The Lost World: A Novel (Jurassic Park)

I had seen both of the Jurassic Park films based on the novels and had enjoyed them. I finally got around to reading the novels and was surprised at how different the books were. The film's were made family friendly with neat endings. The books are thrilling page turnovers, that are fascinating. The Lost World in particular is much different from the film. Like Jurassic Park, it is one hell of a novel. Three quarters of this book is not in the film, and it is even more thrilling and realistic. The events on the island are fast paced and incredible. I love the fact that Ian Malcolm is a bachelor and there isn't much romance between him and Sarah Harding. Sarah is a real action hero in this book with a much larger role than in the film. There are two kids in this story who are both educated and intelligent and are helpful in this novel, unlike the the kids in the Jurassic Park novel. The boy Tim was smart, but the girl Alex was annoying as hell. Author Crichton includes his well researched theories and scientific information along with thoughtful discussions on the nature of man and our impact on the planet. While the novelization of Jurassic Park included this as well, this is more of a roller coaster ride. I preferred the novelization of Jurassic Park (the first film), I enjoy both film version and the novel for the Lost World. I would've loved to see films based on the novelizations of both books, James Cameron would have done them justice instead of reorganizing them to be family-friendly. A fantastic read, though I wish an epilogue was added since this book ends rather abruptly. So pleased that there is now an unabridged audiobook copy. Scott Brick is brilliant on this as usual.

Ian Malcolm, presumed dead at the end of Jurassic Park, is alive and giving a lecture on Chaos Theory and Extinction when overzealous paleontologist Richard Levine shows up. Levine is tired of studying bones; he’s heard rumors about strange animals in Costa Rica and about Ian Malcolm’s extended stay there. He wants to put together an expedition to locate a “Lost World” where animals survived extinction and are still living in seclusion. Malcolm says no such place exists, but he’ll be happy to help if it’s ever found. As Levine begins to track down the last known rumored site of his Lost World he realizes he’s being monitored and all his careful planning means nothing if he isn’t the first one there. Lewis Dodgson is back and he wants what he paid for: dinosaur eggs. Levine rushes unprepared into the Lost World, forcing Malcolm to organize a rescue party… This was certainly an interesting sequel, although I think it lacked the focus of the first novel. I loved that not one, but two children managed to stowaway on the trailer and, unlike the movie, neither one of them were related to Malcolm. Because in a world where genetically engineered dinosaurs roam free, who needs the added drama of teenagers fighting with absentee dads? I liked that it was, to some degree, Richard Levine’s fault that the kids got dragged into this. Levine’s blind ambition, disregard for human life, and pomposity makes him a hard guy to like; so it’s easier to place blame on an unlikable character than the guy everyone liked from Jurassic Park. But in turn, Ian Malcolm was a little less likeable this time around. His character has had a complete overhaul. Instead of being the know-it-all pessimist who just knows this is a bad idea and wants to spend all his time explaining why… He’s curious. He thinks that somehow studying dinosaurs outside cages will be less dangerous than when they were in them. This is a man who thought dinosaurs were a bad idea before they tried to eat him. Clearly the blood loss from his previous stay in Costa Rica has damaged his brain. Crichton’s characters reunite on the island of Isla Sorna, surprised to find that evidence of human intervention is all around them. This is Site B: InGen’s top secret manufacturing plant. The scientists, unable to stop disease from spreading, released their wards to grow in the wild; offering Levine and Malcolm the unique chance to study dino-behavior. I found most of the explanations as to why dinosaurs behaved a certain way fun, but found it laughable that it never once occurs to anyone throughout the course of the book to sit still, shut up, stay together until the helicopters returned…Although I suppose if they behaved themselves the plot would be about a bunch of people sitting in a tree. The only thing I didn’t like about dinosaur behavior and its explanation: velociraptors as bad parents. The reason given for this is that they were raised in a lab and never learned mothering behavior…But the same could be said for any of the dinosaurs and the other species managed just fine. So that explanation fell short. I suspect it was easier to vilify raptors when they were turning on each other and instead of trying to give an explanation for that behavior, MC should have just left it alone. But I loved the idea of chameleon carnitaurs and feathered T-rex babies. The descriptions of scenery and wildlife were beautifully done and it made up for the parts that made no sense. This book was dramatically different from its movie. The first half of the storyline is spent searching for Levine who is searching for dinosaurs. Sarah Harding is late to the party, not early. Dodgson does not arrive with a mini-army so you kind of know his chances of success aren’t going to be high. The T-Rex’s never get off the island. In the end, the book and the movie only ever share two scenes: 1. the kidnap of a baby T-Rex and 2. the raptors hunting human prey through long grass. Needless to say, if you're a fan of this book you don't need to see the movie...If you're a fan of this movie you're in for a surprise. While I enjoyed this book enough to give it a four star rating, I’m not ashamed to admit I prefer the flashy thrills of the movie version. Bogging the story down with all that science and speculation gave me way too much time to think about all the plot-holes even as the suspense pulled me forward through the pages…

