tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-86812645639243892122024-03-21T08:03:30.771-04:00Prehistoric PulpNews and reviews of fiction about dinosaurs and paleontology.DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.comBlogger196125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-31922654545071830022017-08-13T19:58:00.002-04:002017-08-13T19:58:53.007-04:00Prehistoric Pulp has moved!As the title says, this blog has moved to a new site: <a href="https://prehistoricpulp.com/">PrehistoricPulp.com</a><br />
<br />
Why the move? Honestly, I wanted a site where the long delays between posts were less noticeable. Plus the new blog is powered by WordPress, which I've come to use and appreciate over the past year.<br />
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Anyway, head over to the site for new reviews, essays and news. And don't hesitate to tell me what you think about it!DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com13tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-67917092715436457872016-06-30T20:43:00.000-04:002016-06-30T20:43:03.553-04:00New releases: The Dinosaur Knights & Hell’s Gate<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Summer is here and I'm trying hard to catch up on reading, but the great outdoors keep beckoning. Now there are two new books to throw on the “to-read” pile. The first you may have heard of, the second you probably haven’t.<br />
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<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/books/9780765332974" target="_blank"><i>The Dinosaurs Knights </i></a>by Victor Milán is the second in a fantasy series that <i>Game of Thrones</i>’ author George R.R. Martin has described as “a cross between <i>Jurassic Park</i> and <i>Game of Thrones.</i>” (A quote the publisher is touting as much as possible, as a press release it sent me attests.) I wasn’t blown away by the first book in the series, <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2016/05/the-dinosaur-lords-by-victor-milan-2015.html" target="_blank"><i>The Dinosaur Lords</i></a>. That said, it did enough right that I’m willing to give the sequel a shot. The cover blurb:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Paradise is a sprawling, diverse, often cruel world. There are humans on Paradise but dinosaurs predominate: wildlife, monsters, beasts of burden, and of war. Armored knights ride dinosaurs to battle legions of war-trained Triceratops and their upstart peasant crews. <br />
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Karyl Bogomirsky is one such knight who has chosen to rally those who seek to escape the path of war and madness. The fact that the Empire has announced a religious crusade against this peaceful kingdom, and they all are to be converted or destroyed, doesn't help him one bit.<br />
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Things really turn to mud when the dreaded Grey Angels, fabled ancient weapons of the Gods who created Paradise in the first place, come on the scene after almost a millennia. Everyone thought that they were fables used to scare children – but they are very much real. And they have come to rid the world of sin ... including all the humans who manifest those vices. </blockquote>
<i>The Dinosaur Knights</i> comes out July 5.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1uSdZNmlEMIIAkI6mo_2PD4QRxV4oG0QhQhpRQF-9LPK346qUAEV2ow5KYOK0bAYvHZGJpTMORCwT8Glbyz6gZ5xE7Q6gpFiSCobBzMPE_Xkd_x71N789mMAcKDQEQWOdimAgj-k4rfu/s1600/HellsGate.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJ1uSdZNmlEMIIAkI6mo_2PD4QRxV4oG0QhQhpRQF-9LPK346qUAEV2ow5KYOK0bAYvHZGJpTMORCwT8Glbyz6gZ5xE7Q6gpFiSCobBzMPE_Xkd_x71N789mMAcKDQEQWOdimAgj-k4rfu/s1600/HellsGate.jpg" /></a>
The second book is something of a surprise. There is little in the cover blurb to indicate that <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062412546/hells-gate" target="_blank"><i>Hell’s Gate</i></a> by Bill Schutt and J.R. Finch has anything to do with prehistoric animals, but they’re central to the plot. I’m only about halfway through the novel, so I hope to have a review up in the near future. That said, I’m really enjoying myself so far. Since modern publishers are fond of describing new books as hybrids between more popular media properties, I’ll follow that trend by calling <i>Hell’s Gate</i> a cross between Indiana Jones and <i>Jurassic Park</i>. Except there are no dinosaurs. (Well, at least not yet.) Anyway, the cover blurb:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When a Japanese submarine is discovered abandoned deep in the Brazilian wilderness, a smart, adventurous, and tough zoologist must derail a catastrophic plot in Hell’s Gate.<br />
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1944. As war rages in Europe and the Pacific, Army Intel makes a shocking discovery: a 300-foot Japanese sub marooned and empty, deep in the Brazilian interior. A team of Army Rangers sent to investigate has already gone missing. Now, the military sends Captain R. J. MacCready, a quick-witted, brilliant scientific jack-of-all-trades to learn why the Japanese are there— and what they’re planning.<br />
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Parachuting deep into the heart of Central Brazil, one of the most remote regions on the planet, Mac is unexpectedly reunited with his hometown friend and fellow scientist Bob Thorne. A botanist presumed dead for years, Thorne lives peacefully with Yanni, an indigenous woman who possesses mysterious and invaluable skills. Their wisdom and expertise are nothing short of lifesaving for Mac as he sets out on a trail into the unknown.<br />
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Mac makes the arduous trek into an ancient, fog-shrouded valley hidden beneath a 2000-foot plateau, where he learns of a diabolical Axis plot to destroy the United States and its allies. But the enemy isn’t the only danger in this treacherous jungle paradise. Silently creeping from the forest, an even darker force is on the prowl, attacking at night and targeting both man and beast. Mac has to uncover the source of this emerging biological crisis and foil the enemy’s plans... but will he be in time to save humanity from itself?</blockquote>
<i>Hell’s Gate </i>is currently available in hardcover, ebook, and audiobook formats.DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-17246002613756909882016-06-16T20:05:00.001-04:002016-06-16T22:22:37.015-04:00Remembering Cadillacs & Dinosaurs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Dinosaurs were everywhere in 1993. That was the year <i>Jurassic Park</i> hit theaters and smashed box office records. It also was the year two other major dinosaur films were released – <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108255/" target="_blank"><i>Super Mario Bros.</i> </a>and <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0108526/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank"><i>We’re Back</i></a> – although both would quickly be forgotten. Meanwhile, on television, U.S. broadcaster ABC aired the rebooted <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Land_of_the_Lost_%281991_TV_series%29" target="_blank"><i>Land of the Lost</i></a>. Fox Kids debuted <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0106064/" target="_blank">Mighty Morphin Power Rangers</a>,</i> a live-action show about teenagers who fought giant monsters with robot dinosaurs. And in the same time slot on CBS, a new cartoon called <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cadillacs_and_Dinosaurs_%28TV_series%29" target="_blank"><i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i></a> hit airwaves. It never had a chance.<br />
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Thirteen episodes of <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> aired between fall 1993 and early 1994. Based on the cult comic book series <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/xenozoic-tales-aka-cadillacs-and.html" target="_blank"><i>Xenozoic Tales</i></a> by Mark Schultz, the cartoon was the creation of Steven E. de Souza, a screenwriter who gave us the classic action film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095016/?ref_=nv_sr_1" target="_blank"><i>Die Hard</i></a> (and would later write and direct the not-so-classic movie adaption of <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0111301/" target="_blank"><i>Street Fighter</i></a>). All kids needed to know about the show’s setting was explained in the opening credits:<br />
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“In the 26th century, mankind faces an epic struggle for survival. The forces of nature have spun wildly out of control. Mighty cities have crumbled and the dinosaurs have returned to reclaim the Earth. In this savage land, one man stands alone: Jack Tenrec. Defending humanity in world gone mad… a world where only the strong survive… a world of <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i>.”<br />
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Sounds awesome, doesn’t it? I certainly thought so. I was a teenager at the time, so I was outside the age range of the target audience. Still, I was a <i>dinosaur-obsessed teen</i>, and here was a cartoon stuffed with dinosaurs. Plus the setting fascinated me: A future post-apocalyptic Earth where dinosaurs had returned? How did the planet get that way? Why are the last humans holed up in crumbling cities? And why are they crossing the landscape in souped-up Cadillacs?<br />
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<i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs </i>follows the adventures of Jack Tenrec and Hannah Dundee. Jack is part mechanic, part Greenpeace activist. His mission is to protect the environment from the same human follies that led to a global cataclysm centuries earlier. The irony is Jack goes about his work traversing the landscape in rebuilt 1950s Cadillacs, although the cars have been modified to run on clean-burning dinosaur poop. Hannah is his partner and potential love interest. She is a scientist and diplomat from a neighboring tribe of survivors. The two don’t get along at first, mostly because Jack is an annoying jerk who insults Hannah every chance he gets. By season’s end the two have developed something approaching romantic feelings for each other, although in the world of early ‘90s cartoons, knowing glances between characters were about as sexual as children’s entertainment got.<br />
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<i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs </i>was much more child friendly than the comic on which it was based. (I didn’t discover the latter until years later.) <i>Xenozoic Tales </i>is punctuated by scenes of gory violence and has nudity and a little sex. The cartoon, on the other hand, was so committed to G-rated violence that even killing dinosaurs was off-limits. Jack was a bit of an ass in the comics, but in the cartoon he is nearly insufferable. Hannah, unfortunately, is written for the show as something of a bubblehead. Other secondary characters underwent greater changes, perhaps the most notable being a clan of Mad Max rejects who went from being annoyances in the comics to the main antagonists of the series. (Another interesting change is that the human “moles” of <i>Xenozoic Tales</i> have been turned into literal mole men in the cartoon.)<br />
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Fans of <i>Xenozoic Tales</i> will appreciate that the cartoon loosely adapts some of the comic’s stories. The best was “Departure,” which takes Schultz’s tale about Hannah's creative solution to a <a href="http://www.fossilguy.com/gallery/vert/reptile/mosasaur/" target="_blank">mosasaur</a> problem and expands it by throwing in a crazed warlord and a big-ass tank. The episode is easily the highlight of the series. That said, most stories were original to the cartoon, with the writers pitting Jack and Hannah against Triceratops stampedes, wildfires, and leftover weapons of mass destruction dating from before the cataclysm.<br />
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The animation was a bit stiff, being done on a TV budget, but at the same time it was rich in color with well-drawn environments and huge advancements in how dinosaurs were depicted in cartoons. The show’s greatest problem was its writing. <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> suffered from bad dialogue, silly characters, and politically correct messaging that left even cranky liberals like myself wishing the writers would tone it down a little. These issues were hardly unique to <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> in the world of children’s programming, but transformations were happening in television that made the cartoon something of a dinosaur. <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0103359/" target="_blank"><i>Batman: The Animated Series </i></a>had debuted a year earlier, and it demonstrated that children’s shows could include complex themes and characters and still retain a younger audience (while also attracting older viewers). At the same time, a lot of kids’ entertainment was gravitating toward younger protagonists. Gone were the days of <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0086719/" target="_blank">G.I. Joe</a> </i>and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/He-Man_and_the_Masters_of_the_Universe" target="_blank"><i>He-Man</i></a> with their mostly adult lead characters. Instead TV producers gave viewers <i><a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0131613/" target="_blank">Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles</a> </i>and <i>Mighty Morphin Power Rangers</i> with its “teenagers with attitude.” Jack and Hannah were practically geezers by comparison.<br />
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Still, <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> had dinosaurs. It’s right there in the title, and dinosaurs were HUGE in 1993. So why did the show fail? <br />
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CBS stuck <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> near the end of its Saturday morning programming block, meaning it didn’t air until 11:30 a.m. This in itself wasn’t necessarily a death sentence – <i>Mighty Morphin Power Rangers</i> debuted in the same time slot. But it did mean new episodes of cartoon would often be delayed so the network could instead air sports coverage at that time, particularly on the West Coast of the U.S. It especially didn't help that CBS carried the Winter Olympics that year. As a result, the thirteen episodes that were supposed to make up the show’s first season never ran continuously. Kids might tune in one week and catch an episode, but when they tuned at the same time next week all they found was sports coverage. Children have short memories, so a consistent schedule is needed to build a young audience. A CBS spokeswoman acknowledged this problem in a <a href="http://articles.latimes.com/print/1994-02-12/entertainment/ca-22070_1_classic-cadillac" target="_blank">Los Angeles Times review</a> of the show: “It’s preempted a lot,” she said.<br />
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CBS also didn’t go out of the way to advertise <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i>. But in fairness to the network, the tie-in toy line apparently wasn’t released until after the show was canceled, so there was little to generate demand among kids for more adventures. Only a single commercial was produced for the toys. (Warning: Poor sound quality.)<br />
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<i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> did get a pretty fun <a href="http://capcom.wikia.com/wiki/Cadillacs_and_Dinosaurs" target="_blank">beat ‘em up arcade game</a>, but as far as I know it was never ported to consoles. Instead kids had to content themselves with <a href="http://segaretro.org/Cadillacs_and_Dinosaurs:_The_Second_Cataclysm" target="_blank"><i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs: The Second Cataclysm </i></a>on the Sega CD. The game had great full-motion video animation but its gameplay was boring and repetitive.<br />
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So, a bad time slot, a lack of commitment on part of the network, and series of missteps in releasing tie-in toys and games. Also factor in <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs </i>was a show behind its time, airing in an era when you needed to either feature children as your main stars or bring a level of maturity to the writing that most kids’ programming had previously lacked. As I said at the beginning of this essay, the show never had a chance.<br />
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Criticisms aside, I still enjoy the hell out of <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i>. You can watch the entire series on YouTube or purchase all episodes for $15 on Amazon. (At least in the U.S. I’m not sure about the show’s availability in other countries.) I suggest trying a couple episodes before making a commitment to watching all 13. The show definitely isn’t for everyone. As for myself, I admit nostalgia fuels part of my love for the series. Another factor is that I’m fascinated by the world Schultz created in the comics, and seeing it brought to life through animation—even in kid-friendly form—fills me with joy. Yes, I would love to someday get an adaptation that is closer in tone to the comics, but for now <i>Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i> is a perfectly acceptable substitute.<br />
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Anyway, if you want to know more about the cartoon, YouTube blogger <a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/AdvertisingNuts" target="_blank">AdvertisingNuts</a> has a video explaining the differences between the show and the comics:<br />
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<b>More essays</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/raising-dead-bringing-back-extinct.html">Raising the Dead: Bringing Back Extinct Animals in Fiction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-rise-of-dinosaur-erotica.html">The Rise of Dinosaur Erotica</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-grass-eating-200-foot-long.html">The Grass-eating, 200-foot-long Brontosaur of the Late Cretaceous, or Common Mistakes in Paleofiction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/hey-hollywood-forget-jurassic-park-make.html">Hey Hollywood! Forget Jurassic Park: Make this book into a movie instead </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/when-dinosaurs-ruled-pulps.html">When Dinosaurs Ruled the Pulps </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/t-rex-in-my-sights-ethics-of-hunting.html">T. rex in My Sights: The Ethics of Hunting Dinosaurs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/gunning-for-dinosaur.html">Gunning for Dinosaur</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-field-guide-to-fake-dinosaurs.html">A Field Guide to Fake Dinosaurs </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/dinosaurs-dice-short-history-of.html">Dinosaurs & Dice: A Short History of Prehistoric Gaming </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/brontosaurus-faded-star-rises-again.html">Brontosaurus: A Faded Star Rises Again</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/05/death-in-mesozoic-paleontology-in.html">Death in the Mesozoic: Paleontology in Mystery Novels </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2016/05/our-prehistoric-future.html">Our Prehistoric Future</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2016/06/finally-explanation-for-all-dinosaur.html">Finally, an Explanation for all the Dinosaur Erotica on Amazon </a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-67773316885913052062016-06-09T22:17:00.002-04:002016-06-09T22:29:30.054-04:00Voracious by Action Lab Entertainment (2015 onward)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjdjMDLnSZrx5iSHrSYtoMvvrtLFPQZ5ZP8XYcV5j_jVze1f01sj0ayZdZmhnPIrAQiWR1yiLwp_zxabcUAT5kxfFjC8RlgoixvULCzDZz917KbFWADbhG8bUhNHBRwyz4HiGBVX4UYa7/s1600/VoraciousVol1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwjdjMDLnSZrx5iSHrSYtoMvvrtLFPQZ5ZP8XYcV5j_jVze1f01sj0ayZdZmhnPIrAQiWR1yiLwp_zxabcUAT5kxfFjC8RlgoixvULCzDZz917KbFWADbhG8bUhNHBRwyz4HiGBVX4UYa7/s1600/VoraciousVol1.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
