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Cover of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park

  • 455 pages · about 8 hours
  • First published 1990
  • 94 editions

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1 About this book

On a remote island off Costa Rica, the billionaire John Hammond and his company InGen have built a park of living dinosaurs, re-created through genetic engineering. Before it opens, Hammond brings in outside experts to look it over: the paleontologist Alan Grant, the paleobotanist Ellie Sattler and the mathematician Ian Malcolm, who argues from chaos theory that the park cannot be controlled. Hammond's two grandchildren join the tour. Then, during a storm, the park's systems begin to fail. Michael Crichton's 1990 novel is a thriller and a cautionary tale about genetic engineering; a sequel, The Lost World, followed in 1995.

  • Science fiction
  • Thrillers
  • Thrillers, technological
  • Genetic engineering
  • Amusement parks
  • Dinosaurs
  • Cloning
  • Technological

2 What to expect

A techno-thriller about a park of genetically re-created dinosaurs where the safety systems break down. Between the chases, Crichton explains genetics, computers and chaos theory, and argues through the mathematician Ian Malcolm that such a system could never be controlled. It is fast and tense, and darker, bloodier and more talkative about science than the film made from it.

Good for readers who want: a science thriller, dinosaurs, and fast-paced suspense with ideas.

3 About Michael Crichton

1942–2008

John Michael Crichton ( KRY-tən; October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) was an American author and filmmaker. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and over a dozen have been adapted into films. His literary works heavily feature technology and are usually within the science fiction, techno-thriller, and medical fiction genres.

Bio adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

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