The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: The Untold Story of a Lost World

This is a review from a reader who has purchased the hardcover, Kindle, and Audible editions of the book: the former for my bookshelf, the second for convenient reading, and the third just to complete the set since I had an Audible credit to burn at the time. Initially I bought Dr. Brusatte's book on a whim: it had occurred to me that paleontology had advanced by leaps and bounds since the nineties when I was actively learning about these prehistoric creatures. I thought, "Gee, it would be interesting to see how far it's all come since I was checking out books at the school library and playing '3D Dinosaur Adventure' on that crusty old PC." It certainly does a good job of catching one up on modern views of dinosaurs among paleontologists. First off, if you're the type of person who expects books on scientific subjects to be a drag to read, have no fear in this case. Steve Brusatte is clearly writing with a mentality very close to what an effective teacher needs to keep students engaged, which is to say: be entertaining, present the information in a lively way, give the audience's enthusiasm room to effectively drive their learning forward. This is not a dry fact-dump, but a "story," for want of a better description. It tells the history of the dinosaurs with vigor, often stepping into side-stories about the paleontologists who work to uncover and deduce the details of that story. Thus you learn not only about the dinosaurs, but about the many and varied intrepid men and women who work to find out all they can about them and other aspects of natural history. The book begins with a colorful description of what the world must have been like in the Permian period, transitioning into the Triassic, where dinosaurs were (contrary to previous belief) bit players, and this is a strong way to open, because it ties in with those side-stories about paleontology, and here we begin to see some discussion on the changing views about dinosaurs and how paleontologists can indeed be mistaken about their findings. It continues on from there. Readers of this book who are willing to and interested in learning about these topics will find this to be an excellent place to begin learning about dinosaurs and paleontology, and those already in the know will likely enjoy it as a refresher course. The hardcover edition is well-formatted, with a fitting selection of visually-pleasing yet easy-to-read text fonts and a fairly generous use of illustrations, photographs, and occasional diagrams where needed. The Kindle version is a little dodgier by the nature of what it is. The first paragraph or so of any given chapter sub-section has an oddly larger text font than the following paragraphs, but the only difficulty arises from those illustrations and such, which tend to be shrunk-down to fit whatever your display screen is... as is the case with most e-books, these elements do not make the smoothest transition, but this is a perfectly serviceable way to enjoy the book if you are reading it, say, on public transit, or on break at work. The audiobook's reading works quite well, though I note that at the time of this review Audible narration does not work for the Prologue chapter, even though it is indeed in the audiobook. I assume there was an oversight in programming, and have reported this to customer service. It may even have been fixed by the time you read this review. Other than that and the obvious lack of photographs and images in the audiobook, the manner in which this reading is presented may strike listeners as a tiny bit too geared toward younger audiences, with some exaggeration in voice tone when the reader wants things to sound exciting or intriguing that was quite a long way from how my mental voice vocalized the text while reading it independent of audio accompaniment. That said, it's a pleasant listen. I just hope they fix that Audible narration problem with the prologue. All in all, I highly recommend this book for those interested in the subject, especially in hardcover, as it's a very nice addition to anyone's bookshelf. Readers be forewarned, however. Paleontology is an advancing science at all times, and the information in this book is likely to go out of date in a surprisingly short span of time, as the educational material from the nineties and 2000's did. If you find it interesting enough to pursue, however, you might consider staying up-to-date on paleontological finds and theories on your own time by following the works of both Dr. Brusatte and others in his field. It certainly can't hurt to know more about the planet you were born on, yes?

Steve’s book is as entertaining as it is enthralling. The story is interwoven with pithy descriptions of his fellow paleontologists that describe their personalities in one short, entertaining sentence that brings them instantly to life. He writes with the same enthusiasm and broad range of knowledge that he radiates in the many interviews I’ve watched on YouTube - especially those on the New Scientist channel. Highly recommended!!

Brusatte is one of those rare experts who can translate science into something accessible to, and even entertaining for, the average reader. If you’re a dino fan, you’ll enjoy this insider’s look at their history and the state of modern paleontology.