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Haunted by the death of his sister, NYC Chef Nate Willner has lost his desire to cook. Forced to move back to his tiny hometown in Utah, Nate’s life is quickly becoming a dead end. But when he unexpectedly inherits a time travel suit that takes him to the age of dinosaurs, Nate’s passion for cooking is reignited! With a little help from his knife-wielding Grandmother Maribel, and friends Starlee and Captain Jim, Nate opens a restaurant that secretly serves dinosaur meat. Can he survive long enough to make it a success and turn his life around?<br />
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<b>My thoughts</b><br />
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Most works of fiction bringing together dinosaurs and people usually have the former eating the latter. <i>Voracious </i>is one of the few examples of a story about people who eat dinosaurs – which, come to think of it, would probably be the more likely result if the two were to meet.<br />
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Voracious is a comic book series written by Markisan Nazo with art by Jason Muhr. It is published by <a href="http://www.actionlabcomics.com/" target="_blank">Action Lab Entertainment</a>, a small publisher that apparently specializes in offbeat comic titles. As of this post, the series just ended its first four-issue story arc, with the creators promising to launch their second story arc either later this year or early next year. Despite the presence of time travel and dinosaurs, <i>Voracious </i>really isn’t as much sci-fi adventure story as it is television melodrama, focusing on the lives of its attractive young protagonists.<br />
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Nate Willner is a former big-city chef of Native American descent who moved back to his hometown in Utah after his sister was killed in a restaurant fire. His life has hit the skids, but luckily he has his elderly grandmother Maribel and his life-long friend Starlee to look after him. He has also inherited $500,000 and a secret lab from his reclusive and recently deceased uncle. During a visit to his new property, Nate finds a modified diving suit that transports him back to late Cretaceous North America. He is stomping around in the prehistoric past when he is attacked by a <a href="http://dinopedia.wikia.com/wiki/Quetzalcoatlus" target="_blank">Quetzalcoatlus</a> that he promptly kills with a flamethrower, leading to a surprising discovery: Dinosaurs (and pterosaurs) are delicious! Soon afterward, Nate opens a restaurant stocked with meat from dinosaurs he hunts in the Cretaceous. The restaurant is an immediate success, but how long will Nate be able to keep his secret? Can he ever get over his guilt about his sister’s death? Will he reciprocate Starlee’s obvious love for him? And won’t changing the past have consequences for the present?<br />
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The neat thing about <i>Voracious </i>is it doesn’t go the obvious route for stories of this type. Most comic book series would have been content with a simpler tale about a time traveler who fights dinosaurs. Nazo and Muhr want to tell a more complex narrative. That is not to say <i>Voracious </i>is high literature. It is soap opera, but it is entertaining soap opera, with likable protagonists and a good sense of humor. My biggest complaint so far is the first four issues are really just the opening chapter of a much larger story rather than a self-contained arc. I’m worried the series will get canceled before the creators have had a chance to finish what they started, given <i>Voracious </i>isn’t the type of tale that normally attracts comic book fans. (No female superheroes in tight spandex outfits or over-the-top violence.)<br />
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The art is competent if nothing to write home about. Human characters look a bit stiff, lacking the dynamism of living beings. The same is true of the dinosaur depictions. I get the sense the artist is still perfecting his craft, so it will be interesting to see how the illustrations evolve as the series continues.<br />
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Nitpicking aside, <i>Voracious </i>is a comic I plan to continue following. It's quirky and I appreciate that it's trying to do something different. I just hope sales are strong enough to allow the creators to finish the tale they want to tell.<br />
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<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The first four issues of <i>Voracious </i>will be published as a single volume on August 10. In the meantime, you can purchase them individually online through <a href="http://www.comixology.com/" target="_blank">Comixology</a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The author’s website is <a href="https://markisan.com/" target="_blank">markisan.com </a>while the artist’s website is <a href="http://jasonmuhr.com/" target="_blank">jasonmuhr.com</a>. Both contain examples of artwork from the series. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Voracious </i>isn’t the first comic book about time travelers who harvest dinosaurs for meat. As far as I can tell, that distinction goes to <a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=article&id=41839" target="_blank"><i>Flesh</i></a>, which first appeared in the British anthology comic <i>2000AD </i>in 1977. If the title sounds familiar, that’s because <i>2000AD </i>also gave us <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judge_Dredd" target="_blank">Judge Dredd</a>.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://graphicpolicy.com/2016/02/08/review-voracious-1/" target="_blank">Graphic Policy (Issue #1)</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://thebrokeninfinite.com/seraphs-sanctions-voracious-2/" target="_blank">The Broken Infinite (Issue #2)</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.comicbastards.com/comics/review-voracious-3/" target="_blank">Comic Bastards (Issue #3)</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://graphicpolicy.com/2016/06/09/review-voracious-4/" target="_blank">Graphic Policy (Issue #4)</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-49212935755617971602016-06-03T17:11:00.000-04:002016-06-04T08:42:03.126-04:00Finally, an explanation for all the dinosaur erotica on Amazon<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjU7UmwLLsKK-M8n2LbiJEKkKvH-Ochm0yxR7RUryY4ysbS5l2D3swwywHfb9f2ytScOqRW2-s7v_brF8kzrv4r8zm11Bx3zz4LRQFnE0hVK-bzecCV1RezPiQJ2wE9lo4aYimbnTfyxl/s1600/TakenbyTrex.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizjU7UmwLLsKK-M8n2LbiJEKkKvH-Ochm0yxR7RUryY4ysbS5l2D3swwywHfb9f2ytScOqRW2-s7v_brF8kzrv4r8zm11Bx3zz4LRQFnE0hVK-bzecCV1RezPiQJ2wE9lo4aYimbnTfyxl/s1600/TakenbyTrex.jpg" /></a></div>
A while back I weighed in on <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-rise-of-dinosaur-erotica.html">the proliferation of erotic stories featuring dinosaurs</a> - a genre that exploded after Amazon’s self-publishing program took off. At the time Christie Sims was the undisputed master of dinosaur porn, but over the past year that title has shifted to Montana author <a href="http://www.chucktingle.com/" target="_blank">Chuck Tingle</a>. I didn’t have a good explanation about why dinosaurs were featured in so many erotic stories. Turns out the online publication Vice found an answer, and it is, well, odd.<br />
<br />
In “<a href="https://broadly.vice.com/en_us/article/how-to-make-money-writing-kindle-erotica" target="_blank">How to Make Money Writing Kindle Erotica</a>,” journalist Livia Gershon spoke with several writers who pen self-published erotica through Amazon. Basically to be successful in the business, authors need to be able to produce a lot of copy and write about a wide range of sexual fetishes, even if they don’t find many of them appealing. Most writers quickly burn out, but a few have found writing erotica to be more financially rewarding than writing “serious” fiction.<br />
<br />
Amazon provides a great vehicle for self-published authors, but the site has rules about what stories it will and won’t accept. Randy Johnson, the (obvious) pen name for a moderator of a popular erotic author subreddit, says Amazon bans stories featuring bestiality, but only for living species. Stories about sex with extinct and make-believe animals are okay as far as the company is concerned. That’s why you will never see “Pounded by the Panda” on Amazon. On the other hand, “Gaygent Brontosaurs: The Butt is Not Enough” is perfectly acceptable.<br />
<br />
Just don’t expect to make a fortune with your brilliant mash-up of <i>Jurassic Park</i> and <i>Fifty Shades of Grey</i>. Despite the media attention such works get, Johnson told Gershon that dinosaur erotica doesn’t sell well:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
"The vast majority of sales (which are very few) [for dinosaur erotica] are people interested in the novelty of it," he said. "If you don't get some media scandalmongering about it, you'll probably get close to zero sales."</blockquote>
My advice to any would-be dinosaur erotica authors? Don’t get discouraged. Maybe you won’t make much money, but you may still <a href="http://www.vox.com/2016/5/26/11759842/chuck-tingle-hugo-award-rabid-puppies-explained" target="_blank">win a Hugo award</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>More essays</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/raising-dead-bringing-back-extinct.html">Raising the Dead: Bringing Back Extinct Animals in Fiction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-rise-of-dinosaur-erotica.html">The Rise of Dinosaur Erotica</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-grass-eating-200-foot-long.html">The Grass-eating, 200-foot-long Brontosaur of the Late Cretaceous, or Common Mistakes in Paleofiction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/hey-hollywood-forget-jurassic-park-make.html">Hey Hollywood! Forget Jurassic Park: Make this book into a movie instead </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/when-dinosaurs-ruled-pulps.html">When Dinosaurs Ruled the Pulps </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/t-rex-in-my-sights-ethics-of-hunting.html">T. rex in My Sights: The Ethics of Hunting Dinosaurs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/gunning-for-dinosaur.html">Gunning for Dinosaur</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-field-guide-to-fake-dinosaurs.html">A Field Guide to Fake Dinosaurs </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/dinosaurs-dice-short-history-of.html">Dinosaurs & Dice: A Short History of Prehistoric Gaming </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/brontosaurus-faded-star-rises-again.html">Brontosaurus: A Faded Star Rises Again</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/05/death-in-mesozoic-paleontology-in.html">Death in the Mesozoic: Paleontology in Mystery Novels </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2016/05/our-prehistoric-future.html">Our Prehistoric Future </a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-65346205356645992832016-06-02T22:13:00.000-04:002016-06-03T15:44:35.820-04:00Dry Bones by Craig Johnson (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5ncrvpKgKZ0KKpAD-NMdkeIVXaFHJGJuAoi54MRoGW0-iu5dEubp5UgvQVL1UowRTOQBDLaEnov3Avnj292jpWUTs6UgklIiTy-1CdRG6Xe2TQ79ZPhDc5Pv6aew9fau8_s3FjZiCThb/s1600/DryBones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG5ncrvpKgKZ0KKpAD-NMdkeIVXaFHJGJuAoi54MRoGW0-iu5dEubp5UgvQVL1UowRTOQBDLaEnov3Avnj292jpWUTs6UgklIiTy-1CdRG6Xe2TQ79ZPhDc5Pv6aew9fau8_s3FjZiCThb/s1600/DryBones.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
When Jen, the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found surfaces in Sheriff Walt Longmire’s jurisdiction, it appears to be a windfall for the High Plains Dinosaur Museum — until Danny Lone Elk, the Cheyenne rancher on whose property the remains were discovered, turns up dead, floating face down in a turtle pond. With millions of dollars at stake, a number of groups step forward to claim her, including Danny’s family, the tribe, and the federal government.<br />
<br />
As Wyoming’s Acting Deputy Attorney and a cadre of FBI officers descend on the town, Walt is determined to find out who would benefit from Danny’s death, enlisting old friends Lucian Connolly and Omar Rhoades, along with Dog and best friend Henry Standing Bear, to trawl the vast Lone Elk ranch looking for answers to a sixty-five-million-year-old cold case that’s heating up fast.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
Today the fossilized remains of Sue the T. rex are the centerpiece of the <a href="https://www.fieldmuseum.org/" target="_blank">Field Museum in Chicago</a>, but in the early 1990s those “dry bones” were at the center of the largest legal battle in paleontology. I won’t go into the details about the case other than to warn you against watching Dinosaur 13, the terrible, one-sided “documentary” made about the whole sordid affair. (Two good takedowns of the film can be found <a href="http://phenomena.nationalgeographic.com/2014/01/21/dinosaur-13-and-the-ghost-of-tyrannosaurus-sue/" target="_blank">here </a>and <a href="http://www.slate.com/blogs/browbeat/2014/08/22/dinosaur_13_review_movie_about_peter_larson_spins_a_bogus_tale.html" target="_blank">here</a>.) The most you need to know for this review is the fossil ultimately sold at auction for more than $8 million, and the legal wrangling around Sue was the inspiration for <i>Dry Bones</i>, a murder mystery starring the popular Wyoming sheriff Walt Longmire.<br />
<br />
I have never read a Longmire novel before <i>Dry Bones</i> and while I was dimly aware of the TV show based on the book series, I haven't watched any episodes. That said, each book is largely a standalone novel. Prior knowledge of what has come before isn’t required, but it certainly helps when it comes to understanding the relationships between characters. Longmire himself is part Wyatt Earp and part Sherlock Holmes: A college-educated cowboy who is as comfortable speaking Latin as he is riding in the saddle. He is the sheriff of Absaroka County, a fictional Wyoming county bigger than Rhode Island in terms of land area but with only 30,000 residents. Dry Bones begins with Longmire and his Deputy Sheriff/lover Vic Moretti investigating the death of Danny Lone Elk, a Native American rancher who seemingly drowned while fishing. The problem is Lone Elk was the only person able to verify the ownership of Jen, a huge T. rex skeleton claimed by both the local museum and the rancher’s family. Longmire comes to suspect that Lone Elk’s death wasn’t the accident it seemed, and he is pretty sure the killer’s motive has something to do with the multi-million dollar fossil everyone is fighting over.<br />
<br />
<i>Dry Bones</i> is a well-written crime novel but not a very satisfying one for readers new to the series. The first half of the book focuses on a subplot that I’m sure will have a major emotional wallop for longtime fans, but for the rest of us it seems an unnecessary diversion from the central mystery. That said, the subplot is dropped midway – as is a major character – and the story kicks into high gear when minor characters start disappearing and Longmire begins to unravel why Lone Elk was murdered. The identity of the killer isn’t hard to puzzle out, but the author throws in enough twists to keep you guessing how events will unfold.<br />
<br />
As far as criticisms, I was annoyed that the case against selling scientifically valuable fossils was made through the mouth of a character who embodied every bad stereotype about government employees. The author obviously wasn’t interested in a nuanced portrayal of the issue. Also, magic is real in Longmire’s world. The main character experiences visions portending to future events and his best friend is a clichéd Native American shaman who dispenses sagely advice. Not sure why the inclusion of magic bothered me so much – it just seemed at odds with the otherwise down-to-earth tone of the novel.<br />
<br />
Overall I enjoyed <i>Dry Bones</i> but suggest you read some of the earlier books in the series before picking this one up. There is a major development in the novel that I’m sure will have huge implications for the characters moving forward, but without some grounding in their backstories, it doesn’t have the narrative heft that it should. <i>Dry Bones</i> is the 16th novel in the Longmire series, so you have some catching up to do.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>As started earlier, the Longmire novels are the basis for a long-running <a href="http://www.aetv.com/shows/longmire" target="_blank">American cable television series</a> currently on Netflix. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The author’s website is <a href="http://www.craigallenjohnson.com/" target="_blank">www.craigallenjohnson.com</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The title is taken from the religious tune of the same name, which itself was inspired by the Bible verse about a “<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Ezekiel%2037:1-14" target="_blank">valley of dry bones</a>.”</li>
</ul>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<iframe allowfullscreen="" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HrzBsUtUdts/0.jpg" frameborder="0" height="266" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/HrzBsUtUdts?feature=player_embedded" width="320"></iframe> </div>
<br />
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.denverpost.com/2015/05/14/book-review-dry-bones-by-craig-johnson/" target="_blank">Denver Post</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.wyomingnews.com/things_to_do/book-review-craig-johnson-s-dry-bones-less-than-satisfying/article_cd40310e-c94e-55ab-ab5d-be6b63ad8a0b.html" target="_blank">Wyoming News</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.deseretnews.com/article/865639761/Book-review-Walt-Longmire-returns-with-valuable-dinosaur-bones-in-Craig-Johnson-mystery.html?pg=all" target="_blank">Deseret News</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-34071584474483180202016-05-26T06:00:00.000-04:002016-06-03T15:50:11.189-04:00Edge of Extinction: The Ark Plan by Laura Martin (2016)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ38r5op_7t48oRct3xNWS5cQVDWNYh7PaDzMkjmUq_JHr8Mtxei1mtz79UarZFH0Esk6sC0kWcWY0gbVOdDeBn5YcnCT_7EQiSktrcEjzSfbSMsSfNdK932vGQxDoZ6BvXqvLyMOdRc8/s1600/ArkPlan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbZ38r5op_7t48oRct3xNWS5cQVDWNYh7PaDzMkjmUq_JHr8Mtxei1mtz79UarZFH0Esk6sC0kWcWY0gbVOdDeBn5YcnCT_7EQiSktrcEjzSfbSMsSfNdK932vGQxDoZ6BvXqvLyMOdRc8/s1600/ArkPlan.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
