A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

Gripping story of family deception and cruelty. , 27 Jul 2008
The Dollengangers were the perfect family. All American good looks, golden hair, close relationships and comfortable living. The death of a father throws the four children into a whole new world when their mother drags them to a lavish mansion to win back the love of a dying father who cast her aside for marrying her half-uncle - for winning back his love means winning back a very large inheritance which will ensure a very comfortable living for the rest of her existance.

The plan for Corinne Dollanganger to gain back the love of her father means hiding the fact she ever had children, meaning Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are to live locked in a bedroom with a secret entrance up to a wonderfully huge attic which is to become their playground and at the same time, their prison.

Cathy recounts the story as she and her siblings struggle to cling onto hope and promises while enduring the cruelty, the neglect and the emotional torment of being locked in the same rooms as time progresses.

An incredibly moving and gripping story that will leave you begging for more.

Pretty poor, 24 Jul 2008
I saw the movie, and then decided to read the book. I found it to be poorly written and unrealistic. I can swallow the bit about the woman being rejected by her parents, but then to come back and hide the kids in a cellar is where the wheels fall off. What about the servants? I could forgive the author expecting me to stretch my imagination and be somewhat gullible, but the writing is very poor. The sequel is even worse. Not impressed

great book, 15 Jan 2008
This was the first 'grown up' book i ever read and must have read it at least 10 times. It is fantastic and you just cant seem to put it down!!! even when you know what will happen next.

It changed my views on reading!, 10 Jan 2008
I can't tell you much more than the other people who have written reviews. What I can say is that I chose this book in my last year of school to do a report on. I hated reading and it was one of the shortest on the list. Now, 6 years later I can get through a book in a couple of days! I love reading and bringing the stories to life with my imagination and it is all thanks to this book, once I finished this I read pretty much all of Virginia Andrews' work and then explored different genres (i love crime novels!). It is a wonderful story and I recommend it to everyone!

A favorite!, 18 Aug 2007
I read this book when it was first published and loved it. I have read it at least twice since and as it has been a few years since the last time I am thinking of reading it again. I was in that attic with them.

It is an easy book to read, not to many fine details that take you away from the main story but enough to keep you turning the pages. Dont bother with the film if you ever come across it, it was total rubbish, nothing like the book at all.

Read it, you wont be dissapointed.

A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

Gripping story of family deception and cruelty. , 27 Jul 2008
The Dollengangers were the perfect family. All American good looks, golden hair, close relationships and comfortable living. The death of a father throws the four children into a whole new world when their mother drags them to a lavish mansion to win back the love of a dying father who cast her aside for marrying her half-uncle - for winning back his love means winning back a very large inheritance which will ensure a very comfortable living for the rest of her existance.

The plan for Corinne Dollanganger to gain back the love of her father means hiding the fact she ever had children, meaning Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are to live locked in a bedroom with a secret entrance up to a wonderfully huge attic which is to become their playground and at the same time, their prison.

Cathy recounts the story as she and her siblings struggle to cling onto hope and promises while enduring the cruelty, the neglect and the emotional torment of being locked in the same rooms as time progresses.

An incredibly moving and gripping story that will leave you begging for more.

Pretty poor, 24 Jul 2008
I saw the movie, and then decided to read the book. I found it to be poorly written and unrealistic. I can swallow the bit about the woman being rejected by her parents, but then to come back and hide the kids in a cellar is where the wheels fall off. What about the servants? I could forgive the author expecting me to stretch my imagination and be somewhat gullible, but the writing is very poor. The sequel is even worse. Not impressed

great book, 15 Jan 2008
This was the first 'grown up' book i ever read and must have read it at least 10 times. It is fantastic and you just cant seem to put it down!!! even when you know what will happen next.

It changed my views on reading!, 10 Jan 2008
I can't tell you much more than the other people who have written reviews. What I can say is that I chose this book in my last year of school to do a report on. I hated reading and it was one of the shortest on the list. Now, 6 years later I can get through a book in a couple of days! I love reading and bringing the stories to life with my imagination and it is all thanks to this book, once I finished this I read pretty much all of Virginia Andrews' work and then explored different genres (i love crime novels!). It is a wonderful story and I recommend it to everyone!

A favorite!, 18 Aug 2007
I read this book when it was first published and loved it. I have read it at least twice since and as it has been a few years since the last time I am thinking of reading it again. I was in that attic with them.

It is an easy book to read, not to many fine details that take you away from the main story but enough to keep you turning the pages. Dont bother with the film if you ever come across it, it was total rubbish, nothing like the book at all.

Read it, you wont be dissapointed.

Obsolete, 20 Feb 2004
In it's own right, this is a fabulously funny book, made up of short stories that Allen originally wrote for the New Yorker magazine. But it's totally obsolete, as 'Side Effects', 'Without Feathers' and 'Getting Even' are available in their entirity in 'Complete Prose', which is the same price as either one of these individual books!

The only conceivable reasons you may need to buy this book alone include:- 1) You own 'Complete Prose' already, but spilt your coffee over the final third of the book, and now needs replacing. 2) You are unable to hold books that weigh more than 20 grams for protracted periods of time 3) You have too much space in your new bookshelf and want to buy the three books individually so as to fill the space 4) You are Woody Allen. Well, I'm clean out of reasons why you should buy this book and not 'Complete Prose'... the decision is yours.

Monty Python in New Yorkish and with a point, 02 Jan 2000
Even for people who do not like Woody Allen's films, his satiric books must give a great laugh!

This man is so intelligent that he allows himself to un-taboo'ize just about everything. He makes fun of religion without being blasphemic, about stereotypes without being prejudicial, and so on.

This is the most sophisticated fun any American has ever come up with!

A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

Gripping story of family deception and cruelty. , 27 Jul 2008
The Dollengangers were the perfect family. All American good looks, golden hair, close relationships and comfortable living. The death of a father throws the four children into a whole new world when their mother drags them to a lavish mansion to win back the love of a dying father who cast her aside for marrying her half-uncle - for winning back his love means winning back a very large inheritance which will ensure a very comfortable living for the rest of her existance.

The plan for Corinne Dollanganger to gain back the love of her father means hiding the fact she ever had children, meaning Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are to live locked in a bedroom with a secret entrance up to a wonderfully huge attic which is to become their playground and at the same time, their prison.

