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Bestiary
When Beth Cox, a lovely young art curator, is commissioned to restore a centuries-old bestiary illuminated with creatures from the Garden of Eden, her husband unwittingly opens the Gates of Hell when this priceless artifact leads him into a world of wonder and horror. Original.
464 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published November 7, 2006
46 people are currently reading
362 people want to read
About the author
Robert Masello
34 books615 followers Robert Masello is an award-winning journalist, TV writer, and the bestselling author of many novels and nonfiction books. In addition to his most recent book, THE HAUNTING OF H.G. WELLS, he has written the #1 Amazon Kindle bestseller, THE EINSTEIN PROPHECY, and many other popular thrillers, including THE JEKYLL REVELATION, THE NIGHT CROSSING, BLOOD AND ICE, THE MEDUSA AMULET, and THE ROMANOV CROSS.
He is also the author of two popular studies of the Occult -- FALLEN ANGELS AND SPIRITS OF THE DARK and RAISING HELL: A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE BLACK ARTS.
His books on writing include WRITER TELLS ALL, A FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS, and the classroom staple, ROBERT'S RULES OF WRITING.
His TV credits include such popular shows as "Charmed," "Sliders," Early Edition," and "Poltergeist: the Legacy."
A native of Evanston, Illinois, he studied writing at Princeton University under the noted authors Robert Stone and Geoffrey Wolff, and served for six years as the Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Claremont McKenna College.
He now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA.
He is also the author of two popular studies of the Occult -- FALLEN ANGELS AND SPIRITS OF THE DARK and RAISING HELL: A CONCISE HISTORY OF THE BLACK ARTS.
His books on writing include WRITER TELLS ALL, A FRIEND IN THE BUSINESS, and the classroom staple, ROBERT'S RULES OF WRITING.
His TV credits include such popular shows as "Charmed," "Sliders," Early Edition," and "Poltergeist: the Legacy."
A native of Evanston, Illinois, he studied writing at Princeton University under the noted authors Robert Stone and Geoffrey Wolff, and served for six years as the Visiting Lecturer in Literature at Claremont McKenna College.
He now lives and works in Santa Monica, CA.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 45 reviews
May 15, 2008
Talk about off the supermarket rack... Where do they get these books? I should have a seperate catagory for that. Not awful, but hardly remarkable.
August 24, 2015
I read this a few years ago, forgot I read it, and before I get rid of it wanted to read it again. Shouldn't have bothered. I like the premise. The idea of an ancient family owning and protecting what they feel are mythical beasts but are actually prehistoric is kinda cool. But it gets muddled. Some plot points are introduced and go nowhere. And I just can't like the main characters. For a couple so in love they don't communicate or spend any time together. Their son is creepy and the brief unnecessary love scene was just icky. I really can't think of any character in the whole book I liked. No wait. I liked the dog.
January 15, 2008
BESTIARY is essentially a series of plot threads that more or less converge, with only marginal success. A mysterious Iraqi millionaire named Mohammed Al-Kalli possesses an equally mysterious, ancient book called The Beasts of Eden, which is a catalog of fabulous, monstrous creatures, including gryphons, gorgons, manticores, and the like (which we know early on will turn out to be quite real). Al-Kalli gives the book to Beth Cox, an expert in medieval texts, to translate. Just so happens that Beth's husband, Carter, is a renowned paleontologist and finds himself in a position to assist her—and eventually Al-Kalli—in identifying the monstrous creatures illustrated in the book. Meanwhile, a greedy, ex-army officer, who had indirectly worked for Al-Kalli in Iraq, gets involved with a dangerous, radical militia, and the paths of all our characters slowly begin to converge.
BESTIARY is generally well-written, though Masello commits the cardinal sin of frequently switching point of view from one paragraph to another—something for which few writers would be forgiven—yet, to the writer's credit, the prose is smooth enough so that it doesn't much distract. The sprawling plot barely holds together, given all the disparate threads, but the most noticeably out-of-place (and highly unsatisfying) element is a character named Arius (from Masello's previous novel, VIGIL), who pops in briefly to light a fire under the Coxes just when it's needed. It's a silly thing, and it seems to be there solely for the purpose of goading the reader to pick up VIGIL, if he hasn't already. Well, I'm not all that likely to.
