YA-- Massive sums spent on biotechnology, 24 Cray supercomputers sent to a fog-shrouded island off Costa Rica, and expert advice bought from paleontologists have combined to produce the most incredible amusement park of all time. Jurassic Park is inhabited by real dinosaurs, over 200 of them, all cloned from snippets of ancient DNA. Crichton is a master at blending technology with fiction, creating a tale all the more terrifying because it could happen. And the terror is heightened when dinosaurs escape from their barricaded area on the island, an event occasioned by the foolhardiness of relying on technology to control their range. Readers can just imagine being caught in the open with these dinosaurs after there's been a massive power outage on the island. Suspense, excitement, and good adventure pervade this book--and few YAs will be able to resist it.-- Pam Spencer, Jefferson Sci-Tech, Alexandria, VA (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Genetically engineered dinosaurs run amok in Crichton's new, vastly entertaining science thriller. From the introduction alone--a classically Crichton-clear discussion of the implications of biotechnological research--it's evident that the Harvard M.D. has bounced back from the science-fantasy silliness of Sphere (1987) for another taut reworking of the Frankenstein theme, as in The Andromeda Strain and The Terminal Man. Here, Dr. Frankenstein is aging billionaire John Hammond, whose monster is a manmade ecosystem based on a Costa Rican island. Designed as the world's ultimate theme park, the ecosystem boasts climate and flora of the Jurassic Age and--most spectacularly--15 varieties of dinosaurs, created by elaborate genetic engineering that Crichton explains in fascinating detail, rich with dino-lore and complete with graphics. Into the park, for a safety check before its opening, comes the novel's band of characters--who, though well drawn, double as symbolic types in this unsubtle morality play. Among them are hero Alan Grant, noble paleontologist; Hammond, venal and obsessed; amoral dino-designer Henry Wu; Hammond's two innocent grandchildren; and mathematician Ian Malcolm, who in long diatribes serves as Crichton's mouthpiece to lament the folly of science. Upon arrival, the visitors tour the park; meanwhile, an industrial spy steals some dino embryos by shutting down the island's power--and its security grid, allowing the beasts to run loose. The bulk of the remaining narrative consists of dinos--ferocious T. Rex's, voracious velociraptors, venom-spitting dilophosaurs--stalking, ripping, and eating the cast in fast, furious, and suspenseful set-pieces as the ecosystem spins apart. And can Grant prevent the dinos from escaping to the mainland to create unchecked havoc? Though intrusive, the moralizing rarely slows this tornado-paced tale, a slick package of info-thrills that's Crichton's most clever since Congo (1980)--and easily the most exciting dinosaur novel ever written. A sure-fire best-seller. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Crichton whips up suspense while delivering a pointed condemnation of ungoverned genetic engineering in this irresistible blending of dinosaur lore, future science, and nonstop action.

Bioengineers clone 15 species of dinosaurs and establish an island preserve where tourists can view the large reptiles; chaos ensues when a rival genetics firm attempts to steal frozen dinosaur embryos, and it's up to two kids, a safari guide and a paleontologist to set things right. PW called this, ``A scary, creepy, mesmerizing technothriller with teeth.'' (Dec.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved