The Loch (novel)

Last updated

The Loch
The Loch Book Cover.jpg
First edition
Author Steve Alten
LanguageEnglish scottish accent
Genre Science fiction, Drama, Legal thriller mystery
PublisherTsunami Books
Publication date
May 2005
Publication placeUnited States
Media typehardback & paperback
Pages496
ISBN 0-9761659-0-2 (Hardback)
OCLC 58676841
813/.54 22
LC Class PS3551.L764 L63 2005
Followed byVostok: Sequel to The Loch
Meg: Nightstalkers  

The Loch is a science fiction novel and legal thriller by Steve Alten, and was first published in 2005. The novel is the story of marine biologist Zachary Wallace. A crossover sequel with Alten's Meg series, Vostok, was released in 2015, with a further crossover occurring in Meg: Nightstalkers in 2016. [1] [2] A third book, The Loch: Heaven's Lake is currently unreleased.

Contents

Plot summary

This synopsis is told in chronological order, as opposed to the order events happen in the novel.

Shortly after the death of William Wallace, a group of Knight Templars bring his heart to Loch Ness with the intent to hide it in a cavern. They are aware that monsters use the cavern as a path to the ocean, so they deliberately block their path so they can serve as guardians. Each year the Knights will raise and lower a gate that allows several adult monsters to enter but not leave. Believing the monsters are the spawn of Satan and using them makes them complicit, the Knights rename themselves the Black Knights. In the resulting chaos the monsters kill all but one of them, Wallace's cousin and protagonist Zachary Wallace's ancestor, who swears to protect the relic.

Hundreds of years later Scottish-born Zachary Wallace has returned to Loch Ness to reconnect with his father Angus, who has been accused of murdering wealthy land developer Johnny Cialino over money owed. Zachary is also dealing with the impact of a disastrous expedition into the Sargasso Sea, which has left him with PTSD and afraid of the water. Hoping to find giant squid, the expedition instead resulted in the loss of an expensive submersible and its pilot after they are attacked by an unseen creature Zachary identifies as the source of the mysterious phenomenon "The Bloop". Once in Scotland Zachary reunites with his childhood friend True MacDonald and his sister Brandy, with whom Zachary is immediately smitten. During the trial Angus claims that Johnny was murdered by the Loch Ness Monster and that Zachary himself was almost killed by one as a child. Zachary vehemently denies the claims but experiences visions of his childhood attack while under scrutiny.

Increased attacks on visitors eventually force Zachary to admit that although Nessie herself is folklore, he was attacked by a monstrous creature as a child. During his investigations into the loch, Zachary learns that True's father Albin is part of the Black Knights and that his former boss David, who was quick to blame him for the Sargasso incident, is going to lead teams of monster hunters in an expedition to find and capture Nessie. David hires Brady and her boat as his mode of transport around the loch, something Brandy uses as a means to get even with Zachary for not being open with her about his phobias and feelings. As the book progresses Zachary learns that the monster became more violent due to environmental changes in the loch and that prior attempts to find it were futile due to active sonar, which aggravates it and sends it deep underwater. Zachary correctly surmises that using passive sonar will find the monster, information he gives to David in exchange for access to the man's sonar arrays. David manages to locate the monster, but dies while trying to trap it in Urquhart Bay.

Eventually Zachary realizes that the monster is a distant cousin and predecessor to the Anguilla eel, which was trapped when bridge construction damaged the Black Knights' gate many years ago. This in turn causes the realization that the Sargasso incident was caused by other monsters that remained outside the loch. He decides to free the monster after Angus is found guilty, as this would provide the needed evidence to clear his name. As the tunnel to the gate is heavily damaged, Zachary travels through the loch itself to the gate, where he discovers oil leaking into the water. Zachary is able to clear the gate blockage successfully but is ultimately forced to battle the monster using his ancestor's sword, which he discovers nearby. This proves successful and Zachary returns to the surface with enough evidence to overturn Angus's conviction. In the following days Zachary discovers additional evidence implying that his father murdered Johnny, but keeps it to himself as it is also implied that this was done because the man was abusive and polluted the loch.

The novel ends with Zachary and Brandy, now married, leading a successful investigation to find the monsters in the Sargasso Sea. His night terrors have not resurfaced and the two are expecting a child.

