List Price: $9.99 Details

Save: $1.00 (10%)

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime & FREE Returns

FREE delivery Tuesday, August 16 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon. Order within 2 hrs 44 mins

Or fastest delivery Monday, August 15

In Stock.

As an alternative, the Kindle eBook is available now and can be read on any device with the free Kindle app. Want to listen? Try Audible.

[{"displayPrice":"$8.99","priceAmount":8.99,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"99","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"Ros0BiyEhZWSJB1ajhXxz9DYHpZTikWEmJy92KukQBOg3FMgHt3y6MEa%2BmQx%2BpN5z9zHir2iAzEgAuaJn%2BbGFS24GSZD3VbzoN4RihDflj1XZilgOFnSrTLRY9qLzOWhRAhNbY6aoch%2F3pheql%2BnAg%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW"},{"displayPrice":"$8.52","priceAmount":8.52,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"8","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"52","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"2IJPiQuYPdrjjOUOAjBH%2FpCXexnX4XQIHVXPn00v4eJNFa6xQ1kH52G5qUBm1V11KDciDln%2FHu21RH40rZbqszbQV1gIzJ%2Baq3vNrOr7NbdCSi%2FHA7Tot9aagc2MSTC7MjaBoiQFKM1tGUVybE4oZEJvSRl0Qt2fci0GQ7aGwSrvymc65SWgbJSudkZGI7Wm","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"USED"}]

$$8.99 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details

Secure transaction

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Details

Ships from

Amazon.com

Sold by

Amazon.com

Return policy: Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt

Add a gift receipt for easy returns

Get Fast, Free Shipping with Amazon Prime

FREE delivery Wednesday, August 17 if you spend $25 on items shipped by Amazon

Select delivery location

Used: Good | Details

Sold by Martistore

Fulfilled by Amazon

Access codes and supplements are not guaranteed with used items.

Share <Embed>

Have one to sell?

Sell on Amazon

Other Sellers on Amazon

Added

Not added

$9.99
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: Pluto Publishing Co.

Added

Not added

$11.38
& FREE Shipping

Sold by: MyPrepbooks

Added

Not added

$7.99
+ $4.26 shipping

Sold by: from_my_shelf

Flip to back Flip to front

Listen Playing... Paused You're listening to a sample of the Audible audio edition.
Learn more

See this image

Follow the Author

Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park: A Novel Paperback – September 25, 2012

by Michael Crichton (Author)

12,929 ratings

Book 1 of 2: Jurassic Park

See all formats and editions

Price

New from

Used from

Kindle

"Please retry"

$9.99

—

Audible Audiobook, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$0.00

Free with your Audible trial

Hardcover

"Please retry"

$50.24

$50.98

$50.24

Paperback

"Please retry"

$8.99

$7.06

$1.99

Mass Market Paperback

"Please retry"

$6.16

$15.78

$0.83

MP3 CD, Audiobook, MP3 Audio, Unabridged

"Please retry"

$14.99

$10.61

$12.59

Enhance your purchase

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • From the author of Timeline, Sphere, and Congo, this is the classic thriller of science run amok that took the world by storm.

Nominated as one of America’s best-loved novels by PBS’s The Great American Read

“[Michael] Crichton’s dinosaurs are genuinely frightening.”—Chicago Sun-Times

An astonishing technique for recovering and cloning dinosaur DNA has been discovered. Now humankind’s most thrilling fantasies have come true. Creatures extinct for eons roam Jurassic Park with their awesome presence and profound mystery, and all the world can visit them—for a price.

Until something goes wrong. . . .

In Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton taps all his mesmerizing talent and scientific brilliance to create his most electrifying technothriller.

Praise for Jurassic Park

“Wonderful . . . powerful.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Frighteningly real . . . compelling . . . It’ll keep you riveted.”—The Detroit News

“Full of suspense.”—The New York Times Book Review

Print length

464 pages
Language

English
Publisher

Ballantine Books
Publication date

September 25, 2012
Dimensions

4.2 x 1.2 x 7.4 inches
ISBN-10

0345538986
ISBN-13

978-0345538987
Lexile measure

710L
See all details

Frequently bought together

+
+

Total price:

To see our price, add these items to your cart.

