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kel_sea_bb's review against another edition
2.5
I was disappointed by this book. While I enjoyed Williams’ writing, The Dinosaur Artist is overall too long, too broad, and unfocused.
This book primarily suffers from a framing problem. It’s billed and presented as a story of a specific fossil smuggling/smuggler and lawsuit, and I would expect some background on specific characters in the narrative. What I was NOT expecting was a huge amount of information about the history of the American Museum of Natural History and a full history of Mongolia. Bios and full family histories are presented for people who aren’t impactful in the narrative, which feels distracting and unnecessary.
This framing issue makes the book feel too broad and sprawling. If I had picked up a book expecting a history of paleontology this would have fit the bill, but the story being told needed a harsh edit down. She also presents the international fossil thieves (all white men!) in a VERY flattering light, when I found myself completely unwilling to root for them, which made enjoying the narrative difficult.
Specific to the audiobook, the readers tone and cadence was fine, but there is a noticeable tinny echo in the recording which is VERY distracting at first, and there are a LOT of mispronunciations of standardized words (names of famous people like Antonin Scalia, dinosaur names, and others) which feels extremely unprofessional. I also didn’t appreciate the bizarre accents applied to the Mongolian speakers and no one else, including brits and Americans from accented regions.
This book primarily suffers from a framing problem. It’s billed and presented as a story of a specific fossil smuggling/smuggler and lawsuit, and I would expect some background on specific characters in the narrative. What I was NOT expecting was a huge amount of information about the history of the American Museum of Natural History and a full history of Mongolia. Bios and full family histories are presented for people who aren’t impactful in the narrative, which feels distracting and unnecessary.
This framing issue makes the book feel too broad and sprawling. If I had picked up a book expecting a history of paleontology this would have fit the bill, but the story being told needed a harsh edit down. She also presents the international fossil thieves (all white men!) in a VERY flattering light, when I found myself completely unwilling to root for them, which made enjoying the narrative difficult.
Specific to the audiobook, the readers tone and cadence was fine, but there is a noticeable tinny echo in the recording which is VERY distracting at first, and there are a LOT of mispronunciations of standardized words (names of famous people like Antonin Scalia, dinosaur names, and others) which feels extremely unprofessional. I also didn’t appreciate the bizarre accents applied to the Mongolian speakers and no one else, including brits and Americans from accented regions.
madmollyann's review against another edition
4.0
This was such a fun read. Yes, it was complex. Yes, I learned more about Mongolian political history than I expected. But I appreciated the twists and turns. The necessity to step back and learn about seizure law before plowing on through the next complicated turn. If you’re willing to head off on some tangents to get your head around a fascinating story, jump right in.
curlypip's review against another edition
2.0
An interesting story, plenty of action ... too much action. The author struggles to find the balance between providing a backstory and knowing how much info is too much info.
Around 40% of the book is notes and suggested reading, which is a lot. Too much.
It’s not the kind of book that you can read beside bed because you’ll fall asleep and be unable to concentrate. I read and loved The Feather Thief, and I was hoping for a similar book. This isn’t as well written, and doesn’t hold your attention as well.
Read a review of the book and that will be enough
Around 40% of the book is notes and suggested reading, which is a lot. Too much.
It’s not the kind of book that you can read beside bed because you’ll fall asleep and be unable to concentrate. I read and loved The Feather Thief, and I was hoping for a similar book. This isn’t as well written, and doesn’t hold your attention as well.
Read a review of the book and that will be enough
_emma_rose_'s review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
informative
tense
slow-paced
3.25
In theory, I loved this book. It covered so much material and dove so deeply into its subject matter that it felt nearly academic. I love learning-- however, this was a little bit much. As much as I appreciated the context provided by the backgrounds and biographies the author included for every person and location of interest, it got overwhelming by the end of the book. A little bit of harsh editing could have done it good. That being said, it was wonderfully informative and thorough, so it really just comes down to personal preference whether you'll appreciate the deep dives or find them irritating.
yellowbilledmagpie's review against another edition
I just….i mean, it’s a great story and wonderfully written, but she seems to give a LOT of space and empathy to these white men just trying to make a buck. I don’t need every feeling they ever had, or how they fell in love with their wife. Just tell us what happened.
mxsallybend's review against another edition
4.0
The Dinosaur Artist: Obsession, Betrayal, and the Quest for Earth's Ultimate Trophy wasn't quite the book I expected, but Paige Williams weaves an interesting exposé of the legal quagmire that is fossil collecting.
As a dinosaur fanatic and amateur fossil hunter, I was fascinated - not to mention, a little bit terrified - by the consequences of collecting, transporting, and trafficking in fossils. It's so easy to pick up a brachiopod, a piece of horn coral, or even a trilobite, and think nothing of the impact of that find, the potential loss of scientific value that comes in removing it from its context and setting. At the same time, it's just as easy to understand the counter-argument that, by collecting fossils, amateurs save them from erosion or destruction, and provide the world with a chance to appreciate them.
