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Dinotopia: Main #1
Dinotopia
dinosaurs
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1992
143 people are currently reading
6982 people want to read
About the author
James Gurney
48 books478 followersBorn June 14, 1958 in Glendale, California. Raised in Palo Alto, the youngest of five children of Joanna and Robert Gurney (a mechanical engineer). Earned a B.A. in Anthropology in 1979 with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of California at Berkeley. Studied painting at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,California, where he met his wife Jeanette. In 1984 they moved to the Hudson Valley of New York State, where they raised two sons, Daniel and Franklin.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 599 reviews
June 6, 2014
This fanciful retelling of "The Land that Time Forgot" would just be a passable (if fun) story if not for Gurney's rather lovely artwork. His imagining of his new and strange world carries a depth and weight that, to be trite, truly transports you there--but then, that's what he built his career on.
A competent draughtsman who plied his imagining of ancient Egyptian rituals and architectural recreations in the pages of National Geographic, Gurney's style evokes the travelogue of a naturalist (which is, happily enough, his story's frame), so that the sometimes indulgent fantasy or unremarkable characterization mostly comes off as an occasionally unlikely (or overly likely) world.
This isn't to say that his art is always wholly successful--there are rough patches here and there, especially when his sartorial and tonsorial choices cause his characters to resemble late 60's hippies. It reminds me of the way that one can always tell when a period film was made because the costuming is always viewed through the lens of modern fashion, so that 70's Shakespeare is all wide lapels and feathered bangs, which the 80's trades in for mullets and angular silhouettes.
Portrayed as a travelogue of a shipwreck survivor on the island of Dinotopia, Gurney successfully captures the feel of early century sci-fi tales which even today seem only just beyond the realm of possibility. It seems that the only area positively affected by a little scientific naivete is that of the visionary futurist. Of course, it was not as difficult for Gurney to look back and imitate this method than it was for the original Victorian authors to create it, though it is not a very familiar style for modern readers, anyway.
Perhaps the greatest gift of Gurney's as a combined author/illustrator is that he lets you forget what you know and allows you to believe in what he has created.
A competent draughtsman who plied his imagining of ancient Egyptian rituals and architectural recreations in the pages of National Geographic, Gurney's style evokes the travelogue of a naturalist (which is, happily enough, his story's frame), so that the sometimes indulgent fantasy or unremarkable characterization mostly comes off as an occasionally unlikely (or overly likely) world.
This isn't to say that his art is always wholly successful--there are rough patches here and there, especially when his sartorial and tonsorial choices cause his characters to resemble late 60's hippies. It reminds me of the way that one can always tell when a period film was made because the costuming is always viewed through the lens of modern fashion, so that 70's Shakespeare is all wide lapels and feathered bangs, which the 80's trades in for mullets and angular silhouettes.
Portrayed as a travelogue of a shipwreck survivor on the island of Dinotopia, Gurney successfully captures the feel of early century sci-fi tales which even today seem only just beyond the realm of possibility. It seems that the only area positively affected by a little scientific naivete is that of the visionary futurist. Of course, it was not as difficult for Gurney to look back and imitate this method than it was for the original Victorian authors to create it, though it is not a very familiar style for modern readers, anyway.
Perhaps the greatest gift of Gurney's as a combined author/illustrator is that he lets you forget what you know and allows you to believe in what he has created.
December 12, 2009
A very exceptional book, in many ways. Readers of this critique, please don't think that I'm giving this book five stars simply because it was a childhood favorite (and I openly admit to having loved this book since I was a child). Dinotopia is the kind of book that is so easy laugh at at the mere description: two travelers stumble on a hidden island where humans and dinosaurs live together! Break out the grenades, cavewomen, and giant apes, right?
The reason Dinotopia deserves five stars is that it rises above its seemingly 'silly' premise to make a book that will entertain and inspire people of any age. The beautiful paintings are colorful enough for young children, interesting enough for older children, and deep and rich enough for adults.
James Gurney is so devoted to the world of Dinotopia, to the culture, the language, the architecture, the clothing, and the characters, that I am amazed even today at how seriously I take the book. The story is told as a series of diary entries from the point of view of an explorer encountering the land for the first time, and there is (thank heaven!) very little plot or story conflict to get in the way of the presentation. Mr. Gurney takes advantage of the leftover space perfectly, by presenting audiences with a vibrant creation.
The thrill of Dinotopia rests surprisingly little on the dinosaurs themselves. Looking at the book now, I am shocked to realize that I was as intrigued by the architecture, language, and customs of Dinotopia as anything else. Those who think they could never swallow the idea of sentient dinosaurs (saurians in the book are treated as an interesting merging of peers with plowbeasts) may just be surprised at how unimportant the broad disregard of scientific accuracy is: Mr. Gurney has included the dinosaurs to add a sense of wonder, to show culture differences, and even to seriously examine what life would be like if, well, if we could have a friendly chat with a forty-foot taxi.
Altogether, this book is a wonder. It actually raises good adult questions about societies and cultures, but more importantly, it fully succeeds in pulling even the intelligent reader into a truly fantastic world. Enjoy!