Choose items to buy together.

by Michael Crichton Paperback
$8.99
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Aug 16
by Michael Crichton Mass Market Paperback
$8.59
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Aug 16
by Michael Crichton Mass Market Paperback
$7.48
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Get it as soon as Tuesday, Aug 16

Michael Crichton
6,487
Mass Market Paperback
89 offers from $2.45
Jurassic Park By Micheal Crichton
848
Paperback
12 offers from $20.33
Michael Crichton
3,350
Mass Market Paperback
174 offers from $1.15
Michael Crichton
3,150
Paperback
92 offers from $3.92
Michael Crichton
74
Hardcover
9 offers from $39.99
36
Paperback
8 offers from $25.91

Popular Highlights in this book

What are popular highlights?

Even pure scientific discovery is an aggressive, penetrative act. It takes big equipment, and it literally changes the world afterward. Particle accelerators scar the land, and leave radioactive byproducts. Astronauts leave trash on the moon. There is always some proof that scientists were there, making their discoveries. Discovery is always a rape of the natural world. Always.
Highlighted by 2,267 Kindle readers
“All major changes are like death,” he said. “You can’t see to the other side until you are there.”
Highlighted by 2,179 Kindle readers
“Story of our species,” Malcolm said, laughing. “Everybody knows it’s coming, but not so soon.”
Highlighted by 2,137 Kindle readers
“All major changes are like death,” he said. “You can’t see to the other side until you are there.”
Highlighted by 1,578 Kindle readers

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[Michael] Crichton’s dinosaurs are genuinely frightening.”—Chicago Sun-Times

“Wonderful . . . powerful.”—The Washington Post Book World

“Frighteningly real . . . compelling . . . It’ll keep you riveted.”—The Detroit News

“Full of suspense.”—The New York Times Book Review

About the Author

Michael Crichton’s novels include The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, and The Lost World. He was as well the creator of the television series ER. Crichton died in 2008.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

ALMOST PARADISE

Mike Bowman whistled cheerfully as he drove the Land Rover through the Cabo Blanco Biological Reserve, on the west coast of Costa Rica. It was a beautiful morning in July, and the road before him was spectacular: hugging the edge of a cliff, overlooking the jungle and the blue Pacific. According to the guidebooks, Cabo Blanco was unspoiled wilderness, almost a paradise. Seeing it now made Bowman feel as if the vacation was back on track.

Bowman, a thirty-six-year-old real estate developer from Dallas, had come to Costa Rica with his wife and daughter for a two-week holiday. The trip had actually been his wife’s idea; for weeks Ellen had filled his ear about the wonderful national parks of Costa Rica, and how good it would be for Tina to see them. Then, when they arrived, it turned out Ellen had an appointment to see a plastic surgeon in San Jose. That was the first Mike Bowman had heard about the excellent and inexpensive plastic surgery available in Costa Rica, and all the luxurious private clinics in San Jose.

Of course they’d had a huge fight. Mike felt she’d lied to him, and she had. And he put his foot down about this plastic surgery business. Anyway, it was ridiculous, Ellen was only thirty, and she was a beautiful woman. Hell, she’d been Homecoming Queen her senior year at Rice, and that was not even ten years earlier. But Ellen tended to be insecure, and worried. And it seemed as if in recent years she had mostly worried about losing her looks.

That, and everything else.

The Land Rover bounced in a pothole, splashing mud. Seated beside him, Ellen said, “Mike, are you sure this is the right road? We haven’t seen any other people for hours.”

“There was another car fifteen minutes ago,” he reminded her. “Remember, the blue one?”

“Going the other way . . .”

“Darling, you wanted a deserted beach,” he said, “and that’s what you’re going to get.”

Ellen shook her head doubtfully. “I hope you’re right.”

“Yeah, Dad, I hope you’re right,” said Christina, from the backseat. She was eight years old.

