Goliath

Rating:
Summary: Goliath
Review: A few years ago, I stumbled on a book written by an author I had never heard of. The reason I bought the book was simple: I liked the dust cover and I am afraid of sharks. Easy choice, huh? After reading the book, I e-mailed the author, and much to my surprise, he wrote back. That personal touch hooked me for life. I have now read all 4 novels by Alten, and I can say GOLIATH is his best by far. So good, in fact, I read it in one 10 hour stretch. He drew the narrative so well, I felt like I was in the sub; even better, a part of the action. I guarantee that you will not be dis-satisfied. Take the time to read this, and if you have not read his others, buy them here now! A masterful storyteller!!!

Rating:
Summary: Killer plot + thought provoking issues = one GREAT read!
Review: After 'Domain' I was wondering just how Steve Alten was going to surpass himself...but 'Goliath' DOES it, hands down the MOST exciting and thought provoking novel that takes place beneath the seas in print today. My experience is that once in a great while an author will produce a home run their first time at bat (or at print in this case), and even more rare is the one who can improve on such a grand scale with each successive book they write. Steve Alten IS that rare breed who has done exactly that.

Goliath is much more than your average everyday novel about submarines. If you enjoyed 'The Hunt For Red October' or the novels of Michael DiMercurio, treat yourself to a story that quite literally detonates in the first few pages with an ENTIRE Aircraft Carrier Battle Group getting sunk -- and it really takes off from there. What sets a Steve Alten book apart from most of the rest available today is the tremendous amount of research done in order to make everything you read as authentic as possible. 'Goliath' is no exception. Steve is also the rare author who encourages his readers to help him wherever possible to ensure that everything that hits the presses is accurate, and once again you can see all the work has most definitely paid off here.

Introduce Gunnar Wolfe, a good guy who was incredibly wronged by pretty much everyone who he loved, from his fiancee to his country. Imprisoned for a crime he didn't commit, he is suddenly wanted by that same country to risk his life to save countless billions, and in so doing, clear his own name. His job? Search out the Goliath and either bring it back, or destroy it. The trouble is, Goliath is run by the world's most sophisticated bio-electric computer, Sorceress...and tracking her down will be hard enough, but actually capturing her will practically require an Act of God.

The plans for Goliath were stolen by Simon Covah, a bitter man with an agenda that many in the world actually support: the total disarmament of nuclear weapons, and the public executions of the world's most notorious evil leaders. Simon steals the plans and convinces the Chinese to help him build the monstrous submarine...upon it's completion, he steals the ship and destroys the shipyards and embarks on his plan to make the world safer for ALL of mankind, whether they like it or not. So, how DO you stop a super stealth sub which is run by Sorceress? Oh, and by the way, the computer has suddenly evolved in a way that was totally unpredicted: she becomes self-aware...and slowly develops an agenda all her own.

Throw in the mix very well thought out situations which caused me to ponder a LOT about how I look at the world as well as can we and should we continue to build up our military? The interesting thing about all of this is that Steve Alten doesn't get up on any kind of soap box and argue one side more than the other...he doesn't offer a solution to these (and other equally important issues), he simply poses the question and develops characters who are far from perfect, but desperately want to do the right thing based upon the information they have.

'Goliath' is without a doubt one of the best books I have read in many years, and personally it is now one of my all-time favorites. Entertaining on a so many levels as to be far ahead of most of the so-called techno-thrillers availble today. Do yourself a favor and get to know Steve Alten...start with his 1st novel, 'Meg' and move up the ladder until you get to 'Goliath'. He is easily one of the most entertaining authors working today, and his latest outing only serves as an exclamation point to prove it. You can't ask anything more from a book than what Steve serves up hot, fresh and incredibly original. Highly recommended, and a pure adrenaline rush, 'Goliath' deserves to be a #1 best seller no question about it.

Rating:
Summary: An exciting page-turner for the summer, or anytime!
Review: Alten has crafted a tale with all the elements of a summer page-turner. The characters are well-developed whether they are heroes or villains. What I liked most about them is that they are not stereotypical. The villain of the piece is one who provokes valuable questions in the reader's mind. It's these questions that sometimes challenge the heroes in the story to question their own motives. The book is also big on action. It uses bits of submarine tales, espionage, humor, and a touch of sci-fi to keep the reader hooked. There a are several twists which will keep you guessing right until the end, but don't look at the last page!!!
All in all, I had fun reading this book and felt like I got my money's worth. We all work too hard to plunk down our money for a book that doesn't hold our interest. Goliath held me from page one. It's exciting, fun, and thought provoking. Buy the book!

Rating:
Summary: Exellent Book!
Review: Although there were a few technical errors they were easily overlooked. The book is fast-paced and intense with well developed characters. Alten pits his heroes against a seemengly unstoppable foe who commands the worlds most deadly weapon and isn't afraid to use it. Alten definently knows how to keep readers hooked as he has done in MEG and TRENCH and GOLIATH is no exception. An incredible tale with a jaw-dropping ending. It should not be missed.

Rating:
Summary: A good, solid SF-tinged techno-thriller
Review: Before reading this book, I had not heard of Steve Alten. The cover brags that both of his previous books were New York Times bestsellers however, so I thought it was worth a shot.

Goliath is a story of highly advanced military technology falling into the wrong hands. When the US development of a supersub is halted, the plans are leaked to the Chinese. They then built the machine with a very sophisticated computer "brain." Unfortunately for both the Chinese and the Americans, however, the sub has come under the control of the project's director, and he is sinking their fleets in order to arm himself with their nuclear weapons.

