Jurassic Park

by
Michael Crichton

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Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park #1)

by Michael Crichton

3.79 of 5 stars 3.79 · rating details · 364,549 ratings · 3,589 reviews

Unless your species evolved sometime after 1993 when Jurassic Park hit theaters, you're no doubt familiar with this dinosaur-bites-man disaster tale set on an island theme park gone terribly wrong. But if Speilberg's amped-up CGI creation left you longing for more scientific background and ... well, character development, check out the original Michael Crichton novel. Alth...more

ebook, 480 pages

Published May 29th 1991 by Ballantine Books (first published November 1990)

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Aug 16, 2012 Simeon rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi, mystery-thrillers

Science-at-the-brink-of-chaos fiction. Nonlinear dynamics had barely been invented, and yet here they were gracing each chapter with a foreboding message of disintegration.

Not literature, not amazing prose, but a true edge-of-your-seat thriller.

25 likes · like · see review

Feb 04, 2011 Brad rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Recommended to Brad by: James Davie

Shelves: sci-fi, adventure, cinematic, ecological, pb-and-j-dipped-in-hot-chocolate

I always seem to forget how good Jurassic Park is. I blast through it once every few years, throw it on my shelf and the distance slowly makes me derisive, and then something forces me to pick it up again when my brain needs a little peanut butter and jelly dipped in hot chocolate, and I am forced to admit that Jurassic Park is a damn fine novel.

Sure it's packed with Michael Crichton's usual band of screenplay-adaptation-friendly archetypes, sure it derives much of its plot and thought from Art ...more

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May 29, 2013 Jr Bacdayan rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

RAWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

Imagine yourself a prey, being hunted by the one of the most deadliest predators that ever roamed the earth. The Tyrannosaurus Rex. About 30 feet of pure muscle with a massive head that contains the biggest set of teeth that could turn your flesh and bones into mush in one bite.

You are trapped. You have nowhere to go. Your entire body is shaking.

RAWWWWWWWWWWWWRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!

You might or might not have peed in y...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Allison (The Allure of Books) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: 2009, mysteries-thrillers-crime-horror

I'm really surprised by how much I enjoyed this book! I have seen the movie several times, and always enjoy it...and now I appreciate it even more, because it makes things left vague in the movie make so much more sense.

The added character development (and even dinosaur development, for that matter) make the book fly above and beyond anything a movie could ever recreate.

8 likes · like · see review

Nov 22, 2011 Ryan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jurassic Park is Michael Crichton's masterwork. The academics are cooler, the science is hipper, and the monsters are badder. So why haven't you read this novel?

Let's look at the premise: We can use cloning technology to bring dinosaurs back, and now the fabulously wealthy Mr. John Hammond is going to sell glimpses of those dinosaurs in order to make money, "a lot of money," as Mr. Hammond would remind us. Alan Grant, Ellie Sattler, and Ian Malcolm are brought to a Caribbean island to vet Jurass...more

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May 24, 2013 Faye (The Social Potato) rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: get-soon, action, adult, adult-but-no-sex, adventure, dinosaurs, violent-but-fucking-good, thriller, survival, science-fiction, multiple-povs, family, archaelogy

Awesome, awesome book. I won't be giving a full review, because, well, everybody knows this and everybody knows it's awesome. Haha.

A few things though:
* It was quite irritating how the only "verb" with regards to dialogue were thought and said. Even when someone asked a question, it won't be "Malcolm asked", it would be "Malcolm said". Over and over and over like there were nothing else.
* Lex was suuuper annoying. She only rekindled the thought that children in books ruin them. She was so infuri...more

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Oct 25, 2007 Monk rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

As a child, my parents (mostly my mother) encouraged me to read 'real books' about historical stuff (which bored the hell out of me) and to tackle topics that were relevant or based in fact (boy did that not hold). When I petitioned to read this book, mom and dad shot it down (and at that age they held the purse strings) and tried to get me to read some book about Medieval Italy (boooooring).

Two years leter, they caved and let me get this book. It was wonderful.