The reason Dinotopia deserves five stars is that it rises above its seemingly 'silly' premise to make a book that will entertain and inspire people of any age. The beautiful paintings are colorful enough for young children, interesting enough for older children, and deep and rich enough for adults.
James Gurney is so devoted to the world of Dinotopia, to the culture, the language, the architecture, the clothing, and the characters, that I am amazed even today at how seriously I take the book. The story is told as a series of diary entries from the point of view of an explorer encountering the land for the first time, and there is (thank heaven!) very little plot or story conflict to get in the way of the presentation. Mr. Gurney takes advantage of the leftover space perfectly, by presenting audiences with a vibrant creation.
The thrill of Dinotopia rests surprisingly little on the dinosaurs themselves. Looking at the book now, I am shocked to realize that I was as intrigued by the architecture, language, and customs of Dinotopia as anything else. Those who think they could never swallow the idea of sentient dinosaurs (saurians in the book are treated as an interesting merging of peers with plowbeasts) may just be surprised at how unimportant the broad disregard of scientific accuracy is: Mr. Gurney has included the dinosaurs to add a sense of wonder, to show culture differences, and even to seriously examine what life would be like if, well, if we could have a friendly chat with a forty-foot taxi.
Altogether, this book is a wonder. It actually raises good adult questions about societies and cultures, but more importantly, it fully succeeds in pulling even the intelligent reader into a truly fantastic world. Enjoy!
October 28, 2025
Breathe deep! Seek peace!
A mysterious island in the middle of nowhere where people live side by side with dinosaurs. This is no Jurassic Park horror but a perfect utopia of harmonious living, vegetarian dishes and goodwill between beasts and humanity. Even a Tyrannosaurus Rex can be reasoned with and satisfied with a fish diet.
I want to travel back in time and gift this book (this whole series eventually) to my ten years old self.
I want to share in his enthusiasm as he places the volumes next to his hardcover and illustrated editions of Jules Verne’s Voyages Extraordinaires , to Edgar Rice Burroughs The Land That Time Forgot and Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World . If anybody had asked him what he wants to be when he grows up, he would have answered ‘an explorer’ , never mind the fact that there were no more white spots on any world map. Surely new worlds would be discovered in the next decade or two by space flights. In the meantime, he was going to prepare by reading all the exploration and adventure books that fell into his hands.
By the time I was 10, I have read all of the others titles mentioned above, and I have also started on my first comic book collection ( Stadion ), loving the association of adventure with graphic art. James Gurney would have been the best artist I have encountered so far. He is one of the top ones even by my present standards. He also shares with Jules Verne and the other writers a passion for natural science and for technology
The start of the Dinotopia adventure is not very original, being heavily in use since Robinson Crusoe was first marooned on the shore of an unknown island.
American scientist Arthur Denison and his teenage son Will are caught in a terrible storm at sea and end up as castaways on an undiscovered island, cca. 1860. In a tropical jungle they come across a small protoceratops and, like any civilized person would do, they panic and attack the creature, only to be surrounded by the much bigger and much angrier relatives of the little dinosaur. The novel would have had a quick finish, but for the intervention of a local girl who talks calmly to the dinosaurs and explains the misunderstanding: the dinosaurs on the island are extremely civilized and generally helpful to their human partners. Bix, the little critter, will become Arthur and Will’s best friend, their polyglot guide and partner in future adventures.
The structure of the story is similar to Jules Verne: a voyage of exploration, of learning the customs, the flora and fauna of the island, the history and the technology of the new country. It starts with a rural, farming place known as The Hatchery where humans take care of dinosaur eggs and tend to the new born once they are hatched.
From there, Arthur and Will travel to increasingly wondrous vistas : Waterfall City, The Great Canal, Treetown City, Canyon City, Cornucopia, the Forbidden Mountains, Tentpole of the Sky (a Tibetan style temple), the capital city of Sauropolis and more ...
The narrative is in the form of Arthur’s journal, with a section written by his son Will while his father is missing during an exploration of the World Beneath, details of which will be revealed in the second book of the series. Arthur includes drawings of plants and animals, portraits of the local people they meet, all of them arrived on the island as castaway over centuries, of the dinosaurs they encounter on the journey, of music and of the local alphabet, technology, sports, carnivals, Skybax flying lessons for Will and for his new girlfriend Sylvia, environmental patrols by Habitat Partners: a man and a dinosaur working together to report on the air, soil, water management. There are mammoths, dolphins, ancient ruins, submarines, zeppelins and many many other wonders to explore together with Arthur and Will and their dinosaur friends.
My favorite part of the book are the detailed illustrations by James Gurney, both the dinosaurs and the landscape paintings. I have read that he started as an illustrator for National Geographic, recreating from ruins and fossils the way places and animals looked in ancient times. I am glad he decided to switch to fiction, to the enjoyment of children of all ages. What red blooded kid is not passionate about dinosaurs?
