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Bones of the Earth
World-renowned paleontologist Richard Leyster's universe changed forever the day a stranger named Griffin walked into his office with a remarkable job offer . . . and an ice cooler containing the head of a freshly killed Stegosaurus. For Leyster and a select group of scientific colleagues an impossible fantasy has come true: the ability to study dinosaurs up close, in their own era and milieu. But tampering with time and paradox can have disastrous effects on the future and the past alike, breeding a violent new strain of fundamentalist terror -- and, worse still, encouraging brilliant rebels like Dr. Gertrude Salley to toy with the working mechanisms of natural law, no matter what the consequences. And when they concern the largest, most savage creatures that ever walked the Earth, the consequences may be too horrifying to imagine . . .
383 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 19, 2002
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December 13, 2017
When a mystery man walks into his office and makes the offer a lifetime, to study dinosaurs in the wild, paleontologist Richard Leyster has no choice but to take him up on it. However, time travel isn't as simple as it first seemed...
Michael Swanwick has been on my radar for years after some praise by China Mieville but I never took the plunge until several of his books popped up for cheap in one of my daily ebook emails.
People either seem to love or hate this book, which I can't fathom. It's was a pretty middle of the road book for me.
The books starts out great. If a shady government type showed up at your office with a ***spoiler*** in an Igloo cooler, you'd be powerless to resist as well. Leave it to the government to muck up a simple thing like time travel with bureaucracy...
The idea of studying dinosaurs in the wild gets complicated by fundamentalist extremists who want to discredit the notion of time travel in order to uphold the young Earth theory. Griffin and company ferret out the mole and try to get our scientists back to the future.
Oh, yeah. Things get timey-wimey right off the bat. Griffin, the military man in charge, works for The Old Man, a much older version of himself. Multiple versions of other characters are wandering around and people in the know are wary of violating the laws of causality and creating time paradoxes.
The meat of the book is the fate of the sabotaged expedition. Swanwick blessedly dipped in and out of their lives and didn't inflict the misery-porn that was their day to day existence upon us. The revelation of who the time travel came from was very satisfying to me, as was the consequences of the rest of the book.
Swanwick posits a lot of questions about dinosaurs, extinction events, and things of that nature. Some of the theories were really fun to think about, like dinos communicating through infrasound.
Oddly enough, I found the science behind the story to me more logical and thought out than the motivations of some of the characters. It's definitely not a character book unless you're into insta-love or insta-hate that later transforms into love. Also, there could have been more dinosaur action.
All things considered, I enjoyed this time travel yarn. Bones of the Earth was a solid $1.99 purchase and I'll be happy to read the other Swanwick books I have on my kindle. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
Michael Swanwick has been on my radar for years after some praise by China Mieville but I never took the plunge until several of his books popped up for cheap in one of my daily ebook emails.
People either seem to love or hate this book, which I can't fathom. It's was a pretty middle of the road book for me.
The books starts out great. If a shady government type showed up at your office with a ***spoiler*** in an Igloo cooler, you'd be powerless to resist as well. Leave it to the government to muck up a simple thing like time travel with bureaucracy...
The idea of studying dinosaurs in the wild gets complicated by fundamentalist extremists who want to discredit the notion of time travel in order to uphold the young Earth theory. Griffin and company ferret out the mole and try to get our scientists back to the future.
Oh, yeah. Things get timey-wimey right off the bat. Griffin, the military man in charge, works for The Old Man, a much older version of himself. Multiple versions of other characters are wandering around and people in the know are wary of violating the laws of causality and creating time paradoxes.
The meat of the book is the fate of the sabotaged expedition. Swanwick blessedly dipped in and out of their lives and didn't inflict the misery-porn that was their day to day existence upon us. The revelation of who the time travel came from was very satisfying to me, as was the consequences of the rest of the book.
Swanwick posits a lot of questions about dinosaurs, extinction events, and things of that nature. Some of the theories were really fun to think about, like dinos communicating through infrasound.
Oddly enough, I found the science behind the story to me more logical and thought out than the motivations of some of the characters. It's definitely not a character book unless you're into insta-love or insta-hate that later transforms into love. Also, there could have been more dinosaur action.
All things considered, I enjoyed this time travel yarn. Bones of the Earth was a solid $1.99 purchase and I'll be happy to read the other Swanwick books I have on my kindle. 3.5 out of 5 stars.
February 9, 2017
This actually turned out to be a wonderfully scientific time-travel SF that fairly shined in theories and all the species of dinosaurs, and we got a treat of actually living there for a time... with complications, of course.
I mean, we have the more pedestrian complications of bureaucracy and directors and academics scheduling a time to go time hopping, but we also have the little issue of religious nuts, too... and OF COURSE we never found a footprint of a human next to a dinosaur's then the time-travel never happened, right? LOL
And then there's Swanwick's interesting treatment of time-like loops and the interesting revelations of where the time travel tech came from, too, not to mention seeing the novel turn into a survivalist's dream, too, and that's just a cool feature of the novel.
I mentioned that I loved the scientific theories, the grounded and detailed and clear explanations for some wild, wild ideas about infrasonic communications among the dinosaurs, the way they could listen to the earth to find safe locations, and how all of that got screwed up after the world was beat like a gong that went on for a hundred years. :) Hell, he even says that it's impossible to prove, but what an idea! I may have to hunt down the original theorist and read more, if it isn't Swanwick.. :) All of this was probably my favorite part... but there were two other areas that really caught my attention.
There was the whole problem of extinction. Not the theories, but of our extinction. This was a seriously interesting tangent.
And then there was the whole reaction to it, too, as well as after we learned what the time-travel really was, or what happened to those people who step outside of time. :) And if that wasn't enough, there was also a beautiful introspective answer to the whole question.
Why are we here? Is it enough to just know and have experienced?
I love these kinds of novels that frame the little questions in the big ones and mirror it all back. :) I've always loved Swanwick's works, too, and while it's probably my least favorite, it's still damn worthy SF. :) This isn't some throw-away time-travel novel. It never even glosses over the awesome science bits. It is full of interesting people in awesome situations.
Now, oddly enough, I've been reading a lot of time-travel stuff this month, and this one is a mite more serious in tone and execution than the others, combined, but that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome in its own right.
I mean, we have the more pedestrian complications of bureaucracy and directors and academics scheduling a time to go time hopping, but we also have the little issue of religious nuts, too... and OF COURSE we never found a footprint of a human next to a dinosaur's then the time-travel never happened, right? LOL
And then there's Swanwick's interesting treatment of time-like loops and the interesting revelations of where the time travel tech came from, too, not to mention seeing the novel turn into a survivalist's dream, too, and that's just a cool feature of the novel.
I mentioned that I loved the scientific theories, the grounded and detailed and clear explanations for some wild, wild ideas about infrasonic communications among the dinosaurs, the way they could listen to the earth to find safe locations, and how all of that got screwed up after the world was beat like a gong that went on for a hundred years. :) Hell, he even says that it's impossible to prove, but what an idea! I may have to hunt down the original theorist and read more, if it isn't Swanwick.. :) All of this was probably my favorite part... but there were two other areas that really caught my attention.
There was the whole problem of extinction. Not the theories, but of our extinction. This was a seriously interesting tangent.
And then there was the whole reaction to it, too, as well as after we learned what the time-travel really was, or what happened to those people who step outside of time. :) And if that wasn't enough, there was also a beautiful introspective answer to the whole question.
Why are we here? Is it enough to just know and have experienced?
I love these kinds of novels that frame the little questions in the big ones and mirror it all back. :) I've always loved Swanwick's works, too, and while it's probably my least favorite, it's still damn worthy SF. :) This isn't some throw-away time-travel novel. It never even glosses over the awesome science bits. It is full of interesting people in awesome situations.
Now, oddly enough, I've been reading a lot of time-travel stuff this month, and this one is a mite more serious in tone and execution than the others, combined, but that doesn't mean it wasn't awesome in its own right.
July 15, 2021
I can't pretend to be objective about this one, as I helped the author on geological questions for the book, which earned me a published acknowledgment, and a signed copy! Michael Swanwick's science advisor! How cool is that? Hard to believe 16 years have passed..... I should reread it (again).
One of the best novels on dinosaurs in SF, if not the best, and an exceptionally twisty time-travel story. Sexy, too! Swanwick's research was meticulous, and his writing's never been better. If you haven't read it yet, you really should.
