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Dinotopia: Main #4
Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara
Critics have gushed over Gurney's phantasmagorical creation, likening him to such venerated literary fantasists as Jules Verne, Wells, and J. R. R. Tolkien." -People magazine
The fourth book in James Gurney's best-selling Dinotopia series transports readers to an enthralling world of art, science, exploration, and invention, where humans and dinosaurs live peacefully together.
Dinotopia GuideReturn to James Gurney's Dinotopia A Travelers Guide Characters Locales Dinotopia Map Dinotopia Dinosaurs Dinotopian Games Sample Pages About James Gurney James Gurney's Art James Gurney Video EndorsementsTour Schedule James Gurney's Blog
In the spirit of Marco Polo and Gulliver's Travels, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara recounts the journal entries and adventures of explorer Arthur Denison and dinosaur Bix as they explore the exotic eastern realm of James Gurney's Dinotopia.
* A visual masterpiece featuring more than 100 works of breathtaking new art, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara joins the original Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time and Gurney's two other series creations, Dinotopia: The World Beneath and Dinotopia: First Flight, in exploring a fully rendered world, complete with its own language, geographic locations and history, and confluence of cultures and characters.
* The original Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time achieved New York Times best-seller status, translated in 18 languages in more than 30 countries and inspiring an Emmy Award-winning television miniseries.
* Gurney is the recipient of seven Chesley Awards from the Association of Fantasy Artists, two Hugo Awards from the World Science Fiction Convention, and Best of Show from the Art Director's Club.
The fourth book in James Gurney's best-selling Dinotopia series transports readers to an enthralling world of art, science, exploration, and invention, where humans and dinosaurs live peacefully together.
Dinotopia GuideReturn to James Gurney's Dinotopia A Travelers Guide Characters Locales Dinotopia Map Dinotopia Dinosaurs Dinotopian Games Sample Pages About James Gurney James Gurney's Art James Gurney Video EndorsementsTour Schedule James Gurney's Blog
In the spirit of Marco Polo and Gulliver's Travels, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara recounts the journal entries and adventures of explorer Arthur Denison and dinosaur Bix as they explore the exotic eastern realm of James Gurney's Dinotopia.
* A visual masterpiece featuring more than 100 works of breathtaking new art, Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara joins the original Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time and Gurney's two other series creations, Dinotopia: The World Beneath and Dinotopia: First Flight, in exploring a fully rendered world, complete with its own language, geographic locations and history, and confluence of cultures and characters.
* The original Dinotopia: A Land Apart from Time achieved New York Times best-seller status, translated in 18 languages in more than 30 countries and inspiring an Emmy Award-winning television miniseries.
* Gurney is the recipient of seven Chesley Awards from the Association of Fantasy Artists, two Hugo Awards from the World Science Fiction Convention, and Best of Show from the Art Director's Club.
160 pages, Hardcover
First published September 1, 2007
29 people are currently reading
1392 people want to read
About the author
James Gurney
48 books476 followersBorn 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 103 reviews
December 25, 2025
REREAD UPDATE: Even better the second time around, in large part because Calla Editions' beautiful 2017 reprint of this and the other "Dinotopia" titles each include an additional 30+ of "behind the scenes" information and photos on Gurney's impressive creative process, (3D models, photos of friends posing, etc.).
As noted in my original review (below), this book allowed Gurney to catch up with science, so that we now have feathered dinosaurs and more prehistoric mammals. Chandara itself is also a largely Asian setting with Chinese, Thai, Mongolian and even Tibetan influences, possibly (although not specifically stated) as a nod to the great number of new dinosaur findings coming out of East and Central Asia.
As always, Gurney's artwork in breathtaking, whether photorealistic, impressionistic or merely whimsical. And his imagination runs wild here, both in placing his humans and dinosaurs in practical situations or in inventing the technology, cultures and trinkets of his lost world, (see the brachiosaurus firetruck and mechanical gadgets below; he also includes other illustrations that finally allowed me to understand both the Fibonacci sequence and how windmills work!). I'm also throwing in a few additional pictures just to give you a taste of what the book offers; with the updated release available on Amazon for just $23, I hope this encourages some of y'all to get a copy of your own — you might even still be able to get it in time for Christmas!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Nice to see Gurney return to the main storyline from his first two books here, after the swing-and-a-miss that was Dinotopia: First Flight. That said, there is even less plot here than in any of the previous books, which is saying a lot — the title here alone serves as an accurate summary of the entire book, in that Arthur Denison and his protoceratops pal Bix literally (and exclusively) take a one-way journey from Waterfall City to Chandara, with absolutely NO real adventures or excitement along the way.
That said, Gurney uses this book as a nice way to catch up with the current science, introducing feathered dinosaurs to his previously all-reptilian world, (and I still find it unbelievable to think that the whole idea of "dinosaurs had feathers" is less than 25 years old — i.e., since his previous books came out). And he gets to expand on his original world-building in new and interesting ways — Chandara is a very Asian/Middle Eastern-themed "empire." His artwork also remains as impressive as ever, and in his more architectural paintings almost approaches a Simon Stålenhag feel, (whose Tales from the Loop books also put "look" way ahead of "story"):
At other times, though, he moves away from his earlier near-photorealistic style in two distinct directions — on the one side, going with a more painterly "brush-strokey" look; while on the other going towards an almost "Norman Rockwell meets Dr. Seuss" exaggerated caricature vibe:
Also…while I know it's silly to try to bring "logic" into a story based on talking dinosaurs, but…if Chandara is so hard to reach, why didn't they just fly? Also — why on Earth would Denison trust Lee Crabb again, after he literally tried to kill him in the previous story?