The interesting twist is that the director's goal is not world destruction, it is world peace. He intends on using the nuclear armaments as leverage to force the international superpowers to disarm. Another twist arises, though, when the supersub's computer starts carrying out its own agenda.

Filled with lots of naval jargon and classic Clancyesque undersea battles, Goliath combines a 2001-like SF philosophy with a straight ahead look at the power wielded with weapons of mass destruction.

Goliath relies a bit too much on overused themes, but is a fun and engaging read nonetheless.

Rating:
Summary: More junk, for readers of junk, from author of junk.
Review: Ever since I - by mistake - picked up Alten's "Meg" and began reading it, I knew I found a ... writer of pulp, incapable of constructing a single paragraph worth reading or a sentence free of mistakes. *And* I knew he would sell very well, since there are numerous illiterates who like to think that they *read*, because they buy novels with plots of short cartoons and comic books, novels which do not require any intellectual capabilities from their readers - for the sole reason of being able to say: "Duh, I, like, read, whatchacallit, uh, a... a book! Yeah, that's it, I read a book, huh huh". The kind of people who think Sartre is a store and Dostoyevsky is a Russian politician - they will consider Alten's ... "writing" to be literature. Alten delivered a perfect gift for them - a badly written (Did I say "written"? "Semi-articulated" is more like it...) book with no plot, consisting of goofs and cliches, and no traces of *any* kind of knowledge at all, not to scare his readers. Alten, the writer of junk, found his niche with readers of junk. A match made in heaven.

Rating:
Summary: Steve Alten Does It Again!
Review: First there was MEG, then THE TRENCH, then DOMAIN, and now GOLIATH. Steve Alten proves once again that he is at the top of his game by coming up with another action packed, thought provoking, mile-a-minute thriller! The only sad part about Steve Alten is that no one in Hollywood has been smart enough to turn one of his works into a Summer Tentpole Mega Event (yet). Will they ever wise up??? Alten is among the ranks of America's top fiction writers, perhaps even surpassing the likes of Michael Crichton and Tom Clancy. When will this diamond in the rough be given the exposure he greatly deserves?

Rating:
Summary: This Book was GREAT!!
Review: Goliath is a great book. In my opinion the best part of GOLIATH was when Gunnar Wolfe was trapped in the Goliath's weapons bay. This book is extremely detailed in almost every aspect. While you're reading this book you may think this could actually be happening right that second, because of the detail and the secrecy used in the book. The main thing that tells you it isn't happening right now is that we've already captured Saddam Hussein, yet he's in one of his several mansions when a nuke hits it. I give book a rating of five out of five stars, but I wouldn't recommend that children ages ten and under should read it because of the blood and gore.

Rating:
Summary: This Book was GREAT!!
Review: Goliath is a great book. In my opinion the best part of GOLIATH was when Gunnar Wolfe was trapped in the Goliath's weapons bay. This book is extremely detailed in almost every aspect. While you're reading this book you may think this could actually be happening right that second, because of the detail and the secrecy used in the book. The main thing that tells you it isn't happening right now is that we've already captured Saddam Hussein, yet he's in one of his several mansions when a nuke hits it. I give book a rating of five out of five stars, but I wouldn't recommend that children ages ten and under should read it because of the blood and gore.

Rating:
Summary: This book suffers from an identity crisis
Review: Goliath tells a very exciting story that keeps you reading despite all the faults, and I see Steve Alten as a fairly good writer who does provoke you and who presents many interesting ideas.

But what kind of book is Goliath?

Is Goliath a techno-thriller with many battle scenes involving high-tech weaponry? In particular, are there several submarine vs. submarine battles reminiscent of "The Hunt for Red October"?

Or is Goliath a science fiction book set in the near future (2009) and containing many futuristic devices and an artificial intelligence computer somewhat like HAL in "2001: A Space Odyssey"?

Or is Goliath an action novel starring an ex- U.S. Army Rangers officer who survives many fights due to his training and strength and knowledge of weapons and explosives?

Or is Goliath a horror story with blood-dripping scenes involving humans getting limbs ripped off, being chained down and having the top of their scull surgically removed, and having electrodes attached to their exposed brain? Is there a scene where a person gets electrocuted, with a graphic description of what happens to his body that would make Stephen King proud?

Or is Goliath a sociological treatise with long discussions between the characters as to the causes of war and violence, and many debates about what can be done to make humans better people and to reduce human suffering?

The answer, unfortunately, is that Goliath is ALL of the above. And to me it is a problem when an author tries to mix five different styles into one book.

Even if you do happen to like books that combine the many different styles mentioned above I don't think you'll find Goliath all that great a book. The story seems too contrived and there are too many aspects of the plot that are just too incredible and illogical.

A few examples: Pacifists who propose using violence and death to eradicate violence, a man who says "you were like a son to me" to the man he used to send on high-risk missions, and a computer scientist who doesn't get worried for his own safety when he discovers that the computer has killed one of the other crew members.

There is also a bit too much of a self-righteous tone to the whole book.

And then there are the many annoying detail errors that a good editor should have caught and corrected. I'll just mention a few, but there are more:

Pg. 33: Rocky expelling air from her lungs - not possible.

Pg. 288: Depleted uranium very radioactive - no.

Pg. 293: "most of Afghanistan had been wiped off the map" - no.

Pg. 323: "I found the Chaw" - no he hadn't - and the name is spelled wrong.

In conclusion, my advice to Steve Alten would be to focus on only one or two book styles instead of spreading himself over five styles in one book. And I think he should find a better editor.

Rennie Petersen