The Loch
Encyclopedia
The Loch is a science fiction novel and Legal thriller
by Steve Alten
, and was first published in 2005. The novel is the story of marine biologist Zachary Wallace.
Marine Biologist Zachary Wallace went on an expedition into the Sargasso Sea
to witness giant squids. While there, the sonar picked up a reading that the military had named the Bloop
. As the bloops closed in, the three passengers aboard the submarine witnessed the giant squid mercilessly get torn apart by a number of unidentified creatures. The submarine's acrylic bubble suffered severe dameage as Zachary, David, and the pilot quickly race to the surface. Before reaching the research boat, their submarine's bubble pops, allowing the unforgiving Atlantic to flood in killing the pilot and drowning Wallace as he pushed David to safety. Miraculously, Wallace survived, and sadly, after returning to South Florida to take his position at Florida Atlantic University
,he finds out that David blamed him for the destruction of the sub and the death of their pilot. Fired from the university, Zachary's life goes downhill, spending all of his savings on drinks and in nightclubs. Weeks after, he receives word that his biological father is on trial for murder. His father, Angus Wallace, lives in a village on the shores of Loch Ness
in Scotland
. Zachary has not seen his father since his mother divorced him and moved back to the United States
seventeen years ago. However, he agrees to go visit Angus when his half brother says he is needed in the trial.
Zachary reconnects with some old friends back home and prepares to help his father. However, this is complicated by the fact that during the trial, Angus testifies that he is not guilty of the murder and that he actually witnessed the victim being attacked by the Loch Ness Monster
. Zachary was attacked when he was nine years old and has repressed
traumatic
memory
, causing migraines and night terrors.
The British
Tabloids go berserk and soon the Loch is full of boats and crews searching for Nessie
.
Desperate to salvage his academic reputation, Zachary must discover the truth among his friends, family, the mysterious Black Knights (a branch of the Knights Templar
) and other secrets.
Unlike the popular depiction of 'Nessie' as a plesiosaur
, the monster in the novel is revealed to be a gigantic species of carnivourous eel
.
Legal thriller
The legal thriller is a sub-genre of thriller and crime fiction in which the major characters are lawyers and their employees. The system of justice itself is always a major part of these works, at times almost functioning as one of the characters...
by Steve Alten
Steve Alten
Steven Robert "Steve" Alten 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...
, and was first published in 2005. The novel is the story of marine biologist Zachary Wallace.
Plot summary
AmericanUnited States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Marine Biologist Zachary Wallace went on an expedition into the Sargasso Sea
Sargasso Sea
The Sargasso Sea is a region in the middle of the North Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by ocean currents. It is bounded on the west by the Gulf Stream; on the north, by the North Atlantic Current; on the east, by the Canary Current; and on the south, by the North Atlantic Equatorial Current. This...
to witness giant squids. While there, the sonar picked up a reading that the military had named the Bloop
Bloop
The Bloop is the name given to an ultra-low frequency and extremely powerful underwater sound detected by the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration in 1997...
. As the bloops closed in, the three passengers aboard the submarine witnessed the giant squid mercilessly get torn apart by a number of unidentified creatures. The submarine's acrylic bubble suffered severe dameage as Zachary, David, and the pilot quickly race to the surface. Before reaching the research boat, their submarine's bubble pops, allowing the unforgiving Atlantic to flood in killing the pilot and drowning Wallace as he pushed David to safety. Miraculously, Wallace survived, and sadly, after returning to South Florida to take his position at Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University
Florida Atlantic University, also referred to as FAU or Florida Atlantic, is a public, coeducational, research university located in , United States. The university has six satellite campuses located in the Florida cities of Dania Beach, Davie, Fort Lauderdale, Jupiter, Port St. Lucie, and in Fort...
,he finds out that David blamed him for the destruction of the sub and the death of their pilot. Fired from the university, Zachary's life goes downhill, spending all of his savings on drinks and in nightclubs. Weeks after, he receives word that his biological father is on trial for murder. His father, Angus Wallace, lives in a village on the shores of Loch Ness
Loch Ness
Loch Ness is a large, deep, freshwater loch in the Scottish Highlands extending for approximately southwest of Inverness. Its surface is above sea level. Loch Ness is best known for the alleged sightings of the cryptozoological Loch Ness Monster, also known affectionately as "Nessie"...
in Scotland
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
. Zachary has not seen his father since his mother divorced him and moved back to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
seventeen years ago. However, he agrees to go visit Angus when his half brother says he is needed in the trial.
Zachary reconnects with some old friends back home and prepares to help his father. However, this is complicated by the fact that during the trial, Angus testifies that he is not guilty of the murder and that he actually witnessed the victim being attacked by the Loch Ness Monster
Loch Ness Monster
The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid that is reputed to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is similar to other supposed lake monsters in Scotland and elsewhere, though its description varies from one account to the next....
. Zachary was attacked when he was nine years old and has repressed
Repressed memory
Repressed memory is a hypothetical concept used to describe a significant memory, usually of a traumatic nature, that has become unavailable for recall; also called motivated forgetting in which a subject blocks out painful or traumatic times in one's life...
traumatic
Psychological trauma
Psychological trauma is a type of damage to the psyche that occurs as a result of a traumatic event...
memory
Memory
In psychology, memory is an organism's ability to store, retain, and recall information and experiences. Traditional studies of memory began in the fields of philosophy, including techniques of artificially enhancing memory....
, causing migraines and night terrors.
The British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
Tabloids go berserk and soon the Loch is full of boats and crews searching for Nessie
NESSIE
NESSIE was a European research project funded from 2000–2003 to identify secure cryptographic primitives. The project was comparable to the NIST AES process and the Japanese Government-sponsored CRYPTREC project, but with notable differences from both...
.
Desperate to salvage his academic reputation, Zachary must discover the truth among his friends, family, the mysterious Black Knights (a branch of the Knights Templar
Knights Templar
The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon , commonly known as the Knights Templar, the Order of the Temple or simply as Templars, were among the most famous of the Western Christian military orders...
) and other secrets.
Unlike the popular depiction of 'Nessie' as a plesiosaur
Plesiosaur
Plesiosauroidea is an extinct clade of carnivorous plesiosaur marine reptiles. Plesiosauroids, are known from the Jurassic and Cretaceous Periods...
, the monster in the novel is revealed to be a gigantic species of carnivourous eel
Eel
Eels are an order of fish, which consists of four suborders, 20 families, 111 genera and approximately 800 species. Most eels are predators...
.
Film
- In a one on one interview producer Belle Avery confirmed that a Loch film was also in development as well.