“Trust me, I’m right.” He drove in silence a moment. “It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Look at that view. It’s beautiful.”

“It’s okay,” Tina said.

Ellen got out a compact and looked at herself in the mirror, pressing under her eyes. She sighed, and put the compact away.

The road began to descend, and Mike Bowman concentrated on driving. Suddenly a small black shape flashed across the road and Tina shrieked, “Look! Look!” Then it was gone, into the jungle.

“What was it?” Ellen asked. “A monkey?”

“Maybe a squirrel monkey,” Bowman said.

“Can I count it?” Tina said, taking her pencil out. She was keeping a list of all the animals she had seen on her trip, as a project for school.

“I don’t know,” Mike said doubtfully.

Tina consulted the pictures in the guidebook. “I don’t think it was a squirrel monkey,” she said. “I think it was just another howler.” They had seen several howler monkeys already on their trip.

“Hey,” she said, more brightly. “According to this book, ‘the beaches of Cabo Blanco are frequented by a variety of wildlife, including howler and white-faced monkeys, three-toed sloths, and coatimundis.’ You think we’ll see a three-toed sloth, Dad?”

“I bet we do.”

“Really?”

“Just look in the mirror.”

“Very funny, Dad.”

The road sloped downward through the jungle, toward the ocean.

Mike Bowman felt like a hero when they finally reached the beach: a two-mile crescent of white sand, utterly deserted. He parked the Land Rover in the shade of the palm trees that fringed the beach, and got out the box lunches. Ellen changed into her bathing suit, saying, “Honestly, I don’t know how I’m going to get this weight off.”

“You look great, hon.” Actually, he felt that she was too thin, but he had learned not to mention that.

Tina was already running down the beach.

“Don’t forget you need your sunscreen,” Ellen called.

“Later,” Tina shouted, over her shoulder. “I’m going to see if there’s a sloth.”

Ellen Bowman looked around at the beach, and the trees. “You think she’s all right?”

“Honey, there’s nobody here for miles,” Mike said.

“What about snakes?”

“Oh, for God’s sake,” Mike Bowman said. “There’s no snakes on a beach.”

“Well, there might be. . . .”

“Honey,” he said firmly. “Snakes are cold-blooded. They’re reptiles. They can’t control their body temperature. It’s ninety degrees on that sand. If a snake came out, it’d be cooked. Believe me. There’s no snakes on the beach.” He watched his daughter scampering down the beach, a dark spot on the white sand. “Let her go. Let her have a good time.”

He put his arm around his wife’s waist.

Tina ran until she was exhausted, and then she threw herself down on the sand and gleefully rolled to the water’s edge. The ocean was warm, and there was hardly any surf at all. She sat for a while, catching her breath, and then she looked back toward her parents and the car, to see how far she had come.

Her mother waved, beckoning her to return. Tina waved back cheerfully, pretending she didn’t understand. Tina didn’t want to put sunscreen on. And she didn’t want to go back and hear her mother talk about losing weight. She wanted to stay right here, and maybe see a sloth.

Tina had seen a sloth two days earlier at the zoo in San Jose. It looked like a Muppets character, and it seemed harmless. In any case, it couldn’t move fast; she could easily outrun it.

Now her mother was calling to her, and Tina decided to move out of the sun, back from the water, to the shade of the palm trees. In this part of the beach, the palm trees overhung a gnarled tangle of mangrove roots, which blocked any attempt to penetrate inland. Tina sat in the sand and kicked the dried mangrove leaves. She noticed many bird tracks in the sand. Costa Rica was famous for its birds. The guidebooks said there were three times as many birds in Costa Rica as in all of America and Canada.

In the sand, some of the three-toed bird tracks were small, and so faint they could hardly be seen. Other tracks were large, and cut deeper in the sand. Tina was looking idly at the tracks when she heard a chirping, followed by a rustling in the mangrove thicket.

Did sloths make a chirping sound? Tina didn’t think so, but she wasn’t sure. The chirping was probably some ocean bird. She waited quietly, not moving, hearing the rustling again, and finally she saw the source of the sounds. A few yards away, a lizard emerged from the mangrove roots and peered at her.

