West of Eden

[Fiver]

Possible spoilers.

I've just finished reading this novel by Harry Harrison. I liked it! It's an alternate history book, in which the dinosaurs never died out and evolved an intelligent, anthropomorphic species which eventually comes into conflict with humans (who still appear on schedule).

Some of the battles didn't quite ring true, and the climax of the story seems a little too easy for the protagonists. But otherwise, it's quite a good read, with well-drawn characters and plausible motivations all around. the intelligent reptiles seem like fair extrapolations from what we know of their extant cousins.

I know this is the first book of a trilogy, the next two being Winter in Eden and Return to Eden. Without spoiling anything, can anyone who has read these tell me if they're the equal of the first book? Should I read them? Why or why not?

[Fiver]

Surely someone out there has read the series!

[DrFidelius]

Sorry Five. I only read the first one, and that was years ago. I recall I had no interest in what happened to any of the characters, which is the death knell for any book or series.

Besides, the biology was flakey.

[Montfort]

Didn't Michael Crichton write those man fights the dinosaur books?

::running away as if being chased by a T-Rex::

[xizor]

I think Iron Butterfly wrote "In the Garden of Eden".

[Engineer Don]

I read the first two, but I only read the second one 'cause I normally love Harrison's writing. No way will I read the third one. The human-saurian sex thing just put it over the top, and no, I am not kidding.

Pick up Bill the Galactic Hero, Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers, any of the Stainless Steel Rat series, or the Deathworld trilogy. I love his parodies and humor, and even the semi-serious adventure stuff. IMHO his serious works just seem lacking in comparison.

Another favorite is the Amazing Technicolor Time Machine. It shows how inevitible parodoxes would be in time travel, and it's funny.

[DrFidelius]

_A TransAtlantic Tunnel, Hurrah!_

I enjoyed the Stainless Steel Rat series up to _A Stainless Steel Rat is Born_. Finding that Slippery Jim stole his entire attitude from his mentor (and his way of turning a phrase) made me feel as if I had fallen into Heinlein-World where all protagonists sound alike.

[MaxTheVool]

to respond to the original poster, yes, I found them both quite entertaining and worth reading