'Jurassic Park' by Michael Crichton is a 1990 science-fiction novel. It follows the fates of scientists and civilians who are caught up in a state-of-the-art dinosaur park where prehistoric creatures have been recreated using DNA.
About the Book
Article written by Emma Baldwin
B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.
The novel is a cautionary tale, warning readers about the dangers of genetic engineering and believing that human beings are capable of controlling everything that science can produce.
Throughout Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton uses elements common to thrillers, such as suspense, foreshadowing, and cliffhangers, to carry the reader through a nonstop, terrifying journey behind the gates of Jurassic Park.
Michael Crichton spent his early career publishing thrillers under pseudonyms. This helped pay his way through medical school until he published his first novel under his own name in 1969. He did not publish Jurassic Park until 1990, and to this day, it remains his most famous novel.
His other novels, including the Jurassic Park sequel, The Lost World, often deal with scientific dangers. For example, in Micro, published in 2011, Crichton writes about a group of graduate students who are shrunk and find themselves lost and in incredible danger in the rainforests of Hawaii.
Michael Crichton was very aware of the scientific developments changing in the world during his lifetime. Only a few years after the novel was published, British scientists successfully cloned a sheep for the first time. Although most scientists believe cloning dinosaurs successfully will never be accomplished, the novel gives readers an insight into the fantastical possibilities of genetic cloning and the mathematical chaos theory.
Most of Crichton’s literary works deal with medical dramas, technology, and science fiction. Human failure, pride, and envy also often play large roles. Despite being educated as a medical doctor, Crichton chose to pursue a career as a writer. His intense science-based education was the backbone of his novels throughout his career until he died in 2008.
Crichton’s Jurassic Park was followed by The Lost World in 1995, in which he resists the park. Readers who enjoyed either of these novels will likely find themselves drawn to novels like Zoo by James Patterson and Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle. The latter is best known for its later films and follows three astronauts who discover a world of human-like beasts and apes who rule as their masters.
Zoo describes a series of brutal animal attacks all over the world and the scientists who investigate what’s going on. They race to find the cause of the attacks and warn the world before it’s too late to change the future.
Other related books include Under the Dome by Stephen King, Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton, and the Meg series by Steve Alten. The latter deals with discovering that megalodons are still living in the earth’s oceans and the resulting aftermath.
It’s not an over-exaggeration to suggest that Jurassic Park reshaped contemporary depictions of prehistoric life. From novels to short stories, plays, films, television shows, and more, Crichton’s Jurassic Park maintains a long-lasting influence that is sure to continue for decades to come.
Additionally, Crichton was one of the first writers to base a novel around the principles of genetics and bioengineering. These theories fascinated contemporary readers, as they do to this day, and were further explored through the latter film franchise. Crichton also brought the mathematical theory of chaos into the public spotlight.
The Jurassic Park film series is perhaps the best-known result of the novel’s popularity. Steven Spielberg adapted the book into a film in 1993 and followed it with The Lost World film in 1997. A third film, Jurassic Park III, directed by Joe Johnson and released in 2001, followed.
Recently, a newly updated version of the park from the first film featured in Jurassic World was released in 2015, and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom in 2018. The most recent film, Jurassic World: Domination, came out in 2022. A wide variety of other films, inspired by the dinosaur craze that Jurassic Park began, have also been released. Today, depictions of dinosaurs in film and television are largely based on Steven Spielberg’s vision of the creatures when he adapted the novel in 1993.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton was published in 1990 and was followed by a high-grossing feature film in 1993. Both are beloved by audiences but few know the true differences between the two versions of Jurassic Park.
B.A. in English, B.F.A. in Fine Art, and B.A. in Art Histories from East Carolina University.