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Jurassic Park #2
The Lost World
Product Details 561 pages Ballantine Books; First Thus edition (1996) English
561 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published October 5, 1995
6518 people are currently reading
65209 people want to read
About the author
Michael Crichton
223 books20.3k followersJohn Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scientific and technical underpinnings that became a hallmark of his work. Crichton began writing under pseudonyms, producing suspenseful thrillers as John Lange, including Odds On, Scratch One, and Easy Go, and as Jeffrey Hudson with A Case of Need, earning him an Edgar Award. His first major success under his own name, The Andromeda Strain, established his signature blend of scientific authenticity, tension, and exploration of technological hazards, leading to its film adaptation. Over his career, he wrote 25 novels, including The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next, several adapted into major films, with four additional works published posthumously. Crichton also made significant contributions to film and television. He wrote and directed Westworld, pioneering the use of 2D computer-generated imagery, and later directed Coma, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, and Runaway. He created the influential medical drama ER, which he executive produced and developed with Steven Spielberg, achieving critical and commercial success. Many of his novels, most famously Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, became cultural phenomena, combining imaginative adventure with grounded scientific speculation, often exploring humanity’s overreach in genetics, biotechnology, and complex systems. His literary style was notable for integrating meticulous scientific detail, suspense, and moral cautionary themes. His works frequently addressed the failure of complex systems—biological, technological, or organizational—demonstrating the unpredictable consequences of human hubris. Employing techniques such as first-person narratives, false documents, fictionalized scientific reports, and assembling expert teams to tackle crises, Crichton created immersive stories appealing to both popular and scholarly audiences. His exploration of genetics, paleontology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence revealed both fascination and caution about humanity’s technological ambitions, while his early non-fiction, such as Five Patients and Electronic Life, reflected his scientific insight and forward-thinking approach to computers and programming. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Crichton experienced social isolation in adolescence and later pursued meditation and consultations with psychics, cultivating a lifelong interest in human consciousness and alternative experiences. A workaholic, he approached writing with disciplined ritualistic methodology, often retreating entirely to complete a novel in six or seven weeks. He was married five times, fathered two children, and maintained a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century American art. Crichton engaged in political and scientific discourse, particularly regarding global warming, where he was an outspoken skeptic and testified before the U.S. Senate. He contributed significantly to the discussion of intellectual property, technology, and environmental policy, coining concepts such as the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including Edgar Awards, a Peabody Award for ER, an Aca
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 8,191 reviews
September 26, 2007
I find a lot of people discuss the "resurrection" of Ian Malcolm in their reviews, and I'd like to throw in my two cents. It's true, Malcolm is mentioned as dead at the end of Jurassic Park. To be exact, Muldoon is telling Grant what's happened to everyone else as they're flying away in the helicopter:
"What about Malcolm?" Grant said.
Muldoon shook his head.
The epilogue mentions the Costa Rican government not permitting the burial of John Hammond or Ian Malcolm (amongst a list of other ways they dragged their feet and covered things up). But that's it.
My point is this: it's not as if Crichton tricked us by delivering a long death scene where Ian Malcolm said his last goodbyes and made some final point about evolution and chaos theory - then got lazy and just reintroduced Malcolm into the next book. Malcolm's "death" in JP was not seen, and only vaguely mentioned (unlike every other major character who died in the book). Also, the explanation given in The Lost World as to why the others thought he was dead was completely plausible - he was simply so close to death that he was left for dead.
I'll get off of my soapbox now. For me, The Lost World was a satisfying and exciting read. I think I read it in about a day and a half the first time, and I've re-read it a few times since.
"What about Malcolm?" Grant said.
Muldoon shook his head.
The epilogue mentions the Costa Rican government not permitting the burial of John Hammond or Ian Malcolm (amongst a list of other ways they dragged their feet and covered things up). But that's it.
My point is this: it's not as if Crichton tricked us by delivering a long death scene where Ian Malcolm said his last goodbyes and made some final point about evolution and chaos theory - then got lazy and just reintroduced Malcolm into the next book. Malcolm's "death" in JP was not seen, and only vaguely mentioned (unlike every other major character who died in the book). Also, the explanation given in The Lost World as to why the others thought he was dead was completely plausible - he was simply so close to death that he was left for dead.
I'll get off of my soapbox now. For me, The Lost World was a satisfying and exciting read. I think I read it in about a day and a half the first time, and I've re-read it a few times since.
January 9, 2025
I was surprised as to how different this was from the movie. I mean like an entirely different story. While I did enjoy film, I think that the book is far superior. There less characters and the story was a little more streamlined than that of the original novel. But I'm saying that in a good way, as you got to follow the path of returning characters, while getting to know the newer ones during this adventure. I also once again enjoyed Dr Malcolm's constant input about life, extinction, etc. He's just a fantastic and entertaining character. I also felt that they really made the great point of not truly knowing the dinosaurs and their behaviors here, as these are just man's interpretations of the extinct animals. So throughout the story, you can't guess what each type of dinosaur will do next and that keeps you on the edge of your seat throughout. But, much like Jurassic Park, this has a solid amount of action, suspense and gore. The raptors are truly terrifying, and are on full display with their high intelligence during much of this book. But I loved this story, maybe not quite as much as the original, but damn close.
September 12, 2023
Dinożary są super.
February 9, 2024
The Lost World was a book that I read at the end of the 90s. It was a phenomenal read, by my standards back then, when I was a student and in my latest teens. It made me feel smart. It made me feel good. When I read it, Michael Crichton, the author, was still alive. Now, there have been two things that I realise. First, it is a real pity that Crichton died. It was cruel that he was taken off the face of the Earth so quickly. Second, this book and Jurassic Park are for me, by far the best books that Crichton has written.
My mind was blown when I took up this reread in this year 2022. The book held up incredibly well. There were a few details that sadly were past sell by date. One of them was that it was stated the human race arose about 35,000 years ago, when now science tells us that it was so 250,000 years ago. Crichton also sadly got the innovation of the Internet as a doom mongering warning. This was I suspect not a really personal crusade to the author. He was perhaps merely playing us along.
The internet is one of the best inventive revolutions to have happened to the human race. Unlike other breakthroughs, like writing, or fire, its good use far outstrips any bad use. IQ levels are skyrocketing around the world. Atheists movements, climate change movements, feminist movements and others are making the rounds round our planet at the speed of light. This is not the atomic age, as 50s scientists have tried to label us. This is the digital age.
The book was both light and strong, just like the vehicles and equipment that in the book, Doc Thorne had to custom make for the rich bratty Levine. The book deserves a lot of success. The only reason why it was not such an influence on Sci Fi writers is that it is inimitable, and, unlike Fantasy successes, couldn't be replicated and imitated by lesser or even writers of equal talent as Crichton.
The science monologues that are mostly the dominion of Ian Malcolm in the book are brilliant! The thoughts behind these hugely entertaining talks seem Socratic in nature. And they are intaglioed on the book in a way that is perfectly believable. This Sci Fi discourse is not info dump. This is a way of entertaining the masses, and perhaps even, opening them to the possibilities of science.
I was less pleased with the way both the baddies and the good guys got messed up by the dinosaurs. It was as if each of the future dead carried a death wish. It was very unbelievable how Dodgson, Baselton (his death was funny as hell though), and the poor Howard King hopped, skipped, and jumped their way into the jaws of death. The jaws of creatures coming back from extinction. The lord of the planet falling into the maws of his predecessor.
The two kids too had to be included, yet no responsible adult would have agreed to bring them along, so they must help themselves. Arby and Kelly were terrific characters with motives, creativity, and moments of pathos and heroism of their own. Sarah Harding, the African plateaus connoisseur, was also a problem. Nobody knows why her career was viable or interesting or worth funding. She kept observing hyenas and lions hunt and her raw data was not bringing anything new. But those are mere trifles.
I have my reserves about the book, one of which is self inflicted. I skipped some pages to reach the end. When I first read the book, decades ago, I didn't understand the ending. I didn't understand why the dinosaurs were in such queer patterns on Isla Sorna. I didn't understand about the prions and what they spelled out. This mystery stayed with me, though I had forgotten about it. But once the book was in my hands yet again, I immediately remembered this gap in my knowledge and hurried to find out and was rewarded by the answer the book provided. It is strange how old eyes sometimes see better than juvenile ones.
