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Cryptozoica
Deep in the jungled hell of Big Tamtung, a forgotten island in the South China Seas, lies an ancient substance that will unlock the secrets of life on Earth-- Prima Materia, a fabled material that has been whispered about since Biblical times.
Two centuries before, Charles Darwin discovered the last pool of Prima Materia on Big Tamtung and his discovery was suppressed by The School of Night, a secret society of scholars founded by Sir Walter Raleigh.
Now, when a small group of scientists and fortune hunters explore the jungles of Big Tamtung, they must endure frightening tests of their ingenuity and courage, as they struggle against ancient terrors--a lost world of dinosaurs and a miracle older than time.
With a non-human language spoken by Biblical patriarchs and coded secrets scribbled in the suppressed log of Darwin as their only clues, "Tombstone" Jack Kavanaugh and his partner, Augustus Crowe, discover secrets linking Prima Materia to the hidden history of humanity.
Kavanaugh and Crowe lead a pair of cynical scientists and the notorious Madame Bai Suzhen through the seething cauldron of a bizarre ecosystem--the remnant of an Earth that was and might be again. Pursued by a crew of bloodthirsty Triad assassins and frighteningly intelligent monsters spawned by a twisted evolution, Kavanaugh and Crowe are no longer interested in seeking a fortune, but merely in staying alive.
Deep in the broiling jungle, amid ruins half as old as time, they plunge into the heart of humanity's greatest mystery--and to a violent confrontation with a misshapen madman who lusts after a miracle but will settle for murder. Lavishly illustrated by Jeff Slemons!
Two centuries before, Charles Darwin discovered the last pool of Prima Materia on Big Tamtung and his discovery was suppressed by The School of Night, a secret society of scholars founded by Sir Walter Raleigh.
Now, when a small group of scientists and fortune hunters explore the jungles of Big Tamtung, they must endure frightening tests of their ingenuity and courage, as they struggle against ancient terrors--a lost world of dinosaurs and a miracle older than time.
With a non-human language spoken by Biblical patriarchs and coded secrets scribbled in the suppressed log of Darwin as their only clues, "Tombstone" Jack Kavanaugh and his partner, Augustus Crowe, discover secrets linking Prima Materia to the hidden history of humanity.
Kavanaugh and Crowe lead a pair of cynical scientists and the notorious Madame Bai Suzhen through the seething cauldron of a bizarre ecosystem--the remnant of an Earth that was and might be again. Pursued by a crew of bloodthirsty Triad assassins and frighteningly intelligent monsters spawned by a twisted evolution, Kavanaugh and Crowe are no longer interested in seeking a fortune, but merely in staying alive.
Deep in the broiling jungle, amid ruins half as old as time, they plunge into the heart of humanity's greatest mystery--and to a violent confrontation with a misshapen madman who lusts after a miracle but will settle for murder. Lavishly illustrated by Jeff Slemons!
436 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 11, 2010
9 people are currently reading
46 people want to read
About the author
Mark Ellis
170 books18 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author by this name in the Goodreads database.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
March 15, 2014
"This whole thing sounds like the plot for a lot of B movies."
Thus speaks one of the main characters in Mark Ellis's dinosaur adventure, Cryptozoica, and the statement reflects what I expected going in with this novel. I had reservations based on a handful of factors. The cover was brightly colored and a tad cheesy. I knew that Mr. Ellis had been a writer for Harlequin's Gold Eagle line of macho testosterone-and-explosions books, and frankly my limited exposure to Gold Eagle books over the years hadn't impressed me (though I never read any of the ones written pseudonymously by Ellis). And from the blurb describing the book, this seemed squarely in the pulp tradition of lost worlds, dinosaurs, beautiful women, and heroes named Jack.
That formula isn't necessarily a bad thing; I happen to love pulp, as anyone reading my own work knows. But I can't stand bad writing, and a good bit of pulp, both original and modern, is pretty awful.
By the time I finished the prologue -- which dramatically ties the novel's background to Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle -- any reservations I had were chased away and I knew I was in good hands. Ellis's writing is strong and vivid, as any good adventure writer's should be, and he has an adept sense of story.