Here's the review you should read, by my old Usenet pal Rich Horton: https://rrhorton.blogspot.com/2018/11...
One of the best novels on dinosaurs in SF, if not the best, and an exceptionally twisty time-travel story. Sexy, too! Swanwick's research was meticulous, and his writing's never been better. If you haven't read it yet, you really should.
Here's the review you should read, by my old Usenet pal Rich Horton: https://rrhorton.blogspot.com/2018/11...
October 2, 2024
Bones of the Earth is my favorite of the Swanwick novels that I've read. I believe he's generally a better short fiction writer than novelist, but this one has very convincing and well-researched dinosaurs, time travel with rules that are easy to understand, scientists who are realistically convincing as intelligent and occasionally vicious and petty and sexy, and a couple of other cool attributes just short of a kitchen sink. Jurassic Park meets Heinlein and Bradbury...paleontology and paradoxes with a cool Joe DeVito cover to boot.
October 3, 2018
Devo dire che per essere abbastanza incasinato mi è piaciuto. Il quale è una rarità. Mi aspettavo più dinosauri ma anche così va bene. È più una cosa sui viaggi nel tempo e paradossi vari che vengono smentiti così è più facile la cosa. Sapete che se venisse inventata veramente la macchina del tempo è preferibile andare nel futuro invece che nel passato in quanto incontrare un antenato potrebbe cambiare la storia e voi non potreste essere mai nati. Tutto annullato. Qui si va da una parte all'altra. Tutto è già successo nel passato. I cambiamenti non influiscono sulla storia.
July 27, 2024
Bones of the Earth
By Michael Swanwick
What a great novel! I normally stay clear of time travel books because of all the mistakes that can be made with the science. This one was so entertaining and fascinating! This not only has time travel but dinosaurs, trapped in the past experience, aliens, suspense, and more. It had intriguing characters, unusual situations, and boy, I wish I could experience some of these adventures! Definitely not experience others!
I don't think I have read anything by this author before. Will keep my eyes open for more from him.
By Michael Swanwick
What a great novel! I normally stay clear of time travel books because of all the mistakes that can be made with the science. This one was so entertaining and fascinating! This not only has time travel but dinosaurs, trapped in the past experience, aliens, suspense, and more. It had intriguing characters, unusual situations, and boy, I wish I could experience some of these adventures! Definitely not experience others!
I don't think I have read anything by this author before. Will keep my eyes open for more from him.
February 23, 2015
In this episode of L&O SDU (Special Dino Unit), the paleontologists get stuck in the Cretaceous, have an orgy, Lai-tsz gets pregnant, and Leyster wants her to have an abortion. Meanwhile, T-Rex ranches some hadrosaurs.
September 26, 2024
“It’s a human thing. You wouldn’t understand.” A pivotal argument made, regarding why we do science at all, and a statement perfectly crafted for the moment it is used.
Bones of the Earth is Michael Swanwick’s 2002 time travel and dinosaur novel. In the near future, Smithsonian paleontologist Richard Leyster is recruited into a secret time travel program, when the mysterious Harry Griffin quietly delivers him a cooler containing the head of a freshly killed stegosaurus. He is promised access to living and breathing dinosaurs, but the trade-off is that he will be prohibited from discussing or publishing findings outside the program. Leyster finds himself deeply embroiled in a clandestine US science project made up of several generations of future paleontologists and agents whose timelines are non-chronologically interwoven. All are prohibited from creating paradox, but the enforcement is organizational, not intrinsic to the structure of spacetime. It is a worthy time travel yarn, with a wonderfully convoluted chain of causality, tracing eventually to the far future sponsors of the research.
Embedded within that plot is a riveting story of survival in the late cretaceous (65 My B.C.E.). Intensely detailed with plausible speculation on the interdependent ecosystem of that era, Swanwick gives us a dinosaur experience that feels authentic rather than theme park thin. Being scientists, the castaways collect evidence and develop a breakthrough theory on infrasound hearing and systematic interaction between species of non-avian dinosaurs, which possibly contributed to their extinction.
The characters have adequate complexity to carry off an involving adventure, while the physical descriptions are real enough to engage those of us who prefer science in our science fiction, and the time travel logic is challenging. In the end, the novel speaks to knowledge of the universe as a meaning for life. Altogether, this was a great read.
Michael Swanwick is an American science fiction writer, whose works are sparse, but of high quality. His 2002 novel, Bones of the Earth, is an expansion of his Hugo-winning story “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur” (which I had read in the July 1999 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine). The novel was nominated for all of Nebula, Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Awards.
Bones of the Earth is Michael Swanwick’s 2002 time travel and dinosaur novel. In the near future, Smithsonian paleontologist Richard Leyster is recruited into a secret time travel program, when the mysterious Harry Griffin quietly delivers him a cooler containing the head of a freshly killed stegosaurus. He is promised access to living and breathing dinosaurs, but the trade-off is that he will be prohibited from discussing or publishing findings outside the program. Leyster finds himself deeply embroiled in a clandestine US science project made up of several generations of future paleontologists and agents whose timelines are non-chronologically interwoven. All are prohibited from creating paradox, but the enforcement is organizational, not intrinsic to the structure of spacetime. It is a worthy time travel yarn, with a wonderfully convoluted chain of causality, tracing eventually to the far future sponsors of the research.
Embedded within that plot is a riveting story of survival in the late cretaceous (65 My B.C.E.). Intensely detailed with plausible speculation on the interdependent ecosystem of that era, Swanwick gives us a dinosaur experience that feels authentic rather than theme park thin. Being scientists, the castaways collect evidence and develop a breakthrough theory on infrasound hearing and systematic interaction between species of non-avian dinosaurs, which possibly contributed to their extinction.
The characters have adequate complexity to carry off an involving adventure, while the physical descriptions are real enough to engage those of us who prefer science in our science fiction, and the time travel logic is challenging. In the end, the novel speaks to knowledge of the universe as a meaning for life. Altogether, this was a great read.
Michael Swanwick is an American science fiction writer, whose works are sparse, but of high quality. His 2002 novel, Bones of the Earth, is an expansion of his Hugo-winning story “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur” (which I had read in the July 1999 issue of Asimov’s Science Fiction Magazine). The novel was nominated for all of Nebula, Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Awards.
June 7, 2010
This book had an interesting premise in the idea of a paleontologist traveling back in time to study dinos after a mysterious guest visits his lab and leaves a freshly decapitated stegosaurus head in a cooler. Sure, we're all a little dino fictioned out in the post-Jurassic Park era but that's kind of a cool beginning, no? I almost said we're all dino'd out but that's not possible. I still am glued to my radio whenever NPR Science Friday has a paleontologist guest. That, btw, is a dandy show.
Oh, this book. I've already lost interest. Instead of dinosaur mayhem, this is a ponderous tome on the philosophy of time travel and how mankind would just fuck up given something so powerful. Which is naturally what happens. The group using the technology do something that causes a time paradox and labryinthine plot lines and many speeches ensue. I'm all for some substance baked into my mayhem but this was just a tedious read. It was nominated for lots of prestigious SF awards though and from a cursory glance at other reviews, it seems to be a love/hate kind of read.
For a good book on time travel as a historical research, I loved Connie Willis' Doomsday Book.
Oh, this book. I've already lost interest. Instead of dinosaur mayhem, this is a ponderous tome on the philosophy of time travel and how mankind would just fuck up given something so powerful. Which is naturally what happens. The group using the technology do something that causes a time paradox and labryinthine plot lines and many speeches ensue. I'm all for some substance baked into my mayhem but this was just a tedious read. It was nominated for lots of prestigious SF awards though and from a cursory glance at other reviews, it seems to be a love/hate kind of read.
For a good book on time travel as a historical research, I loved Connie Willis' Doomsday Book.
September 19, 2025
I've always liked a good story with dinosaurs! And this is a good one. It follows in the footsteps of the classic SF 1952 short story "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury, in which people go back to the time of the dinosaurs. But in Bradbury's tale, they are going back on safari to hunt the prehistoric beasties. Swanwick's story makes more sense--they are scientists going back in time to study the dinosaurs. Swanwick's story is a complex one as the humans deal with time paradoxes. And it's a mystery to be solved at the end as to where (and when) the time travel tech came from.
