I can't quite get up the energy to write more than a few lines about _Meg_, truly one of the silliest books I've ever read. What this is, is _Jaws_, except that Allen invented a bigger, badder shark. That he plays whack-a-mole with science, beating it into submission whenever it doesn't fit his purposes, is the least of the book's problems. As a spin-off that's spun so thin it's transparent, the _Meg_ series is apparently Alten's retirement plan. And good for him. We can't all sell fireworks by the side of the road