Cathy recounts the story as she and her siblings struggle to cling onto hope and promises while enduring the cruelty, the neglect and the emotional torment of being locked in the same rooms as time progresses.

An incredibly moving and gripping story that will leave you begging for more.

Pretty poor, 24 Jul 2008
I saw the movie, and then decided to read the book. I found it to be poorly written and unrealistic. I can swallow the bit about the woman being rejected by her parents, but then to come back and hide the kids in a cellar is where the wheels fall off. What about the servants? I could forgive the author expecting me to stretch my imagination and be somewhat gullible, but the writing is very poor. The sequel is even worse. Not impressed

great book, 15 Jan 2008
This was the first 'grown up' book i ever read and must have read it at least 10 times. It is fantastic and you just cant seem to put it down!!! even when you know what will happen next.

It changed my views on reading!, 10 Jan 2008
I can't tell you much more than the other people who have written reviews. What I can say is that I chose this book in my last year of school to do a report on. I hated reading and it was one of the shortest on the list. Now, 6 years later I can get through a book in a couple of days! I love reading and bringing the stories to life with my imagination and it is all thanks to this book, once I finished this I read pretty much all of Virginia Andrews' work and then explored different genres (i love crime novels!). It is a wonderful story and I recommend it to everyone!

A favorite!, 18 Aug 2007
I read this book when it was first published and loved it. I have read it at least twice since and as it has been a few years since the last time I am thinking of reading it again. I was in that attic with them.

It is an easy book to read, not to many fine details that take you away from the main story but enough to keep you turning the pages. Dont bother with the film if you ever come across it, it was total rubbish, nothing like the book at all.

Read it, you wont be dissapointed.

Obsolete, 20 Feb 2004
In it's own right, this is a fabulously funny book, made up of short stories that Allen originally wrote for the New Yorker magazine. But it's totally obsolete, as 'Side Effects', 'Without Feathers' and 'Getting Even' are available in their entirity in 'Complete Prose', which is the same price as either one of these individual books!

The only conceivable reasons you may need to buy this book alone include:- 1) You own 'Complete Prose' already, but spilt your coffee over the final third of the book, and now needs replacing. 2) You are unable to hold books that weigh more than 20 grams for protracted periods of time 3) You have too much space in your new bookshelf and want to buy the three books individually so as to fill the space 4) You are Woody Allen. Well, I'm clean out of reasons why you should buy this book and not 'Complete Prose'... the decision is yours.

Monty Python in New Yorkish and with a point, 02 Jan 2000
Even for people who do not like Woody Allen's films, his satiric books must give a great laugh!

This man is so intelligent that he allows himself to un-taboo'ize just about everything. He makes fun of religion without being blasphemic, about stereotypes without being prejudicial, and so on.

This is the most sophisticated fun any American has ever come up with!

Intertaining, scary and shocking!, 05 Aug 2008
I loved this book and I advise anyone who enjoys: Shocks, scares, amazement, sea monsters and Scotland, to try it out!
My third favorite book.
GO STEVE!

Once picked up, you won't be able to put it down!, 23 Feb 2007
I have read most of Steve Alten's books and, having a fondness for Scotland and especially Loch Ness, I couldn't wait to get hold of this one! I was not disappointed!

From the very first page, I was hooked and I found it difficult to put the book down again! My husband found it almost impossible to hold a conversation with me once I was lost within 'The Loch's' pages! I can honestly say the story gripped me from start to finish!

Having visited Loch Ness recently, I found myself transported back there with the power of Steve Alten's words, reliving the memories of my visit from a very different angle. The places we visited and the things we did now took on a whole new meaning, considering Steve's 'beastie' lurking below the waves. If I had read the book beforehand, I don't think I would ever have plucked up the courage to go out on the Loch in that small motor boat .....!

The power of a book's story can be measured in its ability to transport you to another time and place while remaining firmly in your sitting room! 'The Loch' has this ability in spades! While reading a particularly creepy chapter late one night, I had no idea my husband was sneaking up behind me until he switched on his electric toothbrush right by my ear! I leapt skyward and the book went flying across the sitting room! "It was only a joke!" he told me later, after I'd got my heart working again! But that's the power of a good story for you!

Sure, 'The Loch' has its faults - what book doesn't? The 'Scottish accents' can be a bit off putting and the whole trial scenario seems a bit contrived, but these are just minor gripes. The book, as a whole, is outstanding and Steve's theory as to what Nessie actually is is entirely plausible. I can honestly say it's the best book I've read in ages. If you like an old fashioned monster story, with a murder and a bit of legend thrown in for good measure, then give it a go! You won't be disappointed!

Disappointing, very disappointing, 30 Sep 2006
I have read all of Steve Alten's books and honestly this is terrible. Cliched characters, cliched situations and a manufactured story line. Geographically and historically it's fine but he has no knowledge or understanding of the British police, legal or political system. We do not have first degree murder, we do not have the death penalty, we do not imprison people in castles, we do not let the accused in a trial talk to witnesses in the trial - the list goes on and on. There are other factual errors as well. If you are going to write a story like this and make it believable it MUST be embedded in fact and this book is mostly fantasy. Very poor.

Its great, 03 Mar 2006
This book is fantastic. Im so surprised that it isn't on general sale over here in the UK because this novel has 'Best Seller' written all over it. If you like a good monster story with interesting characters and theory backed up by real life scientific facts then give 'The Loch' a read. Its pretty darn scary!

nessie bites back, 15 Oct 2005
Having read all of Mr Alten's novels, I can say that The Loch is his best yet. His Meg series delivers all you want from a thriller, and the Loch does just the same. A good plot, great leads and a well-researched basis for "the real nessie".
The scientific background to the creature -which i won't reveal- is thought-provoking and as accurate as can be guessed with modern cryptozoological thinking. Mr Alten weaves his science, history and thrills and spills to great effect, creating a page-turning experience to rival and surpass his brilliant Meg novels.
I've also read comments about the "Scots" dialogue and have to say it's as "scots" as our homegrown Oor Willie and the Broons are!
I would heartily recomend this and Mr Alten's other novels to any reader. Pick it up, sit back, turn the phone off and have fun!

