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One of mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true--an astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Creatures that have been extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park, where all the world can visit them--for a price. Until something goes wrong. "Frighteningly real . . . it'll keep you riveted."--Detroit News.
PUNTARENAS
“I think she is quite comfortable now,” Dr. Cruz said, lowering the plastic flap of the oxygen tent around Tina as she slept. Mike Bowman sat beside the bed, close to his daughter. Mike thought Dr. Cruz was probably pretty capable; he spoke excellent English, the result of training at medical centers in London and Baltimore. Dr. Cruz radiated competence, and the Clinica Santa Maria, the modern hospital in Puntarenas, was spotless and efficient.
But, even so, Mike Bowman felt nervous. There was no getting around the fact that his only daughter was desperately ill, and they were far from home.
When Mike had first reached Tina, she was screaming hysterically. Her whole left arm was bloody, covered with a profusion of small bites, each the size of a thumbprint. And there were flecks of sticky foam on her arm, like a foamy saliva.
He carried her back down the beach. Almost immediately her arm began to redden and swell. Mike would not soon forget the frantic drive back to civilization, the four-wheel-drive Land Rover slipping and sliding up the muddy track into the hills, while his daughter screamed in fear and pain, and her arm grew more bloated and red. Long before they reached the park boundaries, the swelling had spread to her neck, and then Tina began to have trouble breathing. . . .
“She’ll be all right now?” Ellen said, staring through the plastic oxygen tent.
“I believe so,” Dr. Cruz said. “I have given her another dose of steroids, and her breathing is much easier. And you can see the edema in her arm is greatly reduced.”
Mike Bowman said, “About those bites . . .”
“We have no identification yet,” the doctor said. “I myself haven’t seen bites like that before. But you’ll notice they are disappearing. It’s already quite difficult to make them out. Fortunately I have taken photographs for reference. And I have washed her arm to collect some samples of the sticky saliva--one for analysis here, a second to send to the labs in San Jose, and the third we will keep frozen in case it is needed. Do you have the picture she made?”
“Yes,” Mike Bowman said. He handed the doctor the sketch that Tina had drawn, in response to questions from the admitting officials.
“This is the animal that bit her?” Dr. Cruz said, looking at the picture.
“Yes,” Mike Bowman said. “She said it was a green lizard, the size of a chicken or a crow.”
“I don’t know of such a lizard,” the doctor said. “She has drawn it standing on its hind legs. . . .”
“That’s right,” Mike Bowman said. “She said it walked on its hind legs.”
Dr. Cruz frowned. He stared at the picture a while longer. “I am not an expert. I’ve asked for Dr. Guitierrez to visit us here. He is a senior researcher at the Reserva Biologica de Carara, which is across the bay. Perhaps he can identify the animal for us.”
“Isn’t there someone from Cabo Blanco?” Bowman asked. “That’s where she was bitten.”
“Unfortunately not,” Dr. Cruz said. “Cabo Blanco has no permanent staff, and no researcher has worked there for some time. You were probably the first people to walk on that beach in several months. But I am sure you will find Dr. Guitierrez to be knowledgeable.”
Dr. Guitierrez turned out to be a bearded man wearing khaki shorts and shirt. The surprise was that he was American. He was introduced to the Bowmans, saying in a soft Southern accent, “Mr. and Mrs. Bowman, how you doing, nice to meet you,” and then explaining that he was a field biologist from Yale who had worked in Costa Rica for the last five years. Marty Guitierrez examined Tina thoroughly, lifting her arm gently, peering closely at each of the bites with a penlight, then measuring them with a small pocket ruler. After a while, Guitierrez stepped away, nodding to himself as if he had understood something. He then inspected the Polaroids, and asked several questions about the saliva, which Cruz told him was still being tested in the lab.
Finally he turned to Mike Bowman and his wife, waiting tensely. “I think Tina’s going to be fine. I just want to be clear about a few details,” he said, making notes in a precise hand. “Your daughter says she was bitten by a green lizard, approximately one foot high, which walked upright onto the beach from the mangrove swamp?”
“That’s right, yes.”
“And the lizard made some kind of a vocalization?”
“Tina said it chirped, or squeaked.”
“Like a mouse, would you say?”
“Yes.”
“Well, then,” Dr. Guitierrez said, “I know this lizard.” He explained that, of the six thousand species of lizards in the world, no more than a dozen species walked upright. Of those species, only four were found in Latin America. And judging by the coloration, the lizard could be only one of the four. “I am sure this lizard was a Basiliscus amoratus, a striped basilisk lizard, found here in Costa Rica and also in Honduras. Standing on their hind legs, they are sometimes as tall as a foot.”
“Are they poisonous?”
“No, Mrs. Bowman. Not at all.” Guitierrez explained that the swelling in Tina’s arm was an allergic reaction. “According to the literature, fourteen percent of people are strongly allergic to reptiles,” he said, “and your daughter seems to be one of them.”
“She was screaming, she said it was so painful.”
“Probably it was,” Guitierrez said. “Reptile saliva contains serotonin, which causes tremendous pain.” He turned to Cruz. “Her blood pressure came down with antihistamines?”
“Yes,” Cruz said. “Promptly.”
“Serotonin,” Guitierrez said. “No question.”
Still, Ellen Bowman remained uneasy. “But why would a lizard bite her in the first place?”
