Dinotopia: First Flight by James Gurney

Dinotopia: Main #3

by James Gurney

In First Flight, the third book in the best-selling Dinotopia series, we travel back to Dinotopia's ancient past, where the empire of Poseidos is about to use its robot technology to exterminate the peaceful dinosaurs of Dinotopia. Only Gideon Altaire, an orphan, can stop this evil plan--but first he must get out of Poseidos and win the trust of the dinosaurs.This action-packed addition to the Dinotopia series tells of a time in Dinotopia's past where humans and dinosaurs fought side by side to save their world from extinction. As an added bonus, the front cover opens up into a beautifully illustrated board game! Complete with game cards in the back, this book and board game offer hours of family entertainment.

Genres: Fantasy, Dinosaurs, Fiction, Childrens, Science Fiction, Young Adult, Art

Unknown Binding

First published October 31, 1999

About the author

Born June 14, 1958 in Glendale, California. Raised in Palo Alto, the youngest of five children of Joanna and Robert Gurney (a mechanical engineer). Earned a B.A. in Anthropology in 1979 with Phi Beta Kappa honors from the University of California at Berkeley. Studied painting at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena,California, where he met his wife Jeanette. In 1984 they moved to the Hudson Valley of New York State, where they raised two sons, Daniel and Franklin.

Reviews

[Alec Longstreth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ugh! I enjoy each book in this series less and less. The conceit of the first two books is rock solid - a professor and his son arrive in a strange land and document their adventures in a journal - which you are reading. Gurney's magnificent illustrations are painted very loosely (over extremely tight drawings) which even gives the feel that the illustrations are part of the journal. This book has no correlation to the journal, and is instead supposed to be a reading of a historic scroll in Dinotopia. So the illustrations (created in the same style!) are now... just what the reader imagines? It all breaks apart for me.

Also, it is a prequel to the original two books, which are set in the 1800s. This is supposed to take place hundreds (if not thousands) of years earlier, where there are giant robots powered by steam generated by sunstones. I was able to suspend my disbelief for this in book 2, but now suddenly there are anti-gravity ships (some of which are gigantic!), monitors displaying live feeds from remote-controlled drone ships, robots that can talk, with floating heads, etc. etc. etc. I wish Gurney had stuck with Dinosaurs for Dinotopia, and then started a separate sci-fi series to explore these interests.

Also in the first book, Dinosaurs talk in their own language, with only a few species able to speak human language (they act as translators). Suddenly in this book there are small mammals who have no trouble speaking? I know it is a fantasy book, but all of the rules that were carefully set up in the first book have been broken here.

The worst part, however, was the interplay between words and pictures. There is figuratively a sentence on every page that has been pulled out, enlarged and printed with a different color that says "HERE IS WHAT'S HAPPENING IN THE ILLUSTRATION ON THIS PAGE." Ugggggggh.

If it wasn't for Gurney's incredible illustrations I wouldn't even think of picking up the 4th book, but I've already flipped through it and it looks like there is a new journal discovered in the first few pages, and I think it takes place back in the 1800s timeline. Here's hoping it can recapture some of the magic of the first book...

P.S. It was interesting to see (in the back of the 20th anniversary edition) some of the world-building documents that Gurney created - setting up the backstory for the entire world of Dinotopia. I can see how he was able to use this info to open up the world to all the novelizations that have been created by others.

[Eileen · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️
A nice little side story that adds some good lore. And I’d just like to say that I get the story is saying that we rely too much on technology but those robot dinosaurs in the beginning were so fucking cool.

[David · Rating 1 out of 5]

I hate almost everything about this. It's a third as long as the previous books at 50 something pages. It takes place in the far past and focuses on the ancient, technologically advanced "Atlantis" culture, rather than the characters we're already familiar with. I already disliked the Atlantis angle from the previous book, so that's just fantastic. Even the physical quality of the book itself is much poorer than the previous ones, thanks to the inclusion of a stupid fold-out board game in the front that takes up half the book's total thickness, and makes it so that the pages aren't actually attached to the spine, but rather suspended between two sheets of paper glued to each cover. In my used copy (which is otherwise in good condition), these pages are starting to peel away from the covers, leaving me with a loose wobbly mess of a book.