At the heart of the story, we have a party of scientists stranded in the Late Cretaceous of 65 million years ago. A fundamentalist Christian sabotages the "time machine" as he believes it's a Satanic deception that the world is millions of years old when, according to the Bible, it's only 4000 years old... So then we have a gripping survival story...
An intelligent and thought-provoking book with some really thrilling moments, although many readers (like myself!) might want MORE dinosaurs!
At the heart of the story, we have a party of scientists stranded in the Late Cretaceous of 65 million years ago. A fundamentalist Christian sabotages the "time machine" as he believes it's a Satanic deception that the world is millions of years old when, according to the Bible, it's only 4000 years old... So then we have a gripping survival story...
An intelligent and thought-provoking book with some really thrilling moments, although many readers (like myself!) might want MORE dinosaurs!
January 16, 2019
Time travel as a rule is not one of my favorite genres. And with good reason, if this book is any measure. Miserably feeble attempts at rationally explaining paradox almost always falls short. This book rather elaborately reinforces this point. As for the characters? The too few dinosaurs in their too brief attention appear to have more character than any of the humanoid species. As for the gratuitous sex? You’ve gotta be kidding me. The sex was more in the nature of a ‘fan service’ sort of accompaniment rather than lending any sort of value to the story. Note I do not use the word plot here because there really doesn’t appear to be one. I can’t help wonder if the author has ever had any experience with other humans, although I would allow that he does have some knowledge of dinosaurs. Instead this book appears to be more in the nature of a platform for the author’s own inflated sense of cleverness in dispelling the paradox of time travel. He does not succeed.
April 22, 2012
3.5 stars Originally posted at FanLit.
Paleontologist Richard Leyster works for the Smithsonian. It’s his dream job, so naturally he scoffs when a strange man named Harry Griffin offers him a new job whose description and benefits are vague. But when Griffin leaves an Igloo cooler containing the head of a real dinosaur on Leyster’s desk, Leyster is definitely intrigued. A couple of years later, when Griffin finally contacts him again, Leyster is ready to sign on to Griffin’s crazy project. He and a team of scientists are sent back to the Mesozoic era to study, up close and personal, the animals that, previously, had only been known by their bones. When a Christian fundamentalist terror group disrupts the project, things get very dangerous for Leyster and his colleagues. There are also concerns about the whole time-travel technology. How does it work? Where did it come from? What is the government hiding?
Bones of the Earth gleefully revels in paleontology and paradoxes. Readers will go to science conferences, watch grad students do field work, and listen to lengthy discussions about the classification of dinosaurs, the evolution of fringe ecological niches, and the event that caused dinosaur extinction. Some of this gets a little dry. There’s an entire chapter called “Peer Review” in which several scientists work together to write up a paper that, due to being stuck in the Mesozoic era, they know will never be published. (Even though this went on too long, I loved this idea!) But it’s not all stuffy science, because this is Michael Swanwick, so there’s also a paleontologist orgy — probably the first one ever.
Most people, if they had the chance to move around in time, would be tempted to use this ability to profit financially — get the lottery numbers from the newspaper, find out who won a horse race and go back and bet on it... But not a paleontologist. Swanwick speculates that they’d prefer prestige over money (and I think he’s right about that). Thus, Dr. Gertrude Salley, who’s both a hero and a villain in this story, gleans facts instead of dollars during her time travels. Later, when Salley creates a time paradox and is forced to meet herself, she’s chagrined to learn that she’s not much fun to be around. Swanwick also takes us to the far distant future and speculates about the future of the human species. Humanity’s prospects are grim, but we’re left with a deep admiration for the human mind, its insatiable curiosity, and the science that allows us to fulfill our desire to understand our world.
I’ll mention, since I’ve seen some negative reviews of Bones of the Earth, that some readers have accused the book of being anti-Christian because the terrorists are creationists. I am both a Christian and a scientist and I did not feel that the book was anti-Christian. Yes, there is a villain who identifies as a Christian creationist, but two of the small group of paleontologists are also specifically identified as practicing Christians. A Christian who refuses to consider the possibility that creation and evolution are not mutually exclusive probably won’t like this book. For everyone else, it’s fine.
Bones of the Earth, originally published in 2002, is an expansion of Michael Swanwick’s 1999 short story “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur” which was published in Asimov’s Science Fiction and won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2000. Bones of the Earth was nominated for a Nebula, Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Award. Kevin Pariseau narrates Audible Frontier’s version which has recently been released. He was a great choice for this book. During my life I’ve listened to hundreds of scientists talking about their research. There’s a certain reserved enthusiasm and eagerness they display and Mr. Pariseau has this down perfectly — he would fit right in at any scientific conference.
Paleontologist Richard Leyster works for the Smithsonian. It’s his dream job, so naturally he scoffs when a strange man named Harry Griffin offers him a new job whose description and benefits are vague. But when Griffin leaves an Igloo cooler containing the head of a real dinosaur on Leyster’s desk, Leyster is definitely intrigued. A couple of years later, when Griffin finally contacts him again, Leyster is ready to sign on to Griffin’s crazy project. He and a team of scientists are sent back to the Mesozoic era to study, up close and personal, the animals that, previously, had only been known by their bones. When a Christian fundamentalist terror group disrupts the project, things get very dangerous for Leyster and his colleagues. There are also concerns about the whole time-travel technology. How does it work? Where did it come from? What is the government hiding?
Bones of the Earth gleefully revels in paleontology and paradoxes. Readers will go to science conferences, watch grad students do field work, and listen to lengthy discussions about the classification of dinosaurs, the evolution of fringe ecological niches, and the event that caused dinosaur extinction. Some of this gets a little dry. There’s an entire chapter called “Peer Review” in which several scientists work together to write up a paper that, due to being stuck in the Mesozoic era, they know will never be published. (Even though this went on too long, I loved this idea!) But it’s not all stuffy science, because this is Michael Swanwick, so there’s also a paleontologist orgy — probably the first one ever.
Most people, if they had the chance to move around in time, would be tempted to use this ability to profit financially — get the lottery numbers from the newspaper, find out who won a horse race and go back and bet on it... But not a paleontologist. Swanwick speculates that they’d prefer prestige over money (and I think he’s right about that). Thus, Dr. Gertrude Salley, who’s both a hero and a villain in this story, gleans facts instead of dollars during her time travels. Later, when Salley creates a time paradox and is forced to meet herself, she’s chagrined to learn that she’s not much fun to be around. Swanwick also takes us to the far distant future and speculates about the future of the human species. Humanity’s prospects are grim, but we’re left with a deep admiration for the human mind, its insatiable curiosity, and the science that allows us to fulfill our desire to understand our world.
I’ll mention, since I’ve seen some negative reviews of Bones of the Earth, that some readers have accused the book of being anti-Christian because the terrorists are creationists. I am both a Christian and a scientist and I did not feel that the book was anti-Christian. Yes, there is a villain who identifies as a Christian creationist, but two of the small group of paleontologists are also specifically identified as practicing Christians. A Christian who refuses to consider the possibility that creation and evolution are not mutually exclusive probably won’t like this book. For everyone else, it’s fine.
Bones of the Earth, originally published in 2002, is an expansion of Michael Swanwick’s 1999 short story “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur” which was published in Asimov’s Science Fiction and won the Hugo Award for Best Short Story in 2000. Bones of the Earth was nominated for a Nebula, Hugo, Campbell, and Locus Award. Kevin Pariseau narrates Audible Frontier’s version which has recently been released. He was a great choice for this book. During my life I’ve listened to hundreds of scientists talking about their research. There’s a certain reserved enthusiasm and eagerness they display and Mr. Pariseau has this down perfectly — he would fit right in at any scientific conference.
January 11, 2024
Audiorreseña detallada en mi podcast Gabinete de Curiosidades en el programa "Mis diez mejores novelas de 2023: https://go.ivoox.com/rf/122452942
- Mira, Julio, esta es una novela de viajes en el tiempo
-Bien, cuentas con mi curiosidad.
-Y salen dinosaurios.
-Ahora cuentas con mi atención.
-Y los paleontólogos se han convertido en estrellas del rock y son los profesionales más queridos, admirados y respetados del mu... ¡Caballero, por favor, súbase los pantalones ahora mismo!
¿Os parece que una historia en la que a la humanidad, misteriosa y sospechosamente, se le hace entrega de una tecnología que permite viajar en el tiempo solo y exclusivamente para estudiar a los dinosaurios en su entorno es, posiblemente, la mejor premisa de todos los tiempos? Es que para que voy a decir más, ¡Leed a Michael Swanwick! ¡YA!