This book was not perfect. Its current rating is the dubious result of the revival of the Jurassic franchise. The big studios will never let a series die, even if there is no new Crichton on the horizon to lead the way. I loved Lost World. Its science is in itself a Lost World of ideas, because when the sequel to Jurassic Park was scripted, the producers went for action oriented stuff. Good. Only the people who read the book, instead of watching the movie, know how precious this book was. It was a book that was not only scientific, but also philosophical. But they have little to do with practical life sadly. I mean imagine a world where the dinosaurs never got extinct. We would never be there to inherit the Earth from these mighty monsters. So be it; we are here, until the next change in chaos.
My mind was blown when I took up this reread in this year 2022. The book held up incredibly well. There were a few details that sadly were past sell by date. One of them was that it was stated the human race arose about 35,000 years ago, when now science tells us that it was so 250,000 years ago. Crichton also sadly got the innovation of the Internet as a doom mongering warning. This was I suspect not a really personal crusade to the author. He was perhaps merely playing us along.
The internet is one of the best inventive revolutions to have happened to the human race. Unlike other breakthroughs, like writing, or fire, its good use far outstrips any bad use. IQ levels are skyrocketing around the world. Atheists movements, climate change movements, feminist movements and others are making the rounds round our planet at the speed of light. This is not the atomic age, as 50s scientists have tried to label us. This is the digital age.
The book was both light and strong, just like the vehicles and equipment that in the book, Doc Thorne had to custom make for the rich bratty Levine. The book deserves a lot of success. The only reason why it was not such an influence on Sci Fi writers is that it is inimitable, and, unlike Fantasy successes, couldn't be replicated and imitated by lesser or even writers of equal talent as Crichton.
The science monologues that are mostly the dominion of Ian Malcolm in the book are brilliant! The thoughts behind these hugely entertaining talks seem Socratic in nature. And they are intaglioed on the book in a way that is perfectly believable. This Sci Fi discourse is not info dump. This is a way of entertaining the masses, and perhaps even, opening them to the possibilities of science.
I was less pleased with the way both the baddies and the good guys got messed up by the dinosaurs. It was as if each of the future dead carried a death wish. It was very unbelievable how Dodgson, Baselton (his death was funny as hell though), and the poor Howard King hopped, skipped, and jumped their way into the jaws of death. The jaws of creatures coming back from extinction. The lord of the planet falling into the maws of his predecessor.
The two kids too had to be included, yet no responsible adult would have agreed to bring them along, so they must help themselves. Arby and Kelly were terrific characters with motives, creativity, and moments of pathos and heroism of their own. Sarah Harding, the African plateaus connoisseur, was also a problem. Nobody knows why her career was viable or interesting or worth funding. She kept observing hyenas and lions hunt and her raw data was not bringing anything new. But those are mere trifles.
I have my reserves about the book, one of which is self inflicted. I skipped some pages to reach the end. When I first read the book, decades ago, I didn't understand the ending. I didn't understand why the dinosaurs were in such queer patterns on Isla Sorna. I didn't understand about the prions and what they spelled out. This mystery stayed with me, though I had forgotten about it. But once the book was in my hands yet again, I immediately remembered this gap in my knowledge and hurried to find out and was rewarded by the answer the book provided. It is strange how old eyes sometimes see better than juvenile ones.
This book was not perfect. Its current rating is the dubious result of the revival of the Jurassic franchise. The big studios will never let a series die, even if there is no new Crichton on the horizon to lead the way. I loved Lost World. Its science is in itself a Lost World of ideas, because when the sequel to Jurassic Park was scripted, the producers went for action oriented stuff. Good. Only the people who read the book, instead of watching the movie, know how precious this book was. It was a book that was not only scientific, but also philosophical. But they have little to do with practical life sadly. I mean imagine a world where the dinosaurs never got extinct. We would never be there to inherit the Earth from these mighty monsters. So be it; we are here, until the next change in chaos.
May 16, 2013
The story goes that Steven Spielberg flush with the success of the first Jurassic Park movie, itself an adaptation of a Michael Chrichton novel, decided to try and repeat his success by commissioning the author to write a sequel to his original novel (which the first movie was based on) which they could then adapt into a movie.
Whether or not that's true I cannot say but I will say that do not base your initial judgement of this book or the prospect of reading it on the lacklustre utter turkey that the film turned out to be.
In many respects, the novel is everything the film should have been and wasn't. Not only did Spielberg fiddle with a lot of the key elements of the story but completely remove some of the best parts of the whole story!
I won't go into details as it'll only include spoilers but I've lost track of how many times I've read this book other than it being somewhere in the region of twenty or more times. It's THAT good!
If you're a fan of Michael Chricton, dinosaurs or just rip-roaring adrenaline-fuelled rides, you should give this book the read it clearly deserves!
Forget the movie altogether, witness what should have been!
Whether or not that's true I cannot say but I will say that do not base your initial judgement of this book or the prospect of reading it on the lacklustre utter turkey that the film turned out to be.
In many respects, the novel is everything the film should have been and wasn't. Not only did Spielberg fiddle with a lot of the key elements of the story but completely remove some of the best parts of the whole story!
I won't go into details as it'll only include spoilers but I've lost track of how many times I've read this book other than it being somewhere in the region of twenty or more times. It's THAT good!
If you're a fan of Michael Chricton, dinosaurs or just rip-roaring adrenaline-fuelled rides, you should give this book the read it clearly deserves!
Forget the movie altogether, witness what should have been!
October 1, 2024
4.25/5
Ta kontynuacja nie odstaje od pierwszej części - znów dostałam świetną rozrywkę!
Ta kontynuacja nie odstaje od pierwszej części - znów dostałam świetną rozrywkę!
February 3, 2021
The Lost World is not a very good book. The story is a slog to start and the characters are very weak. So weak that if any of them had actually been eaten by the constantly hungry dinosaurs I would've been like: shrug.
As the story progressed and I waited impatiently to find out: would they actually solve the mystery of the missing Dr Levine and go to the island of dinosaurs--as if there was a chance of that not happening--I was introduced to a series of these weak characters and it then became a struggle to decide who I wanted to be eaten first.
Initially I really wanted one or both of the two genius kids to get chomped. Their place in the book was so formulaic, so PC, and so contrived that it marred the over-all story. They were there simply to add some emotion to a flat read. It didn't work since you just knew neither of them would die.(Side note: Every author should kill a main/well liked character every 5 or 6 books just to keep the possibility out there.)
The next on my list of those characters who I wished would just get torn to shreds was Richard Levine, who was a know-it-all bore. It would've been good for him to have been killed very early in the book(maybe chapter 4?)--just as long as he didn't linger in his demise. Whenever Levine opened his mouth he would go on and on, until I found myself skimming.
Third on my hit-list was Sarah Harding...I mean Dr Sarah Harding(Everyone has PhDs and multiple PhDs and everyone is all so brilliant that it's tiresome.) Though I would have liked to see Sarah become Dino-kibble it wasn't going to happen. She was a female Tarzan and it was a wonder she didn't kill a T-Rex with a spear. Uhg. I get tired of the PC world (Though to be fair the dinosaurs weren't at all scary. In one scene Dr Levine is stalking a T-rex on a bicycle, completely unafraid, which had me wondering: why did they come to rescue him?)
Ironically, the only person that I really wanted to live was a character who had died in the first book. For some reason the author resurrects Ian Malcolm. If you remember, Malcolm hated dinosaurs, yet for some reason he tags along on expedition to a dinosaur infested island to find Levine, a man he really doesn't like. It's completely out of character for him and makes no sense. In fact in the first few chapters he's completely against the idea and then pop! He changes his mind with no real reason given.
So all the characters suck and this is because they aren't in-depth people with strong desires and motivations, instead they are talking props. They all seemed to sit about either spewing sciencey knowledge or receiving sciencey knowledge; this they take turns at doing. And everyone is a genius, or so we are told. Judging by their actions however, they are a bunch of morons who deserve to be eaten.
So much for the characters, how about the story itself?
Dinosaurs are scary. Run everyone. Bad guys die. Good guys live. It was a cheap imitation of a good book: Jurassic Park. I wouldn't bother with this sequel.
If you enjoyed this review you'll probably like my Youtube reviews--be warned, I enjoy some good snark! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6D...
As the story progressed and I waited impatiently to find out: would they actually solve the mystery of the missing Dr Levine and go to the island of dinosaurs--as if there was a chance of that not happening--I was introduced to a series of these weak characters and it then became a struggle to decide who I wanted to be eaten first.
Initially I really wanted one or both of the two genius kids to get chomped. Their place in the book was so formulaic, so PC, and so contrived that it marred the over-all story. They were there simply to add some emotion to a flat read. It didn't work since you just knew neither of them would die.(Side note: Every author should kill a main/well liked character every 5 or 6 books just to keep the possibility out there.)
