What do you think?
Rate this book
Primal Terra
Three days ago, Carla Scarletta chased a jewel thief into his New York City apartment. When she kicked down the door, the last thing she expected to find was a portal into a lost world.
Today, Phil Moody gets a visit from an old friend. He claims Phil's ex-wife has gone missing, that she’s currently alive but in grave danger… sixty-five million years in the past. Now, Phil, along with a team of mercenaries and one celebrity paleontologist, must step into the portal, travel into a dinosaur-infested world and cross dangerous terrain to find the woman he maybe still loves. But that’s not all they’re after. The jewel thief has stolen something else, something that could alter their concept of reality and catastrophically damage the universe.
But time is running out. If they don’t hurry, the portal will close, trapping them in this primal world… forever.
Today, Phil Moody gets a visit from an old friend. He claims Phil's ex-wife has gone missing, that she’s currently alive but in grave danger… sixty-five million years in the past. Now, Phil, along with a team of mercenaries and one celebrity paleontologist, must step into the portal, travel into a dinosaur-infested world and cross dangerous terrain to find the woman he maybe still loves. But that’s not all they’re after. The jewel thief has stolen something else, something that could alter their concept of reality and catastrophically damage the universe.
But time is running out. If they don’t hurry, the portal will close, trapping them in this primal world… forever.
- GenresHorror
218 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 24, 2019
79 people are currently reading
161 people want to read
About the author
Tim Meyer
49 books1,055 followersTim Meyer dwells in a dark cave near the Jersey Shore. He's an author, husband, father, podcast host, blogger, coffee connoisseur, beer enthusiast, and explorer of worlds. He writes horror, mysteries, science fiction, and thrillers, although he prefers to blur genres and let the story fall where it may.
You can follow Tim at https://timmeyerwrites.com
OR like his Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/authortimmeyer
You can follow Tim at https://timmeyerwrites.com
OR like his Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/authortimmeyer
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 30, 2026
I watched Jurassic Park Dominion over the weekend and it got me in the mood for some dinosaur literature. This book was newly on my to-read list and fit the bill. So for anyone who played Dino Crisis, this is going to bring you right back into that world. Soldiers vs dinos, time portals, lots of running and gunfire, conspiracies and backstabbing, it was all included here, too. I like Tim Meyer, and you could tell he loved writing this story. So that always makes a book feel like the author was invested in it, and not simply just squeezing out some random story to meet a quota. My main critique here was that he tried to cram too much into a less than 200-page book. I did start to get fatigued and felt like he just put certain scenes in to justify including as many different dinosaurs as possible, too. So I’m not sure if elongating the story would have resolved any of that either. Things just became muddled, as there were different versions of the same people, lots of characters and dinosaurs running around, and it was hard to follow at times. But Meyer did give each of his characters a good personality and nice level of diversity to keep things interesting. And the plot was fairly intricate and not just a mindless adventure. So while it was a little too busy for my taste, I still had fun with this book and would recommend for anyone who enjoys action-packed adventures with prehistoric beasts. And honestly, who doesn’t like dinosaurs?
February 13, 2023
Fast Paced Action!
Small backstory:
Pursuit of a criminal leads Carla Scarletta into a time portal that sends her back to the dinosaur days! Things become even more stickier when her ex-husband, Phil is approached by a friend, Jonesy to go rescue her along with a team of experts that know about such things. But with any type of time traveling especially into a place where dinosaurs roam what could possibly go wrong? Plenty!
That is about all I can give on a small backstory without giving away spoilers so if that has piqued your interest then go grab this book!
Thoughts:
This is my fifth book by this author and this story grabbed me from the get-go keeping me encased in it as I could hardly put it down! I literally read the first half of the book within a few hours and kept wanting to know what was going to happen next!
There is plenty of dinosaur action as the characters are scrambling around trying to stay alive, but the suspense of how the portal came to be and what the characters will have to do to try to get back to civilization just kept me wrapped within the storyline!
Another great book by this author and looking forward to reading more of his work as I own a few more books by him that are simmering on my kindle. Buddy read this with my friend, Vickie over in the Night Shift Goodreads group. Giving this book five "Roaring Dino" stars!
Small backstory:
Pursuit of a criminal leads Carla Scarletta into a time portal that sends her back to the dinosaur days! Things become even more stickier when her ex-husband, Phil is approached by a friend, Jonesy to go rescue her along with a team of experts that know about such things. But with any type of time traveling especially into a place where dinosaurs roam what could possibly go wrong? Plenty!