- Mira, Julio, esta es una novela de viajes en el tiempo
-Bien, cuentas con mi curiosidad.
-Y salen dinosaurios.
-Ahora cuentas con mi atención.
-Y los paleontólogos se han convertido en estrellas del rock y son los profesionales más queridos, admirados y respetados del mu... ¡Caballero, por favor, súbase los pantalones ahora mismo!
¿Os parece que una historia en la que a la humanidad, misteriosa y sospechosamente, se le hace entrega de una tecnología que permite viajar en el tiempo solo y exclusivamente para estudiar a los dinosaurios en su entorno es, posiblemente, la mejor premisa de todos los tiempos? Es que para que voy a decir más, ¡Leed a Michael Swanwick! ¡YA!
March 16, 2022
Si no fuera porque me lo recomendaron jamás habría llegado a éste libro. No hagan caso de la portada tan cutre. Intrigas corporativas con dinosaurios y viajes en el tiempo. Jurassic Park + Dark. Personajes que van y vuelven en el tiempo, versiones jóvenes vs sus versiones adultas ⏳🦖🤯 Todo con dinosaurios de por medio.
May 29, 2015
-Algo rara, algo distinta.-
Género. Ciencia-Ficción.
Lo que nos cuenta. El paleontólogo Richard Leyster es tentado con una oferta laboral poco concreta y misteriosa que tiene la intención de rechazar pero el hecho de que su entrevistador le acabe dejando en sus manos la cabeza de un cadáver de dinosaurio real, para que le haga la autopsia, le hace decidirse sin dudarlo. Y cuando descubra que el viaje en el tiempo es posible, no podrá esperar para hacer exploraciones de campo por sí mismo. Pero ciertas personas, que rechazan el darwinismo y abrazan el creacionismo, están dispuestas a cualquier cosa por sus creencias.
¿Quiere saber más de este libro, sin spoilers? Visite:
http://librosdeolethros.blogspot.com/...
July 4, 2019
Not good.
I wanted to stop reading many times but I kept thinking it's got to get better, there are dinosaur in this book. It never did. The book was hard to keep track of all the characters and the timeline they were in. I really thought the dinosaurs would be essential to the story but they were more like background characters.
I wanted to stop reading many times but I kept thinking it's got to get better, there are dinosaur in this book. It never did. The book was hard to keep track of all the characters and the timeline they were in. I really thought the dinosaurs would be essential to the story but they were more like background characters.
February 8, 2013
It sounds at first like it could be one of those situations where a writer pitches a concept as the combination of two concepts that don't necessarily belong together. "Ninja Cook on Mars!" Or "Underwater Band Assassins!" "John Updike crossed with Dr Seuss!" You get the idea. Here Swanwick gives us dinosaurs AND time travel, and against all odds manages to write a story about it that makes sense to itself and reveals interesting ideas about both topics. If it sounds easy, its because you haven't tried it.
In a simple year, a paleontologist is greeted by a man who promises him opportunities of study that he would never be able to imagine, and when said scientist balks at the bizarre offer, the other man leaves him a package that contains the offer he cannot refuse. The package is the severed head of a dinosaur that was recently alive. Needless to say, he accepts, and we're thrust into the concept. At some point we are given time travel technology that allows the paleontologists to one-up "Jurassic Park" and view dinosaurs in their natural environment, as expeditions and the like are dropped all throughout history. There's no real concern about any kind of butterfly effect because it all seems to be taken care of. Their fondest dreams are coming true. There can't possibly be any downside.
And for the scientists there isn't. But for the people who are managing the time travel technology, they have to be on constant guard for threats against the system, looping around themselves in time to send themselves memos back and forth warning about future events and thus allowing them to prepare for said events so that time can proceed as its supposed. Because the beings that have given us the technology don't take too kindly to paradoxes and one big one is all it will take to have them show up and shut the whole thing down. What's worse is they'll erase the whole timeline as well, rendering all of this pointless.
I'm a sucker for anything with dinosaurs but this is a concept that's beyond fascinating, to the point where you can't believe that someone hasn't already thought of this. The bare structure of the novel alone is enough to fuel seasons of a television show or book series, and Swanwick doesn't skimp on the research, not only giving us somewhat plausible time travel issues but also including enough meat about paleontology so that all the dinosaur stuff doesn't seem like window dressing. It works quite well as a novel with feet in both aisles. And because he's a halfway decent writer, we are given actual characters that aren't just faint ghosts inhabiting the idea and making the plot go through its motions. Even the notion that extreme fundamentalist groups would try to hide people bones amidst the dinosaur bones to "prove" that the two of them lived at the same time isn't that far a stretch when people are honestly attempting to introduce creationist concepts into public schools with a straight face.
However, as amazing as I find all this (and I could read descriptions of dinosaur theories all day), I do have to note that the book does suffer from a slight lack of focus as it heads toward the middle and end sections. The story was apparently expanded from a short story that Swanwick had once written and once you get further into it, it feels like the seams begin to show. A diversion in the plot spotlighting a group of people who get stranded in the past winds up having precious little to do with the rest as the other characters attempt to forestall a final paradox that will tick off the people in charge. The two plots then proceed along separate tracks, but when the ending comes it feels like you could have excised the "stuck in the past" parts completely. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those bits for the scenery and the theories but it seems to dissipate the tension that previously existed in the novel, with the threat of terrorist groups fading into both more immediate and more existential threats. Where the ideas of time travel and exploring the past were more intertwined in the early stages of the book, it feels much less integrated until the very, very end, where the ending suggests that none of it mattered very much anyway. Or it mattered a great deal.
Even the glimpse of our future is too brief to sustain a sense of wonder, although another whole book could have been divined from just those scenes. It gives the novel a bit of an embarrassment of riches that it doesn't quite capitalize on. The merging of the concepts is genius, but the execution is merely very good. It didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book (there was a twelve year old in me doing serious backflips) but the gradual drift and shift is noticeable. But I'll take the trade of clotted intensity for "wow awesome dinosaurs" any day, especially when the ideas are stuffed in so tightly. In a way its like a pile of leaves being thrown into a lake. Beautiful in descent, graceful in impact and even if the resulting drift loses its shape, the shimmer it leaves from the summer are worthwhile to see, even as its cohesion dissolves.
In a simple year, a paleontologist is greeted by a man who promises him opportunities of study that he would never be able to imagine, and when said scientist balks at the bizarre offer, the other man leaves him a package that contains the offer he cannot refuse. The package is the severed head of a dinosaur that was recently alive. Needless to say, he accepts, and we're thrust into the concept. At some point we are given time travel technology that allows the paleontologists to one-up "Jurassic Park" and view dinosaurs in their natural environment, as expeditions and the like are dropped all throughout history. There's no real concern about any kind of butterfly effect because it all seems to be taken care of. Their fondest dreams are coming true. There can't possibly be any downside.
And for the scientists there isn't. But for the people who are managing the time travel technology, they have to be on constant guard for threats against the system, looping around themselves in time to send themselves memos back and forth warning about future events and thus allowing them to prepare for said events so that time can proceed as its supposed. Because the beings that have given us the technology don't take too kindly to paradoxes and one big one is all it will take to have them show up and shut the whole thing down. What's worse is they'll erase the whole timeline as well, rendering all of this pointless.
I'm a sucker for anything with dinosaurs but this is a concept that's beyond fascinating, to the point where you can't believe that someone hasn't already thought of this. The bare structure of the novel alone is enough to fuel seasons of a television show or book series, and Swanwick doesn't skimp on the research, not only giving us somewhat plausible time travel issues but also including enough meat about paleontology so that all the dinosaur stuff doesn't seem like window dressing. It works quite well as a novel with feet in both aisles. And because he's a halfway decent writer, we are given actual characters that aren't just faint ghosts inhabiting the idea and making the plot go through its motions. Even the notion that extreme fundamentalist groups would try to hide people bones amidst the dinosaur bones to "prove" that the two of them lived at the same time isn't that far a stretch when people are honestly attempting to introduce creationist concepts into public schools with a straight face.