I always thought that I wouldn’t put you in danger for the world, but it turns out that for the world, I will.<br />
-Dad<br />
<br />
ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY YEARS AGO: The first dinosaurs were cloned. With their return came a prehistoric pandemic that nearly wiped out the human race. The only way to survive was to move underground, allowing the dinosaurs to take over…<br />
<br />
FIVE YEARS AGO: Sky Mundy’s father mysteriously fled their home in North Compound, one of four facilities where the last remnants of humanity have been trying to rebuild, leaving her all alone.<br />
<br />
YESTERDAY: Sky discovered a cryptic message from him telling her the fate of the world depends on Sky delivering a memory card to someone above ground. No one survives above ground.<br />
<br />
NOW: Sky is going anyway. Breaking out of North Compound with her best friend, Shawn, in tow, Sky has to try to fulfill her father’s impossible request. As Sky ventures topside into this lost world reclaimed by nature and ruled by dinosaurs, she will discover it is just as dangerous as she had always feared… but it’s also nothing like she had ever expected.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
Don’t clone dinosaurs, kids. Nothing good will come of it.<br />
<br />
That seems to be the life lesson imparted by <i>Edge of Extinction: The Ark Plan</i>, a young adult novel by first-time author Laura Martin. Set 150 years after cloned dinosaurs unleashed a plague that killed off most of humanity, the story follows 12-year-old Sky Mundy on her quest to possibly find her missing father. The publisher touts the book as “<i>Jurassic World </i>meets <i>Dawn of the Planet of the Apes</i>,” but really its spiritual predecessor is the comic <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/xenozoic-tales-aka-cadillacs-and.html">Xenozoic Tales</a> (a.k.a. <i>Cadillacs and Dinosaurs</i>), also set on a future Earth where dinosaurs have returned and taken over the planet. There is no evidence Martin knew about the comic when she wrote <i>Edge of Extinction</i>, which is a fun if somewhat by-the-numbers thriller.<br />
<br />
<i>Edge of Extinction</i> is told from the first-person point of view of Sky, a social outcast in one of the few underground shelters where humans sought refuge from a plague that nearly wiped them out. Thanks to a brief history lesson near the beginning of the book, readers learn that in the past scientists learned how to clone dinosaurs, but in the process inadvertently brought back the diseases the prehistoric reptiles carried. The sudden disappearance of most people allowed dinosaurs to overrun Earth’s ecosystems. Humans are no longer at the top of the food chain, so Sky’s people rarely leave their underground shelters as travel on the surface is usually a death sentence. Sky decides to risk it after she receives a message from her missing father telling her to deliver a memory card carrying secret information to a drop-off point located in the middle of Lake Michigan. Soon afterward, our hero escapes the shelter with her best friend Shawn, pursued by both hungry dinosaurs and an evil government willing to kill to get its hands on the memory card.<br />
<br />
If there was a checklist for clichés in modern young adult fiction, then you could mark off most of the boxes for <i>Edge of Extinction</i>. A headstrong central protagonist? Check. Parents either dead or missing? Check. A larger, shadowy conspiracy driving events? Check. Two male friends who could turn into rival love interests for the female hero? Check. <i>Edge of Extinction</i> certainly doesn’t reinvent the wheel when it comes to children’s literature, but stories have never needed to be groundbreaking to be entertaining. Martin’s first novel strikes a nice balance between worldbuilding, character moments, and chase scenes. There is quite a lot of action crammed into the book’s 250 pages, but it is interspersed with long stretches of Sky exploring her future Earth and developing her relationships with the two other main characters. Whenever the pace threatens to sag, Martin adds another wrinkle to the book’s central mystery or throws in a dinosaur to menace our heroes. <br />
<br />
That said, few first novels are without flaws. Besides the numerous cliches already mentioned, I found the dialogue somewhat stilted. The 12-year-old protagonists at times talk more like child characters out of a 1950s movie than any preteens I’ve met. <i>Edge of Extinction</i> also is the first book in a planned series, so don’t go into it expecting many answers to the mysteries it raises or tidy resolutions to any of its conflicts. (The novel concludes with a sample chapter from the sequel, titled <i>Edge of Extinction: Code Name Flood</i>, which will be published in 2017.)<br />
<br />
If any of the above criticisms are starting to dissuade you from picking up <i>Edge of Extinction</i>, then let me reassure you that the book’s positives outweigh its negatives. You will enjoy it, and hopefully so will any kids you can pry away from their video game consoles long enough to do a little reading. (Seriously, get them away from video games, because I'm getting tired of 10-year-olds kicking my butt in Star Wars: Battlefront.)<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The recommended age range for <i>Edge of Extinction </i>is 8 to 12. However, most adults should be able enjoy it as well, just as they did the Harry Potter novels. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>One of my favorite parts of the novel: Michael Crichton’s <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/jurassic-park-by-michael-crichton-1990.html"><i>Jurassic Park</i></a> is required reading in school… for <i>history </i>class. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Martin acknowledges in an afterword that she knew little about dinosaurs when she began researching <i>Edge of Extinction</i>. Her biggest shock was learning that scientists now believe many dinosaurs had feathers. Dinosaur lovers will happy to know she includes this knowledge in her descriptions of the animals. That said, Sky at one point remarks that the dinosaurs of the setting are much bigger than the ones found in the fossil record, although this size difference is never mentioned again. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The author’s website is <a href="http://lauramartinbooks.com/" target="_blank">lauramartinbooks.com</a>.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/laura-martin/the-ark-plan/" target="_blank">Kirkus Reviews</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://muse.jhu.edu/article/614991" target="_blank">Project Muse</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-61530351189030532352016-05-22T10:32:00.000-04:002016-05-22T19:18:36.735-04:00Turok: Son of Stone by Dark Horse Comics (2010-2011)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Pbc7IvQP7gqwhAt_BlOX5Dogl59XvgBi3YOAHoFUsHWb34m5cHYCwl3-I8ivj1U1BHsUTZIEcjJ-s1pWtRqaMRF15TI0809r8SFKuJyF81jYsRMfxymOqsV6ZyeTD4BLaW5Szgk_25ou/s1600/TurokDarkHorse.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1Pbc7IvQP7gqwhAt_BlOX5Dogl59XvgBi3YOAHoFUsHWb34m5cHYCwl3-I8ivj1U1BHsUTZIEcjJ-s1pWtRqaMRF15TI0809r8SFKuJyF81jYsRMfxymOqsV6ZyeTD4BLaW5Szgk_25ou/s1600/TurokDarkHorse.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
The American Southwest, 1428. Turok, a wandering warrior, rescues young Andar from death at the hands of the ruthless Maxtla and his Aztec horde. Turok and Andar seek refuge in a vast cavern, where an otherworldly force sweeps them and their pursuers to a savage, timeless land of rampaging dinosaurs and unimagined wonders. Hunted in a world of danger and death, Turok and Andar fight to survive - and to find a way home.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
Turok, <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/12/turok-dinosaur-hunter-by-dynamite.html">as I’ve said before</a>, is a hard man to kill. Since the first Turok comic debuted in 1954, the character has been resurrected several times in various media. Sometimes those reincarnations differ greatly from the original concept of Turok as a pre-Columbian Native American trapped in a lost world of dinosaurs. The most recent take on the character by Dynamite Comics turned Turok into troubled youth in an alternate timeline where dinosaurs survived in Europe and had been tamed by medieval knights. That series ended with Turok becoming Robin Hood. (Yeah, that comic was pretty awful.) A few years before Dynamite gave us its version of the “dinosaur hunter,” Dark Horse Comics attempted to revive Turok with a four-issue limited series that was closer in tone to the original comic. While not a great effort, it wasn’t a train wreck either.<br />
<br />
The story starts with a group of displaced Aztecs about to sacrifice a Native American boy. Within a couple pages Turok has rescued the child – who it turns out is the dinosaur hunter’s longtime sidekick Andar – and the two are pursued across the landscape by the angry Aztecs. The dino-manic duo are sheltering in a cave when a strange storm sweeps them and their pursuers to another dimension where dinosaurs and other beings from various time periods are dumped by the same weather phenomena. Turok and Andar are quickly captured by the Panther People and their Scandinavian, 21st century queen. Meanwhile, the Aztecs discover a lost city of their people, who quickly (and not very believably) accept the group’s leader as their long-lost god-king. The new king doesn’t waste any time ordering his subjects to capture the child sacrifice who got away.<br />
<br />
<i>Turok: Son of Stone</i> suffers the same problem I see in many comics: It attempts to cram too much story into the limited space available in the average issue. The result is the characters are never fully developed. The troubles begin only a few pages in when Andar’s father is quickly killed in front of his son. Readers never get to know the character or see his relationship with Andar, so there is little emotional investment. Andar also appears to get over his father’s murder very quickly, so I’m not sure what purpose his death served in the boy’s character arc. The same lack of logic extends to other characters, who will often undergo major personality shifts simply because the plot needed to advance forward – the most egregious being when the Scandinavian queen develops romantic feelings for Turok seemingly out of nowhere.<br />
<br />
Readers looking for dinosaurs will be disappointed as they get the short shrift. The prehistoric reptiles appear in a few panels, but for the most part they are only scenery. They also are not well drawn, although I have seen worse takes. The rest of the art was actually quite nice, with the action scenes drawn with a sort of frenetic energy sometimes lacking in other comics trying for the same thing. As for action, there is quite a lot of it throughout the series, and it is done well enough to keep your attention.<br />
<br />
<i>Turok: Son of Stone</i> isn’t a complete loss but there isn’t enough there to make the series memorable. A streamlined plot that allowed more character development would have helped. It also wouldn’t have hurt to provide more dinosaurs for the “dinosaur hunter” to hunt. Dark Horse’s take on the character is better than that of the more recent Dynamite comic, but it still fails to capture the full potential of the premise.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Dark Horse was going to publish all four issues in a single volume, but that never happened. Still, individual issues are available for purchase as digital downloads from <a href="https://www.darkhorse.com/Search/Browse/%22Turok%22/PpwNwkt8" target="_blank">the company’s website</a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The first issue of the series includes Turok’s origin story from his very first comic, published roughly 60 years ago. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I’m guessing the subplot about the leader of the renegade Aztecs being instantly accepted by the lost city as a god-king was inspired by the real-life story of <a href="http://www.biography.com/people/hern%C3%A1n-cort%C3%A9s-9258320" target="_blank">Hernán Cortés</a>, the Spanish conquistador who the Aztecs mistook for a god. (Although some historians question whether that story was a later invention.)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Dark Horse has collected and republished the original Turok comics in 10 hardcover volumes selling for $50-$60 each. So if you have more than $500 to spare, you can own the entire series. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Turok currently is starring in a <a href="https://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513024648601011" target="_blank">Dynamite series</a> bringing several older, largely forgotten superheroes together as a team – the equivalent of Marvel’s Avengers.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.ign.com/articles/2010/10/14/turok-son-of-stone-1-review" target="_blank">IGN (first issue)</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.craveonline.com/site/133442-turok-son-of-stone-1-review" target="_blank">Crave (first issue)</a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=2770" target="_blank">Comic Book Resources (first issue)</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-46857232683485347032016-05-14T20:41:00.000-04:002016-05-14T20:42:38.892-04:00Dinosaur Hunter by Steve White (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsREghQV8nQXH-pssaZ_7pfqd1d_nfUV7663zG0GdWDZPW_N2oAoqNl76rXUXYvpK7slsvu38LGL-bG4Rz6E8zSUYLkUYATklMbHc7pOaReozbpMa6njeebpl7OkkVdSKE8y5G9VEG61s/s1600/DinoHunter1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnsREghQV8nQXH-pssaZ_7pfqd1d_nfUV7663zG0GdWDZPW_N2oAoqNl76rXUXYvpK7slsvu38LGL-bG4Rz6E8zSUYLkUYATklMbHc7pOaReozbpMa6njeebpl7OkkVdSKE8y5G9VEG61s/s1600/DinoHunter1.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
CONGRATULATIONS<br />
<br />
Your application for a Mesozoic hunting license has been successful!<br />
<br />
Before you travel back in time and charge headlong into a pack of prehistoric big game, we strongly advise that you read the following guidebook. It will provide you with information crucial to success — and survival! Learn the basic facts of the geography, climate and environmental conditions of the five Mesozoic hunting reservations on the offer. Discover the huge variety of dinosaurs that stalk these times, with tips on identification, tracking, and the best weapons to bring them down! Finally, this guide contains first-hand accounts of some of the hunters who have braved these conditions and lived to tell the tale.<br />
<br />
LET THE HUNT BEGIN!<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
<i>Dinosaur Hunter: The Ultimate Guide to the Biggest Game</i> is itself something of a dinosaur. Stories about people hunting dinosaurs were never common in science fiction, but for many years readers could expect a steady trickle of them. The subgenre petered out after the release of the first <i>Jurassic Park</i> film in 1993, with the last major work being <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/rivers-of-time-by-l-sprague-de-camp.html">Rivers of Time</a> by L. Sprague de Camp, published that same year. (Although, more recently, David Drake’s Time Safari stories were collected in <a href="http://www.baen.com/dinosaurs-and-a-dirigible.html" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaurs and a Dirigible</i></a> in 2014.) <i>Dinosaur Hunter</i> is exactly what the title promises: A guidebook for time travelers who want to bag T. rexes and other large prehistoric game. And it is a very good book, although it will probably appeal more to dinosaur lovers than science fiction fans.<br />
<br />
<i>Dinosaur Hunter</i> is published by Osprey, a U.K. company best known for publishing detailed military histories. However, the company also produces a line of fantastic “nonfiction” history under the title <a href="https://ospreypublishing.com/store/osprey-adventures/" target="_blank">Osprey Adventures</a>. There is military history of the Martian invasion in H.G. Wells’ <i>War of the Worlds</i>; a secret history of Nazi occult practices; a treasure-hunting guide for any would-be Indiana Jones; a how-to manual for fighting zombies; and so on. <i>Dinosaur Hunter</i> is part of that line. The premise is that the reader has purchased a ticket to go on a dinosaur safari in the Mesozoic. You have been given the book to learn about the equipment you will need as well as the wildlife and environmental conditions you will encounter. Detailed summaries are provided for five time periods in which hunting reserves have been set up, with readers asked at the book’s end to choose which period they want to hunt.<br />
<br />
The text can be divided into two parts. Each section of the book begins with a lengthy description of the environment you will encounter as well as the ecology and behavior of dinosaurs that inhabit it. Much of this is speculation, but it is speculation informed by science, and White does an impressive job creating realistic ecologies for each species. If anything, predators get more love than herbivores, but that makes sense given most hunters would likely target meat-eaters for the bragging rights.<br />
<br />
Each section then concludes with excerpts from memoirs written by previous hunters. Every story ends in death or dismemberment and is supposed to serve as a warning to the reader about how dangerous Mesozoic hunting can be. These stories easily were my favorite parts of the book as White does a bang-up job bringing the prehistoric world to life through well-written descriptions and imaginative animal behavior. There isn’t much in the way of character development or plot but that wasn’t the author’s intent. The stories are meant to paint a picture of the Mesozoic world in the mind’s eye and at that they succeed wonderfully.<br />
<br />
In addition to being an author, White also is an illustrator, so he provides several excellent black-and-white reconstructions of some of the animals in question. Readers who love their dinosaurs up-to-date will be happy that many dinosaurs sport feathers and quills.<br />
<br />