To go into much detail would be to spoil some of the book's many pleasures, but I will say that it is both pretty much what you'd expect from this sort of tale and a lot more. The characters are all interesting and layered, the setting vividly painted, and the action swift and smart and full of cliffhangers. There is science, both real and weird, and Ellis's excellent research adds interesting detail throughout. There's a Dragon Lady, Chinese gangsters, secret societies, shifting loyalties, the requisite cool (and hungry) dinosaurs, and a few ancient mysteries. There are also some ever-topical themes relating to science and faith that are very pertinent in our current culture.
The book is nicely illustrated by the cover artist, Jeff Slemons, but I read it on my iPad and the images all loaded at a resolution just low enough to be annoying. It would be nice to see them more clearly (and I know it's possible, as we managed to do it with my own illustrated novel, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom).
I enjoyed the hell out of this book. Get yourself to Cryptozoica for some good old fashioned adventure with modern smarts.
Thus speaks one of the main characters in Mark Ellis's dinosaur adventure, Cryptozoica, and the statement reflects what I expected going in with this novel. I had reservations based on a handful of factors. The cover was brightly colored and a tad cheesy. I knew that Mr. Ellis had been a writer for Harlequin's Gold Eagle line of macho testosterone-and-explosions books, and frankly my limited exposure to Gold Eagle books over the years hadn't impressed me (though I never read any of the ones written pseudonymously by Ellis). And from the blurb describing the book, this seemed squarely in the pulp tradition of lost worlds, dinosaurs, beautiful women, and heroes named Jack.
That formula isn't necessarily a bad thing; I happen to love pulp, as anyone reading my own work knows. But I can't stand bad writing, and a good bit of pulp, both original and modern, is pretty awful.
By the time I finished the prologue -- which dramatically ties the novel's background to Charles Darwin's voyage on the HMS Beagle -- any reservations I had were chased away and I knew I was in good hands. Ellis's writing is strong and vivid, as any good adventure writer's should be, and he has an adept sense of story.
To go into much detail would be to spoil some of the book's many pleasures, but I will say that it is both pretty much what you'd expect from this sort of tale and a lot more. The characters are all interesting and layered, the setting vividly painted, and the action swift and smart and full of cliffhangers. There is science, both real and weird, and Ellis's excellent research adds interesting detail throughout. There's a Dragon Lady, Chinese gangsters, secret societies, shifting loyalties, the requisite cool (and hungry) dinosaurs, and a few ancient mysteries. There are also some ever-topical themes relating to science and faith that are very pertinent in our current culture.
The book is nicely illustrated by the cover artist, Jeff Slemons, but I read it on my iPad and the images all loaded at a resolution just low enough to be annoying. It would be nice to see them more clearly (and I know it's possible, as we managed to do it with my own illustrated novel, Doc Wilde and The Frogs of Doom).
I enjoyed the hell out of this book. Get yourself to Cryptozoica for some good old fashioned adventure with modern smarts.
August 9, 2020
The tsunami that had swept through Indonesia, shattering so many lives, brought rescue efforts from around the world. What it also brought was the rediscovery of a two islands that held the secrets of the ages. A secret so terrifying that it's discovery by the father of evolution was buried and hidden away from the eyes of humanity. But...never let it be said that the world won't eventually reveal its mysteries. Now, during a time of crisis, and 174+ years after the Beagle and crew left the islands in its wake, the islands are a failed business enterprise that ended in tragic and horrible deaths.
Jack Kavanaugh had planned never to return to Big Tamtung. Now, he suddenly finds himself pushed back to where his ongoing nightmares began and where he, too, almost lost his life. But, secrets will not remain so and the nightmares become reality once again.
Mark Ellis is the author of over 60 amazing stories, including the creation of the Gold Eagle OUTLANDERS line of post apocalyptic stories under the James Axler house name. Ellis brings that edge of the seat adventure and excitement back in this beautiful homage to action adventure movies of the past that were simply fun. Make no mistake, this book has it all...intrigue...betrayal...tropical settings...beautiful and deadly women...strong but flawed heroes. But, what it has most is simply an enjoyable and exciting story that will read like an Burroughs book of the 21st century. In fact, Ellis has wonderful ERB AND Arthur Conan Doyle Easter eggs throughout the story. And where, more appropriate than in this story and on this island. Not saying anymore as the fun of discovery for fans of those authors will be worth it.
