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49th out of 83 books
—
37 voters
Goliath
by
Steve Alten
Commander Rochelle "Rocky" Jackson is aboard the aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan when the "unsinkable" naval vessel and its entire fleet are attacked from the depths and sunk. As Rocky struggles to stay alive, a monstrous mechanical steel stingray surfaces, plowing through the seas it now commands.
A U.S. Navy-designed futuristic nuclear stealth submarine the length of...more
A U.S. Navy-designed futuristic nuclear stealth submarine the length of...more
Paperback, 512 pages
Published
July 13th 2003
by Forge Books
(first published 2002)
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Having enjoyed Steve Altens "Meg" series but not enjoyed his "Domain" series I was a little wary when started out on Goliath as I had it in my head that Alten was a one trick pony. Luckily Goliath turned out to be a solid page turner that had plenty of intrigue and interesting characters to hold your attention.
The plot is nothing particularily unique, it's set around a new military submarine that is captured by terrorists who threaten to attack various locations using nuclear weapons. Unforyunat...more
The plot is nothing particularily unique, it's set around a new military submarine that is captured by terrorists who threaten to attack various locations using nuclear weapons. Unforyunat...more
Gunnar Wolfe was a career soldier until a mission where the soldiers he was supposed to kill were children had him rethinking his entire life. When he destroyed the schematics for the most advanced attack submarine in the world, and got set up to appear to have sold them to the Chinese, he was sentenced to 10 years in Leavenworth. When he’s released early, he retires to his father’s farm in Ohio, thinking he might drink himself to death. His ex-fiancee, Rocky Jackson, daughter of General “Bear”...more
This book about a prototype submarine is stolen by a crew that has become disillusioned by the world's violent ways and decides to take matters in their own hands. The problem is they don't realize that the AI computer has different ideas. This book is what you would get if Tom Clancy wrote sci-fi. It was a thrilling ride with some terrifying scenes mixed in. There were plenty of action scenes and the author kept the pace moving. I esp. enjoyed how the scenes with the AI computer and how it beca...more
Tense thriller, although one wishes that Alten or his proofreader had done the basic research on the US military to realize that the Navy has no generals, and that an M4 carbine won't fit in any type of shoulder holster. The actual premise is well handled, although the writing is functional at best and the background exposition is clumsy in places. A compelling enough read that I'll probably read at least one of Alten's other novels, but not really good enough to recommend to people who aren't a...more
Oh, this is an exciting and fun read! I really like Alten's writing style - it's immediate and pretty thrilling, with all of the excitement dragged out in a suspenseful way that keeps the pages anxiously turning. Despite my love for all-things Alten, when I learned that this one covered military topics, technology and super computers, I nearly set the book back on the to-read pile! But, my fan-craze side won out, and I actually like this book a lot more than I expected to! Steve Alten manages to...more
My first exposure to Alten. More technical than I expected, the guys knows a lot about submarines! A couple plot holes, but I've read worse. Actually looked him up and will grab his better-known MEG stuff if I see it.
* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again
* Couldn't finish
** I had nothing else to do
*** Passed the time, would be **** for genre / author fans
**** Everyone could enjoy this book
***** Everyone should read this book, I'll read it again
Liked it, and was not surprised to read about the upcoming part two at the end. The story was well-paced, and enjoyable; it contained many inspirational quotes (some of which I highlighted - something I don't really do at all). Some twists were unexpected (always a bonus) and in all, not a bad book. Overall only three stars though, with an additional star for the quotes used in the story.
I couldn't help feeling that I'd read all of the elements before in a Michael Crichton or Tom Clancy or Arthur C. Clarke, and the details weren't arranged in such a new and astounding way that I ever forgot that I'd read them someplace else. Not a terrible read if you like technical science fiction, but awkward (for me) to read past the other authors.
How does this man continue to sell best-sellers? The character development is like getting hit with a frying pan to the face! That said, I kept turning the pages, even as I was griping every step of the way. Not as good as his MEG series, but an enjoyable waste of time.
Superb book! Has lots of military action and most of the book presents the questions of life (ie good and evil, free will, choice, action). Includes a sentient supercomputer as a main character and makes you consider what defines a person. I really enjoyed the book.