Crichton is hit or miss from what...more

10 likes · like · see review

May 07, 2008 Matthew rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: adventure fans

Shelves: books-from-my-childhood

I remember reading this for the first time in the 5th grade. It was late spring, and the weather was gorgeous outside. Then, from out of nowhere, a storm started brewing. The wind violently rustled the trees, the sky boomed with the sound of distant thunder... and I imagined it was one of the tropical storms described in this book.

Granted, I lived in Ohio at the time, but you can't fault a kid's imagination. It was a perfect backdrop for me whilst reading this novel.

Frankly, I feel it's somewhat...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Keely rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-fiction, science-fiction, childhood, novel, reviewed, american

With Crichton, it is always a gamble whether whatever strange and new idea has latched onto will overcome his overbearing personality. His assurance that science will always go wrong makes for easy potboiler plots, but you do get the feeling that if he were a caveman, he would mistrust a sharpened stick.

Crichton's sensationalism and misuse of scientific concepts has made him untrustworthy as a guide on any serious issue, but in the case of runaway dinosaurs, we do not need to heed his warnings a...more

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Mar 07, 2013 Deneé rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: from-library, from-kindle, favorites

Originally posted at Novel Reveries

Welcome to Jurassic Park. You are now entering the lost world of the prehistoric past, a world of mighty creatures long gone from the face of the earth, which you are privileged to see for the first time. -151

Innovation, secrecy, unaccountability, greediness, stupidity, stubbornness, and chaos. These are just a few words that sum this up in a nutshell. To dispel concerns and rumors of his company (InGen) wasting funds and causing havoc to the nearby islands,...more

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Oct 06, 2011 Drew rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Sometimes I worry that my taste in books is getting really snobby. Then I read something like Jurassic Park, and realize that that is exactly true. I can't just sit back and absorb the brilliantly original (as far as I know) idea and the deftly told action scenes. For some reason I have to quibble over awkward sentences, clumsy exposition, and strange dialogue tags. I can't accept Crichton's weird Luddite agenda, even though ordinarily I'd agree with a lot of his points, because he tries to snea...more

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Apr 26, 2013 Faith rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: science-fiction

What , are you guys honestly surprised?

Impossible science? Screw it! An overabundance of characters? Who cares! Glaring plot holes? We don't mind! It has DINOSAURS in it and it's not a complete piece of crap! I'm sold , good enough.

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Jun 23, 2008 Mike rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Dinosaur=Terrible Lizard

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Jun 13, 2013 Shawn Hall rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

In my book Jurassic Park I recommend the book to my friends. Because it is a wonderful book that you could read. The reason I said it is a wonderful book to read is because the author did a great job writing the book. I believe he used his imagination to create the book. Not only did he write book, the facts about the book are true was well. What I’m trying say he was a scientist therefore he knew what he was talking when he described the dinosaurs in the book. Therefore his information in the b...more
In my book Jurassic Park I recommend the book to my friends. Because it is a wonderful book that you could read. The reason I said it is a wonderful book to read is because the author did a great job writing the book. I believe he used his imagination to create the book. Not only did he write book, the facts about the book are true was well. What I’m trying say he was a scientist therefore he knew what he was talking when he described the dinosaurs in the book. Therefore his information in the book is reliable.

A second reason why I would recommend the book to a friend is. Because if you are one of those types that reads five books in a month than this book is perfect for you. Also if you like the other books that the author wrote than this book would be good for you as well. And if you are a dinosaurs fan you like reading a good story about dinosaurs/ science fictions. Than it would be for you to buy and read the book. And if you are one of the many thousands of people who have watched the Jurassic Park and just want to read the book too then I would recommend it to my friends.

A third reason why I would recommend the book to my friend is. The reason is because the book has a lot of action and drama. Which are the characteristics that I really like in a book. It makes me want to keep reading just to find out what happens on the next page. I would recommend it also because dinosaurs there fun to read about. I’m pretty sure that I’m not the only one on the planet that likes dinosaurs. Therefore I would recommend it to friends. And another reason why I would recommend it is because it is a famous book.