Still, there is more to the story than just an excuse to draw dinosaurs and humans together. There is the fascination with technology and with the creation of an utopian society, there is the personal story of Arthur and Will as they come to terms with their new condition as castaways: the father deciding on an academic career, the young man becoming a Skybax Rider.
There is a lot more of the world left to be explored and I am glad James Gurney continued this series with three more books, which I hope to get my hands on as soon as possible.
January 23, 2025
بچه که بودم یه شبکهی عربی یه سریال دایناسوری پخش میکرد که خیلی دوستش داشتم، حتی درست یادم نمیاد که چطوری بود ولی اینکه یک پسر بچه با دایناسورها دوست بود رو کامل یادمه. چند ماه پیش خیلی گشتم دنبالش و رسیدم به یک مجموعه به اسم DINOTOPIA. جیمز گرنی یک مجموعه به اسم DINOTOPIA رو بین ۱۹۹۲ تا ۲۰۰۷ نوشت و تصویرسازی کرد، من چند وقت اخیر فرصت کردم جلد اولش رو بخونم و بالاخره دیشب تموم شد. خیلی تحت تاثیر قرار گرفتم از سبک کارش، توجهی که به جزئیات داره و به طور کلی، عشقی که به این قضیه داره. من اصلا یادم نمیاد که آخرین بار کی یه کتاب رو خوندم که اینقدر توی جزئیات یک دنیا دقیق باشه.
جلد اول داینوتوپیا همون ساختار خیلی معروف رو داره که یک نفر دفترچهی یه کاشف رو پیدا کرده و اون نوشته که چطور با پسرش کشتیشون غرق شده و دلفینها اونا رو بردن توی یه جزیره که دایناسورها و آدمها با هم زندگی میکنن. ادامهی داستان در مورد اینه که چطور این دو نفر با جامعهی داینوتوپیا بُر میخورن و جاهای مختلفش رو میبینن، با اقلیمهاش آشنا میشن و بیوقفه داره اطلاعات مختلف از فرهنگ، علم و تاریخ این جزیره رو میده. در کل توی داستان اتفاق خاصی نمیافته، تقریبا هیچ کشمکشی وجود نداره. همه چیز توی chillترین حالت ممکن میگذره و همه به نظر خیلی خوشحال میان. این اولین باریه که یه یوتوپیای درست میبینم که واقعا "آرمان شهر" رو نشون داده نه یه آرمان شهر با هزارتا کثافت زیرش.
اما فکر کنم فقط بخوام از داستانش بگم بخش اصلی که طراحیهاشه جا میمونه (من واقعا دوست دارم از داستانش حرف بزنم، این یکی از بهترین دنیاسازیهاییه که دیدم. اما خیلی خستهم و کارهامم عقبه). جیمز گرنی یکی از مهمترین طراحهای فانتزی و علمی تخیلیه. دوتا از کتابهای آموزشیش رو قبلا خونده بودم و خیلی تاثیر داشتن روی نوع کار کردنم. اینجا حتی یک تصویرسازی پیدا نمیکنین که "کامل" نباشه. توی تصویرسازی زیاد پیش میاد که یکسری جزئیات برای بالا بردن سرعت و راحتتر شدن حذف بشن، اما گرنی همشونو با یه دقت عجیبی انجام داده. حتی دورترین جزئیات هم بهشون فکر شدن، خیلی وقتها توی داستان اهمیت پیدا میکنن. این دقیقا همون چیزیه که باعث میشه یک کار مثل داینوتوپیا جالب بشه، همهی جزئیات بهشون از قبل فکر شده. اگه اونجا هستن دلیل دارن.
در کل از جلد اول خیلی راضی بودم، چهار جلده در کل و حدس میزنم امشب قراره جلد دومشو استارت بزنم. فایلش رو پایینِ همین نوشته میفرستم.
جلد اول داینوتوپیا همون ساختار خیلی معروف رو داره که یک نفر دفترچهی یه کاشف رو پیدا کرده و اون نوشته که چطور با پسرش کشتیشون غرق شده و دلفینها اونا رو بردن توی یه جزیره که دایناسورها و آدمها با هم زندگی میکنن. ادامهی داستان در مورد اینه که چطور این دو نفر با جامعهی داینوتوپیا بُر میخورن و جاهای مختلفش رو میبینن، با اقلیمهاش آشنا میشن و بیوقفه داره اطلاعات مختلف از فرهنگ، علم و تاریخ این جزیره رو میده. در کل توی داستان اتفاق خاصی نمیافته، تقریبا هیچ کشمکشی وجود نداره. همه چیز توی chillترین حالت ممکن میگذره و همه به نظر خیلی خوشحال میان. این اولین باریه که یه یوتوپیای درست میبینم که واقعا "آرمان شهر" رو نشون داده نه یه آرمان شهر با هزارتا کثافت زیرش.