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed <i>Dinosaur Hunter</i>. I thought it would be a cheap attempt to cash in on the popularity of dinosaurs given <i>Jurassic World</i> came out the same year, but White put a lot of thought and effort into the book. That said, I’m biased. I like dinosaurs and I like fiction about dinosaurs. Readers who have only a passing interest in the animals probably will be bored with the info-dumps about behavior and ecology. They may enjoy the memoirs more, but there isn’t enough plot in the book to grab the attention of anyone just looking for a good story.<i> Dinosaur Hunter</i> is only a book for the most hardcore of dinosaur fans, but if you’re one of them, you’re in for a treat.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>White is a comic book artist and book editor who edited the 2012 coffee-table book <a href="http://titanbooks.com/blog/steve-white-dinosaur-art/" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaur Art: The World’s Greatest Paleoart</i></a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Dinosaur Hunter</i> has an Easter egg for readers of paleofiction: One of the characters has the call sign <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/raptor-red-by-robert-t-bakker-1995.html">Raptor Red</a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The five hunting reserves in <i>Dinosaur Hunter</i> correspond to famous fossil formations. They are the <a href="http://sed.utah.edu/Chinle.htm" target="_blank">Chinle Formation</a> of the Late Triassic, the <a href="https://www.nps.gov/dino/learn/nature/morrison-formation.htm" target="_blank">Morrison Formation</a> in the Late Jurassic, and the <a href="http://www.evolvingearth.org/learnearthscience/sciencearticles1003Lamanna_dinosaurs.htm" target="_blank">Bahariya</a>, <a href="http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/71" target="_blank">Dinosaur Park</a>, and <a href="http://www.fossilmuseum.net/Fossil_Sites/hellcreek.htm" target="_blank">Hell Creek</a> formations, all in the Late Cretaceous.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2015/10/21/book-review-dinosaur-hunter-steve-white" target="_blank">Geeks of Doom</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.examiner.com/review/dinosaur-hunter-by-steve-white" target="_blank">Examiner </a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.scifiandscary.com/book-review-dinosaur-hunter-by-steve-white/" target="_blank">Sci-Fi and Scary</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-69482699116667684742016-05-12T17:39:00.001-04:002016-05-12T17:39:28.601-04:00New magazine, new book, new game, new toys<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXe5VWXO1xLUZL9q0oOLMoB2NcbRyR5FDbNnZ2UBiv3jQCdItk76uuvnVE2uM1ZTfcts1lWfvZlvJl0P5XGQMhgjl4SjZSAJBW0SnbZXwcBHijTrGsNdCTR7iZJwmZRzrRzzJIG0PQnqg/s1600/PreMag.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsXe5VWXO1xLUZL9q0oOLMoB2NcbRyR5FDbNnZ2UBiv3jQCdItk76uuvnVE2uM1ZTfcts1lWfvZlvJl0P5XGQMhgjl4SjZSAJBW0SnbZXwcBHijTrGsNdCTR7iZJwmZRzrRzzJIG0PQnqg/s1600/PreMag.jpg" /></a></div>
<span id="goog_1126657685"></span><span id="goog_1126657686"></span>Wow! Has it been nearly a year already?!<br />
<br />
First, before we get to the news, sorry for my prolonged absence. Over the past year I started taking college courses again, so between that and working a full-time job, I haven’t had much free time. The good news is I’m on summer break and can get back to reading. The bad news is college resumes in the late summer/early fall, so I will probably disappear again around that time.<br />
<br />
When I say in the summary that this blog updates infrequently, I mean it. But I will keep posting whenever I get the chance.<br />
<br />
That said, there hasn’t been much news to report on. Most paleofiction that has come out during the past year has been self-published. I’m planning a roundup of new self-published titles in the near future, but for now a few items have popped up in recent weeks that I think might catch your interest.<br />
<br />
The first is a new digital magazine with articles about dinosaurs, prehistoric life and their role in popular culture. New issues of <i>Prehistoric Magazine </i>will be released three times a year, according to Editor-in-Chief Michael Esola, author of the self-published thriller <i>Prehistoric</i>. I’ve had a chance to review the first issue and while it is definitely the work of a team on a very limited budget, there is a lot of love put into it. You can learn more at <a href="http://prehistoricmagazine.com/" target="_blank">PrehistoricMagazine.com</a>. (Note: <i>Prehistoric Magazine</i> shouldn’t be confused with the similarly themed <a href="http://www.prehistorictimes.com/" target="_blank"><i>Prehistoric Times Magazine</i></a>, which has been around much longer.)<br />
<br />
This week saw the release of the first mainstream work of paleofiction in quite a long time. <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062416223/the-ark-plan" target="_blank"><i>Edge of Extinction: The Ark Plan</i></a> by Laura Martin is set 150 years after cloned dinosaurs have taken over the Earth’s surface and forced the remaining humans underground. The book is targeted at middle-school children, but like the Harry Potter novels, I’m betting it can be enjoyed by adults as well. Expect a review in the near future.<br />
<br />
Also released this week is the tabletop miniatures ruleset <a href="http://goodgamedesigns.co.uk/" target="_blank"><i>Dinoproof</i></a>. Like <i>Edge of Extinction</i>, the game is set in a future where dinosaurs have reclaimed the planet. Players take on the role of “slayers” who hunt dinosaurs for their DNA while trying to become celebrities by capturing dramatic TV footage. So far the ruleset is only available as softcover book. No word if a digital edition is planned.<br />
<br />
The final news item isn’t related to publishing or gaming but I’m betting anyone who reads this blog will be interested. <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/992645470/beasts-of-the-mesozoic-raptor-series-action-figure" target="_blank">Beasts of the Mesozoic </a>is Kickstarter campaign for a new line of scientifically accurate dinosaur action figures. The creator, David Silva, is a sculptor who has both a lengthy background in toy design and a love for all things dinosaur. The first series in the new line will focus on “raptor” dinosaurs. The toys are pricey—$35 per action figure plus shipping—and they won’t come out for another year, but they look well worth your money if you can afford it. There are two weeks left in the campaign as of this posting (May 12, 2016).DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-23036931011600418952016-05-08T05:33:00.001-04:002016-05-22T10:41:26.675-04:00Our prehistoric future<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_7O0gkS-CCnDrdn8mRr68cS2XkBsYgUakSb-KCYAh8ebxGVeVU-zW2kA1G_y9iw7U4hUIRbdbm0mlejLSXhTVmxdgVu4aUek6KlNENhKpdkjD-Lh69AHEhLbrcyx6FAsTc-6ui9UmVz-/s1600/ArkPlan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin_7O0gkS-CCnDrdn8mRr68cS2XkBsYgUakSb-KCYAh8ebxGVeVU-zW2kA1G_y9iw7U4hUIRbdbm0mlejLSXhTVmxdgVu4aUek6KlNENhKpdkjD-Lh69AHEhLbrcyx6FAsTc-6ui9UmVz-/s1600/ArkPlan.jpg" /></a></div>
Two years ago a state lawmaker in Utah put forward a strange proposal: We need to pump more carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Why? Dinosaurs, of course. <br />
<br />
According to Utah state Rep. Jerry Anderson, humans weren’t doing enough to warm the planet. So he introduced a bill that would have exempted the state from federal greenhouse gas regulations. The legislation was quickly shot down, but not before Anderson explained his reasoning, as reported by the <a href="http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/57562425-90/anderson-andrade-atmosphere-carbon.html.csp" target="_blank">Salt Lake Tribune</a>: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
“We are short of carbon dioxide for the needs of the plants. Concentrations reached 600 parts per million at the time of the dinosaurs and they did quite well. I think we could double the carbon dioxide and not have any adverse effects.” </blockquote>
This isn't the first time I’ve heard this “global warming is good because dinosaurs” meme. I won’t delve into the politics of the issue other than to say climate scientists generally agree that warming the planet to such a degree <a href="http://news.nationalgeographic.com/2016/03/160321-climate-change-petm-global-warming-carbon-emission-rate/" target="_blank">would be a bad idea</a>. But the reasoning behind this line of thinking - that the future should look like the planet's prehistoric past - is one that has been explored in literature a handful of times. The difference is that in science fiction, the outcome rarely has been beneficial for humanity.<br />
<br />
J.G. Ballard’s <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/06/drowned-world-by-jg-ballard-1962.html" target="_blank"><i>The Drowned World</i></a> is probably the best-known work set in a future that has reverted to a primitive state. Global warming is the culprit, although in this case it caused by a mysterious flare up of the sun, which bathes Earth in radiation. The ice caps melt, the oceans expand, and life begins to “devolve” into ancient Triassic period forms to cope with the environmental changes. The novel is a haunting work, filled with vivid descriptions of an empty London overrun by prehistoric swamp: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In the early morning light a strange mournful beauty hung over the lagoon; the sombre green-black fronds of the gymnosperms, intruders form the Triassic past, and the half-submerged white-face buildings of the 20th century still reflected together in the dark mirror of the water, the two interlocking worlds apparently suspended at some junction in time, the illusions momentarily broken when a giant water spider cleft the oily surface a hundred yards away.</blockquote>
<i>The Drowned World</i>, published in 1962, wasn’t the earliest work to depict a future where ancient lifeforms have returned to reclaim the Earth. That distinction appears to go to the 1955 story "Report on the Status Quo" by Terence Roberts, in which World War III has changed the climate and facilitated the return of the dinosaurs. Set in the then-future year of 1961, the narrative is presented as a government report about how this brave old world came to be, along with humanity's first disastrous encounters with the resurrected saurians. (EDIT: It turns out I'm wrong about this story being the earliest example of the plot device. See the comments below.)<br />
<br />
Dinosaurs also would return to rule the future in the comic <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/xenozoic-tales-aka-cadillacs-and.html" target="_blank"><i>Xenozoic Tales</i></a>, better known as<i> Cadillacs & Dinosaurs</i>. This series, first published in 1986, is set 600 years into the future during the “Xenozoic Era,” which is the geologic age following the downfall of civilization after a planetwide catastrophe. Extinct species from every era of Earth’s history have been reborn, with mankind no longer the dominant player in the ecosystem. Just how this strange world came to be is one of the central mysteries of the series<br />
<br />
The most recent example of this theme can be found in the soon-to-be-released young adult novel <a href="https://www.harpercollins.com/9780062416223/the-ark-plan" target="_blank"><i>Edge of Extinction: The Ark Plan</i></a> by Laura Martin. The first in a series, the book is set 150 years after cloned dinosaurs have taken over Earth's surface and forced the remaining humans into underground shelters. The cover blurb describes <i>Edge of Extinction </i>as "<i>Jurassic World</i> meets<i> Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.</i>"<br />
<br />
A future with resurrected dinosaurs is a stretch, to say the least, but there has been serious talk among scientists about bringing back extinct animals closer to us in time, from Tasmanian tigers to mammoths. The concept is known as “rewilding.” At its least controversial, rewilding simply means returning living species to their historic habitats, such as wolves to much of the American West. But some people have called for <a href="http://www.nationalgeographic.com/deextinction/" target="_blank">resurrecting extinct species</a> through cloning and then releasing the animals into the wild. Imagine Yellowstone National Park, but with mastodons and American lions — that’s rewilding at its most extreme. <br />
<br />
A few science fiction authors have flirted with the idea, but rarely have they explored rewilding in any great detail. One exception is Mary Rosenblum, whose 2009 novelette "Lion Walk" is set in a North America slowly being returned to its Pleistocene state. Rosenblum uses the setting to explore issues surrounding current-day conservation efforts.<br />
<br />
Sadly, despite claims by a small minority of scientists, I doubt we’ll see any resurrected mammoths, let alone T. rexes. The technical and social hurdles are just too great. But it is still fun to imagine futures where that just might happen.<br />
<br />
<b>More essays</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/raising-dead-bringing-back-extinct.html">Raising the Dead: Bringing Back Extinct Animals in Fiction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-rise-of-dinosaur-erotica.html">The Rise of Dinosaur Erotica</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/the-grass-eating-200-foot-long.html">The Grass-eating, 200-foot-long Brontosaur of the Late Cretaceous, or Common Mistakes in Paleofiction</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/hey-hollywood-forget-jurassic-park-make.html">Hey Hollywood! Forget Jurassic Park: Make this book into a movie instead </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/when-dinosaurs-ruled-pulps.html">When Dinosaurs Ruled the Pulps </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/t-rex-in-my-sights-ethics-of-hunting.html">T. rex in My Sights: The Ethics of Hunting Dinosaurs</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/03/gunning-for-dinosaur.html">Gunning for Dinosaur</a> </li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/02/a-field-guide-to-fake-dinosaurs.html">A Field Guide to Fake Dinosaurs </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/dinosaurs-dice-short-history-of.html">Dinosaurs & Dice: A Short History of Prehistoric Gaming </a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/brontosaurus-faded-star-rises-again.html">Brontosaurus: A Faded Star Rises Again</a></li>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/05/death-in-mesozoic-paleontology-in.html">Death in the Mesozoic: Paleontology in Mystery Novels </a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-73169792338272364692016-05-07T21:59:00.000-04:002016-05-23T22:20:06.170-04:00The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milán (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKMzfpNt1LgIZjbXpx_uXJJHlyJBnipJSzUgO6Pgzasf8nZbP8Ao6ReMYuNBjX1hdHsm4nC9BPmUBgc9gb1ENVh65FADLNg6jPcLAHaSFB5WqwN3RoBKjpDp-ZBMQxB_HgZAYmnrkEGbl/s1600/DinoLords-rev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhlKMzfpNt1LgIZjbXpx_uXJJHlyJBnipJSzUgO6Pgzasf8nZbP8Ao6ReMYuNBjX1hdHsm4nC9BPmUBgc9gb1ENVh65FADLNg6jPcLAHaSFB5WqwN3RoBKjpDp-ZBMQxB_HgZAYmnrkEGbl/s320/DinoLords-rev.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
A world made by the Eight Creators on which to play out their games of passion and power, Paradise is a sprawling, diverse, often brutal place. Men and women live on Paradise as do dogs, cats, ferrets, goats, and horses. But dinosaurs predominate: wildlife, monsters, beasts of burden–and of war. Colossal plant-eaters like Brachiosaurus; terrifying meat-eaters like Allosaurus, and the most feared of all, Tyrannosaurus rex. Giant lizards swim warm seas. Birds (some with teeth) share the sky with flying reptiles that range in size from bat-sized insectivores to majestic and deadly Dragons.<br />
<br />
Thus we are plunged into Victor Milán's splendidly weird world of<i> The Dinosaur Lords</i>, a place that for all purposes mirrors 14th century Europe with its dynastic rivalries, religious wars, and byzantine politics…except the weapons of choice are dinosaurs. Where vast armies of dinosaur-mounted knights engage in battle. During the course of one of these epic battles, the enigmatic mercenary Dinosaur Lord Karyl Bogomirsky is defeated through betrayal and left for dead. He wakes, naked, wounded, partially amnesiac–and hunted. And embarks upon a journey that will shake his world.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
“It's like a cross between<i> Jurassic Park</i> and <i>Game of Thrones</i>.” That's not me talking. That's <i>Game of Thrones</i>* author George R.R. Martin himself, providing the cover quote for<i> The Dinosaur Lords</i>. And he is not wrong, as this book shares a lot in common with the famous fantasy series. It is a medieval epic focusing largely on the Byzantine politics of its fantasy world. There is court intrigue, a large cast of not-always-likable characters, and plenty of sex and violence. Unfortunately it also shares <i>Game of Thrones</i>' greatest flaw: A lot of build-up with very little payoff. But it's got dinosaurs, so there's that.<br />
<br />
<i>The Dinosaur Lords </i>is set on a world called Paradise, in which we are told at the beginning “isn't Earth” and “is no alternate Earth.” This is one of several hints scattered throughout the book that <i>The Dinosaur Lords </i>is science fiction despite its sword-and-sorcery trappings. As for the plot: Dinosaur Lord Karyl Bogomirsky is leading a revolt against the emperor of Paradise's largest kingdom when he is defeated in battle and apparently killed. Karyl's death doesn't last long as he is resurrected by one of the setting's mysterious gods and tasked with defending a new pacifist movement against a crusade that will soon be launched against it. At the same time, a few hundred miles away, the emperor’s daughter Melodía watches as her father slips further into paranoia after a failed assassination plot is uncovered. Then there is her lover, Jaume, who is put in charge of leading the crusade despite his doubts about its morality.<br />
<br />
The above description leaves out a lot because<i> The Dinosaur Lords</i> is stuffed with characters and subplots. The problem is not much actually happens in the book's 400-plus pages. <i>The Dinosaur Lords</i> is supposed to be the opening chapter of a trilogy, and as such it is mostly about setting up the chess pieces for later novels. It is a slog to wade through as a result. The book opens with a large battle, but the remainder is dedicated to combat training scenes and a predictable storyline about court politics. It also ends with not one, not two, but three cliffhangers. Like <i>Game of Thrones</i>, there is plenty of violence in <i>The Dinosaur Lords</i> — including a rape scene — but it lacks the character development that keeps readers going back to its more famous inspiration despite the fact that winter, it seems, is forever coming.<br />
<br />
As for the dinosaurs, they're fine. They are the most fantastical element found in the fantasy world Milán has created, and he stuffs the novel with a cornucopia of species. The existence of dinosaurs is supposed to be one of the series' central mysteries, but the author provides enough clues that most readers of science fiction will guess the answer by the end of book one. That said, dinosaurs are not really central to the story despite the title. They could have been replaced with dragons or other mythological creatures more common to fantasy settings and you would still have the same book. <br />
<br />
I admit I'm not a fan of multivolume science fiction and fantasy epics. I think most authors overestimate their ability to tell grand, sweeping stories and create worlds interesting enough to keep readers coming back. <i>The Dinosaur Lords</i> has done little to change my mind in that regard. Still, I'm not ready to give up on the series yet. The next title - <i>The Dinosaur Knights</i> – is scheduled to hit bookshelves in July 2016. I just hope that now all the pieces are in place, Milán picks up the pace.<br />
<br />