The next on my list of those characters who I wished would just get torn to shreds was Richard Levine, who was a know-it-all bore. It would've been good for him to have been killed very early in the book(maybe chapter 4?)--just as long as he didn't linger in his demise. Whenever Levine opened his mouth he would go on and on, until I found myself skimming.
Third on my hit-list was Sarah Harding...I mean Dr Sarah Harding(Everyone has PhDs and multiple PhDs and everyone is all so brilliant that it's tiresome.) Though I would have liked to see Sarah become Dino-kibble it wasn't going to happen. She was a female Tarzan and it was a wonder she didn't kill a T-Rex with a spear. Uhg. I get tired of the PC world (Though to be fair the dinosaurs weren't at all scary. In one scene Dr Levine is stalking a T-rex on a bicycle, completely unafraid, which had me wondering: why did they come to rescue him?)
Ironically, the only person that I really wanted to live was a character who had died in the first book. For some reason the author resurrects Ian Malcolm. If you remember, Malcolm hated dinosaurs, yet for some reason he tags along on expedition to a dinosaur infested island to find Levine, a man he really doesn't like. It's completely out of character for him and makes no sense. In fact in the first few chapters he's completely against the idea and then pop! He changes his mind with no real reason given.
So all the characters suck and this is because they aren't in-depth people with strong desires and motivations, instead they are talking props. They all seemed to sit about either spewing sciencey knowledge or receiving sciencey knowledge; this they take turns at doing. And everyone is a genius, or so we are told. Judging by their actions however, they are a bunch of morons who deserve to be eaten.
So much for the characters, how about the story itself?
Dinosaurs are scary. Run everyone. Bad guys die. Good guys live. It was a cheap imitation of a good book: Jurassic Park. I wouldn't bother with this sequel.
If you enjoyed this review you'll probably like my Youtube reviews--be warned, I enjoy some good snark! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCZ6D...
March 30, 2008
WOW, this was disappointing.
I remembered going into this book that I had enjoyed the film version of the original Jurrasic Park far more than the book -- a rather unusual situation for me. I had a slight feeling of apprehension, but I ignored it. Even if I hadn't, though, it wouldn't have prepared me for the frustration and disappointment of this story.
Let me get this point out right from the start: The plot resolves itself WAY too quickly, as though something that is suddenly obvious, easy to think of, and even easier to find was completely hidden from consciousness since the characters' first opportunity to think of it from about a fifth of the way into the book.
Additionally, the characters pose some very interesting questions during their experiences that would be fodder for quite interesting discussions or even intriguing scientific theory/discovery in the book. (For instance, why are there so many predators on the island? Why do they see so few carcasses? What went wrong on the island? Why does the raptor nest look the way it does?) That last was the only one I thought was halfway decently answered; all the rest seemed like cop-outs. Hell, the way the characters started to get out of their last little fix was complete B.S. that came from a bogus thought process from one of the kids.
One random compliment that (unfortunately) has nothing to do with the author's writing ability: He took the Carnotaurus that I'm familiar with from the simulator ride Dinosaur! at Disney's Animal Kingdom and gave it a rather unique twist: the ability to change colors with astonishing detail. I'll have to admit, after being scared by that dino on the ride many years ago, the thought of it being a chameleon made me sympathize with the terror felt by the characters. But really only for one scene. Then it was right back to the frustration.
My biggest complaint was the author's blatant activation of dramatic suspense. A character's thoughts would be either articulated through dialogue or explained through narration right up to the next-to-the-last word, and then something would distract the person from completing the thought, and the author would move on. That, in my book, is cheating. If the character thinks about something but can't figure it out, of if he's unsure why something just came to mind, fine. That's character development, in a way. (Levine's thoughts on daylight in the final scene fall into this category. I actually accepted that he couldn't remember what the big deal was. Granted, when he finally *did* figure it out, and he went back into his holier-than-thou attitude, even saying, "Well, isn't it obvious?", I wasn't sure if I wanted to smack Crichton or Levine more.)
A couple of conversations between characters -- usually involving Levine, now that I think of it -- were so full of these interruptions that I almost threw down the book. I was being played with, and I didn't appreciate it. It was something like this:
"So I got this completely figured out. The only way we can avoid getting eaten in the next twenty seconds is if we.... Oh, look! A leaf just fell in the breeze!"
or
"I wonder why these dinos are acting like this. It might have something to do with the environment they're in. Okay, if we factor in what they had for breakfast last year, and consider the death rate among dinos living 65 million years ago... Oh, this makes sense. They're all dying because....ACK! An attacking dino!"
and then
"Levine reaches the place he's been trying to reach for the last sixty pages. There's a dino in his way. He looks around for a tool to use to beat the beast to smithereens, getting more and more anxiously panicked, trying desperately to think of anything, when suddenly he sees....And the dino roared and started charging."
Whether the reader is supposed to feel exhilaration from the suspense, offense from being insulted, or just frustration with the irrational and incomplete descriptions, I won't pretend to know. Personally, though, a combination of the latter two was able to fester and boil and brood quite effectively throughout the course of the novel. I was completely put off by the writing style and the predictability of his archetypes -- I could easily make a matching quiz to list the names of characters from this book and its predecessor, and there's a direct correlation for each one, with the same role being filled by each and the same outcome happening to each. Oh, and Malcomb gets hurt. Again. What the heck is this guy's role, really? Token chaos-theory expert to make the reader believe that when everything goes to hell, it's supposed to? Bubcus.
I hereby swear to never again read another Michael Crichton novel. Yep, it was that disappointing.
I remembered going into this book that I had enjoyed the film version of the original Jurrasic Park far more than the book -- a rather unusual situation for me. I had a slight feeling of apprehension, but I ignored it. Even if I hadn't, though, it wouldn't have prepared me for the frustration and disappointment of this story.
Let me get this point out right from the start: The plot resolves itself WAY too quickly, as though something that is suddenly obvious, easy to think of, and even easier to find was completely hidden from consciousness since the characters' first opportunity to think of it from about a fifth of the way into the book.
Additionally, the characters pose some very interesting questions during their experiences that would be fodder for quite interesting discussions or even intriguing scientific theory/discovery in the book. (For instance, why are there so many predators on the island? Why do they see so few carcasses? What went wrong on the island? Why does the raptor nest look the way it does?) That last was the only one I thought was halfway decently answered; all the rest seemed like cop-outs. Hell, the way the characters started to get out of their last little fix was complete B.S. that came from a bogus thought process from one of the kids.
One random compliment that (unfortunately) has nothing to do with the author's writing ability: He took the Carnotaurus that I'm familiar with from the simulator ride Dinosaur! at Disney's Animal Kingdom and gave it a rather unique twist: the ability to change colors with astonishing detail. I'll have to admit, after being scared by that dino on the ride many years ago, the thought of it being a chameleon made me sympathize with the terror felt by the characters. But really only for one scene. Then it was right back to the frustration.
My biggest complaint was the author's blatant activation of dramatic suspense. A character's thoughts would be either articulated through dialogue or explained through narration right up to the next-to-the-last word, and then something would distract the person from completing the thought, and the author would move on. That, in my book, is cheating. If the character thinks about something but can't figure it out, of if he's unsure why something just came to mind, fine. That's character development, in a way. (Levine's thoughts on daylight in the final scene fall into this category. I actually accepted that he couldn't remember what the big deal was. Granted, when he finally *did* figure it out, and he went back into his holier-than-thou attitude, even saying, "Well, isn't it obvious?", I wasn't sure if I wanted to smack Crichton or Levine more.)
A couple of conversations between characters -- usually involving Levine, now that I think of it -- were so full of these interruptions that I almost threw down the book. I was being played with, and I didn't appreciate it. It was something like this:
"So I got this completely figured out. The only way we can avoid getting eaten in the next twenty seconds is if we.... Oh, look! A leaf just fell in the breeze!"
or
"I wonder why these dinos are acting like this. It might have something to do with the environment they're in. Okay, if we factor in what they had for breakfast last year, and consider the death rate among dinos living 65 million years ago... Oh, this makes sense. They're all dying because....ACK! An attacking dino!"
and then
"Levine reaches the place he's been trying to reach for the last sixty pages. There's a dino in his way. He looks around for a tool to use to beat the beast to smithereens, getting more and more anxiously panicked, trying desperately to think of anything, when suddenly he sees....And the dino roared and started charging."