There's a lot to admire in BESTIARY; for its vast size, the book moves fairly quickly, the characters are well-drawn, and the action is vividly rendered. Still, there doesn't seem to be much passion in the writing just when it needs it most, and a few of the more cliched elements—such as the Coxes' "perfect baby"—serve only to induce groans of frustration. I'm going to give it three out of six beers, with maybe a shot of tequila on the side. Enjoyable enough on its own, but it doesn't much inspire me to seek out more of Masello's work.
BESTIARY is generally well-written, though Masello commits the cardinal sin of frequently switching point of view from one paragraph to another—something for which few writers would be forgiven—yet, to the writer's credit, the prose is smooth enough so that it doesn't much distract. The sprawling plot barely holds together, given all the disparate threads, but the most noticeably out-of-place (and highly unsatisfying) element is a character named Arius (from Masello's previous novel, VIGIL), who pops in briefly to light a fire under the Coxes just when it's needed. It's a silly thing, and it seems to be there solely for the purpose of goading the reader to pick up VIGIL, if he hasn't already. Well, I'm not all that likely to.
There's a lot to admire in BESTIARY; for its vast size, the book moves fairly quickly, the characters are well-drawn, and the action is vividly rendered. Still, there doesn't seem to be much passion in the writing just when it needs it most, and a few of the more cliched elements—such as the Coxes' "perfect baby"—serve only to induce groans of frustration. I'm going to give it three out of six beers, with maybe a shot of tequila on the side. Enjoyable enough on its own, but it doesn't much inspire me to seek out more of Masello's work.
June 22, 2022
This book didn’t know what it wanted to be. While starting off with elements of an action adventure mixed with creature horror, it quickly turns to a book primarily focused on science and history. But then the book shifts tones again, sometimes chapter to chapter, to make what I think was supposed to be political commentary about addiction, veterans, racism, and radicalization. But then the book would shift again between chapters and perspectives and suddenly it was a book about a long dead mysterious character from the 11th century. Finally, it would shift back to pretending it was going to explore creepy, tense themes while unexplained supernatural phenomenon occurred.
Now, I love action and adventure books, fiction that explores science and history, books featuring monsters and fantastical beasts, and supernatural books, but this author worked way too hard to weave them together to make a cohesive narrative and ultimately failed spectacularly.
By the end of the book few to none of the plot threads had been adequately wrapped up. And the ones that had been wrapped up were tied so quickly and with significant missing details to the point where the conclusion of that storyline felt hollow and pointless.
For example, the La Brea Man and Woman storyline seemed to be completely forgotten part way through the book only to circle back to it in the most awkward of places. The chapters about this story thread felt off putting from the flow of the rest of the book because ultimately this storyline ended up being unrelated to the entirety of the rest of the book other than in meaningless and overly convoluted ways – more on that later. The La Brea Man and Woman storyline was also unsatisfactorily concluded with little explanation and glossed over so completely it made me angry it had been introduced in the first place because it was such an interesting storyline. I would have happily read an entire book about La Brea Man and Woman and the supernatural events plaguing their bones. Instead, the author buried their story in this book leaving it forgettable and useless to the overall storyline.
Also while creating too many plot threads, the author worked too hard to connect them. A perfect example of this is with Geronimo being connected to the La Brea bones storyline - and connected to Jay and Carter while finding his cabin in the woods on a random hiking trip - the same hiking trip Carter just happened to randomly stumble across the Sons of Liberty on a test run of their plot – the Sons knew Greer - who was connected to Mohammed Al-Kalli – who later employed both Carter and Beth – and so on and so forth.
I wish this book had cut out the unnecessary garbage that clogged up my enjoyment of what were some otherwise really interesting storylines.
Another example of a story theme that author spent time building up and ultimately did nothing with was the reoccurring themes of the apocalypse and the end of the world and curses dooming those who tamper with things they shouldn’t. Those themes crossed over multiple seemingly unconnected storylines, combined with supernatural ghost-like hauntings, and the never explained presence of Arius (literally finished the book still with zero idea what purpose this guy served, was he real? Was he a demon? Was he a ghost? Was he Joey’s father? How did Carter and Beth even know him?). I was convinced that baby Joey was the antichrist, and the dinosaurs were somehow going to bring about the end of the world. Spoiler, but neither of those things happens! Which leaves a ton if foreshadowing and thematic exposition that was left in the book to serve zero purpose toward the continuation of the final product that was Bestiary.
