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The Great Zoo of China
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June 2015 Random Read Group Read: The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly *Spoilers*
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I was worried that this book would be too derivative of Jurassic Park, but while the similarities are obvious, it was just too much fun to worry about. I liked the characters, the setting was great, and the action was just incredible. He just kept raising the stakes over and over again. I loved this book.
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Just started this morning. Very interesting so far and the action has just started - sweet!
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I pictured this as a movie too. That's one of the things I like best about Reilly, and particularly this book. He describes things so vividly. I could picture the valley and the swamp and the facilities and especially the dragons. I could see how this would look amazing on the big screen.
Yes, this book was non-stop action right from the beginning. I really enjoyed it. A good movie it would definitely make. Although I must admit that at times I had to suspend my disbelief regarding the insurmountable obstacles that CJ and Hamish managed to overcome and just go with enjoying the story.
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Though that's generally a generic formula. Jaws, Come to the beach it's safe... well, pretty sure... okay it's kind of safe.. .sharks... we can deal with them... Followed by the Movie Grizzly which was, a) lower budget, and b) the same thing right down to the fight to close the park.
This is sort of the Manchurian Candidate meets Jurasic Park.
Enjoyable so far, but barely scratching the surface.
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(Cough)
I mean... okay, so there's a little action here. And, we start to leave many of the simalarities to Creighton behind (however the amphibian DNA link is still here).
After the (view spoiler) bad things I guess Crockadiles are just annoying?
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I thought CJ was a really cool character. I like characters who are skilled by their life experiences to deal with the issue in the novel. Her experiences as a herpetologist and with the very aggressive crocodiles is really fitting as a backstory. I loved how she bonded so well with Lucky, and Lucky was pretty awesome.
My biggest issue was (view spoiler)
Overall, really enjoyed this.
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Speaking of suspending disbelief, I recently bought a Volkswagen car and I know for a fact that VW isn't making vans right now, so when they described the zoo having a brand new van, I raised an eyebrow. They actually have their vans made by Chrysler or something.
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Danielle The Book Huntress , Literary Adrenaline Junkie
(last edited Jun 21, 2015 06:40PM)
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rated it 4 stars
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Danielle, I can understand how you found it sad when the dragons died at the end. I was likely the only person crying at Jurasic World when the brontosauruses died. LOL!
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I was glad she saved the good dragons, just wished there were more of them. They eat fish? Which is better than humans and probably doesn't taste like chicken... well chicken of the sea maybe but that's really Tuna.
1. What was your first thought when you found out this was a zoo full of dragons?Well, I wasn't terribly surprised given the blurbs and the cover, but my first thought was "Jurassic Park but with dragons".
2. Did the story unfold predictably to you?
Only in a general sense. Sophisticated park with dangerous animals, something goes wrong, screaming, running, calamity.
3. In what ways does this compare to Jurassic Park? What ways is it different?
It's obviously inspired by Jurassic Park and shares the similarities of extinct or thought to be extinct creatures thrust into a world out of time and the concept of man as the alpha predator being threatened. I think the setting and the Chinese cultural motivation was a big difference. I actually thought the justification for how dragons survived and their place in several different regions mythos actually holds up to scrutiny a little better than the origin science in Jurassic Park.
4. What did you think of CJ? Which other characters stood out for you?
I loved CJ. Smart, brave, skilled, and filled with incredible resolve. My other favorite characters were Hamish and Lucky. I love Lucky!
5. What did you think of the dragons?
I loved the dragons for their diversity, intelligence, tenacity and ferociousness. I liked that they had character, even if a lot of it was simply good or evil.
6. What part was your favorite? Least favorite?
Actually, there was not much I didn't like. It started a little slow, but very quickly overcame my skepticism and then once it got going it just never slowed down. I didn't have a favorite part per se, but what I enjoyed most was that the action kept ramping up, and up, and up.
7. What did you think of the action level? Favorite action scenes?
The action level was maybe unparalleled. Each time I thought the stakes couldn't get any higher, they did. My favorite action scene was maybe the first time the dragons started flinging train cars and trucks into the buildings. I thought the whole book was very cinematic. Can you imagine seeing some of these scenes on a big screen? I get chills.
8. What would you do if you were stuck in a zoo full of carnivorous dragons?
Run, hide, run and hide, wet myself.
9. Overall rating out of 1-10 or 1-5 stars?
I'd give it an 8 or 9 out of 10. Mostly because I want to see him try to top himself.
10. Would you want a sequel of this book with CJ or otherwise?
I don't think I'd want a sequel per se, but I definitely wouldn't mind spending some more time with CJ.
11. Other books like this you'd recommend?
The Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle and Carnosaur by Harry Adam Knight
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Well, I wasn't terribly surprised given the blurbs and the cover, but my first thought was "Jurassic Park but with..."
I enjoyed reading your answers, Tad. Thanks for sharing. I totally agree with you on 8. :)
One thing that I loved was how the dragons kept surprising me with their problem-solving.
Did anyone else miss the purple dragons? I don't think we ever got to see them in action.
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Oh I was so bummed. I wanted them to keep existing there, but just not eating people. :(
Action/Adventure Aficionados
Books mentioned in this topic
The Lost World (other topics)Carnosaur (other topics)
Jurassic Park (other topics)
The Great Zoo of China (other topics)
Authors mentioned in this topic
Arthur Conan Doyle (other topics)Harry Adam Knight (other topics)
Discussion Questions
1. What was your first thought when you found out this was a zoo full of dragons?
2. Did the story unfold predictably to you?
3. In what ways does this compare to Jurassic Park? What ways is it different?
4. What did you think of CJ? Which other characters stood out for you?
5. What did you think of the dragons?
6. What part was your favorite? Least favorite?
7. What did you think of the action level? Favorite action scenes?
8. What would you do if you were stuck in a zoo full of carnivorous dragons?
9. Overall rating out of 1-10 or 1-5 stars?
10. Would you want a sequel of this book with CJ or otherwise?
11. Other books like this you'd recommend?