However, as amazing as I find all this (and I could read descriptions of dinosaur theories all day), I do have to note that the book does suffer from a slight lack of focus as it heads toward the middle and end sections. The story was apparently expanded from a short story that Swanwick had once written and once you get further into it, it feels like the seams begin to show. A diversion in the plot spotlighting a group of people who get stranded in the past winds up having precious little to do with the rest as the other characters attempt to forestall a final paradox that will tick off the people in charge. The two plots then proceed along separate tracks, but when the ending comes it feels like you could have excised the "stuck in the past" parts completely. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy those bits for the scenery and the theories but it seems to dissipate the tension that previously existed in the novel, with the threat of terrorist groups fading into both more immediate and more existential threats. Where the ideas of time travel and exploring the past were more intertwined in the early stages of the book, it feels much less integrated until the very, very end, where the ending suggests that none of it mattered very much anyway. Or it mattered a great deal.
Even the glimpse of our future is too brief to sustain a sense of wonder, although another whole book could have been divined from just those scenes. It gives the novel a bit of an embarrassment of riches that it doesn't quite capitalize on. The merging of the concepts is genius, but the execution is merely very good. It didn't detract too much from my enjoyment of the book (there was a twelve year old in me doing serious backflips) but the gradual drift and shift is noticeable. But I'll take the trade of clotted intensity for "wow awesome dinosaurs" any day, especially when the ideas are stuffed in so tightly. In a way its like a pile of leaves being thrown into a lake. Beautiful in descent, graceful in impact and even if the resulting drift loses its shape, the shimmer it leaves from the summer are worthwhile to see, even as its cohesion dissolves.
April 14, 2022
Michael Swanwick’s BONES OF THE EARTH marks the third book in a row that I’ve read and not been exactly excited about but which, in the final estimation, has more positive aspects to it than negative and that pushes me toward a higher star rating. I found it a long while back on a list of time travel books (this is also how I came upon Octavia E. Butler’s KINDRED) but it wasn’t available at my city library so it got pushed down my WTRs until I learned about a *county* library system which had a lot of titles my city library did not… including this one.
Going into it, I knew two things about it: time travel and dinosaurs. The book definitely delivers on both those fronts. Paleontologist Richard Leyster is approached by a shadowy government figure named Griffin (does he have a first name?) with an offer he can’t refuse: be among a select few offered the chance to use literal time travel to study actual, living dinosaurs some 65+ million years in the past. Leyster has questions about why the government would use time travel for this purpose, rather than something more nefarious (i.e. as a weapon) but ultimately submits because, I mean come on: ACTUAL dinosaurs!
The dinosaur talk is very science-y! There are a few of the classics—stegosaurs, Tyrannosaurs, triceratopses—but a lot of the dinos are of a sort I’ve never heard of before. When they’re named, their names are written in italics because they’re going by their scientific, Latin names. That makes it a tiny bit difficult to appreciate the diversity of species, since I don’t know and can’t easily imagine some of them, but it also makes me assume that Swanwick is a learned man who knows what he’s talking about. There are a decent amount of action scenes involving danger from the creatures, but much of the dinosaur section is made up of… research and hypothesis. They theorize that dinosaurs “speak” to each other using infrasound and then set out to prove it through experimentation! Leyster writes a research paper in his mind about the “ranching” behavior of Tyrannosaurs and with the help of his colleagues edits it for conciseness! I actually do appreciate this part of the book; I appreciated Leyster’s rigorous insistence on Science with a capital ‘s’.
The time travel stuff also has its highs. Specifically, a second group which includes Griffin and Dr. Gertrude Salley, Leyster’s nemesis/love interest, travels *forward* in time in an effort to locate the mysterious, possibly alien beings who gifted humanity with time travel to begin with. They’re doing this because Leyster’s group got trapped in the past after a young-earth creationist terrorist blew up the device that allowed them to get home again. The book begins alternating chapters of the group in the distant past and the group in the far future. The views of the earth of the future are neat, and there’s a fair bit of science-talk in this section too, and I did certainly enjoy the description of the “others” once they were found (without giving too much away, suffice it to say that it’s in keeping with the theme of the book). I was frustrated, though, by the convoluted thread of the time travel story. I know that tying the plot into knots is the bread and butter of time travel narratives, but I couldn’t help feeling this one just… didn’t make a lot of sense. It doesn’t seem that it was something that could be sorted out with focus but that it was sort of all over the place, particularly when it came to who was showing up when and from what time in the future/past. A lot of it was papered over with the excuse “That’s what happened”, an argument of predestination, and I thought this weak-ass explanation would get skewered eventually but it didn’t quite happen that way.
Again, though, there’s enough cool set pieces to make up for those frustrations. And I can’t end this review without talking about the moment almost exactly 50% of the way in when Leyster’s group discovers they are lost in time and figure there’s no way back for them. After all, if anybody were coming to save them wouldn’t they *already* be there? Or wouldn’t the terrorist’s plan have been foiled before it occurred? It’s time travel, after all. So, realizing they’re almost certainly stuck in the Mesozoic for the rest of their lives, this distinguished group of scientists do the only logical thing: have an orgy. I found this a hilarious (but understandable) reaction to their predicament. And I guess they made it sort of a regular thing, although it’s only described in detail once.
Altogether, reading the book I thought it was okay but not great. Rating it, I thought it leaned more toward 4 than 3 stars just because of the scientific outlook and some of the exciting moments (e.g. rafting past triceratops, challenging the Unchanging, the aforementioned orgy). Writing about it now, I actually think I enjoyed it more than I was frustrated by it and I’m coming to think it’s a pure 4 stars. Haha so that’s where I’m at. I liked it. ☺️
Going into it, I knew two things about it: time travel and dinosaurs. The book definitely delivers on both those fronts. Paleontologist Richard Leyster is approached by a shadowy government figure named Griffin (does he have a first name?) with an offer he can’t refuse: be among a select few offered the chance to use literal time travel to study actual, living dinosaurs some 65+ million years in the past. Leyster has questions about why the government would use time travel for this purpose, rather than something more nefarious (i.e. as a weapon) but ultimately submits because, I mean come on: ACTUAL dinosaurs!
The dinosaur talk is very science-y! There are a few of the classics—stegosaurs, Tyrannosaurs, triceratopses—but a lot of the dinos are of a sort I’ve never heard of before. When they’re named, their names are written in italics because they’re going by their scientific, Latin names. That makes it a tiny bit difficult to appreciate the diversity of species, since I don’t know and can’t easily imagine some of them, but it also makes me assume that Swanwick is a learned man who knows what he’s talking about. There are a decent amount of action scenes involving danger from the creatures, but much of the dinosaur section is made up of… research and hypothesis. They theorize that dinosaurs “speak” to each other using infrasound and then set out to prove it through experimentation! Leyster writes a research paper in his mind about the “ranching” behavior of Tyrannosaurs and with the help of his colleagues edits it for conciseness! I actually do appreciate this part of the book; I appreciated Leyster’s rigorous insistence on Science with a capital ‘s’.
The time travel stuff also has its highs. Specifically, a second group which includes Griffin and Dr. Gertrude Salley, Leyster’s nemesis/love interest, travels *forward* in time in an effort to locate the mysterious, possibly alien beings who gifted humanity with time travel to begin with. They’re doing this because Leyster’s group got trapped in the past after a young-earth creationist terrorist blew up the device that allowed them to get home again. The book begins alternating chapters of the group in the distant past and the group in the far future. The views of the earth of the future are neat, and there’s a fair bit of science-talk in this section too, and I did certainly enjoy the description of the “others” once they were found (without giving too much away, suffice it to say that it’s in keeping with the theme of the book). I was frustrated, though, by the convoluted thread of the time travel story. I know that tying the plot into knots is the bread and butter of time travel narratives, but I couldn’t help feeling this one just… didn’t make a lot of sense. It doesn’t seem that it was something that could be sorted out with focus but that it was sort of all over the place, particularly when it came to who was showing up when and from what time in the future/past. A lot of it was papered over with the excuse “That’s what happened”, an argument of predestination, and I thought this weak-ass explanation would get skewered eventually but it didn’t quite happen that way.
Again, though, there’s enough cool set pieces to make up for those frustrations. And I can’t end this review without talking about the moment almost exactly 50% of the way in when Leyster’s group discovers they are lost in time and figure there’s no way back for them. After all, if anybody were coming to save them wouldn’t they *already* be there? Or wouldn’t the terrorist’s plan have been foiled before it occurred? It’s time travel, after all. So, realizing they’re almost certainly stuck in the Mesozoic for the rest of their lives, this distinguished group of scientists do the only logical thing: have an orgy. I found this a hilarious (but understandable) reaction to their predicament. And I guess they made it sort of a regular thing, although it’s only described in detail once.
