22. Jurassic Park

Book 22: Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton (A)

So, I love Michael Crichton because he's intelligent. And, he knows how to use his intelligence. Do I believe that he knew everything about dinosaurs before writing this book? Or everything about French knights and castles for Timeline? Absolutely not! But Crichton graduated from Harvard College and Harvard Medical School. He knows how to use his brain to make the most interesting, unqiue, and intelligent stories ever written.
Jurassic Park is a look at and opinion about paleo-DNA and what if scientists had the power to genetically enhance or change anything they wanted. Nowadays, we find our every day food to be genetically enhanced - brighter looking tomatoes and healthier corn. But, what if we could make extinct animals? What would happen? Would they be content to live in zoos like today's animals? Are they reptiles, birds, amphibians, or all three? Is it possible to contain and keep alive something that's already completely dead, something that's been dead for millions of years? In Jurassic Park, the answer is a firm no!

My only issue with this book is that I was annoyed by one of the characters again. Alexis or "Lex" is one of the children brought to the island, the granddaughter of the creator of the theme park. And boy is she annoying!! She whines and whines and whines and complains and whines and messes everything up!! I'm not sure how old she is but even a six-year-old would be able to understand the concept of we're running for our lives because dinosaurs are loose! Getting a hamburger is not that big of a deal right now!! I literally screamed at the book, "HOLY CRAP!!! FREAKING SHUT UP!!! YOU'RE ABOUT TO DIE! STOP WHINING ABOUT ICE CREAM!!" I cheered when her brother finally told her to shut up! I had seriously hoped one of the characters would crack her over the head so she'd slump into unconsciousness and they'd just sling her over their shoulders for the rest of the way through the book. I mean, seriously?!?!?! BE QUIET! YOU'RE GOING TO DIE AND GET EVERYONE ELSE KILLED BECAUSE YOU WON'T SHUT UP!!! I wonder if Crichton hated writing that character as much as I hated reading about her.
The novel is deliriously intelligent and works in two parts: information and action. The first half of the book is a nonstop transcript of biologically, mathematical, and scientific information coming at you fast. If you like that kind of thing and find it interesting, you can get through it pretty quick. The only conversations that were tough for me were the mathematical speeches on the chaos theory from mathematician Ian Malcolm as he described why Jurassic Park would ultimately fail. However, if you're in fear of the big words, don't be too alarmed. The conversations are easy to get through and are expressed clearly and concisely. Thankfully, the only person that was long-winded in his explanations was Ian, who used so many examples I lost the point of what he was originally talking about.
The second half of the novel is action-packed. You race through the chapters as fast as the characters in the book are running from the dinosaurs. It is a non-stop heart-pounding ride through the theme park that's gone horribly awry. First, the T-rex is loose, but you don't even know the half of it. You think you've seen ugly and then the velociraptors escape! Now, that's terror!
It was a great summer read, definitely check it out. And if you want more action, check out the movie... but just the first one!!!