“What about the dinosaurs!?” I roared into the morning sea breeze.

Summary and Concept

I’ve recently finished a book titled “The Casebook of Harriet George #1 The Dinosaur Hunters” by Patrick Samphire and it was far more entertaining than I thought it would be. As most books, it took me a while to get further than a page or two, and what finally pushed me beyond was a trip to the beach. Once I finished first three chapters, I was barely able to put it down.

The story, as many are, are from the point of view of a human, this one named Harriet George, whose main goal is not to get married off. The story is a bit of mystery thriller about catching a jewel thief called the Glass Phantom and Harriet’s brother-in-law was assigned as the inspector in charged of the case. Harriet sees this as an opportunity to show her family she’s capable of taking care of herself and to make sure slightly inapt brother-in-law doesn’t lose his job.

So you might be thinking, ‘where are the dinosaurs?’ (or at least I was) and here’s neat part, they will be pursing a tip that the Glass Phantom will be participating in …

A dinosaur hunt.

On 19th century Mars.

And they get there on a steampunk-style airship.

A combination of concepts I’ve never thought I would read but excited every feather down my neck!

Evaluation:

The story was a smooth and fast-paced read.  Once it picked up, I was running through it. The twists were unexpected and the worldbuilding was interesting. Especially with the part with the wall and the dinosaurs!

I went into this book without reading related stories, so I felt like I only had tidbits of a world beyond and the story didn’t delve too much into it. For example, one of the characters brought up that humans on Earth realized the fossils they found are similar to the dinosaurs on Mars and the character wanted to find out more. And I never got the answer! Did the dinosaurs migrate to Mars? Were they actually from Mars?! I need to know!

The Dinosaurs!

The dinosaurs that popped in this story are: 

• T-Rex

• Dryosaurus

• Coelophysis with feathers!

Referenced:

• Several species of Pterosaur, assumingly pterodactyls and pteranodons

• Megalosaurus

• Triceratops

• Apatosaurus

• Ceratosaurus

• Stegosaurus

Rating:

• Three claws for the story

• Three claws for worldbuilding

• Four claws for pacing and engagement. 

• Three claws for accuracy, especially for the feathers on the smaller theropods.

• Two claws for dinosaur variety. 

Overall it was an entertaining read with an interesting world and thrilling story. And importantly, a variety of dinosaurs.

Three claws out of four. 

Books Links :

https://patricksamphire.com/books/the-dinosaur-hunters/

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/60168316

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