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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.
cassidy27's review against another edition
4.0
4.25 stars ⭐️ Perfect sci fi read for the summer, so fun and genuinely terrifying
eldane's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
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? No
4.0
This was an exciting, fast-paced adventure! I really enjoyed how accessible and easy-to-understand the science was, because there's a LOT of it, but I never felt like he was rambling or anything went over my head. The action is snappy and easy to follow, and Crichton is excellent at building tension. I will say that he doesn't really do his female characters justice - Dr. Ellie Sattler is underutilized throughout the narrative and the little girl Lex is just plain annoying (seriously, little kids wouldn't act like that), so that was a little frustrating. However, it was an enjoyable and cinematic read with great action, dialogue, and worldbuilding.
aceofhearts666's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
andreasadsad's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-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
5.0
Now this was a page turner for me. I don’t read a lot of sci-fi but this was something I couldn’t put down. Love the movie and the book despite there drastic differences
itsbaberuthless's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I now get it when people rant about how a book was better than its movie. Jurassic Park means so much to me and I’m so happy I actually liked the book. It was so dark and gruesome and I hated everyone but the dinosaurs. My favorite thing was imagining Rexy sleeping leaning up against a tree by the river. Freaking cutie.
4.5 because in a book about dinosaurs there sure was a lot of misogyny and fat shaming.
4.5 because in a book about dinosaurs there sure was a lot of misogyny and fat shaming.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Medical content, Fatphobia, Vomit, Misogyny, Sexism, and Child death
starryel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0