Tina held her breath. A new animal for her list! The lizard stood up on its hind legs, balancing on its thick tail, and stared at her. Standing like that, it was almost a foot tall, dark green with brown stripes along its back. Its tiny front legs ended in little lizard fingers that wiggled in the air. The lizard cocked its head as it looked at her.

Tina thought it was cute. Sort of like a big salamander. She raised her hand and wiggled her fingers back.

The lizard wasn’t frightened. It came toward her, walking upright on its hind legs. It was hardly bigger than a chicken, and like a chicken it bobbed its head as it walked. Tina thought it would make a wonderful pet.

She noticed that the lizard left three-toed tracks that looked exactly like bird tracks. The lizard came closer to Tina. She kept her body still, not wanting to frighten the little animal. She was amazed that it would come so close, but she remembered that this was a national park. All the animals in the park would know that they were protected. This lizard was probably tame. Maybe it even expected her to give it some food. Unfortunately she didn’t have any. Slowly, Tina extended her hand, palm open, to show she didn’t have any food.

The lizard paused, cocked his head, and chirped.

“Sorry,” Tina said. “I just don’t have anything.”

And then, without warning, the lizard jumped up onto her outstretched hand. Tina could feel its little toes pinching the skin of her palm, and she felt the surprising weight of the animal’s body pressing her arm down.

And then the lizard scrambled up her arm, toward her face.

“I just wish I could see her,” Ellen Bowman said, squinting in the sunlight. “That’s all. Just see her.”

“I’m sure she’s fine,” Mike said, picking through the box lunch packed by the hotel. There was unappetizing grilled chicken, and some kind of a meat-filled pastry. Not that Ellen would eat any of it.

“You don’t think she’d leave the beach?” Ellen said.

“No, hon, I don’t.”

“I feel so isolated here,” Ellen said.

“I thought that’s what you wanted,” Mike Bowman said.

“I did.”

“Well, then, what’s the problem?”

“I just wish I could see her, is all,” Ellen said.

Then, from down the beach, carried by the wind, they heard their daughter’s voice. She was screaming.

Start reading Jurassic Park: A Novel on your Kindle in under a minute.

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Ballantine Books (September 25, 2012)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0345538986
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0345538987
Lexile measure ‏ : ‎ 710L
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 8.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 1.2 x 7.4 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #2,125 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #10 in Classic Action & Adventure (Books)
- #16 in Evolution (Books)
- #29 in Genetic Engineering Science Fiction (Books)

Customer Reviews:
12,929 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.

Michael Crichton

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.

Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

After graduating from Harvard Medical School, Michael Crichton embarked on a career as a writer and filmmaker, whose credits include 'The Andromeda Strain', 'Westworld', 'Jurassic Park', 'Rising Sun', 'Prey' and 'State of Fear' and the TV series 'ER'. He has sold over 150 million books which have been translated into thirty-six languages; twelve have been made into films. He is the only person to have had, at the same time, the number one book, movie and TV show in the United States.

Customer reviews

5 star		84%
4 star		12%
3 star		3%
2 star		1%
1 star		1%

How customer reviews and ratings work

Reviews with images

See all customer images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

R.B. Dahl

One of my all-time favorites

Reviewed in the United States on November 7, 2017

Verified Purchase

This is the THE technothriller, THE dinosaur novel, and THE best of Michael Crichtons works. I saw the movie first and even though it's still great, I believe the book is far above it.

After a bunch of mysterious incidents in Costa Rica, a team of experts is summoned to the new island resort of a biotech company and soon discover it is home to genetically recreated dinosaurs. However, it soon becomes apparent that those running the park have arrogantly overestimated their control over nature. A corporate espionage plot is just the final nail in the coffin needed to tip the park into total chaos.

With scenes of heart-pounding action, terror, and suspense and also interesting characters and fascinating discussions of chaos theory and mankind's hubris, Crichton's novel is truly a great read.