A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

Gripping story of family deception and cruelty. , 27 Jul 2008
The Dollengangers were the perfect family. All American good looks, golden hair, close relationships and comfortable living. The death of a father throws the four children into a whole new world when their mother drags them to a lavish mansion to win back the love of a dying father who cast her aside for marrying her half-uncle - for winning back his love means winning back a very large inheritance which will ensure a very comfortable living for the rest of her existance.

The plan for Corinne Dollanganger to gain back the love of her father means hiding the fact she ever had children, meaning Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are to live locked in a bedroom with a secret entrance up to a wonderfully huge attic which is to become their playground and at the same time, their prison.

Cathy recounts the story as she and her siblings struggle to cling onto hope and promises while enduring the cruelty, the neglect and the emotional torment of being locked in the same rooms as time progresses.

An incredibly moving and gripping story that will leave you begging for more.

Pretty poor, 24 Jul 2008
I saw the movie, and then decided to read the book. I found it to be poorly written and unrealistic. I can swallow the bit about the woman being rejected by her parents, but then to come back and hide the kids in a cellar is where the wheels fall off. What about the servants? I could forgive the author expecting me to stretch my imagination and be somewhat gullible, but the writing is very poor. The sequel is even worse. Not impressed

great book, 15 Jan 2008
This was the first 'grown up' book i ever read and must have read it at least 10 times. It is fantastic and you just cant seem to put it down!!! even when you know what will happen next.

It changed my views on reading!, 10 Jan 2008
I can't tell you much more than the other people who have written reviews. What I can say is that I chose this book in my last year of school to do a report on. I hated reading and it was one of the shortest on the list. Now, 6 years later I can get through a book in a couple of days! I love reading and bringing the stories to life with my imagination and it is all thanks to this book, once I finished this I read pretty much all of Virginia Andrews' work and then explored different genres (i love crime novels!). It is a wonderful story and I recommend it to everyone!

A favorite!, 18 Aug 2007
I read this book when it was first published and loved it. I have read it at least twice since and as it has been a few years since the last time I am thinking of reading it again. I was in that attic with them.

It is an easy book to read, not to many fine details that take you away from the main story but enough to keep you turning the pages. Dont bother with the film if you ever come across it, it was total rubbish, nothing like the book at all.

Read it, you wont be dissapointed.

Obsolete, 20 Feb 2004
In it's own right, this is a fabulously funny book, made up of short stories that Allen originally wrote for the New Yorker magazine. But it's totally obsolete, as 'Side Effects', 'Without Feathers' and 'Getting Even' are available in their entirity in 'Complete Prose', which is the same price as either one of these individual books!

The only conceivable reasons you may need to buy this book alone include:- 1) You own 'Complete Prose' already, but spilt your coffee over the final third of the book, and now needs replacing. 2) You are unable to hold books that weigh more than 20 grams for protracted periods of time 3) You have too much space in your new bookshelf and want to buy the three books individually so as to fill the space 4) You are Woody Allen. Well, I'm clean out of reasons why you should buy this book and not 'Complete Prose'... the decision is yours.

Monty Python in New Yorkish and with a point, 02 Jan 2000
Even for people who do not like Woody Allen's films, his satiric books must give a great laugh!

This man is so intelligent that he allows himself to un-taboo'ize just about everything. He makes fun of religion without being blasphemic, about stereotypes without being prejudicial, and so on.

This is the most sophisticated fun any American has ever come up with!

Intertaining, scary and shocking!, 05 Aug 2008
I loved this book and I advise anyone who enjoys: Shocks, scares, amazement, sea monsters and Scotland, to try it out!
My third favorite book.
GO STEVE!

Once picked up, you won't be able to put it down!, 23 Feb 2007
I have read most of Steve Alten's books and, having a fondness for Scotland and especially Loch Ness, I couldn't wait to get hold of this one! I was not disappointed!

From the very first page, I was hooked and I found it difficult to put the book down again! My husband found it almost impossible to hold a conversation with me once I was lost within 'The Loch's' pages! I can honestly say the story gripped me from start to finish!

Having visited Loch Ness recently, I found myself transported back there with the power of Steve Alten's words, reliving the memories of my visit from a very different angle. The places we visited and the things we did now took on a whole new meaning, considering Steve's 'beastie' lurking below the waves. If I had read the book beforehand, I don't think I would ever have plucked up the courage to go out on the Loch in that small motor boat .....!

The power of a book's story can be measured in its ability to transport you to another time and place while remaining firmly in your sitting room! 'The Loch' has this ability in spades! While reading a particularly creepy chapter late one night, I had no idea my husband was sneaking up behind me until he switched on his electric toothbrush right by my ear! I leapt skyward and the book went flying across the sitting room! "It was only a joke!" he told me later, after I'd got my heart working again! But that's the power of a good story for you!

Sure, 'The Loch' has its faults - what book doesn't? The 'Scottish accents' can be a bit off putting and the whole trial scenario seems a bit contrived, but these are just minor gripes. The book, as a whole, is outstanding and Steve's theory as to what Nessie actually is is entirely plausible. I can honestly say it's the best book I've read in ages. If you like an old fashioned monster story, with a murder and a bit of legend thrown in for good measure, then give it a go! You won't be disappointed!

Disappointing, very disappointing, 30 Sep 2006
I have read all of Steve Alten's books and honestly this is terrible. Cliched characters, cliched situations and a manufactured story line. Geographically and historically it's fine but he has no knowledge or understanding of the British police, legal or political system. We do not have first degree murder, we do not have the death penalty, we do not imprison people in castles, we do not let the accused in a trial talk to witnesses in the trial - the list goes on and on. There are other factual errors as well. If you are going to write a story like this and make it believable it MUST be embedded in fact and this book is mostly fantasy. Very poor.

Its great, 03 Mar 2006
This book is fantastic. Im so surprised that it isn't on general sale over here in the UK because this novel has 'Best Seller' written all over it. If you like a good monster story with interesting characters and theory backed up by real life scientific facts then give 'The Loch' a read. Its pretty darn scary!

nessie bites back, 15 Oct 2005
Having read all of Mr Alten's novels, I can say that The Loch is his best yet. His Meg series delivers all you want from a thriller, and the Loch does just the same. A good plot, great leads and a well-researched basis for "the real nessie".
The scientific background to the creature -which i won't reveal- is thought-provoking and as accurate as can be guessed with modern cryptozoological thinking. Mr Alten weaves his science, history and thrills and spills to great effect, creating a page-turning experience to rival and surpass his brilliant Meg novels.
I've also read comments about the "Scots" dialogue and have to say it's as "scots" as our homegrown Oor Willie and the Broons are!
I would heartily recomend this and Mr Alten's other novels to any reader. Pick it up, sit back, turn the phone off and have fun!

