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 … 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.
more
A gift from Mr. C
Great story with history worked in.
I’ve gifted copies to others. Thought it was terrific as are most books by Crichton. Only Ted Chiang comes close nowadays.
Dragon Teeth takes you on a trip to America’s western territories in 1876 in search of dinosaur fossils. Fictional characters meshed with actual people and in my opinion, this was used to create an adventure. William Johnson, a Yale student agrees to a bet made by a fellow student to join paleontologist and also a professor at Yale Othniel Marsh, on a hunt to find dragon fossils in western America. Johnson with no background in expeditions signs on the trip as a photographer, quickly taking lessons in how to take pictures before leaving on the trip. During the beginning of the trip, Johnson is stranded by Marsh because Marsh believed that Johnson is spying for his arch rival Edward Cope. Cope meets Johnson in the same hotel where Johnson is stranded and the two strike a bargain which commences the story of Cope and Johnson’s search for the fossils. The story has more low points than exciting ones. Crichton’s wife found this manuscript and published it which gave me high hopes the book would be much akin to Crichton’s later works. Unfortunately, this book falls short.
Fast moving, semi-historical. I really liked it
Historical fiction is not a genre I often read but I usually enjoy anything by Crichton and this was no exception. This story tells of the fictitious William Johnson, a student at Yale who embarks on an expedition with (real life) Professor Marsh to hunt for fossils in the wild, wild west in order to win a bet. This story was a page turner for me. I thoroughly enjoyed all the challenges that Johnson faced during his adventure and was fascinated by the rivalry that he got caught in the middle of between Professors March and Cope. I loved that Crichton sprinkled the story with bits of factual information as well. At the end of the book, I found myself searching for more details related to the Black Hills, Deadwood and characters such as the Earp brothers. Even if you aren’t a fan of historical fiction, I would recommend this book for an entertaining read!
While a little bit predictable, Chriton builds a totally believable world with interesting characters and a moral dilemma.
Loved the writing, as always and the meticulous detail in the scientific area.
Read this many years ago could not put it down
Crichton has written many excellent books. Dragon Teeth isn’t one of them.
Four stars just because it was written by Michael Crichton. Interesting story about paleontologists Cope and Marsh, but not enough about paleontology. A bit disappointing for Crichton fans, not much action.
Good read
I think I was just really excited at the prospect of reading a new novel by Crichton, despite knowing that it’d be ghost written since he’s been gone for years. What I found interesting was the fleshing out of these two very real men who starred in the Bone Wars–nope, not a movie. It was so interesting to see the exchanges between the two. The constant challenges that Cope’s team faced as they discovered dino find, after dino find, only to be antagonized by Marsh.
The lure of this book was the talk of dinosaurs and how the American west played a huge part in yielding many of today’s dino discoveries. Crichton does a nice narrative (or whoever is writing in his stead), and it reminds me of his earlier novels like The Eaters of the Dead.
If you’re a fan of Crichton, take the plunge and enjoy this. I liked this–but I think I was expecting too much from it.