Dinosaurs 2

by Jack Dann (Editor), Gardner Dozois (Editor), L. Sprague de Camp (Contributor)

Mysterious and mighty, they ruled the primeval forest. And millions of years later, they still rule our imaginations. This new collection of 11 stories from the creators of the popular Dinosaurs! features thundering tales by Isaac Asimov, L. Sprague de Camp, Jane Yolen, Roger Zalazny and many more.

Contents
xiii • Preface (Dinosaurs II) • (1995) • essay by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois
1 • The Big Splash • [Reginald Rivers] • (1992) • novelette by L. Sprague de Camp
25 • Just Like Old Times • (1993) • shortstory by Robert J. Sawyer
41 • The Virgin and the Dinosaur • (1992) • novella by R. Garcia y Robertson
95 • The Odd Old Bird • [Doctor Eszterhazy] • (1988) • shortstory by Avram Davidson
107 • Bernie • (1994) • novelette by Ian McDowell
129 • Small Deer • (1965) • shortstory by Clifford D. Simak
145 • Dinosaur Pliés • (1989) • shortstory by R. V. Branham
151 • Day of the Hunters • (1950) • shortstory by Isaac Asimov
163 • Herding with the Hadrosaurs • (1992) • shortstory by Michael Bishop
185 • Ontogeny Recapitulates Phylogeny • (1990) • shortstory by R. Garcia y Robertson
197 • Trembling Earth • (1990) • novella by Allen Steele

Genres: Science Fiction, Anthologies, Fiction, Dinosaurs, Animals

253 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1995

Reviews

[Rena Sherwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Thomas Norris · Rating 5 out of 5]

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.

[Tomas · Rating 3 out of 5]

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.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this better than the first anthology in this series, especially the very last novella.

[Jeff Powers · Rating 2 out of 5]

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.