Auerbach's extensive study of the multi-media vampire figure, 29 May 2002
Auerbach's expertise in the realm of fictional vampires is well articulated in this very readable and thoroughly enjoyable study. Although the text is primarily academic (offering predominately psychoanalytic and feminist readings) the average reader of vampire literature will find much to enjoy in Auerbach's incisive and often witty exploration of the fictional vampire within a range of texts from early poetry, stories and novels to modern day movies. From Coleridge's poetic 'Christabel' to the short stories of Byron, Polidori and Sheridan Le Fanu's classic 'Carmilla' we move onto Stoker's seminal text Dracula and finally onto contemporary culture with fascinating discussions of tales from Rice and King and films such as The Lost Boys and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Relating the vampire figures back to the society which created them, Auerbach intuitively shows us that there is a little bit of vampire in all of us. A thoroughly recommended, extensive piece of work that has to be regarded as a seminal work in its own right, standing alongside Christopher Frayling and Ken Gelder in their expert analyses of the vampire figure.

Nina Auerbach has written a landmark book on vampires., 06 Jul 2001
In Our Vampires, Ourselves, Nina Auerbach's project is to explain how the legendary vampire has changed according to the cultural, political and sexual currents since the vampire's initiation near the end of the 18th century. As the title suggests, the claim is that we get the vampires we deserve, we create the vampires we need at any given time to fill a vacuum in our society. The book starts with Byron and Polidori, examines Dracula closely and ends with the vampires of the early 90s. Political upheaval, like the Vietnam war, Watergate, etc. serve to explain how the vampire changes - from a filthy monster in Stoker's Dracula, through a civilized gentleman with good manners in the 1960's Hammer movies, and to an AIDS-haunted, excluded creature in the 1980s. The role of the family is also central, as well as feminist aspects and gay theories on the subject. Auerbach has, in short, written a seminal work on the history of vampires, from Byron, Coleridge and Polidori, to Rice, King and Dan Simmons at the end of the 20th century. Films, such as the numerous adaptions of Dracula, are also covered, giving an exhaustive survey of this literary and cultural phenomenon. We may think Dracula is the only 'real' vampire, but Auerbach shows us that there is no 'The Vampire', only 'vampires', as they change with time, embodying its own society's fears and dreams. This is, of course, an academic work, but the insightful readings, interesting examples and Auerbach's witty, entertaining style should apply to all lovers of vampires, be they literary or cinematic.

A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

Gripping story of family deception and cruelty. , 27 Jul 2008
The Dollengangers were the perfect family. All American good looks, golden hair, close relationships and comfortable living. The death of a father throws the four children into a whole new world when their mother drags them to a lavish mansion to win back the love of a dying father who cast her aside for marrying her half-uncle - for winning back his love means winning back a very large inheritance which will ensure a very comfortable living for the rest of her existance.

The plan for Corinne Dollanganger to gain back the love of her father means hiding the fact she ever had children, meaning Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are to live locked in a bedroom with a secret entrance up to a wonderfully huge attic which is to become their playground and at the same time, their prison.

Cathy recounts the story as she and her siblings struggle to cling onto hope and promises while enduring the cruelty, the neglect and the emotional torment of being locked in the same rooms as time progresses.

An incredibly moving and gripping story that will leave you begging for more.

Pretty poor, 24 Jul 2008
I saw the movie, and then decided to read the book. I found it to be poorly written and unrealistic. I can swallow the bit about the woman being rejected by her parents, but then to come back and hide the kids in a cellar is where the wheels fall off. What about the servants? I could forgive the author expecting me to stretch my imagination and be somewhat gullible, but the writing is very poor. The sequel is even worse. Not impressed

great book, 15 Jan 2008
This was the first 'grown up' book i ever read and must have read it at least 10 times. It is fantastic and you just cant seem to put it down!!! even when you know what will happen next.

It changed my views on reading!, 10 Jan 2008
I can't tell you much more than the other people who have written reviews. What I can say is that I chose this book in my last year of school to do a report on. I hated reading and it was one of the shortest on the list. Now, 6 years later I can get through a book in a couple of days! I love reading and bringing the stories to life with my imagination and it is all thanks to this book, once I finished this I read pretty much all of Virginia Andrews' work and then explored different genres (i love crime novels!). It is a wonderful story and I recommend it to everyone!

A favorite!, 18 Aug 2007
I read this book when it was first published and loved it. I have read it at least twice since and as it has been a few years since the last time I am thinking of reading it again. I was in that attic with them.

It is an easy book to read, not to many fine details that take you away from the main story but enough to keep you turning the pages. Dont bother with the film if you ever come across it, it was total rubbish, nothing like the book at all.

Read it, you wont be dissapointed.

Obsolete, 20 Feb 2004
In it's own right, this is a fabulously funny book, made up of short stories that Allen originally wrote for the New Yorker magazine. But it's totally obsolete, as 'Side Effects', 'Without Feathers' and 'Getting Even' are available in their entirity in 'Complete Prose', which is the same price as either one of these individual books!

The only conceivable reasons you may need to buy this book alone include:- 1) You own 'Complete Prose' already, but spilt your coffee over the final third of the book, and now needs replacing. 2) You are unable to hold books that weigh more than 20 grams for protracted periods of time 3) You have too much space in your new bookshelf and want to buy the three books individually so as to fill the space 4) You are Woody Allen. Well, I'm clean out of reasons why you should buy this book and not 'Complete Prose'... the decision is yours.

Monty Python in New Yorkish and with a point, 02 Jan 2000
Even for people who do not like Woody Allen's films, his satiric books must give a great laugh!

This man is so intelligent that he allows himself to un-taboo'ize just about everything. He makes fun of religion without being blasphemic, about stereotypes without being prejudicial, and so on.

This is the most sophisticated fun any American has ever come up with!

Intertaining, scary and shocking!, 05 Aug 2008
I loved this book and I advise anyone who enjoys: Shocks, scares, amazement, sea monsters and Scotland, to try it out!
My third favorite book.
GO STEVE!

