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4.39 AVERAGE
4.39 AVERAGE
So, I once again have to admit (though it may not be as shocking as it was previously) I listened to the audiobook version of this title. I mention this because I've since learned that some of the joy of this book is the pictures that accompany the story. I can't say that I've seen the illustrations, but I will say that the audiobook is also a wonderful experience for it's own reasons as well.
The Audiobook version of this title is something called an "Audio Adventure". Basically, the Audiobook has a full cast of voice actors, sound effects and soundtrack. It really brought another layer of realism to the story vs most traditional audiobooks. It was probably my favorite part of the book itself.
So the actual story is a little silly, it's full of weird choices like the fact that Dinosaurs apparently don't pee. I don't know if this a fact or if it's something James Gurney chose to include for whatever reason, but it stuck out to me. Like, WHY don't they pee? Why bother bringing that up? Why does it matter? It's one of those deeper questions which will haunt me as I sleep. Why don't the dinosaurs in this book pee. They clearly poop, they mention dung, but it is explicitly stated that they don't pee...
The book read a lot like a YA/ Juvenile version of Swiss Family Robinson but with Dinosaurs. There is nothing wrong with that kind of adventure story, I actually found it very interesting. But all the drama and conflict seems pretty superficial as a result. Everything is going to end up fine and resolved in the end and there are no real stakes in the book.
In the end, this book was good enough that I want to check out the physical illustrations I've heard about. It really does swing for the fences in it's fantastical imaginative world building. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the "Wacky Tobacky" was involved in the writing process, especially with that whole "No Pee" situation. It is a wonderfully fantastic adventure that in a lot of ways brought me back to my childhood when Dinosaurs were the coolest thing on earth. Oh, and they definitely peed.
The Audiobook version of this title is something called an "Audio Adventure". Basically, the Audiobook has a full cast of voice actors, sound effects and soundtrack. It really brought another layer of realism to the story vs most traditional audiobooks. It was probably my favorite part of the book itself.
So the actual story is a little silly, it's full of weird choices like the fact that Dinosaurs apparently don't pee. I don't know if this a fact or if it's something James Gurney chose to include for whatever reason, but it stuck out to me. Like, WHY don't they pee? Why bother bringing that up? Why does it matter? It's one of those deeper questions which will haunt me as I sleep. Why don't the dinosaurs in this book pee. They clearly poop, they mention dung, but it is explicitly stated that they don't pee...
The book read a lot like a YA/ Juvenile version of Swiss Family Robinson but with Dinosaurs. There is nothing wrong with that kind of adventure story, I actually found it very interesting. But all the drama and conflict seems pretty superficial as a result. Everything is going to end up fine and resolved in the end and there are no real stakes in the book.
In the end, this book was good enough that I want to check out the physical illustrations I've heard about. It really does swing for the fences in it's fantastical imaginative world building. I wouldn't be surprised if some of the "Wacky Tobacky" was involved in the writing process, especially with that whole "No Pee" situation. It is a wonderfully fantastic adventure that in a lot of ways brought me back to my childhood when Dinosaurs were the coolest thing on earth. Oh, and they definitely peed.
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Dinotopia ist bis heute wohl einer meiner Lieblingsgeschichten, und vermutlich auch einer der Hauptgründe wieso ich so fasziniert von Dinosauriern bin (das, und In einem Land vor unserer Zeit).
Ausserdem habe ich eben festgestellt, dass es eine ganze Buchreihe gibt, und wenn ihr glaubt ich werde mir die nicht aus aller Welt zusammenkaufen, dann liegt ihr falsch.
Anyway. Dinotopia hat keinen besonders tiefgründigen Plot. Arthur und sein Sohn Will stranden auf Dinotopia, einer unentdeckten Insel, auf denen Dinosaurier und Menschen in Frieden zusammenleben. Die Geschichte lebt vor allem vom faszinierenden Worldbuilding und den unglaublichen Illustrationen.
Und jetzt will ich auch einen Dinosaurier haben :(
Ausserdem habe ich eben festgestellt, dass es eine ganze Buchreihe gibt, und wenn ihr glaubt ich werde mir die nicht aus aller Welt zusammenkaufen, dann liegt ihr falsch.
Anyway. Dinotopia hat keinen besonders tiefgründigen Plot. Arthur und sein Sohn Will stranden auf Dinotopia, einer unentdeckten Insel, auf denen Dinosaurier und Menschen in Frieden zusammenleben. Die Geschichte lebt vor allem vom faszinierenden Worldbuilding und den unglaublichen Illustrationen.
Und jetzt will ich auch einen Dinosaurier haben :(
adventurous
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
So disappointing.
Pros:
Artwork is beautiful.
Cons:
Basically everything else. Story was boring and almost non-existent. Characters weren't given any time to develop. Author tried to pack a mountain of "sight-seeing" of this new world into a short book instead of lingering and truly getting to know any part of it.
I realize there are more in the series. I just don't care.
Pros:
Artwork is beautiful.
Cons:
Basically everything else. Story was boring and almost non-existent. Characters weren't given any time to develop. Author tried to pack a mountain of "sight-seeing" of this new world into a short book instead of lingering and truly getting to know any part of it.