Development

While researching the book Alten spent time in Scotland. He consulted cryptozoologists and experts on the legend of the Loch Ness Monster such as Bill McDonald, whose study of Loch Ness prompted Alten to delay the book so he could change some portions to better reflect his findings. [3]

Alten also ran a contest on his website where the winner's name would be used for a character in the novel. [4]

Release

Prior to publishing The Loch Alten had released four books through Tor Books. The books had received middling sales, which Alten had attributed to a lack of promotion. He chose to instead release The Loch through an independent publisher, Tsunami Books, as they promised better publicity. The Loch was first published in hardback in May 2005 through Tsunami Books, [5] [6] and per Alten, received better sales. [7] This was followed up by a paperback edition in 2006, also through Tsunami Books. [8]

In 2009 an illustrated mass market paperback was published, this time through Tor Books, which also published an ebook edition in 2013. [9] [10] An audiobook adaptation narrated by P. J. Ochlan was released in 2016 through Blackstone Audio, [11] and in 2018 Alten published a re-edited collector's edition of the novel that was accompanied by photos, maps, 3D images, and a report on the Loch Ness Monster. [12]

Reception

Ron Bernas of the Detroit Free Press gave the novel 3 stars, noting that while he had some "quibbles" with the book such as the motives of Zach's father Angus and the romance between Zach and Brandy, that its pacing and science made up for this. [13]

Sequels

A crossover sequel with the Alten's Meg series, Vostok , was released in 2015, with a further crossover occurring in Meg: Nightstalkers in 2016. [1] [2] A third book, The Loch: Heaven's Lake, will be published in audiobook format in 2024 or later through Blackstone Audio after a delay of 2 years.

Film adaptation

Film rights to The Loch were purchased in 2007 by Belle Avery, who had also purchased the rights for Alten's The Meg . [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Ness Monster</span> Alleged creature in Scotland

The Loch Ness Monster, affectionately known as Nessie, is a mythical creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or more humps protruding from the water. Popular interest and belief in the creature has varied since it was brought to worldwide attention in 1933. Evidence of its existence is anecdotal with a number of disputed photographs and sonar readings.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ogopogo</span> Mythical creature in British Columbia

In Canadian folklore, the Ogopogo is a lake monster said to inhabit Okanagan Lake in British Columbia, Canada. Some scholars have charted the entity's development from First Nations folklore and widespread water monster folklore motifs. The Ogopogo now plays a role in the commercial symbolism and media representation of the region.

Karl Shuker is a British zoologist, cryptozoologist and author. He lives in the Midlands, England, where he works as a zoological consultant and writer. A columnist in Fortean Times and contributor to various magazines, Shuker is also the editor-in-chief of the Journal of Cryptozoology, which began in November 2012.

Steven Robert Alten is an American science-fiction author. He is best known for his Meg series of novels set around the fictitious survival of the megalodon, a giant, prehistoric shark.

Frederick "Ted" William Holiday (1921–1979) was an English journalist, who wrote books about angling and also the Loch Ness monster, developing a hypothesis about its nature.

The Family-Ness is a cartoon series from Scotland first produced in 1983. It was originally broadcast on BBC One from 5 October 1984 to 5 April 1985, with repeats airing throughout most of the 1990s and early 2000s, eventually ending with a short run on CBeebies on BBC Two between 11 and 22 February 2002. It was created by Peter Maddocks of Maddocks Cartoon Productions. Maddocks later went on to produce Penny Crayon and Jimbo and the Jet Set in a similar style. Family-Ness was about the adventures of a family of Loch Ness Monsters and the MacTout family, particularly siblings Elspeth and Angus. The 'Nessies' could be called from the loch by the two children by means of their "thistle whistles".

Terror of the Zygons is the first serial of the thirteenth season of the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, which was the first broadcast in four weekly parts on BBC1 from 30 August to 20 September 1975. The serial featured the last regular appearance by Ian Marter as companion Harry Sullivan and Nicholas Courtney as Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart. The serial is the first appearance of the Zygons.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jon-Erik Beckjord</span> American paranormal investigator (1939–2008)

Jon-Erik Beckjord was an American paranormal investigator, photographer, and cryptozoologist interested in UFOs, crop circles, the Loch Ness Monster, and Bigfoot. Throughout his life, he owned three separate, small-scale museums that featured displays, mostly photographs, of alleged UFO, Nessie, and Bigfoot sightings. He made guest appearances on national radio and television shows, but was criticized by skeptics and fellow cryptozoologists alike for not providing substantive evidence to back up his claims of the existence of paranormal beings.

<i>Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror</i> Science-fiction horror novel by Steve Alten

Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror is a 1997 science fiction horror novel by American author Steve Alten, and the first novel in the MEG series. The novel follows the underwater adventures of a Navy deep-sea diver named Jonas Taylor.

<i>The Trench</i> (novel) 1999 science fiction novel by Steve Alten

The Trench is a 1999 science fiction horror novel by American author Steve Alten. It is the sequel to Meg: A Novel of Deep Terror and the second book in the MEG series. The book continues the adventure of Jonas Taylor, a paleobiologist studying the megalodon, who now discovers another prehistoric monster, Kronosaurus, also thought to have been extinct. A sequel titled Meg: Primal Waters was released in 2004.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Loch Ness Monster in popular culture</span>

The Loch Ness Monster is a creature from folklore that has appeared in popular culture in various genres since at least 1934. It is most often depicted as a relict dinosaur or similar, but other explanations for its existence such as being a shapeshifter or from outer space also appear. It is only occasionally portrayed as threatening, despite its name.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roy Mackal</span> American biologist (1925–2013)

Roy P. Mackal was a University of Chicago biologist best known to the general public for his interest in cryptozoology.

<i>Loch Ness</i> (film) 1996 British film by John Henderson

Loch Ness is a 1996 family drama film starring Ted Danson and Joely Richardson. It was written by John Fusco and directed by John Henderson.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tim Dinsdale</span> Welsh cryptozoologist and writer

Timothy Kay Dinsdale was a British cryptozoologist who attempted to prove the existence of the Loch Ness Monster.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Guivre</span> Dragonlike mythical creature

A guivre is a mythical creature similar to a dragon. In legend they were portrayed as serpentine creatures who possessed venomous breath and prowled the countryside of Medieval France. The words "guivre" and "givre" are spelling variations of the more common word "vouivre". Vouivre, in Franc-Comtois, is the equivalent of the old French word "guivre." All these forms are derived ultimately from Latin vīpera, as is English viper.

<i>The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep</i> 2007 American film

The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep is a 2007 fantasy drama film directed by Jay Russell and written by Robert Nelson Jacobs, based on Dick King-Smith's children's novel The Water Horse. It stars Alex Etel as a young boy who discovers a mysterious egg and cares for what hatches out of it: a "water horse" which later becomes the fabled Loch Ness Monster. The film also stars Emily Watson, Ben Chaplin and David Morrissey.

<i>Meg: Hells Aquarium</i> 2009 science fiction novel by Steve Alten

Meg: Hell's Aquarium is a 2009 science fiction horror novel by American author Steve Alten. It is the sequel to Meg: Primal Waters and the fourth book in the MEG series. Described by Alten as "the pinnacle of the series", the novel continues the adventure of Jonas Taylor and his family, as his son David, hired as a handler for two megalodons (megs) being sold to a royal prince of Dubai, is tricked into overseeing an expedition to capture a Liopleurodon (Lio) from the remains of the Panthalassa, while Jonas, Terry, and Dani deal with a terrorist group seeking to unleash the remaining megs unto the oceans of the world. The novel's audiobook was narrated by Keith Szarabajka, with Lana Wood, a self-professed fan of the series, licensing her image for Alten to write in a fictionalised version of herself, promoting the novel then-after, Alten attributing the novel's delay to the development hell of The Meg.

<i>Meg: Nightstalkers</i> 2016 science fiction novel by Steve Alten

Meg: Nightstalkers is a 2016 science fiction horror novel by American author Steve Alten. It is the sequel to Vostok and Meg: Hell's Aquarium, and the fifth book in the MEG series. Continuing the adventures of Jonas Taylor and his family following the cliffhanger ending of the previous novel, as Jonas and his best friend Mac search for two rogue megalodons (megs), while Jonas' son David continues working with the royal prince of Dubai to search for the Liopleurodon that killed his girlfriend, the novel also continues the premise Meg series as being set in the same fictional universe as Alten's The Loch established in the preceding 2015 crossover novel Vostok, with the return of Zachary Wallace. The novel's audiobook was narrated by Keith Szarabajka, with Erik Hollander designing the cover.