As always, Gurney's art is great (although generally not as inspired here as in the previous books), and it's interesting to see his visual take on an advanced society with robots, flying vehicles, advanced computers, and remote piloted drones. I feel bad giving it one star just because of that, but it's such a major disappointment that I feel I have to. What the hell happened here? How did this series go from a challenging children's book about solid world-building to one that's so pandering it needed to become a third of the length, include a crappy board game, completely remove all the older characters in favor of just a single young boy that's more 'identifiable,' and have lots of flashy Star Wars-esque imagery? Did the previous books really sell that badly? This is one of the most egregious cases of "dumbing down" that I have ever seen.

[Philip · Rating 2 out of 5]

"DINOTOPIA: THE FIRST FLIGHT" IS NOT CANON.

Okay, accepting that this one is obviously for a younger and even more gullible audience than Gurney's first two books, it is still a terrible entry in his "Dinotopia" saga, and a sad note to end his otherwise wonderful series on.* If taken as a standalone children's book, this hastily written and lazily drawn mash up of "Star Wars" and Pixar's "The Good Dinosaur" isn't totally awful, but it just doesn't belong anywhere near Gurney's other work. As Donald Trump might say, "so sad."
____________________________________

* Except, ha-HA!…turns out it didn't end!! I just learned that eight years after this loser (and long after I'd forgotten about Dinotopia overall), he came out with a fourth book which apparently picks up where the second one left off - and so that's why I've been rereading these first books, as I'm just about to pick the "new" one from the library! Woo-hoo!!

[Evan Leister · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading this as a kid, I loved it. Reading this as a grownup, I have two main ideas:
1. There's so many different resonant themes about drone warfare and natural world that have developed in the real world.
2. The plot here is much weaker than the first two books. I don't chart this to James Gurney's work, but probably due to a publisher deadline since there's a lot crackling around the margins of this that would definitely merit further exploration.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great art like usual for the author but the story was really short and seemed a lot more childish and rushed than the previous books.

[Callum Shephard · Rating 3 out of 5]

Dinotopia series has always been a curious series, feeling like something out of another age. It’s a story which feels like it’s been written right from the age of classic Dan Dare comics but with total sincerity, never once winking at its audience or feeling like a homage. That nature allows the often simplistic storytelling or sometimes out of time nature of each installment to retain your interest long enough to recognise some of the more brilliant elements of world building. It’s the level of thought behind certain elements of the world itself which always seemed to make it stand out, as well as the truly brilliant artwork which helped bring it to life. These elements remain a part of the work here, but it does feel like creator James Gurney took things a little too far this time.

Set during a time of war, the book sees Dinotopia on the verge of a massive conflict which could rip the island apart. The mechanised empire of Poseidos is seeking to expand into the otherwise peaceful world, with its leaders spurred on by visions of conquest and power. Rebelling against the society which raised him, the orphaned Gideon Altaire prepares to fight and save another world from extinction…

Let’s get the obvious out of the way: The art is breathtaking. The number of details, quality and sheer brilliance of each illustration is truly a marvel to behold and are easily the strongest point within the novel. Brightly coloured and intricately designed, everything from the futuristic environments of Poseidos to the more rustic jungles are brilliantly penciled. There are few to no bad things which can truly be said about them, and it is with these that the book earns a recommendation. Even if this had simply been an artbook it would be well worth the price of purchase.

The other positive thing is that there is a definitive arc to the story which fits with the classical feel of the series. Altaire’s story is traditionalist to a fault, completely embracing every trope and idea of a lowly hero opposing an empire but it oddly works due to the simplicity of its presentation. You clearly see what separates him from the rest of his people very early on and just why he accomplishes his victories as the story goes by. It might be extremely simple to the point of being borderline archaic at times, but the storytelling does hit all the basics without any glaring flaws in his tale. Unfortunately the problems begin to creep in once you move away from this.