Whether the reader is supposed to feel exhilaration from the suspense, offense from being insulted, or just frustration with the irrational and incomplete descriptions, I won't pretend to know. Personally, though, a combination of the latter two was able to fester and boil and brood quite effectively throughout the course of the novel. I was completely put off by the writing style and the predictability of his archetypes -- I could easily make a matching quiz to list the names of characters from this book and its predecessor, and there's a direct correlation for each one, with the same role being filled by each and the same outcome happening to each. Oh, and Malcomb gets hurt. Again. What the heck is this guy's role, really? Token chaos-theory expert to make the reader believe that when everything goes to hell, it's supposed to? Bubcus.
I hereby swear to never again read another Michael Crichton novel. Yep, it was that disappointing.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 26, 2022
“What makes you think human beings are sentient and aware? There's no evidence for it. Human beings never think for themselves, they find it too uncomfortable. For the most part, members of our species simply repeat what they are told-and become upset if they are exposed to any different view. The characteristic human trait is not awareness but conformity, and the characteristic result is religious warfare. Other animals fight for territory or food; but, uniquely in the animal kingdom, human beings fight for their 'beliefs.' The reason is that beliefs guide behavior which has evolutionary importance among human beings. But at a time when our behavior may well lead us to extinction, I see no reason to assume we have any awareness at all. We are stubborn, self-destructive conformists. Any other view of our species is just a self-congratulatory delusion. Next question.”I decided to re-read this sequel after recently re-reading Jurassic Park. A couple of scenes had stood out in my memory--stolen dinosaur eggs, an attack on a trailer, chameleon dinosaurs, and a particularly memorable death--but I had forgotten almost everything else. For example, I had forgotten that, because Sam Neill was unwilling to return for the sequel movie, and Jeff Goldblum was willing, Ian Malcolm's off-screen death at the end of the first book was magically undone.
If you've never read The Lost World, because you assume you know the plot from the movie, you have not been spoiled. Indeed, there is very little relationship between the plot of this book and the plot of the movie. There is no Godzilla-like attack on San Diego in the book.
The Lost World is a solid sequel, though it not only suffers by comparison to the original, but it rips Jurassic Park off in places and there are echoes of familiar characters and plot points. Still, it's classic Crichton, mixing intriguing science and gripping action scenes. Recommended.
February 13, 2020
2.5 stars
Me for the first 60% of the book:
I’ve never really liked the second Jurassic Park movie. I changed my mind. There are worse things, like the book the movie was adapted from. I actually applaud the writers, because fixing this mess took talent. Guess it helped ignoring the entire book apart from two or three of the interesting dinosaur scenes.
Overall this was nice to read because Crichton’s writing flows even when Malcolm is in the middle of one of his chaos rants, but man, I was expecting something way better than this.
First things first, I don’t understand why the author went to the trouble of reviving Malcolm if his character wasn’t really needed. During the book he never once mentions his previous trip to Jurassic Park, and he behaves as though he has never been on the other island with Grant and Hammond. He would have never, never, never gone to Isla Sorna to save Levine, whom he doesn’t even like, knowing that he would find the same dangers, just to prove his stupid extinction theory. He’s reckless and acts without thinking, plus he keeps blabbering about his theories even when his life is in danger. I was so confused when his group suddenly decides to go to the tyrannosaur nest to check I don’t even know what, after a guy had just been eaten. Then they bring the baby to the trailer and make him a cast for his broken leg and Malcolm says nothing? They managed to make it work in the movie, but here that was way beyond stupid.
To be honest, this was a trend for all the characters involved. In the end the dinosaur attacks were triggered by idiotic actions more than anything else, but I’m mad at Malcolm in particular, because he freaking KNEW what would happen. Is it too much to ask for character continuity and characters who use their brains? Jeez.
On the other hand, I liked seeing a woman like Sarah take the lead in this kind of book written by a man in the 90s. It’s refreshing and heartwarming. Doc Thorne was also very sweet and caring, and I’m glad he survived. I wouldn’t want to be in his and Levine’s shoes though, because now they have some explaining to do to the children’s parents lol.
Some of the dinosaur scenes were nice and brutal, especially the ones with the tyrannosaurs, but others were purely unrealistic. I wish the raptors weren’t in this book at all. Raptors that eat candy bars, holding them in their forearms? Raptors that find the high hide by sniffing a candy bar wrap? Raptors that run away with keys? Dinosaurs that destroy a car to find their eggs inside closed metal briefcases after hours? I’m sorry, but this is too much. And there’s many more scenes that made me roll my eyes.
This book was one entire discussion about extinction, chaos and other scientific stuff. There was too little action, even the conclusion was rushed so that the characters could tell everyone about their latest realizations. The villains die, the good guys survive. That’s it.
I guess the good thing is that this book made me appreciate the movie in a way I didn’t think was possible after all these years.
Me for the first 60% of the book:
I’ve never really liked the second Jurassic Park movie. I changed my mind. There are worse things, like the book the movie was adapted from. I actually applaud the writers, because fixing this mess took talent. Guess it helped ignoring the entire book apart from two or three of the interesting dinosaur scenes.
Overall this was nice to read because Crichton’s writing flows even when Malcolm is in the middle of one of his chaos rants, but man, I was expecting something way better than this.
First things first, I don’t understand why the author went to the trouble of reviving Malcolm if his character wasn’t really needed. During the book he never once mentions his previous trip to Jurassic Park, and he behaves as though he has never been on the other island with Grant and Hammond. He would have never, never, never gone to Isla Sorna to save Levine, whom he doesn’t even like, knowing that he would find the same dangers, just to prove his stupid extinction theory. He’s reckless and acts without thinking, plus he keeps blabbering about his theories even when his life is in danger. I was so confused when his group suddenly decides to go to the tyrannosaur nest to check I don’t even know what, after a guy had just been eaten. Then they bring the baby to the trailer and make him a cast for his broken leg and Malcolm says nothing? They managed to make it work in the movie, but here that was way beyond stupid.
To be honest, this was a trend for all the characters involved. In the end the dinosaur attacks were triggered by idiotic actions more than anything else, but I’m mad at Malcolm in particular, because he freaking KNEW what would happen. Is it too much to ask for character continuity and characters who use their brains? Jeez.
On the other hand, I liked seeing a woman like Sarah take the lead in this kind of book written by a man in the 90s. It’s refreshing and heartwarming. Doc Thorne was also very sweet and caring, and I’m glad he survived. I wouldn’t want to be in his and Levine’s shoes though, because now they have some explaining to do to the children’s parents lol.
Some of the dinosaur scenes were nice and brutal, especially the ones with the tyrannosaurs, but others were purely unrealistic. I wish the raptors weren’t in this book at all. Raptors that eat candy bars, holding them in their forearms? Raptors that find the high hide by sniffing a candy bar wrap? Raptors that run away with keys? Dinosaurs that destroy a car to find their eggs inside closed metal briefcases after hours? I’m sorry, but this is too much. And there’s many more scenes that made me roll my eyes.
This book was one entire discussion about extinction, chaos and other scientific stuff. There was too little action, even the conclusion was rushed so that the characters could tell everyone about their latest realizations. The villains die, the good guys survive. That’s it.
I guess the good thing is that this book made me appreciate the movie in a way I didn’t think was possible after all these years.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 27, 2024
4.5
I read Jurassic Park in July of 2017 and really enjoyed it, so I have no idea why it took me close to 2 years to get to The Lost World (which I buddy read with my friend Erica!) but I finally got to it, and I loved it even more than the first book! I never watched the movies growing up, so I watched the first movie after reading the first book and now that i've finally read The Lost World I can continue with the movies!
I really enjoy the writing in these novels. I find it easy to read and get lost in, even when the science is thrown in. I find the plots to be pretty believable (as much as bringing dinosaurs back to life can be) and it to have a nice steady pace that slowly rackets up the tension.
I loved Arby, the genius black boy, and Kelly (13 I think? year old girl) and Dr. Sarah Harding! Definitely my favorite characters! I really enjoyed these particular passages too..(possible spoilers..)
"Malcolm Wheezed; his arms around her neck were trembling. He said, "you're very strong."
"But still feminine," she said, grimly." and
"That's very good," Harding said. "I think these people owe you their lives."
"Not really," Kelly said, with a little shrug.
Sarah shot her a look. "All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. Don't you take it away from yourself.""
Those sound pretty damn feminist if you ask me!
It had moments of tension, moments of hilarious (like high on morphine Ian), and moments of hell yes!
And the deaths were awesome!
https://linktr.ee/Wickedjr
I read Jurassic Park in July of 2017 and really enjoyed it, so I have no idea why it took me close to 2 years to get to The Lost World (which I buddy read with my friend Erica!) but I finally got to it, and I loved it even more than the first book! I never watched the movies growing up, so I watched the first movie after reading the first book and now that i've finally read The Lost World I can continue with the movies!
I really enjoy the writing in these novels. I find it easy to read and get lost in, even when the science is thrown in. I find the plots to be pretty believable (as much as bringing dinosaurs back to life can be) and it to have a nice steady pace that slowly rackets up the tension.
I loved Arby, the genius black boy, and Kelly (13 I think? year old girl) and Dr. Sarah Harding! Definitely my favorite characters! I really enjoyed these particular passages too..(possible spoilers..)
"Malcolm Wheezed; his arms around her neck were trembling. He said, "you're very strong."
"But still feminine," she said, grimly." and
"That's very good," Harding said. "I think these people owe you their lives."
"Not really," Kelly said, with a little shrug.
Sarah shot her a look. "All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. Don't you take it away from yourself.""
Those sound pretty damn feminist if you ask me!
It had moments of tension, moments of hilarious (like high on morphine Ian), and moments of hell yes!
And the deaths were awesome!
https://linktr.ee/Wickedjr
October 5, 2020
Years ago I visited a museum. There were endless glass displays, some of which held guns used in war; others held swords that at one time were raised in combat against empires that have long since fallen. But I wasn't there for them. I was there for a dinosaur. At one point I came to a long hallway and followed it to the end. It opened up into a colossal room, where right in the center, standing nearly two stories high, was the reason I came that day.
The museum's enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. Though I have seen skeletons of the most dominant predator in Earth's history since then, that was the first one I had ever seen in person. Before that trip, the T-Rex had only ever come to life for me in the films of Steven Spielberg. I saw The Lost World: Jurassic Park in theatres when it first came out in 1997, but only now, 23 years later, did I pick up the movie's source material, Michael Crichton's The Lost World.
I will tell you that I started but never finished the novel Jurassic Park for the same reason I started but never finished reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas; I saw the movie first, and the movie and book are pretty much identical. After a few hundred pages, I just couldn't do it anymore. Because they were so nearly identical, it felt like I was reading the movie screenplay. The Lost World, however, does not suffer from this problem. The movie and book are very, very different; each is mostly its own unique creation, and though the movie wasn't that great, I still think both are worth checking out, but especially the book, because it's a lot better.
In the book, a series of undocumented animals start being reported on an island off Costa Rica, several years after the Jurassic Park disaster. Eventually, a group of scientists end up on the island, one of them because he was investigating and the others later on as part of an effort to try to rescue him. Chaos ensues, and the scientists must fight to survive against the dinosaurs roaming the island. The most fascinating thing, I found, was how little of the book Spielberg used for the movie. Some of the scenes in this book are a Hollywood director's dream, combining action and gripping suspense. I would argue the film would have been a lot better if it used more scenes from the book.
One thing I didn't like was how bloated the book was. My edition was 416 pages, but I feel like it could have been 350-375 pages. Dr. Malcolm goes on long rants about chaos theory and his bizarre theories about evolution and the extinction of the dinosaurs, among other things. I thought these were somewhat boring at times, and that some of them could have been condensed or even removed entirely. On the plus side, the last hundred-or-so pages of this book are mostly non-stop, heart-pounding suspense; I felt like I didn't take a breath the whole time, and I found myself staying up late to read more.
Overall, though a bit boring at times, The Lost World is otherwise a page-turning dinosaur adventure with great characters, and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat for much of its length. It's vintage Michael Crichton. Recommended!
The museum's enormous Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton. Though I have seen skeletons of the most dominant predator in Earth's history since then, that was the first one I had ever seen in person. Before that trip, the T-Rex had only ever come to life for me in the films of Steven Spielberg. I saw The Lost World: Jurassic Park in theatres when it first came out in 1997, but only now, 23 years later, did I pick up the movie's source material, Michael Crichton's The Lost World.
I will tell you that I started but never finished the novel Jurassic Park for the same reason I started but never finished reading David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas; I saw the movie first, and the movie and book are pretty much identical. After a few hundred pages, I just couldn't do it anymore. Because they were so nearly identical, it felt like I was reading the movie screenplay. The Lost World, however, does not suffer from this problem. The movie and book are very, very different; each is mostly its own unique creation, and though the movie wasn't that great, I still think both are worth checking out, but especially the book, because it's a lot better.
In the book, a series of undocumented animals start being reported on an island off Costa Rica, several years after the Jurassic Park disaster. Eventually, a group of scientists end up on the island, one of them because he was investigating and the others later on as part of an effort to try to rescue him. Chaos ensues, and the scientists must fight to survive against the dinosaurs roaming the island. The most fascinating thing, I found, was how little of the book Spielberg used for the movie. Some of the scenes in this book are a Hollywood director's dream, combining action and gripping suspense. I would argue the film would have been a lot better if it used more scenes from the book.
One thing I didn't like was how bloated the book was. My edition was 416 pages, but I feel like it could have been 350-375 pages. Dr. Malcolm goes on long rants about chaos theory and his bizarre theories about evolution and the extinction of the dinosaurs, among other things. I thought these were somewhat boring at times, and that some of them could have been condensed or even removed entirely. On the plus side, the last hundred-or-so pages of this book are mostly non-stop, heart-pounding suspense; I felt like I didn't take a breath the whole time, and I found myself staying up late to read more.
Overall, though a bit boring at times, The Lost World is otherwise a page-turning dinosaur adventure with great characters, and one that will keep you on the edge of your seat for much of its length. It's vintage Michael Crichton. Recommended!
May 17, 2021
Me ha gustado, ha sido bastante entretenido.
Después de más de 20 años de haber leído Parque jurásico, leo esta segunda parte, el cual también intercalé con la película (es un poco diferente ya que hay personajes en el libro que en la película ni aparecen). Libro de aventura-acción.
# 7. Un libro donde el personaje principal trabaje en tu trabajo actual o en tu trabajo soñado. Reto Popsugar 2021
Después de más de 20 años de haber leído Parque jurásico, leo esta segunda parte, el cual también intercalé con la película (es un poco diferente ya que hay personajes en el libro que en la película ni aparecen). Libro de aventura-acción.
# 7. Un libro donde el personaje principal trabaje en tu trabajo actual o en tu trabajo soñado. Reto Popsugar 2021
December 3, 2022
Having enjoyed Jurassic Park, I was eager to dive into this one and wow, this was equally as thrilling as book one.
This author is an absolute master of raising your anxiety and creating tension you feel you can touch.
This book is fantastic in so many ways. It gets right under your skin and it's frightening but equally it's making you think about science, the planet, our existence.
Ian Malcolm goes down as an unforgettable character for me. What a legend.
And while there were traces of it in book one, this book has amazing female characters. I've many complaints regarding male authors and their female characters but credit where its due, Crichton nails it. There are no damsels in distress here. I hope teen girls are picking this book up and being inspired by the confident inspirational females in this book.
This duology was a delight. I've no idea why I waited so long to read it.
Five stars.
This author is an absolute master of raising your anxiety and creating tension you feel you can touch.
This book is fantastic in so many ways. It gets right under your skin and it's frightening but equally it's making you think about science, the planet, our existence.
Ian Malcolm goes down as an unforgettable character for me. What a legend.
And while there were traces of it in book one, this book has amazing female characters. I've many complaints regarding male authors and their female characters but credit where its due, Crichton nails it. There are no damsels in distress here. I hope teen girls are picking this book up and being inspired by the confident inspirational females in this book.
This duology was a delight. I've no idea why I waited so long to read it.
Five stars.
February 21, 2018
This might turn out to be one of my favorite books of all time. I feel like there was so much to love. I don’t care if he was just cashing in on the success of the Jurassic Park movie. I’m not even mad that Malcolm’s death was retconned. What I’m mad about, is that Hollywood took a beautiful book and hacked it into pieces and tried to dazzle us with animatronic dinosaurs. Okay so I like animatronic dinosaurs too, but still- there was no need.
The plot is this: Dr. Levine suspects something happened that involved Dr. Ian Malcolm in Costa Rica six years ago. Of course, Malcolm denies it because NDAs and all that. But he says: “Get me physical proof of a dinosaur Lost World and I’ll help you on your Costa Rican dinosaur expedition.” So Levine snoops and snoops and eventually gets Malcolm the evidence he required. Dinosaur chaos ensues. Meanwhile, those bad guys over at Biosyn still want all the Dino tech for themselves, so they are in the distant background doing bad stuff.
The science: I found all Malcolm’s musings on Chaos theory and order absolutely fascinating. Crichton makes it very accessible to the reader in a way that is thought provoking but also not difficult to understand. I’m glad he was resurrected because truth be told, he’s a much more interesting character than Dr. Grant.