Of course, when you look at all of that on a much larger scale - such as that of a Tyrannosaurus Bataar - it becomes a bit easier to understand why there has been so much drama around the auction and seizure of Eric Prokopi's 8-foot high, 24-foot long, million-dollar specimen. While that is the heart of the story, it drives the overall narrative than dominating it, which was both a surprise and a relief. As a human-interest figure, Prokopi is just not that compelling, and it's hard to become emotionally involved in his struggles. We can appreciate the situation, and understand the impact to his family, but I didn't find his story evoked the kind of sympathy that would have transformed him into a tragic figure.
Where the human element comes through the strongest is in the backstories of surrounding the case, both historical and contemporary. I had no idea the fossil trade was such a massive community, full of such colorful (and, yes, criminal) characters. The history of the trade, with the establishment of Natural History collections across the world, was perhaps the most interesting part of the book, especially in the chapter devoted to Mary Anning. Her story is one that's always fascinated me, and Williams does a superb job of . . . well, presenting her in context and setting, much like a proper fossil discovery. Fast forward to contemporary times, as much as I might identify with Prokopi's passion for fossils, I found I sympathized more with the passion and patriotism of Bolor and Oyuna, with surprised me.
Where that human element is somewhat buried, almost lost in the details, is with the criminal case itself. I was expecting that to be the focus of the book, to read about arguments and counterarguments . . . the testimony, the charges, and the deals . . . the scandal and spectacle, if you will. Instead, it's presented as a shockingly dull, matter-of-fact sequence of events, more akin to fighting a parking ticket than arguing such a landmark case. I'm glad Williams didn't attempt to artificially sensationalize it, but I'm also a bit saddened that it wasn't more of a spectacle in real life. The interplay of discovery, science, ethics, passion, and international law is something that deserves to be discussed on a much broader scale.
The Dinosaur Artist is compellingly readable, as accessible to those with a curiosity as it is satisfying to those with a passion, and does a fair job of raising questions and highlighting issues, without trying force a conclusion upon the reader. Definitely recommended.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2018/09/25/book-review-the-dinosaur-artist-by-paige-williams/
As a dinosaur fanatic and amateur fossil hunter, I was fascinated - not to mention, a little bit terrified - by the consequences of collecting, transporting, and trafficking in fossils. It's so easy to pick up a brachiopod, a piece of horn coral, or even a trilobite, and think nothing of the impact of that find, the potential loss of scientific value that comes in removing it from its context and setting. At the same time, it's just as easy to understand the counter-argument that, by collecting fossils, amateurs save them from erosion or destruction, and provide the world with a chance to appreciate them.
Of course, when you look at all of that on a much larger scale - such as that of a Tyrannosaurus Bataar - it becomes a bit easier to understand why there has been so much drama around the auction and seizure of Eric Prokopi's 8-foot high, 24-foot long, million-dollar specimen. While that is the heart of the story, it drives the overall narrative than dominating it, which was both a surprise and a relief. As a human-interest figure, Prokopi is just not that compelling, and it's hard to become emotionally involved in his struggles. We can appreciate the situation, and understand the impact to his family, but I didn't find his story evoked the kind of sympathy that would have transformed him into a tragic figure.
Where the human element comes through the strongest is in the backstories of surrounding the case, both historical and contemporary. I had no idea the fossil trade was such a massive community, full of such colorful (and, yes, criminal) characters. The history of the trade, with the establishment of Natural History collections across the world, was perhaps the most interesting part of the book, especially in the chapter devoted to Mary Anning. Her story is one that's always fascinated me, and Williams does a superb job of . . . well, presenting her in context and setting, much like a proper fossil discovery. Fast forward to contemporary times, as much as I might identify with Prokopi's passion for fossils, I found I sympathized more with the passion and patriotism of Bolor and Oyuna, with surprised me.
Where that human element is somewhat buried, almost lost in the details, is with the criminal case itself. I was expecting that to be the focus of the book, to read about arguments and counterarguments . . . the testimony, the charges, and the deals . . . the scandal and spectacle, if you will. Instead, it's presented as a shockingly dull, matter-of-fact sequence of events, more akin to fighting a parking ticket than arguing such a landmark case. I'm glad Williams didn't attempt to artificially sensationalize it, but I'm also a bit saddened that it wasn't more of a spectacle in real life. The interplay of discovery, science, ethics, passion, and international law is something that deserves to be discussed on a much broader scale.
The Dinosaur Artist is compellingly readable, as accessible to those with a curiosity as it is satisfying to those with a passion, and does a fair job of raising questions and highlighting issues, without trying force a conclusion upon the reader. Definitely recommended.
https://femledfantasy.home.blog/2018/09/25/book-review-the-dinosaur-artist-by-paige-williams/
aprilalwayswithabook's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting! I didn't realize there was so much local dinosaur interest and information - I kind of loved hearing about places I actually knew of.