Altogether, reading the book I thought it was okay but not great. Rating it, I thought it leaned more toward 4 than 3 stars just because of the scientific outlook and some of the exciting moments (e.g. rafting past triceratops, challenging the Unchanging, the aforementioned orgy). Writing about it now, I actually think I enjoyed it more than I was frustrated by it and I’m coming to think it’s a pure 4 stars. Haha so that’s where I’m at. I liked it. ☺️
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 5, 2018
I don’t know why, but I didn’t have terribly high expectations for this book. I really enjoyed it. It’s a good time - dinosaurs, orgies, time travel. Just a lot of fun.
March 26, 2012
This is one of my favorite SF books of recent years for several reasons. I love the fact that it has realistic scientist characters and shows them at work. They are not perfect, but they are clearly deeply curious about the world around them and willing to go to great efforts to learn more about it (the scenes in the first chapter in which Leyster, the paleontologist, describes the way he spent endless hours to learn everything possible from a rare find of dinosaur footprints, in which Leyster then devotes hours to dissecting the fresh dinosaur head presented to him by a mysterious visitor are wonderful). I enjoyed the twisty time-travel aspects of the book, as well, and the amusing fact that even with time travel, uncovering facts about living creatures takes hard work, too. The key element of the book however, was the philosophical argument that it presents, justifying scientific investigation as a reason for living, even when there is no other reward than the pleasure of finding out a few more facts (or even just one) about the world.
July 31, 2009
I needed a "light summer read" after all the intense writing and reading I've been doing (research, etc.), so I settled down on the deck one afternoon with this book and was totally swept away. What a GREAT dinosaur/time travel story, and the writing is clear and evocative. GREAT STUFF! Terrific research. I don't know enough about dinosaurs to know when the research ends and the fiction begins, but this is a thought-provoking book with an intense story and great characters. READ IT!
June 13, 2013
Swanwick è molto bravo, e deve aver studiato anche molto per scrivere questo romanzo in particolare, ma credo che non abbia risolto i paradossi temporali in maniera soddisfacente: il Deus Machina che "dà il permesso" a Salley di modificare la propria linea temporale non mi convince particolarmente :) però è un bel romanzo, nonostante tutto :)
March 13, 2018
A good time travel novel - particularly one involving dinosaurs - is quite rare and it was a real treat to read "Bones of the Earth." Time travel can be a hard subject to tackle successfully, and so much in the popular media about dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals is wrong; it is wonderful to see a science fiction author do a good job with both.
The novel begins with a scene where the protagonist, paleontologist Dr. Richard Leyster, is working in his office at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Into his office comes a stranger by the name of Griffin, bearing with him an intriguing proposal; he is to set aside his duties at what essentially is his dream job (or so he thought) and work for him on a top secret project, a project Griffin cannot reveal any information at the time about and any information Leyster uncovers working for them cannot be published. Leyster at first of course refuses. Griffin leaves Leyster's office, having placed an Igloo cooler on his desk. After Griffin left, Leyster opens it and is astounded by what he finds; the head of a very freshly killed stegosaur. After verifying that it was real Leyster does make contact again with Griffin and agrees to work on his project.
The project is indeed a most impressive one, with Griffin apparently the chief administrator for am ambitious effort to study the Mesozoic from the earliest Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous, shortly before whatever event ended the reign of the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and the various prehistoric marine reptile species. The organization manages a number of stations throughout the Mesozoic and undertakes extensive studies of the fauna of the era, uncovering a wealth of information and many new species.
Unfortunately a lot of mystery surrounds both time travel and the organization that Leyster is now working for. Both the origin of time travel and the very nature of how it works are closely guarded secrets. Leyster cannot openly publish his research, and indeed the very existence of time travel and that people have seen living dinosaurs must remain a secret from the public (though we find later that in the future it does become public knowledge and Leyster and others are free to publish their findings at that point).
Even more mysteriously there are many rules and regulations regarding time travel. Much effort is made to prevent paradoxes from forming, as apparently one can change the past to a degree, causing immense problems in the future. Griffin and his associates work hard to prevent such paradoxes from forming, a difficult task considering that researchers are recruited from the future to work on the project, working alongside with what are to them often legends, aware of books that the people of Leyster's time haven't even written yet. Sometimes there are teams where some of the researches weren't even born yet in the current time frame of the oldest members of a particular team, having come from that far into the future. There are even occasions when future versions of present day people meet and even work together, though Griffin and his subordinates keep a very tight rein on this.
There are a number of other interesting characters in the book, including notably Dr. Getrude Salley, a rather complicated individual that who while clearly loving paleontology also has a regrettable history of doing some reprehensible things to advance her research and get into the limelight. Leyster and her we find have a very complex history together, one that stretches through time and space. There is also the Old Man, an enigmatic character (whose identity is revealed later in the book), a strange, shadowy man who knows everything about the project and has ultimate authority, coming and going on whims and on projects that no one, not even Griffin, understands.
A lot happens in the book. I think the best section was when an expedition led by Leyster becomes stranded in the late Cretaceous, with Leyster and his team of graduate students having to survive in the hostile wilderness. Even while fighting for their lives and struggling to come up with some of the most basic necessities of life they still remain scientists at heart and make some amazing discoveries.
The end of the book and the ultimate origin of time travel I found to be quite surprising, though I am not sure I entirely liked it; I am still digesting it.
Although I am no scientist, I am an enthusiastic amateur and I found for the most part the science in the book was pretty good. He posits the existence of several species that we do not know from the fossil record, including a basal spinosaur that was popularly called a "fisher" (and subject to nest parasitism by an allosaur, an interesting though unsupported theory), _Geistosaurus_ (a mute hadrosaur, hadrosaurs being the famous "duck-billed" dinosaurs that are now believed by many to have been quite vocal animals), and several interesting late Cretaceous forms such as the marsh hopper (a small, vaguely raccoon-like animal that lived along river banks) and tree-divers (hand-sized crocodile relatives that had membranes that stretched between their limbs, enabling them to glide). Also included were a few I thought he did make up at first until I researched them, such as _Stygivenator_ (a highly derived late Cretaceous tyrannosaurid species, smaller than most tyrannosaurs). One problem I had though was with Swanwick depicting some dinosaurs that were not feathered as adults possessing young covered in down (such as the allosaur in the story). By my understanding of such things this is not possible, as the type of body covering a species has as a juvenile will be the same it has as an adult, and that while there were feathered dinosaurs there were no dinosaurs that were feathered while young and not feathered when mature.
An interesting book, I recommend it.
The novel begins with a scene where the protagonist, paleontologist Dr. Richard Leyster, is working in his office at the Smithsonian in Washington, D.C. Into his office comes a stranger by the name of Griffin, bearing with him an intriguing proposal; he is to set aside his duties at what essentially is his dream job (or so he thought) and work for him on a top secret project, a project Griffin cannot reveal any information at the time about and any information Leyster uncovers working for them cannot be published. Leyster at first of course refuses. Griffin leaves Leyster's office, having placed an Igloo cooler on his desk. After Griffin left, Leyster opens it and is astounded by what he finds; the head of a very freshly killed stegosaur. After verifying that it was real Leyster does make contact again with Griffin and agrees to work on his project.
The project is indeed a most impressive one, with Griffin apparently the chief administrator for am ambitious effort to study the Mesozoic from the earliest Triassic to the end of the Cretaceous, shortly before whatever event ended the reign of the dinosaurs, pterosaurs, and the various prehistoric marine reptile species. The organization manages a number of stations throughout the Mesozoic and undertakes extensive studies of the fauna of the era, uncovering a wealth of information and many new species.
Unfortunately a lot of mystery surrounds both time travel and the organization that Leyster is now working for. Both the origin of time travel and the very nature of how it works are closely guarded secrets. Leyster cannot openly publish his research, and indeed the very existence of time travel and that people have seen living dinosaurs must remain a secret from the public (though we find later that in the future it does become public knowledge and Leyster and others are free to publish their findings at that point).
