MEG Books in Order
MEG by Steve Alten contains 9 books, published between 1997 and 2022. The first book is Meg (1997) and the newest is Purgatory (2022). Publication order is the reading order below.
Looking for a different reading order? Meg Langslow books in order by Donna Andrews (40 books).
- Books
- 9
- Published
- 1997–2022
- Confirmed
- 9 of 9 titles
- Pages on record
- 1,690 in 4 of 9 books
MEG is a shark thriller series by Steve Alten. The first book, Meg (1997), follows Jonas Taylor, the only survivor of a dive into the deepest canyon of the Pacific, who insists that a living Carcharodon megalodon is down there and is written off as a crackpot. Nine books run to Purgatory (2022), taking in The Trench (1999), Hell's Aquarium (2009) and Generations (2020). Deep diving, marine biologists and submarine trenches recur across the series.
How many MEG books are there?
MEG has 9 books, released between 1997 and 2022.
MEG Books in Publication Order
The table lists all 9 MEG books in the order they were published, with the release year, the page count where one is on record, and how many independent book listings confirm each title. Catalogue data as of September 2026.
- 1Meg1997 · 430 pages · confirmed 3/419974303/4
- 2The Trench1999 · 430 pages · confirmed 3/419994303/4
- 3Primal Waters2004 · 463 pages · confirmed 3/420044633/4
- 4Hell's Aquarium2009 · confirmed 3/42009–3/4
- 5Origins2011 · confirmed 3/42011–3/4
- 6Nightstalkers2016 · 367 pages · confirmed 3/420163673/4
- 7Angel of Death: Survival2020 · confirmed 3/42020–3/4
- 8Generations2020 · confirmed 3/42020–3/4
- 9Purgatory2022 · confirmed 3/42022–3/4
MEG Books in Chronological Order
In story order, Origins comes first and Purgatory comes last. Chronological order follows the events inside the story rather than the release dates. The 9 books below run in that in-universe sequence.
- 5Origins2011 · confirmed 3/42011–3/4
- 1Meg1997 · 430 pages · confirmed 3/419974303/4
- 7Angel of Death: Survival2020 · confirmed 3/42020–3/4
- 2The Trench1999 · 430 pages · confirmed 3/419994303/4
- 3Primal Waters2004 · 463 pages · confirmed 3/420044633/4
- 4Hell's Aquarium2009 · confirmed 3/42009–3/4
- 6Nightstalkers2016 · 367 pages · confirmed 3/420163673/4
- 8Generations2020 · confirmed 3/42020–3/4
- 9Purgatory2022 · confirmed 3/42022–3/4
Do you have to read MEG books in order?
You should read the MEG books in publication order, the order of the numbered table above. The catalogue does not record whether each MEG book also stands alone.
Where to start with MEG
Start with Meg (1997), the earliest published title. In the chronological order, Origins comes first.
What is the newest MEG book?
Purgatory (2022) is the newest MEG book released so far.
Is there a new MEG book coming?
No next MEG book is announced in the catalogue, which is a gap in the listings it merges rather than a sign that the run has ended.
MEG at a glance
- Paused
- No new MEG title has appeared for 4 years. The last was published in 2022.
- Release pace
- MEG books have appeared about one every 3 years on average.
- Length
- 1,690 pages across the 4 of 9 books with a recorded length, a median of 430 pages each.
- Busiest decade
- Most MEG books, 3 of 9, were published in the 2020s.
What the MEG books are about
6 of the 9 MEG books carry subject tags in Open Library's catalogue. The subjects below are the ones that recur across them, most frequent first: sharks is tagged on 4 of 6. The subjects are cataloguers’ headings, not a plot summary.
- Sharks 4 of 6 books
- Deep diving 3 of 6 books
- Thrillers 3 of 6 books
- Science fiction, action & adventure 2 of 6 books
- Thrillers, supernatural 2 of 6 books
More books by Steve Alten
The author page linked below lists every book in publication order.
- Steve Alten books in order 21 books