driving past a car accident-you know you shouldn't look but still do because you feel compelled to do so. With "The Trench" I couldn't stop looking because while I wasn't afraid I'd miss yet another dead body, just that I'd miss something that might actually miss something that made sense or wasn't some part of a truly outrageous number of coincidences. I've finished it, laughed the the whole time, and I've placed it properly out of view in a drawer to never be seen again.
Rating:
Summary: The Crew of the Calypso Better Watch Out!
Review: Steve Alten's novel "The Trench" has got to be one of the most pleasant surprises to have hit the bookshelves in a long while. I found his newest novel, the sequel to the equally fun MEG, to be an absolute blast! Dr. Jonas Taylor is joined by most of the cast members from MEG (at least those that weren't eaten), along with a new collection of baddies that readers will love to hate. Benedict Singer is a classic over-the-top bad-guy. Angel the Megalodon is full grown, in estrus and wants out of the Tanaka Lagoon in a very bad way! To top it off, we have a new dweller in the Marianas Trench to contend with! "The Trench" came along at the right time for me. Having read quite a bit recently, this novel was just what was needed to break the streak of "middle-of-the-road" rated novels that have crossed my path. There's a little something for everyone in this book. Like a Megalodon heading for a group of swimmers dipped in tempura batter, "The Trench " is an ultra-fast read that will not disappoint! If you're looking for something truly light and something to read just for the sheer fun of it... this is your book. It is without a doubt a great summer novel. I look forward to the next installment. I can't say enough nice things about this one.
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