اما فکر کنم فقط بخوام از داستانش بگم بخش اصلی که طراحیهاشه جا میمونه (من واقعا دوست دارم از داستانش حرف بزنم، این یکی از بهترین دنیاسازیهاییه که دیدم. اما خیلی خستهم و کارهامم عقبه). جیمز گرنی یکی از مهمترین طراحهای فانتزی و علمی تخیلیه. دوتا از کتابهای آموزشیش رو قبلا خونده بودم و خیلی تاثیر داشتن روی نوع کار کردنم. اینجا حتی یک تصویرسازی پیدا نمیکنین که "کامل" نباشه. توی تصویرسازی زیاد پیش میاد که یکسری جزئیات برای بالا بردن سرعت و راحتتر شدن حذف بشن، اما گرنی همشونو با یه دقت عجیبی انجام داده. حتی دورترین جزئیات هم بهشون فکر شدن، خیلی وقتها توی داستان اهمیت پیدا میکنن. این دقیقا همون چیزیه که باعث میشه یک کار مثل داینوتوپیا جالب بشه، همهی جزئیات بهشون از قبل فکر شده. اگه اونجا هستن دلیل دارن.
در کل از جلد اول خیلی راضی بودم، چهار جلده در کل و حدس میزنم امشب قراره جلد دومشو استارت بزنم. فایلش رو پایینِ همین نوشته میفرستم.
June 25, 2017
Cuando yo era niño (that is, early nineties) los dinosaurios estaban de nuevo de moda. No es que fuera yo conquistado por ese amor incondicional que le tienen los niños pequeños a los grandes y extintos reptiles. Era que literalmente los dinosaurios estaban en todas partes. La paleontología estaba de moda, salían fascículos de DeAgostini que compraba sin falta cada domingo, había suplementos en los periódicos y las jugueterías estaban repletas.
El responsable de todo esto se llamó, por supuesto, Michael Crichton. Pero detrás de él, con un enfoque opuesto y muy de cerca vino James Gurney, que en 1992 publicó esta historia. Una que no va en el librero, sino en la mesita del café para que uno la vea, la relea y se maraville.
Dinotopia es, por supuesto, una Utopía. Un mundo que al contrario de los Conan Doyles y los Rice Burroughs, presenta a los dinosaurios como seres con los que se puede vivir y convivir en paz. Soy de los que considera que la idea de una Utopía carga siempre una ingenuidad implícita, pero aquí ésta no se siente por ningún lado.
Si bien el relato (hábilmente presentado con el motivo del manuscrito encontrado) es parco y no caracterizado ni tampoco detallado en palabras, al fin y al cabo a lo que vinimos es cómo el arte de Gurney es el que cuenta la historia. Es ver cómo nos deslumbra.
Gurney está al nivel de los Rockwells y los Alex Ross: su obra bien podría (y añado: debería) formar parte de instalaciones de arte público. Dotada de un detalle y un color inenarrables e indescriptibles. Mejor que lo vean ustedes.
Al final, Dinotopia es una historia sencilla e inocente pero que apela sin escarbar demasiado en nuestro sentido del asombro y de la fascinación. Sin muchas palabras, una apelación sencilla y maravillosa de la fantasía más clásica.
El responsable de todo esto se llamó, por supuesto, Michael Crichton. Pero detrás de él, con un enfoque opuesto y muy de cerca vino James Gurney, que en 1992 publicó esta historia. Una que no va en el librero, sino en la mesita del café para que uno la vea, la relea y se maraville.
Dinotopia es, por supuesto, una Utopía. Un mundo que al contrario de los Conan Doyles y los Rice Burroughs, presenta a los dinosaurios como seres con los que se puede vivir y convivir en paz. Soy de los que considera que la idea de una Utopía carga siempre una ingenuidad implícita, pero aquí ésta no se siente por ningún lado.
Si bien el relato (hábilmente presentado con el motivo del manuscrito encontrado) es parco y no caracterizado ni tampoco detallado en palabras, al fin y al cabo a lo que vinimos es cómo el arte de Gurney es el que cuenta la historia. Es ver cómo nos deslumbra.
Gurney está al nivel de los Rockwells y los Alex Ross: su obra bien podría (y añado: debería) formar parte de instalaciones de arte público. Dotada de un detalle y un color inenarrables e indescriptibles. Mejor que lo vean ustedes.
Al final, Dinotopia es una historia sencilla e inocente pero que apela sin escarbar demasiado en nuestro sentido del asombro y de la fascinación. Sin muchas palabras, una apelación sencilla y maravillosa de la fantasía más clásica.
November 13, 2011
One the most beautiful, creative books I've read in a while. It's one of those stories that really brings me back to the simplicity and honesty of the natural world. The most memorable part for me (besides the absolutely gorgeous illustrations) about their conception of time.
"You of the west," Malik said, "think of time moving in a straight line, from past to present to future. Your eastern brothers regard time as a circle, returning endlessly in a cycle of decay and rebirth. Both ideas have a dimension of truth. If you were to combine geometrically the movement of the circle with the line, what would you have?" He snapped his mouth shut and peered at me with an uncanny resemblance to my old schoolmaster.
"The spiral?" I ventured.
"Yes, yes. Or the helix. They are our models of the passage of time," he said.
"So time moves on, but history repeats itself."
