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brandypainter's review
4.0
Originally posted here at Random Musings of a Bibliophile.
The Dinosaur Hunters is a novella that takes place in the world Patrick Samphire created for his Secrets of the Dragon Tomb series. The first book in the series is one of my favorite reads of this year. If you haven't read it, you should. You should also get your hands on this prequel novella that gives a wonderful glimpse into other elements of the world Samphire created and introduces a fabulous heroine.
Harriet George is determined to rescue her brother in law Bertram from his own stupidity. Bertram has bumbled his way along as a police inspector, but as rumors of a famous jewel thief no can catch coming to Tharsis City begin to spread, Bertram finds himself volunteered to capture the criminal. Harriet knows he will be unsuccessful and this will end his career leaving the family destitute. Harriet, disguised as a boy, goes along with Bertram on an expedition to hunt dinosaurs with the person believed to be the target of the famous jewel thief. The jewel thief does indeed strike, but he is not the only criminal lurking in the shadows of the hunt. Soon Harriet and Bertram find themselves investigating a murder while trying to not get eaten by the dinosaurs their expedition is there to hunt.
As a novella, The Dinosaur Hunters is a short quick read. Yet I was impressed with how much character development Samphire was able to do with the limited pages. Harriet is a force to be reckoned with. She is smart though far out of her element. She has no investigative training or much idea of how to handle a weapon. What she does have in abundance is instinct, common sense, and the ability to think quickly on her feet. I hope that this novella is the just the first we get of her in this series and that she will feature in one of the novels later.
The other characters are fairly standard for a mystery of this type, but I had no trouble keeping them straight in my head. None of them were forgettable. The plot is one of those mysteries that I love: a small group of people cut off for the most part and everyone is a suspect. The plot takes several twists along the way. I enjoyed every one of them and the ending was incredibly satisfying. The dinosaurs the expedition is hunting gave a whole other edge of danger and adventure to the story. I enjoyed seeing their place in the Martian world and connection to earth's fossils further explored.
This is a perfect introduction to the world Samphire has built if you are looking for one, and a must read for anyone who has read and enjoyed The Secrets of the Dragon Tomb.
I read a copy given to me by the author.
The Dinosaur Hunters is a novella that takes place in the world Patrick Samphire created for his Secrets of the Dragon Tomb series. The first book in the series is one of my favorite reads of this year. If you haven't read it, you should. You should also get your hands on this prequel novella that gives a wonderful glimpse into other elements of the world Samphire created and introduces a fabulous heroine.
Harriet George is determined to rescue her brother in law Bertram from his own stupidity. Bertram has bumbled his way along as a police inspector, but as rumors of a famous jewel thief no can catch coming to Tharsis City begin to spread, Bertram finds himself volunteered to capture the criminal. Harriet knows he will be unsuccessful and this will end his career leaving the family destitute. Harriet, disguised as a boy, goes along with Bertram on an expedition to hunt dinosaurs with the person believed to be the target of the famous jewel thief. The jewel thief does indeed strike, but he is not the only criminal lurking in the shadows of the hunt. Soon Harriet and Bertram find themselves investigating a murder while trying to not get eaten by the dinosaurs their expedition is there to hunt.
As a novella, The Dinosaur Hunters is a short quick read. Yet I was impressed with how much character development Samphire was able to do with the limited pages. Harriet is a force to be reckoned with. She is smart though far out of her element. She has no investigative training or much idea of how to handle a weapon. What she does have in abundance is instinct, common sense, and the ability to think quickly on her feet. I hope that this novella is the just the first we get of her in this series and that she will feature in one of the novels later.
The other characters are fairly standard for a mystery of this type, but I had no trouble keeping them straight in my head. None of them were forgettable. The plot is one of those mysteries that I love: a small group of people cut off for the most part and everyone is a suspect. The plot takes several twists along the way. I enjoyed every one of them and the ending was incredibly satisfying. The dinosaurs the expedition is hunting gave a whole other edge of danger and adventure to the story. I enjoyed seeing their place in the Martian world and connection to earth's fossils further explored.
This is a perfect introduction to the world Samphire has built if you are looking for one, and a must read for anyone who has read and enjoyed The Secrets of the Dragon Tomb.
I read a copy given to me by the author.
ghosthermione's review
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
3.5
Enjoyable read but it felt a bit too superficial - the mystery was too easily solved and the universe is too much "all the myths are true" for my taste (19th century napoleonic era space travel, living dinosaurs, life on mars... a bit much all at once)
barefootsong's review
adventurous
mysterious
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? No
4.0
Regency Era but with Martian colonies and dinosaurs! A fun little escapade.
snazel's review
5.0
This story is so much fun. Patrick Samphire’s colonized mars is always a delight, and the addition of dinosaurs only made the background of espionage, airships, carnivorous plants, and social intrigue even more fun. I really love our main character and I wish her EVERY SUCCESS in her new career, at which she will do brilliantly.
Stolen jewels! Dino hunting! Artifact theft! Murder! All the fun stuff.
Stolen jewels! Dino hunting! Artifact theft! Murder! All the fun stuff.
tsana's review
4.0
The Dinosaur Hunters by Patrick Samphire is the first novella in The Casebook of Harriet George. Although it’s the first in the series, I actually read the second novella first, because it was included in The Underwater Ballroom Society anthology. While the two novellas do stand alone, I suspect reading them in order adds to the context for the second story.
In this novella we are introduced to Harriet who, at the age of sixteen, is living with her older sister and brother in law, after the death of her parents. Her brother in law is a police investigator but, alas, not very good at his job. Because Harriet can see that her future depends on his ability to bring in a paycheque, she decides to help him solve an impossible jewel thief case (which has been handed to him to give his superiors an excuse to fire him when he fails). And so, Harriet dresses up as a boy and accompanies her brother in law on a dinosaur hunting expedition in the hopes of catching the thief.
This was a fun and entertaining read. Harriet is pretty cool and I was amused at how she successfully manipulated Bertrand and his employers to keep herself safe. The world building is super weird and almost not at all scientific. There are dinosaurs on Mars, and airships and a breathable atmosphere. And a lot of their technology runs on springs and compressed air, which is actually pretty cool. It’s also probably sort of period appropriate, alternate history aspects notwithstanding.
I definitely recommend this novella for readers of speculative fiction after a cosy and fun read. It was relaxing (despite a bit of dinosaur-related peril) and I would definitely go and get the next story in the series if I hadn’t already read it.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
In this novella we are introduced to Harriet who, at the age of sixteen, is living with her older sister and brother in law, after the death of her parents. Her brother in law is a police investigator but, alas, not very good at his job. Because Harriet can see that her future depends on his ability to bring in a paycheque, she decides to help him solve an impossible jewel thief case (which has been handed to him to give his superiors an excuse to fire him when he fails). And so, Harriet dresses up as a boy and accompanies her brother in law on a dinosaur hunting expedition in the hopes of catching the thief.
This was a fun and entertaining read. Harriet is pretty cool and I was amused at how she successfully manipulated Bertrand and his employers to keep herself safe. The world building is super weird and almost not at all scientific. There are dinosaurs on Mars, and airships and a breathable atmosphere. And a lot of their technology runs on springs and compressed air, which is actually pretty cool. It’s also probably sort of period appropriate, alternate history aspects notwithstanding.
I definitely recommend this novella for readers of speculative fiction after a cosy and fun read. It was relaxing (despite a bit of dinosaur-related peril) and I would definitely go and get the next story in the series if I hadn’t already read it.
4.5 / 5 stars
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
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