My fourth and final reason why I would recommend Jurassic park the book is because if your just one of those types like reading about dinosaurs. And like the thrill of fast passed and interesting book, than this book would be great. The reason why it would be excellent for is because it has a lot of violence. For an example people running from dinosaurs, people getting eating by dinosaurs, people shooting at the dinosaurs. Also because has a lot if science fiction in the book.

In my conclusion Jurassic park is an action packed book with a mix of terror and drama. I would recommend it because it’s about dinosaurs. Also my friends like dinosaurs too. Also personally recommend it to my friends because it was written by my most favorite author. I wouldn’t recommend this book to anyone else than my friends. Because it is such a great book.
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Jan 19, 2013 Ethan rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: favorites

Okay so maybe I'm biased because I have loved dinosaurs since childhood. My parents took me to see the movie when i was 4 years old. They said I Laughed when the T-Rex ate the lawyer off the toilet and smiled when I saw the raptors attack. But i digress...anyways This book was great. As always Crichton has his ramblings about scientific theory's. But they never seem irrelevant to the plot in Jurassic park. I found the book to be much more engaging than the film ( which i still love). The book ju...more

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Apr 25, 2009 Aaron rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: character, idea, plot

(just noticed I picked the Spanish edition by accident. I don't know how to change this, but, obviously, I didn't read it in Spanish. Though that would probably be cool. Would the [small:] amount of dialogue already in Spanish be in Spanish, or in English or something else?)

Still a fun read after all these years. Haven't read it since I was in sixth or seventh grade, and it's still awesome. The writing is clean as it gets, with some remarkably memorable visceral imagery. Of course, what drives i...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Becky rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: mystery-and-thrillers, owned, science-fiction, 2009, reviewed

I really enjoyed this book. I saw the movie of course, numerous times, so I had an idea of what to expect going in, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the book. More so after not liking The Andromeda Strain, which was the first Crichton book I ever read.

I have to say, this was a classic case of BBM: Book's Better than the Movie. As I read this, I had the movie playing right along in my head. There were some substantial differences, more background information on the characters as well as a...more I really enjoyed this book. I saw the movie of course, numerous times, so I had an idea of what to expect going in, but I was still pleasantly surprised by the book. More so after not liking The Andromeda Strain, which was the first Crichton book I ever read.

I have to say, this was a classic case of BBM: Book's Better than the Movie. As I read this, I had the movie playing right along in my head. There were some substantial differences, more background information on the characters as well as a bit more technical & scientific background given, but these things only added to the book.

Firstly, the character of Lex always annoyed me in the movie. She was cast as an older tomboy sister to Tim, but acted nothing like the 12 or 13 year old she was supposed to be. In the book, shes 7 or 8, so her actions make a lot more sense.

The book also didn't have the typical Spielberg/Hollywood ending, meaning that the characters in the book didn't just fly off into the sunset to resume their normal lives and live happily ever after. The book ending was much more realistic and much better for it.

I don't know much about Crichton's political views, but based on the two books I've read so far, he seems almost to hold a low opinion of scientists. In The Andromeda Strain, he repeatedly pointed out the scientists' flaws and shortcomings and failures. I didn't much enjoy that book, so that could be coloring my recollection. In Jurassic Park, Crichton uses every opportunity to show the irresponsibility of scientific advances as a whole.

He uses the mathematician, Dr. Malcolm, as the main voice of reason and sanity, and explains why science is inherently irresponsible. John Hammond, the mastermind behind Jurassic Park's creation is depicted as a man more concerned with money than with whether or not what he's doing SHOULD be done. And that's really the point that Malcolm strives to make. Yes, making trout pale so as to see them more easily in the water is possible, but does that mean that it should be done? No, not necessarily.

I've heard it said that Crichton was adamantly against the idea of global warming. As I don't know much about his views myself, I will base this next sentence completely on what I read in the book. I agree with him. Again using Malcolm as his mouthpiece, Crichton shows the fallacy of the idea that mankind is destroying the planet. The Earth's been around for a couple billion years, and will most likely survive anything that we could do to it. Humans may not survive, and for THAT selfish reason, we should take better care of our home. (Although, in my opinion we should do it because it's the right thing to do.)