Speaking personally for a moment, what made the original Dinotopia work was that its story was mostly an excuse to see the world the book was set in. The journey there traveled the length and breadth of the island, briefly touching upon each area of interest in turn before coming to an end. It built up a real idea of how this society could exist, with a number of surprising factors which would normally be overlooked by other authors. Here it seems that strength has been forgotten in favour of a much more straightforwards story of an evil empire and a hero; as a result it unfortunately makes the book all the more unremarkable. For all we see of Poseidos, with all the additional notes added, it looks as if the book is skipping past them to instead emphasise upon the war. This would be fine normally, but the book’s format simply isn’t suited to detailing conflict and squanders far too much of its potential by focusing upon this aspect. This is also ignoring the other big problem.

While not nearly as bad as James Cameron’s venomous, screaming production about the evils of science and how great nature is, there is obvious moralising going on here. The good guys are the ones with primitive weapons who are attuned with nature. The evil ones are a technologically advanced empire who are seeking to expand their borders for power’s sake. We’ve seen this song and dance many times before, and given the later paradise shown in the books it comes across as heavily anti-technology and anti-progress. Combined with how extremely ineffectual the machines of war are, and that many seem to be designed as poor copies of dinosaurs, you can’t help but feel the entire thing was weighted in favour of one side.

Now, obviously any industrial age metropolis is an easy bad guy for a book, but so are towering towering flesh eating lizards of war ridden by savages. The few points where First Flight does try to show technology in a good light feel more like concessions highlighting a few exceptions in their society than saying a technological civilisation is bad. It might be children’s fiction but that doesn’t mean that it should demonise one side so easily.

The book isn’t especially bad, but it’s not exactly good either. The previous books simply do a better job at presenting the world at large and feel less like they are pushing a message.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely the weakest of the books, but I still enjoyed it. Actually finished the book a few days ago, but a lot of bonus content 0.o

3.4 🌟

[Travis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yes, it's a children's book but I still think it is way too simplistic, especially compared to the first Dinotopia book. And the whole ancient high-tech civilization angle always felt out of place, so it is hard to like a book focused on that aspect.

[Kate Christensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was good, but not as good as the others. There wasn't the same story development and excitement like the others.

[Puspa · Rating 5 out of 5]

"First Flight" Ada Nuansa "Star Wars dan Narnia"

Kupikir aku telah membaca ketiga buku utamanya. Tapi ternyata aku salah. Ada satu lagi buku yang penting dibaca fans "Dinotopia". Sebuah buku prekuel, judulnya "First Flight".

Buku "First Flight" ini merupakan buku prekuel kejadian sebelum "Dinotopia". Buku ini dirilis kali pertama tahun 1999 dan aku mendapatkan edisi ulang tahun ke-20 nya.

Buku ini seperti judulnya, "First Flight" bercerita tentang seorang skybax rider pertama bernama Gideon Altaire. Will Denison yang menjadi anggota skybax rider membaca kisahnya yang terjadi pada masa 'age of heroes'. Ia kemudian larut membaca kisah Gideon dengan tunggangan pterosaurus-nya.

Pada masa itu rupanya terjadi kekacauan di daratan Dinotopia. Mereka terancam oleh agresi militer yang hendak diluncurkan oleh Kerajaan Poseidos bersama pemimpinya, Raja Ogthar.

Berbeda dengan Poseidos, daratan Dinotopia relatif liar dan misterius. Ada banyak hewan purba dan masyarakat yang hidup harmonis dengan alam.

Sedangkan Poseidos adalah negeri yang terobsesi dengan teknologi canggih. Kendaraan canggih dan robot ada dimana-mana. Kini mereka memiliki senjata canggih, berupa robot raksasa yang mengadopsi bentuk dan serangan dinoasaurus dan hewan raksasa.

