Be careful how much you read about this book beforehand because I'm sure it'd be easy to stumble upon spoilers, but I won't be giving any of the twists away! I knew absolutely nothing about this book going in and I'm really glad because it was better that way. All i saw was the cover and since I'm a huge Jurassic Park fan i thought why not give it a read. The book has a lot of actions and does a great job of keeping you hooked and constantly wondering what's going to happen next. I'd keep telling myself only one more chapter but couldn't seem to stop reading, and i used to be a person who hates to read. The characters are interesting enough, but its the plot, ideas, and revelations that really keep it entertaining.

It starts out a little rough to read; but after the first couple of chapters things smooth out and flow until the end (which is again a little rough). I am a person who gives up if the first couple of chapters if I can't "get into it". I finished this book and had a good time.
I hope Preston writes more books and has the opportunity to polish his writing style.
It is believable and realistic (in the hard SciFi sense).

This book has been described as "Crichton Worthy". I cant recall a Michael Crichton book this dull. Readers would be well advised to skip through the unoriginal passages where the characters are getting kidnaped, or escaping from mines, or chasing people who have escaped from mines, or getting shot at every second paragraph,or getting chased by oh-so-secretive-and-unaccountable-government agencies (wow, how original...not). Suffice to say that the most original and interesting character in this book was the 65 million year old dead fossil.

TYRANNOSAUR CANYON opens on December 11, 1972, with a mysterious rock being discovered on the Moon. It's terrific that the author has quoted dialogue in the prologue which footnotes proclaim are from the original Apollo 17 mission transcripts. The story fast forwards thirty years, Tom Broadbent is riding in the night desert when he hears four shots from a nearby canyon. He finds Stem Weathers, his life seeping out of him. Moments before death, Stem entrusts Tom (a complete stranger) with a well-worn notebook, and whispers a plea to deliver it to his estranged daughter. Broadbent promises to do so. The notebook is filled with numbers.

The coolest part about this book were the excerpts which read like a grammar on T-Rex, explaining her life as it was in the Cretaceous, her territory, the climate, the vegetation, the trees, the other creatures of her world, her prey, her hunting abilities and disabilities, her eating, mating and sleeping habits. The last excerpt details ... well you'll have to read the book to find that out.

The author is very imaginative and I enjoyed his spin on this much scientifically debated subject. However, as a suggestion, Preston should not try to write anything sexual or romantic. His love scene between Tom and Sally was just bland.

. . . with some truly interesting characters.

"Tyrannosaur Canyon" was the first Douglas Preston novel I had ever read. (A situation now rectified!) I'm very glad that I did!

This is an exciting, fast-paced book which is part "hard science", part mystery, and part "just plain adventure"! From Apollo 17 to the Museum of Natural History in New York to the American Southwest, this search for the greatest archaeological find of all time never lets up.

The characters are well developed (both the good guys and the villians) and the plot is believable. Indeed, the storyline will grab you and will not let you go until the final page has been turned. And, unlike many pure "adventure" stories -- the book will cause you to think

A thoroughly enjoyable experience.