Book Review: Sharkwater Beach

Sharkwater Beach by Tim Meyer is an interesting book. It definitely went in directions I didn't expect, directions I couldn't possibly have expected, to be perfectly honest. And I'm not going to lie, things got strange. I still enjoyed it, however, and I think, if creatures features are your thing, and you keep your expectations...open...you might enjoy it too.

Beware. Spoilers ahead.

Sharkwater starts off with a bang. The prologue is exciting. Meyer's novel opens with a security guard stationed at a remote underwater research station, run by a mysterious, wealthy entrepreneur. Alerted to a massive security breach in one of the lower levels of the station, and unable to communicate with anyone from that level, the security guard heads below, where he encounters massive carnage and, ultimately, his doom at the hands of a massive shark.

From there, Meyer moves on to the main story and introduces us to several different characters, including Jill, a grouchy detective and former marine biology student, who reunites with her former professor/lover after he and his students discover evidence of the shark on a university owned beach. We also meet CJ, a fisherman whose boat is destroyed by the shark, and Brinks and his two partners, a mercenary squad working for the aforementioned mysterious entrepreneur, who find themselves stranded with CJ after being burned by their employer. Our cast all meet up on Key Water Island, home of the titular Sharkwater Beach, which also happens to be where our giant shark is headed.

And that brings me to the topic of our shark. She's not just any old giant shark. She's an alien giant shark. We are privy to this information, as well as some brief history of her home planet, due to several chapters worth of narration from the point of view of our shark. Which is an odd narrative choice. However, it is an odd narrative choice which allows us to also learn of her hatred towards humans, who had apparently been experimenting on her in that research station. We also learn that she's pregnant...And here's where things get odder.

She gives birth to babies...

Human/shark hybrid babies.

First off, I couldn't help but picture this:

Yes, that is Vin Diesel.

Does anybody else remember those Street Sharks toys? And I believe there was an animated series that went along with it, although I never watched it.

That's clearly not what the shark-people in this book are supposed to look like at all, but that's what I kept picturing.

Anyway, one the shark-people are born, about 3/4 of the way through the novel, they eat their giant shark mother, and she's no longer part of the story. And as strange as I thought things had been before, with her inner monologue, things just get more bizarre once there are giant shark people running around.

I'm not going to spoil the ending for you. If what I've described sounds entertaining, you'll love Sharkwater Beach. If it sounds too bizarre, then this may not be your cup of tea. Even though it wasn't what I was expecting, I ended up really enjoying Meyer's book and will definitely be checking out more from him in the future.