Even more mysteriously there are many rules and regulations regarding time travel. Much effort is made to prevent paradoxes from forming, as apparently one can change the past to a degree, causing immense problems in the future. Griffin and his associates work hard to prevent such paradoxes from forming, a difficult task considering that researchers are recruited from the future to work on the project, working alongside with what are to them often legends, aware of books that the people of Leyster's time haven't even written yet. Sometimes there are teams where some of the researches weren't even born yet in the current time frame of the oldest members of a particular team, having come from that far into the future. There are even occasions when future versions of present day people meet and even work together, though Griffin and his subordinates keep a very tight rein on this.
There are a number of other interesting characters in the book, including notably Dr. Getrude Salley, a rather complicated individual that who while clearly loving paleontology also has a regrettable history of doing some reprehensible things to advance her research and get into the limelight. Leyster and her we find have a very complex history together, one that stretches through time and space. There is also the Old Man, an enigmatic character (whose identity is revealed later in the book), a strange, shadowy man who knows everything about the project and has ultimate authority, coming and going on whims and on projects that no one, not even Griffin, understands.
A lot happens in the book. I think the best section was when an expedition led by Leyster becomes stranded in the late Cretaceous, with Leyster and his team of graduate students having to survive in the hostile wilderness. Even while fighting for their lives and struggling to come up with some of the most basic necessities of life they still remain scientists at heart and make some amazing discoveries.
The end of the book and the ultimate origin of time travel I found to be quite surprising, though I am not sure I entirely liked it; I am still digesting it.
Although I am no scientist, I am an enthusiastic amateur and I found for the most part the science in the book was pretty good. He posits the existence of several species that we do not know from the fossil record, including a basal spinosaur that was popularly called a "fisher" (and subject to nest parasitism by an allosaur, an interesting though unsupported theory), _Geistosaurus_ (a mute hadrosaur, hadrosaurs being the famous "duck-billed" dinosaurs that are now believed by many to have been quite vocal animals), and several interesting late Cretaceous forms such as the marsh hopper (a small, vaguely raccoon-like animal that lived along river banks) and tree-divers (hand-sized crocodile relatives that had membranes that stretched between their limbs, enabling them to glide). Also included were a few I thought he did make up at first until I researched them, such as _Stygivenator_ (a highly derived late Cretaceous tyrannosaurid species, smaller than most tyrannosaurs). One problem I had though was with Swanwick depicting some dinosaurs that were not feathered as adults possessing young covered in down (such as the allosaur in the story). By my understanding of such things this is not possible, as the type of body covering a species has as a juvenile will be the same it has as an adult, and that while there were feathered dinosaurs there were no dinosaurs that were feathered while young and not feathered when mature.
An interesting book, I recommend it.
November 20, 2016
Heinlein’s “All You Zombies” meets Bradbury’s “A Sound of Thunder”, yup dinosaurs and time travel paradoxes. It was more than enough for picking the book up, though not so much to keep me reading once the lure went off. And for the intro, “Scherzo with Tyrannosaur”, the short it’s based on, is a more fitting read than the novel.
It was annoying to see future people teasing their past heroes for the deeds they are gonna do, or themselves for that matter, like starship crew fangirling the first contact doctor guy in Star Trek. And for a technology this awesome, for no reason whatsoever, Paleontology is the most benefited branch of science, which kind of meddle with causality. With outposts at various time periods and scientists recruited over a span before and after the availability of time travel, this usually patronized research field is at its golden age.
This book make me think of Swanwick as a huge Jurassic nerd with some lone bullied childhood. It could explain him creating this group of dinosaur obsessed paleontologists to geek out on extinct species, continent drifts, evolution and the possibility of testing out all hypothesis postulated so far with time travel. Though I was already sold with the plot, majority of the nerd talks had me struggling to get a hold on. Then again I was in constant expectation of something – to have my mind blown, thanks to the terrific short this novel was based on.
Yet, this book takes time travel seriously, keeping divergent timelines in one common reality, for which I give my eternal respect. And for a book on dinosaurs and time travel, it managed to stay pretty mature with two story lines – a group of future scientists stuck in Mesozoic age and another group far in future to meet the Unchangings.
It also provides the best available interpretations for readers to ponder on things like why aren’t ears evolved in dinosaurs, how grass changed the laws of evolution, or is an extinction aftermath better than survival of fittest for species diversity. Story goes sloppy and frustrating at many points with forgettable characters and non uniform pace, where author conveniently swerves off the questions readers are left with. But it does do depict one thing accurate – publishing driven current scientific community. Other than that, in terms of expectations, this book moves into the realm of might-have-beens.
I admit to googling Cthuluraptor for some weird results and ending up re-watching Kung Fury for Laseraptors. And now I am left with absolutely non show off-able intricate informations such as difference between ranching and domesticating, cold blooded-warm blooded animal distinctions and their likes.Who knows, some of these infamous infos might be a better pick up line than pac-man, in some future timeline.
So bottom line, hell- yeah for Scherzo for Tyrannosaurus and an usual yeah for Bones of the Earth.
It was annoying to see future people teasing their past heroes for the deeds they are gonna do, or themselves for that matter, like starship crew fangirling the first contact doctor guy in Star Trek. And for a technology this awesome, for no reason whatsoever, Paleontology is the most benefited branch of science, which kind of meddle with causality. With outposts at various time periods and scientists recruited over a span before and after the availability of time travel, this usually patronized research field is at its golden age.
This book make me think of Swanwick as a huge Jurassic nerd with some lone bullied childhood. It could explain him creating this group of dinosaur obsessed paleontologists to geek out on extinct species, continent drifts, evolution and the possibility of testing out all hypothesis postulated so far with time travel. Though I was already sold with the plot, majority of the nerd talks had me struggling to get a hold on. Then again I was in constant expectation of something – to have my mind blown, thanks to the terrific short this novel was based on.
Yet, this book takes time travel seriously, keeping divergent timelines in one common reality, for which I give my eternal respect. And for a book on dinosaurs and time travel, it managed to stay pretty mature with two story lines – a group of future scientists stuck in Mesozoic age and another group far in future to meet the Unchangings.
It also provides the best available interpretations for readers to ponder on things like why aren’t ears evolved in dinosaurs, how grass changed the laws of evolution, or is an extinction aftermath better than survival of fittest for species diversity. Story goes sloppy and frustrating at many points with forgettable characters and non uniform pace, where author conveniently swerves off the questions readers are left with. But it does do depict one thing accurate – publishing driven current scientific community. Other than that, in terms of expectations, this book moves into the realm of might-have-beens.
I admit to googling Cthuluraptor for some weird results and ending up re-watching Kung Fury for Laseraptors. And now I am left with absolutely non show off-able intricate informations such as difference between ranching and domesticating, cold blooded-warm blooded animal distinctions and their likes.Who knows, some of these infamous infos might be a better pick up line than pac-man, in some future timeline.
So bottom line, hell- yeah for Scherzo for Tyrannosaurus and an usual yeah for Bones of the Earth.
July 7, 2019
I really need to stop picking up books by Michael Swanwick. He is so good at writing interesting stories that inevitably annoy me with the last couple pages. This one is no different.
Time travel is a concept that has been done any number of ways over the years. Some are so absurd that I just ignore all the problems in the plot and enjoy it for what it is. Some do so fine a job I wonder how the author somehow managed to make it work. This one falls somewhere in the middle. It's a good concept and it follows through well enough for a good portion of the book. You see things start to fall apart about two thirds of the way through the story though. It feels a lot like the author just couldn't keep the idea going and let it fall apart.
But then he pulls it together again by contradicting himself, only to let it fall apart again, or well, without explaining what's going on beyond how happy everyone is at the end. I need more than a silly happy ending that shouldn't be. It sounds nice, but not if you follow the logic and know it's all taken away. Write that part too, dammit!
So yeah, not too thrilled with that ending. Like I said though, the writing is good and kept me reading pretty steadily. The characters are a bit one-dimensional at times, but I still liked most of them. There also could have been a bit more interaction with the dinosaurs. If you're here for the dinosaurs, well, you may be a bit disappointed in the end.
I should also say that the science here is intriguing to read, though the book is something like 18 years old at this point so I don't know how much of it is accurate anymore. The ideas it does present are definitely thought provoking if you aren't someone who keeps up regularly with that field of study though.
So I guess, in the end, it's not a great book, but it's not a bad book either. It's a decent summer read, and fun to a degree if you enjoy dinosaurs or time travel, though you can find better stories in both fields if you look around. I'm not sure there are others out there that combine the two though, so if you need that, well, here you go.
