Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sci-Fi. Show all posts

Friday, 15 September 2017

Jurassic Park Series #1 - The Book by Michael Crichton

          A billionaire has created a technique to clone dinosaurs. From the DNA that his crack team of scientists extract, he is able to grow the dinosaurs in his laboratories and lock them away on an island behind electric fences, creating a sort of theme park. He asks a group of scientists from several different fields to come and view the park, but something goes terribly wrong when a worker on the island turns traitor and shuts down the power.


Thoughts

Michael Crichton


          Jurassic Park, as for most people, has always been my childhood fantasy. As an 8 year old kid, seeing a dinosaur for the first time(albeit on screen) was an amazing experience. The movie with it's perfect cast, goosebumps-inducing BGM, amazing CGI so advanced for it's time captured my imagination as a child and made me feel watching it is an experience that no one should miss.

          Now that I had such a nostalgic connection with the movie, I couldn't resist picking up the book when I visited a local bookstore. It felt like the book was there waiting for me, destined to be picked up by me. Opening the pages of the book, I was transported 20 years back to the days of innocence. The book, not only overwhelmed me with nostalgia but brought the dinosaurs back to life in a way even better the movie I'd say. I was glad to be back in the park of dreams built by John Hammond, I was glad to be chased by Rexy and I was glad that I got a completely different perspective on Jurassic Park through the book.

          For starters, the book had more detailing. The process of creating dinosaurs - the DNA sampling, hatching and growing them are all beautifully explained in such a way that even someone who has zero knowledge on genetics and science could understand it. I also found that the book differed from the movie in characterization aspect and there were even subtle plot differences.(Differences between the movie and the book in coming up in another blog post soon.). The book also has it's share of fast-paced edge of the seat action and thrills. Grant and his mates being chased by the highly intelligent and skilled velociraptors is a treat to read.


          Hands down, my favorite parts of the book were the 'rants' that Ian Malcolm often got into. Be it him explaining the Chaos Theory or the Fractal Curve, or him admonishing Hammond and telling him about the timeless journey of planet Earth are just literary wonders. I could read those monologues by Ian Malcolm again and again and still my mind would not have gotten enough.

          This is one book that no one should miss. It offers a lot more than the movies will ever offer. Close your eyes and go for it. You will not regret it. See you in Jurassic Park!
Next blog in the series coming soon.

Quotes


“The planet has survived everything, in its time. It will certainly survive us.”

“Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet - or to save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves.”

“You know, at times like this one feels, well, perhaps extinct animals should be left extinct.”

“All major changes are like death. You can't see to the other side until you are there.”

“Living systems are never in equilibrium. They are inherently unstable. They may seem stable, but they’re not. Everything is moving and changing. In a sense, everything is on the edge of collapse.” 

Wednesday, 25 December 2013

The Host - Stephenie Meyer


          Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading "soul" who has been given Melanie's body, didn't expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer's thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she's never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, THE HOST is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.


Review:

Stephenie Meyer


         Wow! This is one of the best books I've read in a long time. I was really surprised to see so many negative reviews in goodreads, and I was asking myself,"What else you people want?". This book has everything you expect from a book - love,hate,romance,anger,betrayal,disappointment,hope...This is my first experience with Stephenie Meyer and I must say, I'm really impressed. I'm wondering why I decided to give 'The Twilight Saga' a miss. Maybe I should read those books afterall!

The characters were all beautifully developed! Wanda,Jared,Ian,Jamie,Jeb,Melanie were all likeable. The complicated love triangle between Wanda, Jared and Ian makes for exciting reading. You can never hate Wanderer, the invading soul, no matter how cruel you are. Such a delicate creature that cares almost entirely for others even at the expense of its own life. There are only a few books that have the power to bring tears to your eyes and this is surely one. I could hardly control my tears during the final pages of the book.

The highlight of the book is the way the the humans go from blind hate to blind love for the soul Wanderer. When she first arrives at the desert, the humans almost kill her thinking she is a traitor. Through some intervention from Jeb, she stays alive and the rollercoaster of emotions start. One by one, every person start loving Wanderer and she becomes indispensable to the human community with her altruism and care for others. I was really touched by this character- the pure and unadulterated love showed by the soul to everyone, even to those who hate her is amazing.

Stephenie Meyer is incredibly skilled with emotion; that's her strongest suit. She writes emotion in a way that makes you feel everything the character feels. When the character is in pain, the reader is in pain too. 

Meyer writes love in a way that makes you love everything and everyone the character loves with a strong passion. Even though he was just a character, I loved Jamie as strongly as if he was my own brother. And I was in love with Ian as strongly as if I was Wanda and he was actually real. Stephenie Meyer is a queen of emotion; I don't think anyone can write it like she can.

A Sci-Fi novel for people who hate Sci-Fi! Loved it...



Rating: 4.2/5


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