Summary

If Michael Crichton’s modern techno-thriller was born with Andromeda Strain, then it reached maturity with Jurassic Park. This 1990 novel combines genetic engineering with the classic Frankenstein. The story centers on a biological theme park masterminded by Hurdy Gurdy man John Hammond and financed by a high powered corporate multi-national called InGen. Using new genetic engineering technologies, InGen’s team engineer dinosaurs using ancient genetic material trapped in amber. These creatures are to be showcased at a theme park on an island off the coast of Costa Rica. While Hammond sees only dollar signs and happy patron’s faces, the enterprise has been plagued with problems long before the park is due to open. Concurrent to the Park’s development, attacks have been occurring on the Costa Rican mainland attributed to “aberrant life forms” as well as fatal dinosaur attacks on park workers, resulting in InGen’s investors requiring a full review of the park, particularly of its safety. To placate the investors, Hammond solicits paleontologist Alan Grant, and his paleobotanist graduate student Ellie Sadler to assess the park, along with chaotician Ian Malcolm and InGen lawyer, Donald Gennaro. Hammond is clearly delusional; He and his team are essentially playing God, attempting to create a theme park a la Disney World, where the main attraction is live dinosaurs, including Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors and many other species, about which scientists know nothing. While extraordinary modern computers, sensors and automation gives the impression that the park is under control, Hammond fails to recognize that disgruntled head computer programmer, Dennis Nedry, is about to throw a monkey wrench. A rival genetics company has offered Nedry millions of dollars for embryos of the dinosaurs. In order to access these he must turn off the park security features. Nedry is killed by a dinosaur while attempting to smuggle the embryos to the island’s dock and a waiting confederate. Slowly, the dinosaurs realize the security fences are dead and they get free. Chaotician Ian Malcolm had predicted that the park would fail and now he is shown to be correct as everyone on the island must fight for survival in a lost world where humans are merely prey.