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ac09's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-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
3.75
tarungaleela's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
longchamps's review against another edition
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
ashleymariereads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
reflective
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
momoj8's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
aeoliandeductress's review against another edition
4.0
This is a rare book where I'm glad I've seen the movie first. Now let's be clear- I'm not much of a science fiction nor fantasy reader, though I've expanded a bit into both genres more recently. That said, my imagination is great at creating historical and realistic scenes but not great with these types of genres. So having the images from the movie to draw off of and expand on helped make the book pleasant and fast-paced, and I could focus on the parts of the book that are unique and therefore better than the movie.
The book goes more deep into the science and thus more deep into Malcolm's philosophical rantings on its misuse. It includes several scenes not in the movie that are well-described and action-packed. The potential for disaster outside of the island are also more clearly outlined. It was a great read in terms of description and action.
Character development is where we get dicey. I enjoyed Grant and Malcolm. Ellie Sattler is actually better developed in movie in my opinion. Harding, Muldoon, and Wu are all reasonable. Tim isn't bad.
And then we get to Hammond and Lex.
I cannot express the level of hatred I had for the Lex character. Not only is she a whiny punk, but she doesn't fit kid behavior. Look, she might have been like that before the T-Rex attack. But once a dinosaur starts chomping at a small scared kid, they are running behind the nearest adult skirts. She certainly isn't complaining about being hungry at that point or acting like nothing has happened. Hammond is no better- despite EVERYTHING he continues to just treat them like meaningless errors. I could have maybe even lived with this (though I much prefer the misguided grandfather of the movie) if ONE person had called him out on the fact that these were REAL LIVE PEOPLE DYING!
Ultimately, if I was going to judge Michael Crichton on this one book (which I believe is unfair for any author that has more than one book but still), I'd say he's a great concept writer but a mediocre character writer. Fortunately this can be acceptable in a science fiction thriller.
The book goes more deep into the science and thus more deep into Malcolm's philosophical rantings on its misuse. It includes several scenes not in the movie that are well-described and action-packed. The potential for disaster outside of the island are also more clearly outlined. It was a great read in terms of description and action.
Character development is where we get dicey. I enjoyed Grant and Malcolm. Ellie Sattler is actually better developed in movie in my opinion. Harding, Muldoon, and Wu are all reasonable. Tim isn't bad.
And then we get to Hammond and Lex.
I cannot express the level of hatred I had for the Lex character. Not only is she a whiny punk, but she doesn't fit kid behavior. Look, she might have been like that before the T-Rex attack. But once a dinosaur starts chomping at a small scared kid, they are running behind the nearest adult skirts. She certainly isn't complaining about being hungry at that point or acting like nothing has happened. Hammond is no better- despite EVERYTHING he continues to just treat them like meaningless errors. I could have maybe even lived with this (though I much prefer the misguided grandfather of the movie) if ONE person had called him out on the fact that these were REAL LIVE PEOPLE DYING!
Spoiler
I have a hard time believing that after watching Wu, who had worked with closely, get eviscerated, that he would have NO reaction. Either he's a sociopath or poorly written and I'm going with latter.Ultimately, if I was going to judge Michael Crichton on this one book (which I believe is unfair for any author that has more than one book but still), I'd say he's a great concept writer but a mediocre character writer. Fortunately this can be acceptable in a science fiction thriller.