That is about all I can give on a small backstory without giving away spoilers so if that has piqued your interest then go grab this book!
Thoughts:
This is my fifth book by this author and this story grabbed me from the get-go keeping me encased in it as I could hardly put it down! I literally read the first half of the book within a few hours and kept wanting to know what was going to happen next!
There is plenty of dinosaur action as the characters are scrambling around trying to stay alive, but the suspense of how the portal came to be and what the characters will have to do to try to get back to civilization just kept me wrapped within the storyline!
Another great book by this author and looking forward to reading more of his work as I own a few more books by him that are simmering on my kindle. Buddy read this with my friend, Vickie over in the Night Shift Goodreads group. Giving this book five "Roaring Dino" stars!
April 4, 2021
Scream, chomp, crunch, slurp, gulp. Ah, so this is what the inside of a T-Rex looks like.
Gore and screams aplenty in this time-travel, alternate universe dino story. Even a bit of spy action made its way in there. Who cares what the plot is - it's got DINOSAURS. That's all that matters. Just one of those fun reads that doesn't take too long. This story grabs you from beginning to end. No heavy thinking required - just add eyeballs...your eyeballs.
I liked this one so much more than the last Tim Meyer book I read...69: A Short Novel of Cosmic Horror In fact - I might even read another one!
Gore and screams aplenty in this time-travel, alternate universe dino story. Even a bit of spy action made its way in there. Who cares what the plot is - it's got DINOSAURS. That's all that matters. Just one of those fun reads that doesn't take too long. This story grabs you from beginning to end. No heavy thinking required - just add eyeballs...your eyeballs.
I liked this one so much more than the last Tim Meyer book I read...69: A Short Novel of Cosmic Horror In fact - I might even read another one!
July 5, 2019
This was a lot of fun!
I confess that I didn't like most of our characters (I wasn't meant to), but I actually felt bad when those characters I didn't like ended up...badly. (Okay, one I kind of celebrated!)
The book is bloody, chompy, and quite an adventure! The author added some things I really didn't expect to his world and I appreciated them.
This is a fun, adrenaline packed read!
*Downloaded via KU
I confess that I didn't like most of our characters (I wasn't meant to), but I actually felt bad when those characters I didn't like ended up...badly. (Okay, one I kind of celebrated!)
The book is bloody, chompy, and quite an adventure! The author added some things I really didn't expect to his world and I appreciated them.
This is a fun, adrenaline packed read!
*Downloaded via KU
August 13, 2020
I really like Tim's writing style so picked up this Dino adventure. It's really good- writing, descriptions, characters, oh and big freakin' DINOS. I especially liked the tie-in with Sharkwater Beach, wasnt expecting that at all, so that was a nice surprise.
Hopefully there will be another story in this series.
Hopefully there will be another story in this series.
September 5, 2019
Fans of Dino horror rejoice, Tim Meyer’s short novel, Primal Terra, is here and it just may have the bite you’re looking for.
The book hits the ground running. A police chase gone wrong leads Carla Scarletta to a portal which seems to lead millions of years into the past. All isn’t as it seems with the setting though. I won’t dig too far into, I’ll let you read that yourself. Primal Terra actually reads as a genre blend of Action-horror and sci-fi. For the most part, this blend works unless you’re expecting a deep dive into the specifics of the portals. Meyer delivers a story here with enough action to keep you entertained, while still maintaining a sense of isolation within the jungle. The Dinosaurs found within these pages are vicious killing machines, truly terrifying creatures that will have you feeling thankful our species wasn’t around to share the planet with these beasts.
One issue I had with Primal Terra were the characters. Throughout the book, I never really cared for them. It’s not that they aren’t good characters, but the short length of the book and the fast clip at which it moves doesn’t allow for much character building. There is a tie in here to an earlier book of Meyers’, Sharkwater beach. I don’t think it’s necessary to read that first, although I feel it will enrich your enjoyment of Primal Terra.
Primal Terra, by Tim Meyer is a fun romp through a Dino-rich planet. Strong action sequences and a beautifully descriptive setting pick up the slack of characters that don’t feel fully developed. I had a fun time in this prehistoric world, and if dinosaurs, horror and sci-fi thrown in a blender sound like your thing, you will too.