Finally, the actual Beasts of Eden manuscript was set up to be a main part of the book, and it seemingly was, but in the second act of Bestiary, the Beasts of Eden was mostly abandoned and instead of being an interesting plot device, became nothing more than a pretty piece of priceless art. The book had been set up to be exceedingly helpful and an important too used by Arius but when that never came to fruiting, the author instead abandoned that plot arc and instead turned it into another storyline that ended up being a pointless tangent to occupy Beth so she was distracted from what her husband was doing.
Beth – who rightfully should have actually been the main character in this book based on the prologue and focus on the importance of the manuscript early on – is instead relegated to exploring something completely unrelated to the main story. This is a thread that never reaches a conclusion and ultimately proves to be completely useless to furthering the plot of the overall book. Not to rewrite this book too much, but an easy fix would have been to have Carter and Beth have a single conversation at any single given point and had her pulled in to help with the sick dinosaurs which would have deepened her relationship with the illuminator and given that entire storyline purpose when instead it had none. Again, this seems like a failure on the author’s part to establish meaningful connections between the characters and different storylines.
Carter was the actual main character of the book, but his storylines didn’t meaningfully intersect with the other characters’ storylines until part way through the second act! This was impossibly jarring the further I got into the book because it led to more confusion and thematic misalignment between the different narrative styles – science, supernatural, monster horror – Carter’s chapters ranged the most and often unnecessarily so.
In conclusion, sometimes less is more and this book should have been at least three separate books for me to have enjoyed any single one of the themes and plot arches. So, if you’re a reader who can follow and appreciate all sorts of chaos and unfinished, unconnected plots, then this book might be enjoyable to you. I don’t regret reading it and enjoyed some of the writing style and character development so much that I’m going to give another book by this author a shot. But go into this book with eyes wide open for the rollercoaster the storylines put you through.
Now, I love action and adventure books, fiction that explores science and history, books featuring monsters and fantastical beasts, and supernatural books, but this author worked way too hard to weave them together to make a cohesive narrative and ultimately failed spectacularly.
By the end of the book few to none of the plot threads had been adequately wrapped up. And the ones that had been wrapped up were tied so quickly and with significant missing details to the point where the conclusion of that storyline felt hollow and pointless.
For example, the La Brea Man and Woman storyline seemed to be completely forgotten part way through the book only to circle back to it in the most awkward of places. The chapters about this story thread felt off putting from the flow of the rest of the book because ultimately this storyline ended up being unrelated to the entirety of the rest of the book other than in meaningless and overly convoluted ways – more on that later. The La Brea Man and Woman storyline was also unsatisfactorily concluded with little explanation and glossed over so completely it made me angry it had been introduced in the first place because it was such an interesting storyline. I would have happily read an entire book about La Brea Man and Woman and the supernatural events plaguing their bones. Instead, the author buried their story in this book leaving it forgettable and useless to the overall storyline.
Also while creating too many plot threads, the author worked too hard to connect them. A perfect example of this is with Geronimo being connected to the La Brea bones storyline - and connected to Jay and Carter while finding his cabin in the woods on a random hiking trip - the same hiking trip Carter just happened to randomly stumble across the Sons of Liberty on a test run of their plot – the Sons knew Greer - who was connected to Mohammed Al-Kalli – who later employed both Carter and Beth – and so on and so forth.
I wish this book had cut out the unnecessary garbage that clogged up my enjoyment of what were some otherwise really interesting storylines.
Another example of a story theme that author spent time building up and ultimately did nothing with was the reoccurring themes of the apocalypse and the end of the world and curses dooming those who tamper with things they shouldn’t. Those themes crossed over multiple seemingly unconnected storylines, combined with supernatural ghost-like hauntings, and the never explained presence of Arius (literally finished the book still with zero idea what purpose this guy served, was he real? Was he a demon? Was he a ghost? Was he Joey’s father? How did Carter and Beth even know him?). I was convinced that baby Joey was the antichrist, and the dinosaurs were somehow going to bring about the end of the world. Spoiler, but neither of those things happens! Which leaves a ton if foreshadowing and thematic exposition that was left in the book to serve zero purpose toward the continuation of the final product that was Bestiary.
