For almost every millennial there was a period in life where the prime obsessiion in their life was dinosaurs. Whether it was triggered by Jurassic Park or something else, everyone I have known has at some point loved dinosaurs. They still are one of the most fascinating species to have ever walked this Earth. The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs: A New History of a Lost World is a wonderful examination of how these beasts came to be the massive creatures they were, and how they so quickly disappeared from the planet.
Author Steve Brusatte is quite gifted. His presentation is a mixture of his experiences and people he's met hunting for fossils as well as the tale of those fossils. The book reads quite easily, but it is jam packed with interesting information about dinosaur life. It begins in the Permian world, tracking down differences in sprawling creatures that would resemble modern day crocodiles most. It traces their lineage through the early Triassic period, where dinosaurs were small and definitely at the bottom. They rise however in a world that was breaking apart as the continents drifted and weather became more stable Brusatte spends several chapters developing the dinosaur lineage, coming to dominance of the behemoth Tyrannosaurus Rex and his contemporaries like Triceratops. Each chapter follows Brusatte as he's excavated a set of fossils pertaining to that period of dinosaur development, or a quest by a dear colleague of his to find some new information about a specific species. If there is one critique it is the name dropping that is persistent, but its only a very minor annoyance by the end.
This book is an absolute classic. It is entertaining throughout, and filled with wonderful new information. It is a definite 5/5 stars and I would recommend it to everyone who has any interest in dinosaurs or even if they dont to discover just a wonderful sotry
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