Dragon Teeth by Michael Crichton was
discovered after his death. It’s a tad rough around the edges and started a bit
slow. But the story kicks into gear and turns into a fun interesting read. It’s
a touch of the old west with hints of Jurassic Park to come. Who knew fossil
hunting could be so dangerous, rewarding, and thrilling?
William Johnson, a spoiled Yale student, joins a world
renowned paleontologist (Marsh) on a summer expedition to the Wild West. But
the (cover blurb) paranoid and secretive Marsh becomes convinced that
William is spying for his nemesis Cope. He abandons William in Cheyenne, WY, a
locus of crime and vice. William joins forces with Cope and stumbles upon a
discovery of historic proportions. With this extraordinary treasure comes
exceptional danger.
Fossils, Darwin’s theories of evolution, Wild West
characters, gold rush towns, and more abound. Dragon Teeth is a
decent romp led by a naïve young man:
p. 9 You, sir, have made a wager,” I replied.
And in that moment I realized that, through no fault of my own, I would now
spend the entire summer in some ghastly hot desert in the company of a known
lunatic, digging up old bones.
I devoured Jurassic Park - will have to read this one.
ReplyDeleteit starts off a bit raw but gets better. Good tale
DeleteAn excellent review Joanne. sadly though not my cup of tea.
ReplyDeleteEnjoy your weekend.
Yvonne.
I understand. A different genre
DeleteI didn't know Michael Crichton passed away!
ReplyDeletesadly, a good writer gone a few years now
DeleteSounds like one to put on the list indeed.
ReplyDeletethey dug this one up, but it's still worthy. A bit raw, and then better
DeleteInteresting. I LOVED Michael Crichton books, and I read everything he published prior to his death. And then... ta-DA!... his publisher released "Micro" about a year after Crichton died. Said Crichton hadn't quite completed it before he died, so author Richard Preston "finished" it for him. When I read that book, I was livid. No WAY Crichton wrote that drivel. The very beginning, possibly, but most of it was NOT written by him. Two of the things I love about his books are the sound scientific and technological premises he built them on and the overriding logic he used to spin his tales... both of which were grievously missing in the so-called "found and finished" manuscript. When I heard about the release of this newly "discovered" manuscript, I was, shall we say, dubious, about its source. Truly written by Crichton, or just another money-grab by his old publisher?
ReplyDeleteAfter reading your review, I may have to check it out... :)
maybe check your library and don't invest. Like I said it started off a bit rough, but it finished strong. It's no Jurassic Park, but it was good. Guess I'm hedging my bet a bit..don't want you to distrust my reviews.
DeleteOld West and Dinosaur bones sounds like a good combination. I may have to check this book out just because it's by Michael Crichton.
ReplyDeleteThis is probably not one for me, but it sounds intriguing for that genre. Thanks for the review!
ReplyDelete