Finally, the actual Beasts of Eden manuscript was set up to be a main part of the book, and it seemingly was, but in the second act of Bestiary, the Beasts of Eden was mostly abandoned and instead of being an interesting plot device, became nothing more than a pretty piece of priceless art. The book had been set up to be exceedingly helpful and an important too used by Arius but when that never came to fruiting, the author instead abandoned that plot arc and instead turned it into another storyline that ended up being a pointless tangent to occupy Beth so she was distracted from what her husband was doing.
Beth – who rightfully should have actually been the main character in this book based on the prologue and focus on the importance of the manuscript early on – is instead relegated to exploring something completely unrelated to the main story. This is a thread that never reaches a conclusion and ultimately proves to be completely useless to furthering the plot of the overall book. Not to rewrite this book too much, but an easy fix would have been to have Carter and Beth have a single conversation at any single given point and had her pulled in to help with the sick dinosaurs which would have deepened her relationship with the illuminator and given that entire storyline purpose when instead it had none. Again, this seems like a failure on the author’s part to establish meaningful connections between the characters and different storylines.
Carter was the actual main character of the book, but his storylines didn’t meaningfully intersect with the other characters’ storylines until part way through the second act! This was impossibly jarring the further I got into the book because it led to more confusion and thematic misalignment between the different narrative styles – science, supernatural, monster horror – Carter’s chapters ranged the most and often unnecessarily so.
In conclusion, sometimes less is more and this book should have been at least three separate books for me to have enjoyed any single one of the themes and plot arches. So, if you’re a reader who can follow and appreciate all sorts of chaos and unfinished, unconnected plots, then this book might be enjoyable to you. I don’t regret reading it and enjoyed some of the writing style and character development so much that I’m going to give another book by this author a shot. But go into this book with eyes wide open for the rollercoaster the storylines put you through.
July 22, 2023
My second read of this book. I always enjoy Masello’s books as light, beach read style adventures. There is just enough smart research to be tantalizing, yet not enough to weigh down the pacing. The characters are surprisingly well-rounded. Secondary and tertiary characters are given enough story to make them feel substantive. It’s a shame he isn’t writing any more of these but his back catalogue has plenty of fun things to revisit.
November 27, 2020
This one has been on my shelf for years- a book I just knew I was going to love- just waiting for the right time to read it. It was supposed to have everything I wanted- history, adventure, & creatures. Instead, it had annoying characters, uninteresting plot lines that seemed to have nothing to do with each other, and a whisper of one creature for a split second. At halfway through I couldn’t bring myself to finish it, even listening on audio. Disappointed.
July 12, 2021
It should have been interesting and parts of it were, but there was a lot that went nowhere. Who is Arius? (previous book i take it). What was with carter's wicked scary nightmares that really did nothing? And the ending meant nothing more could really come of anything other than making a hunt.
I don't know. I preferred The Night Crossing or the Medusa Amulet. They were a bit tighter.
I don't know. I preferred The Night Crossing or the Medusa Amulet. They were a bit tighter.
April 13, 2021
Oh, Robert Masselo. I love you, but dang, your research wasn’t up to its usual standard, here- the treatment of the discussion around the ethical disposal of human remains in an archaeological/museological context wasn’t exactly fair and balanced. There’s a lot more to it then “irrational” Native Americans and woo-woo religious types versus the unimpeachable logic of capital S Science.
The following is not actually a spoiler, it's me ranting on about that particular subject.
But other than that. And other than the totally unnecessary and cringey love scene. And the author's use of "lighted" instead of the more common "lit" every time... This was a fun one. This time, the gimmick is the titular bestiary. There’s no corresponding plot featuring a fictionalized account of a historical figure in this one- instead we get two interconnected plots- one for one member of the protagonist couple, and one for the other. You can tell this is one of his earlier entries into that very specific genre that he goes on to totally own. It's not as detailed or involved, with more action and explosions and... it got very Jurassic World 2 at the end. Which I enjoyed. A lot. In fact, I wonder if the screenwriters may have taken some inspiration..?
It was very much an action adventure cinematic sort of read, and it was a nice change of pace for me.
The following is not actually a spoiler, it's me ranting on about that particular subject.