Gaping plot holes aside, though — this is well worth a quick read, and then a longer relook for the artwork alone. Especially since it doesn't look like Gurney has any plans to return again to his lost world; this last book is already 15 years old, and I don't see any indication online that he's thinking of doing more.
As noted in my original review (below), this book allowed Gurney to catch up with science, so that we now have feathered dinosaurs and more prehistoric mammals. Chandara itself is also a largely Asian setting with Chinese, Thai, Mongolian and even Tibetan influences, possibly (although not specifically stated) as a nod to the great number of new dinosaur findings coming out of East and Central Asia.
As always, Gurney's artwork in breathtaking, whether photorealistic, impressionistic or merely whimsical. And his imagination runs wild here, both in placing his humans and dinosaurs in practical situations or in inventing the technology, cultures and trinkets of his lost world, (see the brachiosaurus firetruck and mechanical gadgets below; he also includes other illustrations that finally allowed me to understand both the Fibonacci sequence and how windmills work!). I'm also throwing in a few additional pictures just to give you a taste of what the book offers; with the updated release available on Amazon for just $23, I hope this encourages some of y'all to get a copy of your own — you might even still be able to get it in time for Christmas!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: Nice to see Gurney return to the main storyline from his first two books here, after the swing-and-a-miss that was Dinotopia: First Flight. That said, there is even less plot here than in any of the previous books, which is saying a lot — the title here alone serves as an accurate summary of the entire book, in that Arthur Denison and his protoceratops pal Bix literally (and exclusively) take a one-way journey from Waterfall City to Chandara, with absolutely NO real adventures or excitement along the way.
That said, Gurney uses this book as a nice way to catch up with the current science, introducing feathered dinosaurs to his previously all-reptilian world, (and I still find it unbelievable to think that the whole idea of "dinosaurs had feathers" is less than 25 years old — i.e., since his previous books came out). And he gets to expand on his original world-building in new and interesting ways — Chandara is a very Asian/Middle Eastern-themed "empire." His artwork also remains as impressive as ever, and in his more architectural paintings almost approaches a Simon Stålenhag feel, (whose Tales from the Loop books also put "look" way ahead of "story"):
At other times, though, he moves away from his earlier near-photorealistic style in two distinct directions — on the one side, going with a more painterly "brush-strokey" look; while on the other going towards an almost "Norman Rockwell meets Dr. Seuss" exaggerated caricature vibe:
Also…while I know it's silly to try to bring "logic" into a story based on talking dinosaurs, but…if Chandara is so hard to reach, why didn't they just fly? Also — why on Earth would Denison trust Lee Crabb again, after he literally tried to kill him in the previous story?
Gaping plot holes aside, though — this is well worth a quick read, and then a longer relook for the artwork alone. Especially since it doesn't look like Gurney has any plans to return again to his lost world; this last book is already 15 years old, and I don't see any indication online that he's thinking of doing more.
January 30, 2022
Another stellar artbook/Fantasy story from James Gurney. The amount of work Gurney puts into these books is just astounding, as he researches, elaborately illustrates and writes it all himself. Such gorgeous fantastical paintings of a mythical realm of dinosaurs engaging in all of the day to day duties of any successful city. Saurian architects, philosophers, child caretakers, city council officials, transit workers, market goods delivery personnel and more abound here!
This is book four in the series. Here we again find the 19th century scientist-explorer-journalist Arthur Dennison accompanied by his saurian companion Bix on their travels, now to the secretive city of Chandara. Their travels are frought with many setbacks, tho they continue to push through, along the way making friendships, saurian and human alike. What I so enjoy about these books is the message of peaceful co-existence with other species and creature kingdoms. So well paced through Dennison's continual deeply written journal entries, all the while with a dash of humor that often made me chuckle. I adore these books and only wish there was another one to come.
This is book four in the series. Here we again find the 19th century scientist-explorer-journalist Arthur Dennison accompanied by his saurian companion Bix on their travels, now to the secretive city of Chandara. Their travels are frought with many setbacks, tho they continue to push through, along the way making friendships, saurian and human alike. What I so enjoy about these books is the message of peaceful co-existence with other species and creature kingdoms. So well paced through Dennison's continual deeply written journal entries, all the while with a dash of humor that often made me chuckle. I adore these books and only wish there was another one to come.
December 5, 2017
With this fourth installment, the series is redeemed! I'm going to get rid of my copy of "First Flight" and treat Dinotopia, The World Beneath and Journey to Chandara as an unblemished trilogy. Once again I was floored by Gurney's beautiful illustrations, and the world building that he did in the first two books remains intact here. So many wonderful drawings, maps, diagrams and characters to enjoy.
May 2, 2022
4.5 ⭐️
I throughly enjoyed this series and am super upset this is the last one. I demand more dinosaur media.
I throughly enjoyed this series and am super upset this is the last one. I demand more dinosaur media.
March 1, 2016
After a book that didn't live up to expectations, and a book that was an utter failure, Gurney has finally gotten back to the magic that defined the first Dinotopia.