* Before you leave any comments, yes, I know the proper title for the book series is <i>A Song of Ice and Fire</i>. But most people are familiar with <i>Game of Thrones </i>so that is the title I used.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li><i>The Dinosaur Lords</i> is the opening novel of a fantasy series titled <i>The Ballad of Karyl's Last Ride</i>. The name doesn't exactly roll off the tongue. Anyway, the author has said the series is supposed to be a trilogy, but Wikipedia claims there will be six books, although there is no citation. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I know dinosaurs and knights have been paired in a few pen-and-paper roleplaying games, but this is the first time they have been brought together in a novel, as far as I can tell. I'm surprised it took this long, although dinosaurs have <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/394754.Dinosaur_Samurai" target="_blank">tangled with samurais</a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I'm not sure how Karyl is pronounced, but I admittedly kept picturing <a href="http://knowyourmeme.com/memes/carl" target="_blank">Rick Grimes yelling “Carl!"</a> every time I read it.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The author's website is <a href="http://victormilan.com/" target="_blank">victormilan.com</a></li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/reviews/dinosaur-lords-victor-milan/" target="_blank">Smart Bitches, Trashy Books</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://thebookplank.blogspot.com/2015/09/book-review-dinosaur-lords.html" target="_blank">The Book Plank</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-sllRA6rPMw" target="_blank">Che Adventure (video)</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R0hach_y1hQ" target="_blank">Kitty G (video)</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-1260559239188578542015-07-08T21:19:00.000-04:002015-07-09T14:17:22.813-04:00The Virgin and the Dinosaur by R. Garcia y Robertson (1996)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak223sUGEwIJxNXbxlpIiA8MBoKfodbjJpWOAQ1J5uLgA20OyiZ_59eEyxHnEklFUGjGakEzkEKBqMRe4O5d4cDkdwnjVtWXrceTt6GjTx67tCOf4wICVRWpqrWGOwgejYxcr8K3t7EsE/s1600/VirginDinosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiak223sUGEwIJxNXbxlpIiA8MBoKfodbjJpWOAQ1J5uLgA20OyiZ_59eEyxHnEklFUGjGakEzkEKBqMRe4O5d4cDkdwnjVtWXrceTt6GjTx67tCOf4wICVRWpqrWGOwgejYxcr8K3t7EsE/s1600/VirginDinosaur.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SIMPLE TRIP TO THE MESOZOIC…<br />
<br />
In a far-future Megapolis free of disease, pollution, and money, Jake Bento is master of the wormhole – until an unforeseen catastrophe nearly strands the professional time traveler and his beautiful young paleontologist companion Peg in a world of huge extinct beasts. Luckily, Jake's deft manipulation of wormhole technology can bring them home – after several stopovers in more manageable eras – with enough 3V recordings to make them both legends in their own, and other, times.<br />
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There are those, however, who resent such newfound celebrity – specifically Jake's dangerous erstwhile employers at FASTER-THAN-LIGHT. And now Peg and Jake must watch their backs, from the Pleistocene to the present. For there are no treacheries their enemies won't stoop to – and no time in which to hide.<br />
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<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover? <i>The Virgin and the Dinosaur</i> is a 1996 novel by R. Garcia y Robertson that promises two things: 1) A virgin and 2) a dinosaur. I can report that it delivers on both. In fact, when it comes to the latter the book delivers in spades, as there are quite a few prehistoric creatures tucked between its covers. The only problem is readers must wade through a lot of filler to get to the dinosaur action.<br />
<br />
<i>The Virgin and the Dinosaur</i> opens in Late Cretaceous Montana with the aforementioned virgin — a French paleontologist named Peg — stepping nude into a forest clearing. Running around in your birthday suit doesn’t seem a particularly wise idea as we are told that mosquitoes “as big as hummingbirds” are flying around, but Peg is the free-spirited type. Enjoying the view is fellow time traveler Jake Bento, who is supposed to be guarding Peg but instead spends most of his time trying to get into her pants. (That is, if she wore pants.) Peg and Jake have a series of adventures before traveling forward in time to pre-Civil War America and then to the far future, where their journeys have turned them into celebrities. However, their newfound fame has made an enemy of Jake’s employer, who realizes the duo now have the power to start their own time travel business and become competitors. The only way to stop Jake and Peg is to ruin their reputations by any means necessary.<br />
<br />
Perhaps the most off-putting thing about <i>The Virgin and the Dinosaur</i> is its lack of any real plot. The novel actually is a collection of adventures linked together by a thin narrative arc. This isn't surprising as the first half of the book was originally published as two separate novellas, but it comes off as disjointed as a result. The story loses its footing in the slower-paced second half, although the pace picks up again near the end. That said, the good parts are really good. Robertson has a knack for writing action scenes, and he throws in just enough twists to keep things interesting. The Mesozoic scenes in particular stand out, although they make up only a third of the novel. Unfortunately the characters are not quite as well written. Peg exists solely as an object to be lusted over. Jake spends a good chunk of the novel more interested in sex than anything else, and his infatuation with Peg is more than a little creepy. I guess <i>The Virgin and the Dinosaur</i> was trying to be sexy, but the book is so clumsy at it that its efforts come across as awkward instead.<br />
<br />
<i>The Virgin and the Dinosaur</i> isn't a bad book, but it has too many problems to be memorable. Robertson should have devoted more of the novel to his characters' Mesozoic adventures. It also would have helped had he dialed back on Jake's raging hormones. I guess what I'm saying is I wanted less virgin and more dinosaurs.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The first half of the novel was published as two separate novellas in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine. The stories - “<a href="http://www.parigibooks.com/shop_image/product/22380.jpg" target="_blank">The Virgin and the Dinosaur</a>” and “<a href="http://www.coverbrowser.com/image/asimovs-science-fiction/9-1.jpg" target="_blank">Down the River</a>” - both graced the covers of their respective issues. (Click on the titles for links to the cover art.) </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The novella “The Virgin and the Dinosaur” was republished in the anthology <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/dinosaurs-ii-edited-by-jack-dann.html"><i>Dinosaurs II</i></a>. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The novel <i>The Virgin and the Dinosaur</i> was followed by a sequel,<i> <a href="http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/263801.Atlantis_Found" target="_blank">Atlantis Found</a></i>. (Not to be confused with the Clive Cussler novel of the same name.) As far as I can tell, it doesn't involve dinosaurs.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.cs.cmu.edu/afs/cs/usr/roboman/www/sigma/review/virgindino.html" target="_blank">James Walton</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-46580612531847062522015-07-04T02:52:00.000-04:002015-07-04T02:52:28.244-04:00Suddenly, a cornucopia of dinosaur board gamesDinosaurs and board games would seem an awesome combination, but the fact is game publishers have shown little interest in the “terrible lizards” outside kids games. That may be changing as a number of new games featuring dinosaurs and paleontology have been announced, and most of them can be enjoyed by adults.<br />
<br />
Below is a list of upcoming games in no particular order. Most of them haven't been released yet, at least not in North America. All images are from <a href="http://www.boardgamegeek.com/" target="_blank">BoardGameGeek</a>.<br />
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<h3>
The Great Dinosaur Rush</h3>
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Of the games listed here, this is probably the one I'm most looking forward to. <i><a href="http://www.apegames.com/rush/index.html" target="_blank">The Great Dinosaur Rush</a></i> is based on the 19th century “Bone Wars” between paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and O.C. Marsh. Players are rival paleontologists trying to find and build dinosaur skeletons while sabotaging the other players' efforts. From the description:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The Great Dinosaur Rush or the Bone Wars, as they're otherwise called, were a period of incredible advancement in paleontology (discovery of fossils). Players compete to grab bones from the best dig sites, and build new dinosaurs for prestigious museums. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Gain notoriety by stealing bones, sabotaging dig sites and otherwise impeding the other paleontologists. Play dirty if you want to win. Just not TOO dirty!</blockquote>
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<h3>
Artifacts, Inc.</h3>
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File <i><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168609/artifacts-inc" target="_blank">Artifacts, Inc</a>.</i> under the long list of creative projects that confuse archaeology with paleontology. Players are private archaeology companies that send explorers out on expeditions to find artifacts and fossils. This was a Kickstarter game, so it will first be available to backers of the crowdfunding campaign, but all games from this designer have eventually hit the market, so I'm betting you will be able to buy copies either later this year or sometime next year. From the description:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
New York, 1929: A frenzy of interest in antiquity is sweeping the nation! With museums hungry for mysterious and exotic artifacts — and you hungry for adventure — you start up your own archeology company. Untold wonders await within dangerous jungles, harsh deserts, and wind-swept mountains. Will you gain a reputation as the most intrepid and famous adventurer of all time? </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In <i>Artifacts, Inc</i>., 2-4 players compete to grow the most famous archeology company. Players roll dice, which represent their troop of adventurers, and place them on cards in order to find artifacts, sell them to museums, and purchase new cards representing their company assets. Players can choose to focus on making lots of money by selling artifacts, having museum majorities, creating the best combination of expeditions and buildings, or searching below the waves for lost cities and hidden treasures. The first player to reach 20 reputation triggers the end of the game, and the player with the most total reputation wins!</blockquote>
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<h3>
Dino Twist</h3>
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I don't know much about <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/179723/dino-twist" target="_blank">this game</a> other than the description:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Sharp your claws and fangs, avoid disasters , meteors and gather the strongest dinosaurs! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Dino Twist</i> is a family game of cards , fast and smart, where players will have to fight the Dinos on the island of Twist, then recover them on their islands to score the most points. But beware to the events that will spice up the battles !!! </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The goal of the game is to have the strongest Dino on our island.</blockquote>
<br />
If you can speak French, then the following gameplay video should be very helpful:<br />
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<iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/kW3aKZ09nBE/0.jpg" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/kW3aKZ09nBE?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div>
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<h3>
Raptor</h3>
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So the “raptor” in this game is 1) featherless, 2) oversized, and 3) obviously inspired by the raptors from Jurassic Park. Still, the <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/image/2520335/raptor" target="_blank">artwork looks nice</a>. From the description:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Mamma Raptor has escaped from her run and laid her eggs in the park. A team of scientists must neutralize her and capture the baby raptors before they run wild into the forest. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/177639/raptor" target="_blank">Raptor</a></i> is a card driven board game with tactical play and some double guessing. Players use their cards to move their pawns (scientists on one side, Mother and baby raptors on the other) on the board. Every round, the player who played the lowest ranked card can use the corresponding action, while his opponent has movement / attack points equal to the difference between the two cards values. The scientists can use fire, can move by jeep on the tracks, and can even call for reinforcements, whil the mamma raptor can hide in the bushes, yell to frighten the scientists, and call for her babies.</blockquote>
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<h4>
JurassAttack!</h4>
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<br />
If you like dinosaurs fighting dinosaurs, then <i><a href="http://www.greencouchgames.com/news/2015/6/24/2-new-gargantuan-games-in-small-packages" target="_blank">JurassAttack! </a></i>sounds like the game for you. It is a two-player card game in which players battle using prehistoric beasts as their weapons of choice. From the description:<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
In <i>JurassAttack!</i> from first time designer and independent pro-wrestler, Ryan Cowler, 2 players face off in an epic face-to-face dinosaur battle! In the game, each player chooses a dinosaur, or pack of dinosaurs of the same type from their hand and reveals them simultaneously to compare Ferocity values. The player with the highest total Ferocity wins the round, taking their rival’s dinosaurs into their score pile. Different types of dinosaurs are worth varying amounts of victory points so it’s important to plan well and make sure not to give away too many points in the event of a knock out! These fierce, prehistoric beasts each have their own special effects as well. Some hunt alone while others may pack with dinos of different types. And sometimes, with a well placed bluff, players may even be able to sneak some of their precious eggs into their own score pile to protect the future generation. </blockquote>
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>JurassAttack!</i> is made up of 54 oversized cards and comes in a sturdy, portable box. Each game lasts about 15 minutes and plays with 2 players, ages 8 and up. Artwork by newcomer, Shaz Yong, will transport players back to a land where giants ruled the earth and only the strong survived! This Summer blockbuster, great for gamers and families looking for some quick dino-battle-action, is headed for Kickstarter in July of 2015.</blockquote>
<h3>
Other games:</h3>
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<br /></div>
<i><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/163277/cardline-dinosaurs" target="_blank">Cardline: Dinosaurs</a></i> – I <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/new-game-deck-full-of-dinosaurs.html" target="_blank">previously posted</a> about this card game in which players must line up dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals based on their size and weight.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/156266/apex-theropod-deck-building-game" target="_blank">Apex: Theropod Deck-Building Game</a></i> – A card game in which players are predatory dinosaurs hunting prey and fending off rivals. The Kickstarter campaign for the second edition of the game had about a week left as of the time of this post.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/168996/world-dinosaurs" target="_blank">In a World of Dinosaurs</a></i> – Another Kickstarter project that was funded last year, with backers now waiting to receive their copies of the game. It may be unique in that players control both the dinosaurs and the paleontologists who dig them up.<br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/155703/evolution" target="_blank">Evolution</a></i> - This excellent game recently ended <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/game-alert-evolution-takes-flight-on.html" target="_blank">a Kickstarter campaign</a> for both its second edition and a "Flight" expansion. I expect both to be out in stores either this year or early next year.<br />
<br />
PS. Notice how many of these games started as Kickstarters? That seems to be the way the industry is heading.DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-56481448992049331542015-06-28T10:46:00.000-04:002015-07-02T20:57:31.475-04:00Dinosaur Planet by Anne McCaffrey (1978)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJjl79vpOF1KAYvbQZrUQFLFugg0o6RcgY2YutTcKaj8V1hOVlpSRPy0I8YDSKEIjZaG2Er77z6j1IaeuiN5ekFNLU5f9vPwn4EiVQpqCu222IFlul60SaNRKXyLeM3OLWNt0N0ZmrZXW/s1600/DinosaurPlanet.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikJjl79vpOF1KAYvbQZrUQFLFugg0o6RcgY2YutTcKaj8V1hOVlpSRPy0I8YDSKEIjZaG2Er77z6j1IaeuiN5ekFNLU5f9vPwn4EiVQpqCu222IFlul60SaNRKXyLeM3OLWNt0N0ZmrZXW/s1600/DinosaurPlanet.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
Stranded on a strange world<br />
<br />
THE MISSION<br />
<br />
The Exploratory and Evaluation Corps of the Federated Sentient Planets had sent ARCT-10, with its mixed crew of shipbred and planet-bound technicians, to Ireta to catalogue fauna and flora and search for new energy sources. It was a simple mission. A standard crew.<br />
<br />
THE PROBLEM<br />
<br />
Kai and his beautiful co-leader Varian, the best xenob-vet in the business, followed all the standard procedures – but the results of their investigations were totally unexpected. Not only were the planet's creatures larger than anyone had anticipated and the geological finds smaller, but the rescue ship had inexplicably disappeared.<br />
<br />
THE NIGHTMARE<br />
<br />
Then suddenly on a world of giant swamp creatures and deadly predators, a curious change had come over many of the members of the ARCT-10 crew… a change that would lead all of them, in one way or another, into the primitive darkness of a future world.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
Anne McCaffrey is best known for writing about dragons, being the author of the very popular <a href="http://www.pern.nl/" target="_blank"><i>Dragonriders of Pern</i></a> series. However, in 1978 she took a break from fire-breathing reptiles to focus on their real-life prehistoric counterparts with <i>Dinosaur Planet</i>. It wasn't much of a stretch as the novel is set in the same science fiction universe as <i>Dragonriders of Pern</i>, although no dragons or <a href="http://pern.wikia.com/wiki/Thread" target="_blank">Thread</a> show up in its pages. That's a shame, as<i> Dinosaur Planet </i>badly needs an injection of excitement.<br />
<br />
