[Book Review] The Lost World by Michael Crichton

While Jurassic Park sends readers along on a test run of theme park that goes very very wrong, The Lost World gives us a glimpse at the abandoned Site B, where the corporation began their tests for the park.

I re-read this novel during the readathon going on in September as hosted by tonyshorrorcorner and charmandareads! To check out the event and posts, feel free to look at the hashtag on Instagram: #lifefindsawayin2020. 

Let’s dive in!

My Thoughts on The Lost World by Michael Crichton

When beginning this read, I enjoyed that we took a bit of time to get into the guts of the story. The ramp up was a bit slower than it was in Jurassic Park, but it was well worth the wait because once the action hits, it doesn’t let up!

The dinosaurs that were included in this one were mostly terrifying! I think there were only a couple that were included in a scene that didn’t bring in an element of terror. A specific pair of dinosaurs toward the end were especially spooky!

From the character standpoint, I loved that Crichton chose to bring Malcolm back. Per usual, he just steals the scenes that’s he’s in with his sarcasm and one liners. But man, there was also a couple of scenes that really showed his vulnerability that just broke my heart.

Sarah Harding was my favorite new character that was introduced. I absolutely adored her no-nonsense attitude and strength! I also really enjoyed how she could let Malcolm have it when he was being ridiculous.

My Favorite Passages from The Lost World

“But absence of proof is not proof of absence.” 

He felt a heavy weight suddenly tear at his backpack, forcing him to his knees in the mud, and he realized in that moment that despite all his planning, despite all his clever deductions, things had gone terribly wrong, and he was about to die. 

He had a sense of desolation, of entrapment. “Why would anyone ever come here?” he said.
Malcolm, leaning into his cane, smiled. “To get away from it all, Eddie. Don’t you ever want to get away from it all?”
“Not if I can help it,” Eddie said. “Me, I always like a Pizza Hut nearby, you know what I mean?”

“So, Kelly, even at your young age, there’s something you might as well learn now,” Sarah said. “All your life people will tell you things. And most of the time, probably ninety-five of the time, what they’ll tell you will be wrong.”

“Human beings are just stuffed full of misinformation. So it’s hard to know who to believe.“

“But in general, parents don’t like it when their babies are taken away. And that baby has some very big parents.”

Levine focused his binoculars on the kill. There were now five raptors snarling around the man’s body, tearing viciously at the carcass. As he watched, one of the raptors jerked its head up, tearing away a piece of blood-soaked shirt, the ragged edge of the collar. Another was shaking the man’s severed head in its jaws, before finally dropping it on the ground. Thunder rumbled, and lightening flashed in the distant sky. 

The radio crackled. And then they heard a noise that at first sounded like static. It was a moment before they realized it was a high-pitched human scream.

In the passenger seat, Levine stared. The raptor was fully inside the Jeep, it’s head low, arms up, jaws wide, in an unmistakable attack posture. The raptor hissed at him. 

“All your life, other people will try to take your accomplishments away from you. Don’t you take it away from yourself.”

“You smell the salt in the air? You feel the sunlight on your skin? That’s all real. You see all of us together? That’s real. Life is wonderful. It’s a gift to be alive, to see the sun and breathe the air. And there really isn’t anything else…”

My Final Thoughts on The Lost World

The Lost World is an all around great read! I loved that the terror really sinks its claws into the reader and drags them through to the very end.

I highly recommend reading this for yourself if you haven’t yet.

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Thanks for reading!