Rating: 
Summary: Pounding excitement and solid science
Review: On an eccentric billionaire's private island off the coast of Costa Rica, creatures long extinct walk the earth again. Cloned from drops of blood that survived the aeons because the insects that ingested them became trapped in tree sap that subsequently turned to amber, John Hammond's dinosaurs populate the most unique amusement park ever conceived. The most unique, and also the most dangerous.On the Costa Rican mainland, three-toed lizards are attacking helpless humans. Babies, small children, soundly sleeping elders. When the fragmentary remains of one such lizard find their way to the United States, they pique the interest of paleontologist Alan Grant - who before he can inspect them is summoned to Hammond's island. The aging entrepreneur needs all the allies he can enlist as the EPA begins probing his mysterious venture, and who better than the world's leading dinosaur expert (who has advised Hammond before) to assure the authorities that all is well at Jurassic Park? Of course all is not well there, but Hammond believes in his park so strongly that he brings in his two young grandchildren to join the inspection tour. Which coincides with a site visit by the computer programmer responsible for Jurassic Park's complex and power-hungry operating systems...a programmer who has industrial espionage on his mind. I saw the film version of "Jurassic Park" years ago, but didn't catch up with the novel until now. I enjoyed it thoroughly. Although I wouldn't accuse it of having deeply realized characters (the film actually does a better job with the children, in particular), its pounding excitement and solid science more than compensate; and its ending is far more haunting than that of the film. A terrific read!
Rating: 
Summary: The best book I've ever read -- and trust me, I've read lots
Review: I was homeschooled as a youngester, and my primary history course was simply reading classic literature. I read hundreds of books every year, ranging from Shakespeare to Hemingway to Stevenson to Lewis, and so on and so forth. And I was also an enormous fan of film. When I first saw "Jurassic Park" in 1993, I said, "I can't imagine a book being any better" -- how could imagining dinosaurs be better than seeing them on screen? So sorting through an old attic of treasures and antiques in downtown Fredericksburg, I came across a battered, weather-beaten old copy of Michael Crichton's "Jurassic Park," boasting "Soon to be a major motion picture!" on the front flap. I figured that, for 25 cents, maybe I'd get a kick out of reading it and comparing the manuscript to its superior film transfer. It blew me away. As much as I enjoy reading Tom Clancy novels, he often digresses into long passages of military dialogue that sorta becomes old. As much as I love reading John Grisham books, and as much as I love his gripping narrative...the stories themselves, I often find, are quite empty. Crichton has everything -- pacing, gripping narrative passages, excellent dialogue, and extremely researched plots. How can a guy ever turn the prospect of live dinosaurs on modern Earth into a realistic novel? Crichton does it because he knows his stuff. Unlike Clancy, he rarely tries to make the reader feel that he knows everything about his field of writing. He simply DOES know everything, and it's evident in his writing. And, unlike Clancy and Grisham, his books all contain bibliographies. He's simply my favorite writer of all time, and I found him through a battered old 25 cent paperback that I still have stuffed in between a bunch of other Crichton novels in my room, too frayed to read. I have since updated to a hardback of the novel, but I still keep the paperback as a reminder. Crichton introduced me to reading as a pleasure, not a chore. Now that I have read basically all his novels, I find his writing one in a million; no other author has ever pulled me in and kept my attention like Crichton. Even with Grisham and Clancy novels, I often find myself taking short breaks for a week or so before I continue reading their novels. Not so with Crichton. I mail-ordered his latest novel, "Prey," and devoured it in less than two days. He is just that kind of writer. Pathetic things for someone to say who has read classic literature, perhaps? Not really. As much as I admire and respect classic literature and their authors, I'm "classicked out," so to speak. After reading them in the thousands, my eyes are weary for more pleasurable novels. I've never found a better novel than "Jurassic Park," and I don't think I really ever will. I respect Michael Crichton as both a fellow writer and for the simple fact that he opened my eyes to the sheer pleasure of writing and reading once more. Some may beg to differ, but my best bet for a favorite novel is certainly "Jurassic Park."