First of all, let's talk about the art. I mentioned in my review of the last book, Dinotopia: First Flight, that I felt bad giving it one star because Gurney's art is always so good. While that's still true, the difference in quality between the art in that book, and the art in this one, is definitely noticeable to me now. The paintings in First Flight look so much rougher, and plainer, in comparison. While all of his art is great, you can definitely tell which paintings he went the extra mile for. They just have so much more detail, are more polished, and have fewer noticeable sketch lines. While there are a couple nice, big, full-spread paintings in First Flight, they all have at least some part of them that looks rough and lacks detail. There's no show stoppers like there were in the first book and here in Chandara. Beyond that, something is just wrong with the faces in First Flight. I mean, just look at the cover for a perfect example. It's not just human faces either. There are several paintings where the dinosaurs look oddly anthropomorphized in a way they never do in the other books. Their faces are human-like, the way they would be in some crappy Saturday morning cartoon show.
This book, in contrast, contains Gurney's best art in the entire series. Every page is a treasure. It even shows up the first book, which bears a lot of rough sketch marks itself. A side-effect of being first and of not knowing how successful it would become, I imagine.
The viewpoint is back to being first-person, using the same found journal framing device as the first book. I was so happy to see this finally return. I already mentioned why this works better for the series in my review for Dinotopia: The World Beneath, and beyond that I find Arthur to be the most interesting and likeable character, so it's nice to experience the world through his eyes again.
Narrative-wise, all of the advanced technology and Atlantis-esque nonsense from the previous two books is dropped entirely. It's only mentioned briefly in passing once. Instead, this book is about Arthur finally getting to visit Chandara, an isolationist desert culture on Dinotopia that rarely lets in visitors. This is what the previous two books should have been. There's no weird technology or long lost treasure. There's no cliche evil bad guy in a giant scorpion robot trying to kill all living dinosaurs because reasons. It's not trying to force conflict, adventure, and all the other standard ideas about what a story should be into a work where they don't belong, simply for the sake of a broader appeal. Instead, it sticks to the formula that worked so well for the first book. It's just our good friend Arthur Denison, the naturalist, doing what he does best--traveling through a new land, encountering new cultures, and documenting as he goes.
Because Gurney left out the ancient, advanced technology, and because Arthur is our narrator again, we finally get back to the amazing world-building of the first book. We've got street vendors who use the spikes on a dinosaur to hold fresh bread loaves that look like giant donuts. We've got skybax jousting. We've got a giant abacus strapped to the back of a dinosaur and an old man on top, creating an accounting partnership for the marketplace. We've got intricate drawings of the workings of a windmill. We've got songs written out in musical notation. We've got variations of the dinosaur alphabet. We've got Brachiosaurus fire-trucks, with details about how the pump works and what everything does. We've got two different schools of philosophy; one that wears spots and preaches a form of empiricism, one that wears lines and preaches a form of solipsism. We've got a village of people who shipwrecked, got their boats back with the help of the dinosaurs, cut them in half to form their homes, and believe that if Earth itself should ever "capsize" their ships will become whole again and sail them into the stars and keep them safe (unique religions! Yay!)
We've got a magic here that was sorely lacking in the previous two books. Gurney finally corrected a mistake that I have often made in my own writing--focusing on the big, high-concept ideas at the expense of the small details that actually matter. I don't care that there's an ancient cash of advanced technology and treasure. I don't care about some evil guy in a giant robot that wants to kill all dinosaurs. I care about people, culture, and relationships. I care about how these people shop, live, raise children, and coexist with creatures so different than themselves. I care about how Arthur is adapting to these new cultures and environments. How well is he fitting in? Do people like him there? Are they being kind to him? What surprises him? What doesn't? Without that stuff all the flash and bombast in the world is just going to fall completely flat, which is exactly what happened for two books in a row.
After reading the first Dinotopia, I was giddy with excitement at the prospect of three more books, before being plunged to the depths of disappointment. This book has lifted me back up again. I may not have gotten the four great Dinotopia books I was expecting, but at least I got two, and this one is even better than the first.
First of all, let's talk about the art. I mentioned in my review of the last book, Dinotopia: First Flight, that I felt bad giving it one star because Gurney's art is always so good. While that's still true, the difference in quality between the art in that book, and the art in this one, is definitely noticeable to me now. The paintings in First Flight look so much rougher, and plainer, in comparison. While all of his art is great, you can definitely tell which paintings he went the extra mile for. They just have so much more detail, are more polished, and have fewer noticeable sketch lines. While there are a couple nice, big, full-spread paintings in First Flight, they all have at least some part of them that looks rough and lacks detail. There's no show stoppers like there were in the first book and here in Chandara. Beyond that, something is just wrong with the faces in First Flight. I mean, just look at the cover for a perfect example. It's not just human faces either. There are several paintings where the dinosaurs look oddly anthropomorphized in a way they never do in the other books. Their faces are human-like, the way they would be in some crappy Saturday morning cartoon show.
This book, in contrast, contains Gurney's best art in the entire series. Every page is a treasure. It even shows up the first book, which bears a lot of rough sketch marks itself. A side-effect of being first and of not knowing how successful it would become, I imagine.
The viewpoint is back to being first-person, using the same found journal framing device as the first book. I was so happy to see this finally return. I already mentioned why this works better for the series in my review for Dinotopia: The World Beneath, and beyond that I find Arthur to be the most interesting and likeable character, so it's nice to experience the world through his eyes again.
