Michael CrichtonThe Lost WorldMonika says:
Six years have passed since the events on Isla Nublar. The public never became aware of what happened, because all who survived were bound to secrecy. Mathematician Ian Malcolm - who barely escaped death - meanwhile studies the science of complexity at the Santa Fe Institute. The others are scattered all over the world, found new things to do or are dead. Life seemingly resumed its normal course. At least that's what they all would like to make people think. They desparately try to hide how much the events at Jurassic Park have changed their lives. This fake normality ends abruptly when news of strange cadavers that are washed up on the shores of Costa Rica arrive. They are so unusual that authorities keep everything under wraps. Paleontologist Richard Levine isn't satisfied with explanations given and is convinced that dinosaurs - his favorite objects of study - survived in a remote corner of the world. He plans an expedition and wants Malcolm to come along. Malcolm however categorically says no and feignes disinterest. Levine thinks he knows where to look for dinosaurs: at a special coastal region of Costa Rica. He takes off on his own. After a little while Malcolm receives a scrambled message via satellite phone that he thinks to be a call for help. Now things get hectic. Levine's friends embark on a rescue mission although their equipment was never tested in the field. In Costa Rica they are supposed to meet Dr. Sarah Harding, a scientist specializing in the behavior of predators who joins them from Africa and who is a very close friend of Ian Malcolm's. When they arrive on Isla Sorna, one of five islands known to the natives as "Las Cinco Muertes", the first thing they find is Levine's torn backpack but no sign of Levine himself. They soon run into their first dinosaurs, though, which seems to be a confirmation of Levine's Lost World thesis. Michael Crichton once said in an interview that he never wanted to write THE LOST WORLD but was pushed by his readers to do a sequel to JURASSIC PARK. THE LOST WORLD is no less thrilling than the first part but whereas JURASSIC PARK presents something new and almost magical the reader this time knows what to expect. Even if Crichton introduces a couple of "new" dinosaurs in the sequel he doesn't take the trouble of a detailed description. The reader needs more imagination and initiative to make the strange creatures come to life. The story is exciting but doesn't hold many surprises even if Crichton introduces a whole new cast of characters with the exception of Ian Malcolm. THE LOST WORLD suffers from the well-known "sequel syndrom". Right in the beginning the reader has to accept an anachronism - even if it's one he or she may be willing to forgive: Ian Malcolms miraculous "survival" after his death in the first book. Crichton does his best to give a more or less plausible explanation, though. Fans of the cynical, pessimistic mathematician who only wears black or grey will accept this discrepancy with a smile. Without Malcolm THE LOST WORLD would have been hard to read and maybe not even been written. Ian Malcolm, a minor character from the first book, developed into some kind of (anti-)hero who carries the story. The most remakable among the new characters are Sarah Harding and Richard Levine. The latter is a pedantic arrogant jerk you wouldn't ask over to your house for dinner. He's very intelligent and knowledgeable but also obnoxious and makes the reader want to grab and shake him and give him a piece of his mind. Sarah Harding is the calming influence on the opposing male characters. She has what the two men lack: practical sense and realism. As a single woman she lives by the rule: help yourself or nobody will help you, least of all a man. A female reader will enjoy the reversal of traditional roles with the so-called "stronger sex" turning out to be rather helpless. Sarah has a practical solution for every problem and a lot more stamina than at least two of her companions. Male readers may reject her "masculine" traits, but they should ask themselves why men doing what she does are generally accepted while women aren't. All characters are a little too good to be believed, but in an action thriller you don't want a cast that drops at the first bend of the river. THE LOST WORLD isn't as good as JURASSIC PARK, but it still has a lot to offer for Crichton fans. Once more he combined real places like the Santa Fe Institute and scientific topics with a fictional story. If THE LOST WORLD inspires the reader to pick up a book on complexity it served its purpose to spur the imagination, to make us think and to encourage us to learn something new. Michael Crichton: The Lost World, Random House, New York (1995) Links:See also our review of JURASSIC PARK (the book) and our reviews of the movies: |
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Copyright 1998 Christina Gross & Monika Hübner |