This one was fun...!!!
Jack Kavanaugh had planned never to return to Big Tamtung. Now, he suddenly finds himself pushed back to where his ongoing nightmares began and where he, too, almost lost his life. But, secrets will not remain so and the nightmares become reality once again.
Mark Ellis is the author of over 60 amazing stories, including the creation of the Gold Eagle OUTLANDERS line of post apocalyptic stories under the James Axler house name. Ellis brings that edge of the seat adventure and excitement back in this beautiful homage to action adventure movies of the past that were simply fun. Make no mistake, this book has it all...intrigue...betrayal...tropical settings...beautiful and deadly women...strong but flawed heroes. But, what it has most is simply an enjoyable and exciting story that will read like an Burroughs book of the 21st century. In fact, Ellis has wonderful ERB AND Arthur Conan Doyle Easter eggs throughout the story. And where, more appropriate than in this story and on this island. Not saying anymore as the fun of discovery for fans of those authors will be worth it.
This one was fun...!!!
May 17, 2013
Solid, cinematic-style pulp thriller. Page turner of a plot with colorful, well constructed characters and a great high concept. I really enjoyed this one.
October 18, 2010
Adventure done right
Mark Ellis is a prolific writer, well known for the stories written as James Axler (including the popular Outlanders series) as for those written under his own name. A firm grip on the adventure aspect of storytelling is his forte, and Cryptozoica is a fine example of this. This is an adventure done right. I can easily see it rolling onto the big screen as naturally as a newborn coming out of a womb, already perfect, with hardly a change necessary. Somehow, Mark has managed to marry the Hollywood approach to filmmaking (Indiana Jones crossed with Jurassic Park), that typically makes for much excitement but often falls short for the more sophisticated viewer, with the best traditions of the written genre, capable of pleasing the brainiac science fiction readership. The baby has the best of both. What's more, a lover of Dan Brown may even throw the parentage into question, claiming that the baby clearly must be a product of secret societies at work--and (s)he'd be right!
Cryptozoica also marks a debut of the Mark & Melissa husband-and-wife team as a small press publisher. This shows in the plethora of small but welcome modifications of the standard book layout. The very first pages contain the portraits of the unlikely crew to brave the Island of Big Tamtung--as all other illustrations in the book (including the cute dinosaurs figures next to the page numbers), drawn by Jeff Slemons. The artist has done a great job. The images are eloquent representations of the characters. Interestingly, "Tombstone" Jack Cavanagh bears some resemblance, in my biased opinion, to the author himself. He, along with Augustus Crowe and a teenage Maori girl Mouzi, make the "two captains and one crew member" team of the Cryptozoica Enterprizes: two former members of the U.S. Air Force and Navy respectively, and an ex-pirate girl who doesn't shy away from cutting a man's throat.
Jack's helicopter and Gus's boat are about the only things remaining of the Cryptozoica Enterprizes, their failed attempt to make money out of their discovery of an island in the Pacific teaming with surviving dinosaurs. Joining them is an unlikely trio of a dwarfish scientist, Aubrey Belleau, led to the island by a suppressed portion of Charles Darwin's diary (suppressed, of course, by his secret society), his enormous bodyguard Oakeshott, a black belt who fights dirty in the to-the-death arenas in Bangkok, and Honore Roxton, a woman paleontologist with the handicap of being the only one clueless at the start of the adventure--but with the advantage of being good-looking, if not in the conventional sense, *and* smart. As if this were not enough, the Asian organized crime gets involved, as a dashing Chinese swordswoman and an enigmatic Naga dancer Bai Suzhen, the operational leader of the White Snake triad, joins the fray.
There is both beauty and danger aplenty on the Island of Big Tamtung. But it is not the "big-monster" type of dinosaurs that cannot be killed by a machine gun, like a Majungasaurus, that are the most dangerous animals on the island. Although small and vulnerable to a sword, a pack of Deinonychus is far more deadly, not merely thanks to their sharp claws but more so because of their pack tactics; they are smart enough to figure out how to climb onto a monorail! But even more dangerous are other humans. Stranded on the island, the team is torn apart by conflicting goals and loyalties, while also being pursued by the modern-day pirates. Escaping a Majungasaurus on a personal vendetta is nothing next to that.
