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Jurassic Park
  
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Jurassic Park (Hardcover)

by Michael Crichton (Author) "Mike Bowman whistled cheerfully as he drove the Land Rover through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve, on the west coast of Costa Rica ..." (more)
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

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Product details

  • Hardcover
  • Publisher: Random House Inc (P); Deluxe edition (July 1995)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0517130629
  • ISBN-13: 978-0517130629
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (51 customer reviews)

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Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

Unless your species evolved sometime after 1993, when Jurassic Park hit theatres, you're no doubt familiar with this dinosaur-bites-man disaster tale set on an island theme park gone terribly wrong. But if Speilberg's amped-up CGI creation left you longing for more scientific background and ... well, character development, check out the original Michael Crichton novel. Although not his best book (get a hold of sci-fi classic The Andromeda Strain for that), Jurassic Park fills out the film version's kinetic storyline with additional scenes, dialogue and explanations while still maintaining Crichton's trademark thrills-'n'-chills pacing. As ever, the book really is better than the movie. --Paul Hughes, Amazon.com --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

In the future there are dinosaurs --This text refers to the Paperback edition.
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Mike Bowman whistled cheerfully as he drove the Land Rover through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve, on the west coast of Costa Rica. Read the first page
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Customer Reviews

51 Reviews
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Average Customer Review
4.8 out of 5 stars (51 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars There's something scary in the bushes..., 29 Aug 2006
By Cheeky Monkey (NW England) - See all my reviews
  
This review is from: Jurassic Park (Paperback)
...and it's hungry! First of all, forget the saccharine, sanised Spielberg film as the book is very, very different. I read this book soon after it came out and was my first Crichton novel and it knocked me over backwards with a blast of stale air from T-Rex's bloodied maw! A heart-thumping, roller-coaster ride where mankind gets a real whipping thanks to his meddling and arrogance. And that is the moral of the story: don't mess with Mother Nature or she will kick your backside and ruin your day.

Sounds like the film? Don't fool yourself as there are two T-rexes and not 3 or 4 velociraptors as in the film but over 40. More importantly, more people get mashed and the pace is unrelenting and the book has a more claustrophobic feeling about it that is so utterly lacking in the film.

As with all Crichton books, there is the boring science bit at the beginning, but in this book the science is more accessible and he does a grand job of explaining evolution and the remarkable circumstances that gave rise to life in the first place. However, once the boffin bit is out of the way we can get down to the real blood and guts yarn of escape from an island infested with hungry monsters. This is real primeval nightmare stuff brought horribly to life and crashing through the undergrowth into the modern world.
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9 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Better than the Film, 6 Oct 2003
By Mikeyr101 (UK) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)   
This review is from: Jurassic Park (Paperback)
I can't watch Jurassic Park without feeling like we have missed out. And the reason is that, having read Michael Crichton's original book, the two simply don't compare.

The novel is a much darker, gruelling experience than what you've seen. John Hammond is not a nice guy, like Richard Attenborough's Hammond: he's a selfish, scheming shyster out to make a fast buck with a spectacular new show, and the consequences be damned. Not only is the mood different, half the content never made it to screen. The early foreboding where the dino numbers don't add up, who Lou Dodgson really is, what lurked on the boat heading for the mainland, Muldoon's efforts to tranquilise the T-Rex as it roams loose in the park. The journey made by Alan Grant and the kids is much longer and far more hazardous; a river journey (subsequently used in Jurassic Park 3) has the T-Rex stalking them from the opposite bank, and it is only Muldoon and Satlers' unknowing intervention that keeps them from being devoured in the shallows. Also missing is the aviary, under which the river runs and where the Pterodactyls have been causing havoc for the beleaguered construction crews employed by the park (used later in JP3). Presumably the film was stretched for time, but it would have been nice, all the same...

That's not all that's "new". The ensemble cast of characters is much more comprehensive, notably with Doctor Harding and Muldoon playing a larger part, as well as geneticist Henry Wu; and their actions in the story are sorely lacking on celluloid. Even the lawyer Genarro has far much more to offer and he is actually one of the heroes of the piece, not just another legal blood-sucker. Usually thrillers are too short to bond with characters much, but these people have depth, and you actually start to care what happens to them.

On its own merit this is a ripping tale of science, human failing and the power of nature, and ultimately of endurance and sacrifice. It is definitely recommended for holiday reading and is also pretty good for when those winter nights start to close in. So look for that loose change down the side of the sofa and pick up a copy; because this book will give you hours of enjoyable reading.

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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Super Cool!, 20 Nov 2001
This review is from: Jurassic Park (Paperback)
I really enjoyed this book. i read it after the 3rd film came out, and started my obssession with dinosaurs. The science is a little more complex than in the film and, although hard to understand, very informative. It also looks alot more closely at the relationships between the characters, esp ellie and grant, which was not at all portrayed in the film. Plus it gives you loads of info on dinosaurs. Definitely read it, and don't give up if you don't like it at first. Some books take a little time to get into. I'm just about to start on the Lost World!
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Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars For what its worth...
Naturally the book has lots more detail than the film, as it is hard to fit a 300 page novel into a 2 hour film! Read more
Published 1 month ago by John Forecast

3.0 out of 5 stars Worth Reading
You may have seen and enjoyed the movie, but it's well worth going back to read the book too. As is often the case, the book has a richer set of characters, and tells a more... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Martyn Davies

5.0 out of 5 stars Book 1: Film 0
The old 'film of the book' was swiftly replaced by 'the book of the film' during the 80s and oh! how we suffered with some of the 'direct from screenplay' efforts that weigh down... Read more
Published 6 months ago by Filthy Raider

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic!!!
I, like many others, saw the film before I read the book but I don't feel that that affected my love of the book at all. I was hooked on this book as soon as I started it. Read more
Published 8 months ago by Mrs. S. Payne

4.0 out of 5 stars The usual Crichton (good and bad)
Firstly I sould say that i saw the film before reading the book and loved it. This doesn't really make a difference though because it is almost identicle to several other Crichton... Read more
Published 9 months ago by Hugh Jass

5.0 out of 5 stars Superb!!
Having just finished this book, i am left astonished. The book is completely superior to the film in every way, shape and form. Read more
Published 9 months ago by Mr. Jason Graham

5.0 out of 5 stars one of my favourites.
Like Crichton's "Sphere", this book lost alot when it was made into a film.
I think many people are put off reading this because of the film. Read more
Published 11 months ago by Mrs. D. L. Cox

5.0 out of 5 stars Jurassic Park
Crichton blends drama, adventure, suspense and science to create an exceptional piece of writing. For anyone who has seen the film, which was based on the book, then you'll know... Read more
Published 12 months ago by Mr. Pjk Patching

5.0 out of 5 stars Mathematics Vs Science
First of all i saw the film first, when i was about ten and i am big fan of it. My hunch when i watched it again a few years ago was that Ian Malcolm was the key character. Read more
Published 13 months ago by A. Homer

4.0 out of 5 stars Clever and Suspenseful
This book combines drama and suspense with science and a certain amount of moralizing. The book's major premise-using the DNA of long extinct species-is clever because it is so... Read more
Published 15 months ago by Douglas P. Murphy

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