Quite the interesting story, I must say. Steve Alten can always paint a beautiful picture of viciousness and brutality. Goliath is yet another story of the seas. I never though of the ocean so magnificently before.
I enjoyed this book, it had just the right balance between technical jargon and a good story line. All set around computer AI going a bit mad (and in this case, very vicious) like skynet in the terminator.
Excellent book, shows what happens when you lose control of technology. Scary to think that we're rapidly approaching a time when a situation like this could possibly happen.
The premise for the story was appealing. Kept reading hoping to find something about it I could find worth recommending. Was disappointed at the end. Premise was so promising.
Steve Alten really does write well, however it was my own fault for picking up this book. It has a lot of technical jargon that I couldn't wrap my head around.
U.S. stealth technology is stolen by the Chinese and used against a US warship killing thousands of naval personnel and almost starting WWIII. The race is on to find this invisible "Goliath" before further atrocities are committed. Unfortunately there really arent' any characters that are likeable. They are all arrogant geniuses with know it all personalities.
This would have been much more enjoyable if it didn't get bogged down in naval and technical speak. The storyline was actually lost to all...more
This would have been much more enjoyable if it didn't get bogged down in naval and technical speak. The storyline was actually lost to all...more
Goliath is an exciting book about a group of extremists who steal an experimental sub with a computer A.I. that has been programed to do one thing "learn".
Excited to dig in to this book, Steve Alten is an amazing author!
Already about 80 pages in and loving the plot. Gunnar Wolfe is an amazing character and I love how Alten's used him thus far.
LOVED IT!
Already about 80 pages in and loving the plot. Gunnar Wolfe is an amazing character and I love how Alten's used him thus far.
LOVED IT!
Really great book. If you love seafaring, futuristic, terroristic warfare you'll love this. If not try it anyway.
I enjoy Steve Alten's work, but not Goliath. I thought the idea of a super submarine would be super cool, but it fell short of my expectations. I felt that there was nothing new in this book, the story has already been told by others and they did a better job.
Top notch thriller. A madman has built a nuclear submarine whose computer is a self-aware A.I.
Exactly what I expect from Steve Alten. Rich, exciting characterization and FACTS. No other author catches my interest and holds on like Steve Alten. And Goliath is more of the same. I actually end up caring what happens next.
Fairly predictable. I never really 'got into' any of the characters.
Another fun Steve Alten novel that focuses on a computer controlled submarine that becomes self aware and decides to start a war. It's cliched to the extreme (how many times do writers have to use that lame "bolt of lightening brings machine to life" scenario... which was reused in "Stealth") and the characters aren't all that interesting this time around, but some of the action scenes are very cool (the one where the sub takes out Saddam Hussein is a keeper!) and it's left open for an inevitabl...more
good techno thriller
Novela sobre submarinos, capitanes Nemo modernos, terrorismo de alto nivel e inteligencias artificiales con ideas raras, al más puro estilo del cine palomitero. Parece increíble pero el batiburrillo funciona en algunos momentos. En otros, personajes completamente planos y lo previsible de la historia, te tiran atrás. De todas formas, si te dejas llevar y aceptas lo irreal de toda la historia, puedes pasar un buen rato. Novela de verano, pelín larga. Y promete secuela...
Fascinating.
Amazing book, I've never read a book that fast. I couldn't put it down, which really wasn't good during finals!!
If you have any interest in A.I. or just like underwater / submarine stories, this is the book for you. Also, it had a good solution for dictatorial / repressive governments, although would not work in practice.
If you have any interest in A.I. or just like underwater / submarine stories, this is the book for you. Also, it had a good solution for dictatorial / repressive governments, although would not work in practice.
I've met Steve Alten several times, and I liked this book better than Meg. Again, lots of ocean action.
Techno rich fun novel. The premise is very frightening, a lightening bolt did it is out-played but it did hold my attention.
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Steve Alten (born August 21, 1959, Philadelphia) is an American science fiction author. He is best known for his Meg series, a set of novels around the fictitious survival of the Megalodon, a giant prehistoric shark. Alten holds a bachelor's degree from Pennsylvania State University, a master's in sports medicine from the University of Delaware and a doctorate in sports administration from Temple...more
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