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anzunagi's review
2.0
The Lost World really suffers from what I like to call Michael Crichton syndrome - he spends a lot of time building up to the big reveal that the island has a bunch of...DINOSAURS on it, when you, the reader, knew from the get-go (as well as the cover) that dinosaurs were on the menu.
This book spends much more time on the science and behavioral patterns of dinosaurs more so than Jurassic Park did and unfortunately that's not quite as interesting as you'd expect. It takes almost two or three hundred pages for any real bad things to happen in the book.
It also felt like Crichton took the character pattern from the first novel (Ian Malcolm + 1 woman + 2 kids) and just repeated it. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't find them interesting nor was I invested in their fates. Several characters die and I felt nothing - even when their ending felt deserved.
Overall, I'd say this book feels like a cash grab - like a bad movie sequel or a direct to DVD movie where they got one of the big stars but no one else.
This book spends much more time on the science and behavioral patterns of dinosaurs more so than Jurassic Park did and unfortunately that's not quite as interesting as you'd expect. It takes almost two or three hundred pages for any real bad things to happen in the book.
It also felt like Crichton took the character pattern from the first novel (Ian Malcolm + 1 woman + 2 kids) and just repeated it. I didn't care about the characters, I didn't find them interesting nor was I invested in their fates. Several characters die and I felt nothing - even when their ending felt deserved.
Overall, I'd say this book feels like a cash grab - like a bad movie sequel or a direct to DVD movie where they got one of the big stars but no one else.
fantasy_with_me's review
5.0
So much different from the movie!! I prefer the book, it was such an exciting adventure.
fightingfairies's review
4.0
I enjoyed this one just not as much as the first one. I was really surprised to see how different it was from the movie. The book storyline is waaaaay better (I mean that’s pretty much always the case
nerdontheloose's review
4.0
There are so many good things about this book, I could just go on and on, definitely better than the first one.
Positives
I really loved the character of Sarah Harding, such a high model of girl power who stands up against stereotypes, doesn't know how to give up, and saves the day. Kelly was a representation of how we discourage smart girls into thinking that's not how they are supposed to be and take away all their confidence. Arby, is of course what we get from educated, smart parents but Kelly shows that smartness can still flourish despite all the odd circumstances. All in all, I think all these characters somehow relate to the story, in more ways than one. The character of Levine as a representation of a typical scientist was spot on (no offence).
Negatives
I wished Ian had more to do in this book than what he did in the previous one (sigh!). I guess the most he can do is appear in iterations at the start of every chapter and try and take away all the credit. Also, I kinda missed Grant from the previous book, he was such a likable character.
Positives
I really loved the character of Sarah Harding, such a high model of girl power who stands up against stereotypes, doesn't know how to give up, and saves the day. Kelly was a representation of how we discourage smart girls into thinking that's not how they are supposed to be and take away all their confidence. Arby, is of course what we get from educated, smart parents but Kelly shows that smartness can still flourish despite all the odd circumstances. All in all, I think all these characters somehow relate to the story, in more ways than one. The character of Levine as a representation of a typical scientist was spot on (no offence).
Negatives
I wished Ian had more to do in this book than what he did in the previous one (sigh!). I guess the most he can do is appear in iterations at the start of every chapter and try and take away all the credit. Also, I kinda missed Grant from the previous book, he was such a likable character.
therealbookaholic's review
4.0
My grandmother gave this to me for my birthday. It was very entertaining, even thought provoking at times.
elliott_laurin's review
4.0
Dinosaurs, action, adventure, thrills, science, and a badass, take charge and take no shit, strong leading lady. What more could you ask for in a book?
vanessakm's review
3.0
I have no idea what possessed me to pick this up nearly 20 years after reading the original other than concentrating on reading in the middle of a miserable Midwest winter is hard y'all. I needed airport reading. And if you do too, this book fits the bill perfectly. You'll have to get over the minor gripe that Jurassic Park (the book) implied that Ian Malcolm was dead at the end of course. But once you do, the story is a worthy sequel and he is admittedly a great character. Bonus-this story has virtually nothing in common with the movie.
In this version, dead dinos have been washing up on the shore of Costa Rica. The government has been trying to cover it up but it has attracted attention in the scientific community, both with the now bankrupt InGen's competitors and a certain obnoxious but brilliant paleontologist who is also a colleague of Ian Malcolm's. Soon two groups find themselves on the second abandoned research island where InGen's true genetics lab was. One team is there for research and one for cupidity. Crichton comes up with a perfectly plausible explanation for the second island which succeeds in making the book seem like a sequel not entirely conceived out of greed. Kid stowaways are in tow for this version as well, but thankfully neither are Malcolm's obnoxious daughter like in the movie. There's plenty of science and pontificating by Malcolm to make this thoughtful and enjoyable. I avoided reading this for a long time, but it was a fun book after all.
In this version, dead dinos have been washing up on the shore of Costa Rica. The government has been trying to cover it up but it has attracted attention in the scientific community, both with the now bankrupt InGen's competitors and a certain obnoxious but brilliant paleontologist who is also a colleague of Ian Malcolm's. Soon two groups find themselves on the second abandoned research island where InGen's true genetics lab was. One team is there for research and one for cupidity. Crichton comes up with a perfectly plausible explanation for the second island which succeeds in making the book seem like a sequel not entirely conceived out of greed. Kid stowaways are in tow for this version as well, but thankfully neither are Malcolm's obnoxious daughter like in the movie. There's plenty of science and pontificating by Malcolm to make this thoughtful and enjoyable. I avoided reading this for a long time, but it was a fun book after all.