Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
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Book Reviews of Jurassic Park
Book Review: Yearly Adventure
Summary: 5 Stars
Every year on my winter break i look forward to reading Jurassic Park. I bought the mass produced paperback in 1993 after seeing the movie when i was 10. I struggled for 6 months trying to read it, but never felt so accomplished as when i was done. The movie was good and inspired me to read, but the book was a treasure and sparked a life long flirtation with science, ethics, chaos, dinosaurs and responsibility. Several years ago, when i began my annual tradition, my grandmother noticed me reading and commented on how i was a book worm and similar to herself. She has passed away and when i read it i often think of her.
Memories aside, this is hands down my favorite book of all time. Everytime i read it i look forward to the characters discovering what is on the island, why Hammond had northern digs, why the dino's can breed and the amazement they experience. The story telling is scary at times but always informative and explaining. It beguiles the events in a chaotic yet seemless approach. You do not feel sorry for the bad guys, you understand the money men and root for the heroes. Surprisingly you root for the dinosaurs as well. You fear the Rex and Raptors, but you understand their motivation. Hammond was never a round character and neither was Malcolm really, but they balanced each other out in the end. Both meeting their fate (despite the sequals attempt to bring Ian back) after reassuring themselves of their superiority.
The book makes me think and refelct on the state of affairs of science and its advancements with its ethical dilemmas that the scientific community and the public withstand. I tell all my friends to read it, if only to gleen from it that: we cannot save the earth (it can save itself) but we can save each other; advancements in medicine and technology are always dependent on money and how much can be made; procompsognathid is a hard word to type and spell; rocket launchers and whiskey DO mix; raptors are [...].
V for Velociraptor
Book Review: Excellent Read
Summary: 5 Stars
The movie was entertaining, but I never thought much about reading the book. The movie just never compelled me enough to hunt the book down. However, my friend loved it, and she shares reading interests similar to my own. I have a cold and didn't actually think I would finish with this book soon. Fooled myself. I fought the effects of cold medicine to finish this book. Dinosaurs still don't fascinate me, but the characters in this book did. The science behind creating something like Jurassic Park was interesting as well. But mainly, I really liked the characters and how they interacted with each other.
Each character only coincides with his or her book counterpart in the basest of ways. Hammond being the rich eccentric, Grant being the famed paleontologist, Malcolm being the pessimistic mathematician (he was a mathematician in the movie, too, right?) etc. The book presents new sides of the characters that make me see the characters in a different light. I believe that Hammond was foolish, almost to the point of idiocy, and early in the book, I could tell that I wasn't going to feel bad that his project was going to fail. In fact, I felt it was only right that his project DID fail. Hammond lacked common sense. He carelessly disregarded the warnings that his staff-notably Wu, Muldoon, and Arnold-constantly tried to get him to understand. No one had seen the likes of these creatures for millions of years, and yet, Hammond treated them like common animals, which proved to be his downfall (along with other non-dino related problems).
The story itself was compelling, intellengent, and even for someone who doesn't have an avid interest in things such as dinosaurs, this story pulls them in. In fact, sometimes, the dinos themselves aren't the main focus of the book (I know they weren't for me). I actually would rate this a 4.5, but it's definitely better than a four.
Book Review: Raptors And Triceratops And T-Rex.....Oh My!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Okay, so it doesn't quite roll off of the tongue like the famous line from "The Wizard of Oz," but Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park" runs through a very similar vein of tall tales. It's the story of dinosaurs who are forced into a new world that they are unaccustomed to. So what does a T-Rex do in a strange new environment? The exact same thing it did so many millions of years ago. It eats everything in its path. Crichton tackles the very touchy arena of ethics in science. Should we do something for profit or scientific advancement no matter what the consequences might be? Is it always good to bring something back that's extinct? What happens when you try to control a living thing by denying it certain necessities? All of this and more is answered in this Crichton page-turner-turned-mega-movie.
The book, as is almost always the case, is much better than the film, and that's saying a lot considering how excellent the film adaptation of "Jurassic Park" was. It really captured the primary message of the book. I won't go into any deep detail since most people have either read the book already or have watched the film, but I will say that the book has much better character and story development. There are a few surprises as well in the overall outcome of the story. Characters that have minute or non-existent roles in the film are expanded upon in the book, and the list of survivors doesn't necessarily include all of the group from the film. In fact, I'm glad that a couple of characters had different fates on the page than they did on the screen.
Overall, this is an excellent book. Crichton crafted a wonderful science fiction thriller that is just as suspenseful as the flick and is better as a whole. If you're looking for sci-fi thrills, ethical arguments, and even a few scientific facts, "Jurassic Park" is just what Dr. Grant ordered.
Book Review: An amazing read!
Summary: 5 Stars
Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park is a modern-day tale based on technology gone wrong. This book paved the way for other science fiction thriller novels that based their plots around new and emerging technologies of the 21st century, in specific genetic experimentation and technology.
With the newly discovered powers of genetic experimentation and recreation also came the allure of untold success and wealth. This attraction led the enthusiastic but ignorant business man, John Hammond, to create an amusement park that harnessed these new scientific discoveries. After all, who wouldn't want to see animals that once existed millions of years ago brought back to life? But, as the park's completion was about to be announced, events occurred with these once extinct animals that quickly spiraled out of control and endangered all those residing at the park. As, Dr. Ian Malcolm stated, "Life is actually a series of encounters in which one event may change those that follow in a wholly unpredictable, even devastating way."
Michael Crichton masters the art of suspension and action into a science fiction tale of genetic experimentation. His character development is exquisite and vivid descriptions of technology gone wrong make the reader think twice about the ever increasing use of scientific discoveries. His knowledge of genetics and computer sciences incorporated into this story allows the reader to have a better appreciation and excitement for science. However, this knowledge can make the book difficult to understand at times.
Overall, this book is very skillfully written and enjoyable. It pulls the reader in from the very beginning with its descriptions, credibility and implied ethnical questions regarding genetic cloning and experimentation. However, because of its technical language and explanations I would recommend this book for an older audience.
Book Review: Uncontrolled genetic engineering.
Summary: 5 Stars
In this novel, scientists use cloning, PCR techniques, and amphibian development to isolate dinosaur DNA from insects trapped in amber and to grow living dinosaurs for the ultimate in amusement parks. To garner support for the park, the developer has asked a number of scientists to visit and to evaluate the facilities and animals. One of these individuals is a mathematician whose field of expertice is chaos and catastrophe theory. Thus, the readers learns a little about molecular biology, paleontology, paleobotany, and an exciting new area of mathematics (a common characteristic of Dr. Crichton's novels that I find enjoyable is the education one receives over a wide area of topics). However, things go wrong and the reader is soon caught up in the adventure. But, I should point out that both the book and the 1994 film make some serious scientific errors, particularly in biochemistry and molecular biology. (For example, Dr. Crichton has his characters insert a genetic "flaw" into the DNA of the dinosaurs so that, if a dinosaur would escape, it could not survive in the "wild." The dinosaurs are made to be incapable of biosynthesizing the amino acid lysine. However, humans [and other mammals] also can't synthesize lysine! Lysine is one of the nutritionally essential amino acids [just ask any body builder who often supplement their diets with lysine tablets]. Nevertheless, humans are able to survive without this metabolic pathway!) But note that, even with thses flaws, I still gave the book five stars. These errors (and the "nonerrors") get readers to thinking about these exciting new fields of human endeavor. And, they start searching for the answers themselves. I see students doing this all the time. Crichton should be applauded. The book and the film also demonstrate the problems with uncontrolled genetic engineering.