25 years later, the line “spared no expense” still frequents family dinners at my kitchen table. If my sister and I watch our chihuahua Lucy walk by, one of us (me) usually looks at the other and says, “They move in herds, they do move in herds.” All right fine, so maybe you don’t do that…but if you grew up playing with plastic dinosaurs of every species and watching Jurassic Park on the couch with your family, then you know it may be the best adaptation of all time. Many consider it better than Michael Crichton’s original novel.
This year marks the 25th year since the movie’s release and I still can’t get enough. The books are fantastic and completely broke new ground for science fiction back in the 1990s. If you haven’t read ’em, do it. The movie was so excellently done with CGI technology that wasn’t as widely used then as it is now. Spielberg knew what he was doing. This idea of chaos and losing control over something that was never ours to begin with is a powerful theme. But if you simply enjoy science fiction (me), dinosaurs (also me), and the idea of making the impossible possible, then these next five books should be to your liking.
1. The Lost World
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
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A classic and magical tale about the discovery of prehistoric species, Doyle’s book is a necessary part of anyone’s book collection. It’s enlightening, full of imagination, and full of suspense, as we follow a paleontologist’s wild adventures amongst the dinosaurs.
2. Footprints of Thunder by James F. David
by James F. David
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This clash of time and space will send you into another dimension, literally. It’s not The Twilight Zone, but it sure feels like it when the 20th century is torn apart by dinosaurs. Cities become jungles and people become the prey. When the unstable president is then faced with controlling the chaos, it seems like a fight for survival in the Cretaceous period. Sound crazy? It is.
3. Zoo by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge
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Not dinosaurs, but just as frightening and out of control. A young biologist begins to witness an increase of animal attacks on people that seem eerily planned and coordinated. A horrific lion attack pushes him to seek the help of an ecologist to help warn leaders of the deadly attacks that seem to be plaguing more areas. This thriller will send you over the edge with every ounce of chaos.
4. Dinosaur Planet by Anne McCaffrey
by Anne McCaffrey
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When a team flies to planet Ireta, they only plan to collect natural resources, document the land, and leave. When their ship disappears, though, they’re left to battle the foreign creatures, monsters, and dinosaurs that inhabit the planet. When the crew begin to wonder about their surroundings, they soon question the future they always imagined.
5. Hunger by William R. Dantz
by William R. Dantz
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This is actually one of my biggest fears. This novel follows the horror of six, full-grown, genetically-altered sharks that escape the sea and research institute and release hell on the Florida Keys. With more teeth, muscle, higher jumps, and a greater appetite than the average great white, this can’t end well. Watch what lurks below the surface.
Happy reading, humans.
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