Rating: 
Summary: Reads like a spy novel
Review: A fairly short (288 pages) narrative that almost reads like a spy novel.A quick summary: Peter Larson, a dinosaur hunter in charge of the Black Hills Institute has a paleontological study in South Dakota. It is near Cheyenne River Sioux territory. Sue Hendrickson, a field paleontologist, finds bones sticking out of a wall (cliff). She and Peter recognize them as T-Rex bones, from some 65,000,000 years ago. They contact the Native Indian who supposedly owns the land and "buy" the skeleton for $5000. This skeleton turns out to be almost 95% full (unheard of) as well as the largest T-Rex to date. Within a very short time Sue (named after the field paleontologist) was claimed by Black Hills Institute, Maurice Williams (the Native American), Sioux tribe, as well as the U.S. Government who had the FBI raid Black Hills Institute to take the skeleton. There are claims, counterclaims, criminal claims, prosecutions and prison terms. it all leads to an auction at Sotheby's for an unheard of $8,360,000. The bulk of the book is told from Peter Larson's point of view and is definitely more sympathetic towards him than any of the other claimants. If you have even the slightest interest in dinosaurs, conspiracy books, or legal thrillers, this should be added to your bedside table.
Rating: 
Summary: Perfect Balance between Science and Law
Review: A great book that not only helps you understand paleontology and the fossil money game, but also the twists and turns of legal prosecution. The story unfolds like a novel, a tragic tale of greed whose only flaw may be that it is too sympathetic toward the fossil hunters, who, it seems to me tried to pay way too little for Sue.
Rating:
Summary: Tyrannosaurus Sue
Review: I have been listening to the 6 unabridged cassettes of this book in the car and am completely captivated. The story line has an auction running through it and the results are not known until near the end. The tale relating the find of the fabulous fossil T-rex was fascinating. The descriptions of the preservation of fossils are so interesting. And the realities of politics, law and Indian lands come alive. So this is a book for someone interested in archeology, history, law, natural science, adventure and mystery. It makes the miles fly by.
Rating: 
Summary: biased
Review: I have been wanting to read this book since it was published. I finally saw Sue at the Chicago Field Museum and decided it was time to read it. I am very diappointed in this work. The author is not an impartial journalist at all. He may have interviewed several people involved, but he didn't consider the other viewpoints. I expected an unbiased look at the fossil of Sue and the court drama that followed. Instead, I read a book that stars Peter Larson as the hero against the system. Very poor writing.
Rating:
Summary: This Book Tell's You How Pathetic Our Government Really Is
Review: I have really enjoyed reading this book. I'm a Dinosaur nut and this book is about my favorite Dino the T-Rex so it was an obvious attraction to me to read. What I read only proved to me that our Government is pathetic to say the least. To do what they did to Peter Larson was a crime. Not only do they steal the find of the century but they lay bogus charges on him that ultimatly sent him to jail and nearly ruined his life! How can the US Government do what they did? They have been doing it to people for years and Mr Larson was only one more person who has suffered at the hands of our government. It's terrible when Dinosaur hunters cant even dig up bones for fear that they might be prosecuted for stealing so called Government property. When I first read this book I was thinking I was going to be reading about the find of the century but what I found out was that the US Government is nothing but a bunch of theif's who took the low road to try and ruin a good man who was doing his job. The story of Sue and the events that surrounded her is very very good and a must read for Dino lovers of all ages and it will show just how ruthless our Government can be.
Rating: 
Summary: Only in America
Review: In the summer of 1990, a team of fossil hunters representing the Black Hills Institute of Geological Research, led by Peter Larson, unearthed the nearly complete skeleton of a mighty darn large Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur buried on South Dakota land owned by one Maurice Williams. Larson paid Williams $5,000 for the skeleton, named it "Sue", and then moved it to the Institute's facility at Hill City for preservation and restoration. In May 1992, the Bandini hit the fan with an FBI raid and confiscation, and TYRANNOSAURUS SUE is the story of the 7-year legal mess that resulted. A mess that could only happen in America, the Land of the Free and the Home of Eternal Litigation. Steve Fiffer, a Windy City journalist, has ably reconstructed Sue's saga, from the time her bones were spotted by Sue Hendrickson in a sandstone cliff, to their auction years later to an unlikely consortium comprised of the Field Museum of Natural History, Disney Corporation, and McDonald's. Most of the narrative details the protracted and acerbic civil and criminal litigation that surrounded custody of the fragmented skeleton, the chief contestants being Larson, Williams, the Cheyenne River Sioux, and the U.S. Justice Department. If the reader is a paleontologist, or just otherwise fascinated by big, toothy lizards, then this book is a must read. However, my interest was only mildly inquisitive, so I found parts of it dry going. First of all, there are no photos - not a single one. I find this hard to fathom, since Sue's excavation site was extensively photographed, the various court sessions heavily (if only locally) covered, and the reconstructed skeleton was put on permanent display before the book was published. I mean, c'mon Steve! Secondly, that part of the account describing historical aspects of dinosaur hunting in the U.S. was pretty much irrelevant to the central story, and Chapter 10, which contained too much of the criminal trial's verbatim testimony, was cause for Droopy Eyelids Syndrome. Lastly, I couldn't muster much sympathy for any one or more of the principal courtroom adversaries. Peter Larson, indicted with others from the Institute by the Feds for illegally removing artifacts from government land, was, at best, a naïve fossil-hunting nerd, or, at worst, a cunning and disingenuous outlaw. The government's chief prosecutor, Kevin Schieffer, came across as unreasonable and intransigent. Maurice Williams, who denied he was selling Sue when given that $5K, was the quintessence of greed. And how about those the Cheyenne River Sioux? A bunch of opportunists! Patrick Duffy, Larson's lawyer, conducted himself like a certifiable idiot. The only likable person in the entire tale seemed to be Sue Hendrickson, but, with no picture, it's hard to say for sure. The value of TYRANNOSAURUS SUE was, to me, learning something about the world around me that I didn't know before. For the average reader, it's a fine exposé of what happens when a government prosecutor has way too much time on his hands.
