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pkiwi's review against another edition
4.0
Fantastical yet believable Wild West story. The basis in real facts helps elevate this book from 'just an adventure' to 'really cool and relatively believable'. Thrilling to the end, genuinely sympathetic protagonist.
kadaroli's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
midici's review against another edition
3.0
*3.5 stars
This was a quick, entertaining read. The book contains a lot of historical facts - the dangerous rivalry between Marsh and Cope, the background of the violence and war between the army and the native tribes, the discovery of new dinosaur species are all based on fact. The main character of William Johnson was created for the purposes of exploring this time period and the dangerous activity that paleontology could be in those days.
The language is clear and descriptive, Johnson makes for a sympathetic character, and the descriptions from diary entries makes the novel read almost as if it's all fact instead of only partially. This book follows my personal pattern of enjoying Crichton's historical fictions the most.
This was a quick, entertaining read. The book contains a lot of historical facts - the dangerous rivalry between Marsh and Cope, the background of the violence and war between the army and the native tribes, the discovery of new dinosaur species are all based on fact. The main character of William Johnson was created for the purposes of exploring this time period and the dangerous activity that paleontology could be in those days.
The language is clear and descriptive, Johnson makes for a sympathetic character, and the descriptions from diary entries makes the novel read almost as if it's all fact instead of only partially. This book follows my personal pattern of enjoying Crichton's historical fictions the most.
chelsea21's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
twocats_witchery's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
magikspells's review against another edition
3.0
I'm really torn on this one. On one hand, I really love Michael Crichton and I usually enjoy the hell out of his books. But on the other hand, this was lacking a lot. If this was a draft that was recovered, it feels like it was barely a first draft. There was so little action or mystery or intrigue that it almost doesn't feel like a Crichton book. It was alright, but that's about as good as I can say it was.
protoman21's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 stars, mostly because there were parts of it that gave me that old Crichton feeling again. The book stands up to his standards, so I'm so glad they found this and published it!
hinesight's review against another edition
3.0
This was very short, which was disappointing. Interesting, quick read.
absinthe's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5