Narrative-wise, all of the advanced technology and Atlantis-esque nonsense from the previous two books is dropped entirely. It's only mentioned briefly in passing once. Instead, this book is about Arthur finally getting to visit Chandara, an isolationist desert culture on Dinotopia that rarely lets in visitors. This is what the previous two books should have been. There's no weird technology or long lost treasure. There's no cliche evil bad guy in a giant scorpion robot trying to kill all living dinosaurs because reasons. It's not trying to force conflict, adventure, and all the other standard ideas about what a story should be into a work where they don't belong, simply for the sake of a broader appeal. Instead, it sticks to the formula that worked so well for the first book. It's just our good friend Arthur Denison, the naturalist, doing what he does best--traveling through a new land, encountering new cultures, and documenting as he goes.
Because Gurney left out the ancient, advanced technology, and because Arthur is our narrator again, we finally get back to the amazing world-building of the first book. We've got street vendors who use the spikes on a dinosaur to hold fresh bread loaves that look like giant donuts. We've got skybax jousting. We've got a giant abacus strapped to the back of a dinosaur and an old man on top, creating an accounting partnership for the marketplace. We've got intricate drawings of the workings of a windmill. We've got songs written out in musical notation. We've got variations of the dinosaur alphabet. We've got Brachiosaurus fire-trucks, with details about how the pump works and what everything does. We've got two different schools of philosophy; one that wears spots and preaches a form of empiricism, one that wears lines and preaches a form of solipsism. We've got a village of people who shipwrecked, got their boats back with the help of the dinosaurs, cut them in half to form their homes, and believe that if Earth itself should ever "capsize" their ships will become whole again and sail them into the stars and keep them safe (unique religions! Yay!)
We've got a magic here that was sorely lacking in the previous two books. Gurney finally corrected a mistake that I have often made in my own writing--focusing on the big, high-concept ideas at the expense of the small details that actually matter. I don't care that there's an ancient cash of advanced technology and treasure. I don't care about some evil guy in a giant robot that wants to kill all dinosaurs. I care about people, culture, and relationships. I care about how these people shop, live, raise children, and coexist with creatures so different than themselves. I care about how Arthur is adapting to these new cultures and environments. How well is he fitting in? Do people like him there? Are they being kind to him? What surprises him? What doesn't? Without that stuff all the flash and bombast in the world is just going to fall completely flat, which is exactly what happened for two books in a row.
After reading the first Dinotopia, I was giddy with excitement at the prospect of three more books, before being plunged to the depths of disappointment. This book has lifted me back up again. I may not have gotten the four great Dinotopia books I was expecting, but at least I got two, and this one is even better than the first.
January 24, 2022
definitely the best one in the series! gurney is extraordinarily creative and talented as both an author and illustrator
April 8, 2021
This book was my first return to the world of Dinotopia since discovering a copy of the first book at my hometown library in the late 90s. As a kid then (teenager, whatever), I fell in love with this idea, and the creativity and detail in the illustrations were unlike anything I’d seen before that.
This book brought back that feeling, but now as an adult, there is so much more to appreciate. This book, which details a trip to a previously closed-off section of Dinotopia, checks off several nerdy and niche loves of mine: expeditions to unknown places, fantastical architecture, dinosaurs, and portraiture & urban artwork in traditional media. There’s even a brief part of the book where these elements are mixed with Egyptian design, and I really wanted a lot more of that, since that’s another niche obsession of mine.
I read this cover to cover in one sitting, even though I tried to stop myself from doing so. I loved it, and I want to go back and read as many of these as possible. The writing is good, but doesn’t add much to the real star of the show: the world-building. I’m 100% ok with that, and as I went through this, I saw the artist’s love for these things as well (architecture, culture, dinosaurs, etc).
This really is a unique book and this universe deserves a modern show or movie. It’s world is so utopian and positive, and along with being so unique, creative, and culturally diverse, it’s something that should do well.
This book brought back that feeling, but now as an adult, there is so much more to appreciate. This book, which details a trip to a previously closed-off section of Dinotopia, checks off several nerdy and niche loves of mine: expeditions to unknown places, fantastical architecture, dinosaurs, and portraiture & urban artwork in traditional media. There’s even a brief part of the book where these elements are mixed with Egyptian design, and I really wanted a lot more of that, since that’s another niche obsession of mine.
I read this cover to cover in one sitting, even though I tried to stop myself from doing so. I loved it, and I want to go back and read as many of these as possible. The writing is good, but doesn’t add much to the real star of the show: the world-building. I’m 100% ok with that, and as I went through this, I saw the artist’s love for these things as well (architecture, culture, dinosaurs, etc).
This really is a unique book and this universe deserves a modern show or movie. It’s world is so utopian and positive, and along with being so unique, creative, and culturally diverse, it’s something that should do well.
March 12, 2024
Well, it's the kind of fantasy book that preys on orientalism and how we see non-western cultures as "mysterious" and "intriguing".
The issue I have is that it's _beautifully painted_ orientalism — man, James Gurney's a beast.
That said: it's a nice Dinotopia book. It didn't strike me as much as the second one, but it's still a nice read.
The issue I have is that it's _beautifully painted_ orientalism — man, James Gurney's a beast.
That said: it's a nice Dinotopia book. It didn't strike me as much as the second one, but it's still a nice read.