Nor are the Deinonychus the smartest dinos on the island. Mark has done a great deal of research, and his (or rather, the paleontologist Dale Russell's) speculation that, had they survived to our time, the Troodon species of the warm-blooded dinosaurs may have evolved into an intelligent species is convincing enough. The appearance of this so-called anthroposaur is one of the highlights of the story, and Mark ties it to the numerous legends about the snake-like Naga people of the Asian antiquity.
An astute reader may notice a few text layout problems in the book. But they do not take away from the story. Cryptozoica is not to be missed, and I'm looking forward to the next book coming out of this husband-and-wife team.
Mark Ellis is a prolific writer, well known for the stories written as James Axler (including the popular Outlanders series) as for those written under his own name. A firm grip on the adventure aspect of storytelling is his forte, and Cryptozoica is a fine example of this. This is an adventure done right. I can easily see it rolling onto the big screen as naturally as a newborn coming out of a womb, already perfect, with hardly a change necessary. Somehow, Mark has managed to marry the Hollywood approach to filmmaking (Indiana Jones crossed with Jurassic Park), that typically makes for much excitement but often falls short for the more sophisticated viewer, with the best traditions of the written genre, capable of pleasing the brainiac science fiction readership. The baby has the best of both. What's more, a lover of Dan Brown may even throw the parentage into question, claiming that the baby clearly must be a product of secret societies at work--and (s)he'd be right!
Cryptozoica also marks a debut of the Mark & Melissa husband-and-wife team as a small press publisher. This shows in the plethora of small but welcome modifications of the standard book layout. The very first pages contain the portraits of the unlikely crew to brave the Island of Big Tamtung--as all other illustrations in the book (including the cute dinosaurs figures next to the page numbers), drawn by Jeff Slemons. The artist has done a great job. The images are eloquent representations of the characters. Interestingly, "Tombstone" Jack Cavanagh bears some resemblance, in my biased opinion, to the author himself. He, along with Augustus Crowe and a teenage Maori girl Mouzi, make the "two captains and one crew member" team of the Cryptozoica Enterprizes: two former members of the U.S. Air Force and Navy respectively, and an ex-pirate girl who doesn't shy away from cutting a man's throat.
Jack's helicopter and Gus's boat are about the only things remaining of the Cryptozoica Enterprizes, their failed attempt to make money out of their discovery of an island in the Pacific teaming with surviving dinosaurs. Joining them is an unlikely trio of a dwarfish scientist, Aubrey Belleau, led to the island by a suppressed portion of Charles Darwin's diary (suppressed, of course, by his secret society), his enormous bodyguard Oakeshott, a black belt who fights dirty in the to-the-death arenas in Bangkok, and Honore Roxton, a woman paleontologist with the handicap of being the only one clueless at the start of the adventure--but with the advantage of being good-looking, if not in the conventional sense, *and* smart. As if this were not enough, the Asian organized crime gets involved, as a dashing Chinese swordswoman and an enigmatic Naga dancer Bai Suzhen, the operational leader of the White Snake triad, joins the fray.
There is both beauty and danger aplenty on the Island of Big Tamtung. But it is not the "big-monster" type of dinosaurs that cannot be killed by a machine gun, like a Majungasaurus, that are the most dangerous animals on the island. Although small and vulnerable to a sword, a pack of Deinonychus is far more deadly, not merely thanks to their sharp claws but more so because of their pack tactics; they are smart enough to figure out how to climb onto a monorail! But even more dangerous are other humans. Stranded on the island, the team is torn apart by conflicting goals and loyalties, while also being pursued by the modern-day pirates. Escaping a Majungasaurus on a personal vendetta is nothing next to that.
Nor are the Deinonychus the smartest dinos on the island. Mark has done a great deal of research, and his (or rather, the paleontologist Dale Russell's) speculation that, had they survived to our time, the Troodon species of the warm-blooded dinosaurs may have evolved into an intelligent species is convincing enough. The appearance of this so-called anthroposaur is one of the highlights of the story, and Mark ties it to the numerous legends about the snake-like Naga people of the Asian antiquity.
An astute reader may notice a few text layout problems in the book. But they do not take away from the story. Cryptozoica is not to be missed, and I'm looking forward to the next book coming out of this husband-and-wife team.
September 20, 2013
Book Review of Cryptozoica by Mark Ellis
I went into reading ‘Cryptozoica’ with a slight amount of apprehension, but the subject matter appealed to me. An island filled with dinosaurs that lay undiscovered by modern man, and the cover depicted raptors and a T-Rex type of Dino. Queue up the ‘Jurassic Park’ music!
While there were some similarities between the two properties it was not enough to spoil my enjoyment of this book. I have to give Mark Ellis credit; the amount of research he had to do to make this book work is very impressive. I was blown away by the depth of knowledge he wrote with.
One other reason for my apprehension was that I read some of the reviews for the book and they seemed to point in the direction of this book being anti-Christian, which to be honest I did not find. If anything I think it gave a fair argument for both sides, be it intelligent design or evolution. Now being a Christian man myself I was relieved to find that this was not a central theme to the story, in fact it was more in the background of the plot, sort of a ‘What if this got out what would it cause?’ type of situation.
But on to the details, this is an adventure book about a down on his luck ex-fighter pilot who’s been stuck on an island called ‘Little Tamtung’ for the past two years, ‘Big Tamtung’, where the Dino’s are is the island close by and where Cryptozoica was set up.
Cryptozoica was originally set up as a sort of playground for the rich and famous. But it never got off the ground as there were several deaths of the financiers who decided they wanted more out of the island than just profit, but you’ll have to read it to find out what.
Since that time ‘Tombstone Jack Kavanaugh’ has been basically trapped on Little Tamtung, because to go back to the states he would be held liable for the wrongful death suits involved in those men’s demise.
The story is filled with action, both of the Man vs. Dino type as well as Man vs. Man. It’s a deep plot involving Asian triads and who wants what money from whom.
But there’s more to it than just that, there’s also the fountain of youth, or in this case the ‘Prima Materia’ or Prime Material which in legend was supposed to be where all life sprang from.
There’s also telepathic lizard women as well.
And dinosaurs, did I mention dinosaurs?
All in all I have to say this was probably the best book I’ve read all year. While I caught small editing mistakes along the way (Tense of certain words as well as missing words all together) stuff like that does not bother me at all, so to me at least it’s not important. Hell I’ve read books published by Tor and other big publishers that have had worse mistakes.
I was surprised how much I liked this book, as I was sad to see it end. There is much left unsaid about Jack Kavanaugh, his partner Crowe, Mouzi the tough female repair tech, triad leader and former dancer Bai Suzhain, and the lovely Honore’ Roxton. Never mind the devil dwarf, Aubrey Belleau. The end looks like its set for another book, and I hope it is. I really liked this book quite a bit, actually more than I expected to, to be honest.
My one negative was not seeing Kavanaugh kick the evil giant Hamish Oakschott’s ass. That would have made this a 100% perfect book for me. As it is it’s only 99.99%. I can’t recommend this one enough. I absolutely loved it.
I went into reading ‘Cryptozoica’ with a slight amount of apprehension, but the subject matter appealed to me. An island filled with dinosaurs that lay undiscovered by modern man, and the cover depicted raptors and a T-Rex type of Dino. Queue up the ‘Jurassic Park’ music!
While there were some similarities between the two properties it was not enough to spoil my enjoyment of this book. I have to give Mark Ellis credit; the amount of research he had to do to make this book work is very impressive. I was blown away by the depth of knowledge he wrote with.
One other reason for my apprehension was that I read some of the reviews for the book and they seemed to point in the direction of this book being anti-Christian, which to be honest I did not find. If anything I think it gave a fair argument for both sides, be it intelligent design or evolution. Now being a Christian man myself I was relieved to find that this was not a central theme to the story, in fact it was more in the background of the plot, sort of a ‘What if this got out what would it cause?’ type of situation.
But on to the details, this is an adventure book about a down on his luck ex-fighter pilot who’s been stuck on an island called ‘Little Tamtung’ for the past two years, ‘Big Tamtung’, where the Dino’s are is the island close by and where Cryptozoica was set up.
Cryptozoica was originally set up as a sort of playground for the rich and famous. But it never got off the ground as there were several deaths of the financiers who decided they wanted more out of the island than just profit, but you’ll have to read it to find out what.
