Tyrannosaur Canyon, by Douglas Preston
This review is based on the Sound Library audio version of the novel.
Tyrannosaur Canyon is an interesting mix of elements. I'm not sure it all works, but it's interesting.
Ignoring the prologue for now, which is about a moon landing, the book starts with a dinosaur hunter in the badlands of New Mexico, excited about the find of a lifetime. He doesn't last long, though, as he's killed shortly by several rounds from a high powered rifle. We then get the entry of the main protagonist, Tom Broadbent, who discovers the dying dinosaur hunter and entrusted with the man's notebook and instructions to see that it gets to his daughter.
From that point on, the novel revolves around Broadbent's struggle to honor the man's dying wish, while also avoiding the man's killer and the suspicions of the police. As Broadbent's wife is kidnapped, we start into a well-plotted thriller involving her rescue and the resolution of the dinosaur hunter's find.
Some of the elements that didn't work so well for me: the killer works for an assistant museum curator who wants the find for himself. I can understand the motivation, but the character of the curator just didn't do much for me. The killer himself is pretty cliche, despite attempts to make him seem less so.
The main element that didn't work for me, is the shift of the novel from straight thriller to government conspiracy and possible end of life on Earth. That's where the initial prologue about the moon landing ties back into the story, and it's a pretty abrupt shift toward the end of the book. Plot lines that had been building about the actions of the museum curator are eliminated between chapters, and replaced with the aforementioned government conspiracy.
While either portion of the book is a fun listen, the shift of genres didn't really work for me.
Tyrannosaur Canyon is an interesting mix of elements. I'm not sure it all works, but it's interesting.
Ignoring the prologue for now, which is about a moon landing, the book starts with a dinosaur hunter in the badlands of New Mexico, excited about the find of a lifetime. He doesn't last long, though, as he's killed shortly by several rounds from a high powered rifle. We then get the entry of the main protagonist, Tom Broadbent, who discovers the dying dinosaur hunter and entrusted with the man's notebook and instructions to see that it gets to his daughter.
From that point on, the novel revolves around Broadbent's struggle to honor the man's dying wish, while also avoiding the man's killer and the suspicions of the police. As Broadbent's wife is kidnapped, we start into a well-plotted thriller involving her rescue and the resolution of the dinosaur hunter's find.
Some of the elements that didn't work so well for me: the killer works for an assistant museum curator who wants the find for himself. I can understand the motivation, but the character of the curator just didn't do much for me. The killer himself is pretty cliche, despite attempts to make him seem less so.
The main element that didn't work for me, is the shift of the novel from straight thriller to government conspiracy and possible end of life on Earth. That's where the initial prologue about the moon landing ties back into the story, and it's a pretty abrupt shift toward the end of the book. Plot lines that had been building about the actions of the museum curator are eliminated between chapters, and replaced with the aforementioned government conspiracy.
While either portion of the book is a fun listen, the shift of genres didn't really work for me.
posted by Jay | 10:00 AM
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