73 books like Hotel Megalodon

This was pretty much the first true horror book I read.

My mother, who had read it, thought I'd like it. Reading as a teenager, the scenarios of giant rats attacking people were frightening, and Herbert's description lent a realism to those scenes which I'd not encountered before. I found myself eagerly turning the pages to feast on the horrors of that which was contained within with relish. I was also fortunate, in my adult life, to meet and interview James Herbert and gain an insight into how he wrote and came up with the stories he told. 

Due to all the films based on the book, everyone is probably very familiar with the story: a billionaire uses technology to bring dinosaurs back to life, creates a theme park, and dinosaurs run amuck.

Here’s the thing: I read the book when it came out in 1990. At the time, I was working in a genetics laboratory. I was still 14 years away from writing full-time. I was even familiar with the research Crichton based the novel on. It was a 1982 research story about scientists who were able to collect DNA and other data from a fossil fly preserved in amber. So I, like everyone, was fascinated by the potential (and sort of kicking myself for not thinking of it first), even if, at that time, there were a few holes in Crichton’s technology.

But if you return to my original list of elements—exotic location, cutting-edge science, adventure,… show more.

This is a book that I found not only thoroughly entertaining but one that simultaneously tugged at my heartstrings.

How could it not? I am Scottish, after all. I love how Alten captures the majesty, beauty, and the magical atmosphere of one of my favourite destinations on the planet—the Scottish Highlands. In particular, the fabled Loch Ness.

I can genuinely say that the experience of reading The Loch will stay with me forever, and it is an experience I will cherish.

What was it that stood out for me reading this book? Quite simply, Hawthorne brings something new to the top of the food chain (don’t worry, I won’t spoil it for you).

Before Kronos Rising, it was all sharks and krakens, which is ironic because those two creatures feature heavily in the sequels. As they say, variety is the spice of life. But more than that, I found Hawthorne to be a breath of fresh air in a genre that can sometimes grow a little stale.

So, if you are looking for a great sea monster book that doesn’t feature one of the usual suspects, then Kronos Rising is my recommendation to you. Or the first one, at least.

Okay, bear with me on this one. The Trench is the sequel to Steve Alten’s B-movie-in-a-book Meg, a horror thriller about a prehistoric shark surfacing in modern day.

Both the original book and its sequel have been adapted into movies starring Jason Statham. The first movie accurately captured the B-level quality of the first book. The second movie continued that feel, and while it honestly wasn’t bad, those who haven’t read the book it was partially based upon will be surprised to know just how different the two are.

The Trench, unlike subsequent Meg sequels, deviated from its B-movie nature and delivered a suspenseful, underwater thriller that far surpassed the quality of the first book and their movie counterparts.

This book has all the ingredients for an engaging story. I loved the way Mannersly sets the stage, with Dylan, the slightly older supervisor, who’s obviously smitten with the lovely Kyra and the boss’s spoiled son, Max, who seems to have caught her eye as well. 

Using the marine science center in Australia as the setting works perfectly. Identifying and stopping poachers from stealing turtle eggs from their nests puts a nice twist on the usual crime-related stories. Mannersly does a wonderful job of creating realistic and believable characters. Great dialogue and descriptive passages tie this story together.

What drew me into this story was the leviathans, a local species on a watery moon. I'm a sucker for whales and these beasts reminded me of orcas. The heroine, a marine biologist, is in danger for reasons unknown. A ranger with a connection to the leviathans helps her to escape and that's just the start of a fascinating adventure in a very different environment. Once again, the romance evolves in a natural way and does not overshadow the rest of the plot.

It is a fiction based on facts about whales and about what Four Arrows believes they are trying to tell us regarding the pollution of the Oceans that threatens us all. A whale captures a marine biologist and his encounter, feeling almost biblical but very current, reveals their important message to humanity. In this very dramatic story, you’ll also find an ecological treatise, and a call to action so needed at this time.

This is the story that first got me interested in science fiction. Of course, we now recognise some of the flaws in the science, but consider that at the time of its writing steam propulsion was still in its infancy, most ships were still built of timber, and Verne envisaged a ship capable of indefinite travel beneath the ocean surface – something not even possible until the advent of nuclear power almost a century later. Even today Verne’s vision and the story he wove around it can inspire.

I loved this book because it inspired me to keep an adventurous and exploratory attitude. It really made me want to be Edith Widder.

I am completely fascinated by bioluminescence, a large topic in this book, and while I learned a ton, it only drove me to want to learn more and pursue my interests in this field further.

Learning about wondrous creatures and what we are trying to understand about them in the context of conservation allows us the lens to prioritize our work and resources and keep moving forward. I found myself underlining every other line of this book; there is so much to be amazed by.