matthewmgordon's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fun, fast read. “Carnosaur” is sort of like a shorter, pulpier English cousin to Jurassic Park. It does lose a star for some (understatement) casual sexism.
landencelano's review against another edition
3.0
Sordid fun, but in its similarities to Jurassic Park made me appreciate the brilliance of that story.
itcamefromthepage's review against another edition
3.0
Incredibly trashy and for the most part fun dinosaur romp.
The big issue is that even for pulp this book has some....questionable views on women. There is a constant whiff of misogny running through this book that really drains some of the fun. The writing of Jane Penward in particular is very very odd. The word 'nymphomaniac' is thrown around a lot against her character and it just reeked of a male writer trying to be weirdly puritan. Occasionally the book tries to play with characters engrained sexism but it never works and always comes off bad.
That being said the dinosaur stuff is really really fun and outstanding. The action is really well written with some gruesome sequences I adored. Just maybe skip to the dino carnage bits and forget the rest.
The big issue is that even for pulp this book has some....questionable views on women. There is a constant whiff of misogny running through this book that really drains some of the fun. The writing of Jane Penward in particular is very very odd. The word 'nymphomaniac' is thrown around a lot against her character and it just reeked of a male writer trying to be weirdly puritan. Occasionally the book tries to play with characters engrained sexism but it never works and always comes off bad.
That being said the dinosaur stuff is really really fun and outstanding. The action is really well written with some gruesome sequences I adored. Just maybe skip to the dino carnage bits and forget the rest.
mjtucker's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.25
vminton706's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
I saw someone describe this as “Jurassic park for people who drink beer” and I would have to agree. I absolutely loved this book and would highly recommend it. It was everythingI wanted it to be and more.
jhg1995's review against another edition
5.0
Massively underrated masterpiece! It'll keep readers on the edge of their seats and bring surprisingly accurate dinosaurs to the front so much you'll forget to be disappointed by the hanger on the cliff, the rather nonsensical motives of the villainous Darren Penward, and the lack of any Parasaurolophus. Also the plesiosaur should not be able to crawl on land or crane its neck like a swan but that's not my problem.
Oh, and for once Tarbosaurus and Deinonychus(that are for whatever reason Dakotaraptor sized) the front-and-center coelurosaurs rather than Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. It's a pretty fresh change of pace in hindsight.
Oh, and for once Tarbosaurus and Deinonychus(that are for whatever reason Dakotaraptor sized) the front-and-center coelurosaurs rather than Tyrannosaurus and Velociraptor. It's a pretty fresh change of pace in hindsight.
nemobott's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
absinthe's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Mostly focused on the gore and the horror of everything, without much to offer for story or characters. A reasonably fun read if you go into the book expecting old school monster-flick vibes.
jaydi's review against another edition
2.0
I really wanted to like this book, but I just didn’t. There were parts that I did like a lot, so not a one star, but the things I didn’t like I REALLY did not like at all. Some of my reasons for disliking this book are incredibly petty and stupid, and I will admit that. The characters came off as super flat to me, the dialogue very often did not sound remotely like anything an actual human being would say, and more than once I found myself agreeing with the villain. The climax pretty much ruined the entire experience for me. Specifically, the scene with the Scolosaurus pissed me right off, and if the rest of the ride had not been so weirdly amusing I would have rated this book one star based entirely on that scene.