Sarah Harding. She’s basically Wonder Woman. I want to be Sarah Harding when I grow up. She is an example of a female heroine done right. I’m sad she was written by a man but Crichton did her justice. She’s strong. She’s brave. She knows what she wants and she goes and gets it. She is not a damsel in distress, and at NO point in this novel does she require rescuing from the men. In fact, they quite frequently needed rescuing from her. And that scene with Dodgson? Absolutely priceless. Her relationship with Kelly was perfect and I adored her for it. Kelly becomes a little Sarah Harding in her own right.
Were there as many dinosaurs in this as in Jurassic Park? No. Did I mind? No. The characters and the story of their survival took front and center here and it was fantastic. I sort of think of it like I think of Spielberg’s production/direction strategy. Less is more. A ripple in a puddle. A thump in the distance. The threat is always there, but you can’t always see it. It’s your imagination that makes the horror real.
The action scenes were all edge of your seat thrill rides. The classic trailer on the cliff scene was done much better in the book. The presence of children on the island heightened the suspense.
My only word of warning: if you liked the movie before, you’ll probably be disappointed in it by the time you’re done reading The Lost World. Read it anyway. It’s worth it.
The plot is this: Dr. Levine suspects something happened that involved Dr. Ian Malcolm in Costa Rica six years ago. Of course, Malcolm denies it because NDAs and all that. But he says: “Get me physical proof of a dinosaur Lost World and I’ll help you on your Costa Rican dinosaur expedition.” So Levine snoops and snoops and eventually gets Malcolm the evidence he required. Dinosaur chaos ensues. Meanwhile, those bad guys over at Biosyn still want all the Dino tech for themselves, so they are in the distant background doing bad stuff.
The science: I found all Malcolm’s musings on Chaos theory and order absolutely fascinating. Crichton makes it very accessible to the reader in a way that is thought provoking but also not difficult to understand. I’m glad he was resurrected because truth be told, he’s a much more interesting character than Dr. Grant.
Sarah Harding. She’s basically Wonder Woman. I want to be Sarah Harding when I grow up. She is an example of a female heroine done right. I’m sad she was written by a man but Crichton did her justice. She’s strong. She’s brave. She knows what she wants and she goes and gets it. She is not a damsel in distress, and at NO point in this novel does she require rescuing from the men. In fact, they quite frequently needed rescuing from her. And that scene with Dodgson? Absolutely priceless. Her relationship with Kelly was perfect and I adored her for it. Kelly becomes a little Sarah Harding in her own right.
Were there as many dinosaurs in this as in Jurassic Park? No. Did I mind? No. The characters and the story of their survival took front and center here and it was fantastic. I sort of think of it like I think of Spielberg’s production/direction strategy. Less is more. A ripple in a puddle. A thump in the distance. The threat is always there, but you can’t always see it. It’s your imagination that makes the horror real.
The action scenes were all edge of your seat thrill rides. The classic trailer on the cliff scene was done much better in the book. The presence of children on the island heightened the suspense.
My only word of warning: if you liked the movie before, you’ll probably be disappointed in it by the time you’re done reading The Lost World. Read it anyway. It’s worth it.
December 9, 2022
Trigger warnings: violence, blood, death, gore, near drowning, gore, animal death, seriously you guys there's so much gore.
30/11/2022
Once again, November was dino-mayhem time. I regret nothing.
24/11/2021
Apparently I consistently get to November and decide it's time for dino-mayhem. I'm not mad about it.
5/11/2020
An oddly comforting read in 2020 because at least I'm not trapped on an island with raptors and T. rexes. And I'm bumping it up to 5 stars as a result, even though the pacing is kind of weird. Because, like, at least the female characters play crucial roles here (unlike Jurassic Park...).
11/11/2018
Sticking with 4.25 stars this time. I love this story a lot, and it's really interesting to see all the ways that Spielberg took a surprisingly solid story and turned it into a steaming turd of a film.
30/10/2017
On reread, I'm bumping this up to 4.25 stars. It's ten bazillion times better than the truly terrible movie of the same name. I love the two kids in the story - they're smart and brave and save the day a bunch of times. And Sarah Harding is a pretty great alternative to Ellie Sattler.
It's a little slower to get going than Jurassic Park, but it's still pretty damned fabulous.
24/9/2016
It takes a decent chunk of time for the story to get going in this one, but once it does, it's pretty damned fabulous. I mean, it's not Jurassic Park. But really, it was never going to be. And despite the big T.rexes-kicking-the-trailer-off-a-cliff scene, there seem to be less interactions with dinosaurs than there are in Jurassic Park?? Still, it's definitely worth a look.
Honestly, I think my favourite thing in this book is something that I only noticed on this reread: somewhere around the turn of the century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a very silly but thoroughly enjoyable adventure novel called The Lost World in which a group of explorers travel to South America and discover a plateau on which dinosaurs still live. They've been largely domesticated by the lost tribes that live on the plateau, and the iguanodons hop around like kangaroos and it's terrible but also really great??
Anyway, while the exploration party is largely made up of scientists - and a newspaper reporter, who's telling the story - there's also a world-famous big game hunter named Lord John Roxton. And in THIS version of The Lost World? Crichton has his characters talk about a researcher named John Roxton, who wrote papers on something relevant to the story.
It's a really subtle little Easter egg for those who've read both books, and I had this total "OH MY GOD, DID YOU JUST?????" moment when I spotted it. A+, Crichton. A+.
1/7/2013
It's been years since I read this book, and it was SO much better than I remembered. First of all, don't base it on the movie. The movie was a trainwreck of epic proportions and basically the only thing that's the same is the baby T. rex ending up with a broken leg and the trailer being pushed off the cliff. Literally everything else is different, and it's different in a GOOD way.
There's far less of the science that Crichton got bogged down with in Jurassic Park, and what there is is sprinkled throughout the story. There are all the standard dinosaurs that you'd expect, but with the addition of some fun new species, including one with nifty camouflage abilities.
In short, it's a lot of fun with the usual "kill off half the characters" that Crichton does. And don't even remotely judge it by the movie. If they'd kept even remotely true to the book, the movie probably would have been a LOT more successful than it was!
30/11/2022
Once again, November was dino-mayhem time. I regret nothing.
24/11/2021
Apparently I consistently get to November and decide it's time for dino-mayhem. I'm not mad about it.
5/11/2020
An oddly comforting read in 2020 because at least I'm not trapped on an island with raptors and T. rexes. And I'm bumping it up to 5 stars as a result, even though the pacing is kind of weird. Because, like, at least the female characters play crucial roles here (unlike Jurassic Park...).
11/11/2018
Sticking with 4.25 stars this time. I love this story a lot, and it's really interesting to see all the ways that Spielberg took a surprisingly solid story and turned it into a steaming turd of a film.
30/10/2017
On reread, I'm bumping this up to 4.25 stars. It's ten bazillion times better than the truly terrible movie of the same name. I love the two kids in the story - they're smart and brave and save the day a bunch of times. And Sarah Harding is a pretty great alternative to Ellie Sattler.
It's a little slower to get going than Jurassic Park, but it's still pretty damned fabulous.
24/9/2016
It takes a decent chunk of time for the story to get going in this one, but once it does, it's pretty damned fabulous. I mean, it's not Jurassic Park. But really, it was never going to be. And despite the big T.rexes-kicking-the-trailer-off-a-cliff scene, there seem to be less interactions with dinosaurs than there are in Jurassic Park?? Still, it's definitely worth a look.
Honestly, I think my favourite thing in this book is something that I only noticed on this reread: somewhere around the turn of the century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle wrote a very silly but thoroughly enjoyable adventure novel called The Lost World in which a group of explorers travel to South America and discover a plateau on which dinosaurs still live. They've been largely domesticated by the lost tribes that live on the plateau, and the iguanodons hop around like kangaroos and it's terrible but also really great??
Anyway, while the exploration party is largely made up of scientists - and a newspaper reporter, who's telling the story - there's also a world-famous big game hunter named Lord John Roxton. And in THIS version of The Lost World? Crichton has his characters talk about a researcher named John Roxton, who wrote papers on something relevant to the story.
It's a really subtle little Easter egg for those who've read both books, and I had this total "OH MY GOD, DID YOU JUST?????" moment when I spotted it. A+, Crichton. A+.
1/7/2013
It's been years since I read this book, and it was SO much better than I remembered. First of all, don't base it on the movie. The movie was a trainwreck of epic proportions and basically the only thing that's the same is the baby T. rex ending up with a broken leg and the trailer being pushed off the cliff. Literally everything else is different, and it's different in a GOOD way.
