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Dinosaurs II
Eleven earthshaking tales of the most fearsome creatures of all time
Eleven tales of primeval fantasy bring readers to the world of dinosaurs with the works of such notable writers as Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, Jane Yolen, Lisa Tuttle, and Michael Bishop.
“The Big Splash” by L. Sprague de Camp
“Just Like Old Times” by Robert Sawyer
“The Virgin and the Dinosaur” by R. Garcia y Robertson
“The Odd Old Bird” by Avram Davidson
“Bernie” by Ian McDowell
“Small Deer” by Clifford D. Simak
“Dinosaur Plies” by R. V. Branham
“Day of the Hunters” by Isaac Asimov
“Herding with the Hadrosaurs” by Michael Bishop
“Ontogeny Recapitulates Phlogeny” by R. Garcia y Robertson
“Trembling Earth” by Allen Steele
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Eleven tales of primeval fantasy bring readers to the world of dinosaurs with the works of such notable writers as Isaac Asimov, Robert Silverberg, Ursula K. Le Guin, Roger Zelazny, Jane Yolen, Lisa Tuttle, and Michael Bishop.
“The Big Splash” by L. Sprague de Camp
“Just Like Old Times” by Robert Sawyer
“The Virgin and the Dinosaur” by R. Garcia y Robertson
“The Odd Old Bird” by Avram Davidson
“Bernie” by Ian McDowell
“Small Deer” by Clifford D. Simak
“Dinosaur Plies” by R. V. Branham
“Day of the Hunters” by Isaac Asimov
“Herding with the Hadrosaurs” by Michael Bishop
“Ontogeny Recapitulates Phlogeny” by R. Garcia y Robertson
“Trembling Earth” by Allen Steele
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
194 pages, Kindle Edition
First published December 1, 1995
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 16, 2024
I never got to read Dinosaurs!, so I don't know how this second collection in the Exclamitory Series compares to the original. This is one of the few books from the series up on The Open Library. The stories were originally printed from 1950 - 1993. This is rather uneven anthology, but there are six stories that make it worth the price of admission.
Selections:
* "Preface" by co-editors Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. Our fearless co-editors admit that this book is to cash in on the renewed interest in dinosaurs after the success of Jurassic Park.
* "The Big Splash" by L. Sprauge de Camp. Sequel to "A Gun for Dinosaur", Reginald Rivers goes back in time to watch the big asteroid hit Earth at the end of the Cretaceous, along with clueless scientists, assistants, a ruthless chef, a spaced-out artist and (of course) a big game hunter. This was supposed to be funny ... but it was a chore to read.
* "Just Like Old Times" Robert J. Sawyer. Another time-travel story, but only a person's consciousness can travel ... inside the body of something else. Imagine if Hannibal Lecter got control of a T Rex.
* "The Virgin and the Dinosaur" by R. Garcia y Robertson. Yet another time travel tale, only in novella form. It's a weird soft porn story with time travel, dinosaurs ... and Sitting Bull. It's one of those stories you don't know if you like or not.
* "The Odd Old Bird" by Avram Davidson. This Doctor Eszterhazy story has appeared in other anthologies. Although many think it's funny, I think it's horrifying. It's one of the worst things Davidson ever wrote.
* "Bernie" by Ian McDowell. A sharp parody of Barney and Friends but a pit bull joke ruined this for me. It also falls into the trap of thinking that malls, Sears, and Toys R Us would last far into the future.
* "Small Deer" by Clifford D. Simak. The best time travel story so far, with the most interesting theory that I've ever read about why the dinosaurs went extinct.
* "Dinosaur Plies" by R. V. Branham. Short but sweet look at what might happen if dinosaurs took up ballet.
* "Day of the Hunters" by Isaac Asimov. Another, more sobering trime travel story about why the dinosaurs went extinct, written by the Grandmaster himself.
* "Herding With the Hadrosaurs" by Michael Bishop. Arguably the best and most original story in the bunch. A family goes through a time rift, only to have the parents immediately eaten by T-rexes. How will the two kids survive?