June 23, 2024
More beautiful art of an amazing and unique world. It was nice to see Arthur and Bix having adventures again! I'm sad this is the last book in the series.
May 2, 2025
A beautiful work of art once more. Not as good as the previous two, but a work of art all the same.
4.5 🌟
4.5 🌟
May 19, 2024
The illustrations? The lore?? The SHEET MUSIC?!?!
I need to play a tabletop campaign of this YESTERDAY!!!
I need to play a tabletop campaign of this YESTERDAY!!!
Read
June 15, 2024Rediscovered these with my son at the library when he began inventing dinosaur writing featuring 3-toed feet as letters. I love these books. They are bizarre and familiar at the same time. Pre-Raphaelite style paintings and so many clever, Golden-Age, pre-fossil fuel fixes to things. I could just reread them forever. Yes the Victorian-ness strains a little bit (ex., why would a dinosaur language have 26 letters all corresponding to an English alphabet, are there really no other phonic units out there besides English?!), but that same Victorian-ness for better or worse is partly the point. I also forgot how obliquely funny they are.
As a kid I liked to design Maoist work camps for my beanie babies, with rudimentary crop rotations (oh youth!) and a Sculpey mug and cup for each laborer. But those were dreary reflections of what I really wanted to create, which was more of a Swiss Family Robinson, everyone-has-a-fun-job-to-do village. Dinotopia is full of that. It makes me so happy that that inclination of mine isn't unique. Kids have a nascent city planner in them, kids love canals and Bronchiosauri who light tall street lamps covered in bougainvillea. It makes me think all hope isn't lost, that so many kids love this stuff, that it's not niche. That kids want fun meaningful work together, plaza-based and non-commercial urban social life, and clever, thoughtful applications of materials. In 2024 it's also pretty great to read a book with tumultuous weather and how groups of people and saurians deal. Might be good advice, going forward.
As a kid I liked to design Maoist work camps for my beanie babies, with rudimentary crop rotations (oh youth!) and a Sculpey mug and cup for each laborer. But those were dreary reflections of what I really wanted to create, which was more of a Swiss Family Robinson, everyone-has-a-fun-job-to-do village. Dinotopia is full of that. It makes me so happy that that inclination of mine isn't unique. Kids have a nascent city planner in them, kids love canals and Bronchiosauri who light tall street lamps covered in bougainvillea. It makes me think all hope isn't lost, that so many kids love this stuff, that it's not niche. That kids want fun meaningful work together, plaza-based and non-commercial urban social life, and clever, thoughtful applications of materials. In 2024 it's also pretty great to read a book with tumultuous weather and how groups of people and saurians deal. Might be good advice, going forward.
April 8, 2025
To wrap up the year, I chose to read something especially close to my heart – a book about my all-time favorite creatures: dinosaurs! Strangely enough, I had no idea this book even existed until I stumbled across it by pure chance on the Sinisukk publishing website. Within seconds it was in my shopping cart, and with it, I closed the chapter on my 2024 reads.
This book is an absolute visual treasure – every page is adorned with breathtaking illustrations, all hand-painted by James Gurney himself. These aren’t just pictures; they’re true works of art that bring to life a richly imagined world where humans and dinosaurs coexist in harmony. If you’ve ever seen the animated movie Atlantis, you might get a sense of the aesthetic – except here, instead of flying machines, there are soaring pterosaurs, and gentle giants roam the streets.
The story follows Professor Denison and his loyal companion Bix – a dinosaur scholar and translator – as they embark on a perilous journey to the distant empire of Chandara. After losing the emperor’s personal invitation, they’re forced to cross the border in disguise, penniless and unprepared. Along the way, Denison documents every step of their travels, describing in vivid detail the creatures they meet and the wonders they witness: a village made from three upturned ships, a fifteen-meter-tall brachiosaurus trained as a firefighter, an allosaurus caring for her young, young pilots jousting on giant pterosaurs, and so much more.
The story is heartwarming and hopeful, and it stirred in me a deep longing to visit Chandara myself – if only in my imagination. The colors, the court life, the marketplaces, and the dinosaurs adorned in jewels and performing everyday tasks – everything feels fantastical and yet completely believable.
Journey to Chandara is the fourth and final book in the Dinotopia series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone. While returning readers might get more context from the previous volumes, this book offers a complete and magical experience on its own.
I have to admit – as much as I enjoyed the story, my eyes kept drifting back to the paintings. They’re just so stunning! A bit of Googling revealed that some of the original artworks have even been available for sale at one point, though now only prints are available. Oh, how I wish I could paint like that…
I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves dinosaurs, adventure, and beautifully crafted fantasy worlds. 😊
This book is an absolute visual treasure – every page is adorned with breathtaking illustrations, all hand-painted by James Gurney himself. These aren’t just pictures; they’re true works of art that bring to life a richly imagined world where humans and dinosaurs coexist in harmony. If you’ve ever seen the animated movie Atlantis, you might get a sense of the aesthetic – except here, instead of flying machines, there are soaring pterosaurs, and gentle giants roam the streets.
The story follows Professor Denison and his loyal companion Bix – a dinosaur scholar and translator – as they embark on a perilous journey to the distant empire of Chandara. After losing the emperor’s personal invitation, they’re forced to cross the border in disguise, penniless and unprepared. Along the way, Denison documents every step of their travels, describing in vivid detail the creatures they meet and the wonders they witness: a village made from three upturned ships, a fifteen-meter-tall brachiosaurus trained as a firefighter, an allosaurus caring for her young, young pilots jousting on giant pterosaurs, and so much more.