The story begins not long after the crew of the spaceship ARCT-10 has landed and set up camp on Ireta, a jungle world whose poles are hotter than its equator because of the planet's super-hot core. Their mission is to survey the planet for energy-producing minerals as well as catalog the wildlife they encounter. The crew's leader, Kai, spends a good deal of the novel trying to squash rumors that the crew have been “planted” - that is, abandoned on the planet by mission control in a not-so-subtle attempt to start a new colony. Varian, the co-leader, isn't particularly concerned about the rumors. Most of her time is instead occupied researching a native species of flying creature that shows tool-making capabilities. Trouble comes in the form of the “heavy-worlders,” a group of crew members much stronger than average because they were raised on planets with high gravity. After a series of discoveries, Kai and Varian begin to suspect the heavy-worlders have violated the greatest taboo of their future vegetarian society: They have eaten meat.<br />
<br />
It wasn't easy for me to write the above summary because <i>Dinosaur Planet</i> is a book without much plot. It is a rather dull and rambling piece of fiction that feels much longer than its 200 pages would suggest. Large parts of the narrative are just long stretches of stiff, unnatural-sounding dialogue, the sort of which one would find in bad 1950s B-movies. Worse still is McCaffrey's lazy descriptive text. We only get the broadest brush strokes of Ireta's sights, sounds, and smells because the author never paints them in any fine detail. A character may spot a “herbivore” and that's all we're told. What did the herbivore look like? Did it have a crest? A long neck? What color was it? Did it smell? What sounds did it make? McCaffrey can't be bothered to provide such descriptive elements, and as a result Ireta comes across as a rather drab and generic place.<br />
<br />
<i>Dinosaur Planet</i> also is lacking much in the way of action and mystery, and while neither are necessary for a good novel, the lack of other redeeming qualities makes the absence of the two that much more noticeable. McCaffrey would revisit the planet Ireta again in a sequel, <i>Dinosaur Planet Survivors</i>, which I have sitting on my bookshelf. I can't see myself cracking it open anytime soon.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>Ireta also is a setting in McCaffrey's <a href="https://www.goodreads.com/series/49445-planet-pirates" target="_blank"><i>Planet Pirates</i></a> trilogy. I haven't read the books, so I can't say whether they feature pirate dinosaurs. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Dinosaur Planet</i> and <i>Dinosaur Planet Survivors</i> were collected in a single volume titled <i>The Mystery of Ireta</i> in 2003.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://mccaffrey.srellim.org/series/dpp-review.htm" target="_blank">The Many Works of Anne McCaffrey</a> (contains spoilers)</li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-5181434981572386592015-06-23T04:36:00.001-04:002015-06-23T04:39:52.160-04:00Dinosaur card game Apex back on KickstarterMissed out on the Kickstarter for <i>Apex: Theropod Deck-Building Game</i> the first time around? Now you have a second chance to pick up this excellent game, and with better quality components.<br />
<br />
Die-Hard Games is running a <a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/diehardgames/apex-tdbg-stomping-grounds-expansion" target="_blank">Kickstarter for the second edition of the game</a>. As of this post, there was 19 days left in the campaign. Backers can pick a copy of the original game, except this time it comes with a playmat, a better box, and a T. rex miniature.The publisher also is offering four expansions that let you play as different prehistoric predators. <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/04/apex-theropod-deck-building-game-by-die.html" target="_blank">Check out my review</a> for more information about the game.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULtYKWNliH5Fm9qRzKUwtCeYDIlw4Ek3lyzzjYOZo4eG-RTx_Uvhp8eZZgNdysSJJO2m4qjNgXuo_pcGmbN5HiOj62IDMlCXTTJfmn_E98EiBPVnN4zILJY5cpPPrAHvD2mESBCw9u3w8/s1600/ApexV2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiULtYKWNliH5Fm9qRzKUwtCeYDIlw4Ek3lyzzjYOZo4eG-RTx_Uvhp8eZZgNdysSJJO2m4qjNgXuo_pcGmbN5HiOj62IDMlCXTTJfmn_E98EiBPVnN4zILJY5cpPPrAHvD2mESBCw9u3w8/s1600/ApexV2.jpg" /></a></div>
<br />
I should note this Kickstarter isn't without controversy. Several backers of the first edition, including myself, are upset that a higher-quality second edition is coming out so soon after the first edition. In addition, many first edition backers have yet to receive their copies of the game. (I only received mine because I paid an extra $15 after the first Kickstarter ended to be moved up the mailing list.) The new edition also is quite pricey: A copy of the core game and expansions will set you back $100, once shipping is thrown in. You can back both individually for about half that price.<br />
<br />
All that aside, if you have money to burn and like card games, you can't go wrong with <i>Apex</i>.DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-73688369868896429172015-06-12T07:32:00.001-04:002015-06-12T07:32:07.623-04:00Ten books to read after Jurassic World (and five to avoid)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N3FNxe7XySYpDHnDM2XVDaI5o35phWZh93Z7XjbrwUdEpkp3FpvHmuNr6vG9PEcU8PgepGL-mXIgoAvpxTzNwuB3ADb94t5x29KITWlh91T2wJ2CClA5u4Gec2scgPB-d25vz73jr9d2/s1600/raptorred.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2N3FNxe7XySYpDHnDM2XVDaI5o35phWZh93Z7XjbrwUdEpkp3FpvHmuNr6vG9PEcU8PgepGL-mXIgoAvpxTzNwuB3ADb94t5x29KITWlh91T2wJ2CClA5u4Gec2scgPB-d25vz73jr9d2/s1600/raptorred.jpg" /></a>I generally avoid writing Top 10 lists because I believe every book should stand on its own merits. However, I see the writers over at Tor.com have thrown together not one but two separate lists of recommended dinosaur fiction. (<a href="http://www.tor.com/2013/04/03/10-essential-books-featuring-dinosaurs-in-science-fiction/" target="_blank">Here</a> and <a href="http://www.tor.com/2015/06/05/6-crazy-sf-books-featuring-dinos-that-are-somehow-not-jurassic-park/" target="_blank">here</a>.) The gauntlet has been thrown: I think I can do better.<br />
<br />
In all seriousness, I’ve received a handful of requests over the years to do a recommended reading list. The release of <i>Jurassic World</i> provided a good excuse to do that. The titles below are not provided in any particular order; they simply reflect what I believe are the best examples of dinosaur fiction reviewed for this site. <br />
<br />
I didn’t include any comics or art books in this list because they are
not prose fiction, but if I had, I would have listed <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/xenozoic-tales-aka-cadillacs-and.html" target=""><i>Xenozoic Tales</i></a> and <i><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/09/dinotopia-by-james-gurney-1992.html" target="_blank">Dinotopia</a></i>. Both series are highly recommended.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/jurassic-park-by-michael-crichton-1990.html" target="_blank"><i>Jurassic Park</i></a> by Michael Crichton. Let’s get this one out of the way. This is the novel that won me over to paleofiction. From my review: “Jurassic Park is a book where the entertainment value overshadows its negatives, probably as pure a 'summer read' as you'll ever find.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/06/lost-world-by-sir-arthur-conan-doyle.html" target="_blank"><i>The Lost World</i></a> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The granddaddy of paleofiction remains one of the best novels on the subject: “Doyle strikes exactly the right balance between mystery, adventure and humor in a plot that never seems to have a dull moment.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/raptor-red-by-robert-t-bakker-1995.html" target="_blank">Raptor Red</a> </i>by Robert T. Bakker. The famous paleontologist penned this fun tale about a female Utahraptor in the early Cretaceous: “The exotic nature of the setting keeps the novel from becoming trite after the first few chapters, and Bakker’s quirky sense of humor comes across in several passages.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/06/dinosaur-summer-by-greg-bear-1998.html" target="_blank">Dinosaur Summer</a></i> by Greg Bear. This young adult novel about an expedition to a lost world captures the sense of adventure many of us feel when we hear the word "dinosaur": "It’s light, breezy entertainment and should be accepted as such."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/06/carnosaur-by-henry-adam-knight-1984.html" target="_blank">Carnosaur</a></i> by Harry Adam Knight. A dumb novel that knows its dumb and runs with that: “The fun thing about Carnosaur is it's B-grade entertainment and the author knows that -- he doesn't make the mistake of playing it straight.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/end-of-era-by-robert-j-sawyer-1994.html" target="_blank">End of an Era</a></i> by Robert J. Sawyer: This short, strange novel about the reason the dinosaurs went extinct may be a little too wacky for some readers, but I like it: “It’s hard not to like this book even if it does take itself a little too seriously given the craziness of the plot. It’s only 200 pages long, the appropriate length for this sort of thing.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/west-of-eden-by-harry-harrison-1984.html" target="_blank"><i>West of Eden</i></a> by Harry Harrison. An entertaining clash-of-cultures tale set in an alternate Earth where dinosaurs didn’t go extinct: “West of Eden still works as an old-fashioned adventure story with a good sense of wonder.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/bones-of-earth-by-michael-swanwick-2002.html" target="_blank"><i>Bones of the Earth</i></a> by Michael Swanwick. A moving, novel-length eulogy to the dinosaurs: “It’s a wonderful story, filled with believable characters and intriguing speculation about dinosaur ecology.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/rivers-of-time-by-l-sprague-de-camp.html" target="_blank"><i>Rivers of Time</i></a> by L. Sprague de Camp. This collection of humorous short stories about a time-traveling safari guide should bring smiles to most readers’ faces: “None of the stories are quite as good as (the lead story) ‘A Gun for Dinosaur,’ but they’re all entertaining and the book is worth owning.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/01/dinosaurs-edited-by-jack-dann-and.html" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaurs!</i></a> by Jack Dann and Gardner Dozois. An anthology of short stories about dinosaurs that includes several classics: “No point beating around the bush: <i>Dinosaurs!</i> is the best collection of dinosaur-themed short stories ever put together.”</li>
</ul>
Finally, I can’t resist mentioning some of the worst books I have reviewed. The following titles are definitely not recommended.<br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/age-of-dinosaurs-tyrannosaurus-rex-by.html" target="_blank"><i>Age of Dinosaurs: Tyrannosaurus rex</i></a> by J.F. Revkin. A book that somehow managed to make lost civilizations and dinosaurs boring: “I’ve tried hard to erase this book from my memory since reading about three or four years ago, and I’ve been mostly successful. It’s simply awful, with eye-rolling dialogue, ugly writing, and no sense of story structure.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-great-zoo-of-china-by-matthew.html" target="_blank"><i>The Great Zoo of China</i></a> by Matthew Reilly. Basically <i>Jurassic Park</i> with dinosaur-like dragons and atrocious writing: “I'm not a supporter of book burnings, but reading <i>The Great Zoo of China</i> is closest I've come to reconsidering that position.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/carnivore-by-leigh-clark-1997.html" target="_blank"><i>Carnivore </i></a>by Leigh Clark. About as close to a SyFy Channel movie put to paper that has ever been penned: “Every time I hear someone talk about how hard it is to get a novel published these days, I whip this baby out. Actually, that's not true. I don't want to admit I read it in the first place.”</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/06/dinosaur-nexus-by-lee-grimes-1994.html" target="_blank">Dinosaur Nexus</a></i> by Lee Grimes. A novel where poor plotting and bad writing ruin what could have been an intriguing premise about the consequences of time travel: "There's nothing in <i>Dinosaur Nexus</i> that is particularly memorable."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/08/deathbeast-by-david-gerrold-1978.html" target="_blank"><i>Deathbeast</i></a> by David Gerrold. A bad book by an otherwise good author. The premise about a T. rex hunt gone wrong is sound; it's the execution that's lacking: "A little subtlety in the writing and a cast of humane characters would’ve gone a long way toward improving <i>Deathbeast</i>."</li>
</ul>
<ul>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-68969911313991905992015-06-10T07:42:00.001-04:002015-06-10T07:42:28.494-04:00Beyond Jurassic World: A guide to current dinosaur media<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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So you've seen <i>Jurassic World</i>. Maybe you loved it. Maybe you hated it. Either way, you were left wanting more fiction about dinosaurs. I'm here to help.<br />
<br />
The first <i>Jurassic Park</i> film was accompanied by an explosion of dinosaur-themed books, comics, and magazines that were published to take advantage of the dino-craze the movie generated. That trend diminished with each successive film, and I'm sorry to say it is barely a trickle this time around. Still, there are a few titles out there to help sate your appetite for anything dinosaur related.<br />
<br />
Note: These are all mainstream titles. Self-published titles are listed in separate posts.<br />
<br />
<b>Books</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://us.macmillan.com/thedinosaurlords/victormilan" target="_blank"><i>The Dinosaur Lords</i></a> by Victor Milan: <i>Jurassic Park</i> meets <i>Game of Thrones </i>is how George R.R. Martin describes this novel. The plot mixes high fantasy with prehistoric animals. You can learn more about this upcoming title on the <a href="http://victormilan.com/" target="_blank">author's website</a>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.baenebooks.com/p-1381-exiled-clan-of-the-claw.aspx" target="_blank"><i>By Tooth and Claw</i></a> by various authors. The second in a series of anthologies set in a world where dinosaurs didn't go extinct. The first anthology was <i>Exiled: Clan of the Claw</i>. <br />
<br />
<i><a href="http://www.baenebooks.com/p-2469-dinosaurs-and-a-dirigible.aspx" target="_blank">Dinosaurs and a Dirigible</a> </i>by David Drake. This anthology collects Drake's four Time Safari stories. A fifth steampunk story also is in the collection.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.baenebooks.com/p-2616-dinosaurs.aspx" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaurs!</i></a> and <a href="http://www.baenebooks.com/p-1876-dinosaurs-ii.aspx" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaurs II</i></a> by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann. Two excellent anthologies bringing together many classic short stories about dinosaurs.<br />
<br />
<b>Movies</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3261302/" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaur Island</i></a>. This isn't a good movie, but it is an entertaining one and notable for being the first feature film to showcase feathered dinosaurs, including a feathered T. rex. It may be a good alternative for children too young to see <i>Jurassic World</i>.<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3252786/" target="_blank"><i>Cowboys vs Dinosaurs</i></a>. Low-budget direct-to-video movie about modern-day cowboys up against prehistoric monsters. Looks awful.<br />
<br />
<b>Comics</b><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.darkhorse.com/Comics/17-826/Age-of-Reptiles-Ancient-Egyptians-1" target="_blank"><i>Age of Reptiles: Ancient Egyptians </i></a>by Ricardo Delgado. Delgado is back with a new Age of Reptiles story, this one about a Spinosaurus. The first issue is out and it is very, very good.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1096532653/savage-empire?ref=nav_search" target="_blank"><i>Savage Empire</i></a> by Tim Lewinson. A Kickstarter project for a comic about a dinosaur invasion of Los Angeles after a massive earthquake. The creator worked on the 2008 video game reboot of <i>Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.</i>DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-28149000117401482172015-05-31T12:19:00.002-04:002015-06-01T08:10:10.004-04:00Dinosaur Thunder by James F. David (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvVI9px8B12w7kllmS8a359gPH18nqOn-vdkCmYhweWCURwtJ2lnwR-6JWe4zCKb322TYw_d6iKkVaM5lHEyBvLV064nbxHvfv4Hpzm8iTY7KI-jjIlZTgWgWZVmmlHp323_Y1ConBUxU/s1600/DinoThunder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAvVI9px8B12w7kllmS8a359gPH18nqOn-vdkCmYhweWCURwtJ2lnwR-6JWe4zCKb322TYw_d6iKkVaM5lHEyBvLV064nbxHvfv4Hpzm8iTY7KI-jjIlZTgWgWZVmmlHp323_Y1ConBUxU/s1600/DinoThunder.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
Eighteen years ago, the prehistoric past collided with the present as time itself underwent a tremendous disruption, transporting huge swaths of the Cretaceous period into the twentieth century. Neighborhoods, towns, and cities were replaced by dense primeval jungles and modern humanity suddenly found itself sharing the world with fierce dinosaurs. In the end, desperate measures were taken to halt the disruptions and the crisis appeared to be over.<br />
<br />
Until now.<br />
<br />
New dinosaurs begin to appear, rampaging through cities. A secret mission to the Moon discovers a living Tyrannosaurus Rex trapped in an alternate timeline. As time begins to unravel once more, Nick Paulson, director of the Office of Security Science, finds a time passage to the Cretaceous period where humans, ripped from the comforts of the twenty-first century, are barely surviving in the past. Led by a cultlike religious leader, these survivors are at war with another sentient species descended from dinosaurs.<br />
<br />
As the asteroid that ends the reign of dinosaurs rushes toward Earth, Nick and his allies must survive a war between species and save the future as we know it.<br />
<br />
James F. David's Dinosaur Thunder is a terrifying, futuristic thriller in the tradition of Michael Crichton and Douglas Preston.<br />
<br />
*Blurb from <a href="http://us.macmillan.com/dinosaurthunder/jamesfdavid" target="_blank">publishers website</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
The first thing you should know about <i>Dinosaur Thunder</i> is it isn't a standalone story. It is the second sequel to the 1995 novel<i> Footprints of Thunder</i>, which was followed in 2005 by <i>Thunder of Time</i>. Anyone who hasn't read those two earlier novels may find themselves bewildered by <i>Dinosaur Thunder</i> as its plot relies heavily on knowledge of what has come before. A prologue brings readers up to speed but it is no substitute for having read the two earlier novels.<br />
<br />
