- Paperback: 384 pages
- Publisher: Voyager; paperback / softback edition (19 Oct 1998)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0006483674
- ISBN-13: 978-0006483670
- Product Dimensions: 17.4 x 11.6 x 2.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 255,812 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
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Product Description
Amazon.co.uk Review
Remember Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, in which an expedition led by Professor George Edward Challenger discovered an Amazonian plateau where dinosaurs still roamed? In Dinosaur Summer, Greg Bear assumes that Challenger's expedition really took place, and that for nearly 50 years dinosaurs have been relatively commonplace in zoos and circuses throughout the world. But the beasts are not easily kept in captivity, and slowly but surely their numbers are dwindling. Now there is only one dinosaur circus left, and it's shutting down. The dinosaur trainer wants to return his animals to the wild, so an expedition is organised to return the dinos to their nearly inaccessible plateau. Accompanying the group (which includes special effects master Ray Harryhausen) is 15-year-old Peter Belzoni, the son of the National Geographic photographer covering the story. The boy is about to have the adventure of a lifetime.
Review
‘If you love dinosaurs, Dinosaur Summer is your cup of Jurassic tea. Tea? Hell, it’s a banquet’
Ray Bradbury
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
BOOK REVIEW
DINOSAUR 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.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
As I read this book, I kept thinking what a fantastic movie it would make, and I hope someone takes up that challenge. One concept it addresses is rarely discussed - if dinosaurs had survived, they would not have stopped evolving. What really made me a fan of this book, though, is the ending - just when you think it's done, a bigger and better climax comes along. As I read about the titanic battle at the end, I could the roars in the distance.
Format:Hardcover
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.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
a bit disappointing a realisation of an interesting premise
This is a sort of sequel to Conan Doyle's Lost World, but set in a world where Professor Challenger really did discover dinosaurs on a plateau in South America in 1912. Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Hopper
Not his best
I think the fact that the central character is a teenage boy gives a huge clue to the target audience for this book. Read more
Published 12 months ago by I. Saunders
Oh My God....
This book i could not believe. I had given Mr Bear the benefit of doubt right to the end of the nove but still, all i could find at best, was 'dinosaurs on Discovery channel'. Read more
Published on 17 Sep 2001 by "kittenfun"
Captivating premise, dragged out plot!
Greg Bears new book is a test! A test of one's patience, intelligence and SF devotion. The first half reads like a poorly written travel log and than the plot takes a very... Read more
Published on 30 Jun 1999
My Least favorite Bear Novel
I was extremely dissapointed with this book. It lacked excitement and characters I could care about. This was a poor attempt at 50's juvenile science fiction, sorry Greg. Read more
Published on 22 Feb 1999
Dinosaur Summer Should Go Back to School
Since I love dinosaurs, I wanted to check this book out as soon as I heard about it. It tells the story of a boy and his father who accompany the last dinosaur circus to the Lost... Read more
Published on 30 July 1998
More dinosaur action would have been nice
I never thought Dinosaurs could be so boring. In this book the author set out to create a world where dinosaurs were mostly taken for granted. Read more
Published on 27 July 1998
Dinosaur Summer is adventure in the great old-fashioned way.
In what we are pleased to think of as our reality, such men as Merian C. Cooper and Ernest B. Schoedsack (producers of the 1933 KING KONG), special effects geniuses Willis O'Brien... Read more
Published on 17 April 1998
Fun adventure story, captivating
A great adventure story of a boy growing to be a man, facing adverseries he never thought he'd meet in a world that has all the problems of today and DINOSAURS! Read more
Published on 29 Mar 1998
you will love this book
Okay, yes some parts of this novel are predictable. Yes the characters are not as colorful as they could be. Read more
Published on 16 Feb 1998
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