Rate: 3/5
Medium: Book
Overview (No Spoilers): The Dinosaur Lords had so much promise. George R. R. Martin is quoted as saying the novel is a mix between Game of Thrones and Jurassic Park, which happens to be two of my favorite series/books. Alas, it took me almost two weeks to get a hundred pages into the book, before subsequently giving up and reading several books in between, which breaks one of my most ardent rules regarding books, before finally immersing myself into The Dinosaur Lords and racing to the finish. Buddy was soaking in the rays with me this beautiful Memorial Day, while I was finished up The Dinosaur Lords.
My first complaint lies in the dinosaurs themselves. Milan does a halfhearted job describing what should be one of the premier, unique aspects of this series. While I appreciate him using the appropriate scientific names, I would have to take a break every few pages and google the dinosaur names to fully understand what creature was being discussed. The important, initial flow of the story was significantly hindered, from a reader’s perspective, by the various breaks required to fully grasp the scene at hand. My second grievance takes root in the opening scene, a complicated battle in which the reader parries a myriad of foreign terms, names, battle parties, leaders and animals, all the while trying to discern important characters and sides, from which the rest of the story would be built upon. I had the overwhelming feeling, throughout The Dinosaur Lords that I had unknowingly picked up the second book in the series, due to the story seemingly picking up halfway through the telling. If I didn’t know better, I would describe this novel as suffering from the proverbial sequel slump. However, given patience and time, a few gems shine through the dense text. The highlights being Karyl and Rob’s witty bantering to Princess Melodia’s rebellious sister. Overall, The Dinosaur Lords picked up the pace as the story progress and left the reader at several satisfying cliffhangers. Let us hope this series lives up to it’s potential with the sequel due out July 5th, 2016.
The Critiquing Chemist 
Good review. I have to agree with you, when I read the book I really struggled through the first half but come the end I’d found a few things to like in the book and as you say, let’s hope the sequel lives upto it’s potential.
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Thanks Drew! I was hoping I wasn’t being too harsh on the first half. By the end of the book I was worried my initial opinion was too bias. I’m glad you felt the same!
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Improperly sourced and described dinosaurs?! Ten points from Gryffindor!
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Ha! It would be entertaining to rate books based on the arbitrary Hogwarts point system. Every event/action in the book warrants the receiving or retraction of subsequent points.
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Sounds like a Twitter feed I would follow. Do it! For science!
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Unfortunately, it would end up being a Twitter feed full of terrible spoilers! I’ll have to ponder the format.
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OHHH, books like that drive me crazy. I am in one right now that I am just going to have to bite the bullet and READ it! 😦
It’s only a couple hundred pages but geez it’s awful boring.
Thanks for your thoughts on this one… I think I’ll pass. 😉
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Unless the sequel turns the series around, you won’t be amiss passing on this series. 🙂
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I don’t have much patience for a confusing start. In fact, I will turn away from a book entirely if the jacket description is too complicated. Unfortunately, it seems like that’s kind of par for the course when you’re into fantasy or sci-fi. There is a certain amount of worldbuilding and a learning curve you have to be ready for. I don’t think I’d have made it through this Dinosaur book.
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I agree! It sounds like this novel wouldn’t be right for you. Most science fiction novels ease you in, however The Dinosaur Lords unforgiving pushes you right into the world at hand.
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Wow, now there’s a great premise! Too bad about the “meh” execution. I think I’ll reserve judgment until I see the reviews for book II. Thanks for the thoughtful review 🙂
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Thanks Christy! I’m hoping book two will be better too! There’s so much Milan could do with this series!
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[…] in May when I was reading Milan’s first book in this trilogy, The Dinosaur Lords, I had lamented that through the first half of the story it felt as though I had found myself mid […]
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[…] I have to admit, for some unspecified reason, I had it in my head that this latest installment in The Dinosaur Lords series was the third and final in a trilogy, however upon making it approximately 75% of the way […]
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[…] I have to admit, for some unspecified reason, I had it in my head that this latest installment in The Dinosaur Lords series was the third and final in a trilogy, however upon making it approximately 75% of the way […]
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You’re a champion for reading this. I’m the biggest dino-fan I know and even I couldn’t finish it. I wanted dinosaurs with knights and it felt like knights with some dinosaurs. Maybe I should have powered through? With two sequels, I must have missed something?
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