But other than that. And other than the totally unnecessary and cringey love scene. And the author's use of "lighted" instead of the more common "lit" every time... This was a fun one. This time, the gimmick is the titular bestiary. There’s no corresponding plot featuring a fictionalized account of a historical figure in this one- instead we get two interconnected plots- one for one member of the protagonist couple, and one for the other. You can tell this is one of his earlier entries into that very specific genre that he goes on to totally own. It's not as detailed or involved, with more action and explosions and... it got very Jurassic World 2 at the end. Which I enjoyed. A lot. In fact, I wonder if the screenwriters may have taken some inspiration..?
It was very much an action adventure cinematic sort of read, and it was a nice change of pace for me.
June 3, 2017
This was a sadly pedestrian book about what could have been an exciting topic, pre-historic beasts that have been kept alive by a wealthy family. The one part that kept me interested but ultimately let me down in the end dealt with an illuminated manuscript. The author's description of that item and it's cover was richly written; I could almost see it. I can't write about why I was disappointed as it would be a spoiler.
The climax of the book was was like a comic book chase scene.
I listened to the audible version and found the narrator's voice and mastery of pronunciation somewhat coarse.
The climax of the book was was like a comic book chase scene.
I listened to the audible version and found the narrator's voice and mastery of pronunciation somewhat coarse.
April 5, 2019
I really expected to enjoy this book, and for about the first three quarters of it I did. I have one word for the ending and that word is anticlimactic.
I expected all the different story lines to come together in the end, but they never did. Each one just ended in its own way and they were all disappointing. And there were thing you expected to be important, that just drifted into nothingness.
It seemed like after writing for a while the author just decided that it was time to finish it as quick as he could.It really did have potential and that's the only reason I gave it 3 stars.
I expected all the different story lines to come together in the end, but they never did. Each one just ended in its own way and they were all disappointing. And there were thing you expected to be important, that just drifted into nothingness.
It seemed like after writing for a while the author just decided that it was time to finish it as quick as he could.It really did have potential and that's the only reason I gave it 3 stars.
June 11, 2023
The Bestiary. By Robert Masello
The book had a page turning plot, and interesting characters. It was, for the most part, well written. From time to time he seemed to use his thesaurus too much, using words that seemed to be written by someone trying to impress. Thankfully it happened only for a few sentences, and it would be a chapter or two before it would happen again.
The chapters are long, so don't think you can claim so many chapters before bed!
A good read.
The book had a page turning plot, and interesting characters. It was, for the most part, well written. From time to time he seemed to use his thesaurus too much, using words that seemed to be written by someone trying to impress. Thankfully it happened only for a few sentences, and it would be a chapter or two before it would happen again.
The chapters are long, so don't think you can claim so many chapters before bed!
A good read.
October 11, 2018
I love how Robert Masello builds his characters & plot. The book (as always with him) takes you in its grasps. Only thing i didn‘t like was that I was left with too many unanswered questions. So hopefully a third book with these characters would come out to give the much needed closure :-)
November 22, 2018
Wonder
I enjoyed this story. I was able to live within the pages for awhile . I didn't know this is the second book with these same characters. I'm glad to know my adventure with them will continue.
I enjoyed this story. I was able to live within the pages for awhile . I didn't know this is the second book with these same characters. I'm glad to know my adventure with them will continue.
September 20, 2022
Love his books! This one wasn't as good as some others I've read, but honestly, I still held my hand up to my mouth during certain scenes. Always thrilling. Now I want to read "Vigil" to learn more about Aurius.
September 5, 2024
Nice combination of the myth of Eden, real/mythical beasts, a Mideast war tale of soldiers on a mysterious mission, contemporary archeology/historical analysis, the La Brea tar pits, criminal behavior, an ancient tome, and fires.
This works pretty well, and stays entertaining throughout.
This works pretty well, and stays entertaining throughout.
February 25, 2017
Not great, but good enough to hold my interest.
February 23, 2019
First chapter was exciting. It went downhill from there.
April 2, 2019
6/10 oddly unsatisfying
December 23, 2020
not a favourite of the Masello books I've read so far
April 24, 2022
So many questions
What is the backstory on the couple? Is there a previous book? Shallow cover on deep characters.
Hope I find the answers in another book!