The story is heartwarming and hopeful, and it stirred in me a deep longing to visit Chandara myself – if only in my imagination. The colors, the court life, the marketplaces, and the dinosaurs adorned in jewels and performing everyday tasks – everything feels fantastical and yet completely believable.
Journey to Chandara is the fourth and final book in the Dinotopia series, but it works perfectly well as a standalone. While returning readers might get more context from the previous volumes, this book offers a complete and magical experience on its own.
I have to admit – as much as I enjoyed the story, my eyes kept drifting back to the paintings. They’re just so stunning! A bit of Googling revealed that some of the original artworks have even been available for sale at one point, though now only prints are available. Oh, how I wish I could paint like that…
I wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone who loves dinosaurs, adventure, and beautifully crafted fantasy worlds. 😊
June 16, 2015
The Dinotopia saga continues in this third book of the (so far) trilogy. Arthur Denison's travels and study of the land apart from time leads him to the eastern city of Chandara, by special permission and invitation of Emperor Hugo Khan.
Every time I finish one of these books I discover the existence of a sequel! It's kind of amazing how that keeps happening. I fully expect to learn there's a fourth any day now. Anyway, this was a nice chapter in the Dinotopia story. I think I liked it better than the second one, but not as much as the first, though they're all pretty equal overall. The same pros and cons appear in this book: The art is as nice as ever, and the story is likewise as flimsy as ever. I mean, the art is the point, and the author/artist apparently wants more and more opportunities to paint new creatures and locations and nationalities of characters. Sometimes I think he would have done better just putting together a book of illustrations that tell the story, and let the images do all the talking, a picture being worth a thousand words and all that. But I guess it's nice to have a narrator giving a little bit of a voice to the world. Arthur Denison continues to be utterly amazed and awed by everything he sees, but I could do without Lee Crabb completely, his presence as a pseudo-villain in each book is unfulfilling and therefore quite pointless. But this book had some of my favorite visuals from the entire series (a city built on upended ships?? Amazing!), and there's always a great level of creativity throughout. I also always like to go through and translate all the signs and other text written in the saurian language, and the detailed map is another nice addition.
This third book in the series of illustrated novels is a nice addition to the saga. Arthur Denison's devotion to chronicling the sprawling world of Dinotopia and its cultures and citizens is a visual feast, if still (as ever) lacking a little in depth of story and development of character. But again, that's not really the point. The detailed art is creative and fun.
Every time I finish one of these books I discover the existence of a sequel! It's kind of amazing how that keeps happening. I fully expect to learn there's a fourth any day now. Anyway, this was a nice chapter in the Dinotopia story. I think I liked it better than the second one, but not as much as the first, though they're all pretty equal overall. The same pros and cons appear in this book: The art is as nice as ever, and the story is likewise as flimsy as ever. I mean, the art is the point, and the author/artist apparently wants more and more opportunities to paint new creatures and locations and nationalities of characters. Sometimes I think he would have done better just putting together a book of illustrations that tell the story, and let the images do all the talking, a picture being worth a thousand words and all that. But I guess it's nice to have a narrator giving a little bit of a voice to the world. Arthur Denison continues to be utterly amazed and awed by everything he sees, but I could do without Lee Crabb completely, his presence as a pseudo-villain in each book is unfulfilling and therefore quite pointless. But this book had some of my favorite visuals from the entire series (a city built on upended ships?? Amazing!), and there's always a great level of creativity throughout. I also always like to go through and translate all the signs and other text written in the saurian language, and the detailed map is another nice addition.
This third book in the series of illustrated novels is a nice addition to the saga. Arthur Denison's devotion to chronicling the sprawling world of Dinotopia and its cultures and citizens is a visual feast, if still (as ever) lacking a little in depth of story and development of character. But again, that's not really the point. The detailed art is creative and fun.
June 15, 2015
Wouldn't it be great if the world was like Dinotopia - where people and animals live in perfect harmony helping and learning from each other and respecting the wonders of the environment.
This book is not my favourite of the series, but I still enjoyed it. I particularly love the tranquility and beauty of the windmill village. The structure at Bilgewater is also pretty cool. Although Treetown will always be my favourite Dinotopian village.
This book is not my favourite of the series, but I still enjoyed it. I particularly love the tranquility and beauty of the windmill village. The structure at Bilgewater is also pretty cool. Although Treetown will always be my favourite Dinotopian village.
June 19, 2016
This book brought the point home to me how important it is to travel. Further, to travel not to just see new places but to meet people and grow in an understanding of each other. In each place Denison visited, he stayed for some time getting to know the culture, the people, the climate of a place. To travel at an unhurried pace, not worrying how fast it is taking to move from point A to point B, is the ideal way to travel.
July 17, 2016
I thought I'd read this before, but after getting it for Christmas and reading it, I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was all new to me. I enjoyed another interesting look at one of my favorite fictional countries.
March 17, 2017
Stranger In A Strange Land meets Dinotopia. Set in Arabia.
Read for the first time as an adult. I liked it.
Read for the first time as an adult. I liked it.
