Take a "Journey to Chandara" this October

I'm late with this, but I noticed that illustrator James Gurney has another Dinotopia book coming out in October. It is titled Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara and is based on the travels of the real-life Marco Polo, with the hero of Gurney's novels, Arthur Dennison, traveling to a mysterious Eastern realm in Dinotopia.

The Dinotopia novels are children's books but the artwork is so astounding that many adults also consider themselves fans. Gurney has produced three books so far, making Journey to Chandara his fourth. There also was a TV miniseries and a short-lived show based on the Dinotopia books, but the less said about those efforts, the better.

If you have stumbled across those shows, let me assure you that the books are much better. Dinotopia is a lost world where humans and dinosaurs live side-by-side in harmony. The dinosaurs are as smart as humans, so don't expect realistic behavior on their part. The anatomical detail, however, is amazing, and Gurney has an impressive imagination that he is able to capture on canvas.

I'm thinking about having a Dinotopia week in the near future, perhaps close to when the new book will be released. You may have noticed I recently had a streak of reviews about games and novels set in hollow worlds populated by dinosaurs and prehistoric animals. One will find many common themes throughout paleo-fiction.

Anyway, the official web site for Dinotopia is www.dinotopia.com

* The cover image is from the publisher's web site.