Anyway, I really liked this book. It was fast paced, and definitely kept me interested from start to finish. I'd recommend it. (less)

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Oct 14, 2008 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Apart from being a good imaginative thriller, the novel says something important (which the film glosses over) that really struck me. One of the scientists states that knowledge we do not acquire by our own efforts is like inherited wealth: we do not properly respect it because we did not bear the cost of winning it. As Malcolm, the scientist, points out, when we have to earn money we take care how we spend it. When we have to learn things by our own sweat, we appreciate the things we are dealin...more Apart from being a good imaginative thriller, the novel says something important (which the film glosses over) that really struck me. One of the scientists states that knowledge we do not acquire by our own efforts is like inherited wealth: we do not properly respect it because we did not bear the cost of winning it. As Malcolm, the scientist, points out, when we have to earn money we take care how we spend it. When we have to learn things by our own sweat, we appreciate the things we are dealing with. We respect the importance of them. Inherited wealth is too easy to squander because it didn't cost us blood, sweat and tears to get it.When the human race possesses knowledge already researched, derived and written up then we may become reckless in the use of it. He is referring to the Jurassic Park project, which was an ill-conceived idea. It brought back to life creatures that had become extinct, and were not meant exist in the modern world. You can read this book from a secular perspective and think in terms of the forces of nature, or you can read it from a Christian perspective and see it as a folly like the Tower Of Babel. Human beings took on something beyond their level of understanding and made themselve dangerous like a child with a firearm, the risks of which they do not properly understand. The concept of Jurassic Park meddled with nature and interfered with things that humans do not really understand well enough to exploit. 'Playing with fire' might be another analogy. When it all got out of control and disaster followed, the reader sees what the author means.
The introduction sets the tone, with Crichton pointing out how apparently good ideas can turn out to have frightening implications which were not foreseen. Then the narrative opens with the unexplained accident, which a doctor has to deal with and which is being disguised with a lie. From there the story caught my imagination because the characters are realistic, there is a constant sense of something terrifying about to happen; and the changes of point of view gave me a wide view of the action. While being an entertaining thriller, the novel was also didactic because it showed quite graphically how an ill-considered idea lead to catastrophe. It becomes clear from the story that there is more to come. The Jurassic Park project opened up the proverbial Pandora's Box. It won't be easy to get it back under control. (less)

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Jul 08, 2009 Jason rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Adventure fans, Sci-fi fans, readers in general

“Jurassic Park” was my first Michael Crichton book. I had heard somewhere that he was a writer like Tom Clancy who would spend pages and pages dwelling on technical details while neglecting the story. I went in without expectations.
Crichton is a writer of the best quality. Not only does he weave an interesting story with complicated, relatable characters, he also explains and educates things to the reader in an entertaining way.
The book is a lot like the movie, but many things are different a...more “Jurassic Park” was my first Michael Crichton book. I had heard somewhere that he was a writer like Tom Clancy who would spend pages and pages dwelling on technical details while neglecting the story. I went in without expectations.
Crichton is a writer of the best quality. Not only does he weave an interesting story with complicated, relatable characters, he also explains and educates things to the reader in an entertaining way.
The book is a lot like the movie, but many things are different as well. They are both excellent, and each make use of their strengths to tell a story. There are many wonderful things that are in the book that didn’t make it to the movie, and vice versa. The two cannot be compared.
Amid the science, Crichton has planted a true gem of a fantastic story. The idea is very well handled, implications understood and conveyed, and the book even ends of a mystery (thank goodness he wrote a sequel).

4.5 Characters
All of the characters in the book felt like living, three-dimensional people. In particular, the character of Ian Malcolm is one of pure genius. I relished every time he spoke. The little girl is so annoying I hoped someone would feed her to the dinosaurs, but provoking that kind of reaction is probably what the writer wanted.

4 Pace
“Jurassic Park” is a rollercoaster ride. It’s a pretty big book, but it went by very fast. I was never bored, and Malcolm’s speeches made the book so much more interesting rather than bogging it down.