Once picked up, you won't be able to put it down!, 23 Feb 2007
I have read most of Steve Alten's books and, having a fondness for Scotland and especially Loch Ness, I couldn't wait to get hold of this one! I was not disappointed!

From the very first page, I was hooked and I found it difficult to put the book down again! My husband found it almost impossible to hold a conversation with me once I was lost within 'The Loch's' pages! I can honestly say the story gripped me from start to finish!

Having visited Loch Ness recently, I found myself transported back there with the power of Steve Alten's words, reliving the memories of my visit from a very different angle. The places we visited and the things we did now took on a whole new meaning, considering Steve's 'beastie' lurking below the waves. If I had read the book beforehand, I don't think I would ever have plucked up the courage to go out on the Loch in that small motor boat .....!

The power of a book's story can be measured in its ability to transport you to another time and place while remaining firmly in your sitting room! 'The Loch' has this ability in spades! While reading a particularly creepy chapter late one night, I had no idea my husband was sneaking up behind me until he switched on his electric toothbrush right by my ear! I leapt skyward and the book went flying across the sitting room! "It was only a joke!" he told me later, after I'd got my heart working again! But that's the power of a good story for you!

Sure, 'The Loch' has its faults - what book doesn't? The 'Scottish accents' can be a bit off putting and the whole trial scenario seems a bit contrived, but these are just minor gripes. The book, as a whole, is outstanding and Steve's theory as to what Nessie actually is is entirely plausible. I can honestly say it's the best book I've read in ages. If you like an old fashioned monster story, with a murder and a bit of legend thrown in for good measure, then give it a go! You won't be disappointed!

Disappointing, very disappointing, 30 Sep 2006
I have read all of Steve Alten's books and honestly this is terrible. Cliched characters, cliched situations and a manufactured story line. Geographically and historically it's fine but he has no knowledge or understanding of the British police, legal or political system. We do not have first degree murder, we do not have the death penalty, we do not imprison people in castles, we do not let the accused in a trial talk to witnesses in the trial - the list goes on and on. There are other factual errors as well. If you are going to write a story like this and make it believable it MUST be embedded in fact and this book is mostly fantasy. Very poor.

Its great, 03 Mar 2006
This book is fantastic. Im so surprised that it isn't on general sale over here in the UK because this novel has 'Best Seller' written all over it. If you like a good monster story with interesting characters and theory backed up by real life scientific facts then give 'The Loch' a read. Its pretty darn scary!

nessie bites back, 15 Oct 2005
Having read all of Mr Alten's novels, I can say that The Loch is his best yet. His Meg series delivers all you want from a thriller, and the Loch does just the same. A good plot, great leads and a well-researched basis for "the real nessie".
The scientific background to the creature -which i won't reveal- is thought-provoking and as accurate as can be guessed with modern cryptozoological thinking. Mr Alten weaves his science, history and thrills and spills to great effect, creating a page-turning experience to rival and surpass his brilliant Meg novels.
I've also read comments about the "Scots" dialogue and have to say it's as "scots" as our homegrown Oor Willie and the Broons are!
I would heartily recomend this and Mr Alten's other novels to any reader. Pick it up, sit back, turn the phone off and have fun!

Auerbach's extensive study of the multi-media vampire figure, 29 May 2002
Auerbach's expertise in the realm of fictional vampires is well articulated in this very readable and thoroughly enjoyable study. Although the text is primarily academic (offering predominately psychoanalytic and feminist readings) the average reader of vampire literature will find much to enjoy in Auerbach's incisive and often witty exploration of the fictional vampire within a range of texts from early poetry, stories and novels to modern day movies. From Coleridge's poetic 'Christabel' to the short stories of Byron, Polidori and Sheridan Le Fanu's classic 'Carmilla' we move onto Stoker's seminal text Dracula and finally onto contemporary culture with fascinating discussions of tales from Rice and King and films such as The Lost Boys and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Relating the vampire figures back to the society which created them, Auerbach intuitively shows us that there is a little bit of vampire in all of us. A thoroughly recommended, extensive piece of work that has to be regarded as a seminal work in its own right, standing alongside Christopher Frayling and Ken Gelder in their expert analyses of the vampire figure.

Nina Auerbach has written a landmark book on vampires., 06 Jul 2001
In Our Vampires, Ourselves, Nina Auerbach's project is to explain how the legendary vampire has changed according to the cultural, political and sexual currents since the vampire's initiation near the end of the 18th century. As the title suggests, the claim is that we get the vampires we deserve, we create the vampires we need at any given time to fill a vacuum in our society. The book starts with Byron and Polidori, examines Dracula closely and ends with the vampires of the early 90s. Political upheaval, like the Vietnam war, Watergate, etc. serve to explain how the vampire changes - from a filthy monster in Stoker's Dracula, through a civilized gentleman with good manners in the 1960's Hammer movies, and to an AIDS-haunted, excluded creature in the 1980s. The role of the family is also central, as well as feminist aspects and gay theories on the subject. Auerbach has, in short, written a seminal work on the history of vampires, from Byron, Coleridge and Polidori, to Rice, King and Dan Simmons at the end of the 20th century. Films, such as the numerous adaptions of Dracula, are also covered, giving an exhaustive survey of this literary and cultural phenomenon. We may think Dracula is the only 'real' vampire, but Auerbach shows us that there is no 'The Vampire', only 'vampires', as they change with time, embodying its own society's fears and dreams. This is, of course, an academic work, but the insightful readings, interesting examples and Auerbach's witty, entertaining style should apply to all lovers of vampires, be they literary or cinematic.

Meg is back!, 05 Aug 2008
After I read the first five pages of the trench I could not put it down again!
It was as if I was magnetized with amazement!
This book chilled me, In a good way!
Another great book!
Well Done Steve!

A Good Read, 05 Feb 2006
I Enjoyed this sequel. A well written book, the shark attack scence's are excellent. The only drawback was the Kronosaurs, just found that a little far fetched. But other than that a thoroughly entertaining read

Meg-tastic!, 03 Jan 2006
I think I like this one even better than the first! Plenty of Meg-action to get your teeth into.
Enjoy!

