Book reviews

Jurassic Park
Michael Crichton Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Michael Crichton Books
New book search
Michael Crichton Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Jurassic Park
"A scientist brings dinosaurs back to life on a tropical island in order to open a theme park. He brings a group of scientists (and his grandchildren) to the island to check things out. Dinosaurs (particularly T. Rexs and Velicoraptors) attack. Mayhem ensues."
T. Rex, Resident Scholar

"A wealthy man who owns a Genetics company builds a theme park featuring real, live Dinosaurs! There is an accident at the park, and the park owner invites donw a team of scientists to endorce it. Of course, evernything goes wrong, and the Humans are soon running for their lives!"
Jack Thorne, Resident Scholar

"Michael Crichton's masterpiece Jurassic Park is, without a doubt, some of his best work, plus it made a smashing movie. Anyhow, people create dinosaurs with genetic technology, and then the dinosaurs escape! GASP, what will happen next?! It's a real page turner! Check it out. "
J.O., Resident Scholar

"This is the big one, in lots of senses, and the film does follow the book fairly closely, so I will not spend much time on the plot. What is good is the usual Crichton trademark: a real science-fact scenario, embedded in the real world of business and ambition, taken just one or two steps into the realm of science fiction. He gets in lots of real science along the way, and although is he a bit teachy and preachy, it is not excessive to my taste. Can the amoral scientists and the bone-headed businessmen re-create the dinosaurs AND keep control? Hold onto your stun guns and find out.

What is not so good is the uninteresting cast of characters and the constant swearing from some of them. I have always found constant bad language boring and offensive and I believe most people do, especially in books. Swearing is the first sign of emotional incontinence. If this is realism, so much the worse for art. I found I was not at all on the side of the dull cardboard cut-out characters, and entirely on the side of the exciting dinosaurs. I just wanted to see them all eaten as quickly as possible. (And, just for the record, humans do not have 90% of their DNA in common with bacteria (!), check it out in the textbooks Mikey.) Still, untold millions liked the film, so he is clearly doing it right overall."

Michael JR Jose, Resident Scholar

"John Hammond, an eccentric millionaire, decides to create dinosaurs as an attraton and money making sceme on Isla Nublar, an island of the coast of Costa Rica. He invites Alan Grant, a top paleontologists in the world, Elie Sattler, a paleobotanist, Ian Maolcolm, a chaotician, and Donald Gennaro, a lawer, to visit and inspect the island. He also invits his grandchildren, Tim and Lex. They take a guided tour of the park, but a tropical storm stop them by the t-rex paddock. The rex gets out because the electrified fences containing it are shut off. It hurls Grant, Tim, and Lex over the side. They have to work their way beck to the main building. However, they are constantly running from the t-rex, pterodons, and many other ferocious beasts. After making it back, all systems fail again and they are forced to evacute the island, and deal with the dath of many, including most of the main staff and Hammond himself."
Velociraptor_63, Resident Scholar

"A scientist has found a way to bring back dinosaurs to our planet after finding fossilized mosquitoes in amber. He makes and clones these dinosaurs and has develpoed a new theme park on a secluded island called "Jurassic Park". The first group of visitors arrive to evaluate the park. Little do they know, that the fences enclosing these dinosaurs have failed, and they are loose. The group goes on a pulse quenching roller coaster ride to survive like humans did back in the prehistoric times of the dinosaurs and eventually, excape from the park.    "
Greg Mahler, Resident Scholar

"Scientists discover a way to clone dinosaurs. The dinosaurs are kept on an island and the plan is to turn this island into an amusement park. Unfortunately for park operators and scientists alike the dinosaurs get out of their cages."
Matt Parker, Resident Scholar

"John Hammond has a dream. Meanwhile, Denis Nedry and Lewis Dodgeson are planning to steal that dream and turn it into their nightmare. The dinosaurs which Hammond's International Genetic Technologies Inc, or INGEN, recreate are more of a threat than anyone ever thought they could be. Alan Grant realizes this and, along with Ian Malcom and Ellie Satler, try to get everyone to realize this. Unfortunatly, they were too late, and the dinosaurs, with the help of a power outage, break free on their secret island. Grant must find a solution, or everything will be lost."
Alison, Resident Scholar

"In this book John Hammond, the president of Bio Technology decides that he wants to make dinosaurs by using new technology to reconstruct their DNA. The park is set to open in one year and he wants to make sure that the park is ready for the visitors. He invites several people to the island, one of which is Ian Malcolm who believes that the park is doomed to fail due to his chaos theory. Everything seems to be going smoothly when suddenly the power goes out.
Nedry the technical adviser tries to steal the embryos of the dinosaurs and sell them to another company but he is stopped by some of the dinosaurs due to his poor sense of direction. The other park employees try to figure how to get the power back on but without Nedrys help it is very difficult."

Brendan Cherry, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Jurassic Park
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot

Composition of Book
Descript. of chases or violence - 30%
planning/preparing, gather info, debate puzzles/motives - 30%
Feelings, relationships, character bio/development - 20%
Descript. of society, phenomena (tech), places - 20%




FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Adversaries are… - dinosaurs
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book
GIANT monster(s) Yes

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - scientist
Age: - 40's-50's
Is this an ordinary person caught up in events? Yes
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters

Main Adversary
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - business executive
How sensitive is this character? - mean, arrogant
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Average intelligence
Physique - bulging muscles

Setting
Terrain - Jungle - Water - Forests
Earth setting: - 20th century - dinosaur times
Takes place on Earth? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - explicit references to deaths
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Jurassic Park
Dinosaur Summer by Greg Bear
Casual Rex by Eric Garcia
The Lost World by Michael Crichton
Carnosaur by Harry Adam Knight
Cretaceous Sea by Will Hubbell


Click here for more information about this book


Michael Crichton Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Jack Thorne  

SCHOLARS:
Tracey Ray  Brendan Cherry  Salil  Jackie Griffey  David Fletcher  Timothy Gilman  Trudy Scales  Colin Kreiger  Miki Hirano  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
George W. Bush 2:32:02 AM
Anonymous 2:03:39 AM
Erin Hunters 9:00:01 PM
Betty Mahmoody 6:00:22 PM
Judith McNaught 11:55:44 AM
Iris Johansen 9:03:43 PM
Norah Lofts 1:11:37 PM
Jane Rubino 9:32:45 AM
Rabbi Dr. Abraham Twersky 11:28:51 PM
Faye Kellerman 12:37:41 AM
LaVyrle Spencer 7:25:23 PM
Robert James Waller 8:30:15 PM
Suzanne Weyn 12:50:03 AM
Deric Longden 2:54:11 PM
Wilma Counts 1:23:32 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM

More message boards