Rating: 
Summary: Absolutely superb book.
Review: After reading this book, I hoped for a sequel. What was the rest of Mick's and Dominique's destiny? I originally bought this book because I'm very interested in archeology, but then I found it was much more than just some plot on the subject. It was truly fascinating. Like many others who read it, I kept on wondering if it was a fictional peice of work. Steve Alten certainly did his homework! I highly reccommend this book to all who wish to have a heart-pounding read!
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, could have been much better
Review: Ah, the Long Count and it's end on an eerily convenient day (in this, it's listed as 12/21/2012, but I've seen it in Shadowrun as 12/24/2011...I'm not sure how that happened). It's such a wonderful doomsday prophecy, and it's no surprise that it gets used fairly often.The end of the Long Count drives the plot of this novel, in which the son of an archaeologist, unjustly held in the mental health system for his assault on the man who caused his father's heart attack, befriends a psychiatric resident and gets her to help him avert the end of the world. Meanwhile, deep unpleasantness plays itself out on the world stage. On the whole, it's not a bad book. The fringiness is rather fun, and the portrayal of contemporary scientism* is dead-on. However, the resident, Dominique, is best described as a wishy-washy blithering idiot, who waffles more than certain previous Presidents. Also, the author's knowledge of military hardware and procedures is sadly lacking; the most egregious mistake is "setting ICBMs to cruise mode", which is most implausible. Ballistic missiles don't fly at treetop level, and don't have that option. And, also, writing it in present tense is a tad...odd. Not a bad paperback purchase, and there's a very good chance it'll be a movie. * - Scientism is the tendency to dismiss or ignore things that the science community in question does not believe to be plausible, without the testing which would normally be part of the scientific method.
Rating:
Summary: excellent adventure+Pure fun
Review: I actually know who ERICH Von Daniken is so this book was already endearing to me. One of the first books I ever read was Von Daniken's Chariot of the Gods. This theme of an extra terrestial influence on ancient man is central to the novel. I really enjoyed the book. It had a good mix of adventure, science, fact, and excitement. It had some very exciting scenes. More then once My heart beat increased. To me thats a good read. I'l definatley look for the sequal to this book.
Rating:
Summary: 5 stars for Domain
Review: Though I am only 13 years old, I love to read books by Steve Alten. When I first read Meg, I became hooked to Alten's writing.
After Meg, I read the sequel, the Trench and soon thereafter, I learned of Domain. Anyways, I have given Domain a five star rating. This is because right after I read the first page, as with Meg and The Trench, I became hooked. Alten has made the story so convincing, that, At one time, I was scared that the world might actually end. But then I got thinking, there must be a Michael Gabriel out there thatll save us. Well, Great book Steve Alten. ...
Rating:
Summary: Doman...Amazing!
Review: Since MEG, I've have been a fan of Dr. Steve Alten! MEG was great, TRENCH was even better...but DOMAIN... the best book Dr. Alten has written! I honsetly could not put it down. Dr. Alten does not drag the storyline, which some other authors should take note. The charaters are great and I love how he mixes fact with fiction, it makes the story give you a chill! I can't wait for RESURECTION! Keep up the great work Dr. Alten!!!
Rating:
Summary: Suspenseful montage
Review: I had mixed feelings about this book. It WAS suspenseful for the most part. The characters, the good ones anyway, were likeable. There was never a dull moment in the book as the suspense closed from all sides. I was, however, a bit let down by the extensive borrowing from other books. The first meeting between Dominique and Mick, for example, recalls "Silence of the Lambs" (Mick sniffs perfume instead of skin cream). The journals from Julius Gabriel were borrowed extensively from "Fingerprint of the Gods" by Graham Hancock (whom the author acknowledges in the beginning). There's nothing inherently wrong with borrowing, I suppose, except that there were times I felt I was rereading books I've already read, just paraphrased into fiction. Of course, those who haven't read said books won't notice it. Another thing I didn't like was how clockwork some of the characters can be. On the good side is a gorgeous intern, a handsome, misunderstood hero, and a VP with a heart. On the bad side, there's a one-eyed, arrogant, racist bigot with homocidal tendencies. Poor Mick is institutionalized in an asylum staffed almost exclusively with rapists and arrogant supervisors. Disneyfying the villain is fine if you're Disney, but otherwise it might add a bit more dimension if the characters weren't that one-sided. I would also have liked to see Dominique a stronger woman. Her mind is appallingly prone to suggestion, as if she had no will of her own. The book reads like a Tom Clancy novel with a Crichton streak, mixed in with moments of Arthur C. Clarke's "2001: A Space Odyssey" and Carl Sagan's "Contact". "Domain" is enjoyable for a quick, thrill-ride. Those interested in the archaeological stuff ought to pick up Graham Hancock's book "Fingerprint of the Gods", who's a journalist-turned-archaeologist who does exactly what Julius Gabriel does - wonder around the world looking at Mayan, Egyptian, and Stonehenge artifacts, and laying inside Eygptian sarcophagi (yes, that was "borrowed", too).
Rating: 
Summary: Possibly the best book of its kind.
Review: I just recently picked up Domain to read it for the second time. I didn't remember the details of the plot or many of the secondary characters, but I could recall really enjoying every page of it. Now that it's fresh in my mind, I can tell you why. If you heard a summary for this book, you'd probably think, as I did, that it was typical science fiction. But Mr. Alten takes things in a direction all his own. This is the first book I can honestly remember having surprised me with some of its plot twists. Memorable scenes include the cenote and submersible scenes. The suspense is astounding. It's hard to describe the skills Mr. Alten put to use to hold the reader's attention and make everything exciting, even when the action begins to wane. And that's really my major gripe with this book. Though I enjoyed it and, yes, did love most every page, it may not be as accessable to more casual readers. There are times in the book where things slow down a bit. It's of course to help develop the snaking story, but some people just can't seem to appreciate that. I'll try to justify all this by saying right now: the ending is worth it!
Rating:
Summary: A romp!It weaves a tale that links the extinction of the din
Review: Alten weaves a tale that links the extinction of the dinosaurs, the Great Pyramid, Chichen Itza, the Nazca Plain in Peru, Stonehenge, and the Bible into a good-versus-evil story that has trans-dimensional aliens being the progenitors of Homo sapiens sapiens in a plan that spans scores of millions of our years. It deals with extreme periods of time with the idea that coming from a fourth dimension, time doesn't pass for "them" linearly the way it does for us. A fun book.
Rating:
Summary: Great
Review: This book is one of the greatest books I've ever read only surpassed by the two other Steve Alten books. I'm very disappointed thta he has not come out with a sequel yet. When will it come? Please tell me.
Rating:
Summary: Cuckoo's Nest on Independence Day
Review: Steve Alten has written a gripping, can't put it down horror, action-adventure, thriller yarn that is a combination of "One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest", "Fail-Safe" and "Independence Day." He obviously researched the ancient religious myths and customs used to explain the doomsday theory which forms the basis of the book. His characters are believable and very likeable or otherwise, depending upon their roles. The momentum builds and Alten keeps the reader guessing with each plot turn. "Domain" is a fast paced roller coaster ride from the get-go and the climax is satisfying (I won't give away the ending). Highly recommended.
|
