Jurassic Park
A Novel
Book - 1990
"Wonderful...Powerful."
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Notices
Add NoticesFrightening or Intense Scenes: Very vividly described scenes about body parts and other intense scenes.
Coarse Language: Large amounts of swearing from all characters (including narrator and a child character). Mostly mild words, but a few strong expressions.
Violence: Several quite gory deaths, including a vivid description of someone being torn open by a dinosaur.
Coarse Language: Some swearing, even from Tim. Although I was disappointing to learn that Malcolm's reaction to dinosaur poop was only in the movie...
Frightening or Intense Scenes: Some of the scenes with dinosaurs were very well done and intense. Easily on the level of the movie's scenes, and there's a few more of them.
Age
Add Age Suitabilityblue_dolphin_4400 thinks this title is suitable for 14 years and over
taupe_cockroach_16 thinks this title is suitable for 13 years and over
Sebastian S Gomez thinks this title is suitable for 13 years and over
Summary
Add a SummaryWhen paleontologists Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler are visited by their patron John Hammond with an unusual request, they have no choice but to travel with him to a remote jungle island. There they find a park beyond their wildest dreams. Hammond and his top-notch team of geneticists have managed to clone dinosaurs using the dinosaur blood found in preserved prehistoric mosquitoes. However, as great a business venture this may seem, things begin to go terribly wrong when chief programmer Dennis Nedry shuts off the security systems for personal gain. Not before long, the dinosaurs are running rampant and Alan and Ellie need make it off the island before too many casualties rack up.
If Michael Crichton’s modern techno-thriller was born with Andromeda Strain, then it reached maturity with Jurassic Park. This 1990 novel combines genetic engineering with the classic Frankenstein.
The story centers on a biological theme park masterminded by Hurdy Gurdy man John Hammond and financed by a high powered corporate multi-national called InGen. Using new genetic engineering technologies, InGen’s team engineer dinosaurs using ancient genetic material trapped in amber. These creatures are to be showcased at a theme park on an island off the coast of Costa Rica.
While Hammond sees only dollar signs and happy patron’s faces, the enterprise has been plagued with problems long before the park is due to open. Concurrent to the Park’s development, attacks have been occurring on the Costa Rican mainland attributed to “aberrant life forms” as well as fatal dinosaur attacks on park workers, resulting in InGen’s investors requiring a full review of the park, particularly of its safety.
To placate the investors, Hammond solicits paleontologist Alan Grant, and his paleobotanist graduate student Ellie Sadler to assess the park, along with chaotician Ian Malcolm and InGen lawyer, Donald Gennaro.
Hammond is clearly delusional; He and his team are essentially playing God, attempting to create a theme park a la Disney World, where the main attraction is live dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors and many other species, about which scientists know nothing.
While extraordinary modern computers, sensors and automation gives the impression that the park is under control, Hammond fails to recognize that disgruntled head computer programmer, Dennis Nedry, is about to throw a monkey wrench. A rival genetics company has offered Nedry millions of dollars for embryos of the dinosaurs. In order to access these he must turn off the park security features. Nedry is killed by a dinosaur while attempting to smuggle the embryos to the island’s dock and a waiting confederate. Slowly, the dinosaurs realize the security fences are dead and they get free.
Chaotician Ian Malcolm had predicted that the park would fail and now he is shown to be correct as everyone on the island must fight for survival in a lost world where humans are merely prey.
A genetics company called InGen run by John Hammond discovers a way to harvest the once extinct dinos. Alan Grant a plaeontologist, Ellie Sattler his love interest who is into plants, and Ian Malcolm a talented mathematician in Chaos theory. Lots of suspense and action great for dino lovers!
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Add a CommentThe novel starts quite strong only to completely crumble apart in the final act. I'm not mad at Mr. Crichton, I'm just disappointed.
Written in 1990 as a cautionary tale against genetic engineering by author Michael Critchon, Jurassic Park details the collapse of a dinosaur amusement park used as an example of chaos theory and the dangers of overstepping boundaries. This is the book that the movie by the same name is based on. Jurassic Park is wonderfully written by Critchon, with incredible pacing and tones of horror throughout. The setting is suspenseful, and the use of dinosaurs appeals to everyone’s inner child. With scenes of chilling, heart-pounding action and violent terror, well written characters, and a philosophical look into mankind’s hubris and chaos theory, Jurassic Park is an entertaining read, although one probably shouldn’t read it at night.
Rating: 5/5
Age Rating: 13+
As a person who has grown up watching the Jurassic Park movies for so long, I can confirm that this is a chilling topic to read about. Ever since I was younger the movies scared me, and I remember being scared of going into the basement because I thought a velociraptor was going to kill me. I didn't discover Jurassic Park was a book until a few years ago.
I can't begin to explain how overjoyed I am that I was able to read this book. There were so many remarkably described parts of the book that scared me because the book made you imagine what was going on so vividly. I understand why so many people complain about a particular character being annoying (If you have read the book you know who I am talking about), but I do find it makes the book and that particular character different than others and more interesting. This book doesn't fail to transport you to the island of Isla Nublar, an exotic island just off of Costa Rica where Dinosaurs are genetically modified and live in cages for visitors to admire. But suddenly something goes dangerously wrong.
I would highly recommend this book. Though it might seem too big of a book for some readers or the text might just be too small for some, but if you have the chance definitely read this book.
Feel free to share your thoughts on this book in the comments (but please no spoilers for those who have not read the book yet) :)
-Michelle
Such a good action packed book. After watching the movie for years it was finally time to read the novel and it did not disappoint! I definitely cringed during some scenes in the book, so good!
Everything I look for in a book- high stakes, fast-paced adventure and a vivid, other-worldly setting to escape into.
Honestly, I prefer the movie! An entertaining read, but it gets too caught up with the science.
And I thought the movie was amazing. Crichton paints a perfect picture in the mind’s eye of his dinosaurs, and captures his characters in ways that are more in-depth-and sometimes a little darker-than the movie. Throughout the course of the novel, Crichton explores its-depth the science and philosophy behind the creation and running of the park as well as how it failed, but in somewhat simple terms, to the point where I could understand what he was saying when I first read this book in Grade six or seven. With that in mind, I find it interesting how Crichton points out the major flaws in modern science. But at the same time, he is not afraid to take some major creative liberties, and takes the time to remind us about just how cool dinosaurs are. Even in literature, life… finds a way. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I would give this book a ten out of ten.
@R2-D2 of the Hamilton Public Library's Teen Review Board
I first read this when I was twelve now it is a common read when I have no other books. This is a book that is truly better than its film adaption. It is an increasingly thrilling storyline with great character development all throughout.
I was 10 when I first read this. Finished in 4 days. It first gave me nightmares (because that’s how irrational 10-year-old brains work), but I still loved the book. Eventually the nightmares went away. I recommend at least 12 years of age and an avid interest in computers and science to understand this book.
Wonderful book full of adventure. Read it really quickly, it grabbed my attention!