And then a little bit later:
"What hour is it?" I asked, reaching instinctively for my pocket watch.
Malik took a step back. "Time for Kentrosaurus to hatch. Time to plant the millet. Time for the magnolia buds to open. Professor Denison, I'm afraid you persist in thinking of time as numbers. You think of meaningless units of time - weeks, hours, minutes - based on what? Movements of faraway planets? Of what use to us is that? Why not pay attention to the precise 30-year life cycle of the bamboo Guadua trinii or the exactly repeated mitotic cycle of the paramecium. The whole earth has a heartbeat."
He paused, swung his tail from side to side, and squinted. "And some things happen too slowly for you to notice. If you sit quite still, you can hear the grinding down of mountains, the stretching upwards of trees, the pushing forward of continents - indeed the wearing away of this very waterfall."
Then finally,
"You will soon become a Dinotopian. And when you do, you will measure your life in a different way."
And indeed, after reading this, I too saw the world in a different way.
I no doubt appreciate the extensive time and research that must have gone into the making of this wonderful story. Within these 150-something pages, the author plants a tiny seed that blooms into a magical, and charmingly poetic world that I never want to leave.
This is one of the books that will likely be with me forever.
"You of the west," Malik said, "think of time moving in a straight line, from past to present to future. Your eastern brothers regard time as a circle, returning endlessly in a cycle of decay and rebirth. Both ideas have a dimension of truth. If you were to combine geometrically the movement of the circle with the line, what would you have?" He snapped his mouth shut and peered at me with an uncanny resemblance to my old schoolmaster.
"The spiral?" I ventured.
"Yes, yes. Or the helix. They are our models of the passage of time," he said.
"So time moves on, but history repeats itself."
And then a little bit later:
"What hour is it?" I asked, reaching instinctively for my pocket watch.
Malik took a step back. "Time for Kentrosaurus to hatch. Time to plant the millet. Time for the magnolia buds to open. Professor Denison, I'm afraid you persist in thinking of time as numbers. You think of meaningless units of time - weeks, hours, minutes - based on what? Movements of faraway planets? Of what use to us is that? Why not pay attention to the precise 30-year life cycle of the bamboo Guadua trinii or the exactly repeated mitotic cycle of the paramecium. The whole earth has a heartbeat."
He paused, swung his tail from side to side, and squinted. "And some things happen too slowly for you to notice. If you sit quite still, you can hear the grinding down of mountains, the stretching upwards of trees, the pushing forward of continents - indeed the wearing away of this very waterfall."
Then finally,
"You will soon become a Dinotopian. And when you do, you will measure your life in a different way."
And indeed, after reading this, I too saw the world in a different way.
I no doubt appreciate the extensive time and research that must have gone into the making of this wonderful story. Within these 150-something pages, the author plants a tiny seed that blooms into a magical, and charmingly poetic world that I never want to leave.
This is one of the books that will likely be with me forever.
April 12, 2022
If I would’ve read this as a kid I would’ve never shut up about it. Would’ve for sure made an OC (who knows still might do that for fun) I think this is a great book that anyone can read and enjoy.
January 24, 2024
July 2022 reread. Just as wonderful as I recalled. An extraordinary achievement, filled with beauty and wonder. And there are more of them, that I've never seen! Wow.
Formerly one of my top 100 books list. Now a bit below that -- but still a 5-star read!
Formerly one of my top 100 books list. Now a bit below that -- but still a 5-star read!
September 26, 2019
Shipwrecked in the South Pacific, Arthur Denison and his young son Will find themselves rescued by dolphins and delivered to the lost island of Dinotopia in this gorgeously illustrated picture-book/novel. "A Land Apart from Time," according to the book's sub-title, Dinotopia is a hidden continent where dinosaurs never went extinct, are highly evolved and intelligent, and now live in a peaceful society together with the humans that have washed up on their shores over the centuries. Although their initial reaction is one of fear - Arthur, believing that he and Will are in danger, even strikes Bix, the gentle Protoceratops translator who later becomes their great friend, at the beginning of the story - eventually the Denisons adjust to life in this strange new world. They travel first to Waterfall City, where they spend a few years learning about Dinotopia, before they continue on to Canyon City, where Will trains become a Skybax rider - a human who rides the flying dinosaurs, Quetzalcoatlus Skybax - and Arthur becomes fascinated by the "world beneath" the canyons. Eventually Arthur sets off on a voyage into the subterranean world beneath Dinotopia, while Will continues his training. The two are reunited in the Dinotopian capital, Sauropolis, but the implication is that Arthur's further travels, only hinted at in the narrative here, will form the basis for the sequel,
Dinotopia: The World Beneath
.