As for myself, I cracked open this book with trepidation. I <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/footprints-of-thunder-by-james-f-david.html" target="_blank">enjoyed <i>Footprints of Thunder</i></a> but <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/07/thunder-of-time-by-james-f-david-2006.html" target="_blank">hated<i> Thunder of Time</i></a>, both for its poorly researched depictions of dinosaurs and its heavy-handed political stereotyping. In <i>Dinosaur Thunder</i>, David has put a little more effort into fleshing out his star animals and dialed way back on the political ranting. The novel is a better book than its predecessor as a result, but it still has several flaws that prevent me from recommending it.<br />
<br />
<i>Dinosaur Thunder</i> is a novel with nearly a dozen main characters and nearly as many plot threads. To summarize as briefly as possible, the discovery of a living T. rex on the moon hints there may another disaster coming like the one that caused large swaths of modern-day Earth to be replaced by their Cretaceous period equivalents. Stranger still, dinosaurs from the past seem to be leaking into our world through doorways in time that may have something to with the comet/asteroid strike that killed them off. When the presidential science adviser goes off to investigate one of these doorways, he finds himself stranded in the ancient past. He is not alone. Also stranded are a group of people led by the Reverend, a Jim Jones-type cult leader who believes the Earth is only 10,000 years old despite the presence of dinosaurs all around him. Then there are the intelligent, spear-wielding <a href="http://dino.wikia.com/wiki/Dinosauroid" target="_blank">dinosauroids </a>who the human survivors are at war with.<br />
<br />
Had the author focused solely on the plot elements I outlined then I would have enjoyed <i>Dinosaur Thunder</i> more. The problem is there are other, less interesting plot threads that break up the action, like that of a woman raising a pack of young Velociraptors. The novel has a lot of filler, and while it is less than 400 pages, the book feels too long for the story it is trying to tell. Not helping are the bland characters. The female characters in particular are treated poorly, with their most distinguishing characteristic being their looks. We're reminded repeatedly about just how gorgeous the heroic female leads are, while the most annoying character in the book is a fat woman (and the fact she is fat is turned into a running gag).<br />
<br />
That said, <i>Dinosaur Thunder</i> isn't a bad book. Stylistically, it is better written than some other books I have read for this site. It also has some decent action in its latter half. The problem is it just isn't memorable. Much of the mystery of the first book is gone as we now have nice, tidy (and silly) explanations for time travel. The dinosaurs come out a little better this time around, but they are still only bit players in a story more about time travel than paleontology. And for reasons I already pointed out, the plot drags when it shouldn't. I can only recommend <i>Dinosaur Thunder</i> if you have read the first two books in the series and are a completist.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>David is dean of the School of Behavioral and Health Science at George Fox University, a private Christian college in Newberg, Oregon.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-7653-2378-1" target="_blank">Publishers Weekly </a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.nerds-feather.com/2013/02/microreview-book-dinosaur-thunder-by.html" target="_blank">Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together </a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://beforeitsnews.com/books/2013/01/review-dinosaur-thunder-by-james-f-david-2452142.html" target="_blank">Before its News</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-61734846703549418742015-05-28T16:15:00.000-04:002015-05-28T16:15:12.706-04:00Coming to Kickstarter: Savage Empire<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<i>Jurassic World</i> is nearly here, but before it arrives you will be able to throw some money at a new graphic novel that will soon debut on Kickstarter.<br /><br /><i>Savage Empire</i> by is described by its creator as <i>Jurassic Park</i> meets <a href="http://www.sonypictures.com/movies/blackhawkdown/" target="_blank"><i>Black Hawk Down</i></a>, although from the description it sounds more like <a href="http://www.theofficialjohncarpenter.com/pages/themovies/la/la.html" target="_blank"><i>Escape from L.A. </i></a>meets <a href="http://www.bobheffner.com/dinosaursattack/" target="_blank"><i>Dinosaurs Attack!</i> </a>The comic also shouldn’t be confused with the excellent 1990 <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/game/worlds-of-ultima-the-savage-empire" target="_blank">computer game of the same name</a>, which is set in a lost world of dinosaurs.<br /><br />Here’s the cover blurb:<br /><blockquote class="tr_bq">
A massive earthquake has shattered the West Coast, tearing a large swathe of California coastline free. At the quake's epicenter, pulsing energy portals appear - random gateways to another world. Through these portals, ancient creatures reclaim their territory, killing indiscriminately and acting as harbingers of an even more malevolent force in the Pacific.<br /><br />This is the story of a group of wetworks operatives, sent into the zone to retrieve the technology that holds the key while acting as the reluctant handler for a man who specializes in finding those who don't want to be found.<br /><br />A thrilling tale of extraordinary people and extraordinary odds, set against a backdrop of the ultimate apex predators - dinosaurs vs. humanity!</blockquote>
Apparently the creator of <i>Savage Empire</i> was the designer of the 2008 video game reboot of <a href="http://www.mobygames.com/game/turok" target="_blank"><i>Turok: Dinosaur Hunter</i></a>, and he is already talking about a <a href="http://jurassicworld.org/?id=304#comments" target="_blank">possible video game</a> based on the comic. Only time will tell if that will happen.<br /><br />Hopefully we will learn more about the comic—including art previews—once its <a href="http://tim0885.wix.com/savagekspage" target="_blank">Kickstarter campaign launches June 2</a>.<style>
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DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-72139201800529391542015-05-20T07:53:00.000-04:002015-05-20T15:04:50.922-04:00Death in the Mesozoic: Paleontology in mystery novels<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2gxuUcVsfmqKgFLVGLyK80_PnOumDP50v-YEKBnsh4d1wYaFW03JziN3jrNabGl7Oe9mEytafL_8AJwjfkgugqPVAupVfEj5Pg-fVNjWA4V4B4ZqHrU4XulAx5_syGGVM7dgsfnnZmfE/s1600/DryBones.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhs2gxuUcVsfmqKgFLVGLyK80_PnOumDP50v-YEKBnsh4d1wYaFW03JziN3jrNabGl7Oe9mEytafL_8AJwjfkgugqPVAupVfEj5Pg-fVNjWA4V4B4ZqHrU4XulAx5_syGGVM7dgsfnnZmfE/s1600/DryBones.jpg" /></a></div>
Paleontologists are homicide detectives — it's just that bodies they uncover have been dead for a very long time. The problem for writers is that investigations into 65 million-year-old crime scenes rarely make for compelling reading. If they want to grab readers' attention, their murders need to be of the more recent variety.<br />
<br />
According to <a href="http://www.therichest.com/rich-list/which-5-book-genres-make-the-most-money/?view=all" target="_blank">one report</a>, mysteries rank behind only romance as the most popular literary genre. Countless mysteries have been written with settings ranging from the modern day to ancient Rome. The genre is so extensive it basically has its own version of <a href="http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Rule+34" target="_blank">Rule 34</a>: If it exists, there is a mystery novel about it. So it should come as no surprise that a handful of mysteries feature paleontology as a plot point. Rarely do we get living prehistoric animals in mysteries — that's the realm of science fiction — but many authors aren't shy about sprinkling a little science in their crime novels.<br />
<br />
The most recent example of a “paleo-mystery” is<a href="http://www.penguin.com/book/dry-bones-by-craig-johnson/9780525426936" target="_blank"><i> Dry Bones</i></a> (2015) by Craig Johnson. The latest installment in Johnson's popular Longmire series, the plot heavily borrows from the real-life legal battle over the remains of <a href="http://www.cnn.com/2014/12/11/us/dinosaur-fossil-tyrannosaurus-rex-sue/" target="_blank">Sue the T. rex</a>. From the cover blurb:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
When Jen, the largest, most complete Tyrannosaurus rex skeleton ever found surfaces in Sheriff Walt Longmire’s jurisdiction, it appears to be a windfall for the High Plains Dinosaur Museum — until Danny Lone Elk, the Cheyenne rancher on whose property the remains were discovered, turns up dead, floating face down in a turtle pond. With millions of dollars at stake, a number of groups step forward to claim her, including Danny’s family, the tribe, and the federal government. As Wyoming’s Acting Deputy Attorney and a cadre of FBI officers descend on the town, Walt is determined to find out who would benefit from Danny’s death, enlisting old friends Lucian Connolly and Omar Rhoades, along with Dog and best friend Henry Standing Bear, to trawl the vast Lone Elk ranch looking for answers to a sixty-five million year old cold case that’s heating up fast.</blockquote>
It should be noted that in the case of Sue, no one was murdered, although a fossil dealer did end up in prison.<br />
<br />
Another recent paleo-mystery is <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-dinosaur-feather-by-sissel-jo-gazan.html" target="_blank"><i>The Dinosaur Feather</i></a> (2008) by Sissel-Jo Gazan, which won an award for best mystery novel in the author's home country of Denmark. The plot revolves around a paleontology student who becomes involved in a murder investigation after her academic supervisor is killed. Closer in time is Homer Hickam's <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-dinosaur-hunter-by-homer-hickam-2010.html" target="_blank"><i>The Dinosaur Hunter</i></a> (2010), about a ranch hand wrapped up in a murder plot surrounding the discovery of dinosaur fossils in eastern Montana.<br />
<br />
Most paleo-mysteries are one-off affairs. One exception is <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2015/02/mesozoic-murder-by-christine-gentry-2003.html" target="_blank"><i>Mesozoic Murder</i></a> (2003) by Christine Gentry, which was followed by a sequel, <a href="http://www.poisonedpenpress.com/carnosaur-crimes/" target="_blank"><i>Carnosaur Crimes</i></a> (2010). Both feature Ansel Phoenix, a paleoartist who solves crimes in Montana. <br />
<br />
Readers looking plucky heroines may want to check out <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2007/06/bone-hunter-by-sarah-andrews-1999.html" target="_blank"><i>Bone Hunter</i></a> (1999) by Sarah Andrews. The fifth in a series of novels featuring forensic geologist Em Hansen, the protagonist finds herself the main suspect in the murder of a famous paleontologist on the eve of a Society of Vertebrate Paleontology conference in Salt Lake City.<br />
<br />
The famous crime novelist Patricia Cornwell dabbled in paleontology in <a href="http://www.patriciacornwell.com/book/the-bone-bed-2012/" target="_blank"><i>The Bone Bed</i></a> (2012), featuring her popular character Kay Scarpetta. From the description:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
A woman has vanished while digging a dinosaur bone bed in the remote wilderness of Canada. Somehow, the only evidence has made its way to the inbox of Chief Medical Examiner Kay Scarpetta, over two thousand miles away in Boston. She has no idea why. But as events unfold with alarming speed, Scarpetta begins to suspect that the paleontologist’s disappearance is connected to a series of crimes much closer to home: a gruesome murder, inexplicable tortures, and trace evidence from the last living creatures of the dinosaur age.</blockquote>
Other paleo-mysteries include <i>Dinosaur Cat</i> (1999) by Garrison Allen, <i>The Last Dinosaur</i> (1994) by Sandy Dengler, <i>Rattle His Bones</i> (2011) by Carola Dunn, and the young-adult novel <i>Old Bones</i> (2014) by Gwen Molnar.<br />
<br />
All the novels mentioned so far feature human protagonists, but at least one series includes living dinosaurs. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anonymous_Rex_%28novel%29" target="_blank"><i>Anonymous Rex</i></a> (1999) by Eric Garcia is set in an alternate reality where dinosaurs didn't die out and are living among us in disguise. A parody of hard-boiled detective fiction, the book has two sequels: <i>Casual Rex</i> (2002) and <i>Hot and Sweaty Rex</i> (2005).<br />
<br />
Know any paleo-mysteries I missed? Feel free to mention them in the comments.DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-34419546212250265702015-05-17T09:52:00.000-04:002015-05-17T10:01:57.255-04:00Thun'da by Dynamite Comics (2012)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSeSiFO3SJJ_LRrOPIH7Kw2A-r7evpm88HtqcdMy_PEKByP5yNjOJWKfGhEg-EVlqhxlzUbFk9qTeF6F8hzrirPNE1MT5DKnuwYcYhSZTmslNJMik18sI3c1YHjhffckGpbbmdSwAaACD/s1600/Thunda_01.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCSeSiFO3SJJ_LRrOPIH7Kw2A-r7evpm88HtqcdMy_PEKByP5yNjOJWKfGhEg-EVlqhxlzUbFk9qTeF6F8hzrirPNE1MT5DKnuwYcYhSZTmslNJMik18sI3c1YHjhffckGpbbmdSwAaACD/s1600/Thunda_01.jpg" /></a></div>
<b>Cover blurb</b><br />
<br />
The time is now. A Military helicopter crash lands in a remote valley in Africa. A lone survivor awakens with no memory of who he is or what he was doing there, but he's wearing a uniform and is a skilled combatant. From the wreckage he learns only his name — ROGER DRUM. As he explores his new surroundings he is confronted by a bizarre lost world of dinosaurs and other strange creatures. Drum must learn to survive in this terrifying new reality while coming to terms with fragments of a past he isn't sure he wants to remember.<br />
<br />
As a bonus, this over-sized issue also includes the original first issue with fantastic art by the one-and-only Frank Frazetta at no extra cost!<br />
<br />
*Blurb from the <a href="http://www.dynamite.com/htmlfiles/viewProduct.html?PRO=C72513019527200111" target="_blank">first issue</a>.<br />
<br />
<b>My thoughts</b><br />
<br />
The year 1994. From out of space comes a runaway planet hurdling between the Earth and the Moon, unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is cast in ruins. Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn. A strange new world rises from the old. A world of savagery, super science and sorcery. But one man bursts his bonds to fight for justice...<br />
<br />
Hold on... that's <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LhAobPugvsk" target="_blank">Thundarr the Barbarian</a>. The comic I'm reviewing in this post is <i>Thun'da</i>, an even <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thun%27da" target="_blank">more obscure character</a> that was the creation of legendary fantasy artist <a href="http://frankfrazetta.org/" target="_blank">Frank Frazetta</a>. This isn't a review of the original comics but rather Dynamite Comics' attempt to revive the character in 2012 with a five-issue miniseries. Thun'da basically is a Tarzan knockoff living in a lost land filled with dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals. There is little about the character to make him stand out from the other Tarzan clones (such as <a href="http://marvel.com/universe/Ka-Zar_%28Kevin_Plunder%29" target="_blank">Ka-Zar</a>), and there is little about the comic to make it stand out from countless other lost world stories.<br />
<br />
The first issue begins with Thun'da – a U.S. soldier named Roger Drum – awakening after a helicopter crash that has left him stranded somewhere in central Africa. Thanks to the selective amnesia that only occurs in fiction, he can't remember who he is but he has retained all his survival skills and military training. The sudden appearance of a T. rex assures Thun'da that he is not in Kansas anymore, so after blowing up the helicopter, he escapes into the woods to get his bearings. What follows is a series of adventures with a sabertooth cat, Neanderthals, intelligent apes, and a scantily clad native princess.<br />
<br />
The most memorable thing about <i>Thun'da</i> is just how forgettable it is. I read the series twice but have trouble retaining any details about the plot. That is largely because the comic is simply one lost world genre cliché after another, with the barest thread of a narrative arc holding it all together. The same blandness extends to the art, which isn't terrible but also isn't distinguishable in any way from the art that graces thousands of other comics. Together the story and the art add up to a whole lot of “meh.”<br />
<br />
<i>Thun'da</i> is a comic you can comfortably skip. It isn't the worst comic I have read, but it may be among the most boring.<br />
<br />
<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The first three issues of Thun'da include Frazetta's original comics, which boast much better illustrations than the reboot. The one exception is in the third issue, where Frazetta's art includes racist caricatures of native Africans. The original comics were drawn in the 1950s and reflect the racial attitudes of the times. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>The original Thun'da made his big screen debut in 1952 in the Columbia Picture's film <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_of_the_Congo" target="_blank"><i>King of the Congo</i></a>. He was portrayed by actor Buster Crabbe.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.comicbookresources.com/?page=user_review&id=5050" target="_blank">Comic Book Resources (Issue #1) </a></li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.geeksofdoom.com/2012/08/08/comic-review-thunda-1" target="_blank">Geeks of Doom (Issue #1)</a> </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.unleashthefanboy.com/comics/thunda-3-review/30675" target="_blank">Unleash the Fanboy (Issue #3)</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-38697992693826389012015-05-13T13:59:00.002-04:002015-05-13T13:59:24.381-04:00Jurassic Park once again available as an audiobook<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9L5n10qQfkra46jdIOwbpee0NnSeMtShx97cLgyv1sP4dxo0IEyuEaY9d6QwV5Slv5QUc_LttnjTntLKMrnEz5wU_UWTivmgfw7vNUg371btsAz81haUhI2n1Di8CRtFZcKNeKBDAPzi/s1600/JPAudible.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiS9L5n10qQfkra46jdIOwbpee0NnSeMtShx97cLgyv1sP4dxo0IEyuEaY9d6QwV5Slv5QUc_LttnjTntLKMrnEz5wU_UWTivmgfw7vNUg371btsAz81haUhI2n1Di8CRtFZcKNeKBDAPzi/s200/JPAudible.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>
It's hard to believe the novel <i>Jurassic Park</i> is now 25 years old. Unfortunately, we're not getting an annotated or illustrated edition of the book to celebrate its anniversary. What we are getting is a new audiobook released to cash in on the premier of next month's <i>Jurassic World</i>.<br />
<br />
The unabridged recording of <i>Jurassic Park</i>, read by Scott Brick, is now available through <a href="https://www.brillianceaudio.com/" target="_blank">Brilliance Audio</a> and other online audiobook retailers, like <a href="http://www.audible.com/" target="_blank">Audible</a>. This is a big deal as there hasn't been an unabridged recording of the novel available since its initial release in 1990, making it hard to find. In fact, it has been much easier to find recordings of the book's inferior sequel, <i>The Lost World</i>. Now you can listen to <i>Jurassic Park</i> for only $16, which is pretty cheap compared to the cost of most audiobooks.<br />
