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Ray Bradbury Presents #1
Dinosaur World
Transported back in time to the prehistoric era by Time Safari, Inc.--a company that offers time travel to hunters--Aaron Cofield and Jennifer Mason must flee across the millennia, pursued by a psychotic member of Time Safari. Reprint.
274 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1992
5 people are currently reading
158 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Leigh
86 books59 followersStephen Leigh has been writing science fiction since he was in grade school. He sold his first story in 1975 and has been publishing regularly ever since then.
He has been nominated for and won several awards for his fiction over the years. He has written and published the occasional poems and non-fiction pieces, as well.
Steve teaches Creative Writing at Northern Kentucky University in the Greater Cincinnati area. He also plays music, and studies the Japanese martial art Aikido, in which he holds the rank of Sandan.
Stephen Leigh also writes as S.L. Farrell and Matthew Farrell.
He has been nominated for and won several awards for his fiction over the years. He has written and published the occasional poems and non-fiction pieces, as well.
Steve teaches Creative Writing at Northern Kentucky University in the Greater Cincinnati area. He also plays music, and studies the Japanese martial art Aikido, in which he holds the rank of Sandan.
Stephen Leigh also writes as S.L. Farrell and Matthew Farrell.
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 25, 2024
Truly awful. Have read more interesting cereal boxes. Kind of loved it. Shame you can’t rate things 0 stars.
January 7, 2010
I read this book when I was twelve years old and remember loving every page of it. My best friend at the time became a tad imaginative and filled a notebook with a language inspired from the creatures of the book. He gave me the book to study and it became our secret language in middle school. Crazy, huh?
Yea, it was, but you can get away with that kind of stuff as a kid.
The book has everything a kid or young adult would love: dinosaur hunters, time travel, odd creatures and a wonderful world to explore.
At the time of me reading this book I would have given it five stars, but it would be hard for me to give this book more than a three considering everything I've read since. Overall, a very fun book.
Yea, it was, but you can get away with that kind of stuff as a kid.
The book has everything a kid or young adult would love: dinosaur hunters, time travel, odd creatures and a wonderful world to explore.
At the time of me reading this book I would have given it five stars, but it would be hard for me to give this book more than a three considering everything I've read since. Overall, a very fun book.
December 9, 2020
I picked this bad boy up at a thrift store because of the cover art and the interesting title. If Ray Bradbury presents it...then it has to be decent, right?
🦕
I can definitely see this being enjoyable for like 10-year-old boys...hello, that’s me, I am 10-year-old boy. I actually thought this was a pretty fun read. I settled down, zoned out, and read it in a few hours.
🦕
It did get a little weird with the whole talking dinosaurs and have their own religion, time-travel, and other oddities, but hey it wasn’t terrible. I had fun. 🤷♀️
🦕
I can definitely see this being enjoyable for like 10-year-old boys...hello, that’s me, I am 10-year-old boy. I actually thought this was a pretty fun read. I settled down, zoned out, and read it in a few hours.
🦕
It did get a little weird with the whole talking dinosaurs and have their own religion, time-travel, and other oddities, but hey it wasn’t terrible. I had fun. 🤷♀️
February 18, 2010
Ray Bradbury, why did you endorse this?
October 3, 2023
Very weird! But I liked it! I read the whole thing at once because I was so curious about what was going to happen and intrigued by the Mutata dinosaur society!
I went in thinking this book would be kind of YA and a little simple or stupid, based on the concept of "time travel dinosaur hunting shenanigans", but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually an interesting, thought-provoking, existential slipstream sci fi story. And also there are spear-wielding dinosaurs. I found out after reading Dinosaur World that it's based on Ray Bradbury's short story A Sound of Thunder. The book made more sense after reading it- Dinosaur World is like someone took the opportunity to indulge in writing about the dinosaur society they came up with by using A Sound of Thunder as a jumping off point.