Originally published in 1992, Dinotopia was an instant success, launching a series of children's novels set in its fantastic world, as well as two television series based upon it. It also started a trend in which extended picture-book/novels became (for a time) quite popular, with three more Dinotopia stories in this format, as well as Betty Ballantine's The Secret Oceans , and James Christensen's Voyage of the Basset . Although long aware of Dinotopia - I have owned an edition of the book for years - I never happened to pick it up until I ran across the new special edition put out recently by Calla Books. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance, as I found it an immensely engaging story, one which, with both text and image, drew me into its imaginative world. Part travelogue, part fantasy, part picture-book, it is all magic, and is sure to leave readers young and old wanting more. I enjoyed poring over the beautiful illustrations, enjoyed the story, and had no sooner finished than I wanted to start the sequel, which I will now have to track down. The special edition that I read contains additional material - an introduction by Michael Patrick Hearn, an afterword from author/artist James Gurney, including sketches and unused artwork - and makes the story available to readers once again. Recommended to all dinosaur lovers, young and old, and anyone who appreciates truly immersive works of fantasy.
Originally published in 1992, Dinotopia was an instant success, launching a series of children's novels set in its fantastic world, as well as two television series based upon it. It also started a trend in which extended picture-book/novels became (for a time) quite popular, with three more Dinotopia stories in this format, as well as Betty Ballantine's The Secret Oceans , and James Christensen's Voyage of the Basset . Although long aware of Dinotopia - I have owned an edition of the book for years - I never happened to pick it up until I ran across the new special edition put out recently by Calla Books. I'm glad I finally gave it a chance, as I found it an immensely engaging story, one which, with both text and image, drew me into its imaginative world. Part travelogue, part fantasy, part picture-book, it is all magic, and is sure to leave readers young and old wanting more. I enjoyed poring over the beautiful illustrations, enjoyed the story, and had no sooner finished than I wanted to start the sequel, which I will now have to track down. The special edition that I read contains additional material - an introduction by Michael Patrick Hearn, an afterword from author/artist James Gurney, including sketches and unused artwork - and makes the story available to readers once again. Recommended to all dinosaur lovers, young and old, and anyone who appreciates truly immersive works of fantasy.
October 25, 2023
This has sort of a Jules Verne Journey to the Center of the Earth vibe, with fantastic illustrations. It purports to be the first-person account of a father and son, shipwrecked on a mysterious island peopled by dinosaurs and humans, living together in community. The narrative is fine, but the pictures really make this book. Good fun.
November 1, 2016
I realize that I'm waaaaay late to this party, but I just randomly found this book in the library, and I have never even heard Dinotopia before. I'm ridiculously excited.
My biggest problem with Jurassic Park has always been that I would have loved to just watch scientists doing science stuff, instead of any of the screaming and the running... and this book does exactly that. It is not an adventure novel, but an explorer's journal, full of sketches of everyday life in great, vivid, amazingly creative detail. Had I come across this book in my teens, I would have been completely invested. As things stand now, I have already looked to see if there is an RPG based on it, because I'm all there for that...
I love the images, I love the ideas, I love the world as a whole (even though I have given up on fantasy worlds a while ago). The artwork is gorgeous, the setting is detailed and unique. It was a couple of small inconsistencies (why would they call dinosaurs by their modern Latin names?...), but I was willing to gloss over them for the sake of a truly original setting.
My biggest problem with Jurassic Park has always been that I would have loved to just watch scientists doing science stuff, instead of any of the screaming and the running... and this book does exactly that. It is not an adventure novel, but an explorer's journal, full of sketches of everyday life in great, vivid, amazingly creative detail. Had I come across this book in my teens, I would have been completely invested. As things stand now, I have already looked to see if there is an RPG based on it, because I'm all there for that...
I love the images, I love the ideas, I love the world as a whole (even though I have given up on fantasy worlds a while ago). The artwork is gorgeous, the setting is detailed and unique. It was a couple of small inconsistencies (why would they call dinosaurs by their modern Latin names?...), but I was willing to gloss over them for the sake of a truly original setting.
December 27, 2025
REREAD UPDATE: Recently bought the "Calla Editions" reprint of the final book in the series, Dinotopia: Journey To Chandara, and saw that they've actually redone all four of the books in expanded "director's cut" versions, which include here a new introduction and then 30-plus pages of fascinating "making-of extras" at the end; rough page layouts, unused artwork, 3D maquettes, and a nice, brief autobiography of Gurney…I knew he'd worked at Nat Geo, but had no idea he'd also worked with the late, great Frank Frazetta — but that explains a LOT.
When you just see the end product, you don't really appreciate all the work that went into this first book, and the risks Gurney was taking, but that's nicely spelled out here: quitting his day job and devoting three years to creating this brand new world and all it contained (not least of which involved creating an entire dinosaur footprint alphabet — with different typefaces, no less!), and then turning that into a book in the still-unproven "long-form picture book" market for both children and adults. Final painting aside, the amount of peripheral work required is really mind-blowing: studying the sketchbooks or early explorers as well as the works of artists like Jean-Leon Gerome, (basically the 19th Century's Frazetta, most famous for his painting "Pollice Verso," below); on-site landscape sketching and dinosaur research with folks like Jack Horner, model making, photography (of friends and neighbors in costumes bought from a out-of-business theatre rental company), and then actually writing the story itself…that is a LOT for basically one person to take on.
