“Life finds a way.”
Michael Crichton’s 1990 book Jurassic Park is arguably the most famous fictional story about dinosaurs ever penned. Thanks to Steven Spielberg’s stunning big-screen adaptation and the five further blockbuster sequels, the story of John Hammond and his team of scientists constructing the greatest theme park the world has ever seen (and how things quickly go wrong) has become legendary amongst sci-fi fans. So, from Brachiosaurus snot to Velociraptor dexterity, if you’re in the mood for more dinosaurs, join us at What We Reading for these books like Jurassic Park. We’ve spared no expense in pulling together these reads which all combine sharp teeth, groundbreaking scientific discoveries and heart-stopping adventure!
Footprints Of Thunder (Thunder #1) – James F. David
Our first stop on our tour of the best books like Jurassic Park is James F. David’s Thunder series. Kicking off his 1995 story, Footprints of Thunder, David introduces a world that has been rocked by a natural phenomenon that has turned it into a patchwork of the past and the long-distant past. Whole cities have been engulfed by primaeval forests. Massive prehistoric monsters now stalk urban streets in search of human prey.
Whilst ordinary men and women desperately struggle to survive in this strange new world, an increasingly desperate president and his collection of advisors search for a solution to avert this imminent apocalypse. Failing to do so may just result in these monsters ruling the planet again.
The Great Zoo Of China – Matthew Reilly
The Chinese government has been hiding a secret for over four decades. They have found a species of animal that no one believed ever existed, a discovery that will stun the entire world. Now the Chinese are ready to show off their astonishing find within the walls of the greatest zoo ever built.
A select group of journalists and guests have received invitations to the zoo nestled in the heart of the country to see this creature for the first time. Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane ‘CJ’ Cameron, a renowned expert on reptiles and contributor for National Geographic. The visitors have been assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck down in awe at these beasts, they are perfectly safe, and absolutely nothing can go wrong. With stunning natural discoveries and a new park to witness, Matthew Reilly’s The Great Zoo of China is one of the most famous books like Jurassic Park.
The Andromeda Strain (The Andromeda Strain #1) – Michael Crichton
If you loved Michael Crichton’s imaginative scenarios and style of writing in Jurassic Park, why not dive into another one of his best books for your follow-up read? First published in 1969, the story begins with the United States government receiving a warning from biophysicists that their current sterilisation procedures on returning space probes may not be enough to prevent uncontaminated re-entries into the atmosphere.
Fast forward two years and seventeen satellites are sent to the outer fringes of space to collect organisms and dust for study. One of these satellites falls to Earth, landing in a deserted area of Arizona. Twelve miles from the landing site, in the small town of Piedmont, a harrowing discovery is made: the streets are filled with dead bodies of its inhabitants as if they all suddenly dropped dead where they stood.
Raptor Red – Robert T. Bakker
Another dinosaur book published hot on the heels of the Jurassic Park craze in the ‘90s, Robert T. Bakker’s Raptor Red whisks readers back in time 120 million years. Set on the prehistoric plains of Utah, they are introduced to an unlikely heroine: Raptor Red, an intelligent, fierce and beautiful predator.
Acclaimed palaeontologist Bakker paints a vivid and colourful picture of this lush world and tells the story of this raptor and extraordinary mind. From tragic losses and brutal struggles for survival to a daring new migration to the Pacific Ocean to evade a new predator, Raptor Red is the perfect book similar to Jurassic Park for anyone fascinated with all things raptor. Combining fact with fiction, it is a thrilling look at changing climates and evolution and wonderfully captures the thoughts, behaviours and emotions of some of the most enigmatic creatures to have walked the face of the Earth.
The Lost World (Professor Challenge #1) – Arthur Conan Doyle
London, 1907. Journalist Edward Malone has just been rejected by the woman he loves, Gladys, for being too prosaic. To prove himself worthy of her, he decides to embark on an adventure in search of fame. Soon after, he meets the enigmatic Professor George Challenger. Challenger is a scientist who claims to have discovered a ‘lost world’ populated by stunning pterodactyls and other prehistoric creatures.
Whilst he might be more renowned for his Sherlock Holmes stories, Arthur Conan Doyle’s The Lost World is one of the books most like Jurassic Park. Jam-packed full of exotic locations, bizarre and dangerous creatures and countless heart-stopping moments of crisis, it remains one of the most timeless adventure stories.
Dinosaur Summer – Greg Bear
Peter Belzoni is not looking forward to summer in Manhattan. Thankfully, his father, photojournalist Anthony Belzoni, offers him a way out in the form of a job and a trip to South America. The Lothar Gluck Circus, once the world’s most famous dinosaur attraction has gone bankrupt. An assortment of ankylosaurs, avisaurs and centrosaurs have been left behind, along with an especially fierce raptor named Dagger.
The two filmmakers and a circus trainer plan to release the giant beasts back into the wild, with the father-son duo being tasked with filming the process for National Geographic. It seems an impossible, foolhardy task. Nobody has ever attempted to transport nearly a dozen full-grown dinosaurs across the El Grande plateau in Venezuela, a land untouched for over seventy million years. Their journey strains their technology, robbers and trigger-happy soldiers lurk around them and, as they get closer to their endpoint, the frenzied dinos soon become the biggest danger of all.
Journey To The Centre Of The Earth – Jules Verne
Jules Verne’s iconic Journey to the Centre of the Earth tells the story of ambitious Professor Lidenbrock. When Lidenbrock stumbles upon a manuscript in which a medieval alchemist and explorer claims to have discovered a route to the centre of the Earth, he can’t resist. Along with his nephew, Axel, and Hans Bjelke, a native guide, the trio trek across Iceland and deep into the bowels of a volcano.
Their expedition into the extinct volcano leads them to a sunless sea where they soon discover a stunning subterranean world. Filled with luminous rocks, antediluvian forests and fantastic marine life, this world where the past is both living and breathing may hold the secret behind the origins of human existence. Undoubtedly one of the best books like Jurassic Park, Journey to the Centre of the Earth is fast-paced, ambitious and the sort of sci-fi adventure that fans of Michael Crichton need to read.
The Hatching (The Hatching #1) – Ezekiel Boone
Deep in the jungles of Peru, where so much remains hidden and unknown, a black skittering mass devours an American tourist whole. Thousands of miles away from the incident, an FBI agent investigates a fatal plane crash and comes to an earth-shattering realisation. Unusual seismic shifts register in an earthquake lab in Kanpur, India, whilst the Chinese government ‘accidentally’ dropped a nuclear bomb on an isolated region of its own country.
As these incidents reverberate across the world, a strange package is sent from South America and arrives at a laboratory in Washington. One of the best apocalyptic books similar to Jurassic Park, Ezekiel Boone’s The Hatching series is a story of a long-dormant ancient species stirring itself back to life.
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
