A Book A Week

What if we could rebuild the world as it was millions of years ago? What if we could bring back plants and animals that are extinct? Could we? Should we? Twenty-five years after its initial publication, Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton continues to thrill readers and dares to tackle the questions of ethics in scientific discovery. A 1993 movie adaptation became a blockbuster, spawned three sequels, and cemented Jurassic Park as a pop culture phenomenon. But as with most book to film adaptations, the novel offers much more detail and a richer overall experience.

The corporate world is abuzz with word of Ingen's new project. The corporation is run by the peculiar John Hammond who has funneled large amounts of money into a mysterious enterprise on a Caribbean island. Hammond has assembled a curious team of geneticists, zoological experts, computer scientists, and former theme park managers for his newest venture. As his competitors scramble to discover the secrets of his project, Hammond faces problems of his own. Whatever is being done on the island has caused death and serious injury to some of the local construction workers. Ingen's board sees massive potential in Hammond's endeavors, but they worry about the skyrocketing costs and the inherent physical hazards. In order to ease the minds of the board, investors, and company lawyers, Hammond invites a group of experts to tour his island before it is revealed to the public.

Doctors Alan Grant and Ellie Sattler, paleontologist and paleobotanist respectively, are among the experts who are summoned to the island. Grant is much more at home digging up the remains of the long extinct animals he studies, but Hammond's generous funding of his digs does much to persuade him to leave the comfort of his dirt and bones. The duo is joined by Dr. Ian Malcolm, a hot shot mathematician from the University of Texas who specializes in the chaos theory. Also along for consultation is a lawyer hired by the investors, Donald Gennaro. Hammond tells his panel of experts that his high stakes project is a "biological preserve" that he plans to open as a state of the art amusement park. As the group enters Jurassic Park, it becomes clear that this is not a typical zoo. The main attraction is a scientific feat that will revolutionize the study of genetics and create unprecedented profits for Ingen. Jurassic Park is the home to living dinosaurs.

At first glance, Jurassic Park is a quintessential sci-fi thriller. Michael Crichton writes of a genetic regeneration program founded in the science of the time (which turns out to be pretty questionable with 25 years of hindsight) to craft a clever narrative of discovery gone wrong. On the surface level, the story works as an effective piece of entertainment. Beyond the stereotypes of the genre, the novel becomes a cautionary tale. In the vein of Frankenstein, the men of science in this novel must face the repercussions of their discoveries. Crichton weaves philosophical questions of morality and responsibility in the face of technological advancement into his tale of exploration and corporate intrigue. This allows Jurassic Park to be a thoughtful commentary on greed and stock driven research while still maintaining a page turning pace. Unlike the movie, the villains of this novel get what's coming to them in deliciously devilish detail that will leave you thoroughly satisfied. Even better, those who practice logic and reason become the heroes of this fable. Twenty-five years later, Jurassic Park remains a smart and thrilling pillar of fantastic storytelling.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2015, 17)

I'll preface this review by saying that I don't really read children's books. I'm a single guy, in my twenties, and have no real reason to pick up a children's book. As part of my blog, I receive various requests to review books, many of which I simply don't have time to read and review. When I was contacted about reading Candy and the Cankersaur by author Jason Sandberg, I figured I would at least be able to read the book quickly. And so I agreed, read the book in a few minutes, and my review is as follows.

The story is of a young girl, Candy, who lives in a large mansion. She has lots of toys, which she generously shares with other, and lives a seemingly normal life. But beyond the toys and material objects, Candy mostly desires more attention from her rich, busy father. As fathers often do in these types of stories, Candy's dad tries to occupy the void in his daughter's life with more stuff. In this instance, he buys her a rare dinosaur, Cankersaurus Rex.

Despite her initial fear of the creature, Candy trains the dinosaur, nicknamed Cank, to be a pretty good pet. When Candy's neighbor Chucky see's the animal, he is immediately filled with jealousy. He has a longstanding rivalry with Candy, and realizes that his parents will never be able to top the gift of Candy's father. He decides that if he can't have a pet dinosaur, then neither can Candy. Chucky proceeds to steel Cank and sell him to the circus.

As all good children's books must, this story does end with a happy ending. Chucky sees how Cank's disappearance makes Candy sad, and realizes his mistake. The two then enlist the help of Candy's dad, who realizes his own paternal mistakes, to help bring Cank home.

Despite not having any real authority on the genre, I do feel that children, especially younger ones will enjoy this book. Even better, the adults who read it to them won't feel tortured while reading it! As far as a kid's book is concerned, this one has every element that is needed to keep a child's attention. The bright pictures, reminiscent of those by cartoonist Syd Hoff (do a quick search of his name and see if nostalgia doesn't kick in), are both visually vibrant and a great visual aid to the words. The text is large and easy to read. Better still, the story teaches a lesson about the intangible things in life that are more important than material possessions. And finally, there is a dinosaur! What six-year-old boy doesn't like dinosaurs? Overall, this is a quick read that both kids and parents should enjoy.

For more information, visit the author's website, Amazon, and GoodReads.

(2013: week 38, book 34)