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Description edit
On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park.
An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has discovered. Now one of mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true and the first dinosaurs that the Earth has seen in the time of man... read more
Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis edit
Summary edit
Paleontologists are thrown into a new world when they've invited to an island where scientists have created living dinosaurs from fossilized DNA. All if not as perfect as it seems...
Characters edit
- John Alfred Hammond: Eccentric billionaire and creator of Jurassic Park. Grandfather of Lex and Tim. He is to quote Buzz Lightyear, "A sad, strange, little man." So obsessed with dinosaurs that he is driven to clone them, even at the risk of other people's lives.
- Dr. Ian Malcom: Chaos theory Mathematician. Critic of the idea of cloning dinosaurs. He is also the one person with the most sense. He said from the beginning that cloning dinosaurs was a bad idea.
- Dr. Alan Grant: A paleontologist and dinosaur enthusiast. He is the main protagonist.
- Dr. Ellie Sattler: Paleobotanist and colleague of Dr. Alan Grant. Not his girlfriend, like in the movie)
- Donald Gennaro: Hammond's legal counselor. Jerk.
- Tim Murphy: Hammond's grandson, likes science, dinosaurs and computers. Older than portrayed in the movie. Also, more likable than his sister.
- Lex: Hammond's granddaughter, likes baseball. Younger than portrayed in the movie. Not to mention very, very, annoying.
- Henry Wu: Chief geneticist for Jurassic Park. He was played by B.D. Wong in the movie.
- Dennis Nedry: Jurassic Park's computer expert. Responsible for building Jurassic Park's computer software. He's also a jerk.
- Mr. Robert Muldoon: Jurassic Park's Game Warden. Second person with the most sense, however, not much more. After all, he chose to stay, of course they probably would have had him killed off. Just in case he snitched to the other companies....
- John Arnold: Primary computer engineer for the park, responsible for day-to-day technical operations.
- Dr. Harding: A veterinarian at Jurassic Park.
- Lewis Dodgson: Head of research for Biosyn; tries to steal embryos using an inside man. The words, "just desserts" comes to mind...
- Tina Bowman: A little girl on vacation in Costa Rica with her parents. Gets bitten by a dinosaur (not a spoiler because it happens within the first 5 pages).
- Ed Regis: Public Relations Manager for Ingen.
- Norman Atherton: John Hammond's first partner in genetics. Genetically engineered a tiny elephant.
- Alice Levin: Technician
- Edward H.Simpson: Emeritus professor of zoology
- Daniel Ross: Gennaro's boss
Quotes edit
-
“'Story of our species. Everbody knows it's coming, but not so soon.'”
Ian Malcolm -
“'Scientists are preoccupied with accomplishment. So they are focused on whether they can do something. They never stop to ask if they should do something.'”
Ian Malcolm -
“"Hold on to your butts."”
John Arnold -
“The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet — or save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves.”
Ian Malcolm -
“Clever Girl”
Robert Muldoon -
“Most kind of powers require a substantial sacrifice by whoever wants the power. There is an apprenticeship, a discipline lasting many years. Whatever kind of power you want. President of the company. Black belt in karate. Spiritual guru. Whatever it is you seek, you have to put in the time, the practice, the effort. You must give up a lot to get it. It has to be very important to you. And once you have attained it, it is your power. It can't be given away: it resides in you. It is literally the result of your discipline.Now, what is interesting about this process is that, by the time someone has acquired the ability to kill with his bare hands, he has also matured to the point where he won't use it unwisely. So that kind of power has a built-in control. The discipline of getting the power changes you so that you won't abuse it.But scientific power is like inherited wealth: attained wihout discipline. You read what others have done, and you take the next step. (...)”
Ian Malcom -
“At the earliest drawings of the fractal curve,few clues to the underlying mathematical structure will be seen”
Ian Malcolm -
“With subsequent drawings of the fractal curve,sudden changes may appear.”
Ian Malcolm -
“Details emerge more clearly as the fractal curve is redrawn.”
Ian Malcolm -
“Inevitably,underlying instabilities begin to appear.”
Ian Malcolm -
“Flaws in the system will become more severe.”
