Dinosaur Summer

Fans of the films of Willis O'Brien and Ray Harryhausen (King Kong, Mighty Joe Young, Vally Of Gwangi etc.) must not miss this wonderful book. Bear has payed loving homage to those masters of the lost art of stop-motion animation in a thrilling, beautiful story that begs to be read again and again. A sequel to the original "The Lost World" by Arthur Conan Doyle, this book is tailor-made for those like myself who grew up glued to the TV on Saturday afternoons whenever the local UHF station treated us to any of the aforementioned films (often with a dog-eared copy of "Famous Monsters Magazine" clutched in our hands.).Indeed, reading "Dinosaur Summer" was like watching the lost O'Brien-Harryhausen film that you never knew existed. But even if you have no idea who O'Brien, Harryhausen, Merian C. Cooper or Ernest Schoedsack are, if you love dinosaurs and/or adventure this book is a can't-miss winner. And as an added bonus the art of Tony DiTerlizzi found throughout the book-in B/W and Color-captures wonderfully the spirit of adventure and imagination that fuels the story. As an aside, to those who have complained that the creatures inhabiting the plateau are not the dinos they would like to see; What do you want? More of Crichton's Velociraptors and rexes? Hey, don't tell me the Altovenator wasn't cool (and pretty darn close to the real-life Afrovenator.) Likewise, the Death Eagle is quite a remarkable beast and not too far removed from actual prehistoric counterparts in Titanis walleri, Phorusrachus, etc. So if you love dinos but were dissapointed by some of the less-than-stellar efforts lately (Crichton's "Lost World", both page and screen, come to mind as well as JP3 and Dismal's...er...uh...Disney's "Dinosaur") "Dinosaur Summer" is just the ticket. Dig up those old "Famous Monsters" magazines, pop some popcorn and dig in!

I'm not surprised that this book has been underrated by many readers. It comes from another age, when Doyle and Burroughs were the hottest adventure writers around. It was a big challenge for Bear to satisfy the old hard-liner of "Lost World" but the "exercice de style" was achieved to the perfection. But don't be surprised if under the apparent naivete inherited from the Lost World a very clever, educated and gripping story is developping. After all, that's the Bear Touch.

This book picks you right up, puts you on its shoulders and strides strongly forth for a REAL adventure. Scenes of wonder captivate from the start and the unique array of dinosaurs quickly found a place in my heart. The real-life characters are as fine and fascinating a mix as I've ever come across. How I wanted to go along for the trip! And of course I did, through the eyes of young Peter, gasping and cheering as he surely must have on the road to El Grande; fascinated and terrified as he must have been on the plateau itself. Since finishing this book I have been filled with dreams of the lush and exotic plateau, as well as with a deep longing to return to its dangerous depths. A great read!

BOOK REVIEWDINOSAUR SUMMER ©1998 by Greg Bear Illustrations by Tony DiTerlizzi Warner Books, hardcover, $23.00 ISBN 0-446-52098-5 Reviewed by Nicholas Dollak I've always felt that books that would make visually entertaining films should be illustrated. Well, Dinosaur Summer is just that: a rousing adventure tale with pictures to delight the eye. I found it a quick read, tightly constructed and embellished with fascinating detail. Inevitably (since I've read no other works by Greg Bear with which to draw fair comparisons), I found myself comparing it to Michael Chrichton's Jurassic Park and The Lost World. Though Chrichton's books have their moments, I found Dinosaur Summer consistently more entertaining. The clearly-drawn characters often reveal their personalities in their first speaking lines. Characters with hidden agendas are noticeably more mysterious. The premise: It's the late 1940s, decades after the events chronicled in Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's ! The Lost World. Many dinosaurs have been removed from the plateau and exhibited in circuses. Now the public has tired of dinosaurs and circuses in general. The last dinosaur circus, in a magnanimous gesture (and last-ditch publicity stunt, with National Geographic coverage) is returning its prehistoric animals to their home. Along with dinosaur trainer Vince Shellabarger, camera bum Anthony Belzoni and his growing son Peter, the expedition is rounded out by real-life animators Willis O'Brien (The Lost World and King Kong) and Ray Harryhausen (Jason & the Argonauts and Clash of the Titans), the latter of whom gives this book a hearty thumbs-up! Other historical figures from the time lend a further veneer of realism. Of course, the trip to the Lost World is fraught with problems, and upon arrival all heck breaks loose. O'Brien and Harryhausen find themselves caught up in an adventure worthy of (and often superior to) their own movies. I guess when you grow up with th! ese guys' work, you find yourself wondering what they'd do ! if confronted by a hungry dinosaur... And, of course, the dinosaurs! This book very effectively uses the dinosaurs-as-animals angle which made Jurassic Park work. Any student of animal behavior will find the realism astounding. It helps to know your dinosaurs, of course, but the illustrations and vivid descriptions do a good job of filling you in. Incidentally, the obscure venator is the fellow on the front cover. The particular species mentioned in the book, though, is fictitious, as are a number of other denizens. The Lost World, remember, has been isolated for millions of years. The book acknowledges the symbiotic wholeness of ecosystems. Our heroes face not only large dinosaurs and the odd therapsid or enormous bird, but lots of little creatures, edible and toxic plants and many bugs. In fact, some nasty fire-ant bites cause Peter to experience a trippy fever dream / vision quest which is the book's centerpiece.

I think that Greg Bear's Dinosaur Summer is one of the best books I have read. I haven't read other books from Greg Bear, but I can already tell that he's an excellent writer. I think that the scenario is more realistic than ever cloning dinosaur DNA to make them (*cough* Jurassic Park *cough*). I like the animals and characters in the book. A great one, it's a must-read.