4 Story
To me, modern dinosaurs is an original idea. Crichton’s method of trapping everyone on an island, with few weapons, is clever and interesting. The only thing that I was never really interested in was the subplot/time limit of the velociraptors on the ship heading for the mainland. Also, I did not like the violence directed toward newborn infants in the beginning. Things like that bug me.

4.5 Dialogue
All of the dialogue in the book is good and realistic. It is Malcolm’s speeches that win an extra point. They are nothing short of genius, all while illustrating his wonderful character at the same time.

4 Style/Technical
I like that Crichton is fearless in printing computer code and output screens in the text of his novel. It is inventive and makes a reader feel as though everything has really happened. He is otherwise clear and concise. I was never confused.

4.2 Overall
“Jurassic Park” was amazing to read. The pace was fast, the characters were interesting, and the story was fun. In terms of characters and dialogue though, special attention must be given to Dr. Ian Malcolm. He is a rare character in any fiction, and one of the best and most entertaining I have ever read. I look forward to reading about his continuing exploits in “The Lost World”.
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May 20, 2007 Tom M rated it 2 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I have never been terribly impressed with Crichton's work, but I have always been told that I must read Jurassic Park to really appreciate him.

I was not expecting much from this book, but I was disappointed nonetheless. The whole story seemed fragmented and disorganized. This was supposed to be about a sort of fantasy world created by an eccentric, wealthy man, but throughout the book I felt like It was more Michael Crichton's fantasy than anybody else's. It was as if he had several goals for t...more

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May 04, 2010 Akmal Hizam rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I can't remember whether I read this novel after watching the movie or before that.

What I can say is that although the movie is excellent, it is still not imaginative enough to depict the novel in a whole. Well, no movie adapted from Crichton's novels has succeeded so far, for that matter.

For the book, I love it because it entails a lot of different knowledge. Dinosaurs (of course), biology, archaeology, engineering, and many others. Being an engineering student when I first read the book, I fel...more

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Jul 08, 2009 Lisa Vegan rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, reviewed, novel

This book is a riveting page-turner from the start to the finish. While the events are neither truly scientific or plausible, Crichton puts in just enough real science and is a skilled enough story teller, that the story reads as almost believable; it certainly seemed “real” as I read it. The suspenseful story was a really fun read and I found it fascinating.

Note: I made the mistake of seeing the movie because I did enjoy the book so much. The movie is appallingly bad. I don’t suggest that anyon...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Deslni01 rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: fiction, science, dinosaurs

Jurassic Park is one of the most successful and popular literary ventures ever, with high book sales, film gross in excess of $900 million, and popular toys and spin-off books aimed at children. Of course, the brunt of the sales was through and because of the Spielberg film, which set the bar for special effects, but the film had to be based on something.[return][return]And that something was Crichton's cautionary tale involving some of the most captivating creatures ever - dinosaurs. What the s...more

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Apr 02, 2009 Max Maxwell rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Anybody, esp. intelligent children who like dinosaurs

Recommended to Max by: I saw the film when I was 7; I then read the book when I was 9

Shelves: sci-fi, literature

Why do people think of this as a mere adventure novel?

To be sure, it is gripping, and, as the kids are saying, "action-packed." But that's only skin deep, only one level, this being the level that made up the massively popular film version. Just below the surface is a masterpiece, multifaceted and multidisciplinary, sincerely philosophical, and breathtaking in its pacing and scope. All the different capacities in which the novel functions are essential; without the action, the doomsday science...more Why do people think of this as a mere adventure novel?

To be sure, it is gripping, and, as the kids are saying, "action-packed." But that's only skin deep, only one level, this being the level that made up the massively popular film version. Just below the surface is a masterpiece, multifaceted and multidisciplinary, sincerely philosophical, and breathtaking in its pacing and scope. All the different capacities in which the novel functions are essential; without the action, the doomsday science would lack appreciable consequences; without the science, the action would be essentially without meaning. The brilliance of JP is that it mixes intelligence with entertainment. It makes you think, on the one hand—on the other, well, dinosaurs are freakin' sweet. Don't pretend you don't know it.

How many questions does this book pose? To the imaginative reader, probably a functionally endless number, but here are a few of those that anyone could catch: do we have the right to create life, metaphysically and otherwise? Is it acceptable to "own," and profit from, a life form? Is mankind really the pinnacle of creation, with the rest of life subjugated to us? Furthermore, in what ways is our perception of nature dependent on this notion? Can we comprehend nature if we see ourselves as outsiders? In what ways will life escape efforts to control it? Indeed, can life be controlled? What is the nature of history? What is the importance of meaningful coincidence (contingency) to history? Is the universe chaotic at heart? Were dinosaurs more successful than man, by certain criteria?—and so on.

Some day, this will be considered to be a part of the literary canon, Harold Bloom be damned. In his day, Shakespeare was considered bawdy and unfit. The Easton Press is already offering fine leatherbound editions. My edition, however, is a ratty, highlighted, plastic-tabbed paperback, one of millions on 25¢ tables in the backs of legion halls the world over. These yellow pages seem as old as the terrible lizards they bring to life, but, I can't see them becoming old-hat anytime within the next geologic era.(less)

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Jun 11, 2008 Steven rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I stumbled upon this book when I was in a library with a friend. I remember never reading this book because it was extremely long. So i saw the movie, and i liked it. Now that i read it, i liked this plot very much. It makes me think of how the world would be like if we had scientist studying real live dinosaurs on a remote island. Although, if something were to go wrong it would go terribly wrong. I would give this a 3 to 4 because there were some parts that were exaggerated when it wasn't nece...more

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May 29, 2013 Donato Colangelo rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think there's a specific reason to explain why this book gained so a massive success all over the world. It presents a well told, original, intriguing story about of the most impressive subject of Earth sciences: dinosaurs. Even if the theory presented by Crichton is fantascientific rather than scientific idea (once I read an article about the real possibility to find paleo-DNA in the fossils and to use it to build a dinosaur just as showed in the movie, but it was obviously scientifically ina...more

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May 28, 2013 Gareth Otton rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

What a brilliant book.

I have put off reading this book for 20 years, mainly because of my love for the film and my wish for the film not to be tainted in any way. Often I find that when I read a novel that a film was based on I either find the novel to be far superior to the film or I find things in the novel that make me see the film in a new light. More often than not this is to the detriment of the film and so in general I leave my favourite films as they are and let the books gather dust.

I p...more What a brilliant book.

I have put off reading this book for 20 years, mainly because of my love for the film and my wish for the film not to be tainted in any way. Often I find that when I read a novel that a film was based on I either find the novel to be far superior to the film or I find things in the novel that make me see the film in a new light. More often than not this is to the detriment of the film and so in general I leave my favourite films as they are and let the books gather dust.

I picked up Jurassic Park feeling that as 20 years has passed since it launched it was time to give the book a go and quite frankly I wished that I had picked it up a long time ago.

The story starts in much the same way as the movie though there is a lot more depth to it, but for the first quarter of the book you will probably remember the first half of the movie. After that the book and the movie separate more drastically and finally you are left with something almost completely different.

This book continues long past the point where the movie began to wind down and thankfully it was easy to start seeing this as a separate story and it truly drew me in. The science behind the book and the descriptions of the animals are truly fascinating and I can only imagine the levels of research that was necessary for this book to be written.

Overall the experience of reading this book is far different from watching the film. You can easily spot where the film makers decided to move away from this book and you can understand why they did so. The result is that rather than one being better than the other, both the movie and the book are the stronger for the directions they have taken.

Michael Crichton has a talent for writing believable science that is easy to understand but also great action sequences that keep you drawn to the pages. Where I found his true talent to lay in this novel however was in the creation of his characters. Each character had a distinct voice that was perfect for them and as a result it was really easy to lose yourself in this book. In particular he did a wonderful job in writing the children as often children in novels just seem like adults who we are told are younger. These children actually act like real siblings and it made the book far more relatable as a result.