A sequel that brings new meaning to bigger & better!, 07 Aug 2004
Steve Alten returns with the second chapter in the Meg saga. The story begins with our hero from first book Jonas Taylor in a right mess. After successfully killing the Megalodon that was on a muderous rampage, he captured one of her offspring a female pup to go on display in the Tanaka Ocean Institute. Jonas married his friend Masao Tanaka's daughter Terry. Everything seemed to be going great. Then the lawsuits rolled in, the families and friends of all the Megs victims began looking for compensation. Jonas and Masao were easy targets their bold attempt to capture the Meg instead of just killing allowed the body count to rise. Jonas now is trapped working at the institute displaying the nearly fully grown Megalodon named Angel to the public with nearly every penny received going straight into another compansation settlement. Jonas feels the strain and is haunted by the Megalodon, having re-occurring nightmares of how he dies in the jaws of the beast. This puts great strain on his marriage to the beautiful Terry.
Further disaster strikes when as Jonas has predicted Angel becomes to big to imprison at nearly 75 feet she is much larger then her mother and smashes free from the Lagoon and enters the open ocean. Jonas is obligated by the Institutes owners to go after the shark and re-capture it, but all is not quite as it seems.
The institutes owner Benedict Singer is actually working on developing fusion technology to create an unlimited energy source that would make him an even wealthier man and the most powerful man in the world. Linked with several terroist outfits he is trying to locate a vital component for the technology a very rare inert gas. The only known supply is in the Mariana Trench the trench that provides home to the Megalodon species and the Trench Jonas worked in on a secret project for the navy. Turns out Jonas was piloting submersibles for the US's own research into finding the material needed for fusion and only he knows the exact location of the source. Singer only bought the Tanaka Institute as a means to get the information he requires from Jonas and have the perfect albi for being in the Mariana Trench claiming to be working on the Tanaka's Earthquake Detection System.
Benedict Singer plants an associate of his a woman named Celeste on the ship with Jonas to try to pry the co-ordinates out of him as he searches for the escaped Angel. Celeste is ordered to do whatever it takes to get the information from Jonas and then kill him. As a security plan he kidnaps Terry Taylor and imprisons her on his research vessel the Benthos located 35,000 feet below the ocean surface in the Marianna Trench.
The book splits into two stories you have Jonas questing to capture Angel on the surface and trying turn away the advances of Celeste all the while unaware he is being set-up by Celeste and her lover Michael Maren who attempts to kill Jonas due to him being jealous, only James 'Mac' Mackreides Jonas's long time friend saves Jonas from death and carries out an act of revenge on Maren.
You also have the story of Terry fighting to stay alive below the surface. Constantly in fear of being killed by Benedict or his right hand man Sergei who has already tried to rape her. Terry is trapped below 35,000 of water with no chance of escape whilst Benedict is in control of the Benthos.
This books also introduces us to another super predator the Kronsaurs a crocodile like creature that inhabits the Mariana Trench and threatens Benedicts Operation by attacking his submersibles and eventually the Benthos. This gives you two threats to our heroes Angel on the surface and the Kronsaurs in the Trench.
The story comes to conclusion in what now seems to be typical Alten fashion which is just all out action. Jonas finally realised something is wrong with his situation and after a near death experience that seems him technically die for several moments, realises he has more important things in his life then trying to get himself killed chasing Angel. At that point he tries to return home but Celeste desperate for his knowledge of the trench informs him the news about Terry and the news the Benthos has been crippled in the Trench. Jonas races to save not only his marriage but his wife's life. This evidently brings Jonas into a confrontation not only with Celeste who kills Benedict and leaves Terry in a position where she'll die when Jonas tries to rescue her but Jonas comes into confrontation with the deadly Kronsaurs and then his nightmares look to come true as Angel returns to the Mariana Trench and he comes face to face with the Monster, which in a great twist becomes a sort of Anti-hero.
I won't spoil the ending but will say this book had me hooked just like the first one. In fact after reading this book I straight away purchased the third in the series 'Primal Waters'. These books are well written and action packed and would make fantastic films someday. So if you've read Meg by this book now, if you haven't get both you will not regret it.

review, 20 May 2004
I very interesting book that got me thinking whether it was possible that megalodon could still be alive today in the marinas trench. Steve Alten made it seen very possible. Although it is not one the most popular books around today it's definetly one i would read again.

A very good horror story, 12 Oct 2008
Despite the fact this has now been proven as the greatest hoax of all time, do not let that put you off from reading this book.

This is a great horror story and although the films are good, they lack the sheer impact of Jay Ansons original work. This is one seriously creepy story and angle taken, that of reporting it from the families point of occurences that happened, view rather than the usual 'hero' angle fiction stories use, really makes it a damn good read.

Basically this book is the blair witch project of novels. Its only drawback is that although the book is supposed to be reporting a time period of only 28 days, it feels like this story took place over a timespan of months owing to the occasional drop in pace.

brilliant, scary, , 10 Mar 2008
this book is awesome, the scariest book ever written. if you like the original film this is spot on, the remake movie tells hardly any of the true story, this is the best book i have ever read. a hundred times scarier than any of the movies. i would recomend this book to any horror fan, it will blow your mind

amazing, 27 Jul 2006

Found this book on a bookshelve while in a holiday cottage and once I picked it up I couldnt put it down.
Amazing, fast paced, believable, unputdownable and downright scary!!!!!!
Will be read by the generations of the future. Dont watch the film read this chilling book.


The best 'Horror' book I have ever read!!!, 19 Feb 2006
I first read this book about 10 years ago as a teenager & loved it! When the film was remade last year, I dragged my fiance to the cinema as quickly as possible to see it. As soon as the book was republished, I bought a copy & read it in one session. It didnt disappoint & was just as good (if not better) as I remembered. I have to admit that when I found out that the story was a hoax, I was bitterly diasappointed as the way the story is written is so believable. A must read for all horror fans!!! Brilliant!!!

Amityville Horror, 25 Jan 2006
The most gripping book that I've ever read! I would recomend it to everybody, its absolutely amazing, you wont want to put it down once you've started. Absolutely terrifying!

Gripping story of family deception and cruelty. , 27 Jul 2008
The Dollengangers were the perfect family. All American good looks, golden hair, close relationships and comfortable living. The death of a father throws the four children into a whole new world when their mother drags them to a lavish mansion to win back the love of a dying father who cast her aside for marrying her half-uncle - for winning back his love means winning back a very large inheritance which will ensure a very comfortable living for the rest of her existance.