67 people found this helpful

Helpful

One of the greatest books I've ever read

Reviewed in the United States on September 22, 2016

Verified Purchase

Welcome to Jurassic Park. I'm sure that most of you have seen the movie or read the book. But if you haven't -- Jurassic Park is a "theme" park that's main attractions are genetically brought back Dinosaurs. No animatronics or misdirection. These are real flesh and blood dinos. The unfortunate part about using real animals is that they are unpredictable. And you can guess where this unpredictability goes.

The narration for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Jurassic Park was done by Scott Brick who just absolutely blows this away. It has to be hard to narrate such an iconic book when it has a cult following and when there is a movie based off of it too. You would already have voices in your head for some of the characters. But Brick just crushes it. He gave me goosebumps numerous times in his reading of this.

This book has a lot of memory tied into it with me. It is one of the first books I ever remember not going outside to play to read more of. I think it was one of the first books I ever got on my own from the library (to which I've later owned numerous copies over the years). Jurassic Park was the first book that made me realize that a good book would keep you entertained. A great book would make you forget that there was the world around you.

Jurassic Park the novel is probably one of the books I keep highest on my review pedestal. I was a little worried that going back to it more than 10-15 years after first reading it and having seen the movie probably 30 times that it wouldn't have the same edge. I couldn't have been more wrong. I knew that Crichton could write. I knew he was innovative, writing about powerful computers in books like Jurassic Park and Congo before they were even on the horizon. But I forgot just how good Crichton was at holding my attention.

Jurassic Park STILL gave me goosebumps years later. It still had me hiding under the covers. And wondering what would happen next. If you are one of those people who think, "is the book really that much better?" Yes, yes, yes. A thousand times over yes. You need to read this book. You will see how visionary Crichton was. You will also notice that pieces of ALL FOUR movies were picked from this novel (and if you pick up The Lost World After, you'll see even more). There are scenes in this that made it into every movie that was associated with the Jurassic Park namesake.

I could write for days about this book, but know that this 25th Anniversary Edition is incredible. Scott Brick brings this book to life, which when you're reading it makes for some scary stuff! Please do yourself a favor and check this book out. I promise you won't regret it.

43 people found this helpful

Helpful

Natashia

Bad quality

Reviewed in the United States on September 2, 2018

Verified Purchase

So the story is great. Highly recommend over the movie. Unfortunately the quality of the book is awful. There are soo many grammatical errors. Mostly just in the last 50 pages. But i had to stop several times and reassess what I just read. I attached several of the errors but there were at least 10. After proof reading you would think there wouldn't be soo many! I recommend buying a different version of the book.

102 people found this helpful

Helpful

Bill and Susan Winters

Awesome science fiction! 10+

Reviewed in the United States on March 14, 2018

Verified Purchase

This book is the perfect blend of reality and imagination. I applaud Michael Crichton- this concept is solid as well as reasonable. This book includes all of the character's perspectives, which I find a little confusing at times, but does an awesome job of telling the story. There is equality of all types, as there are two strong female characters, and the book takes place on an island near Costa Rica. The only thing is that this book includes lots of gore, people and animals dying, and a single sexual reference necessary for the storyline. I therefore recommend this to anyone ten years old and above.

28 people found this helpful

Helpful

Eric Holloway

Intelligent design sci fi

Reviewed in the United States on November 18, 2019

Verified Purchase

Michael Crichton was writing intelligent design theory for a mass audience before the theory was put on trial in Dover. Dinosaurs are created from genetic code recovered in fossils, just as if it were a software program. Wu points out in one part of the book how most of the genetic code appeared all at once, and all organisms just have minor dissimilarities from each other. Chaos theory and the computer system show how fragile chance and necessity are, and how their normal course is to devolve into random chaos, but the teleological drive of life allows it to triumph despite whatever catastrophes occur. This, whatever originally created the genetic code is a teleological force beyond the capabilities of chance and necessity. The only thing that saves the day in the end is human ingenuity and intelligent design, along with social virtue ethics a lá Alister MacIntyre. I doubt Crichton followed all these themes on purpose, but he has a keen mind for countercultural truth, suppressed by the status quo (i.e. state of fear) so is unsurprising he figured it out. Also, Ian Malcolm reminds me a lot of William Dembski, the mathematician who first formalized intelligent design theory.

10 people found this helpful

Helpful

A. R. Thompson

Masterfully written science fiction.

Reviewed in the United States on May 9, 2022

Verified Purchase

Michael Crichton is known for his believable stories, Jurassic Park is no exception. One of the best works by Crichton. This story takes place in the late 1980s early 1990s. The science is absolutely spot on and downright terrifying. As with other works I've read by Crichton it is thoroughly researched.
Now, if you're like me, then you were not old enough to read this book before or when the movie adaptation premiered. So of course I went into the book with some idea of what to expect. My expectations were met and surpassed.
This book is fantastic, but there are things that makes me rate it closer to R than PG-13. Language and violence. The language and violence in the book are more extreme than in the movie so if you take a chance on this story you should be prepared for that.
I definitely recommend.

One person found this helpful

Helpful

Top reviews from other countries

CoralFang

Well written, excellent pace - a great read.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 24, 2017

Verified Purchase

I am a huge fan of the movie - who doesn't love a Steven Spielberg flick? Yet weirdly, I have only just got round to reading the book that inspired the dino quadrilogy.

Surprisingly I feel the movie did a great justice to this novel - they pruned what was necessary and nothing was really lost. I particularly like the following adjustments (which aren't spoilers, not really I promise!):

1) They made Hammond a decent human being in the movie - in the book he's a right ruthless bastard (he doesn't care for his grandkids and it's him who wants to charge thousands for tickets to the park, not the lawyer!).

2) They gave the main female roles - Ellie and Lex - proactive, strong roles in the film - in the book they are much more secondary characters, although Ellie is still a precocious, confident individual who holds her own. However, Lex is really 8 years old - not nearly 15 - and is much more of a drag, relying heavily on her brother to bring her safely through the park (understandable but still, annoying and whiney!).

I loved the dinosaurs - they had great, individual personalities and interesting, justifiable behaviour -, the park was much more realistic and there was a lot more background information and world building than I expected. I can see they pruned a lot of the ideas for the second and third movie from this original book, which lets you know how packed it is with cracking plot lines.

I cannot wait to grab a copy of The Lost World.

26 people found this helpful

Blew1

A great standalone novel and an excellent read for fans of the franchise!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2019

Verified Purchase

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for 25 or so years, you’ve probably already seen or at least heard of the original Jurassic Park film which was based on this novel, so, I’ll start with the inevitable question...is it better than the film? I don’t really have an answer, you can’t really have a definitive answer. Both film and novel are two entirely different mediums with pros and cons. A film has the advantage of being a visual medium and is generally more accessible, but is more or less limited to a couple of hours in length and therefore loses a lot of depth and detail. This is exactly why I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, despite having seen the film dozens of times ever since it first came out and although the book follows the same milestone plot points of the film, there is a lot more fat to chew on here and it’s all very tasty!
I won’t spoil it for anyone, but there is a lot more background to the story here than the film. The opening chapters (of which there are many) follow a few loose ends and covers the background, plot and some characters that don’t really figure in the main story, but show the overreaching effects of the park’s development. Unlike the film, this novel doesn’t really have to depend on the dinosaurs and action set pieces to intrigue. There’s hardly any dinosaur action in the opening 200 or so pages easily, it is quite the slow burner, but when it hits the fan, it hits harder than an angry T Rex! It really does go through the gears fast, so strap in!
The characters are vastly different from the the film too, Genaro is almost the total polar opposite of the cowardly, snivelling, greedy lawyer in the film and that characters’ fate is reserved for another character. Lex is a total airhead brat, Dr. Satler hardly features at all and a certain disgruntled Park employee is even somewhat of a sympathetic character...who still does a terrible thing. Dr. Malcolm’s chaos theory goodness is expanded upon greatly and Alan Grant is more macho than Sam Neill’s portrayal. Everyone’s backstory and the reasons they do the thing they do appear more logical. There are other characters that don’t get more than a background cameo in the film that are significantly more fleshed out here, oh, and don’t assume that just because someone survived the film that they’ll get through the novel...I’ll leave it at that!
The dinosaur rogues’ gallery is more or less identical, barring a slight different in species in some of the lesser characters and there is one action set piece in particular that is lifted to one of the original films’ sequels. Another watery set piece is somehow even more thrilling than seeing it ever could be.
Overall, this book is exactly what I’d hoped it would be. Similar enough to the film that I am nostalgically happy and satisfied and different enough that I’m learning something knew of the Jurassic Park lore. Michael Crichton was an excellent novelist and this book still stands as his Magnum Opus.