4/5 stars
The book hits the ground running. A police chase gone wrong leads Carla Scarletta to a portal which seems to lead millions of years into the past. All isn’t as it seems with the setting though. I won’t dig too far into, I’ll let you read that yourself. Primal Terra actually reads as a genre blend of Action-horror and sci-fi. For the most part, this blend works unless you’re expecting a deep dive into the specifics of the portals. Meyer delivers a story here with enough action to keep you entertained, while still maintaining a sense of isolation within the jungle. The Dinosaurs found within these pages are vicious killing machines, truly terrifying creatures that will have you feeling thankful our species wasn’t around to share the planet with these beasts.
One issue I had with Primal Terra were the characters. Throughout the book, I never really cared for them. It’s not that they aren’t good characters, but the short length of the book and the fast clip at which it moves doesn’t allow for much character building. There is a tie in here to an earlier book of Meyers’, Sharkwater beach. I don’t think it’s necessary to read that first, although I feel it will enrich your enjoyment of Primal Terra.
Primal Terra, by Tim Meyer is a fun romp through a Dino-rich planet. Strong action sequences and a beautifully descriptive setting pick up the slack of characters that don’t feel fully developed. I had a fun time in this prehistoric world, and if dinosaurs, horror and sci-fi thrown in a blender sound like your thing, you will too.
4/5 stars
June 30, 2019
Dinosaurs and cosmic horror!
Perfect combination! Accurate dinosaurs mixed with parallel worlds...add in sneaky corporations and military body guards and you have yourself a wild ride. Thoroughly enjoyable read!
Perfect combination! Accurate dinosaurs mixed with parallel worlds...add in sneaky corporations and military body guards and you have yourself a wild ride. Thoroughly enjoyable read!
October 9, 2019
Imaginative
Likeable characters and prehistoric beasts doing their thing. The suspense kept me reading. I was wondering if they were going to make it back they the portal safely.
I'm looking forward to more adventures. Does Phi! get to shut down the corrupt company.
Likeable characters and prehistoric beasts doing their thing. The suspense kept me reading. I was wondering if they were going to make it back they the portal safely.
I'm looking forward to more adventures. Does Phi! get to shut down the corrupt company.
April 27, 2021
With every book I read by Tim Meyer, my appreciation for his work grows. "Primal Terra" is the third book I read which was written by him. It's an engaging pageturner that has all the potential to become a classic.
The theme is similar to that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" (1912). Adventure, masculinity, superiority, evolution, and imperialism are all covered in this book as well. Meyer has described them on their own: realistic and imaginative.
What I personally enjoyed very much is his vision of masculinity, which is combined with vulnerability and that makes some characters not only intriguing and convincing, but also a lot more sympathetic. An example of this is Tampa. A comparison between the two titles shows a development in the idea of masculinity and then Meyer gives a more dynamic and realistic picture of man.
n my opinion, superiority is it
most literary topic in this exciting page turner. This is not only discussed in the adventurous part of the book, but also in the conflicts that play in the background. There is a strong existentialist layer in it, which gives the situations the heroes end up in a macabre ironic touch!
And for the adventurous part, the author deserves an extra compliment. The world he created is compelling. The dinosaurs are correctly described in such a way that the book can also be read as a rebuttal to a quote by Richard David Precht: "There are two categories of animals. One believes that there are two categories and the other suffers from them. "Meyer shows that things can be done differently.
What makes this book a Tim Meyer mustread is the cosmological aspect of "Primal Terra". The otherworldly is also addressed in "Sharkwater Beach" (2017). This gives both stories potential in addition to originality. I feel that the author's talent is still developing and if this growth of the theme continues, it can take on Lovecraftian proportions.
The only criticism is that the author is defrauding himself and the story. There are so many interesting themes in "Primal Terra" that are too modestly covered. Meyer is an excellent writer who writes compelling, ironic, exciting and original. That is why this page turner of mine could have been a hundred pages thicker.
Evolution and imperialism are also ironically addressed in this thriller. Both are related to man's sense of superiority. Without giving too many spoilers, I would like to dwell on that briefly. With all kinds of technological and scientific developments, man has the idea that he is lord and master of nature, but all this does not help if you have to run from a tyrannosaurus rex. Imperialism is used to support developments that promote well-being, but at what cost? By plundering other countries and worlds. All this is presented in an original way.