Hawaiian
Posted January 6, 2012
On a foggy, Caribbean island, scientists have ushered in the rebirth of dinosaurs. Now, dinosaurs roam the face of the Earth, but is this, mankind's greatest breakthrough or its worst nightmare? In a single phrase, Jurassic Park can be described as a thriller with dinosaurs, but it's so much more. Michael Crichton does an excellent job of forging a fast-paced, suspenseful plot with teeth.
While the novel is an essence of science fiction, Jurassic Park brings back the childhood excitement of dinosaurs. The novel lashes out and grasps our imagination, all while morphing it into a fear of the unknown. We can only read, as we ricochet down this dinosaur rollercoaster, leaving us wanting more. Filled with facts, action, and dinosaurs, Jurassic Park is a necessary read for any teen.
The novel also sports a wide spectrum of characters. Through them, Crichton weaves his message on the dangers of science into his masterpiece. Ian Malcolm, a character from the book, is Crichton's mouth that laments science and makes us ask the big question, "Is humanity as superior as we think it is?" The novel gives a great philosophical standpoint accented with suspense, resulting in a great read.
Jurassic Park has sold millions of copies worldwide and there's a reason. Readers find themselves enthralled in Crichton's web and can’t get enough. Crichton expands and builds upon on his experience and sci-fi thrillers, as he adds Jurassic Park to his Congo and Andromeda Strain.
In my personal experience with the book, I found myself turning page after page, with excitement and suspense. I managed to read the whole novel in the course of a week, proving that Jurassic Park is definitely a book you can easily pick up, but hard to put down.
I strongly recommend this book to the scientists and the scientists-to-be in your lives. With such a unique setting and thought-provoking plot, Jurassic Park is the best dinosaur novel ever written.
7 out of 9 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 18, 2013
I am only ten years old, sorry eleven years old, but this book is my favorite book of all time. The book has a lot of tense moments an it has a very unique beginning. For my fifth grade yearbook I am changing my favorite book to Jurassic Park. Only one flaw, some of the dinosaurs are from different periods, not the Jurassic period. Plus i am a girl my friends think it is odd i like this stuff. The first 2 movies are good the third doesn't have any real structure.
3 out of 4 people found this review helpful.
Was this review helpful? Yes NoThank you for your feedback. Report this reviewThank you, this review has been flagged.I read this when I was a kid, I remember how fantastic it was, and I'd really like to buy the two books, Jurassic Park and Lost World, for my nook.
Hellooooo! Why is JP not available on ebook?????? Please?
3 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 24, 2013
I got this book for homework so I really didnt like reading but about 50 pages later I couldnt put it down. Sometimes I even skipped gaming for this book. It is the best novel ever!! Buy it and youll see. Sadly Michael Crigton died in 2008 : (
2 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted April 6, 2013
It was amazing but incredibly stressful! Wat did u think
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 15, 2013
Great book to read. However when i got to page 278 and turned the page to kept going back to 275. You can force the page using the go to page feature to keep reading but you have to keep doing that until you get to the end of that charter. Not sure if it is just my device or if anytlone else has the same glitch.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2013
I cannot believe this book. I promise that if you read it you will agree with me when I say that the movie never had a chance of bringing justice to this literary masterpiece. The movie even missed all the different turning points and personalities in the book. When you begin be prepared to be blown away.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 27, 2012
I AM CHUCK NORRIS? I LOVE THIS BOOK?
1 out of 3 people found this review helpful.
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Posted December 11, 2012
Gory, suspence, and lots of cursing. Page turning action.
1 out of 2 people found this review helpful.
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Posted November 19, 2012
Goes into detail about the science and the ethics of the operation, making the inevitable escape of the dinos much more impactful. Fantastic book.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted July 2, 2012
Best book i have ever read read it now
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 15, 2012
Not a bad book. Not a great book. Good in the beginning and middle but feels like it drags a bit towards the end. I would recommend it especially if you like the movie but don't expect them to hold any more similarities other than a "dinosaur-infested-island".
1 out of 6 people found this review helpful.
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Posted February 7, 2000
This is a truly great work of writing from a truly great author. I read it for the first time when I was 10 and ever since then I've read it about 20 times. Along with his other works.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted January 13, 2000
This book was a great read. It was exciting, thrilling and non-stop good time. I nearly screamed when i got to the waterfall scene. Made me cry like a baby! It's Micheal Crighton at his best. Can't wait to read 'Time Line', But my FATHER is being slow with it...Darn parents.
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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Posted May 15, 2013
The amazing thing about this book which is a testment to why Michael Crichton was such a good writer is that even the parts where computer systems, DNA processing or even Chaos Theory is being explained, it never gets boring. You zip by it as quickly as you do one fo the chase scenes with a dinosaur. Anyone who liked the movie should get this book but be preapared because there are a lot of things different between the two, although yopu still won't be disappointed. This is a great action packed and smart thriller.
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Posted May 9, 2013
Is this book okay for ten year olds?
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Posted May 8, 2013
I saw the film based off this book long ago, and never imagined that the book would be a million times better.
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Posted May 2, 2013
Michael Crichton is a wonderful writer with a wonderful skill in weaving real world information into a sci-fi setting. His characters are rich, even if they get a chapters worth of writing.
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Posted May 1, 2013
Yo jose here its a really good book
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Posted April 6, 2013
Hi beth
0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.
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