The plan for Corinne Dollanganger to gain back the love of her father means hiding the fact she ever had children, meaning Cathy, Chris, Cory and Carrie are to live locked in a bedroom with a secret entrance up to a wonderfully huge attic which is to become their playground and at the same time, their prison.

Cathy recounts the story as she and her siblings struggle to cling onto hope and promises while enduring the cruelty, the neglect and the emotional torment of being locked in the same rooms as time progresses.

An incredibly moving and gripping story that will leave you begging for more.

Pretty poor, 24 Jul 2008
I saw the movie, and then decided to read the book. I found it to be poorly written and unrealistic. I can swallow the bit about the woman being rejected by her parents, but then to come back and hide the kids in a cellar is where the wheels fall off. What about the servants? I could forgive the author expecting me to stretch my imagination and be somewhat gullible, but the writing is very poor. The sequel is even worse. Not impressed

great book, 15 Jan 2008
This was the first 'grown up' book i ever read and must have read it at least 10 times. It is fantastic and you just cant seem to put it down!!! even when you know what will happen next.

It changed my views on reading!, 10 Jan 2008
I can't tell you much more than the other people who have written reviews. What I can say is that I chose this book in my last year of school to do a report on. I hated reading and it was one of the shortest on the list. Now, 6 years later I can get through a book in a couple of days! I love reading and bringing the stories to life with my imagination and it is all thanks to this book, once I finished this I read pretty much all of Virginia Andrews' work and then explored different genres (i love crime novels!). It is a wonderful story and I recommend it to everyone!

A favorite!, 18 Aug 2007
I read this book when it was first published and loved it. I have read it at least twice since and as it has been a few years since the last time I am thinking of reading it again. I was in that attic with them.

It is an easy book to read, not to many fine details that take you away from the main story but enough to keep you turning the pages. Dont bother with the film if you ever come across it, it was total rubbish, nothing like the book at all.

Read it, you wont be dissapointed.

Obsolete, 20 Feb 2004
In it's own right, this is a fabulously funny book, made up of short stories that Allen originally wrote for the New Yorker magazine. But it's totally obsolete, as 'Side Effects', 'Without Feathers' and 'Getting Even' are available in their entirity in 'Complete Prose', which is the same price as either one of these individual books!

The only conceivable reasons you may need to buy this book alone include:- 1) You own 'Complete Prose' already, but spilt your coffee over the final third of the book, and now needs replacing. 2) You are unable to hold books that weigh more than 20 grams for protracted periods of time 3) You have too much space in your new bookshelf and want to buy the three books individually so as to fill the space 4) You are Woody Allen. Well, I'm clean out of reasons why you should buy this book and not 'Complete Prose'... the decision is yours.

Monty Python in New Yorkish and with a point, 02 Jan 2000
Even for people who do not like Woody Allen's films, his satiric books must give a great laugh!

This man is so intelligent that he allows himself to un-taboo'ize just about everything. He makes fun of religion without being blasphemic, about stereotypes without being prejudicial, and so on.

This is the most sophisticated fun any American has ever come up with!

Intertaining, scary and shocking!, 05 Aug 2008
I loved this book and I advise anyone who enjoys: Shocks, scares, amazement, sea monsters and Scotland, to try it out!
My third favorite book.
GO STEVE!

Once picked up, you won't be able to put it down!, 23 Feb 2007
I have read most of Steve Alten's books and, having a fondness for Scotland and especially Loch Ness, I couldn't wait to get hold of this one! I was not disappointed!

From the very first page, I was hooked and I found it difficult to put the book down again! My husband found it almost impossible to hold a conversation with me once I was lost within 'The Loch's' pages! I can honestly say the story gripped me from start to finish!

Having visited Loch Ness recently, I found myself transported back there with the power of Steve Alten's words, reliving the memories of my visit from a very different angle. The places we visited and the things we did now took on a whole new meaning, considering Steve's 'beastie' lurking below the waves. If I had read the book beforehand, I don't think I would ever have plucked up the courage to go out on the Loch in that small motor boat .....!

The power of a book's story can be measured in its ability to transport you to another time and place while remaining firmly in your sitting room! 'The Loch' has this ability in spades! While reading a particularly creepy chapter late one night, I had no idea my husband was sneaking up behind me until he switched on his electric toothbrush right by my ear! I leapt skyward and the book went flying across the sitting room! "It was only a joke!" he told me later, after I'd got my heart working again! But that's the power of a good story for you!

Sure, 'The Loch' has its faults - what book doesn't? The 'Scottish accents' can be a bit off putting and the whole trial scenario seems a bit contrived, but these are just minor gripes. The book, as a whole, is outstanding and Steve's theory as to what Nessie actually is is entirely plausible. I can honestly say it's the best book I've read in ages. If you like an old fashioned monster story, with a murder and a bit of legend thrown in for good measure, then give it a go! You won't be disappointed!

Disappointing, very disappointing, 30 Sep 2006
I have read all of Steve Alten's books and honestly this is terrible. Cliched characters, cliched situations and a manufactured story line. Geographically and historically it's fine but he has no knowledge or understanding of the British police, legal or political system. We do not have first degree murder, we do not have the death penalty, we do not imprison people in castles, we do not let the accused in a trial talk to witnesses in the trial - the list goes on and on. There are other factual errors as well. If you are going to write a story like this and make it believable it MUST be embedded in fact and this book is mostly fantasy. Very poor.

Its great, 03 Mar 2006
This book is fantastic. Im so surprised that it isn't on general sale over here in the UK because this novel has 'Best Seller' written all over it. If you like a good monster story with interesting characters and theory backed up by real life scientific facts then give 'The Loch' a read. Its pretty darn scary!

nessie bites back, 15 Oct 2005
Having read all of Mr Alten's novels, I can say that The Loch is his best yet. His Meg series delivers all you want from a thriller, and the Loch does just the same. A good plot, great leads and a well-researched basis for "the real nessie".
The scientific background to the creature -which i won't reveal- is thought-provoking and as accurate as can be guessed with modern cryptozoological thinking. Mr Alten weaves his science, history and thrills and spills to great effect, creating a page-turning experience to rival and surpass his brilliant Meg novels.
I've also read comments about the "Scots" dialogue and have to say it's as "scots" as our homegrown Oor Willie and the Broons are!
I would heartily recomend this and Mr Alten's other novels to any reader. Pick it up, sit back, turn the phone off and have fun!