* "Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny" by R. Garcia y Robertson. Um, ahh ... this weird blending of sci-fi and magic ain't much.
* "Trembling Earth" by Alan Steele. At first, it seems to be a predictable copycat version of Jurassic Park, but then it suddenly changes. A very good look at the uneven relationship between science and politics, and an excellent finale to the anthology.
Selections:
* "Preface" by co-editors Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. Our fearless co-editors admit that this book is to cash in on the renewed interest in dinosaurs after the success of Jurassic Park.
* "The Big Splash" by L. Sprauge de Camp. Sequel to "A Gun for Dinosaur", Reginald Rivers goes back in time to watch the big asteroid hit Earth at the end of the Cretaceous, along with clueless scientists, assistants, a ruthless chef, a spaced-out artist and (of course) a big game hunter. This was supposed to be funny ... but it was a chore to read.
* "Just Like Old Times" Robert J. Sawyer. Another time-travel story, but only a person's consciousness can travel ... inside the body of something else. Imagine if Hannibal Lecter got control of a T Rex.
* "The Virgin and the Dinosaur" by R. Garcia y Robertson. Yet another time travel tale, only in novella form. It's a weird soft porn story with time travel, dinosaurs ... and Sitting Bull. It's one of those stories you don't know if you like or not.
* "The Odd Old Bird" by Avram Davidson. This Doctor Eszterhazy story has appeared in other anthologies. Although many think it's funny, I think it's horrifying. It's one of the worst things Davidson ever wrote.
* "Bernie" by Ian McDowell. A sharp parody of Barney and Friends but a pit bull joke ruined this for me. It also falls into the trap of thinking that malls, Sears, and Toys R Us would last far into the future.
* "Small Deer" by Clifford D. Simak. The best time travel story so far, with the most interesting theory that I've ever read about why the dinosaurs went extinct.
* "Dinosaur Plies" by R. V. Branham. Short but sweet look at what might happen if dinosaurs took up ballet.
* "Day of the Hunters" by Isaac Asimov. Another, more sobering trime travel story about why the dinosaurs went extinct, written by the Grandmaster himself.
* "Herding With the Hadrosaurs" by Michael Bishop. Arguably the best and most original story in the bunch. A family goes through a time rift, only to have the parents immediately eaten by T-rexes. How will the two kids survive?
* "Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny" by R. Garcia y Robertson. Um, ahh ... this weird blending of sci-fi and magic ain't much.
* "Trembling Earth" by Alan Steele. At first, it seems to be a predictable copycat version of Jurassic Park, but then it suddenly changes. A very good look at the uneven relationship between science and politics, and an excellent finale to the anthology.
December 5, 2025
11 short stories. Enjoyed them all. I would have liked to have known how an Archaeopteryx ended up on the menu..... Being an anti-critic, and unable to fall into the negative world of a critic, I found enjoyment in all of the stories.
January 12, 2026
More like 3.5 stars.
A solid collection of dinosaur stories, and there are a few really solid additions. Overall though this collection struggled to hold my interest for long periods of time. Completely worth your read if you need more dinosaurs in your fiction, but non-essential otherwise.
A solid collection of dinosaur stories, and there are a few really solid additions. Overall though this collection struggled to hold my interest for long periods of time. Completely worth your read if you need more dinosaurs in your fiction, but non-essential otherwise.
February 22, 2021
I liked this better than the first anthology in this series, especially the very last novella.
July 8, 2015
I've read much better stories about dinosaurs,and certainly much better stories from these authors. I was tempted to rate it higher simply because there is not enough dino fiction, but I decided against it. A few stories are entertaining enough, but as a whole the collection is a bit lacking in excitement. Most fail to break free of the standard time travel to see dinosaurs trick that fills most of dinosaur scifi. I was even disappointed by Robert J Sawyer's piece. even though he is my favorite SF author and has a knack for writing about dinosaurs.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews