Scan barcode
melina333's review against another edition
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Colonisation
Minor: Sexism
billyjepma's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
I've never actually picked up an Arthur Conan Doyle story before, but this one—with its adventure-heavy focus and occasional dinosaur—is so up my alley that it seemed like a great place to start. And it was! As dated as this is (and believe me, it's dated), I'm surprised by how much fun I had with it. I can't say it's a riveting story, as the pace and general plotting prioritize steady build-ups over thrills. But there are the occasional thrills, and the sense of discovery, while muted than our modern expectations would lead us to expect, still carries enough genuine excitement to make the journey worth taking. Professor Challenger is a fantastically hatable character, too, and is so far up his own ass that his unceasing arrogance becomes a farcical delight instead of a total annoyance. He feels like the antithesis of Sherlock Holmes, with his burly physique and fiery temper giving his untapped ego and intellect a wholly different vibe than the one Holmes is famous for. He's definitely a character I loved to hate and hated to love.
The characters are a mixed bag overall, but the core adventurers have enough variety in their quirks that I never disliked anyone (well, not more than intended, anyway). It's too bad the POV character is the weakest link, as his empty personality and iffy-at-best opinion of women tested my patience more than once. There are other areas of friction, though, as the book is a relic of the era and, as can be expected, is littered with unsubtle racism, sexism, and a general air of Western Exceptionalism that's so pervasive it feels almost parodic. I knew to expect all that going in and had my guard up and ready for those less-than-pleasant aspects, which helped me power through to get to the parts I liked. I can't say it's a book I can heartily recommend, but I enjoyed my time with it (although I wish my audiobook had a better narrator) and am glad I took the time to give it a go.
The characters are a mixed bag overall, but the core adventurers have enough variety in their quirks that I never disliked anyone (well, not more than intended, anyway). It's too bad the POV character is the weakest link, as his empty personality and iffy-at-best opinion of women tested my patience more than once. There are other areas of friction, though, as the book is a relic of the era and, as can be expected, is littered with unsubtle racism, sexism, and a general air of Western Exceptionalism that's so pervasive it feels almost parodic. I knew to expect all that going in and had my guard up and ready for those less-than-pleasant aspects, which helped me power through to get to the parts I liked. I can't say it's a book I can heartily recommend, but I enjoyed my time with it (although I wish my audiobook had a better narrator) and am glad I took the time to give it a go.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Slavery, Violence, and Colonisation
pedanther's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racism
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Genocide, Gun violence, Racial slurs, Sexism, Violence, Blood, Murder, Colonisation, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Ableism, Cursing, Domestic abuse, Slavery, Torture, Xenophobia, Cannibalism, Alcohol, and War
whynotreadwithalex's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Racism, Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
abijoupansy's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
Beautifully written. Extremely racist. Some of the science is fun to research and fact-check. Amusing protagonists.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Genocide, Racial slurs, Racism, Slavery, and Colonisation
Minor: Gore, Sexism, Cannibalism, War, and Injury/Injury detail
carolinebl's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
Don’t be deceived by the dinosaur on the cover; this book is not about dinosaurs. You will find annoying, racist, imperialistic men (and ape-men), but hardly any dinosaurs. Along with the unlikeable white men, the most ‘positive’ characterisation of a person of colour was that of Zambo, who was portrayed like a loyal dog. I enjoyed the stylistic choice of letters to an editor, but this book just got slower… and slower… and slower, until around 3/4 way through. The politics may be ‘of its time’, but this novel was boring - which is unexpected for one supposedly about dinosaurs. I’d rather have read a novel about Gladys seeking glory of her own. Also, the title is way better than the characters own naming abilities - Maple-White Land??
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Racism, and Murder
Minor: Sexism and Colonisation
literaryrevisited's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Death, and Violence
Minor: Slavery
questingnotcoasting's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I was really intrigued by the idea of this - a dinosaur adventure novel from the 1910s - and while I quite enjoyed it, I had some reservations. There were some funny moments and I recognised Conan Doyle's comic timing from the Sherlock Holmes books. It's a fun adventure in parts but overall I felt there weren't enough dinosaurs and there was too much imperialism. It's very much of its time and the adventure the characters go on is steeped in colonial attitudes which I found impossible to overlook.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs, Racism, and Colonisation
Moderate: Animal death, Death, Gun violence, and Violence
tarotsystem's review against another edition
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I wanted to like this book, I really did. But the 2 stars are entirely due to Doyle's excellence at the craft of writing, as the story and characters have absolutely no merit on their own. This book is Doyle trying to be Burroughs and failing.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Racial slurs and Racism
Moderate: Colonisation
There is a lot of casual and incessant racist language and ideology from the character of Challenger in particular, but also much of the "standard" terminology when speaking of any non-white people in 1912 England is now recognized as slurs so the second quarter in particular is absolutely chock full of it everywhere.