<br />
I highly recommend reading/listening to <i>Jurassic Park </i>if you haven't already. Don't worry if you've seen the movie a million times: The novel is very different from the film (and also much better).<br />
<br />
What other dinosaur-themed works of fiction are available as audiobooks? Well, as already mentioned, the sequel <i>The Lost World</i> has been around for a while. Here are some other novels I found through Audible:<br />
<ul>
<li><i>Raptor Red</i> by Robert T. Bakker: The famous paleontologist's fun novel about a female Utahratpor surviving in the early Cretaceous.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Tyrannosaur Canyon</i> by Douglas Preston: A modern-day thriller about a mysterious T. rex fossil and the secrets it contains about why the dinosaurs went extinct. It suffers from the problem of giving too much information away at the beginning of the story.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion</i>: The novelization of one of the TV series' more infamous episodes.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>The Dinosaur Hunter</i> by Homer Hickam: A murder mystery involving paleontology in modern-day Montana.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Dinosaur Summer</i> by Greg Bear: An unofficial sequel to the original <i>The Lost World</i> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. I rather enjoy this book, although other people have called it one of Bear's weaker efforts.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Dinosaur Park </i>by Hayford Piece: I haven't read this one, but it concerns aliens, time travel, and dinosaurs.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>Deathbeast</i> by David Gerrold: The well-known science fiction writer turned his attention to dinosaurs in this time travel story that I didn't like, but maybe you will.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>The Land That Time Forgot</i> by Edgar Rice Burroughs: The first of three novels set on a lost continent of dinosaurs from the creator of Tarzan.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li><i>The Lost World</i> by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle: There are at least four unabridged readings of this classic dinosaur novel on Audible. There also are two full-cast audio productions.</li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-54955508401980184892015-04-29T19:27:00.001-04:002015-04-29T19:27:05.503-04:00New book roundup: Dinosaur invasions and alien dinosaursSadly it appears the premier of <i>Jurassic World</i> in June isn’t going to result in the same deluge of dinosaur-themed media that surrounded the release of <i>Jurassic Park</i> in 1993. I only know of two new works of fiction about dinosaurs coming from mainstream publishers, and there isn't a single anthology in sight. Fortunately there are several self-published titles available for readers wanting some prehistoric action.<br />
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As always, a disclaimer: I haven’t read any of these books so I can’t vouch for their quality. I’m simply providing this list as a service to readers. Also, this list relies heavily on titles published through Amazon.com. If you know of any other publishing formats that include titles I’m missing, please let me know in<i><b> </b></i>the comments.<br /><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpdFJhyVDU7l6PLBBHXBEiUgIKoe2HdLOE54E-HLYVfO7QryHX7r_uJHYMsP354gE401lcatG6wdc-GMFTUVCG5-HGTStVwCHgCxLXJeME85o4hYyi52v50dGX1tNJSlQIOKRwMs9HXn9/s1600/DoctorWhoDinosaur.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCpdFJhyVDU7l6PLBBHXBEiUgIKoe2HdLOE54E-HLYVfO7QryHX7r_uJHYMsP354gE401lcatG6wdc-GMFTUVCG5-HGTStVwCHgCxLXJeME85o4hYyi52v50dGX1tNJSlQIOKRwMs9HXn9/s1600/DoctorWhoDinosaur.jpg" /></a><b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Doctor-Dinosaur-Invasion-Malcolm-Hulke-ebook/dp/B00VB8UL9K/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430349039&sr=1-1&keywords=doctor+who+and+the+dinosaur+invasion" target="_blank"><i>Doctor Who and the Dinosaur Invasion</i></a> by Malcolm Hulke</b><br />
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This isn’t a self-published title but a novelization of one of the classic show’s most notorious episodes. (Turns out puppets <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hxCfNtXNc1Q" target="_blank">do not make convincing dinosaurs</a>.) However, the novelization is unusual in that it was penned by the writer of the episode. Here’s the cover blurb:<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Three hundred and fifty million years ago, dinosaurs crawled the Earth, devouring everything in sight. But then they disappeared. Certainly, no one ever expected them to return ... When Doctor Who lands in London and finds the entire city deserted - except for dinosaurs - he figures something really weird is going on. It is. A clever group of misguided idealists is at the centre of a bizarre plot to reverse Time to a golden era - an era before technology, before pollution, before the hydrogen bomb. The group is going to give the human race a second chance. But, to implement Operation Golden Age, the past must be eliminated. The present will not exist - and only the chosen will survive. Doctor Who must turn the clock forward to stop Operation Golden Age, but will he be able to do it before Earth's Time runs out?</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr__pCLcbahwG0X-4Z3dfSIPsVd2yNhzAtEoM3CSCjVxLBZwjSd_b5DIez1SDwZ8wglZxoTy7CZdJUZXrBoXEdnFCVrS6D1iEdb8cEPod_1VE74FcTGG9ListYv3XjAP4K0h3vuhFti0KB/s1600/PlanetsTimeForgot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr__pCLcbahwG0X-4Z3dfSIPsVd2yNhzAtEoM3CSCjVxLBZwjSd_b5DIez1SDwZ8wglZxoTy7CZdJUZXrBoXEdnFCVrS6D1iEdb8cEPod_1VE74FcTGG9ListYv3XjAP4K0h3vuhFti0KB/s1600/PlanetsTimeForgot.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Planets-That-Time-Forgot-Otherworldly-ebook/dp/B00WC6QU5Y/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430349314&sr=1-1&keywords=planets+that+time+forgot" target="_blank"><i>Planets that Time Forgot: Classic Tales of Otherworldly Dinosaurs</i></a>, edited by Benjamin Chandler</b><br />
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In my essay about the different plot devices authors used to bring dinosaurs back to life, one of the more unusual ones mentioned was transporting dinosaurs to alien planets. Benjamin Chandler has collected and illustrated six classic stories using this device. Cover blurb: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
The dinosaurs are long gone on this world, but what if they existed elsewhere? Would they evolve to build modern civilizations? Overrun planets in primordial violence? Come to be worshiped as gods? What if they were to re-evolve in Earth's distant future? </blockquote>
<blockquote>
Here are six newly illustrated classic sci-fi stories that try to answer these questions, exploring worlds where dinosaurs still reign, from pulpy adventures on the far side of the moon to giant alien monster satire. Featuring the works of Henry Kuttner, Arthur K. Barnes, Milton Lesser, and others.</blockquote>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9ioc0Qh1wuFoSyKFupwe1rMu3P0iku1d31Vo0eF-OUZc2TgFRZw98FJth-6RXDhWHKcrQ1po-CGgYJC5OnTGuTD8A1MPgv64bpCZulVpnp6J54ksMfKglLWnanzd4HlVWeITVY3SDHyp/s1600/DinoHunt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjd9ioc0Qh1wuFoSyKFupwe1rMu3P0iku1d31Vo0eF-OUZc2TgFRZw98FJth-6RXDhWHKcrQ1po-CGgYJC5OnTGuTD8A1MPgv64bpCZulVpnp6J54ksMfKglLWnanzd4HlVWeITVY3SDHyp/s1600/DinoHunt.jpg" /></a></div>
<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Dino-Hunt-Max-Davine-ebook/dp/B00W0J9FFA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430348958&sr=1-1&keywords=dino+hunt" target="_blank"><i>Dino Hunt</i></a> by Max Davine</b><br />
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Here’s a title from a <a href="http://www.asjpublishing.com/" target="_blank">small publisher</a> that is available as both a physical book and digital download: <br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
Jimmy Reeves is a down on his luck wildlife wrangler, his career once saw him traveling the globe, working on relocation programs and starring in documentary films. Now, he and his business partner Paul Franciscus are lucky if they can get a gig wrangling bulls in Arizona. Until one day, when they receive a massive advance payment from a mysterious company based in Florida. In return, they are to do what once brought them glory the world over; trap and relocated endangered animals. Little do they know they're not going to the Everglades to trap alligators, they're going through time and space to rescue great, big dinosaurs! </blockquote>
<blockquote>
But others have come to pillage the Cretaceous world for its natural resources, and to enslave and exploit the prehistoric inhabitants. They are ruthless, they are well equipped, and they will stop at nothing. It's up to unwitting Reeves to make a stand not just for the dinosaurs, but to save his own life, teaming up with an alluring paleontologist and a helicopter pilot nicknamed “Crash” to save the land of the forgotten from human annihilation.</blockquote>
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<b>Other titles</b><br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Crockatiel-O-C-L-T-Novel-Featuring-Cletus-ebook/dp/B00WA0KML0/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430349525&sr=1-1&keywords=Crockatiel" target="_blank"><i>Crockatiel - An O.C.L.T. Novel</i></a> by David Niall Wilson</b>: The latest in a series of novels about an international agency that investigates paranormal mysteries, this time about a mysterious creature living in the swamps of South Carolina.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Island-Mist-C-G-Mosley-ebook/dp/B008QQBY7S/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430349565&sr=1-2&keywords=island+in+the+mist" target="_blank"><i>The Island in the Mist</i></a> by G.G. Mosely</b>: The fountain of youth is discovered on a lost island in the middle of the Bermuda Triangle.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Valley-Rick-Jones-ebook/dp/B00UMKOR1Q/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430349601&sr=1-1&keywords=valley+dinosaur" target="_blank"><i>The Valley</i></a> by Rick Jones</b>: <i>The Hunger Games</i> meets <i>Jurassic Park</i> as convicted criminals are forced to cross a valley filled with resurrected dinosaurs while being filmed for the amusement of the masses.<br />
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<b><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Return-Skull-Island-Ron-Miller-ebook/dp/B00QVP412G/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1430349626&sr=1-1&keywords=return+to+skull+island" target="_blank"><i>Return to Skull Island</i></a> by Ron Miller and Darrell Funk</b>: An unofficial sequel to the original<i> King Kong</i>. Miller is an illustrator and writer who has received the Hugo Award. DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8681264563924389212.post-70226674120103010992015-04-24T14:26:00.000-04:002015-04-27T05:45:36.904-04:00Apex Theropod Deck-Building Game by Die-Hard Games (2015)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m9uowCVawZoUnVk5ajQ18XSweM-2z6wLDxybdOYhSZZ1rWR4uLjDBHRAVgwflYEIaHPMNdLh-ce33xNWWjMD38j1jccKfHhOIT-WhsCZOk1qlTFopJjseHbklSR4vJQ1LZ100i9z9jrh/s1600/Apex_box.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8m9uowCVawZoUnVk5ajQ18XSweM-2z6wLDxybdOYhSZZ1rWR4uLjDBHRAVgwflYEIaHPMNdLh-ce33xNWWjMD38j1jccKfHhOIT-WhsCZOk1qlTFopJjseHbklSR4vJQ1LZ100i9z9jrh/s1600/Apex_box.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></div>
<b>Summary</b><br />
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Apex is a deck-building game, played solo or with up to 5 friends. You play as one of seven prehistoric apex predators competing for territory and resources against other predators. Each playable species has a unique deck to master. Each deck has different strengths, weaknesses, and strategies—creating a varied and constantly evolving experience.<br />
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Your species must overcome a very brutal environment including harsh climate changes, disease, attacks from predators, grievous wounds, infections, and deadly prey. The game incorporates many dinosaurs that behave in their own distinct way. The goal of the game is to endure the environment, build up the population and evolve your species, and become the Apex predator.<br />
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* Summary from <a href="http://die-hardgames.com/apex.html" target="_blank">publisher’s website</a>. Images from <a href="http://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/156266/apex-theropod-deck-building-game" target="_blank">BoardGameGeek</a>.<br />
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<b>My thoughts</b><br />
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<i>Apex</i> is a game I waited a long time to get my hands on. Then I got it, and it took me nearly as long to learn how to play.<br />
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I’m exaggerating, but my unfamiliarity with deck-building card games combined with a poorly written rulebook certainly tested my patience during my first few games. The game designer has since published a second, much easier to understand rulebook and posted gameplay videos, all of which helped. I’ve now nailed down the core mechanics of the game, although I’m still a long way from mastering it.<br />
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Was all the time I sunk into <i>Apex</i> worth it? Definitely. <i>Apex</i> is the best dinosaur board/card game currently on the market. But it is not a game that will appeal to everyone, with mechanics that will likely confuse people whose experience with board games doesn’t go much beyond <i>Monopoly</i>.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3CLzhHSPUIzppvFuiV8rmoBzPHynK1nUp75TNpThs5fgef8psqMLkfnVH-o6bHQPwE43PD1fIUkM_Wa2W8qF-gjojsA5Z59ZSziLqTkIPwFTIZ0CZQGnVShXnPLeOKYvTulEiyMCdDG3/s1600/pic2093875.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiC3CLzhHSPUIzppvFuiV8rmoBzPHynK1nUp75TNpThs5fgef8psqMLkfnVH-o6bHQPwE43PD1fIUkM_Wa2W8qF-gjojsA5Z59ZSziLqTkIPwFTIZ0CZQGnVShXnPLeOKYvTulEiyMCdDG3/s1600/pic2093875.png" height="400" width="283" /></a><i>Apex</i> is a game for one to six players—or eight if you have the Kickstarter edition—in which you take on the role of a carnivorous dinosaur in the Mesozoic. You hunt prey, fend off other predators, and even “hatch eggs” that can become cards to add to your deck. Most of the game’s 600 cards represent an impressive range of dinosaurs and other prehistoric animals that lived during the Mesozoic. (Except the giant snake <a href="http://www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/titanoboa-monster-snake/0/140671" target="_blank">Titanoboa</a>, which was included for its coolness factor.)<br />
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At the start of the game, each player chooses a deck of cards that represents a specific predator. You then “hunt” prey cards using cards from your deck. Every kill earns you points that can be used to purchase new apex predator cards for your deck or "evolve" cards that give you special abilities. Trouble comes in the form of non-player predators that periodically pop up in the game to either kill prey or attack you. If that weren’t enough, you must contend with a super-predator “boss” that can not only deal out a lot of damage, but will take multiple hits to bring down. And did I mention this boss has minions to make your life even more miserable?<br />
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One thing <i>Apex</i> does beautifully is merge theme with game mechanics. A lot of the rules simply make sense in context of simulating a predator in the wild. For example, there are disease cards that require you to add a wound card to your deck every time you draw them. That’s logical: Just as a disease whittles away an animal’s health, disease cards make your deck progressively weaker. One rule I really like is ambush. You can set aside up to three cards to ambush prey in a later turn, but you must add an “alert” card to your deck to do this. If you draw the alert card later on, not only do you lose the element of surprise and return your ambush cards to the deck, but you activate any alert rules on prey in play, making them harder to hunt.<br />
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Another plus for <i>Apex</i> is it’s simply beautiful to look at. Apex was the creation of one man—Herschel Hoffmeyer —who not only came up with the game mechanics but also did all the art himself. That’s an impressive achievement, and I’m a bit flabbergasted at the amount of work that went into the game. The art is not just good game art—it’s good paleoart, with a degree of anatomical accuracy you usually don’t see in entertainment products. I’ve often found myself not playing the game but simply looking at it, enjoying the depictions of the dinosaurs spread out on the table before me.<br />
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Are there downsides? As I’ve already mentioned, the rulebook that came with my copy of the game was hard to follow. Another drawback is <i>Apex</i> isn’t a game you can just jump into on a whim. It has a significant setup time, with players needing to shuffle and sort the several card decks used in the game before they start playing. (This is probably less of a problem with more players given each person could shuffle a different deck.) Also, while I have only played <i>Apex</i> solo, I’m left with the impression there isn’t much player interaction during the course of the game. There are few cards you can play against other people but otherwise players are playing against the mechanics of the game itself, not other players. Whether or not this bothers you depends on what type of gamer you are.<br />
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Negatives aside, I love this game. I had never been much of a card game person before, usually preferring games with dice. <i>Apex</i> opened my eyes to a whole genre of games I had missed out on until now. Unfortunately <i>Apex</i> is not a game you can purchase and begin playing the same day, which will limit its appeal to casual gamers. The game has a bit of a learning curve. But if you are willing to invest the time to learn how to play it, you will be rewarded with the best dinosaur game since <a href="http://prehistoricpulp.blogspot.com/2014/02/dinosaurs-of-lost-world-by-avalon-hill.html"><i>Dinosaurs of the Lost World</i></a>.<br />
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<b>Trivia</b><br />
<ul>
<li>The nine playable predators in the game are Acrocanthosaurus, Carnotaurus, Giganotosaurus, Spinosaurus, Tyrannosaurus rex, Utahratpor, Velociraptor, Quetzalcoatlus, and Sarocosuchus. The last two are only available in the exotic predators edition of the game.</li>
</ul>
<b>Reviews</b><br />
<ul>
<li><a href="http://gameosity.com/2015/03/26/apex-theropod-deck-building-game-review/" target="_blank">Gameosity</a></li>
</ul>
DoubleWhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16571779951193974140noreply@blogger.com0