(courtesy of Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.)
What if instead of a skeleton staring from behind the glass, it was a flesh and blood dinosaur?
Michael Crichton’s 1990 book “Jurassic Park” brings those “What if?” questions to life in terrifying detail.
Most readers will be familiar with the basic plot line which is the same as the 1993 film adaptation directed by Steven Spielberg. International Genetic Technologies (InGen), has cracked the code for creating genetically-engineered dinosaurs which brings wonder and fascination in abundance. Their purpose in playing God? To open a dinosaur theme park under the direction of John Hammond.
Crichton’s novel travels at a slower pace, opposed to the movie.
With 77 pages of introduction before the main characters set foot on Isla Nublar, the reader may be tempted to put down the book before any real dinosaurs are even encountered.
However, those pages are essential and set up the catastrophe of putting man and dinosaur together in the same environment. It’s not long before the plodding pace picks up and the dinosaur attacks become frighteningly frequent.
Dinosaurs are the expected villains of the novel, but over the course of the story another unexpected issue arises: Human greed. Instead of creating the 15 different species exhibited at Jurassic Park for the benefit of the human race, Hammond created the animals purely to gain money. With that purpose in mind, Hammond’s team cuts corners that eventually makes the park shut down, and the animals escape.
Be prepared to stop for scientific instruction.
Most readers may not have knowledge of genetic engineering or the technological terms involved, but Crichton provides ample instruction. The process of cloning and how the dinosaurs were created is explained in simple scientific terms. Several diagrams and computer schematics are also printed on the page so the reader can examine for themselves how things work on Isla Nublar.
However, the abundance of explanations can slow the novel’s progress as characters stop to explain when they should be running for their lives. A schematic that is displayed in the middle may get skimmed over as the reader searches for the next action scene.
Crichton’s characters make their own ways that movie fans may not recognize. The primary characters are the same but personalities differ. Alan Grant, the paleontologist that Hammond recruited to survey the dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, is more skeptical and scientific; while Hammond is far darker than the movie’s grandfatherly portrayal.
Crichton’s rich descriptions do bring the dinosaurs to life. Instead of cartoony caricatures of dinosaurs that are sometimes still seen in museums, Crichton gives teeth to the prehistoric creatures in a way the reader might not expect. They attack, but at the same time the dinosaurs seem to think through their decisions in striking similarities to their human counterparts.
“Jurassic Park” is a novel for the detail-oriented reader. The longer descriptions lead to bigger climaxes than the movie can offer and dinosaurs with more bite.
Contact CU Independent Staff Writer Ana Faria at Ana.faria@colorado.edu.
