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abijoupansy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Beautifully written. Extremely racist. Some of the science is fun to research and fact-check. Amusing protagonists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Animal death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, and Slavery
Minor: War, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Sexism, and Cannibalism
carolinebl's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Don’t be deceived by the dinosaur on the cover; this book is not about dinosaurs. You will find annoying, racist, imperialistic men (and ape-men), but hardly any dinosaurs. Along with the unlikeable white men, the most ‘positive’ characterisation of a person of colour was that of Zambo, who was portrayed like a loyal dog. I enjoyed the stylistic choice of letters to an editor, but this book just got slower… and slower… and slower, until around 3/4 way through. The politics may be ‘of its time’, but this novel was boring - which is unexpected for one supposedly about dinosaurs. I’d rather have read a novel about Gladys seeking glory of her own. Also, the title is way better than the characters own naming abilities - Maple-White Land??
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Murder, and Death
Minor: Colonisation and Sexism
literaryrevisited's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Violence
Minor: Slavery
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was really intrigued by the idea of this - a dinosaur adventure novel from the 1910s - and while I quite enjoyed it, I had some reservations. There were some funny moments and I recognised Conan Doyle's comic timing from the Sherlock Holmes books. It's a fun adventure in parts but overall I felt there weren't enough dinosaurs and there was too much imperialism. It's very much of its time and the adventure the characters go on is steeped in colonial attitudes which I found impossible to overlook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Colonisation, Racial slurs, and Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
tarotsystem's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I wanted to like this book, I really did. But the 2 stars are entirely due to Doyle's excellence at the craft of writing, as the story and characters have absolutely no merit on their own. This book is Doyle trying to be Burroughs and failing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Colonisation
There is a lot of casual and incessant racist language and ideology from the character of Challenger in particular, but also much of the "standard" terminology when speaking of any non-white people in 1912 England is now recognized as slurs so the second quarter in particular is absolutely chock full of it everywhere.
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