9 people found this helpful

Gemma

5 stars

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 3, 2020

Verified Purchase

The construction worker's injuries are not consistent with a 'mechanical trauma'.....'it really did look like a maul'. Babies and small children are being attacked by lizard-like creatures in Costa Rica. Concerns about John Hammond's work on Isla Nublar are mounting. Enter Jurassic Park.

I never thought I would read this book. I'm not a huge fan of movies and whilst I like the Jurassic Park film, I loved the book. I was surprised that a relatively long book was so packed full of action from start to finish. Characters die who don't die in the film, there is no T-Rex vs raptor face off, Hammond is pure evil, the scenes are darker and more graffic and Lex is younger and extremely irritating! Crichton makes you think about the issues raised, making the book much more than an entertaining thriller.

Would definitely recommend.

3 people found this helpful

Megan King

Fantastic read!

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 16, 2019

Verified Purchase

I have been fascinated by dinosaurs since I was a wee child, and Jurassic Park is easily one of my all-time favourite movies. That being said, I was a little hesitant when I picked up the book it was all based on - I mean, how could it possibly invoke the wonder I had seen on the big screen?!

It certainly didn't disappoint!
The book better explained the Mary-Shelley-style creation of the dinosaurs. It is quite heavy in scientific descriptions - having studied genetics, I found this to be an easy read. The language wasn't too technical, and there wasn't much jargon, so even if you don't have a background in genetics, I think it would still be reasonably easy to grasp.
There are a few differences that I think the movie did a little better. The strong women we know from Spielberg's movie weren't as notable in the book. Though Ellie is present and strong, albeit a watered-down version of the Ellie we know from the movie, Lex is a lot different. In the book, she isn't the smart, capable, teenage hacker who grows in strength - she's a frightened 8-year-old. And while her youth certainly explains her meekness, it was nice to see that the movie had created stronger female roles.

The description of the dinosaurs was fantastic, and I found myself hungrily devouring this book!

It's a 4.5/5 for me!

3 people found this helpful

Tiger

The book that started it all.

Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 27, 2018

Verified Purchase

I have been a fan of dinosaurs since I was a child. I have been a fan of Jurassic Park since my father accidentally recorded over my VHS tape of Dumbo and didn’t realise until I’d watched nearly the whole film. I am also a huge fan of this book. I don’t think I’m exaggerating when I say that the book is so well written that it is actually scarier than the film. There were certain points when I was more on edge than I have been while watching horror films. This book is truly a masterpiece of literature, such amazing detail and research has gone into it. I truly recommend it to any dinosaur or Jurassic film lovers.

7 people found this helpful

See all reviews

Buy new: $8.99$8.99 FREE delivery: Tuesday, Aug 16 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon. Ships from: Amazon.com Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used: $8.52

Other Sellers on Amazon

Follow the Author

Jurassic Park: A Novel Paperback – September 25, 2012

Enhance your purchase

Frequently bought together

Customers who viewed this item also viewed

Editorial Reviews

Review

About the Author

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Product details

About the author

Michael Crichton

Customer reviews

Reviews with images

Top reviews from the United States

There was a problem filtering reviews right now. Please try again later.

Top reviews from other countries

Buy new:

$8.99

FREE delivery: Tuesday, Aug 16 on orders over $25.00 shipped by Amazon.

Ships from: Amazon.com

Sold by: Amazon.com

Buy used:

$8.52