I bet it is not very hard for the majority of people to grasp the content of this book just by scanning its title. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte is an epically written summary of the amazing history of the dinosaurs, from their modest beginnings in the Triassic supercontinent called Pangea, through their remarkably widespread dominance all across the Earth, to the tragic demise of most of them at the end of the Cretaceous Period, around 66 million years ago. It is probably not easy to crunch over 150 million years of dinosaur existence in the Mesozoic Era into a single book in an organized and comprehensive way, but the author has proven himself by successfully executing this noble, monumental task. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a thrilling journey both in the present and ancient past. Steve takes readers from place to place on the globe, using his personal experiences and stories to guide the dinosaur-curious minds through the long, wondrous evolutionary tale of our distant reptilian cousins. Along the way, you'll meet many paleontological figures – before reading the book I had known or at least heard of many of them and it is nice to have furthered my knowledge of them through the oft witty descriptions given by the author. Steve presents the story in this book with his amazing rhetorical writing skills, producing a fantastic marriage between art and science that keeps the readers riveted along the ride. Throughout the book you will bone-deeply feel his immense passion for dinosaurs, and science more generally, as well as clearly see that Steve is a man of humility – I'd really love to chew the fat with him over a ketoprak dinner in Jakarta, if I have the chance. Tyrannosaurus rex is undoubtedly the most famous non-bird dinosaur and Steve treats us to one chapter fully devoted to the "tyrant lizard king". The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs certainly deserves a place on any dinophile's bookshelf and is too good to be left unread.

An unbelievable (and largely true) telling of the history of the enormous mammals, dinosaurs and birds that lived and co-existed across the breadth of over350 million years. This book is an excellent source for a!most everyone - children, adults, teachers - who are curious about not only the creatures that lived during this incredible expanse of time, but the dedicated humans who worked and collaborated selflessly to make sense of what could be found across all Areas of the planet, and record in detail what wonders they discovered.

Raise your hand if you have (or had) a fascination with dinosaurs? Do you (or did you) have a favorite? For me… Of the extinct ‘terrible lizards’, it’s always been an three-way tie between the triceratops, stegosaur, & ankylosaur, with the hadrosaur being an honorable mention. I may have been in ‘minority’ decades ago…because I always thought that birds evolved from dinosaurs—I mean have you seen an baby Canada goose or mallard? They look like little fuzzy dinosaurs waddling around after their parents. In college I read the book ‘The Dinosaur Heresies’ by Robert Bakker for an writing assignment that had to cover an ‘semi-controversial’ topic at the time…and being in the south—nothing more ‘semi-controversial’ than evolution. I’ll admit that I haven’t kept up with the research & such on the subject…but this book: ‘The Rise & Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World’ does a great job of bringing someone (especially an novice) up-to date on the status of our knowledge of those lost gigantic animals. I found it fascinating learning the possible reasons why only certain groups of dinosaurs grew to epic proportions, while others stayed smaller, more compact—but probably just as deadly to their ‘enemy’. I also found it fascinating how certain branches kept evolving, while others (such as the stegosaur) just kinda petered out & disappeared. Am I going to be going back down a rabbit hole…seeing what new research & such has come out on my favorite dinosaurs? Possibly…because it’s always a good idea to entertain one’s inner child from time to time….and spending time learning more about these gigantic animals, makes my inner child jump with joy. Five out of five stars…

fantastic book with lots of good info on new dinosaur research, written more like a novel almost. never got dull or boring! physically the book came in perfect condition! I will definitely read more from this author in the future!

Very good!

Steve Brusattes THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DINOSAURS ist für meine Begriffe eines der schönsten Sachbücher, welches ich in diesem Jahr gelesen habe. Brusatte versteht es, lebendig, witzig und informativ zugleich zu schreiben. Die Kapitel sind (selbst wenn man sich für Paleontologie interessiert) lehrreich und geben den aktuellen Stand in zahlreichen Unterdiskussionen wieder, und auch komplette Neulinge auf dem Thema werden an diesem Buch ihre Freude haben. Gleichzeitig ist dieses Buch einfach sehr menschlich geschrieben - Brusatte schreibt nicht nur über Dinosaurier und ihre Zeit, sondern auch über die Menschen, die der Erforschung dieser einzigartigen Tiere ihr Leben widmen. Hierbei stellt er dem Leser einige durchaus skurrile und denkwürdige Charaktere vor, was THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DINOSAURS zu einer alles anderen als trocknen Lektüre macht. Insofern kann ich mich kurz fassen: ein sehr unterhaltsames und gleichzeitig sehr lehrreiches Buch. Die Lektüre habe ich schlichtweg genossen. Von mir gibt es verdiente 5 Sterne.

