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Jurassic Park

Pages
459
Published
1990
Language
English

Synopsis

On a remote island off the coast of Costa Rica, the InGen corporation has done the impossible: using DNA recovered from prehistoric mosquitoes preserved in amber, its scientists have cloned living dinosaurs and built them into the ultimate theme park. Before Jurassic Park opens to the public, its billionaire founder invites a small group to inspect it — paleontologist Alan Grant, paleobotanist Ellie Sattler, and the acerbic mathematician Ian Malcolm, whose chaos theory predicts that any system this complex will inevitably fail.

It fails faster than anyone imagined. When the park's security collapses, the visitors — and Hammond's two grandchildren — find themselves stranded in the open with animals engineered to be beautiful and utterly beyond human control.

Michael Crichton's landmark techno-thriller is a propulsive survival story and a sharp cautionary tale about scientific hubris, corporate ambition, and the danger of power without responsibility.

About the author

M
Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton (1942–2008) was an American author, screenwriter, film director and producer best known for science-based thrillers such as The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park and Timeline. He earned an M.D. from Harvard Medical School in 1969 but pursued writing rather than practicing medicine. He directed several films, including Westworld (1973), and created the television series ER. More than a dozen of his novels have been adapted for film and television, and his books have sold over 200 m...

Characters

Alan GrantProtagonist

A paleontologist invited to inspect the park before it opens to the public.

Ellie SattlerSupporting

A paleobotanist and one of the park's invited experts.

Ian MalcolmSupporting

A mathematician whose chaos theory predicts the park's inevitable failure.

John HammondSupporting

The park's wealthy, single-minded founder.

All characters in Jurassic Park

Frequently asked questions

  • Is there a movie adaptation of Jurassic Park?

    Yes, Jurassic Park was adapted into a highly successful film directed by Steven Spielberg, released in 1993. The movie captures much of the novel's core plot and themes, though it does take some liberties with character arcs and specific events.

  • Does Jurassic Park have a sequel novel?

    Yes, Michael Crichton wrote a direct sequel to Jurassic Park titled The Lost World, which continues the story of the dinosaurs and the efforts to contain them.

  • How does Jurassic Park connect to Michael Crichton's other works?

    Jurassic Park shares Crichton's recurring interest in the dangers of unchecked scientific ambition and technological hubris, a theme explored in many of his other novels like Westworld and Andromeda Strain.

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