Tyrannosaur Canyon
by Douglas Preston
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 654)
Read in January, 2008
recommended to Jenny by:
Dannyrecommends it for: Anybody with a few hours to kill
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Read in April, 2007
recommends it for:
Dinosaur nuts, speculative science readers
Douglas Preston's Tyrannosaur Canyon is unfortunately compared to Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park, which does neither book good service. Preston's book has no living dinosaurs, except for the flashbacks to 65 million years in the past that follow the life of a female t-rex. Where Crichton's book was a clever way to get people to understand cloning research, Preston's is all about paleontological speculation, with strangely less hard biology. So Tyrannosaur Canyon is an ulti...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommended to jeannie by:
No one, thank goodnessrecommends it for: my step mother, Dan Brown, Michael Crichton
I would be ashamed to acknowledge that I read this novel, if it were not for the fact that my story may serve as a cautionary tale for others.
I have never read Douglas Preston before this book. I likely will never again read Douglas Preston. The blurb on the cover states, "If John Grisham had written Jurassic Park, he couldn't do better than Tyrannosaur Canyon."
I think, if John Grisham chose to sue for libel he would have a compelling case. This book was meant to fill the...more
I have never read Douglas Preston before this book. I likely will never again read Douglas Preston. The blurb on the cover states, "If John Grisham had written Jurassic Park, he couldn't do better than Tyrannosaur Canyon."
I think, if John Grisham chose to sue for libel he would have a compelling case. This book was meant to fill the...more
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Read in September, 2008
Many people will know the author, Douglas Preston, more from his collaborations with Lincoln Child like Relic and Reliquary and the rest of that series, but he also has several solo books. This book is a sequel to Codex with Tom Broadbent and his wife carrying on as main characters. While i only gave the book 3 stars, i have to admit that i stayed up till 1am the other night to finish it. However dramatically implausible, the story is fast paced and gripping. I don't think that Preston does ...more
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Read in January, 2007
recommended to Travis by:
Katie, my wiferecommends it for: Dino fans, adventure/scifi fans
This book was a gift from my wife. She got it for me based on a love of dinosaurs I have had since childhood. I had bever read anything by these Authors before this. I found that I really enjoyed this book amd was very intrigued at the premise that maybe the extinction of the dinosaurs didn't happen quite like anyting we have ever thought. Also presented is an unfortuneatly realistic picture of just how secretive our government really is and the lengths that they would go to preserve those s...more
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Read in March, 2008
recommends it for:
Hardcore Preston/Child fans only
I loathe the idea of giving a Douglas Preston book only two stars, since he and his frequent writing partner Lincoln Child have never failed me before. Tyrannosaur Canyon, however, was just so difficult to get into. Nothing propelled me forward the way the Preston/Child books did. There wasn't a sense of mystery, and the big revelation towards the end is really ho-hum.
After also being less than thrilled with Preston's The Codex, I'd worry that he isn't worth reading on his own, but his newe...more
After also being less than thrilled with Preston's The Codex, I'd worry that he isn't worth reading on his own, but his newe...more
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
cool dudes
I read this book in Mexico, so obviously it holds a special place in my heart. I picked because my wife thinks I'm a nerd because even though I'm no longer five years old, I still think dinosaurs are awesome. So I got it to perpetuate that rap. The book is great in terms of junk novel quality, and just as I love bad horror movies, I love bad junk novels. And this one has it all: murder, potentially catostrophic space diseases, cowboy sherrifs, black market dinosaur fossil dealers, absolutly...more
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Read in June, 2008
Now that I am finished, I can say that this is definitely not one of his best books. It was good, not great. It left some questions unanswered at the end, but it doesn't feel like there will be a sequel to answer those questions. Normally, there is some kind of "cliffhanger" element at the end that leads one to believe another book is coming, but there was no cliffhanger here.
Still in all, it was a good book that I enjoyed reading before going to bed. I will still read every ...more
Still in all, it was a good book that I enjoyed reading before going to bed. I will still read every ...more
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Read in February, 2008
An engaging diversion / entertainment in the suspense/thriller genre that was fun for escape but a bit overblown and melodramatic. For me the story tried to pack too many devices into its multi-threaded plot. Some where between two-thirds and three fourths through it fell apart for me and I forced myself to finish just to see if the ending would be as pat as I expected. It was. Not a bad story for an amusement ride but also not entirely satisfying to me. A good book for an airplane trip perh...more
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Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
that's a really good question
why does this book feel so mediocre? it had good science, some character depth, plenty of action and competing storylines...plus conspiracy stuff, which i heart.
i think the problem is just editing. there were several times i thought 'that scene should've ended 3 paragraphs ago' or 'he's letting them talk too much'.
i really got into it the longer things went -- certainly beat out the other book i was reading -- but now that i've been done with it a couple days, i'm totally meh.
i think the problem is just editing. there were several times i thought 'that scene should've ended 3 paragraphs ago' or 'he's letting them talk too much'.
i really got into it the longer things went -- certainly beat out the other book i was reading -- but now that i've been done with it a couple days, i'm totally meh.
