Scan barcode
trish204's review
3.0
I found this book because a GR friend read it and since I knew two of the authors who had contributed stories - not to mention my love for everything dinosaur - I was curious.
There are 13 stories in this book but I had already read one (or one version of it) and only very few are worth mentioning. the ones that are are The First Man on Earth and Jeremiah's Puzzle though Cult of the Cretaceous wasn't bad either. The fact that I stopped posting individual updates two stories before the finish line should be telling however.
The collection really isn't bad. Two stories were bad, one because, but the others were just ... average. Bland.
I do love dinosaurs and I like blood and gore; the science also doesn't always have to make sense. Nevertheless, the greatness of Jurassic Park lies in it being as realistic as possible. These didn't even come close, sadly.
Still, a few interesting ideas for how humans could come in contact with these fascinating animals and some of the T-rex buffets were entertaining.
There are 13 stories in this book but I had already read one (or one version of it) and only very few are worth mentioning. the ones that are are The First Man on Earth and Jeremiah's Puzzle though Cult of the Cretaceous wasn't bad either. The fact that I stopped posting individual updates two stories before the finish line should be telling however.
The collection really isn't bad. Two stories were bad, one because
Spoiler
a pedophile was the star and won in the end evenI do love dinosaurs and I like blood and gore; the science also doesn't always have to make sense. Nevertheless, the greatness of Jurassic Park lies in it being as realistic as possible. These didn't even come close, sadly.
Still, a few interesting ideas for how humans could come in contact with these fascinating animals and some of the T-rex buffets were entertaining.
lilyn_g's review
3.0
Prehistoric has some great stories in it. It also has some staggeringly bad ones. So bad, in fact, that my note at the end of one particular one was a simple “Holy fuck, that was bad.” I cringed so hard that all desire to continue reading the book actually left me for quite some time. Luckily, the allure of dinos nomming humans pulled me back in, and I discovered better things that lay within.
My favorite stories were Extinction by Rich Restucci (an author new to me), and The First Man on Earth by Geoff Jones. (I had previously read Jones’ Dinosaur Four book and loved it. ) Extinction I loved because I’d only seen the idea played with once before (and it was great then, too!) and The First Man on Earth just because it got me solidly in the feels with the main character’s backstory and the way it ended.
I also liked No Tears Left in the Flipside by Jake Bible, Operation: Severn by William Meikle, Sauria by Tim Curran, and Lost Island by David Wood. Bible has long been a favorite author for sheer balls-to-the-walls and even though the first Flipside book wasn’t for me, I enjoyed this snapshot into the series. Meikle is a dependable deliverer of freaky shit (gigantic sea louse, anyone?) so I knew he was going to come through. Curran’s idea in Sauria was an intriguing one, and Lost Island was just an outright entertaining read.
Though not a story I particularly enjoyed, I will note that for fans of a certain horror movie series, Baxter delivers some puzzle box fun. And if you’re a fan of a good revenge story, Tim Waggoner’s Closure will certainly delight you.
Overall, Prehistoric delivered a very satisfactory amount of chomp-and-stomp and I loved seeing how the different authors ran with the idea of humans vs dinos. There are only so many ways to get the two to go head-to-head, but no two stories felt the same, so I was happy with the range delivered.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from one of the authors for review consideration.
My favorite stories were Extinction by Rich Restucci (an author new to me), and The First Man on Earth by Geoff Jones. (I had previously read Jones’ Dinosaur Four book and loved it. ) Extinction I loved because I’d only seen the idea played with once before (and it was great then, too!) and The First Man on Earth just because it got me solidly in the feels with the main character’s backstory and the way it ended.
I also liked No Tears Left in the Flipside by Jake Bible, Operation: Severn by William Meikle, Sauria by Tim Curran, and Lost Island by David Wood. Bible has long been a favorite author for sheer balls-to-the-walls and even though the first Flipside book wasn’t for me, I enjoyed this snapshot into the series. Meikle is a dependable deliverer of freaky shit (gigantic sea louse, anyone?) so I knew he was going to come through. Curran’s idea in Sauria was an intriguing one, and Lost Island was just an outright entertaining read.
Though not a story I particularly enjoyed, I will note that for fans of a certain horror movie series, Baxter delivers some puzzle box fun. And if you’re a fan of a good revenge story, Tim Waggoner’s Closure will certainly delight you.
Overall, Prehistoric delivered a very satisfactory amount of chomp-and-stomp and I loved seeing how the different authors ran with the idea of humans vs dinos. There are only so many ways to get the two to go head-to-head, but no two stories felt the same, so I was happy with the range delivered.
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from one of the authors for review consideration.
More...