I realize there are more in the series. I just don't care.
I'm going to start this review by saying this is one of my favorite books, and has been since I was in fourth grade. To get us back into the learning mood after recess, my teacher would read us a few pages of Dinotopia everyday (until she eventually had to move on to other books, since this isn't very long). But she wasn't reading fast enough for me, so I begged my Mom to get the book for me from the library. I fell in love with the gorgeous illustrations. I fell in love with the world. I just fell in love.
I own the entire series - not just the actual books, but all the expanded world novels and all the movies. I became obsessed. And I'm not sure I ever got past that.
If you think I'm weird, look at the gorgeous paintings James Gurney created for this series. It's beautiful. And someday I plan to buy some of it to hang on my walls. I'm not ashamed. I follow this man on Instagram because I love his artwork so much.
Eventually I need to buy this book in hardback, since my poor paperback is so well read that the pages are barely hanging together.
Re-reading this book as an adult has not lessened my love for it. As a children's book, it's still a good story that will captivate readers. I'm still captivated years later. I wish the Dinotopia message boards on the website were still a thing, since I miss the wonderful people I met there and our discussions about the book and the world Gurney created.
Edited to add: Works as my "Book set on an island" for my Popsugar 2016 reading challenge
I own the entire series - not just the actual books, but all the expanded world novels and all the movies. I became obsessed. And I'm not sure I ever got past that.
If you think I'm weird, look at the gorgeous paintings James Gurney created for this series. It's beautiful. And someday I plan to buy some of it to hang on my walls. I'm not ashamed. I follow this man on Instagram because I love his artwork so much.
Eventually I need to buy this book in hardback, since my poor paperback is so well read that the pages are barely hanging together.
Re-reading this book as an adult has not lessened my love for it. As a children's book, it's still a good story that will captivate readers. I'm still captivated years later. I wish the Dinotopia message boards on the website were still a thing, since I miss the wonderful people I met there and our discussions about the book and the world Gurney created.
Edited to add: Works as my "Book set on an island" for my Popsugar 2016 reading challenge
I love the world created by Gurney, and the illustrations in this book are very nice.
This book truly feels like the words of two people discovering a new world. A fascinating, well made world, which I'd love to know more about! The artwork is what boosts this story to five stars though. I could almost hear the waterfalls roaring, see the dinosaurs move and feel the vertigo of flight. Just beautiful!
LOVE THIS BOOK! :) It is wonderful and I can't imagine living in this "world" but it sure would be fun to visit! :)
This fanciful retelling of "The Land that Time Forgot" would just be a passable (if fun) story if not for Gurney's rather lovely artwork. His imagining of his new and strange world carries a depth and weight that, to be trite, truly transports you there--but then, that's what he built his career on.
A competent draughtsman who plied his imagining of ancient Egyptian rituals and architectural recreations in the pages of National Geographic, Gurney's style evokes the travelogue of a naturalist (which is, happily enough, his story's frame), so that the sometimes indulgent fantasy or unremarkable characterization mostly comes off as an occasionally unlikely (or overly likely) world.
This isn't to say that his art is always wholly successful--there are rough patches here and there, especially when his sartorial and tonsorial choices cause his characters to resemble late 60's hippies. It reminds me of the way that one can always tell when a period film was made because the costuming is always viewed through the lens of modern fashion, so that 70's Shakespeare is all wide lapels and feathered bangs, which the 80's trades in for mullets and angular silhouettes.
Portrayed as a travelogue of a shipwreck survivor on the island of Dinotopia, Gurney successfully captures the feel of early century sci-fi tales which even today seem only just beyond the realm of possibility. It seems that the only area positively affected by a little scientific naivete is that of the visionary futurist. Of course, it was not as difficult for Gurney to look back and imitate this method than it was for the original Victorian authors to create it, though it is not a very familiar style for modern readers, anyway.
Perhaps the greatest gift of Gurney's as a combined author/illustrator is that he lets you forget what you know and allows you to believe in what he has created.
A competent draughtsman who plied his imagining of ancient Egyptian rituals and architectural recreations in the pages of National Geographic, Gurney's style evokes the travelogue of a naturalist (which is, happily enough, his story's frame), so that the sometimes indulgent fantasy or unremarkable characterization mostly comes off as an occasionally unlikely (or overly likely) world.
This isn't to say that his art is always wholly successful--there are rough patches here and there, especially when his sartorial and tonsorial choices cause his characters to resemble late 60's hippies. It reminds me of the way that one can always tell when a period film was made because the costuming is always viewed through the lens of modern fashion, so that 70's Shakespeare is all wide lapels and feathered bangs, which the 80's trades in for mullets and angular silhouettes.
Portrayed as a travelogue of a shipwreck survivor on the island of Dinotopia, Gurney successfully captures the feel of early century sci-fi tales which even today seem only just beyond the realm of possibility. It seems that the only area positively affected by a little scientific naivete is that of the visionary futurist. Of course, it was not as difficult for Gurney to look back and imitate this method than it was for the original Victorian authors to create it, though it is not a very familiar style for modern readers, anyway.
Perhaps the greatest gift of Gurney's as a combined author/illustrator is that he lets you forget what you know and allows you to believe in what he has created.