Time travel is a concept that has been done any number of ways over the years. Some are so absurd that I just ignore all the problems in the plot and enjoy it for what it is. Some do so fine a job I wonder how the author somehow managed to make it work. This one falls somewhere in the middle. It's a good concept and it follows through well enough for a good portion of the book. You see things start to fall apart about two thirds of the way through the story though. It feels a lot like the author just couldn't keep the idea going and let it fall apart.
But then he pulls it together again by contradicting himself, only to let it fall apart again, or well, without explaining what's going on beyond how happy everyone is at the end. I need more than a silly happy ending that shouldn't be. It sounds nice, but not if you follow the logic and know it's all taken away. Write that part too, dammit!
So yeah, not too thrilled with that ending. Like I said though, the writing is good and kept me reading pretty steadily. The characters are a bit one-dimensional at times, but I still liked most of them. There also could have been a bit more interaction with the dinosaurs. If you're here for the dinosaurs, well, you may be a bit disappointed in the end.
I should also say that the science here is intriguing to read, though the book is something like 18 years old at this point so I don't know how much of it is accurate anymore. The ideas it does present are definitely thought provoking if you aren't someone who keeps up regularly with that field of study though.
So I guess, in the end, it's not a great book, but it's not a bad book either. It's a decent summer read, and fun to a degree if you enjoy dinosaurs or time travel, though you can find better stories in both fields if you look around. I'm not sure there are others out there that combine the two though, so if you need that, well, here you go.
September 27, 2010
Swanwick does an admirable job answering the question, "But why would they study dinos if they had time-travel?" It's a wonderfully SFnal reason: because our curiousity is part of what makes us "noble creatures," as defined by the bird-people: "How beautiful you are. How delightful in your curiosity and your courage both." The common trait we humans share with these future intelligences is our desire to learn, to do science, so much so that both they and we are willing to imprison ourselves - essentially destroy ourselves - in timelike loops in order to perform this science. Thus the members of the Lost Expedition discover the truth about T.Rex and his herds, as well as truths about themselves; also how Salley and Gertrude discover what's truly important for herself; and how the bird people finally discover our essence in the moment before they leave us forever.
Why is it okay to zoom back to study dinos? Because they're extinct, sure, but also because it won't matter in the true timeline; in fact, I think the bird-people might have opened the portals to any other period, but in this timelike loop they chose the Age of Dinos (and Swanwick chose it because he, too, was once a 12-year-old). Why do they allow Gertrude to mess everything up? Because how else could they see how far humans will press things to learn. Why do they leave the group of scientists trapped in the Cretaceous? Because if they rescued them sooner, so many discoveries about dinos and humans would never have been.
Even though the story ultimately seems pointless - so all the action in the story was much ado about nothing, in the universal sense meaningless - it is not. The beauty of what both the bird-people and the humans have done here is that we value exploration and cooperation above all else, and love, and emerging minds, and learning for the sake of learning. Surely these are the defining characteristics of humanity, at least from the SFnal point of view. I think Campbell would approve!
Why is it okay to zoom back to study dinos? Because they're extinct, sure, but also because it won't matter in the true timeline; in fact, I think the bird-people might have opened the portals to any other period, but in this timelike loop they chose the Age of Dinos (and Swanwick chose it because he, too, was once a 12-year-old). Why do they allow Gertrude to mess everything up? Because how else could they see how far humans will press things to learn. Why do they leave the group of scientists trapped in the Cretaceous? Because if they rescued them sooner, so many discoveries about dinos and humans would never have been.
Even though the story ultimately seems pointless - so all the action in the story was much ado about nothing, in the universal sense meaningless - it is not. The beauty of what both the bird-people and the humans have done here is that we value exploration and cooperation above all else, and love, and emerging minds, and learning for the sake of learning. Surely these are the defining characteristics of humanity, at least from the SFnal point of view. I think Campbell would approve!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 17, 2020
File under not-a-literary-masterpiece-but-engaging-and-fun. A category much of my reading is falling into during this Covid crisis, when I'm able to tear myself away from doomscrolling the news and actually read a novel. Mostly I quite enjoyed this one. Yes, the characters are wafer-thin, in fact the characterization is so lacking that I had difficulty telling some of the major characters apart, or feeling much of anything for/with/about them. Despite that though, given my mood and what I wanted out of this book, it delivered. Swanwick tells a very interesting, even a thought-provoking story. Given my lifelong love-hate relationship with science fiction, I'm always relieved and delighted when an SF novel delves into interesting ideas and is not frustratingly stupid. Not stupid! Check! Good enough! This one even exceeds the not-stupid requirement. Swanwick presents some interesting ideas. And he deals with the inherent paradoxes of the time-travel tale skillfully. It's internally consistent for the most part. It didn't catch me up short with whoppers of ridiculousness. It even moved me in places. Especially in the final pages where the essential characteristic of the human species is defined as inquisitiveness or the thirst for knowledge. I quite like that. It quite touches me.
There is one bit of nonsense that annoyed the hell out of me. That's the intrusion of religious belief in some of the characterizations of the scientists. Scientists do not subscribe to supernatural mythologies. That's because they are, duh, scientists. The god-believing scientist in the real world is a rare bird indeed (not to mention an oxymoron). So each time one of the scientist characters said some ridiculous religious-y, god-y thing it completely disrupted my readerly willing suspension of disbelief.
There is one bit of nonsense that annoyed the hell out of me. That's the intrusion of religious belief in some of the characterizations of the scientists. Scientists do not subscribe to supernatural mythologies. That's because they are, duh, scientists. The god-believing scientist in the real world is a rare bird indeed (not to mention an oxymoron). So each time one of the scientist characters said some ridiculous religious-y, god-y thing it completely disrupted my readerly willing suspension of disbelief.
March 24, 2008
if someone wrote a sci-fi novel as a work of magical realism, it'd be 'bones of the earth'. for all that the loving research that went into this book shines through in clear-eyed detail about every long-dead organism populating the ancient earth, this isn't hard sci-fi. a smithsonian paleontologist is offered an opportunity to study dinosaurs in the living flesh, and he learns no more about the mode of time travel than we do. it's simply a gift from some far-advanced culture, a drop of magic thrown into the science of paleontology. instead of focusing on the mechanics, it becomes a tale of the humanity of all of it, a grand "what if?" 'bones of the earth' is a love letter to science in general and field research in specific, and a cautionary tale about scientific plagarism when the data is just so easy to steal. beautifully written, quick-plotted, and marred only by a somewhat soft ending.
July 24, 2017
A time travel story about paleontologists who get to go back in time and study dinosaurs. Not very many mind bending paradoxes or twists in this one, very easy to wrap your head around the ideas. The rules of time travel are very simple and the plot is simple as well.
It didn't reach for any of my favorite time travel pathways, not at all. The characters were one dimensional and had very little depth. And then there is the obligatory sex scenes and scientist orgies which is the SF author's way of saying "we're NOT nerds!".
The author has written other books which were much better. I recommend The Iron Dragon's Daughter, which is sort of along the lines of a Harry Potter novel, if Harry Potter was dark, twisted, and had a mature theme with no holds at all.
It didn't reach for any of my favorite time travel pathways, not at all. The characters were one dimensional and had very little depth. And then there is the obligatory sex scenes and scientist orgies which is the SF author's way of saying "we're NOT nerds!".
The author has written other books which were much better. I recommend The Iron Dragon's Daughter, which is sort of along the lines of a Harry Potter novel, if Harry Potter was dark, twisted, and had a mature theme with no holds at all.
January 15, 2018
Originally had given this five stars, but stewing for a couple of hours I've revised. The story follows two separate areas, dinosaurs and time travel. The time travel is handled in a manner that is a very hand-wavy, and ultimately unsatisfying.
That said, the dinosaur stuff discussed is absolutely fascinating. The animals behave like realistic animals, not just plot-convenient murder-machines. The people do science effectively and realistically, human flaws and all. After reading their fictional discussions of the fictional evidence for fictional dinosaur behavior, I'm convinced and I *want* it to be nonfiction. But that's not how science works, is it?
That said, the dinosaur stuff discussed is absolutely fascinating. The animals behave like realistic animals, not just plot-convenient murder-machines. The people do science effectively and realistically, human flaws and all. After reading their fictional discussions of the fictional evidence for fictional dinosaur behavior, I'm convinced and I *want* it to be nonfiction. But that's not how science works, is it?
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