Auerbach's extensive study of the multi-media vampire figure, 29 May 2002
Auerbach's expertise in the realm of fictional vampires is well articulated in this very readable and thoroughly enjoyable study. Although the text is primarily academic (offering predominately psychoanalytic and feminist readings) the average reader of vampire literature will find much to enjoy in Auerbach's incisive and often witty exploration of the fictional vampire within a range of texts from early poetry, stories and novels to modern day movies. From Coleridge's poetic 'Christabel' to the short stories of Byron, Polidori and Sheridan Le Fanu's classic 'Carmilla' we move onto Stoker's seminal text Dracula and finally onto contemporary culture with fascinating discussions of tales from Rice and King and films such as The Lost Boys and Bram Stoker's Dracula. Relating the vampire figures back to the society which created them, Auerbach intuitively shows us that there is a little bit of vampire in all of us. A thoroughly recommended, extensive piece of work that has to be regarded as a seminal work in its own right, standing alongside Christopher Frayling and Ken Gelder in their expert analyses of the vampire figure.

Nina Auerbach has written a landmark book on vampires., 06 Jul 2001
In Our Vampires, Ourselves, Nina Auerbach's project is to explain how the legendary vampire has changed according to the cultural, political and sexual currents since the vampire's initiation near the end of the 18th century. As the title suggests, the claim is that we get the vampires we deserve, we create the vampires we need at any given time to fill a vacuum in our society. The book starts with Byron and Polidori, examines Dracula closely and ends with the vampires of the early 90s. Political upheaval, like the Vietnam war, Watergate, etc. serve to explain how the vampire changes - from a filthy monster in Stoker's Dracula, through a civilized gentleman with good manners in the 1960's Hammer movies, and to an AIDS-haunted, excluded creature in the 1980s. The role of the family is also central, as well as feminist aspects and gay theories on the subject. Auerbach has, in short, written a seminal work on the history of vampires, from Byron, Coleridge and Polidori, to Rice, King and Dan Simmons at the end of the 20th century. Films, such as the numerous adaptions of Dracula, are also covered, giving an exhaustive survey of this literary and cultural phenomenon. We may think Dracula is the only 'real' vampire, but Auerbach shows us that there is no 'The Vampire', only 'vampires', as they change with time, embodying its own society's fears and dreams. This is, of course, an academic work, but the insightful readings, interesting examples and Auerbach's witty, entertaining style should apply to all lovers of vampires, be they literary or cinematic.

Meg is back!, 05 Aug 2008
After I read the first five pages of the trench I could not put it down again!
It was as if I was magnetized with amazement!
This book chilled me, In a good way!
Another great book!
Well Done Steve!

A Good Read, 05 Feb 2006
I Enjoyed this sequel. A well written book, the shark attack scence's are excellent. The only drawback was the Kronosaurs, just found that a little far fetched. But other than that a thoroughly entertaining read

Meg-tastic!, 03 Jan 2006
I think I like this one even better than the first! Plenty of Meg-action to get your teeth into.
Enjoy!

A sequel that brings new meaning to bigger & better!, 07 Aug 2004
Steve Alten returns with the second chapter in the Meg saga. The story begins with our hero from first book Jonas Taylor in a right mess. After successfully killing the Megalodon that was on a muderous rampage, he captured one of her offspring a female pup to go on display in the Tanaka Ocean Institute. Jonas married his friend Masao Tanaka's daughter Terry. Everything seemed to be going great. Then the lawsuits rolled in, the families and friends of all the Megs victims began looking for compensation. Jonas and Masao were easy targets their bold attempt to capture the Meg instead of just killing allowed the body count to rise. Jonas now is trapped working at the institute displaying the nearly fully grown Megalodon named Angel to the public with nearly every penny received going straight into another compansation settlement. Jonas feels the strain and is haunted by the Megalodon, having re-occurring nightmares of how he dies in the jaws of the beast. This puts great strain on his marriage to the beautiful Terry.
Further disaster strikes when as Jonas has predicted Angel becomes to big to imprison at nearly 75 feet she is much larger then her mother and smashes free from the Lagoon and enters the open ocean. Jonas is obligated by the Institutes owners to go after the shark and re-capture it, but all is not quite as it seems.
The institutes owner Benedict Singer is actually working on developing fusion technology to create an unlimited energy source that would make him an even wealthier man and the most powerful man in the world. Linked with several terroist outfits he is trying to locate a vital component for the technology a very rare inert gas. The only known supply is in the Mariana Trench the trench that provides home to the Megalodon species and the Trench Jonas worked in on a secret project for the navy. Turns out Jonas was piloting submersibles for the US's own research into finding the material needed for fusion and only he knows the exact location of the source. Singer only bought the Tanaka Institute as a means to get the information he requires from Jonas and have the perfect albi for being in the Mariana Trench claiming to be working on the Tanaka's Earthquake Detection System.
Benedict Singer plants an associate of his a woman named Celeste on the ship with Jonas to try to pry the co-ordinates out of him as he searches for the escaped Angel. Celeste is ordered to do whatever it takes to get the information from Jonas and then kill him. As a security plan he kidnaps Terry Taylor and imprisons her on his research vessel the Benthos located 35,000 feet below the ocean surface in the Marianna Trench.
The book splits into two stories you have Jonas questing to capture Angel on the surface and trying turn away the advances of Celeste all the while unaware he is being set-up by Celeste and her lover Michael Maren who attempts to kill Jonas due to him being jealous, only James 'Mac' Mackreides Jonas's long time friend saves Jonas from death and carries out an act of revenge on Maren.
You also have the story of Terry fighting to stay alive below the surface. Constantly in fear of being killed by Benedict or his right hand man Sergei who has already tried to rape her. Terry is trapped below 35,000 of water with no chance of escape whilst Benedict is in control of the Benthos.
This books also introduces us to another super predator the Kronsaurs a crocodile like creature that inhabits the Mariana Trench and threatens Benedicts Operation by attacking his submersibles and eventually the Benthos. This gives you two threats to our heroes Angel on the surface and the Kronsaurs in the Trench.
The story comes to conclusion in wh