Gideon adalah calot pilot Poseidos yang nasibnya berubah ketika menolong pterosaurus. Ia kemudian membelot dan membantu para dinotopian dengan menyikap rahasia kekuatan ruby sunstone.

Pertempuran besar terjadi. Antara Gideon dan kawan-kawan barunya menunggangi pterosaurus melawan pesawat tempur canggih. Juga, antara bangsa manusia dan dinosaurus melawan mecha-dinosaurus.

Aku merasakan nuansa seperti Star Wars di sini dan juga nuansa seperti Narnia dalam "Prince Caspian". Bangsa manusia dengan menggunakan senjata ala kadarnya dengan gigih berani berjuang memertahankan wilayahnya dari serangan musuh yang menggunakan teknologi canggih. Meskipun dibantu para dinosaurus seperti Tyranosaurus dan Megaeaptor, banyak korban jiwa karena kekuatan robot dan mereka kurang sebanding.

Rasanya mengharukan melihat aliansi hewan dan manusia tersebut. Para binatang tersebut dengan tulus membantu para manusia agar alam mereka tak terganggu oleh para manusia yang serakah.

Bagian yang tak kalah epik melihat pertarungan antara bangsa Pterosaurus melawan pesawat tempur raksasa berbentuk kalajengking yang mematikan. Kawan-kawan Gideon adalah hewan-hewan yang nampak imut seperti nenek moyang bangsa lemur, tapi mereka sungguh pemberani.

Dan tentunya yang bikin buku "First Flight" ini epik adalah ilustrasi gambarnya yang sungguh luar biasa. Semua gambar diciptakan sendiri oleh James Gurney dengan detail dan indah.

Gambaran hewan-hewan purba dan alamnya ia buat berdasarkan riset terlebih dahulu. Desain mecha-dinosaurus juga begitu nampak gagah dan mematikan. Yang paling kusukai adalah gambar bangunan dan alam dari dua negeri berbeda tersebut yang begitu nampak kontras.

Satu lagi karya James Gurney yang luar biasa. Aku memberi skor 9/10 untuk cerita dan ilustrasinya.

Ulasan juga ditampilkan di:https://www.kompasiana.com/dewi_puspa...

[Zachary · Rating 3 out of 5]

This isn't a bad book, it's just an incredibly unfocused book.

The first part of the book is the First Flight story, as advertised on the cover, art and all.

Then we get another story that feels like it would be much longer, but it's told without much art or even dialogue. This gives it feeling more like a history blurb than a story, and it's honestly not very interesting this way.

Then we get a guide to Dinotopia, but not the "current" version of the continent that we know and love, but rather a guide to the past version that the previous two stories takes place in.

The First Flight story would've made for a fine book on it's own, but at only 50 pages, it feels incredibly rushed. Also, it's obvious that Gurney has an incredible imagination, because normally a book would pick just robots, magic crystals, dinosaurs, or talking animals for the reader to suspend their disbelief with, but Gurney decides to use all of the above here, which can feel like more than a bit of a stretch. It all gets a bit much at times.

The second story, if it had been the focus of a whole book, seems like it would've made an even better story than "First Flight," but Gurney sadly decides to use little art or dialogue with it.

Finally, I would love an entire book dedicated to serving as a guide to all of Dinotopia, with details on known locations, species, characters, etc. Unfortunately it's relegated to the final third of this book and, again, feels rushed, covering little of the "current" Dinotopia and characters like Arthur Denison that we know and love, and inexplicably serves as a guide to the "ancient" Dinotopia that we just get a couple rushed stories for.

I would have loved an entire book (or all three!) dedicated to either of the stories or the guide, but all three in one is a missed opportunity.

Three stars because the art is still amazing.

Also, I have read the fourth book and, thankfully, things do pick back up again!

[Lala · Rating 2 out of 5]

**

Taking place thousands of years before the previous books, Gideon Altaire is a resident of the city of Poseidos. The city is highly technical and mechanized, to the point that humans are the only living creatures. Gideon dreams of flying and a chance encounter with a stranded pterosaur leads to Gideon joining the rebellion against Poseidos, who has dire plans for the nearby Dinotopia.