In short, for anyone who wants to read an ironic page-turner about masculinity, evolution, imperialism and superiority, "Primal Terra" is a must. #primalterra #timmeyer #severedpress
The theme is similar to that of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" (1912). Adventure, masculinity, superiority, evolution, and imperialism are all covered in this book as well. Meyer has described them on their own: realistic and imaginative.
What I personally enjoyed very much is his vision of masculinity, which is combined with vulnerability and that makes some characters not only intriguing and convincing, but also a lot more sympathetic. An example of this is Tampa. A comparison between the two titles shows a development in the idea of masculinity and then Meyer gives a more dynamic and realistic picture of man.
n my opinion, superiority is it
most literary topic in this exciting page turner. This is not only discussed in the adventurous part of the book, but also in the conflicts that play in the background. There is a strong existentialist layer in it, which gives the situations the heroes end up in a macabre ironic touch!
And for the adventurous part, the author deserves an extra compliment. The world he created is compelling. The dinosaurs are correctly described in such a way that the book can also be read as a rebuttal to a quote by Richard David Precht: "There are two categories of animals. One believes that there are two categories and the other suffers from them. "Meyer shows that things can be done differently.
What makes this book a Tim Meyer mustread is the cosmological aspect of "Primal Terra". The otherworldly is also addressed in "Sharkwater Beach" (2017). This gives both stories potential in addition to originality. I feel that the author's talent is still developing and if this growth of the theme continues, it can take on Lovecraftian proportions.
The only criticism is that the author is defrauding himself and the story. There are so many interesting themes in "Primal Terra" that are too modestly covered. Meyer is an excellent writer who writes compelling, ironic, exciting and original. That is why this page turner of mine could have been a hundred pages thicker.
Evolution and imperialism are also ironically addressed in this thriller. Both are related to man's sense of superiority. Without giving too many spoilers, I would like to dwell on that briefly. With all kinds of technological and scientific developments, man has the idea that he is lord and master of nature, but all this does not help if you have to run from a tyrannosaurus rex. Imperialism is used to support developments that promote well-being, but at what cost? By plundering other countries and worlds. All this is presented in an original way.
In short, for anyone who wants to read an ironic page-turner about masculinity, evolution, imperialism and superiority, "Primal Terra" is a must. #primalterra #timmeyer #severedpress
January 8, 2021
Primal Terra - 4.5/5
By Tim Meyer
Primal Terra may be short but it certainly packs a punch!
This book was super fun and light hearted - it definitely filled my dino-meter up to full!
There was never a dull moment - packed full of description and action packed - you just wanted more! I truly felt that I could visualise the dinosaurs and see them living their lives in front of me.
I did find the ending a bit of a let down as I felt that it just suddenly stopped, however I won't let the ending stop me from reading more by this author!
By Tim Meyer
Primal Terra may be short but it certainly packs a punch!
This book was super fun and light hearted - it definitely filled my dino-meter up to full!
There was never a dull moment - packed full of description and action packed - you just wanted more! I truly felt that I could visualise the dinosaurs and see them living their lives in front of me.
I did find the ending a bit of a let down as I felt that it just suddenly stopped, however I won't let the ending stop me from reading more by this author!
April 18, 2023
Primal Terra by Tim Meyer was so freaking enjoyable, and I loved it! This is the second 'prehistoric time' meets 'present world time' of his I've read and think this is definitely his forte!! This is my second favorite of all the books I've read by him! Definitely recommend this. You will love it too!
February 24, 2021
Good read
Characters were ok but did not excite me very much . The plot was a bit. confusing but I was glad to see the description of the animals leaning to today’s new more accurate versions.
Characters were ok but did not excite me very much . The plot was a bit. confusing but I was glad to see the description of the animals leaning to today’s new more accurate versions.
Read
July 10, 2021DNF 24%
November 22, 2020
Fun, light-hearted*, gore-filled romp through a parallel universe full of dinosaurs.
(* “Light-hearted” for horror fans. Normal people may not find it light-hearted seeing as how people are ripped apart by dinosaurs and apparently not everyone finds that funny. *shrug*)
(* “Light-hearted” for horror fans. Normal people may not find it light-hearted seeing as how people are ripped apart by dinosaurs and apparently not everyone finds that funny. *shrug*)
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews