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pinebapples_77's review against another edition
adventurous
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Originally, I picked this up because I enjoyed the movie a lot. However, I ended up feeling like I read something completely different. I found that while Grant is the main character in both book and movie, Ian Malcolm had the most memorable moments and flushed out philosophies than anyone else. He was definitely the most interesting character in his monologues. Also Hammond was extremely unlikely in this version and I have no pity for him.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Gore, and Blood
cafelatte235's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
If you like the movie, you'll love this book! Really great read. I think my only complaint about this book is at times it's hard to keep track of the characters, and who is narrating / speaking at times.
Great book about the message of "just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should"
Great book about the message of "just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should"
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore and Blood
Minor: Vomit
koenmeloen's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Great book, way better than the movie. The plot is more focused on the flaws of trying to control nature instead of "big dino kill human", which is much more interesting to read. There are some scary scenes which make the book thrilling to read. All in all this is a must-have for people that love scary books with science woven into the plot!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Blood
madmadmaddymad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
This was just the book I needed right now!
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and the similarities and differences that it had with one of my all time favorite movies. I will say that the film is so ingrained in my memory at this point; I couldn’t help but visualize scenes directly depicted from it while I was reading. But it was such a well written and amazing book! The perfect pace of science fiction, horror, and thriller.
I also liked how scientific the book was! It delves a little deeper into the genetics, the corporate greed, the idea of life and humanity’s effect on the planet as a whole. Ian Malcolm got on my nerves with his whole “chaos theory” schtick, but it was made better when I visualized young Jeff Goldblum as the character. Can’t help but root for him, in a way.
When Dinosaurs ruled the earth!
I enjoyed listening to the audiobook and the similarities and differences that it had with one of my all time favorite movies. I will say that the film is so ingrained in my memory at this point; I couldn’t help but visualize scenes directly depicted from it while I was reading. But it was such a well written and amazing book! The perfect pace of science fiction, horror, and thriller.
I also liked how scientific the book was! It delves a little deeper into the genetics, the corporate greed, the idea of life and humanity’s effect on the planet as a whole. Ian Malcolm got on my nerves with his whole “chaos theory” schtick, but it was made better when I visualized young Jeff Goldblum as the character. Can’t help but root for him, in a way.
When Dinosaurs ruled the earth!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Child death, and Death
Minor: Fatphobia and Misogyny
fran_the_man's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Animal death, Cursing, Death, Gore, Racism, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Cultural appropriation, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
talesofold's review against another edition
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death
peachani's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Crichton is really good at creating tension, so I kinda wish he had stuck to that instead of writing in all the scientific explanation... I'm not a geneticist, but I found myself going "I don't think that's how that works..." several times. I'm going to re-watch the movie to see if I enjoy it as much as I did all those years ago.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Violence, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Gore and Blood
Minor: Body shaming, Fatphobia, Gun violence, Sexism, Vomit, Car accident, and Classism
bottlecaps's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Gore, and Blood
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
emilywemily6's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
I really enjoyed this book. I read it after reading Dragon Teeth and was delighted to hear mention of Cope and Marsh towards the beginning of this story! The science behind this book is fascinating and pretty realistic from my uneducated perspective. And while the philosophical discussion from Malcolm felt a little overdone, it was very interesting to think about the implications of scientific discoveries on the wider world, especially when we can’t foresee the entire impact they have. The growing sense of dread and unease was spot on, and while it is slower than modern thrillers I was still entranced. I hated reading incorrect medical scenarios though- it takes a day or two for infection to set in, then another day or two for the infection to turn septic/systemic, so why did Malcolm’s wounds turn septic in like 6 hours?? Besides that, this book felt well thought out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Medical content
Minor: Classism
mollyb13's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Reread for the first time years and it is still a 5/5. Perfect book.
Love that there is something for everyone here - it can be read purely as a thriller/adventure or kick start a lot of thoughts about ethical scientific practices. A classic case of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should'. The book has held up really well over time and I think the questions Crichton brought up are just as relevant today as they were in 1990 when the book was published.
And on a side note, this is the only example I can think of where the book and movie completely complement each other. They are both perfect and one doesn't take away from the other.
Love that there is something for everyone here - it can be read purely as a thriller/adventure or kick start a lot of thoughts about ethical scientific practices. A classic case of 'just because you can, doesn't mean you should'. The book has held up really well over time and I think the questions Crichton brought up are just as relevant today as they were in 1990 when the book was published.
And on a side note, this is the only example I can think of where the book and movie completely complement each other. They are both perfect and one doesn't take away from the other.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Death, Gore, and Blood