dhartanya's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't think I'd like a book coming from the perspective of the Raptor.
But I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed the story line.
But I was quite surprised how much I enjoyed the story line.
carolyn227's review against another edition
3.0
Early Cretaceous historical fiction? I found it intriguing. This book came out around the same time as the original Jurassic Park movie, and the Utahraptors portrayed in this book are similar to the giant raptors in the movie. I really wasn't sure how well I would enjoy a 3rd person portrayal of dinosaurian life, but I enjoyed it more than I expected.
arrasisabell's review against another edition
4.0
I saw someone describe this story as pride and prejudice but for dinosaurs, not quite. I can see why they made the comparison but I didn’t see it as strong at all.
That being said, I enjoyed the book. Each Dino having its own personality and quirks was nice to see when it would have been easy to copy and paste. The plot went at a steady pace so the book didn’t feel like a drag to get through.
The material was also clearly as accurate as it could be for the time of writing with wonderful theories being presented. Overall, a good find and a wonderful read.
That being said, I enjoyed the book. Each Dino having its own personality and quirks was nice to see when it would have been easy to copy and paste. The plot went at a steady pace so the book didn’t feel like a drag to get through.
The material was also clearly as accurate as it could be for the time of writing with wonderful theories being presented. Overall, a good find and a wonderful read.
saraf7990's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
sellyt22's review against another edition
3.0
If the Discovery Channel made dinosaur soap operas, you would have this book.
trike's review against another edition
3.0
I read this when it came out over 20 years ago. I recall enjoying it once I accepted the speculation Bakker was engaging in. It's not quite "Call of the Wild with dinosaurs" but I appreciated the effort.
kasscanread's review against another edition
4.0
3.5 stars
As a dinosaur-loving 15-year-old, I was so upset when none of my local libraries carried this book, but wasn't passionate enough about it to buy it. Now nearly seven years later I've finally gotten around to reading it.
While the book read like a David Attenborough dinosaur documentary and I wished it had something more of a plot, it was still a fun and educational read. It was interesting to read a book written during a time of so much excitement and change in the science of paleontology, even if I'm not convinced by a lot of what Bakker assumes about Utahraptor lifestyles.
As a dinosaur-loving 15-year-old, I was so upset when none of my local libraries carried this book, but wasn't passionate enough about it to buy it. Now nearly seven years later I've finally gotten around to reading it.
While the book read like a David Attenborough dinosaur documentary and I wished it had something more of a plot, it was still a fun and educational read. It was interesting to read a book written during a time of so much excitement and change in the science of paleontology, even if I'm not convinced by a lot of what Bakker assumes about Utahraptor lifestyles.
storm_raptor's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
dana_naylor's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Author is paleontologist. Book is fictionalized account of a year in the life of a raptor. I enjoyed it a lot.
yogomagpie's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
My god this is 100% the book that 10-year-old me would have obsessed over. I would have reread this countless times and drawn comics of my favorite moments. I’m surprised I never knew about it. I found some of the scientific explanations a bit distracting from the flow of the story but I don’t care because I ate it all up.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Blood, Child death, Death of parent, and Excrement