This book was extremely disappointing. Poseidos was not really interesting and seemed quite different from how the ancient culture was portrayed in The World Beneath. The story itself is rather childish with villains that are cartoonishly evil. Even the artwork is not quite as good as it was in the previous books (although there are a few beautiful pieces). But that could be partly due to most of it depicting robots.

The 20th anniversary edition includes an extensive outline and summary for a very different Dinotopia book- the story of Blake Terrapin, who befriends a tyrannosaur and is caught in the thick of a brutal war between Dinotopia and Poseidos. All of this was intriguing, and would have made for a much more interesting book, although the story is very violent. Unlike the previous anniversary editions, Gurney himself doesn't shed any light on why Blake's story was abandoned for Gideon's, but I imagine it was because of the brutal content. But sadly, First Flight went too far in the other direction, making the story too silly.

Personal history: Borrowed from library, then purchased the 20th anniversary edition, many years later.

Dinotopia:
1. A Land Apart From Time
2. The World Beneath

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been a fan of this beautifully-illustrated series for decades now so of course I wanted to read this book once I realised it existed.

The framing device is that Will Denison is reading a scroll about Poseidos. The start of the tale was interesting enough: giving the reader an idea of what it was like for new character Gideon to live in Poseidos. Unlike the more modern Dinotopia that we are familiar with, this empire treated dinosaurs as an exploitable resource. Gideon is a drone pilot, showing how technologically advanced Poseidos was, and sets Gideon up for the first flight of the book's title. We are introduced to a likely antagonist. Gideon then befriends a pterosaur, even though no one in Poseidos is allowed to keep an animal. This is a great set up.

However, everything thereafter is rushed. We get an exposition dump about the Ruby Sunstone. Gideon rescues some more pterosaurs that need to be established for the climax but will drop out of the story for now. We meet some primates. We rescue some eggs by hiding them then put them back. Hey, you wanna fly on a pterosaur for the climax? Sweet, we're totes best friends now. I have no problem with these story beats per se but they fly past so quickly (pun - ha!) and feel unearned. This makes the book feel like it is aimed at a younger audience than the previous books of the series.

Despite the story not being my cup of tea, the art is genuinely gorgeous, as always. Fans will particularly appreciate the bonus material at the end of the 20th Anniversary edition, which I estimate take up maybe a third of the book.

[Joey Nardinelli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wanted to read this and the fourth book to see if they were worth adding to Enzo’s collection down the line. I have VERY fond memories of the beautiful illustrations and world building of the first book, while being baffled by the sudden shift to a more narrative-heavy plot and the addition of steampunk robots in the second book. This book is all world-building backstory, as far as I can tell, fleshing out the historical references of the first two books, but along the focus of a few characters in a very specific arc. I didn’t love that the art often conveyed half or none of the action being explained in the narrative, but that might just be me. The other half of this book is bonus content that includes another “age of heroes” story and then a ton of background notes for are all mostly unnecessary if you read the main and bonus stories. I’m left wondering who this book is for — I’m an adult who loves this stuff, but it all feels flat enough that it seems a bit overwrought for me and also possibly boring for a child of appropriate reading age? But some of these stories (the mostly-text bonus story especially) feel more for an adult audience? Just given the themes, scope, and language? The next book looks back to the same design and layout as the first two, which I’m honestly much more looking forward to.

[Jenny GB · Rating 2 out of 5]

Yeah, I'm not loving this one. It seems solidly aimed at young children with its very simple story of good vs evil and the length of the story. The artwork is still fantastic, but I'm a bit confused at the abundance of the most amazing technology in Dinotopia's past and none of it is available in the present. There's also the addition of a lot more mammals in the past that we've also never seen in the present. Are we to determine that some catastrophe happened to send Dinotopia's evolutionary and technological advancement backward? The second half of the book also confuses me. There's a whole second story of a different character fighting against the Poseidians that would have been great to see illustrated alongside Gideon's story. Why do we only get one illustrated story? The end materials don't explain the reason for this. There are also extensive notes on places, characters, creatures, etc. that we don't encounter in the book. I'm not sure what the point of that is either. Is Gurney just sharing his thoughts with us? I wish the bonus materials had more explanation. Overall, the artwork is still beautiful and worth looking at, but I couldn't get into the story and found the bonus materials confusing.