"The Lost World" was much better on paper than it was on film. The film took a great deal of liberties with the story, going as far as adding entirely new characters and plotlines as well as borrowing from "Jurassic Park" to move the story along. This review, however, is of Michael Crichton's wonderful book and not the film loosely based on it. I'm one of those people who usually sees a film before I read the book it is based on. With the "Jurassic Park" flicks, I really enjoyed the first one and hated the second one. With this in mind I was hesitant to pick up either of Crichton's dino books. After reading "Jurassic Park" though, I found that not only was the story different, it was much better. That made me wonder if "The Lost World" would do the same. As expected, "The Lost World" did not let me down. It was almost entirely different from the film. The primary plot of this story is that one Richard Levine is curious to find out if a "lost world" actually exists. He has been researching odd animal findings in and around Costa Rica and believes that somehow a few dinosaurs actually survived extinction. Not knowing about John Hammond's business venture in building a dinosaur park where dinos actually exist, he picks the brain of Dr. Ian Malcolm in hopes to convince him to help him seek out this "lost world." Of course, Malcolm is the wonderfully cynical mathematician from "Jurassic Park." He was thought to be dead but through the wonders of the written word, Crichton revives him. As Levine presses Malcolm for help, he eventually decides to go it alone and ends up trapped on Isla Sorna, also known as Site B. At this point the story drops (for the most part) all arguments over evolution and extinction and becomes a rescue mission. Malcolm, along with the likeable Dr. Thorne, the headstrong Dr. Harding, field technician Eddie Carr and two very intelligent stowaways, sets out to save Levine's life and hopefully protect the secrets of Site B. Of course, no Crichton novel is worth a dime without a decent villain. In this case, we revisit BioSyn's Lewis Dodgson, the catalyst for most of the chaos in the first book. He, along with two counterparts, sets out to collect a few eggs from Site B for his own gain. Dodgson is sinister, calculating and very sure of himself. I'll let you find out for yourself just how much of a problem he becomes in the "lost world." As in "Jurassic Park," Crichton often goes off on long scientific tangents explaining the habits of lions and jackals in Africa. He also gives drawn out explanations on why or why not the dinosaurs were wiped out by asteroids. But just like in his first dino book, Crichton pours out this information in a way that, to me, doesn't bring the action to a screeching halt. I enjoy reading these little tidbits of scientific information, but I can see where others might find them to be a bit too much info to take in while your being attacked by velociraptors. Many reviewers find this book to be subpar. I think a lot of that has to do with the fact that it is a sequel. Sure, Malcolm shouldn't be back in action, but he's such a fun character that I'm willing to let Crichton slide here. I'll also concede that doctors Harding and Thorne closely resemble Grant and Sattler from the first book. I'll also admit that the two kids are nothing more than a rehash of Hammond's grandchildren. However, Crichton puts a very good spin on an old tale with "The Lost World." In my opinion it moves at a much faster pace than its predecessor. Although the characters aren't very well developed, we are given enough information to care about or hate most of them. Also, there are quite a few differences between the actions and even the biological makeup of many of the dinos in this book and "Jurassic Park," but these differences do help to move the book along. "The Lost World" isn't a perfect book. It revisits old territory but still manages to give the reader a lesson or two about extinction and chaos theory. I give it five stars because it works wonderfully as an action yarn and it's nice to catch up with one of my favorite characters, Ian Malcolm. Highly recommended.

It a great read. Fantastic copy as well.

So good to read the original , very different to the movies . Great read

What a fantastic writer! It’s amazing how he was ahead of his time and updated on the latest knowledges when the book was written.

This is what a bestseller novel should read like. Captivating, enlightening, thought provoking and entertaining to the very last page. Crichtons best by far. I am not a fan of Jurassic Park the novel. But The Lost World is a masterpiece.

El libro me llegó al siguiente día y hasta donde voy está super interesante, no daré spoilers pero es sorprendente desde el capítulo uno

Great book.