As a result, when comparing the artwork here to that in Chandara, there is an obvious change in…I wouldn't say "quality," but maybe more "detail" or photo-realism in the latter book. However, I wouldn't put that down to Gurney necessarily improving as an artist so much as having more time and financial security with the success of the first book to settle down and take his time. Anyway; at least three out of the four "Dinotopia" books are solid 5-star productions worthy of multiple reads, (although the less said about the third book, Dinotopia: First Flight, the better).
ORIGINAL REVIEW: As an artist and lifelong dinosaur fan (who of my generation wasn't?), I fell in love with these books the instant I first saw them — and it only helped that Gurney was living in Rhinebeck, NY when he drew them (at least the first ones). The story isn't anything particularly special, but the overall concept is interesting and then well-developed, and the artwork is fantastic, (although I found the first two books much better drawn than the third).
When you just see the end product, you don't really appreciate all the work that went into this first book, and the risks Gurney was taking, but that's nicely spelled out here: quitting his day job and devoting three years to creating this brand new world and all it contained (not least of which involved creating an entire dinosaur footprint alphabet — with different typefaces, no less!), and then turning that into a book in the still-unproven "long-form picture book" market for both children and adults. Final painting aside, the amount of peripheral work required is really mind-blowing: studying the sketchbooks or early explorers as well as the works of artists like Jean-Leon Gerome, (basically the 19th Century's Frazetta, most famous for his painting "Pollice Verso," below); on-site landscape sketching and dinosaur research with folks like Jack Horner, model making, photography (of friends and neighbors in costumes bought from a out-of-business theatre rental company), and then actually writing the story itself…that is a LOT for basically one person to take on.
As a result, when comparing the artwork here to that in Chandara, there is an obvious change in…I wouldn't say "quality," but maybe more "detail" or photo-realism in the latter book. However, I wouldn't put that down to Gurney necessarily improving as an artist so much as having more time and financial security with the success of the first book to settle down and take his time. Anyway; at least three out of the four "Dinotopia" books are solid 5-star productions worthy of multiple reads, (although the less said about the third book, Dinotopia: First Flight, the better).
ORIGINAL REVIEW: As an artist and lifelong dinosaur fan (who of my generation wasn't?), I fell in love with these books the instant I first saw them — and it only helped that Gurney was living in Rhinebeck, NY when he drew them (at least the first ones). The story isn't anything particularly special, but the overall concept is interesting and then well-developed, and the artwork is fantastic, (although I found the first two books much better drawn than the third).
November 30, 2016
Jeg ville have ELSKET den her bog i min dinosaur-besatte barndom! En af mine første historier (skrevet af og om 10-årige Nanna) hed 'På eventyr i kridttiden' og handlede om en tidsrejseamulet. Det var meningen at der skulle være dinosaurer med. Mange af dem. Men jeg nåede kun at tegne forsiden med en Triceratops og de tre hovedpersoner før jeg gik død på første side.
Har læst DINOTOPIA højt for min syvårige dino-fan herhjemme. Sproget er lidt gammeldags, og der er ikke rigtig noget plot - men hold nu op en fantastisk verden. Og der er endda et dinosaur-alfabet og dinosaur-sange (med noder!) og en masse vidunderlige tegninger. Og ham Will er altså ret sej <3
Vi har heldigvis allerede fået 2'eren hjem fra biblioteket!
Har læst DINOTOPIA højt for min syvårige dino-fan herhjemme. Sproget er lidt gammeldags, og der er ikke rigtig noget plot - men hold nu op en fantastisk verden. Og der er endda et dinosaur-alfabet og dinosaur-sange (med noder!) og en masse vidunderlige tegninger. Og ham Will er altså ret sej <3
Vi har heldigvis allerede fået 2'eren hjem fra biblioteket!
October 28, 2021
One of my favorites as a child, and to be honest I think I loved it just as much as an adult. Beautiful illustrations and a story that lets the imagination run wild. You can tell by the details that Gurney had a great time coming up with the world that is Dinotopia.
March 22, 2020
This book, since I was first shown it over a decade ago, has maintained the position in my library as being the most exquisitely illustrated of any book I have ever come across. This, in a family where quality illustrated books are highly prised and acquired regularly. One of my father's most recognisable t-shirts was a picture from this book along with some footprint text. The cover reminds me of Alma-Tadema at his best.
May 10, 2017
This book is, in a word, extraordinary. The artwork is sublime in its beauty conjuring images of a land lost to time yet not so lost as to be forgotten. That is, it feels like the place could actually exist in our world. Also, Gurney's talent for historical illustration is evident in all of the paintings herein; the Dinosaur Abu Simbel is breathtaking. In terms of story, it is a great homage to Jules Verne's work and a moving tale of discovery in its own right. I will DEFINITELY be reading the sequels in the future.
December 22, 2014
So disappointing.
Pros:
Artwork is beautiful.
Cons:
Basically everything else. Story was boring and almost non-existent. Characters weren't given any time to develop. Author tried to pack a mountain of "sight-seeing" of this new world into a short book instead of lingering and truly getting to know any part of it.
I realize there are more in the series. I just don't care.
Pros:
Artwork is beautiful.
Cons:
Basically everything else. Story was boring and almost non-existent. Characters weren't given any time to develop. Author tried to pack a mountain of "sight-seeing" of this new world into a short book instead of lingering and truly getting to know any part of it.
I realize there are more in the series. I just don't care.
August 19, 2019
One of the most beautifully illustrated books I’ve ever seen. Reminiscent of ‘Gulliver’s Travels’, the story is rich and exciting and transports the reader to the island of Dinotopia where dinosaurs and humans live in perfect symbiosis. A highlight is the inclusion of the dinosaur’s ‘footprint alphabet’ which allows the reader to go back through the book and decipher all the signs and symbols dotted throughout. Written in diary form, this story also affords the opportunity to encourage children to write their own diary entry stories perhaps about a wondrous island of their own. My copy, now more than 20 years old and in the hands of my daughter is well-loved, battered and tattered and looks as though it may have been the original, washed up on the shores of Dinotopia itself.
September 20, 2022
Ah sweet nostalgia! Loved this book as a kid, even though I'm not sure if I actually "read" any of it - instead just spending forever looking at all the incredible illustrations. Was a little worried it was actually going to be terrible to my old-man eyes 30 years later, but the story was actaully suprisingly good. An old-fashioned "lost journal" yarn. Loved it!
Also, didn't realise there was more than just this one book so might have to look those up. Hopefully when my son is a bit older we can read it together and he'll enjoy it as much as I did.
🐱🐉🏝🧾
Also, didn't realise there was more than just this one book so might have to look those up. Hopefully when my son is a bit older we can read it together and he'll enjoy it as much as I did.
🐱🐉🏝🧾
March 12, 2025
Brings so much nostalgia. It's slightly different to the film adaptation but most of them are like that. Overall, I highly enjoyed the story and the journey the author took to create this amazing world.
January 14, 2021
Don't care about the words, the art is gorgeous and tells a story in itself.
March 21, 2024
The story was so-so, but the point of the book is the illustrations!! So wonderfully well done!
June 3, 2024
The premise is so silly and the execution so beautiful and sincere. Bonus points for the stunning illustrations.
December 31, 2024
What's not to like? Beautiful illustrations and a world where everyone gets along. A really lovely read.
March 27, 2018
Ojalá más libros así. Ya no sólo ilustrados, sino que las imágenes son parte de la narrativa hasta el punto que no se puede valorar el texto por sí solo. La historia en sí es convencional, pero creo que el libro pretende más ser una excusa para explorar el mundo que contar una historia.
Lo he disfrutado mucho, y la edición es una maravilla. Qué ganas de ponerme con los siguientes.
Lo he disfrutado mucho, y la edición es una maravilla. Qué ganas de ponerme con los siguientes.
October 18, 2022
amazing. transformative. stegosaurus.
January 23, 2015
I don’t normally review children’s book, but I was recently reminded of this story that I read with my dad growing up. This is a “MUST READ” for all kids and particularly fans of dinosaurs as far as I’m concerned. The art in this book is reason alone to pick it up (or any in the series). The pictures were mesmerizing growing up and I remember often just staring through it. The story is also wonderful and a great compliment.
What makes this book particularly good, however, is that the story goes beyond an (acknowledged) somewhat unrealistic premise. The story is full of the culture of “Dinotopia” as well as customs, language and architecture. All in all, I believe this is a book that both children and adults will enjoy.
Who should read it? All kids and fans of dinosaurs (of all ages!).
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com and @Read2Distract
What makes this book particularly good, however, is that the story goes beyond an (acknowledged) somewhat unrealistic premise. The story is full of the culture of “Dinotopia” as well as customs, language and architecture. All in all, I believe this is a book that both children and adults will enjoy.
Who should read it? All kids and fans of dinosaurs (of all ages!).
See all my reviews and more at www.ReadingToDistraction.com and @Read2Distract
February 5, 2017
I remember being a kid, looking at this in my local library. I was too young to read it, but would stare at the pictures, entranced, imagining what the story was. This weekend, I came across a copy in a used bookstore and decided it would be mine! I was not disappointed. For a grownup, this is a fast read - a fun introduction to a fantasy world where humans and dinosaurs live together in harmony. Of course, the illustrations are gorgeous.
Similar title:
Gnomes by Wil Huygen
Similar title:
Gnomes by Wil Huygen
October 24, 2017
I owned a copy of this book as a kid and flipped through it countless times, to admire the beautiful illustrations. I never actually read it until this year, and what do you know? The writing is actually pretty great too. What's more the interplay between the images and the text is very well handled. The whole story is a great exercise in world building.
November 5, 2020
Absolutely wonderful!
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A true beauty. One of my favorite fantasy worlds, and one I would most definitely live in. One day I should really write about my nebulous first foray into DINOTOPIA back in 1994...
November 4, 2020
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A true beauty. One of my favorite fantasy worlds, and one I would most definitely live in. One day I should really write about my nebulous first foray into DINOTOPIA back in 1994...
November 4, 2020
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