I loved this book when I was younger. Rereading it recently, I'm not sure why. It loses the sharpness of Jurassic Park. The characters are much less compelling. The whole book just feels forced. Maybe you can only read the Lost World once to appreciate it, or maybe I've discovered the reality of the book with more mature eyes. ( )

The Lost World is a lackluster, forced sequel to Jurassic Park, a childhood favorite of mine. The fact that I could identify it as such at the age of twelve, when the book was first published, should not bode well for the prospective reader. ( )

While I liked this book, I wasn't in awe of it like I was with Jurassic Park. The original dinosaur concepts presented in the first book were continued and expanded upon. I felt as though this book was unnecessary, especially since half of the book explained many key points of the original in a effort to make this book capable of being a book that could stand on its own. It was longer than it needed to be considering the amount of wholly new material. ( )

This book is what the second movie should have been. It is five years later, and Ian Malcolm is actually alive. He is contacted by Richard Levine, a rich man who is obssessed with finding a "Lost World", or a place where extinction hasn't occurred. Levine wants Malcolm's help, which he gives reluctantly. Then Levine gets stuck on Site B's island, so Malcolm must go rescue him.
This book's energy doesn't stop. I really enjoyed it. ( )

This is the follow-up to Crichton's best selling novel, Jurassic Park. It certainly wasn't as entertaining as the 1st novel, but if you enjoyed Jurassic Park, it is not a complete let down. Crichton was a masterful writer, and the novel readers of the world have felt a loss by his passing, RIP Mr. Crichton. ( )

I honestly was disappointed in this follow-up to Jurassic Park. Experiencing deaths in the first person is largely absent in this sequel (with one, slightly redeeming exception). It sounds like a grotesque complaint, but I largely read Crichton for the first-person horror, and that was at its best in the first with characters being eaten alive. Here, Crichton distances the reader from that action. Further, I found the characters to be so one-dimensional that I had a hard time reading the conversations, because I couldn't picture the various people speaking (with the exception of the two children). However, it is still a good, and creative plot, and I really appreciate the strong female characters he creates. Hence the three stars. ( )

A great follow-up to the original. ( )

Michael Crichton's The Lost World is an interesting piece of work. On the one hand, it is an exciting, page-gripping, edge of the seat thriller reminiscent of the first Jurassic Park novel. On the other hand, it is exactly that: reminiscent of the first Jurassic Park novel. In many ways, it is merely a rehash of the original. Ian Malcolm returns, as does Dodgson, there are other dinosaur and mammalian experts involved (of course, they are all considered the best in the world), and the story could not be complete without two out-of-place brilliant children with knowledge and skills well above their actual level - particularly in the field of computers.

But that must be taken with a grain of salt, and Crichton forgiven, as he never planned on writing a sequel. It was only after many, many people, ranging from film producers to fans of both the novel and the movie pressured him into it.

Although many aspects are similar, that does not make the book any less appealing. With dinosaurs running amok, creating chaos, how can it be a bad read? This time, Ian Malcolm makes another appearance by wanting to visit the island and see the dinosaurs again. In that regard, his personality is very different than readers are accustomed - that, and he is alive, which he wasn't at the end of the first novel. One of his colleagues finds Site B, another island where dinosaurs were being produced for the park. Naturally, said colleague visits it alone, and Ian and several other colleagues must rescue him.

Of note are the reasons for the velociraptor's unseemly lifestyle - because as recreated animals they are missing a very important part of evolution: the social aspect. Also interesting are Malcolm's discussions on evolution and Darwins theory. Crichton was no slouch when researching what he wrote about, and this is no exception. Of course, Crichton has an agenda in writing such a book, and that is to beware human existence and technological advancement. As Malcolm said,

Human beings are so destructive, I sometimes think we're a kind of plague, that will scrub the earth clean. We destroy things so well that I sometimes think, maybe that's our function. Maybe every few eons, some animal comes along that kills off the rest of the world, clears the deck, and lets evolution proceed to its next stage.

The Lost World is a thrilling adventure that should not be missed by any reader who enjoys dinosaurs, thrillers, excitement or adventure. And since nearly everyone likes dinosaurs, it should be a required read...for most. For those that dislike the character Dodgson from both the original and the beginning of The Lost World, it is worth finishing merely to see Dodgson's comeuppance. ( )

The Lost World: Jurassic Park Junior Novelisation captures all the thrills and chills of The Lost World story - with heart-stopping suspense, hair-raising action, and illustrated with colour photographs from the film. Something has survived...In 1993, an ambitious entrepreneur named John Hammond spoke four words which ushered in a new era of motion picture excitement and set worldwide boxoffice records..."Welcome to Jurassic Park". Now, a few years later, Hammond makes a startling confession to scientist Ian Malcolm: another island of dinosaurs exists...an island where dinosaurs have been living and breeding in the wild...the Lost World. ( )