[Shawn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe a 2.5 because of the art.
I first read this years ago and didn't recall being impressed. Upon rereading, I was struck with the same sense. Even my 10 year old daughter said, "that's it?" as we finished the last page.
The story is of the past of Dinotopia, buuuut in true Atlantean tradition, the technology of the past far outstrips that of even modern day. That was not wholly unexpected after the last book. The menagerie of creatures from along the primate family branch... all of which could easily talk to the human and all of whom invented and used tools were more unexpected. The lack of humans at all amongst the dinosaurs, that we encounter at least, also seems strange.
For me, while the art was amazing as always, the story just seemed rather slapped together. The plot holes you could fly a pterosaur through and missing information that would quadruple the length of the book if added.
I honestly think I bought this book and kept it more because I am a completionist than because it has lots of redeeming value.

[Michael Reilly · Rating 3 out of 5]

The storytelling of this short adventure is too rushed for my liking, however, all of Gurney’s incredible imagination and artistic ability is still present, as expected. His illustrated landscapes and cityscapes are rich in detail and man-made and/or natural beauty; and his characters, dinosaurs and robots exhibit a mastery of defining individual personality, creating real heroes and villains for this fantastic world. Some of the portraits in this book are quite stunning (see pages 17, 54 & 55), and there are many fine outfits, machines and action scenes – the world Gurney has built is deeply intelligent and understandable, with plenty of attention given to all aspects, from concept to final design.

The added bonus materials in this 20th Anniversary Edition provide background information and notes about Dinotopia, and give the reader an opportunity to see a decent selection of sketches and storyboards: they’re good, but this slim volume surely could’ve featured more, as I’m sure that there’s plenty of preparatory art that’s never been seen.

[Richard · Rating 3 out of 5]

First Flight has yet more gorgeous art, but is also a prequel that focuses on the so called age of heroes that Dinotopia experienced thousands of years prior to the Dennison's arrival on the island. Much like with The World Beneath, I'm not terribly engaged in the idea of the human robot magic tech society of Dinotopia past and would much rather just spend time in the "present" of this world then what was. That's not the say that there aren't some fun ideas here, but it's not what I was looking for in Dinotopia.

Unlike the first two books, this one is very short and the second half is primarily a short story without much illustration (which I'll be honest in saying I mostly skimmed) and a portfolio of art. The art is all fun to look at and the story has a decent young adult adventure vibes, but otherwise this was just okay for me as a adult. I probably would have loved this as a dino kid who also obsessed over all aspects of things that flew, though, so obviously your mileage may vary.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dinotopia is an utopia where dinosaurs and humans cohabit peacefully. In this book, I followed the adventures of Gideon Altair. Will Dennison reads a scroll that starts with how the first flight occurred and ends when Will reaches the end. The picture are beautiful. They are so colorful. It was a fantastic idea having humans, dinosaurs and mechanical machines in the book. There is a bonus story that tells how Blake Terrapin fights for Waterfall City. Interesting descriptions of many empires in Dinotopia are given. There are also descriptions of locations, animals and vehicles including some humans.

It's a gorgeous book that deserves to be read by everyone. It is perfect sitting on my coffee table. I never tire of re-reading and looking at this novel.

Disclaimer: I received an arc of this book free from the author/publisher from Net-galley. I was not obliged to write a favorable review, or even any review at all. The opinions expressed are strictly my own.

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 2 out of 5]

What happened here?? First Flight maintains the artistic caliber of previous Dinotopia volumes, but zero of the spark or charm. And even the art is marred by the fact that there are very few dinosaurs or soaring landscapes here. Instead, James Gurney is painting...goofy robots??