June 6, 2024
This is the last book in the mainline “Dinotopia” series. As I said in the Saturday Note, the library system doesn’t have the third one, which is sad; then again, I’ve read it a bajillion times so I’m not too worked up about it. That one’s a prequel anyway, so it’s not a big deal here.
After sending a ton of letters east towards the Empire of Chandara (apparently there’s a separate country just on Dinotopia), Arthur Denison receives an invitation from Emperor Hugo Khan to visit, with only Bix as his plus one/translator. The journey turns into more of an adventure, however, when the invitation is stolen. Given how strictly guarded the border to Chandara is, Arthur and Bix have to get creative about getting there.
Not only is this a chance for the reader to see parts of Dinotopia that we haven’t seen before, it’s also a chance to see dinosaurs we haven’t seen before. When this book was written, the scientific community had fully accepted that some dinosaurs definitely had feathers. So this book shows plenty of dinosaurs, both in Chandara and outside of it, wearing feathers on their skin. There’s even one point where we see a place where dinosaurs use feathers to communicate non-verbally, and how humans wear a fancy headdress to politely mimic those gestures.
More dinosaur fiction with feathers, please! I’ve seen quite a few people suggest that “science ruined dinosaurs” by giving them feathers, which is stupid. They were real animals; and a lot of dinosaurs look really darn cool with feathers. Dinosaurs don’t have to look like “Jurassic Park” monsters for them to be awesome.
I like Arthur’s character development between the first book and now. In “World Beneath,” he’s still kind of (unintentionally) favoring humans over dinosaurs. In this one, he spends a few moments wondering what to expect from the Emperor, guessing that he might be human or he might be some type of dinosaur–though his imagination tends to assume if he’s a dinosaur, he’s a giant scary one.
Although! There’s a bit, before the trek begins, that Arthur refers to Oriana as his “friend”; “The World Beneath” made it fairly clear they were becoming something other than “friends”, and I’m wondering what we’re meant to be reading in that relationship.
I kind of expected there to be more of a twist at the end. There is one with the reveal of the Emperor; I thought there’d be one with the thief of the invitation. Spoiler alert: there’s not. That doesn’t make it unsatisfying when we get to the resolution, though (it makes me wonder about the continuity status of the spin-offs, though).
There are a lot of other “Dinotopia” books, but this is the last mainline one written and illustrated by James Gurney. If you have no interest in the story, you should at least check them all out, if you can, and see what the illustrations are like, because they are gorgeous and wonderful. Gurney could teach a masterclass on cool worldbuilding based on his art alone.
After sending a ton of letters east towards the Empire of Chandara (apparently there’s a separate country just on Dinotopia), Arthur Denison receives an invitation from Emperor Hugo Khan to visit, with only Bix as his plus one/translator. The journey turns into more of an adventure, however, when the invitation is stolen. Given how strictly guarded the border to Chandara is, Arthur and Bix have to get creative about getting there.
Not only is this a chance for the reader to see parts of Dinotopia that we haven’t seen before, it’s also a chance to see dinosaurs we haven’t seen before. When this book was written, the scientific community had fully accepted that some dinosaurs definitely had feathers. So this book shows plenty of dinosaurs, both in Chandara and outside of it, wearing feathers on their skin. There’s even one point where we see a place where dinosaurs use feathers to communicate non-verbally, and how humans wear a fancy headdress to politely mimic those gestures.
More dinosaur fiction with feathers, please! I’ve seen quite a few people suggest that “science ruined dinosaurs” by giving them feathers, which is stupid. They were real animals; and a lot of dinosaurs look really darn cool with feathers. Dinosaurs don’t have to look like “Jurassic Park” monsters for them to be awesome.
I like Arthur’s character development between the first book and now. In “World Beneath,” he’s still kind of (unintentionally) favoring humans over dinosaurs. In this one, he spends a few moments wondering what to expect from the Emperor, guessing that he might be human or he might be some type of dinosaur–though his imagination tends to assume if he’s a dinosaur, he’s a giant scary one.
Although! There’s a bit, before the trek begins, that Arthur refers to Oriana as his “friend”; “The World Beneath” made it fairly clear they were becoming something other than “friends”, and I’m wondering what we’re meant to be reading in that relationship.
I kind of expected there to be more of a twist at the end. There is one with the reveal of the Emperor; I thought there’d be one with the thief of the invitation. Spoiler alert: there’s not. That doesn’t make it unsatisfying when we get to the resolution, though (it makes me wonder about the continuity status of the spin-offs, though).
There are a lot of other “Dinotopia” books, but this is the last mainline one written and illustrated by James Gurney. If you have no interest in the story, you should at least check them all out, if you can, and see what the illustrations are like, because they are gorgeous and wonderful. Gurney could teach a masterclass on cool worldbuilding based on his art alone.
March 25, 2024
Journey to Chandara returns to the travel journal format and follows Arthur Dennison's journey across Dinotopia to the isolationist society of Chandara. I really appreciated that this book changes gears back to the original format and that it focused more on the "present" of Dinotopia. Again, Gurney tries to integrate new knowledge about dinosaurs from the time the book was being compiled (avian dinosaurs make their proper debut here) and once again the world of Dinotopia expands the magic while seemingly staying within reach of reality. The environs of Chandara and the surrounding regions feet a bit more whimsical then Dinotopia proper, but I kind of liked that tone change and it helped Chandara feel unique.
There is more of Gurney's beautiful art throughout, of course, and this has some of my favorite art spreads up there along with the first book.
