Goliath

...by this guy! Few people have the talent to keep the interest of thier readers like Steve Alten. I got hooked with 'The Loch' and haven't let us since. Hit a slight bump with 'Domain' but 98% of this guys work is simply amazing! It's almost like he writes and could give a flip about what happens to his characters and I LOVE that. It seems that he's just a vessle in which the story is told and the story will be told... damn what happens to who! You've gotta love that!!! I thought 'Goliath' was the name of a ship from his 'Meg' novels but I could be wrong. Anyway... I won't say too much about this book since it's been out for five years or so except that this is DEFINATELY one you want to read! Period!

The book's ingram may seem like a cliche (A group of terrorists aboard a futuristic killer sub, yadda yadda yadda) but the story is anything but. It starts off with a rip-roaring assault on the U.S. Navy, with Goliath, the killer sub in question, sinking a Navy convoy! To add insult to injury, the assault's survivor designed Goliath herself! Things quickly heat up, as the U.S. goverment must trust Gunnar Wolfe, who's a traitor to America and target for everyone's dislike--including his ex-fiancee, the survivor. Bad gets to worse as the terrorists turn out to be lead by an old friend of Gunnar's, and the Goliath's A.I. supercomputer, Sorceress, starts to evolve and develop some wicked schemes of "her" own! Like I said, it all seems cliched, but once you're reading, you'll start to deny your former assessment. Steve Alten takes the killer sub/evil computer cliches and tosses them out the window with his ingenious writing. If you don't pick this up, then shame on you.

In Steve Alten's latest book,GOLIATH,the New York Times Best-Selling author of MEG,THE TRENCH,and DOMAIN weaves together a tale of nuclear power,conspiracy,and raises the question as to who really are the good guys in war.From the beginning,when the monstrous steel stingray submarine GOLIATH makes it presence known to the climax pitting man against machine,this book delivers.Gunnar Wolfe is a great hero in this story,burdened by a terrible past,and a life-changing choice he made years ago.Simon Covah is a tragic "anti-hero"/villain.He's lost his family to terrible circumstances,and he wants to rid the world of terrorism and of the threat of nuclear war,and he means to use every way open to him to accomplish that peace,even the deaths of millions.But the real villain of the story is Sorceress,the super-computer brain of the GOLIATH.After a freak lightning strike,the computer becomes self-aware,and slowly takes over the ship,becoming a threat to all on board.This gripping novel serves as a great science fiction story while at the same time will make you think about where WE are in our nuclear situation.Just how close our we to having to face the horrors and the consequences of our own stupidity?This book has it all.Heroism.Tragedy.Romance.And a computer on the brink of madness.Be sure to not miss Steve Alten's GOLIATH.

The aspect I have always admired in Steve Alten's writing is the great research he puts in to each of his novels. It is obvious that Steve Alten takes his writing to a whole other level rarely done by authors now. Goliath is another step up for Steve Alten, as the entire book uses enough detail to print a perfect image of every stick of furniture used by the characters, while keeping the energy going. At times I found myself up at 3 in the morning lost in Steve Alten's world. Each book Steve Alten writes is put on a higher level than his last, earning it his best book to date. We can only hope Steve can hold three series at one time. (Meg series, Domain series, Goliath series?)

Using the most innovative mass destruction weapon ever created will enforce one man's vision of peace. Goliath is a stealth submarine, powered by an artificial intelligence computer called Sorceress. Originally American scientists conceived Goliath, but it was scrapped when a computer virus was introduced into its programming and the schematics disappeared. US Army Captain Gunnar Wolfe took the fall for the incident and was sent to jail at Leavenworth.A presidential pardon freed Gunnar when he saved the life of the prison warden and now he is sent to find Goliath and destroy it before the person who conned the Chinese to make but stole it from them can carry out his grand scheme. Accompanying Gunnar is ex-finance Commander Rocky Jackson who also helped on the Goliath project and hopes the mission will redeem her in her own mind. Unknown to anyone, Sorceress has become sentient and is intent on carrying out a mission of its own.The antagonist of this book is not really a villain but a human being who sees a chance to enforce world peace and takes it in a end justifies the means type of philosophy. Many people would even call him a hero and therein lies the power of this book. It is a reflection of man's actions and it shames us because there should never be a need for a Simon Covah in the first place. Steve Alten has created a fascinating and enthralling story populated with characters that is very easy to relate to because they represent a cross-section of humanity.Harriet Klausner