Dragon Teeth
Books | Fiction / Thrillers / Historical
3.6
(779)
Michael Crichton
Michael Crichton, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Jurassic Park, returns to the world of paleontology in this recently discovered novel—a thrilling adventure set in the Wild West during the golden age of fossil hunting.The year is 1876. Warring Indian tribes still populate America’s western territories even as lawless gold-rush towns begin to mark the landscape. In much of the country it is still illegal to espouse evolution. Against this backdrop two monomaniacal paleontologists pillage the Wild West, hunting for dinosaur fossils, while surveilling, deceiving and sabotaging each other in a rivalry that will come to be known as the Bone Wars.Into this treacherous territory plunges the arrogant and entitled William Johnson, a Yale student with more privilege than sense. Determined to survive a summer in the west to win a bet against his arch-rival, William has joined world-renowned paleontologist Othniel Charles Marsh on his latest expedition. But when the paranoid and secretive Marsh becomes convinced that William is spying for his nemesis, Edwin Drinker Cope, he abandons him in Cheyenne, Wyoming, a locus of crime and vice. William is forced to join forces with Cope and soon stumbles upon a discovery of historic proportions. With this extraordinary treasure, however, comes exceptional danger, and William’s newfound resilience will be tested in his struggle to protect his cache, which pits him against some of the West’s most notorious characters.A page-turner that draws on both meticulously researched history and an exuberant imagination, Dragon Teeth is based on the rivalry between real-life paleontologists Cope and Marsh; in William Johnson readers will find an inspiring hero only Michael Crichton could have imagined. Perfectly paced and brilliantly plotted, this enormously winning adventure is destined to become another Crichton classic.
Historical Fiction
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Author
Michael Crichton
Pages
320
Publisher
HarperCollins
Published Date
2017-05-23
ISBN
0062473379 9780062473370
Community ReviewsSee all
"It was a treat to read a Michael Crichton story, though the story would more accurately be called Crichton Lite. The outline of the story -- dinosaurs, the west, Indians, journeys -- holds great promise, but I missed the details, plotting and character development that Michael Crichton so successfully created when he was alive. His imagination was peerless."
Diane Morello
"Fun, simple read. Think bedtime adventure story for grown-ups, an easy but enjoyable western narrative. "
M
Murmly
"Soooooo interesting"
Claire Courts
"Super cool twist and take on dinosaurs "
Oscar Arevalo
"Wish more details would have been added but get it since this was published after the author died "
T W
Tatum Wolzen
"Review cross-posted from <a href="https://books.max-nova.com/dragon-teeth">https://books.max-nova.com/dragon-teeth</a><br/><br/>William Johnson is a Yale undergraduate in 1876 who joins famed professor Othniel Charles Marsh (the namesake of Marsh Hall and the mastermind behind the Peabody Museum) on a fossil-hunting campaign out in the Wyoming territory. We learn some technical and historical details about paleontology, photography, and frontier military engagements, but the best part of this book is the scheming and duplicity of O.C Marsh as he tries to edge out his Philadelphia Academy of Sciences rival, Edwin Drinker Cope. Crichton's fictionalization draws upon the incredible true story of the "Bone Wars" (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bone_Wars) between these two real professors - a bit of Yale history that I had no idea existed. Most of the action and drama in here is pure fiction, but there's a brief afterword that explains which parts were drawn from real events.<br/><br/>This posthumously published Crichton novel follows the same formula as many of his others. The writing is stiff, the characters caricatured, and the ending is a letdown. But it gets 2 stars for bringing to life such a colorful historic rivalry."
Max Nova
"No dragons in this book"
Chef Chuck
"Great story that puts you back in time to the old Wild West. Betrayal, survival, a little love, and history about Indians. This book was good from start to finish honestly and I would read it again. "
Will Moore
"It seems I'm a sucker for Crichton. Absolutely loved Jurassic Park and fell in love with Dragon Teeth on page 1. "
Shannon Payne
"This book puts you in the old U.S. when the bone wars occurred. It is an exciting, dangerous, and nasty time to be looking for bones. Highly recommend it."
Saul Rosales