Since that time ‘Tombstone Jack Kavanaugh’ has been basically trapped on Little Tamtung, because to go back to the states he would be held liable for the wrongful death suits involved in those men’s demise.
The story is filled with action, both of the Man vs. Dino type as well as Man vs. Man. It’s a deep plot involving Asian triads and who wants what money from whom.
But there’s more to it than just that, there’s also the fountain of youth, or in this case the ‘Prima Materia’ or Prime Material which in legend was supposed to be where all life sprang from.
There’s also telepathic lizard women as well.
And dinosaurs, did I mention dinosaurs?
All in all I have to say this was probably the best book I’ve read all year. While I caught small editing mistakes along the way (Tense of certain words as well as missing words all together) stuff like that does not bother me at all, so to me at least it’s not important. Hell I’ve read books published by Tor and other big publishers that have had worse mistakes.
I was surprised how much I liked this book, as I was sad to see it end. There is much left unsaid about Jack Kavanaugh, his partner Crowe, Mouzi the tough female repair tech, triad leader and former dancer Bai Suzhain, and the lovely Honore’ Roxton. Never mind the devil dwarf, Aubrey Belleau. The end looks like its set for another book, and I hope it is. I really liked this book quite a bit, actually more than I expected to, to be honest.
My one negative was not seeing Kavanaugh kick the evil giant Hamish Oakschott’s ass. That would have made this a 100% perfect book for me. As it is it’s only 99.99%. I can’t recommend this one enough. I absolutely loved it.
April 20, 2018
A fun, somewhat pulpy adventure rife with drunken antiheroes, vicious dinosaurs, and pseudoscience. The writing is excellent, though marred somewhat by some simple grammatical mistakes that seemed to come and go in clusters. Exposition got heavy at points: Although the author was certainly well researched, he struggled at times to condense that information to maintain pacing. My only other gripe was that the author took some liberties with characterization, mystically transforming crass, alcoholic brawlers into impossibly articulate and well-researched scholars, paleontologists, and botanists at the flip of a switch. That said, the plot was refreshingly unique, the language colorful and rich.
Although it began as an homage to Crichton's "Jurassic Park," it ended with more of a Rollins-esque conclusion. An enjoyable ride.
Although it began as an homage to Crichton's "Jurassic Park," it ended with more of a Rollins-esque conclusion. An enjoyable ride.
July 27, 2013
It reads like Conan Doyle/Jules Verne/Michael Crichton
Dinosaurs, fountain of youth, bad man made good.
Throw in the triads and a woman palaeontologist and you have the general idea.
Some of the dialogue gets bogged down, especially the science and pseudoscience (and that's coming from a scientist!)
Dinosaurs, fountain of youth, bad man made good.
Throw in the triads and a woman palaeontologist and you have the general idea.
Some of the dialogue gets bogged down, especially the science and pseudoscience (and that's coming from a scientist!)
February 6, 2018
I came very close to not reading this book. First off I thought the cover looked really bad. Second off, a few chapters in and I could not get into the story. i am very glad I stayed with the book though. The book got better and better and finally it hit 5 stars worth. This is a great book for people who love old James Rollins. Highly recommended.
October 18, 2010
I thoroughly enjoyed Cryptozoica. It's such a good adventure story, full of twists and turns and vivid characters. I love the art in it, as well.
August 3, 2015
A pulp thriller. If you like Edgar Rice Burroughs, H. Rider Haggard, and simular writers, you will like this book. A fun and fast moving read.
August 3, 2012
This book had serious promise as the action and understory were very well done and compelling. However, its pseudo-science combined with some of the strongest hate speech against the Bible and fundamentalists I have ever read show the author's inner bigotry and ruin the book's pleasant diversion. As it is also deliberately written to be continued, there really is not an ending. This leaves open too many threads to feel any satisfaction upon close.
August 14, 2010
This is like when you watch a cheesy horror movie and hardly anyone dies. You keep waiting for people to get eaten by the dinosaurs but only two do. What a rip off. Also, numerous formatting errors. Really not worth $25.
January 17, 2016
A very enjoyable pulp-fiction style romp, part 'Lost World', part 'Tales Of The Gold Monkey' and part 'Da Vinci Code' this book is enormous fun.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews