Domain

Rating:
Summary: DOMAIN - - A MUST READ!
Review: I recently finished Steve Alten's latest novel DOMAIN. And by far, this is a great accomplishment for a relativley new writer. A truly exciting suspense that builds up the tension until the end. If you're looking for a book that will keep you up at night wondering what will happen next, DOMAIN is for you. Do not miss this novel! Pick it up people, you know you can't resist!

Rating:
Summary: A fair "B" movie
Review: A compelling plot very poorly told; as though a high school kid rewrote "Dune." Written in the present tense, and lavishly replete with purple prose, this is one of those "B" movies you sit through to see how it ends, yet cannot believe you are actually watching 'that trash.'

Well, on the positive side, having read one of Alten's books, I will never be tempted to read another.

Rating:
Summary: He's Done It Again!!
Review: First it was Meg, then The Trench . . . now with Domain, Steve Alten has written what is, in my opinion, one of the best books of the last couple of years. If this book were a movie (which I hope some day it WILL be), I would say that it kept me on the edge of my seat. I could not put this book down. If you are interested by the stories of the ancient astronauts, then this is the book for you.

Rating:
Summary: Ancient Aliens Threaten Humanity - Again
Review: I very much enjoyed Steve Alten's first novel, "Meg," but found its sequel "The Trench" a bit lackluster. "Domain" is Alten's next effort, intended to be the first of three volumes, and finds the author heading out on a new tack. Taking ancient Mayan mythology, a pastiche of archeological mysteries, and enough 'visiting alien' theories to rival "Chariot of the Gods," Alten weaves an adventure tale straight out if "X-files" and "Area 51." Unfortunately, much of this is presented as fact to the reader, rather than theory. This impacts the book's believability for those of use who have a more skeptical turn of mind. I don't mind Alten using alien theories as plot devices, but I am suspicious of the energy he spends 'selling' these ideas to the reader.

"Domain" is really two parallel stories. The first focuses on Mick Gabriel, locked in an asylum after the humiliation and death of his father at the hands of rival Pierre Borgia. This causes Mick to become violent and seriously injure Pierre. Borgia is now Secretary of State, and has no intention of permitting Mick's release. Mick is convinced that ancient aliens have set the world up to end on December 21, 2012, the winter solstice.

Convinced the Mick is not dangerously insane and half-believing Mick's theories, Dominique Vazquez, his psychologist struggles to free him. Finally, having engineered his escape, Mick and Dominique head off to investigate strange happenings at the bottom of the sea and on the plains of Mexico and Peru. Their race against the clock puts them at odds with the authorities of several countries, aliens, normal citizens, and, sometimes, each other.

The second of Alten's tales is the journal of Mick's father, which retells his life-long quest to discover the mysteries locked up in the Pyramids, Angkor Wat and Chichen Itza. This is heady stuff, mixing truth and fantasy in classic alien theory fashion. I'm not sure if Alten believes this material or not, but he makes every effort to be convincing. Separating the novel's story from the archeologist's tale helps Alten avoid bogging down the story with a lot of explanation.

My most serious problem with Alten's book is that many of his premises are treated as fact rather than surmise based on assumptions. Most of the things that Alten believes are impossible for humans are actually well within our capabilities. We have known how the pyramids were built for some time now, and it wasn't aliens, but simple, good engineering. The mystery isn't how these things were done, but why. I do believe in the possibility of aliens, and can accepting that they might very well have visited us, but we don't need to call on them to explain some of our greatest accomplishments.

Alten does a bang up job of crafting the tale and he has researched his material carefully. This is a genuinely fun story, and Alten does a good job telling it. It has more meat to it than a lot of this sort of fiction, and even the most incredulous will find much of interest. I'm looking forward to the next volumes.

Rating:
Summary: "A great review"
Review: Well i would have to say this is one of the most intresting books i have ever read. Also a very good book. He has wrote Meg , Trench , and Domain and all three being my favorite books i have ever read in my entire life and i hate reading....what does that say? he is a great author. And overall i really liked this book so ill have to give him a 5 star!

Rating:
Summary: Pulling the Wool Over Your Own Eyes...
Review: Oy vey.

If you thrill to Erich Von Daniken's "Chariots of the Gods," if you believe in NASA moon-landing conspiracies, this book is for you.

If you are a skeptic who can suspend your penchant for disbelief and enjoy the ride of B-grade science fiction, you might enjoy it. It ain't art. It's loaded with howlers. It's something to do on a rainy day.

Some reader referred to this as a "rejected movie script of an idea." Consider that sentiment echoed. It reads like the novelization of a script that might've been rejected in the wake of Jodie Foster's "Contact." Except that Alten doesn't have enough of the science right. Completely inane evaluations of the lines of Nazca, [mis-] understandings of what constitutes the moon's dark side, and generally sophomoric interpretations of archeological legends that were explained away ages ago are the underpinnings of a story that's rife with material filched from an undergraduate screenwriting class.

It's a comic book. Expect nothing more and you won't be disappointed. But for God's sake, if you really want to believe that this thing is talking about SCIENCE, you might as well be a member of the Flat Earth Society. "Domain" is to science what Twinkies are to nutrition.

Rating:
Summary: You get more than your money's worth with this one...
Review: Don't miss the adventure. This story is a creative, high speed thriller that answers every question it raises in the minds of the reader. I only gave it four stars because after all the hair raising narrow escapes, interesting characters and fascinating interwoven facts throughout the book, the ending was just a bit too typical. The ending wasn't bad though and does a good job at creating interests in the sequel however, the first 90% of the book is just so outstanding that perhaps I was disappointed because I was just sorry to see the story end at all. The book has no slow parts and Steve Alten's most notable talent for me was that he was able to do so many things so well. Character types and their development was just enough to satisfy, the archeology parts were all factual thus historically informative, the premise for the story line was unique and plausible and the action was non-stop. This is a thrilling read and has motivated me to read Steve's other two books: "Meg" & "The Trench". I would also recommend reading Graham Hancock's "Fingerprints of the Gods" which was used by Mr. Alten in researching for "Domain". It presents many interesting facts on how ancient ruins demonstrate that either there was an amazing knowledge of advanced astronomy developed by or handed down to history's lost civilizations. It is great supplemental reading to "Domain".

Rating:
Summary: Can't Wait for the Sequel
Review: Alten obviously expended a tremendous amount of time researching the Mayans, the Nostradamic and Biblical prophecies, etc. to produce such a tight and suspenseful book. Like one reviewer pointed out, DOMAIN had the feel of an Indiana Jones movie, yet I found it much more fascinating on all levels. There wasn't a boring page in this book.

The characters were well drawn out and interesting, especially Michael Gabriel and his father, Julius. Alten depicted their relationship well. The storyline was smooth and highly imaginative. I'm looking forward to the sequel, The Resurrection.

Rating:
Summary: BUY THIS BOOK!
Review: One word - awesome. You need to stop reading this review and buy the book right now. Steve Alten is one of the best authors around, and he's done it again. This book is so great, it gets you thinking, "what if this was real?" It's full of suspense and action, I can't wait for the next installment. GO BUY IT. QUICK.

Rating:
Summary: Someone Say It Isn't So
Review: This novel is a pretentious comic book - hardly the "greatest book ever written." The comparison to "Indiana Jones" is apt and if that's what you want, this rejected movie script of a thriller is right up your deadend alley. As for the "greatest book I ever read", well, have you read them all yet, or even more than a few? I'm still partial to Stendahl's "Red and the Black." But Alten's work may be literature to those who view "Joe Dirt" as great cinema and think Denny's a five star dining experience. Others, beware.