There's far less of the science that Crichton got bogged down with in Jurassic Park, and what there is is sprinkled throughout the story. There are all the standard dinosaurs that you'd expect, but with the addition of some fun new species, including one with nifty camouflage abilities.
In short, it's a lot of fun with the usual "kill off half the characters" that Crichton does. And don't even remotely judge it by the movie. If they'd kept even remotely true to the book, the movie probably would have been a LOT more successful than it was!
August 11, 2022
I could listen to Dr Malcolm forever.
September 25, 2021
Es el segundo libro de Parque Jurásico
Los personajes viajan a un nuevo escenario, una nueva isla que fue el verdadero "laboratorio" del parque, donde los dinosaurios eran fabricados por los responsables de una empresa que creó el fallido parque temático.
Una novela apasionante repleta de emoción y aventuras que te hace devorarla con rapidez.
Los personajes viajan a un nuevo escenario, una nueva isla que fue el verdadero "laboratorio" del parque, donde los dinosaurios eran fabricados por los responsables de una empresa que creó el fallido parque temático.
Una novela apasionante repleta de emoción y aventuras que te hace devorarla con rapidez.
July 8, 2018
I will start my review by saying that I did not enjoy this novel nearly as much as the first book, Jurassic Park. While this was an incredibly easy and fast read, I would have preferred if Crichton had cut roughly a hundred pages of additional information that, in my opinion, did not add to the story. Other than that, wow! What an adrenaline-charging, action-packed book! Crichton sure knew how to grab his audience by the hand and take them on a roller-coaster into a whole other world—a world in which you are sure to get Lost, ha-ha!
March 17, 2019
this is legitimately a bad book. not even camouflaged dinosaurs can save it.
August 25, 2025
Aburrido y repetitivo.
En realidad 1,2
No ha sido una buena experiencia. A pesar de las escenas de acción y adrenalina del último tercio del libro que sí, han estado geniales, he terminado profundamente insatisfecho con esta novela porque, en mi opinión, tan solo es una réplica mal hecha de Parque Jurásico. En esta ocasión, al autor le faltó mucha creatividad y originalidad para crear una trama diferente. Los personajes ocuparon roles similares, las críticas y reflexiones son reiterativas, el desarrollo del libro es muy predecible y no he encontrado ni siquiera un giro inesperado para destacar. Fácilmente, esta novela libro podría llamarse Parque Jurásico versión 2.0 sin ningún inconveniente. Ha sido decepcionante, en serio.
Uno de los aspectos más nefastos de esta obra fue todo lo relacionado a la intriga. ¿Por qué? Por una razón muy simple. ¿Cómo es posible que el autor —sabiendo que esta novela está dirigida para los amantes de los dinosaurios y lectores de Parque Jurásico— haya decidido que sus personajes sean los últimos en enterarse de la existencia de los dinosaurios? Durante muchísimas páginas vivieron en ignorancia haciendo conjeturas extrañas mientras el lector ya lo sabía todo desde el principio. ¿Para qué convertir la existencia de dinosaurios en "el gran misterio" si ya no era un misterio? Me parece ilógico y absurdo lo que hizo el autor porque en vez de intriga causa tedio y aburrimiento al lector. La primera mitad del libro fue una perdedera de tiempo muy grande. Tantas páginas me dieron la sensación de que el libro no iba a comenzar jamás. Incluso me atrevería a decir que al libro le sobra un 40% de su contenido.
Soy consciente que la recompensa final por finalizar esta lectura es la reflexión final de Ian Malcolm acerca de la extinción de las especies y lo pequeña que es la predominancia de la raza humana en la actualidad con respecto a la extensa historia de nuestro planeta. Sí, la reflexión final es interesante. Sin embargo, me parece muy pequeña la recompensa para más de 400 páginas de lectura. Además el comportamiento de los personajes no tiene fundamento. Por ejemplo, ¿Ian Malcolm decide arriesgar su vida viajando a un lugar plagado de depredadores, solo para formular una teoría que posiblemente ya tenía preparada antes de ir al lugar, y la cual no iba a modificar? No sé, pero a mí me parece ilógico y forzado por todos los flancos posibles. Esta expedición no tiene ningún sentido; incluso, los antagonistas, resultan viajando al lugar de los hechos "casualmente" cuando los protagonistas viajan a aquella isla. Para mí, este libro solo es una combinación de errores forzados que se desarrollaron con desesperación y sin planeación con el objetivo de crear una secuela de Parque Jurásico. Nada más. El libro es malísimo, así de simple.
Honestamente, no recomiendo este libro. Sí, se lee rápido y la parte final es entretenida, pero no creo que valga la pena leer un viaje tan aburrido solo por unas cuantas escenas de cacería de parte de los dinosaurios. Son mejores las películas porque tienen acción, entretienen, la ambientación sonora es envolvente y no te cansas de verlas. Pero este libro no, su calidad es muy baja. Por ello le coloco 1,2.
Sinceramente, me arrepiento de leer este libro. Una de mis peores elecciones en mucho tiempo.
En realidad 1,2
No ha sido una buena experiencia. A pesar de las escenas de acción y adrenalina del último tercio del libro que sí, han estado geniales, he terminado profundamente insatisfecho con esta novela porque, en mi opinión, tan solo es una réplica mal hecha de Parque Jurásico. En esta ocasión, al autor le faltó mucha creatividad y originalidad para crear una trama diferente. Los personajes ocuparon roles similares, las críticas y reflexiones son reiterativas, el desarrollo del libro es muy predecible y no he encontrado ni siquiera un giro inesperado para destacar. Fácilmente, esta novela libro podría llamarse Parque Jurásico versión 2.0 sin ningún inconveniente. Ha sido decepcionante, en serio.
Uno de los aspectos más nefastos de esta obra fue todo lo relacionado a la intriga. ¿Por qué? Por una razón muy simple. ¿Cómo es posible que el autor —sabiendo que esta novela está dirigida para los amantes de los dinosaurios y lectores de Parque Jurásico— haya decidido que sus personajes sean los últimos en enterarse de la existencia de los dinosaurios? Durante muchísimas páginas vivieron en ignorancia haciendo conjeturas extrañas mientras el lector ya lo sabía todo desde el principio. ¿Para qué convertir la existencia de dinosaurios en "el gran misterio" si ya no era un misterio? Me parece ilógico y absurdo lo que hizo el autor porque en vez de intriga causa tedio y aburrimiento al lector. La primera mitad del libro fue una perdedera de tiempo muy grande. Tantas páginas me dieron la sensación de que el libro no iba a comenzar jamás. Incluso me atrevería a decir que al libro le sobra un 40% de su contenido.
Soy consciente que la recompensa final por finalizar esta lectura es la reflexión final de Ian Malcolm acerca de la extinción de las especies y lo pequeña que es la predominancia de la raza humana en la actualidad con respecto a la extensa historia de nuestro planeta. Sí, la reflexión final es interesante. Sin embargo, me parece muy pequeña la recompensa para más de 400 páginas de lectura. Además el comportamiento de los personajes no tiene fundamento. Por ejemplo, ¿Ian Malcolm decide arriesgar su vida viajando a un lugar plagado de depredadores, solo para formular una teoría que posiblemente ya tenía preparada antes de ir al lugar, y la cual no iba a modificar? No sé, pero a mí me parece ilógico y forzado por todos los flancos posibles. Esta expedición no tiene ningún sentido; incluso, los antagonistas, resultan viajando al lugar de los hechos "casualmente" cuando los protagonistas viajan a aquella isla. Para mí, este libro solo es una combinación de errores forzados que se desarrollaron con desesperación y sin planeación con el objetivo de crear una secuela de Parque Jurásico. Nada más. El libro es malísimo, así de simple.
Honestamente, no recomiendo este libro. Sí, se lee rápido y la parte final es entretenida, pero no creo que valga la pena leer un viaje tan aburrido solo por unas cuantas escenas de cacería de parte de los dinosaurios. Son mejores las películas porque tienen acción, entretienen, la ambientación sonora es envolvente y no te cansas de verlas. Pero este libro no, su calidad es muy baja. Por ello le coloco 1,2.
Sinceramente, me arrepiento de leer este libro. Una de mis peores elecciones en mucho tiempo.
November 19, 2022
3.0 stars
After loving Jurassic Park, I have been eager to read its sequel, The Lost World. Unfortunately it's just not as good. The story takes a long time to get started and, even still, the plot is so thin. Thank goodness for Malcolm who saves this book with his monologues.
After loving Jurassic Park, I have been eager to read its sequel, The Lost World. Unfortunately it's just not as good. The story takes a long time to get started and, even still, the plot is so thin. Thank goodness for Malcolm who saves this book with his monologues.