There is more of Gurney's beautiful art throughout, of course, and this has some of my favorite art spreads up there along with the first book.
June 20, 2024
After the mild disappointment of the underwhelming First Flight, this fourth book in Dinotopia’s main series is a return to the solid storytelling and spectacular illustrations that this world deserves. Gurney’s paintings, maps, diagrams and sketches are a visual treat, and the characters encountered during the journey to the eastern empire of Chandara possess great personality – both written and visual – propelling the narrative through many grand landscapes.
The expanded edition contains a section of bonus material (mostly sketches, photo reference and maquettes) that provides insight into Gurney’s detailed planning processes: it’s a nice addition but I’d like to see more, especially as he’s well known for the depth of his preparation to achieve such impressive results.
The expanded edition contains a section of bonus material (mostly sketches, photo reference and maquettes) that provides insight into Gurney’s detailed planning processes: it’s a nice addition but I’d like to see more, especially as he’s well known for the depth of his preparation to achieve such impressive results.
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July 16, 2022The artwork here is lovely - James Gurney is a skilled painter with a vibrant imagination, and the world he's built here is beautiful.
The story gets a bit tangled. The first Dinotopia book was a travelogue, a story about a place, and The World Beneath was more of a melodrama with the place as a gorgeous set. This book kinda tries to be both and the two ideas end up fighting rather than weaving together. This book is like "Lee Crabb is the villain, and he's launched a scheme that could cause a diplomatic crisis, so we're chasing him! But on the way we're going to spend three days in this endearingly doofy village."
I can't smack-talk it too much, though; it's too pretty for that.
The story gets a bit tangled. The first Dinotopia book was a travelogue, a story about a place, and The World Beneath was more of a melodrama with the place as a gorgeous set. This book kinda tries to be both and the two ideas end up fighting rather than weaving together. This book is like "Lee Crabb is the villain, and he's launched a scheme that could cause a diplomatic crisis, so we're chasing him! But on the way we're going to spend three days in this endearingly doofy village."
I can't smack-talk it too much, though; it's too pretty for that.
January 16, 2024
A rare sequel that weakens the previous entries by association. It is incredibly childish, focusing on child characters and their games with the same scrutiny of a brachiosaurus firefighter’s equipment. It also awkwardly introduces philosophical ideas with nothing to really say about them. Most offending is the claim that the story is a travelogue, but nothing of note really happens on the road (despite significant foreshadowing, in some cases!).
The art is still gorgeous, though, and Gurney really did his research on new paleontological ideas (feathered dinos) and incorporated them decently into this book.
Stick with the original, don’t venture beyond!
The art is still gorgeous, though, and Gurney really did his research on new paleontological ideas (feathered dinos) and incorporated them decently into this book.
Stick with the original, don’t venture beyond!
June 8, 2024
Another journey of delightful discovery and majesty. The story is a return to the lightly-plotted, travel-focused model of the first volume, which serves it well. Following the journey on the new and more detailed-than-ever-before map of Dinotopia did cause me to question whether the characters were really taking a sensible route—I wish I could ask Gurney about that! But the new locations are all wonderfully unique and imaginative, places I would love to visit, and each one has its own story that adds to the mythology of Dinotopia. New sights, new ideas, new gorgeous illustrations by the master artist/author. I hunger yet for more.
November 10, 2019
The world that James Gurney has created is extraordinarily detailed and beautiful! I admit that I mostly enchanted by the illustrations of dinosaurs and the society people have established to work with them in peace. This would be an independent read for an upper elementary to high school student. The reader has to be very engaged with this book to keep track of the vocabulary and characters that are introduced.
February 12, 2021
This, along with the first and second installment in the series is entirely extraordinary. The artwork; the epic narrative; the scientific authenticity underpinning it all; truly there are no books of this kind by any other author. Gurney is in a class of his own.
The narrative is a tad meandering -to date I couldn’t really explain what happened-, but the journey felt like the destination. Just immerse yourself in the book and enjoy it!
The narrative is a tad meandering -to date I couldn’t really explain what happened-, but the journey felt like the destination. Just immerse yourself in the book and enjoy it!
September 26, 2021
Still baffled that this series maintains such high ratings and I guess I’m part of the problem. On the one hand, the art continues to be stunningly beautiful. But the story and characters are so thing and given the length, what should be an engaging travel journal feels like the author‘s notes for his world-building within the series. I really do want to love these and while this feels like the first two books, it’s just kind of a slog.
July 12, 2018
A beautiful work in every way! The writing, the characters, the art, and the imaginative world make for the perfect combination. Everything is so thoroughly thought-out, and you find yourself fully immersed in the world. The accompanying artwork is stunning, and worth hanging on any wall in tis own right.
December 27, 2019
The tremendous series continues with perhaps its best adventure yet. Arthur Denison and Bix are invited to meet the king in the mysterious, insular city of Chandara, so they trek across Dinotopia to do so. That's it. That's the plot. Journey to Chandara is a wildly gorgeous travelogue that wonderfully expands the Dinotopian world.
May 15, 2020
I liked the return to the travelogue style with this latest in the series. Arthur and Bix travel to Chandara after receiving an invitation to visit the secretive kingdom. They have adventures, as usual, visiting exotic places and meeting interesting people. Gurney's illustrations are fantastic as they always are. The wonderful things he paints are really the best part of any of his books.
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