I love this book more than Jurassic Park. Ian Malcolm is, by far, one of my favourite literary characters. (Third only to Sean Dillon from Jack Higgins' novels and Richard Bolitho from Alexander Kent's.) This thrusts him further into the spotlight....And while this sequel lacks the original's "Ooohs" and "Ahhhhs" because, let's face it, we've done the whole dinosaur shocker already. Still, it's chock full of corporate threats and yummy human snacks. ( )

I like The Lost World, though a little less than its prequel, Jurassic Park. I thought the Jurassic Park introduction and opening were better, although they it was used in the movie version of The Lost World. Also, the book/movie continuity issues continue with the fact that two characters in this movie die at the end of the book version of Jurassic Park. ( )

It's bizarre that this acts almost as a sequel to the movie rather than the book, but whatevs. Dinosaurs, yay. ( )

The Lost World is the sequel to Jurassic Park, and it just isn't nearly as good. Crichton apparently originally didn't want to write a sequel, but the enormous success of the Jurassic Park movie (coupled with some pressure from movie makers in the form of truckloads of money) caused him to change his mind. The end result seems strained and unfocused, as if Crichton simply had no good ideas and decided to just toss in a bunch of people and dinosaurs at random.

A character who unequivocally died in the first book is back (a concession to the movie, where that character survived), and becomes the central character of the book. A hidden source of trouble, unmentioned by any of the characters in the first book (including those who necessarily would have known of it) is the central locale of the plot. People run off to do silly things. A new evil corporation crops up, not the same one as in Jurassic Park, and does evil things. Rescue missions are planned. Greedy people make shortsighted decisions in pursuit of money, and poetic justice is visited upon them.

The book just seems tired and stale. Reading the book feels like eating day old bread - it was probably really good yesterday, but today it is just good enough to be edible. The Lost World is just good enough to be readable, but nothing more than that. ( )

Not really like the movie, this book was very interesting. Not up to par with Jurassic Park, but still good. ( )

A bit too much Jurassic Park-redux for me. Like most Crichton books, it's an easy read and will while away a weekend for you, but I don't think you're missing anything if you skip it. ( )

It's a dinosaur, it's a dinosaur. ( )

This sequel to Jurassic Park is better than the original. ( )

The story is interesting. The characters are not very likeable. The language is useful to improve my English.
Abdulaziz Hassan - MLI 2B ( )

I loved this book even more than its prequel, Jurassic Park. The movie disappointed me tremendously, as the plot and the characters are so completely different, it’s a stretch to give the movie the same name. Many things in particular bugged me, but most of all was the relationship between Malcolm and Sarah Harding as it was portrayed in the movie. In the book, they are no longer lovers, but friends. Malcolm respects Sarah’s knowledge about animal behavior, and her expertise saves their lives many times. When the adult T-Rexes attack the trailers (one of the only things in the book that also happens in the movie), Malcolm falls and re-injures his bad leg, which he originally injured in Jurassic Park. Sarah slings him onto her back, being injured herself, and climbs her way to the top of the trailer and gets them both out, before the trailer falls off the cliff. It’s an incredibly exciting moment in the book, and it’s obvious how much respect Crichton has for this character. Throughout the book, she remains the center of calm and is able to make quick decisions. In the movie, however, it is Malcolm who saves Sarah, his impulsive girlfriend who blindly runs off to the island on her own. It’s disappointing to see the traditional gender roles being forced upon these characters.

As for the book as a whole, it is probably the most interesting I have ever read. It’s not often that I come away from a work a fiction having learned something new about the world. This book, like Jurassic Park, contains many scientific details, but this time they are in the form of fascinating theories about evolution and animal behavior. The pace is frenetic, and the characters are both funny and intelligent. It also has a very satisfying ending, especially for those who have read Jurassic Park. No dinosaurs run amok in an American city in the book; instead the story is suave and smart. I recommend it to anyone who did not enjoy the movie…you will love this book! ( )

The sequel to Jurassic Park is just as thrilling, thought-provoking, and informative as the original. While Jurassic Park focuses upon the science and ethics of genetic engineering and frames the situation within "chaos theory," The Lost World deals with these issues as well as evolution and other mathematical concepts, putting science in perspective for the modern world. The book concludes with a very profound observation about science as it relates to human life. Anyone who liked Jurassic Park or Michael Crichton's novels in general, is interested in mathematics, science, and technology, or just likes thriller novels, should enjoy The Lost World. ( )

It is now six years since the secret disaster of Jurassic Park, six years since that extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end -- the dinosaurs destroyed, the Park dismantled, the island indefinitely closed to the public.
There are rumours that something has survived.

I like it.

A fairly good sequel to Jurassic Park and necessary to finish the story. ( )

Dino somewhat disappointment.

Especially if you are going to take the title of a classic novel with a straight face, also about dinosaurs, etc., and come up ordinary.

It appears that not content to just mess up with the original Jurassic Park there is a second site with such beasts, and they, too, are restless.

Throw another crew together, complete with a couple of kids, and do it all again, just not as well.

An ok book but, but not in the same league as the first.

http://notfreesf.blogspot.com/2007/11... ( )

Not as good as the first book, but better than it's movie adaptation. ( )