I get that First Flight is set in Poseidos, where they use sunstones to power strutters, but Gurney's taken the whole "science vs. nature" thing too far from the genteel, Victorian sensibilities of a good Dinotopia story. Even worse, the back half of the book is essentially composed of incomplete notes for a second volume set in Dinotopia's robot-filled distant past. I felt like I was reading the outline for a proposed TV series. I think that would have been fine had Gurney added any sort of commentary about the notes. As it stands, reading anything past page 60 in First Flight is a total waste of time.

[Paige · Rating 4 out of 5]

The anti-drone epic our times demand.

This is most straightforwardly narrative story in the Dinotopia series, and it's pretty fun. It does lose a little of the charm of the other Dinotopia books through its more linear format and focus on the singular story, but I enjoyed it. It gets a lot of flak, most of which I think is undeserved (but Fallen Kingdom is probably my favorite in the Jurassic franchise which I know is heresy to many). If Arthur’s drooling over stupid wannabe-dinosaur robots pissed you the hell off in Dinotopia: The World Beneath, this one will probably get you cheering. Only real downside is there so much art of the yucky robots. Best part: the clay tablet the skybax carve with their claws to give their riders so sweet omg.

Beware: the extra materials in the 20th anniversary edition include a HEARTBREAKING depiction of a t.rex being “taken down” by a ROBOT ;_;

[Joel · Rating 3 out of 5]

The beautiful artwork common to all of Gurney's Dinotopia stories is here, but this time around the story itself is a bit of a let-down for me. Clearly targeted at a younger audience, it skips through what could be an engaging tale of Dinotopia's Heroic Age much too quickly and nothing really develops beyond a surface level. It's the artwork and Anniversary Edition bonus features that make me glad I bought this as they offer a chance to look through Gurney's world building notes and the framework for what would have made an excellent fifth story.

[Csenge · Rating 3 out of 5]

Compared to the first two, this book was just... not enough. It follows the stereotypical storyline of an average Hollywood blockbuster, and it is only 60 pages long. The imagery is still gorgeous, and I love the whole steampunk element, but I would have loved to see it in the journal format of the first book, instead of as an action story. I missed the notes and sketches and other detailed, everyday life type things. Interesting prequel, but not nearly as good as the former two.

[Danielle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book gets 4/5 stars only because the story itself was rather predictable. I will say this though: the art work in this book is amazing, I found myself drawn into each page staring at the detail out into each image which really helped bring the story to life. This is the third book in this series and is more of a prequel since it goes back in time to the first flight and how that flight came about overall I liked this book and would recommend to all Dinotopia fans.

[Owen]

The art here is as beautiful as one would expect - James Gurney is a very skilled artist. There's a whole world here, rendered in beautiful detail.

The book contains a couple of characters' stories, though, and both are pretty rough. They're closer to the melodrama of the World Beneath than to any other Dinotopia books, but they both feel like outlines, telling too much and leaving little for us to understand on our own.

[Macayla Fryc · Rating 3 out of 5]

The equivalent to a prequel novella. Worthy to build out the Dinotopia world, and creative in that it told the story of the ancient sunken city, but only a partial book with sketches and details as the latter half of the tome.
Though I guess, as a fan, I'd rather have all this extra behind-the-scenes content published than not.

[Jeannie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun story with beautiful artwork. Not what I was expecting, though. It felt more like a chapter of one of the previous books rather than its own story. It was missing the depth of the previous books. A fun little trip for the imagination, though.

[Ehryn]

I was expecting there to be more of a story here, but it fell short. James Gurney did beautiful art as always, but this story will probably be forgotten in favor of the prior two Dinotopia books, A Land Apart from Time, and The World Beneath.

[Ash Smith · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sci-Fi Mecha Suits vs Dinosaurs.

Told with simplistic storytelling, where the underlying moral themes are expressed with the sublty of a sledgehammer.

Basically the literal antithesis of the Original. At least the illustrations were still on par. I rage finished this book.