Reviews with content warning for Body horror - Le Parc Jurassique

One of the few books where I’d actually say the movie is better. While I really enjoyed reading this, it was a bit slow and meandering for me. But other than that it was great! The characters are realistic, the plot is engaging and fun, and the message is loud and clear.

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emengle21's review against another edition

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adventurous reflective tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? N/A
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

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justkellyann's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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zakcebulski's review against another edition

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adventurous dark informative reflective tense fast-paced

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

4.0

WOW! What a fantastic read.
I can remember when I first saw the Jurassic Park movie, but, I never got around to reading the book- I was anticipating it being largely the same thing as the movie- which is not a way to decide which book/ movie adaptations to read.
I am so glad that I read this book. This shit was fucking intense.
The story follows John Hammond who is a visionary who has worked to genetically engineer and revive Dinosaurs and create a theme park based off of this and how this concept runs the fuck amok.
A series of doctors including Paleontologist Alan Grant, Paleobotanist Ellie Sattler and chaos theoretician Ian Malcolm are invited, along with lawyer Donald Gennaro to review the safety protocol of the park, an decide whether it should remain open, or should close.

From the start, this story is immediately interesting. It is so fascinating to read how things gradually degrade to come more and more off of the rails. It is cool to see how things start off relatively well, and, all seems well. Disgruntled employee Dennis Nedry commits some corporate espionage in stealing some embryos of dinosaurs, and, in doing so, shuts down all safety protocols and features which were in place to prevent the Dinos from running rampant.
It is then a story about humans grappling for survival against revived super predators.

One thing that I have to commend Crichton on is the way that he writes action sequences. I could visualize every high octane instance of escape sequences or action, like I was watching a movie.
As well, the violence in this book is not for the weak of stomach. This shit is fucking brutal. There are so many manglings, eviscerations, undesired amputations, and raw portrayals that prove that in this world man is not at the top of the food pyramid, that it sticks with you for a while.
The ways that the dinosaurs are portrayed as having flesh and blood hanging from their teeth after an attack is incredibly poignant and gave me shivers down my spine quite a few times.
The escape or chase sequences are so well articulated. I have a very hard time feeling tension while reading- the same thing with feeling fear- but, this book really got me to feel a palpable fear and anxiety in the pit of my stomach.

I don't know whether or not the science in this book holds up to scrutiny, so, I cannot really comment on it. I can say that from what I read and the diagrams which are in the book, Chrichton plays by the rules which he includes. This is commendable, because so many authors bend the rules to make things easier for them, and that is refreshing to see.

Now, I love most of the characters in this book. Grant, Sattler, Malcolm, Tim, Muldoon, Arnold, they are all so fascinating to read. I loved the feeling of awe when Grant and Sattler saw the dinosaurs for the first time- their sense of amazement was absolutely contagious.
I can even commend the writing of Hammond and Nedry- they are such snakey pieces of shit that you can't help but love to hate them. All of these characters are written so well that they feel realistic.
That is where my biggest fucking issue comes from.
God.
Damn.
Lex.

I fucking hated this character. Lex is, with limited hyperbole, one of the worst characters which I have read this year and maybe last year, too. I legitimately loathed reading this fucking character.
Now, I understand that she is what 7-8? I get that. I have seen people online say that they understand that she does not fully grasp the full extent of the situation which is happening. But, she is definitely scared at points, and then goes right back to giving Tim shit? It is so inconsistent.
But, are we seriously going to have her talk about how she is fucking hungry? Okay, sure, she is hungry. So is... I don't know.... EVERYONE ELSE?
But, why in the fuck is that all she goddamn says? It comes off like Chrichton adds in this line just to remind the readers, and maybe himself, that Lex is a character. She legitimately just seems to be included to complain and to force other characters into dangerous situations. Like, what the fuck?
There is no nuance with this character, she seems to be added solely to have higher stakes within the story, but, there are already high stakes- it is an island where dinosaurs are KILLING PEOPLE?
I legitimately am disappointed with this character writing because there was so much potential for her to have a nice moment with Tim or something, but, she is just a shitty character and that is it. Maybe if I was a parent, or something, I would have had a blind love and desire for Lex, but, I didn't and I groaned every time I saw she had a fucking line of dialogue.

I thought that the themes of hubris on the part of the operators of Jurassic Park and their god-complex was absolutely fascinating. I loved the implications of Hammond's clear narcissism wherein he blames everyone who helped him get the park up and running, and saved it after Nedry's sabotage. He is clearly the type of person who will throw anyone to the wolves just as long as he is able to save face. These are people who had helped him build this park, and died for it, and he still tosses them like scraps off of a plate. For someone who has a close family member who is a narcissist, his character is so fucking well done for being a slimy dirtbag.
The science in this reminds me of the quote in the movie adaptation- "Your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they never stopped to ask if they should."
The best parts were when Malcolm tore in to Hammond about how he was trying to have a natural environment while also controlling it. It was so fucking liberating to read about this shitbird squirm while getting verbally attacked by a character who would one day be played by Jeff Goldblum.
The fight between humans and dinosaurs has never, in my opinion, had a better telling than Jurassic Park and I think that any sci-fi fan who has not read this book absolutely should. I actually liked the book and the outcome of the characters much more than the movie. It felt like I truly didn't know who would make it and who wouldn't, and, I think that that is really a powerful thing in a thriller.

Content Warnings

shannanigans92's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging informative tense slow-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? No

4.0

Content Warnings

nowflymeaway's review against another edition

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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

5.0

Content Warnings

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