Friday 15 September 2017

Jurassic Park Series #1 - The Book by Michael Crichton

          A billionaire has created a technique to clone dinosaurs. From the DNA that his crack team of scientists extract, he is able to grow the dinosaurs in his laboratories and lock them away on an island behind electric fences, creating a sort of theme park. He asks a group of scientists from several different fields to come and view the park, but something goes terribly wrong when a worker on the island turns traitor and shuts down the power.


Thoughts

Michael Crichton


          Jurassic Park, as for most people, has always been my childhood fantasy. As an 8 year old kid, seeing a dinosaur for the first time(albeit on screen) was an amazing experience. The movie with it's perfect cast, goosebumps-inducing BGM, amazing CGI so advanced for it's time captured my imagination as a child and made me feel watching it is an experience that no one should miss.

          Now that I had such a nostalgic connection with the movie, I couldn't resist picking up the book when I visited a local bookstore. It felt like the book was there waiting for me, destined to be picked up by me. Opening the pages of the book, I was transported 20 years back to the days of innocence. The book, not only overwhelmed me with nostalgia but brought the dinosaurs back to life in a way even better the movie I'd say. I was glad to be back in the park of dreams built by John Hammond, I was glad to be chased by Rexy and I was glad that I got a completely different perspective on Jurassic Park through the book.

          For starters, the book had more detailing. The process of creating dinosaurs - the DNA sampling, hatching and growing them are all beautifully explained in such a way that even someone who has zero knowledge on genetics and science could understand it. I also found that the book differed from the movie in characterization aspect and there were even subtle plot differences.(Differences between the movie and the book in coming up in another blog post soon.). The book also has it's share of fast-paced edge of the seat action and thrills. Grant and his mates being chased by the highly intelligent and skilled velociraptors is a treat to read.


          Hands down, my favorite parts of the book were the 'rants' that Ian Malcolm often got into. Be it him explaining the Chaos Theory or the Fractal Curve, or him admonishing Hammond and telling him about the timeless journey of planet Earth are just literary wonders. I could read those monologues by Ian Malcolm again and again and still my mind would not have gotten enough.

          This is one book that no one should miss. It offers a lot more than the movies will ever offer. Close your eyes and go for it. You will not regret it. See you in Jurassic Park!
Next blog in the series coming soon.

Quotes


“The planet has survived everything, in its time. It will certainly survive us.”

“Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet - or to save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves.”

“You know, at times like this one feels, well, perhaps extinct animals should be left extinct.”

“All major changes are like death. You can't see to the other side until you are there.”

“Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse.” 

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