I didn't love every part or each human character, and I was a little confused about the plot, or , but I still liked this book! I felt chills reading about Aaron's experience , and I enjoyed reading about Jennifer's interactions with the Mutata dinosaurs and SStragh's own perspective on the humans.
It was very brain-stretching to try to comprehend the interactions between not just different cultures, but different intelligent species with no common ground, not even common intrinsic language, like 'raising your hands means I don't want to hurt you' or 'crying means I am sad.' Also I liked SStragh! what a nice lady dinosaur
I can't say I really totally understand Mundo's whole thing. But when his character was first introduced, the description of his interconnectedness and omniscience with the whole world was cool.
I think a good way to describe this book is "morbidly intriguing and pushing the limits of my understanding (in a good way). also dinosaurs"
I went in thinking this book would be kind of YA and a little simple or stupid, based on the concept of "time travel dinosaur hunting shenanigans", but I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was actually an interesting, thought-provoking, existential slipstream sci fi story. And also there are spear-wielding dinosaurs. I found out after reading Dinosaur World that it's based on Ray Bradbury's short story A Sound of Thunder. The book made more sense after reading it- Dinosaur World is like someone took the opportunity to indulge in writing about the dinosaur society they came up with by using A Sound of Thunder as a jumping off point.
I didn't love every part or each human character, and I was a little confused about the plot, or , but I still liked this book! I felt chills reading about Aaron's experience , and I enjoyed reading about Jennifer's interactions with the Mutata dinosaurs and SStragh's own perspective on the humans.
It was very brain-stretching to try to comprehend the interactions between not just different cultures, but different intelligent species with no common ground, not even common intrinsic language, like 'raising your hands means I don't want to hurt you' or 'crying means I am sad.' Also I liked SStragh! what a nice lady dinosaur
I can't say I really totally understand Mundo's whole thing. But when his character was first introduced, the description of his interconnectedness and omniscience with the whole world was cool.
I think a good way to describe this book is "morbidly intriguing and pushing the limits of my understanding (in a good way). also dinosaurs"
April 15, 2023
The Short Answer
A fun time travel adventure full of dinosaurs. The books greatest feature is its unpredictability and it's fast pace. While a bit shallow and immature in a few places, it still manages to be an engaging read the whole way through. Definitely not a classic, but better than most sci-fi that involves dinosaurs!
The Long Answer
I found this at a used book store and immediately knew I had to own it. Cheesy dinosaur sci fi? And it has Wayne Barlow illustrations as well? Sign me up!
The book is apparently a direct sequel to the Ray Bradbury story A Sound of Thunder which it never bothers to mention. It's not required reading, but I will definitely be checking it out after having read this.
It is also the first in a series of six books, something else not made obvious until you finish the book and find out that it is anything but over. It does have enough of an ending to feel like a logical stopping point before the next book, but none of the stories are finished.
The characters are reasonably well done. Perspectives shift throughout the book, and hearing the thoughts of different characters helps round them out a bit, though they are definitely not the deepest. The world is fairly well developed, though I have many questions as to how it came about. I presume these will be answered in later books, but I wish I knew a little more at this point.
As mentioned above, the book is reasonably unpredictable. Every time you think you know what is happening, the author throws in a whole pile of new variables. This really helps keep the book interesting, and makes me excited for the rest of the series. It can be a bit random and chaotic though, and some elements work better than others. I'm very curious to see how all these elements come together in the next installment.
It may not be my favorite, but I'm still very much down for this ride. Recommended to anyone who enjoys cheesy pulp sci fi and dinosaurs. Probably not much here for anyone else.
A fun time travel adventure full of dinosaurs. The books greatest feature is its unpredictability and it's fast pace. While a bit shallow and immature in a few places, it still manages to be an engaging read the whole way through. Definitely not a classic, but better than most sci-fi that involves dinosaurs!
The Long Answer
I found this at a used book store and immediately knew I had to own it. Cheesy dinosaur sci fi? And it has Wayne Barlow illustrations as well? Sign me up!
The book is apparently a direct sequel to the Ray Bradbury story A Sound of Thunder which it never bothers to mention. It's not required reading, but I will definitely be checking it out after having read this.
