Book Review: Megalodon Apex Predator by SJ Larsson

English adventurer Sir Jeffery Mallory charters a ship for a top secret expedition to Antarctica. What starts out as a search and capture mission soon turns into a terrifying fight for survival as the crew come face to face with the fiercest ocean predator to have ever existed- Carcharodon Megalodon.

Alone and with no hope of rescue the crew will need all their resources if they are to survive not only a 60 foot shark but also the harsh Antarctic conditions. 

My Review: 
Mallory was only a child when the boat he was on was crippled by a megalodon, killing the people he was sailing with. Somehow he survived and decided that he had to gain proof that the huge sharks still existed and show them to the world. He has chartered a boat, filling it with experts and weapons, and set up an island base in Antarctica to house the creature when he catches it, a safe environment to film and observe. But Mallory and his ship mates have no idea how dangerous their mission is going to get or what they are really dealing with.

I am a HUGE fan of anything to do with sharks and can never resist a good creature feature book. The first thing that caught my eye was of course the cover, and I'm pretty much always going to read something that has megalodon in the title. I wasn't quite sure what to expect from this book but I'm pleased to say that I really enjoyed it. It is a proper creature feature book with a lot of shark action throughout. I also liked the way the scenes changed throughout the book-the tension filled voyage, the hunt for the shark, the switch to the man made facility on Elephant Island where the shark is to be held and filmed, then the action scenes out on the frigid ocean again. It was a lot of fun.

I also can never resist a story set in Antarctica. There is just something really exciting about the desolate landscapes, the icy waters, the frigid temperatures and being so far away from rescue. It is just such an alien landscape for the ordinary human to survive in. Whether it a shark story like this, an isolated research station attacked by monsters or something nasty breaking out of the ice, I'm all over this kind of story. In this case combining a megalodon, an isolated base, lots of people in danger and terrible conditions to survive in was right up my alley!  

The story is told through the connection between the swashbuckling adventurer Mallory, trying to uphold his father's dying wish to tell people about the megalodons and trying to impress and connect with his wife, with the seasick young boy Will. Will is the captain's son and fears he is a disappointment to his sea loving father, dragged along on adventures he doesn't want. But the story of the megalodon excites Will and he finally sees the chance to bond with his dad on a real adventure, capturing a live megalodon. He has no clue how dangerous this mission really is, thinking only of how exciting it will be. The book then follows Will's family and Mallory's experts as they start to look for the shark. 

Mallory is certainly a reckless man but I also liked him. I could understand his desire to do what his father wanted, even though it was dangerous. He really thinks that he has covered all the bases, has the right weapons and supplies, and has thought of everything they will need at the base. He has no interest in actually harming the sharks, just capturing it for study and revealing its existance to the wider world. He also likes the idea of being a hero but doesn't come across to be as a total arse, just somewhat misguided! I liked the bond that he forms with Will, who in the beginning is just as keen on the quest as Mallory is. It is only when his family are in danger that he starts to question the wisdom of what they are doing.

Will's father needs a bit of a shake for agreeing to hunt megalodons when he has no experience of doing so and has his precious children on board. At first the safety issue has him disagreeing with the quest but as soon as Will has a strop about it, he caves in. Father of the year! You should've been getting your kids back to dry land instead of putting them in danger with this insane plan! But of course if he had, there would be no book! The plan itself is totally insane but it was pretty exciting to read about and people are getting eaten quite a bit through the book, which always entertains someone twisted like me! I liked the hunting side of it but the plot at Elephant Island was interesting if a little slower paced.

I've seen negative reviews of the book complaining about it not being accurate about the features or behaviour of a shark. Well I can let things like that slide if I'm enjoying the story and I was enjoying it. It's the typical b-movie creature feature book so if you like the genre you might have a good time with this one!

Read June 2019
4 stars.