It Came from the Post Office
Jurassic Park (the novel)
By Sam Ashburner
Upon entering the Roosevelt Post Office we are greeted by a collection of freebies and notices from around town. Coupons, vegetables from the school garden, videos/DVDs and books. I thought it would be fun to pick up something and give it a short review in the Bulletin. I call this series: It Came from the Post Office.
When the movie version of Jurassic Park was released in 1993 I saw it right away. It was a summer blockbuster that spawned a series of movie sequels that are still being made today. I liked the first movie but never saw any of the sequels. When I saw the novel lying there in the Post Office I decided to pick it up and give it a read. The book is always better than the movie, right? Right.
I won't explain the plot in too much detail. I figure most people know it and if you don't, I encourage you to read the book for yourself. Jurassic Park is the story of one man’s insane idea to bring dinosaurs back to life in the form of an amusement park. John Hammond spent years and millions of dollars gathering the best professionals he could find and placing them on an island to breed and control dinosaurs. When the story begins, Mr. Hammond’s park is nearly ready to open and he invites some guests and investors to see the park first. These guests include two paleontologists, a mathematician, a computer technician, a lawyer, and Mr. Hammond’s two grandkids.
Each character has their own reasons for accepting Mr. Hammond’s invitation to view the park: professional intrigue, financial interest, curiosity, and—mostly—disbelief. These characters are joined by others who are already living and working on the island which is located off the coast of Costa Rica. The guests go on an automated tour of the park while Mr. Hammond and his team track their reactions and interactions within the park. Relatively quickly though, things spin out of control. Sabotage, confusion and panic all strike. The Tyrannosaurus escapes its paddock and hunts down the story’s characters. A pack of velociraptors wreak havoc throughout the park. Chaos reigns as the Control Room of Jurassic Park fails. Right when you think the park is safe, something else happens. Events that are both foreseen and unforeseen plague the park and its visitors. There are more adventures and obstacles in the book version of Jurassic Park which leads to an overall better story and experience. Even though I knew the base story, I was hooked.
Author Michael Crichton does a great job at pacing the story and events of Jurassic Park. Crichton doesn’t dwell on too many details but you get the feeling of knowing exactly what's going on. Even explanation of the DNA recovery and cloning technology feels accessible. The park’s complex computer systems are detailed in simplistic terms which allows the reader to grasp the severity of the issues. The book’s introduction and prologue do a fantastic job of setting the tone of the book. It feels plausible and realistic. I would definitely consider the story to be a slow burn and a true page turner.
4.5/5 stars.
I would like to thank whomever left their copy of Jurassic Park at the Post Office. I would also like to thank my brother Rick for creating the image for this series.
Questions? Comments? BoroughBirds@gmail.com