Ian Malcolm -
“System recovery may prove impossible.”
Ian Malcolm -
“Increasingly,the mathematics will demand the courage to face its implications.”
Ian Malcolm
Setting & Locations edit
Jurassic Park
- Isla Sorna: Isla Sorna is located in Costa Rica. Isla Sorna is owned by John Hammond, founder of InGen. This is the Island that the Lost World novel takes place on. It is the island where they tested the dinosaurs before moving them to Jurassic Park.
- Costa Rica: A country in Central America. Covered in rainforest and mountains, much of the country is isolated.
- Jurassic: The middle period of the Mesozoic Era, also known as the age of reptiles. It is named for the Jura Mountains in the European Alps.
- Isla Nublar: The island off the coast of Costa Rica with the "theme park."
Organizations edit
- InGen: One of the companies that helped finance Jurassic Park
- Biosyn: A rival of InGen
- Cowan, Swain and Ross: Donald Gennaro's law firm and legal counsel for the Japanese investors of InGen.
First Sentence edit
Mike Bowman whistled cheerfully as he drove the Land Rover through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve, on the west coast of Costa Rica.
Table of Contents edit
INTRODUCTION
PROLOGUE: The Bite of the Raptor
FIRST ITERATION
Almost Paradise
Puntarenas
The Beach
New York
The Shape of the Data
SECOND ITERATION
The Shore of the Inland Sea
Skeleton
Cowan, Swain and Ross
Plans
Hammond
Choteau
Target of Opportunity
Airport
Malcolm
Isla Nublar
Welcome
THIRD ITERATION
Jurassic Park
When Dinosaurs Ruled the Earth
The Tour
Control
Version 4.4
Control
The Tour
Control
Big Rex
Control
Stegosaur
Control
Breeding Sites
FOURTH ITERATION
The Main Road
Return
Nedry
Bungalow
Tim
Lex
Control
The Road
Control
In the Park
Control
The Park
Dawn
The Park
FIFTH ITERATION
Search
Aviary
Tyrannosaur
Control
SIXTH ITERATION
Return
The Grid
Lodge
Control
SEVENTH ITERATION
Destroying the World
Under Control
Almost Paradigm
Descent
Hammond
The Beach
Approaching Dark
EPILOGUE: San Jose
Acknowledgments
Errata edit
Many claims about dinosaurs in the book are inaccurate according to paleontologists.
The famous velociraptors in this book share their name with a real, chicken-sized dinosaur. The real-world analog would be the utahraptor, which stood over human height, but does not have as menacing a name.
Update: I think the most recent consensus is that the the Velociraptors were based on a Dromaeosaurid called Deinonychus.
Series & Lists edit
This is book 1 of 4 in Jurassic Park. (standard series)
Followed by The Making of The Lost World.
This is book 92 of 97 in Waterstone's Top 100 Books of the 20th Century. (authoritative list)
This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 14 of 99 in NPR's Top 100 Killer Thriller. (community list)
This is book 192 of 195 in Shelfari Most Popular (June 2010). (authoritative list)
Authors & Contributors edit
- Michael Crichton (Author)
Other Contributors:
- Gail Herman (Author) - Author of the junior novelization
- Simon Krek (Translator)
First Edition edit
Original Language: English
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Country: England
Publication Date: November 1990
ISBN: 0712646868
Page Count: 400
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Country: England
Publication Date: November 1990
ISBN: 0712646868
Page Count: 400
Awards edit
- Colorado Blue Spruce Young Adult Book Award (1993)
- Nevada Young Readers' Award (1993: Young Adult)
- Evergreen Young Adult Book Award (Finalist, 1993)
- South Carolina Young Adult Book Award (1994)
- Soaring Eagle Book Award Book (1995)
- Iowa Teen Award (1995)
- Bibly Awards (1996: Secondary)
Classification edit
- Library of Congress: PS3553.R48 J87
- Dewey: 781.542
Popular Tags
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Movie Connections edit
- Jurassic Park (IMDb): 1993, Directed by Steven Spielberg
More Books Like This edit
Books with Additional Background Information edit
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