Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Beyond Jurassic World: A guide to current dinosaur media

So you've seen Jurassic World. Maybe you loved it. Maybe you hated it. Either way, you were left wanting more fiction about dinosaurs. I'm here to help.

The first Jurassic Park film was accompanied by an explosion of dinosaur-themed books, comics, and magazines that were published to take advantage of the dino-craze the movie generated. That trend diminished with each successive film, and I'm sorry to say it is barely a trickle this time around. Still, there are a few titles out there to help sate your appetite for anything dinosaur related.

Note: These are all mainstream titles. Self-published titles are listed in separate posts.

Books

The Dinosaur Lords by Victor Milan: Jurassic Park meets Game of Thrones is how George R.R. Martin describes this novel. The plot mixes high fantasy with prehistoric animals. You can learn more about this upcoming title on the author's website.

By Tooth and Claw by various authors. The second in a series of anthologies set in a world where dinosaurs didn't go extinct. The first anthology was Exiled: Clan of the Claw.

Dinosaurs and a Dirigible by David Drake. This anthology collects Drake's four Time Safari stories. A fifth steampunk story also is in the collection.

Dinosaurs! and Dinosaurs II by Gardner Dozois and Jack Dann. Two excellent anthologies bringing together many classic short stories about dinosaurs.

Movies

Dinosaur Island. This isn't a good movie, but it is an entertaining one and notable for being the first feature film to showcase feathered dinosaurs, including a feathered T. rex. It may be a good alternative for children too young to see Jurassic World.

Cowboys vs Dinosaurs. Low-budget direct-to-video movie about modern-day cowboys up against prehistoric monsters. Looks awful.

Comics

Age of Reptiles: Ancient Egyptians by Ricardo Delgado. Delgado is back with a new Age of Reptiles story, this one about a Spinosaurus. The first issue is out and it is very, very good.

Savage Empire by Tim Lewinson. A Kickstarter project for a comic about a dinosaur invasion of Los Angeles after a massive earthquake. The creator worked on the 2008 video game reboot of Turok: Dinosaur Hunter.

No comments: