2 AND 1/2 STARS. I really enjoyed Meg, author Steve Alten's breakout bestselling novel, and with my fascination regarding the mysteries behind the Loch Ness Monster, I had to pick this one up too. For me, The Loch is a mixed bag. While the main storyline is quite exciting, Alten wedges large chunks of dry historical background that seem to be copied from a middle school book report. These unnecessary facts constantly pulled me out of the story, making it difficult to come back to the main focus, our protagonist Zachary Wallace. Another issue I had was the awkward, almost spastic responses from characters that really felt forced for dramatic sake, and not at all organic. For instance, waking up from a bad dream, a character jumps out of bed screaming and runs out to a balcony where he dives over the railing! Now how many times have you heard of that happening? It really came out of nowhere with no buildup. Another instance was a character breaking up someone in the hospital who had just had a near death experience. Doing that is fine, of course, but the blunt way in which it was handled felt very artificial, almost turning into a comedy. Alten also sets the book up in a first person perspective and then shifts to third person when attacks around the lake happen. He should have kept with one or the other instead of being so choppy and switching back and forth. This is just another example of something that pulls you out of the story. Some facts are inaccurate, too. Alten writes about a character who is a photographer taking a 30-second exposure on a moving boat at midnight with an 300mm F4.5 lens. Besides the fact that it would be too dark, the movement over 30 seconds on a boat would give you nothing but an incredibly blurry image, especially with such a long lens. I never try to predict the twists and turns in a book, but prefer to sit back and let the author take me on his or her journey. Unfortunately, most of the plot twists were clichéd -- David's appearance at the Loch, the chemical/oil spill, the love interest, the creature revelation, etc. You know you're not quite enjoying the book when you're looking forward to the ends of each chapter where Alten uses quotes from actual eye witnesses. That's about as interesting as it gets. However, there were some things I liked about this book. Many of the characters were quite colorful and the landscape was described enough that I got a good sense of the environment. The beginning dive with the squid was great, but then everything slows down considerably. Honestly, your best bet is to read the first 50 pages and the last 100. So, unfortunately, there wasn't enough here in this 500+ page book to recommend unless you are an Alten completist...especially now that this paperback price is $10.
Steve Alten takes on the legend of Nessie, blending fact with fiction in The Loch. Zach Wallace, a descendant of another legend, William Wallace of Braveheart fame, is a talented yet somewhat hapless marine biologist. His last project, locating the elusive giant squid in the depths of the Sargasso Sea, was both a success and a catastrophe, and now Zach's afraid to go back in the water. When his estranged father, Angus, summons him to Inverness, where he is standing trial for murder, Zach reluctantly obeys. Imagine his chagrin when he learns that Angus's defense hinges solely upon the Loch Ness monster. He's more than ticked off, but what can a son do but find proof that his father is telling the truth? The scientist in Zach knows that, if there is a Nessie, it's not going to be a plesiosaur, and now a couple of generations of hunters have proved that the monster will not be found using traps or radar. As he begins his quest, he also begins learning that truth can be stranger than fiction; from time to time, a vicious amphibious animal emerges from the loch to prey upon livestock, and, occasionally, upon humans. If you enjoy stories ("story" being the operative word) that combine legend, history, science, adventure, and mystery, The Loch is for you. And, refreshingly, no religious cabals or heresies are involved here. But there are Knights Templar, there is a monster (i.e., a large amphibious predator), and Zach learns about the value of facing one's fears head on. Intelligently written, and very entertaining.
What do You think about The Loch (2006)?
I have stood within the ruins of Urquhart Castle in the Scottish Highlands peering into a dark Loch Ness in an attempt to glimpse that elusive creature of the deep, "Nessie." The secrets of the Loch date back to 565 AD and after hundreds of years, thousands of reported sightings, expeditions and theories does a prehistoric creature really live within those depths? From the Castle to the Loch's 23 mile length all I can claim is that I didn't see Nessie that day. Over the years reports of sightings have intrigued me so that when I saw this book I knew I had to read it. The tale is straight forward and the author lets us know that the book remains fiction, however, the science behind the story is quite real. The quotes of real life sightings at the beginning of each chapter were fascinating.Now that I've been there, done that...I'll let you venture in a small craft onto the Loch in the dark side of night with moonlight perhaps washing the surface of the cool water and you can tell me... if there really is a lurking Loch Ness Monster!!!!
—John
Zach Wallace has spent a lifetime putting his first nine years on the shores of Loch Ness and his emotionally abusive father behind him. He suffers from migraines, but other than those and a few scars he keeps covered, he has completely moved on from the events of his ninth birthday, when a tree overturned his boat and, wrapping him in barbed wire, nearly dragged him to the bottom. At least, that’s what the official report says. He was rescued by a neighbor and his mother left his father afterwards, raising Zach in the United States, where he becomes a successful marine biologist. His career derails, however, when his deep sea submersible is nearly sunk by huge, previously undiscovered monsters while he attempts to photograph giant squid in the Sargasso Sea, and he develops a fear of the water. His life a shambles, Zach finds himself agreeing to return to Loch Ness when a previously unknown half brother implores him to help their father, who is on trial for murder.Once back in Scotland, Zach is forced to confront his forgotten childhood memories, wrapped up in tales of the Loch Ness Monster, who his father is using as his defense. Reunited with childhood friends and forced to confront his memories as reports of monster attacks against tourists start to increase in frequency, Zach is also forced to confront his personal and very real demons. Is there really a Loch Ness Monster, or is the real monster his father?As usual, Alten’s protagonist in this novel is not an alpha male, trapped by his own lack of assertiveness into circumstances beyond his control. Yet, when push comes to shove, it is only our hero who can save the day while he redeems himself. A master at monster books, Alten handles the legendary Nessie with equal parts myth and science. The Scottish accents are laid on thick, and Loch Ness itself is described with eerie detail. Though the book could have used a little more oomph, it made me want to book a trip to Scotland to look for Nessie myself. Once again, Alten is in fine form.
—Kara Jorges
Having nearly drowned in his youth on the fabled Loch Ness, and whisked away after his parents divorce, Zachary Wallace, now a famous and well known marine biologist, suffers another near fatal accident while researching in the Sargasso Sea, trouble by nightmares and a phobia of water, not a good thing for a marine biologist,his father Angus Wallace is being tried for murder back in Scotland, so Zach once again is back in the highlands of Scotland and faceing his fears and nightmares, both his father and what lies in the dark cold waters of the loch.This was a great story with a mixture of, history, mythology and science combined in such away that they blended well together.This was my forst time of reading anything by Steve Alten and was thourghly engrossed in it.I finished this book in two days as it was that good.Though my first it certainly will not be my last as I look forward to the coming release of the Reaper.
—Randy Daugherty
