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cirid 's review for:
Extinction
by Douglas Preston
Excellent book! It's hard to write a worthy story in the vein of Michael Crichton's iconic work Jurassic Park without regurgitating the same old tropes but this exceeded all my expectations. Excellent thriller – excellent murder mystery. Very well researched, with a fantastic plot which kept me on my toes. Characters were likeable enough, though at times there were certain passing statements which were reminded me of certain collations of "men who write women badly". This did not sufficiently detract from the plot to lower my rating but I did have to roll my eyes.
I really didn't think I would like this book as much as I did! The slow beginning did not quite prepare me to be reeled in so effectively later on in the book, and I tore through it in one sitting. The science is airbrushed, though we observe the story through the lens of two non-scientists. I think this was an appropriate choice – the fantastic science was already done in Jurassic Park, and it would be akin to reinventing the wheel to try that again here. Where the science shines is in the afterword's behavioural focus which is the crucial backbone to the story. As I read it, I thought – this IS new. Michael Crichton went with dinosaurs, and sold us on the fantasy of the prehistoric. Douglas Preston sells us on the tangible overlap to human history.
I really didn't think I would like this book as much as I did! The slow beginning did not quite prepare me to be reeled in so effectively later on in the book, and I tore through it in one sitting. The science is airbrushed, though we observe the story through the lens of two non-scientists. I think this was an appropriate choice – the fantastic science was already done in Jurassic Park, and it would be akin to reinventing the wheel to try that again here. Where the science shines is in the afterword's behavioural focus which is the crucial backbone to the story. As I read it, I thought – this IS new. Michael Crichton went with dinosaurs, and sold us on the fantasy of the prehistoric. Douglas Preston sells us on the tangible overlap to human history.