Read for: Recent Purchase & Audio Book
Synopsis: "Michael Crichton's recently discovered novel—an adventure set in the Wild West during the golden age of fossil hunting.
The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. In much of the country it is still illegal to espouse evolution. Against this backdrop two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils, while surveilling, deceiving and sabotaging each other in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars.
Into this treacherous territory plunges the arrogant and entitled William Johnson, a Yale student with more privilege than sense. Determined to survive a summer in the west to win a bet against his arch-rival, William has joined world-renowned paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh on his latest expedition. But when the paranoid and secretive Marsh becomes convinced that William is spying for his nemesis, Edwin Drinker Cope, he abandons him in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a locus of crime and vice. William is forced to join forces with Cope and soon stumbles upon a discovery of historic proportions. With this extraordinary treasure, however, comes exceptional danger, and William’s newfound resilience will be tested in his struggle to protect his cache, which pits him against some of the West’s most notorious characters."
My Review: As soon as I saw this book was coming up I got very excited, I loved the Jurassic park books as a teen and picked Dragon Teeth up as soon as it was released. I loved the setting of this book and the plot line of it. The time period was an exciting one and obviously a lot of research was conducted while putting this book together to fit all the pieces together. I also appreciated the more honest description of the area, the rough and tumble people who lived out west during the gold rush and the unforgiving terrain and weather. With all that said it really feels incomplete, like it was outlined in detail but clearly he intended to go back and fill in some of the story but it didn't happen and those who discovered the manuscript just couldn't compare to the original. It is still a great story and one I did enjoy just don't expect it to hold up to previous books.
The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. In much of the country it is still illegal to espouse evolution. Against this backdrop two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils, while surveilling, deceiving and sabotaging each other in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars.
Into this treacherous territory plunges the arrogant and entitled William Johnson, a Yale student with more privilege than sense. Determined to survive a summer in the west to win a bet against his arch-rival, William has joined world-renowned paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh on his latest expedition. But when the paranoid and secretive Marsh becomes convinced that William is spying for his nemesis, Edwin Drinker Cope, he abandons him in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a locus of crime and vice. William is forced to join forces with Cope and soon stumbles upon a discovery of historic proportions. With this extraordinary treasure, however, comes exceptional danger, and William’s newfound resilience will be tested in his struggle to protect his cache, which pits him against some of the West’s most notorious characters."
My Review: As soon as I saw this book was coming up I got very excited, I loved the Jurassic park books as a teen and picked Dragon Teeth up as soon as it was released. I loved the setting of this book and the plot line of it. The time period was an exciting one and obviously a lot of research was conducted while putting this book together to fit all the pieces together. I also appreciated the more honest description of the area, the rough and tumble people who lived out west during the gold rush and the unforgiving terrain and weather. With all that said it really feels incomplete, like it was outlined in detail but clearly he intended to go back and fill in some of the story but it didn't happen and those who discovered the manuscript just couldn't compare to the original. It is still a great story and one I did enjoy just don't expect it to hold up to previous books.
My Rating: I loved the setting of this book and it was one of the reasons I picked it up (other than it was Michael Crichton). It was okay, I loved all the historical facts interwoven with the story and the danger and suspense but there was a disconnect, it wasn't as polished as his other books (obviously he hadn't published it for a reason). I give it a rating of Two Paws and a Stump Wag.
I haven't read Jurassic Park yet, but I will get around to it eventually.
ReplyDeleteThat’s too bad that it felt incomplete. I’ve never read one of his books.
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