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Read in December, 2006
recommends it for:
Someone Looking for a Beach Read or Plane Read
Douglas Preston can usually be relied upon to deliver solid, interesting mystery stories. I was surprised when thisone fell short of the mark. The idea behind the story, that there is a full, intact, well-preserved Tyrannosaurus Rexburied in the desert that holds a secret people would kill for is a good one. Good science and archeology based mysteries are few and far between, so I was quite excited to pick this book up. Read the Rest of This Review: books.bgwe.org/?p=5
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Read in August, 2007
A near-perfect fossil of a T Rex has been discovered in the desert of New Mexico, and some people will stop at nothing to get their hands on it.
Tyrannosaur Canyon reads like a movie. There is fairly nonstop action and the book presents an intriguing situation. The characters were good, although one-dimensional. The bad guys were bad, the good guys were good... I'd recommend it for dinosaur buffs, but you don't have to be interested in dinosaurs to enjoy it.
Tyrannosaur Canyon reads like a movie. There is fairly nonstop action and the book presents an intriguing situation. The characters were good, although one-dimensional. The bad guys were bad, the good guys were good... I'd recommend it for dinosaur buffs, but you don't have to be interested in dinosaurs to enjoy it.
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Read in September, 2007
recommends it for:
dinosaur lovers, conspiracy theories
Having just visited the Field Museum in Chicago and seeing Sue the most complete T-Rex found to date, I decided to read this book. I love the Douglas Preston/Lincoln Child Agent Pendagrass series (Relic, Reliquary, Cabinet of Curiousities etc.).
It has a dying man with a secret...the government gets involved and it links to the last Apollo flight...I don't want to say more than that. In my imagination it played out like a good movie!
It has a dying man with a secret...the government gets involved and it links to the last Apollo flight...I don't want to say more than that. In my imagination it played out like a good movie!
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Read in January, 2007
I did enjoy listening to this book although I only gave it three stars. There just wasn't anything in the story for me to push it into the "really like it" category. I would have given it 3.5 stars if I could.
I thought the story was well written and performed. There were some great twists and a few neat "oh wow" moments. It's worth a go if you like Michael Crichton type sci-fi.
I thought the story was well written and performed. There were some great twists and a few neat "oh wow" moments. It's worth a go if you like Michael Crichton type sci-fi.
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Read in September, 2006
I picked this one up because it looked fun and I enjoyed one of his earlier books, The Codex. I was surprised to find that this was a sequel of sorts-- it featured the main brother who appeared in that one. Again, this was a fast, fun, furious story. Action-packed, with some fun paleontological tidbits thrown in. Nothing inspiring, but enjoyable.
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Read in November, 2007
Douglas Preston (along with his often writing partner Lincoln Child) is one of the more enjoyable action/adventure authors that I consistently read. Not too heavy or in depth, these stories always provide just the right amount of mystery, suspense and excitement while providing a rather quick and light read.
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Read in January, 2008
A thriller that wasn't exactly what I'd expected when I bought it. I expected something more like Jurassic Park, but it was more shoot-em-up escapist thriller; there were no dinosaurs, except a large fossil. But for what it was--a way to pass the time on the train into Chicago--it was fine.
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This is one of those ones I just happened to pick up in the airport last year. It turned out to be a good pick. A mystery/adventure that I think you will enjoy. Some decent characters. You know, nothing spectatular, but entertaining for some bedtime or beach or camping reading.
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What if an alien invasion is what really killed the dinosaurs? What is so important about a missing moon rock? How far will some people go to find the answers?
This wasn't my favorite of Preston's books, but it was a decent read. Somewhat too much science/technology for me.
This wasn't my favorite of Preston's books, but it was a decent read. Somewhat too much science/technology for me.
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Read in March, 2007
recommends it for:
one who needs a fun break - adventure and biology and dinosaurs
An ex-CIA agent turned novice monk, an unscrupulous museum paleontologist (and his brilliant lab manager), a "dinosaur prospector," a secret (black ops) government agency, and an honest rancher...fun read for a break from the heavy stuff!
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