"Jurassic Park Book Review" By: Jesse S

 

            Jurassic Park is a familiar trilogy to many with a good amount of arcade games and spin-offs that have been released since its conception. However,some people may not know its origins actually lie within the book by Michael Crichton, Jurassic Park. The book is very similar to the movies in some respects but the book goes more in depth into the story of how Jurassic Park came to be and the events that unfold within the jungle of the island. In my opinion, the book is better than the movie, even though it may seem a bit slower considering its length and detail.

 

            Jurassic Park was published on November 20,1990 by publisher Alfred Knopf, only a few years before the release of the movie. The initial success of the book was the cause of the rights to the book being purchased and made into a movie directed by Steven Spielberg.

 

            The story follows the development of an island in Costa Rica filled with dinosaurs created by the millionaire John Hammond. These dinosaurs are developed from genetic material obtained from the time when dinosaurs were first alive, millions of years ago. Their goal is to create a place where people can interact and see dinosaurs of all kinds in a sort of theme park that is meant to be completely safe and full of precautions to keep visitors safe. Of course we know that things never go as planned and there are many problems that occur with the basic functions of the island. Therefore, the book is quite long and some parts may feel slow but everything is always important to the story and foreshadows future possibly dark events.

 

            The story’s content is very well developed in terms of its entertaining plot and its realistic scientific backing. The way the story progresses is very captivating and there are many unexpected twists included along with some seemingly obvious things that occur. Especially for those who have already watched the movies, it may sometimes be obvious what is going to happen in the story. But even those who have watched it before reading it (like I did) will still be surprised by all of the extra details that are in the book. On top of that, throughout the book, the details are very scientifically accurate and seemingly possible for the future. All of the concepts within the book are real scientific ideas that are definitely possible at some point in time.

 

            The common theme in the book is the advancement of technology, science, and the possible negative consequences that can occur when we as humans try to interfere with and control the natural course of things. Or even simply the unforeseen effects that come with huge leaps in technology. For instance, the development of AI serves as a great example of its effects in school and workplace environments. These factors were most likely unforeseen when AI was first being introduced to the public. But now we are constantly hearing about how it is changing the world. The same way in the book how the advancements made were affecting the course of the island along with other parts of the plot. The main events in the novel are generally all related to this theme and set examples for the message Crichton desires to convey.

 

            Crichton uses a lot of scientific language throughout the book to appeal to science fiction enjoyers and to give the book an increased sense of reality. It almost feels like the events in the book could happen or have happened already in the past and this is just a recounting of those events. Moreover, his writing style and his ideas that he has about science and possibilities for the future make his books, especially this one, very believable and easy to imagine as a reader.

 

            Although this book may not exactly be a world famous novel known far and wide, for science fiction enjoyers and really anyone who loves to read and is interested in a book they may not have known about, this is a great read. Even though it may be hard to pick up behind all the action and the intense plot of the story, Crichton’s message is important to us especially now as we continue to move forward in the world with new technology and new developments in life sciences. It is a warning hidden in excitement about the scary consequences that can come from being overly ambitious and trifling in things we are not in control of.