<i>Meg: Generations</i> 2018/2020 science fiction novel by Steve Alten

Meg: Generations is a 2018 science fiction horror novel by American author Steve Alten. It is the sequel to Meg: Nightstalkers and the sixth book in the MEG series. Continuing the adventures of Jonas Taylor and his family following the cliffhanger ending of the previous novel, as Jonas and his best friend Mac search the Panthalassa Sea for the cure for cancer, as megalodons (megs) also roam the Salish Sea, and a liopleurodon (lio) escapes into the coasts of the Middle East. The novel's audiobook was narrated by Keith Szarabajka, with Erik Hollander designing the cover. Digitally released in 2018, the novel saw physical release in 2020.

References

  1. 1 2 Brehmer, Nat (24 June 2016). "Exclusive Interview: Steve Alten Talks Meg And More!". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 24 June 2016. Nat Brehmer: Yeah, for sure. I'm also personally a big fan of The Loch and I was curious about what it was like to take something that was so infamous in pop culture and turn it into a serious work of aquatic horror? Steve Alten: Have you read Nightstalkers yet? Nat Brehmer: I have, yeah. Steve Alten: So you know that I meshed the two series together. Writing The Loch, I was originally suggested to do it by my former agent Ken Lashley, and I only wanted to do it if it wasn't going to be silly. I didn't want to do it if it was gonna be a pleisiosaur which doesn't make any sense at all. It had to be a creature that made sense scientifically and that would make for a great story. So I consulted a friend of mine who's a cryptozoologist and forensic artist Bill MacDonald and he's been to Loch Ness several times and he's the one who convinced me what the creature was. Once I had that down it was a matter of doing a lot of research, piecing together—I was very detailed about it. There are no good maps of Loch Ness. So I had to create a map based on things that were out there. I had a nine foot map taped to the wall in my office so I could track the creature's movements and the characters' movements so that they felt that they were there. Because I had never been to Loch Ness and I needed to understand what it was like. And the more research I did into it, the more I realized that this is really a cool story. There's a lot of history to this and there's also a lot of scientific method involved, that this creature could still be out there. They've sort of romanticized it in Scotland that it's this smiling, Disney-esque pleisiosaur. The reality is that it's a type of fish that's pretty menacing and has just grown very large for scientific reasons.
  2. 1 2 Eggen, Michele (24 June 2016). "Book Review – MEG: Nightstalkers by Steve Alten". Wicked Horror. Retrieved 24 June 2016.
  3. ↑ Minemyer, Chip (5 June 2005). "PSU grad tackles Loch Ness". Centre Daily Times (Newspapers.com).
  4. ↑ Campbell, Susan (25 May 2005). "In Lisa Belaski's Case, Fiction is Stranger Than Truth". Hartford Courant (Newspapers.com).
  5. ↑ Alten, Steve (2005). The Loch. Mayfield Heights, Ohio: Tsunami Books. ISBN   0-9761659-0-2. OCLC   58676841.
  6. ↑ "At the Library". The Marion Star (Newspapers.com). 29 May 2005.
  7. ↑ Eyman, Scott (6 April 2008). "Danger! Disaster! Doom!". Longview News-Journal (Newspapers.com).
  8. ↑ Alten, Steve (2005). The Loch. Mayfield Heights, Ohio: Tsunami Books. ISBN   0-9761659-2-9. OCLC   70159152.
  9. ↑ Alten, Steve (2005). The Loch. Mayfield Heights, Ohio: Tsunami Books. ISBN   0-9761659-0-2. OCLC   58676841.
  10. ↑ Alten, Steve (2013). The loch. New York: Tor. ISBN   978-1-4299-3977-5. OCLC   865171461.
  11. ↑ Alten, Steve (2016), The Loch, P. J. Ochlan, [Ashland, Oregon], ISBN   978-1-5047-7189-4, OCLC   956999676 , retrieved 10 January 2023{{citation}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  12. 1 2 Squires, John (10 October 2018). "[Exclusive] Cover Art for New Limited Edition Release of Steve Alten's 'The Loch' Promises Movie Coming Soon!". Bloody Disgusting!. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
  13. ↑ Bernas, Ron (22 May 2005). "Loch Ness squid is in a fun-filled spotlight". Detroit Free Press (Newspapers.com).
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.