What is the backstory on the couple? Is there a previous book? Shallow cover on deep characters.
Hope I find the answers in another book!
April 23, 2024
This has been on my to-read list for quite a while and it didn't disappoint now that I've read it! The culmination of the book was satisfying and I enjoyed the journey there.
September 5, 2024
Utterly enchanting book.
March 11, 2017
This was an interesting read and a very unique storyline. However, I was left extremely disappointed at the end by so many unanswered questions. Come to find out, this is actually a sequel of sorts and you have to read the first book to get any explanation of who certain characters are or what certain events mean. I just wish it had been more clear, maybe on the cover, that there was another book I should read first.
October 1, 2016
No, čítanie tejto knihy sa trochu predĺžilo.
Bestiár [dám tomu slovenský názov] je niečo podobné ako Da Vinciho kód alebo Anjeli a démoni.
Príbeh sa točí okolo knihy, ktorá popisuje bájne zvieratá. Bestiár.
Kapitán Greer dostane za úlohu získať železnú skrinku, v ktorej je nevedno čo. Skrinka sa nachádza v Iraku. Pri misii sa stane niečo zlé. Niečo, čo doslova pohltilo jedného z vojakov.
Carter Cox je paleontológ. Pracuje v Los Angels, v múzeu. V jame číslo 91 je veľa pozostatkov z dávnych vekov. V jeden deň objaví so skupinkou dobrovoľníkov kosti muža. A začne sa diať niečo čudné.
Beth Cox(ová) je manželka už zmeneného Cartera Coxa. Dostane za úlohu preložiť Bestiár, ktorý vlastní Mohammed Al-Kalli, muž, ktorý patrí do jednej z najmocnejších arabských rodín. Ale odhalí jednu čudnú vec.
Tieto príbehy sa spoja, a začne to byť zaujímavé.
Kniha sa tiahla pomaly. Veeelmi pomaaaly [presne takto pomaly :D]. Začiatok som čítala asi tri či štyri dni. Myslela som si, že tú knihu proste zatvorím, a pôjdem čítať niečo iné. Ale!
Bola som tak na strane +- 150 a začalo to byť zaujímavé. Šlo to rýchlejšie a rýchlejšie. A ten koniec bol rýchly ako Usain Bolt.
V knihe je množstvo vedeckých názov, ktorým som nerozumela. Neštudujem predsa paleontológiu že áno? :D Ale aj napriek tomu som niečo dokázala pochopiť.
Myslím si, že k tejto knihe sa už nevrátim. Ako som už hovorila, bolo to pomalé, až na ten koniec...
Potrebovala by som trošku viac akcie a podobne. Mám šťastie, že je to kniha z knižnice, inak by som bola sama na seba nahnevaná, že som to kupovala.
Pokiaľ hľadáte niečo v štýle Dana Browna, alebo máte radi paleontológiu, tak neváhajte a kupujte!
Ale nečakajte zázraky.
[SPOILERY MUSIA BYŤ] Pán Al-Kalli mal takú ZOO. Akurát, že v nej mal stvory z praveku a podobne :D Nič zvláštne, však to má každá bohatá rodinka no nie? [SPOILERY MUSIA BYŤ]
3/5*
The end.
Bestiár [dám tomu slovenský názov] je niečo podobné ako Da Vinciho kód alebo Anjeli a démoni.
Príbeh sa točí okolo knihy, ktorá popisuje bájne zvieratá. Bestiár.
Kapitán Greer dostane za úlohu získať železnú skrinku, v ktorej je nevedno čo. Skrinka sa nachádza v Iraku. Pri misii sa stane niečo zlé. Niečo, čo doslova pohltilo jedného z vojakov.
Carter Cox je paleontológ. Pracuje v Los Angels, v múzeu. V jame číslo 91 je veľa pozostatkov z dávnych vekov. V jeden deň objaví so skupinkou dobrovoľníkov kosti muža. A začne sa diať niečo čudné.
Beth Cox(ová) je manželka už zmeneného Cartera Coxa. Dostane za úlohu preložiť Bestiár, ktorý vlastní Mohammed Al-Kalli, muž, ktorý patrí do jednej z najmocnejších arabských rodín. Ale odhalí jednu čudnú vec.