Steve Brusatte, a Professor of Paleontology at Edinburgh University, is a brilliant writer who brings to life the story of the dinosaurs from circa 300 to 60 million years ago. The history of the dinosaurs is explained relative to the changing land mass of the planet and their discovery up into the present where so many new finds are being made. Each era is conjured with visual imagery of the dinosaurs in their setting. An active field worker, the narrative is full of anecdotes and firsthand experience of paleontologists in the field and in the laboratory. It is an analytical, absorbing and exciting read.

For anyone who likes dinosaurs and prehistoric life this is a College-Level education but written in a very accessible way. The writing style is so good, so informative and easy to digest. Some parts touch on the in-depth science but never so deep that you drown in information or statistics. Every aspect of this book is enjoyable and inspiring. There are some books that when finished you know you will read again some day. I am tempted to restart right now. From the earliest times of the precursors of dinosaurs through the myriad types, with an occasional focus on one or two, and then through to the end of this amazingly successful lineage of dinosaurs. This book has it all. Did I say I loved it? Well I do.

(Slight Rev03) Nowadays dinosaurs' fossils are investment for the rich (also Leonardo DiCaprio) and some paleontologists are a celebrity. Our image on T-Rex have changed from a reptile-looking to sporadic birdy-feather-skin appearance also the rout cause eradicating the most of species has been defined as due to the collision of a meteorite. These two definitions are not what I knew in my childhood or when watched the first version of "Jurassic Park" in 1993. Darwinism has worked on dinosaurs making a genetic link between birds not reptiles and this scientific discovery was done by contemporary technologies including statistics.

I found the information presented in this book to be fascinating. This is an absorbing scientific study which presents up to date discoveries and knowledge about dinosaurs and the facts should be accessible to any interested reader. I admired Stephen Brusatte’s writing style and his brilliant description of three eras of the earth; the Triassic, Jurassic and the Cretaceous. He describes shifting geological patterns, the landscapes, climate, and types of animal life during each stage. He writes vivid scenes of the plant life and the dinosaurs roaming the earth or small creatures hiding away in burrows. He draws a terrifying picture of a series of cataclysmic events at the close of the Cretaceous era which lead to the extinction of the dinosaurs. I still have the book The Dinosaur Heresies published in 1986. Dr.Robert Bakker presented a new way of thinking about dinosaurs. His speculations were in collaboration with some paleontologists but stirred up a lot of controversy among others. He considered dinosaurs to be not the slow, lumbering, cold-blooded beasts, but warm-blooded, quick and intelligent. Far from a failure, they dominated the earth for 150 million years and suppressed the development of mammals. The theory presented was that birds are the direct descendants of small carnivorous dinosaurs. These dinosaurs had an advanced heart/lung system like modern birds and the theory was they were warm-blooded. Previously dinosaurs had been classified as reptiles, but scientific thought removes them from that category. The writer gives us some interesting bits about being a geeky boy obsessed with dinosaurs and later as a student of paleontology. He describes his travels in pursuit of a greater understanding of dinosaurs, and to excavation sites where new types of dinosaurs were being discovered. He has been criticized for name-dropping about his encounters and works with other leading paleontologists, but I found he wrote about them with respect, praising them highly and giving them credit for their theories and discoveries. I was impressed by how much the leading scientists in the field cooperate with one another. He relates his travels to China in the 1990s when the first small raptor dinosaur fossils were discovered with feathers, and with bone and lung structures which indicate they are the direct ancestors of birds. Further study has revealed that their feathers were brightly coloured and iridescent. They had not evolved for flight as yet. I saw a coloured illustration in the Smithsonian Magazine which showed a crow-sized dinosaur with a rainbow of shiny feathers. Its fossilized remains were found in China and the artistic reconstruction is quite beautiful. Recommended for readers interested in the history of the earth and past living creatures.