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Summary: A very disturbing book on the US Justice system ...
Review: Listening to this very well done audio book I immediately wrote a letter to Vice President Al Gore. Warning: This book will horrify you with regards to the maliciousness of the Republican Department of Justice in the early 1990's. Vice President Gore I have just been listening to a very disturbing audio book called, Tyrannosaurus Sue : The Extraordinary Saga of the Largest, Most Fought over T-Rex Ever Found. The book is about a real story which involved some palentologists who unearthed a T-Rex and the malicious attempts of a manipulated Republican Justice Government division to destroy not only the palentogists livelyhood but their company which endevoured to save and restore dinosaur fossils. I would like the United States to pass a policy which would allow the collection of dinosaur bones for both profit and non-profit enterprises from Federal and State lands for the intended purpose of science, preservation and display. I have never been so angered by the abuse of perceived justice by the United States as I have heard in this case. It made me sick to hear how manipulated Republican Justice Government officials (Kevin Schaffer) could use the cloak of the law in such a malicious, vendictive way. By passing a policy which would allow for the collection of dinosaur bones for both profit and non-profit enterprises from Federal and State lands for the intended purpose of science, preservation and display, the above injustice in the Tyrannosaurus Sue will not happen again. It should not be a crime in this country to make a profit from earning a livelyhood and it definitely shouldn't be so in the case of palentogists, especially if they find the fossils on Federal or State owned/controlled Government land. Arnold D Yoshida-Veness
Rating:
Summary: The State rivals T-Rex in amorality
Review: One of the greatest dinosaur finds in history - perhaps THE greatest - was caught up in politics, money and jealousy. It is just pathetic what the government did to this scientist and makes one wonder question the rationality of "officials" who would commit such deeds. All the ins and outs of scientific rivalry, government bumbling and misplaced priorities are thoroughly described. The story is fascinating and will hold your attention for days. Our view of T-rex and dinosaurs in general changed following this discovery. Good book, guaranteed to make you furious.
Rating:
Summary: The State rivals T-Rex in amorality
Review: One of the greatest dinosaur finds in history - perhaps THE greatest - was caught up in politics, money and jealousy. It is just pathetic what the government did to this scientist and makes one wonder question the rationality of "officials" who would commit such deeds. All the ins and outs of scientific rivalry, government bumbling and misplaced priorities are thoroughly described. The story is fascinating and will hold your attention for days. Our view of T-rex and dinosaurs in general changed following this discovery. Good book, guaranteed to make you furious.
Rating:
Summary: A thought provoking chonicle of government excess.
Review: Steve Fiffer does a spendid job detailing the sad state of affairs that exists in the world of paleontology. Until recently,
paleontology had always been a science that depended upon (and valued) the participation of amateurs and even "profiteers". To this day, the vast majority of important fossil discoveries have been unearthed by non-academics and subsequently donated or sold to scientific institutions. The halls of natural history museums were once filled with cases of fossil trilobites,crinoids and paleozoic fishes. Sadly,most of them have been packed away to make room for more flashy,interactive displays that "pull in the numbers" curators aim for. The Tyrannosaurus "Sue" was one fossil everyone wanted, because any huge dinosaur is a popular attraction and this giant,meat-eating dinosaur was just the attraction to pack 'em in at any institution. Steve Fiffer gives readers a disturbing picture of the greed, political and legal nonsense that was behind the ownership battles that followed the discovery of "Sue".
Which brings us to the present state of affairs,HR 2974,the Paleontology Preservation Act,lousy legislation that starts with the false premise that "all vertebrate fossils are rare" and goes downhill from there. As detailed in the book, Tyrannosaurus Sue, the government, if given a chance, will waste millions of tax dollars in an attempt to protect our "vital fossil heritage" from ourselves and a handful of commercial diggers who might actually want money for their efforts. Some members of academia, like the leadership at the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology, are eager to encourage government restrictions in the misguided belief that fossils locked away in their institutions serves "public knowledge" They do not have the time,interest or resources to maintain these collections for the benefit of the public. They have classes to teach and personal research projects to persue. I believe that HR 2974 will be a Pyrrhic victory for the paleontology community, that public knowledge will not be served, interest in the subject will diminish and, ultimately, funding will be reduced. All the while, fantastic fossils will continue to erode into dust. I encourage anyone interested in "fossil collecting" or "rock hounding" to read this saga.
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