Tieto príbehy sa spoja, a začne to byť zaujímavé.
Kniha sa tiahla pomaly. Veeelmi pomaaaly [presne takto pomaly :D]. Začiatok som čítala asi tri či štyri dni. Myslela som si, že tú knihu proste zatvorím, a pôjdem čítať niečo iné. Ale!
Bola som tak na strane +- 150 a začalo to byť zaujímavé. Šlo to rýchlejšie a rýchlejšie. A ten koniec bol rýchly ako Usain Bolt.
V knihe je množstvo vedeckých názov, ktorým som nerozumela. Neštudujem predsa paleontológiu že áno? :D Ale aj napriek tomu som niečo dokázala pochopiť.
Myslím si, že k tejto knihe sa už nevrátim. Ako som už hovorila, bolo to pomalé, až na ten koniec...
Potrebovala by som trošku viac akcie a podobne. Mám šťastie, že je to kniha z knižnice, inak by som bola sama na seba nahnevaná, že som to kupovala.
Pokiaľ hľadáte niečo v štýle Dana Browna, alebo máte radi paleontológiu, tak neváhajte a kupujte!
Ale nečakajte zázraky.
[SPOILERY MUSIA BYŤ] Pán Al-Kalli mal takú ZOO. Akurát, že v nej mal stvory z praveku a podobne :D Nič zvláštne, však to má každá bohatá rodinka no nie? [SPOILERY MUSIA BYŤ]
3/5*
The end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2012
Nachdem die Handlung endlich mal in Gang kam, wurde das Buch richtig spannend. Es ist - leider - auch recht vorhersehbar, dennoch schafft Robert Masello es, seine Geschichte sehr spannend zu verpacken. Mir gefiel die Mischung aus Mythologie und Paläontologie sehr. Ich habe einige Dinge sogar gegoogelt, um eine bessere Vorstellung zu bekommen.
Es ist auch nicht ganz so schlimm, wenn man das vorangegangene Buch - "Das letzte Relitk" - nicht zuerst gelesen hat. Ich dachte erst, es wären Dinge, die ich nicht verstehen würde. Es gibt auch eine Sache, die mir noch immer etwas unklar ist, die aber im Vorgängerbuch erklärt wird. Also werde ich das demnächst auch lesen, denn es interessiert mich!
Gute Unterhaltung für zwischendurch!
Es ist auch nicht ganz so schlimm, wenn man das vorangegangene Buch - "Das letzte Relitk" - nicht zuerst gelesen hat. Ich dachte erst, es wären Dinge, die ich nicht verstehen würde. Es gibt auch eine Sache, die mir noch immer etwas unklar ist, die aber im Vorgängerbuch erklärt wird. Also werde ich das demnächst auch lesen, denn es interessiert mich!
Gute Unterhaltung für zwischendurch!
August 31, 2014
Die Handlung ist etwas verworren und die einzelnen Handlungsstränge wirken teilweise künstlich zusammengeführt, auch wenn alles am Ende mehr oder weniger zusammenhängend wirkt. Leider kommt Spannung in dem Buch erst auf den letzten gut 100 Seiten auf und es wird eine Person immer wieder am Rande erwähnt, die für die Protagonisten scheinbar eine große Bedeutung hat, doch warum wird bis zum Ende nicht klar.
September 14, 2012
A little less than epic of an ending...I expected a bit more with this cast of beasts. There were also a couple of underdeveloped scenarios that needed some expansion. For a quick paperback novel, it did hold my attention but the adventure within the storyline surpassed the concept and mythology of the found bestiary.
February 10, 2013
This was by far the best book by Masello that I have read to date. The ending didn't feel rushed, as with the firsttwo that I read. The characters are likeable; I am happy to see that Carter Cox will be continuing, as there isstill the question of what will occur with Joey as he grows up.
April 22, 2014
Couldn't wait to finish reading this .... so I could get it as far away from me as possible. Over 400 pages that never knit together enough to make you give a flip; there are dinosaurs and mystic dead bones and an ancient manuscript. Yeah, that good.
July 21, 2015
This is probably the 3rd time I have read this book. Why? 'cause I enjoy getting all involved in every part of this book. I read for enjoyment and rarely dissect any part of the story or the characters. I just enjoy reading and visualizing myself in the different parts or characters.
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