Reviews

In the Time of Dinosaurs by K.A. Applegate

kartrick's review against another edition

5.0

I really really loved it. Even though it is almost twice as lengthy as the normal Animorphs books, I wasn't bored even once. All the dinos. And the two species. Awesome awesome awesome.

byejohn's review against another edition

adventurous funny lighthearted tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Fun and quick read!

timegnostic's review against another edition

adventurous dark funny reflective sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

bookshelfmystic's review against another edition

5.0

This book is so. good. This is absolutely the best Animorphs yet. It is at once a survival story, a science fiction thriller, and a dramatic tragedy. And there is nary a Yeerk to be found.

The Animorphs are totally out of their element throughout all of In the Time of Dinosaurs, which serves well to create the higher stakes and cinematic scope the Megamorphs are going for. The nakedness of their terror in this hostile environment adds so much depth and realness. Marco and Jake both freaking the fuck out on separate occasions really showed their vulnerability.

The layer of

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the creatively-imagined aliens living on Earth during the Cretaceous period

on top of the human vs. nature story was just fantastic. Especially as the Animorphs

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must betray the Mercora to save the future of humanity, and we get the beautifully tragic scene of the Animorphs racing away from the impact, knowing they will have to survive the worst years on Earth, and Cassie watches the end of the world

. Dark, morally grey, emotional, expansive stuff. This is what the best sci-fi stories are made of.

And holy cow, the attention to detail in the dino science (complete with Tobias's footnote to satisfy the "well, actually" crowd like myself who looked up each dinosaur and thought "hm, Late Cretaceous?"). The way the world is described: the sounds, the smells being so different without almost any of the animals we know today. What a deliciously nerdy book.

Miscellaneous notes:

*Tobias is quickly starting to compete with Cassie for my favorite Animorph. His nerdy dinosaur knowledge, his adorable newness to morphing, and his incredible maturity as he

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makes the hard decision so that no one else needs to live with the guilt

add to his already complex and fantastic character.

*I always enjoy when the group is split and different characters are paired up. It was nice seeing Rachel and Tobias work together, and fun how Rachel

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uncomfortably plays the caretaker for Tobias's broken wing

.

*

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I am very sad the Animorphs don't get to keep their dinosaur morphs.

kendiepants's review against another edition

adventurous dark hopeful reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

sizrobe's review against another edition

3.0

This one felt like K A Applegate decided that since kids like dinosaurs, it would be a good idea to write a dinosaur Animorphs book. It wasn't particularly good, and didn't advance the plot in any way. Not terrible but there isn't anything "mega" about this book.

fluoresensitive's review against another edition

medium-paced

3.75

The animorphs kids after witnessing the earth dying and being reborn within seconds, making their existences seem so small and insignificant: math test tomorrow, damn

pensandpicks's review against another edition

adventurous emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

wetdryvac's review against another edition

4.0

Fun fluff series that gets less and less fluff over time.

fae's review against another edition

adventurous dark lighthearted tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0