I am now thoroughly looking forward to reading the lost world to see what new delights that has in store for me.(less)

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May 12, 2013 Seth Carlin rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is a fantastic story about the creation of dinosaurs by means of cloning. John Hammond and his team make this happen and they plan on turning their island into a dinosaur park. Who wouldn't want to go see animals that nobody has ever seen before? Until everything falls apart. The dinosaurs escape their enclosures and the people on the island must find a way to return them and stay alive.
This was an interesting and exciting book. Some of the pros are that it seem...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Regina rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

When I was 4, I was obsessed with dinosaurs. My passion for these extinct creatures did not die out (ha!) until sometime mid-elementary school and was then temporarily re-ignited in 7th grade by a science class where we reviewed dinosaurs...and the Jurassic Park movie. I was familiar with Michael Crichton from reading the Andromeda Strain-so I decided to read Jurassic Park. I know I finished it, but can't remember very much about it. And knowing myself, my eyes were probably crossing from all th...more

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Apr 04, 2013 Zora rated it 1 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: bad-couldn-t-finish

At the risk of offending what looks to be all my male goodreads friends who loved this (none of my female friends have read it, which is remarkable but probably not random), I couldn't finish it. It wasn't the multiple viewpoints or so-so prose, it was the science. I worked for awhile as an assistant paleontologist--field, prep, and curating--and I promise you, pretty much everything in the first 50 pages on this topic is wrong. I wasn't loving the book anyway, and kept finding random factual er...more At the risk of offending what looks to be all my male goodreads friends who loved this (none of my female friends have read it, which is remarkable but probably not random), I couldn't finish it. It wasn't the multiple viewpoints or so-so prose, it was the science. I worked for awhile as an assistant paleontologist--field, prep, and curating--and I promise you, pretty much everything in the first 50 pages on this topic is wrong. I wasn't loving the book anyway, and kept finding random factual errors (passports not needed for international travel? You can't possibly fake a fax of a x-ray?) But the scenes on the fossil "dig" did me in.

1) you don't clean fossils in the field. You get them out of the field and into the lab, where you have air scribes, microscopes, safe places to rest them, and far more tools than you can schlep on your back out to the field.

2) "bits of bone flaked away as he dug." Then he's an incompetent idiot. You do everything to keep "bits" from flaking away. A bit IS the fossil. If this happens in the lab, you stop, stabilize, get a better prep person if you have a real star at it in your group, or you just quit. Plenty of fossils remain only partially exposed in museums trays because they are too friable to clean further. They're still useful. Just because it isn't on public display to wow the kiddies doesn't mean it isn't there. This Alan guy, he just keeps ruining the fossil. When real paleontologists flake a tiny little something away, they beat their breasts and curse and sometimes even cry.

3) They have the only egg site in the world for this species, and they're using jackhammers on it. Seriously? Jackhammers? We didn't own one. We wouldn't have taken one if it were a gift. You preserve the data at all costs, including leaving it the heck alone, if need be. Jackhammers may be rarely used with huge, whole specimens, if your team can drag a generator that far, but not in this case--never ever would that happen.

4) The broken bones get tossed aside and whirred up into fragments... No. Broken bones are also useful. Very useful. Broken bones get collected, cleaned, and curated. Museum collections are mostly of fossils that are partial. The only fossils I ever saw thrown away were some that got lost from their documentation and were therefore useless.

5) ...from which DNA is extracted. Not even in a million-year-old fossil, much less a 190-million-year-old one. When you crunch up fossils into sandy bits, all you get is sand.

6) rubber cement. Very big for stabilizing in 1903. Not so much when this book was written. A plastic resin dissolved in acetone is used, like polyvinyl butryal.

... and so on.

You simply cannot make that many factual errors and I continue reading. My suspension of disbelief is gone long before the monsters come on stage.

This is the third of his books I've tried, the second I've given up on before the end, and all three were just riddled with errors. And he was already famous--he could have interviewed anyone before writing. Why get it wrong when he could have, with a few hours of work, gotten it right? Maddening.
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About Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton (1942–2008) was one of the most successful novelists of his generation, admired for his meticulous scientific research and fast-paced narrative. He graduated summa cum laude and earned his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969. His first novel, Odds On (1966), was written under the pseudonym John Lange and was followed by seven more Lange novels. He also wrote as Michael Douglas...more

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