It is also the first in a series of six books, something else not made obvious until you finish the book and find out that it is anything but over. It does have enough of an ending to feel like a logical stopping point before the next book, but none of the stories are finished.
The characters are reasonably well done. Perspectives shift throughout the book, and hearing the thoughts of different characters helps round them out a bit, though they are definitely not the deepest. The world is fairly well developed, though I have many questions as to how it came about. I presume these will be answered in later books, but I wish I knew a little more at this point.
As mentioned above, the book is reasonably unpredictable. Every time you think you know what is happening, the author throws in a whole pile of new variables. This really helps keep the book interesting, and makes me excited for the rest of the series. It can be a bit random and chaotic though, and some elements work better than others. I'm very curious to see how all these elements come together in the next installment.
It may not be my favorite, but I'm still very much down for this ride. Recommended to anyone who enjoys cheesy pulp sci fi and dinosaurs. Probably not much here for anyone else.
December 12, 2022
Somewhat simplistically written, maybe at a young YA level, but still decently worthwhile. It's possible that the series is stretching the content a bit far to make it to 6 books. If you're looking for a fresh take on a time travel classic, this compares unfavorably to The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter, but if you're still hungry for more after that one, and you can get past the "gee wilikers" vibes, this one isn't bad either.
May 18, 2023
I get that this book is first in a series, but it would still have been nice if it had some kind of actual ending instead of just a chapter break. Aside from that, this book was full of plot holes big enough to drive a truck through, and there seems to have been a profound lack of proofreading and editing. I know it's YA and all, but the youth deserve better than this.
January 26, 2024
This read was totally classic sci-fi and I loved it! I was a little hesitant when I opened the package to find a MMPB but my worries were forgotten a couple chapters in.
This book has tons of action and when the core group is unexpectedly split up the chapters bounce between each of their stories making this a fast paced read.
So much more than just dinosaurs. I liked seeing how each character adapts to their situation and how the new worlds respond to them.
This book has tons of action and when the core group is unexpectedly split up the chapters bounce between each of their stories making this a fast paced read.
So much more than just dinosaurs. I liked seeing how each character adapts to their situation and how the new worlds respond to them.
June 10, 2012
On a nice summer day a year ago I bought a movie called 'A sound of thunder'. The cover promised me dinosaurs, and Lord do I love dinosaurs. A few weeks later I bought a book called 'Dinosaur World', and again the cover promised me dinosaurs. As I was reading the book I started to notice some similarities between the movie I saw, and the book I was reading. It is the weirdest coincidence that a few weeks earlier I saw the movie, and now I was reading the book. Although the movie is clearly only inspirated by the book, the similarities were clear.
The book is nice to read, written in a easy way. Very cool to know that there is a dimension where dinosaurs rule the world, communicate with each other in a sophisticated way, and are able to use weapons. Looking forward to get transported there. This book really awakenend the child in me, so it deserves 4 stars.
The book is nice to read, written in a easy way. Very cool to know that there is a dimension where dinosaurs rule the world, communicate with each other in a sophisticated way, and are able to use weapons. Looking forward to get transported there. This book really awakenend the child in me, so it deserves 4 stars.
June 14, 2011
I picked this book up off of a shelf in a grocery store when I was 11 because the cover captured my imagination. I had no idea how much more captivating the story inside would be. I read the entire series (except the last one!!) in middle school and loved it. It was an easy read, however the plot was not limited. The series was essentially the ultimate adventure story for me at that age (and possibly still now!)
December 5, 2016
Great! If you are a 12 year old boy. I picked this up from a thrift shop upon seeing the association of the name Ray Bradbury. I suppose with a title like "Dinosaur World" I was expecting something more like Jurassic Park, but I was very mistaken on that account. Instead, what we have here is time travel and weird battle ready dinos with long pointy spears.
August 25, 2011
I was in love with these books as a younger lad, but the quality... the quality was not all there.
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews