elisetheninth's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
This book is just as enchanting to revisit now as it was to visit for the first time decades ago. The artwork is incredible and so detailed it really does feel like you might fall into some of the two-page spreads! I love the foundation of this world, too - there's something really gentle and lovely about it.
amylynn44's review
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
snazel's review against another edition
4.0
Beautiful and incredibly fun story and illustrations, but it's interesting how early-90s this feels. I can't see such a pacifistic (vegan!) utopia flying in the era post 9/11. It's so hopeful. We just decided to leave systemic prejudice and injustice behind and moved on to utopia! Yeah, that doesn't ring quite true.
It's an interesting indictment that the social utopia is the part which I find most unbelievable, not the talking intelligent dinosaurs.
It's an interesting indictment that the social utopia is the part which I find most unbelievable, not the talking intelligent dinosaurs.
mal_eficent's review
adventurous
informative
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I grew up on the TV miniseries and always wanted to grab the book, but could never find it. Now I have it, I regret not getting it sooner!
For some reason, I was expecting this to be more of narrative book – instead it follows the journal entry style of classic adventure stories (like Edgar Rice Burroughs, for example) and uses mostly illustrations to pad out the text. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, so I'm hardly complaining, but it makes it pretty short and lacks a lot of the world building I was looking for. Weird thing to say when this is entirely the recordings of a scientist discovering a new world and goes into a lot of detail...I'm just greedy. I will probably just treat this as an artbook in the future, but the story is equally lovely and worth the time.
Honestly, if you're a fan of world building, fantasy/sci-fi illustrations, and DINOSAURS, this is absolutely worth grabbing.
For some reason, I was expecting this to be more of narrative book – instead it follows the journal entry style of classic adventure stories (like Edgar Rice Burroughs, for example) and uses mostly illustrations to pad out the text. The illustrations are absolutely gorgeous, so I'm hardly complaining, but it makes it pretty short and lacks a lot of the world building I was looking for. Weird thing to say when this is entirely the recordings of a scientist discovering a new world and goes into a lot of detail...I'm just greedy. I will probably just treat this as an artbook in the future, but the story is equally lovely and worth the time.
Honestly, if you're a fan of world building, fantasy/sci-fi illustrations, and DINOSAURS, this is absolutely worth grabbing.
shanaqui's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Dinotopia is a delightful world, one full of the author's hopes of how people could be better to each other, and how a society could keep itself in balance. It's also just a lovely idea: what if people and dinosaurs could coexist, communicate, and work together.
The artwork is beautiful, and the additional info about the process and Gurney's thoughts about creating it all are really interesting.
The artwork is beautiful, and the additional info about the process and Gurney's thoughts about creating it all are really interesting.
cricket_witch's review
adventurous
hopeful
lighthearted
relaxing
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
oxnard_montalvo's review against another edition
5.0
The story was a lot thinner than I remember, but then I was probably fleshing it out a great deal more as a child. I think I only ever skimmed the writing and instead lost myself in the artwork. A friend owned this book and it was required reading for me when I went to their house. Waking up early on sleepovers I would pick this up to entertain myself. I also chose one of the series spin off paperbacks for the book club group I was in age 10. The book had illusions of grandeur with one of our picks being a Dutch novel from the 1860s.... I definitely lowered the tone with my Dinotopia book. However! No regrets!
lauraeweymouth's review
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
relaxing
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ursulamonarch's review
5.0
I have such intensely fond memories of this from my childhood. My 4 year old quite enjoyed looking at the pictures, and it seems like the whole thing pleasantly holds up to my recollections.