Rating:
Summary: Jurassic Park
Review: I read this book a couple years ago and recently re-read it. I think that this is one of the best pieces of dinosaur fiction out there. Even though the book can get really boring (with all the science and biotechnology and chaos theories), it has many exciting action scenes. Also, this book is more violent than the movie (excellent flick), with more blood and gore. Also, there are some major differences between the movie and the book. However, both are very good and are worthy of your time.
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Summary: How To Create A Theme Park Of Living Dinosaurs
Review: My first Michael Crichton book ever. In this book rich dinosaur enthusiast John Hammond invites some people to his island to see "Jurassic Park". A theme park of living dinosaurs! But one night Nedry, a nerd shuts down the power supply by accident and the dinosaurs break out and they are stranded on the island. Well, my favorite parts would have to be when Nedry met his death, when they got chased by the T-rex and finally when Tim and Lex were stranded in the food court with the raptors. This is a very good book!!!!
Rating:
Summary: jurasic park
Review: I reccently read Jurasic Park by Micheal Crichton. The plot was about John Hammond, a dinosuar maniac who creates a theme park that contains cloned dinosours. The park was carefully designed to contain the dinosours without anything ever going wrong. He invites Alan Grant and Ellie Satler, both are palentoligits,Ian Malcom,a mathimation who belives the park will end in disaster, Donald Gernaro,the lawyer who oversees all of the park's affairs, and Halmonds granchildren.During the dry run all the dinosours break lose and everybody has to fight for survival. I liked this book a lot because it made you think"Could this realy happen?" Those kind of books are great. If you like sc-fi books,this is one of the best.
Rating: 
Summary: The Movie is Better
Review: Okay, so the book does a better job at explaining the characters' feelings and explains more of the "amusement-park" idea, but I must conclude that the movie is superior. The book's sequences with Grant and the kids are somewhat dragging and caused me to lost interest eventually, and the beginning is much less logical. During the beginning, we learn that the raptors have gotten off the islands and are antagonizing those on mainland Costa Rica, but how the heck were they able to get across the ocean? C'mon Crichton, be realistic!
Rating:
Summary: Crichton's second best
Review: This was Crichton's second best to Congo. Great suspense and action and drama. Better than the movie and a billion times better than The Lost World, it's sequel. Overall great book!!! Travis Robinson
Rating:
Summary: Better than the movie!!!
Review: This book in my eyes was better than the movie. Even if you have seen the movie still read the book. Here Michael Crichton does what he tried to (and failed) to do in Andromena Strain. This book combines science with a great story. It kept me on the edge of my seat, so to speak and I couldn't put in down. Great edition to anybody's library. If you don't like this book, you don't know good books, of course that is just my opnion, I could be wrong.
Rating:
Summary: Don't have to be a dino-nut
Review: I have seen all of the Jurassic Park movies and I am not a dinosaur nut at all, but this book is genius. Just plain genius. Mr. Chrichton should be a scientist, this man is one word.
Genius. His explanation on how the Dinosaurs could be restored is logical. How he thought of it, I do not know. His ideas are so logical I think that scientist should try it. They way the book is written is great, he knows exactly how to make the characters on their level. Ian Malcom, a mathmachian in the book is simply brilliant. His intelligance that Mr. Chricton gives him fits his character perfect. Don't worry if you don't like dinosaurs, this book will amaze you with it's brilliance. My hat goes of to Mr. Crichton, how he thought of such an amazing story is out of this world. *****!!! Regards, Michael
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling read!
Review: Imaginative, thrilling, and suspenseful, this book is one of my all time favorites. Gripping moments like Dennis Nedry's encounter with a dilophosaur are excellent. Better than the movie, although Steven Speilbergs film was a worthy interpitation of the book.
There are differences between the two, as in the book Alan Grant likes kids, whereas in the movie, he dosen't like them, until of course, later on. Plus Lex is younger than Tim.
I don't want to spoil anything, but I will say that there is another difference. In the book, a few people who die in the movie survive, and a few who lived in the movie die in the book.
All in all, I'd say this book is a must-read.
Much better than the sequel, "The Lost World".
If you haven't read this book, and you like similar-themed stories, than I strongly suggest this one.
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