February 12, 2020
This one was just "meh". This is one of the rare instances where I will say that I prefer the movie over the book. Ugh, and the scientific babbling that went on...yikes, it was brutal for me. Would've liked more action and gore. Still love Crichton though.😊
June 15, 2022
This was the first time for me - I've seen the movie quite a number of times (yes, I'm one of the people who like it, sue me!) but had never read the book before.
Many years have passed since the "incident" on Isla Nublar. InGen almost went belly-up, Hammond is dead (first major difference to the movie right there) and nobody is allowed to talk about what happened. There are some rumours here or there, making it almost a myth.
We're meeting Malcolm again, who is hired by a rich kid to help him locate the mysterious "site B". A few other recognizable names pop up, too, but the characters are vastly different from the ones in the movie.
Anyway, they eventually figure out where site B is, go there (some smuggling on board because people are stupid that way) and the rest, as you probably guessed, is ... dino chowder. *cackles*
I have to admit that this was not quite as good as the first. Neither the characters assembled nor the story itself, but it did have Chrichton's signature blend of real-life science with slightly futuristic spins that end in thrilling action. Moreover, we finally got some highly interesting background information about Hammond's operation You know, what went on behind the curtain. And putting the pieces together was a lot of fun!
Some might not always enjoy Malcolms detailed remarks on this or that, but I find him funny (and interesting). And no, not only because I pictured him as Jeff Goldblum. Though that helped. *lol*
Center stage, of course, belongs to the dinos though. At least for me. The tenacious compies for example. Gotta love the little buggers. And yes, it is a metaphor for man's hubris and the consequences of meddling ... especially when not having full knowledge. And you can never stuff the raptor back into the box.
It was hilarious to "recognize" the people from the movie in this book, like Eddie (see my only status update). I definitely also enjoyed getting more tech details about the equipment and set-up. One could say I work too much with engineers. *lol*
Despite everything, however, I have to say that I like the movie better. Shocking, I know, but it does happen.
Now, apart from this being my first read of this sequel, I also went and got myself the Folio Society's special edition so I have to review it's wonderful slipcase (once again designed to resemble dino skin) and the fantastic illustrations:
So yes, it matches the first one and I'm very happy they grace my shelf together with the non-fiction books about dinos.
Many years have passed since the "incident" on Isla Nublar. InGen almost went belly-up, Hammond is dead (first major difference to the movie right there) and nobody is allowed to talk about what happened. There are some rumours here or there, making it almost a myth.
We're meeting Malcolm again, who is hired by a rich kid to help him locate the mysterious "site B". A few other recognizable names pop up, too, but the characters are vastly different from the ones in the movie.
Anyway, they eventually figure out where site B is, go there (some smuggling on board because people are stupid that way) and the rest, as you probably guessed, is ... dino chowder. *cackles*
I have to admit that this was not quite as good as the first. Neither the characters assembled nor the story itself, but it did have Chrichton's signature blend of real-life science with slightly futuristic spins that end in thrilling action. Moreover, we finally got some highly interesting background information about Hammond's operation You know, what went on behind the curtain. And putting the pieces together was a lot of fun!
Some might not always enjoy Malcolms detailed remarks on this or that, but I find him funny (and interesting). And no, not only because I pictured him as Jeff Goldblum. Though that helped. *lol*
Center stage, of course, belongs to the dinos though. At least for me. The tenacious compies for example. Gotta love the little buggers. And yes, it is a metaphor for man's hubris and the consequences of meddling ... especially when not having full knowledge. And you can never stuff the raptor back into the box.
It was hilarious to "recognize" the people from the movie in this book, like Eddie (see my only status update). I definitely also enjoyed getting more tech details about the equipment and set-up. One could say I work too much with engineers. *lol*
Despite everything, however, I have to say that I like the movie better. Shocking, I know, but it does happen.
Now, apart from this being my first read of this sequel, I also went and got myself the Folio Society's special edition so I have to review it's wonderful slipcase (once again designed to resemble dino skin) and the fantastic illustrations:
So yes, it matches the first one and I'm very happy they grace my shelf together with the non-fiction books about dinos.
January 3, 2025
Wow, the first novel Jurassic Park was much much better. This novel, The Lost World, had similarities as the first one, but lack the freshness & originality factors. The main plots of this novel again revolves around the velociraptors & the T-Rex chasing & terrorizing people. I felt the storylines of this book got repetitive & boring pretty quick… I would only recommend this book to big dinosaur fans or big fans of Michael Crichton.
September 3, 2019
Someone please explain to me why I've never read any Michael Crichton before when his books are clearly now my new, go-to binge read! This is the follow up to Jurassic Park and takes place some years after the fateful events the first book closes on. Old characters unwillingly return, but are joined by some new members, as they explore a new island that is inhabited by some more prehistoric creatures who have no right to be dwelling there.
Just like the first book, Crichton has created a fun adventure story that was fuelled by suspense and high-action but was backed by dense scientific explanations in a variety of areas. No scene ever felt bogged down by the latter or rushed by the former. I was as compelled to keep reading late into the night as I was by the first book and, I believe, by all the Crichton I have yet to read and won't be able to stop myself immediately doing so.
Just like the first book, Crichton has created a fun adventure story that was fuelled by suspense and high-action but was backed by dense scientific explanations in a variety of areas. No scene ever felt bogged down by the latter or rushed by the former. I was as compelled to keep reading late into the night as I was by the first book and, I believe, by all the Crichton I have yet to read and won't be able to stop myself immediately doing so.
June 14, 2022
I just had to do a re-read. Why? Because of peer pressure.
But is that bad? No! Not at all! Indeed, for a wonderful exposition of science stuff, almost Heinlein-esque adventure mixed with monster-flix ethos, it's just about perfect.
Booooom. Boooom.
Honestly tho, Malcolm is the linchpin of this novel. Without him, I probably wouldn't have cared that much. Everyone else is just overflowing with hubris.
Still a classic. It may not be as good as the first book, but the science was great and so was the action, so I don't really care.
But is that bad? No! Not at all! Indeed, for a wonderful exposition of science stuff, almost Heinlein-esque adventure mixed with monster-flix ethos, it's just about perfect.
Booooom. Boooom.
Honestly tho, Malcolm is the linchpin of this novel. Without him, I probably wouldn't have cared that much. Everyone else is just overflowing with hubris.
Still a classic. It may not be as good as the first book, but the science was great and so was the action, so I don't really care.
June 4, 2022
The dinosaur genre is to unexplored in my opinion! Would love to read a lot more if them. Liked this second and final (? I think) in the series. Was very intrigued by the plot and characters. Liked the way Michael Crichton handled giving info about the dinosaurs without feeling info dumpy in any way
September 6, 2007
What I learned from The Lost World: The only people worthy of surviving in Crichton's world are geniuses. Everyone else is destined to be fodder/feed for terrorizing thunder lizards.
The Lost World suffers from two things: First off, if you've ever read Jurassic Park, then you know that TLW's protagonist, Ian Malcolm, is, in fact, dead. That's right... he died in Jurassic Park, but since they couldn't convince Sam Neill to return for the movie, Crichton rewrote history so that Malcolm somehow survived (never mind that they verified he was dead, and then the whole island was napalmed with his corpse on it).
The second problem is that every single important person in The Lost World is some sort of certifiable genius. Malcolm's two tagalong kids are both gifted. Everyone who comes along is some form of expert of some field. The only people who aren't talented/gifted/smart are the regular folks, and they all end up being the bad guys of the book. Seriously, I'm not kidding. The good guys are all geniuses, and the bad guys are all... not. And, naturally, the geniuses survive because they are geniuses, while the bad guys all die because they are not so smart.
The Lost World is Crichton's way of effectively kissing his own ass.
The Lost World suffers from two things: First off, if you've ever read Jurassic Park, then you know that TLW's protagonist, Ian Malcolm, is, in fact, dead. That's right... he died in Jurassic Park, but since they couldn't convince Sam Neill to return for the movie, Crichton rewrote history so that Malcolm somehow survived (never mind that they verified he was dead, and then the whole island was napalmed with his corpse on it).
The second problem is that every single important person in The Lost World is some sort of certifiable genius. Malcolm's two tagalong kids are both gifted. Everyone who comes along is some form of expert of some field. The only people who aren't talented/gifted/smart are the regular folks, and they all end up being the bad guys of the book. Seriously, I'm not kidding. The good guys are all geniuses, and the bad guys are all... not. And, naturally, the geniuses survive because they are geniuses, while the bad guys all die because they are not so smart.
The Lost World is Crichton's way of effectively kissing his own ass.
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