Dragon Teeth

I find myself reading more authors who are so passionate about the underlying non-fiction their stories are built upon, especially science, that it shines through in their fiction. I emulate it in my writing. It incites my enthusiasm to learn and teach through stories.

Michael Crichton’s ingenious use of a fictional protagonist to tell the incredible story of the Great Dinosaur Bone Wars between O.C. Marsh and E.D. Cope creates a rollicking tale of the American West during the Gilded Age.

Most of the time, the reader doesn’t even realize how much they are learning about this amazing history.

Historical fiction is not a genre I dabble in frequently, but considering Crichton’s famous bibliography and—I’m not ashamed to admit this—the fact that there was a dinosaur on the front cover, I knew I had to check this one out. And I’m glad I did.

The real life Bone Wars between Othniel Marsh and Edward Cope are a fascinating little piece of obscure American history; it was almost inevitable that a novel would explore them. And combined with Crichton’s brisk, fun, writing style plus his seamless weaving of real history, Dragon Teeth is a definite recommendation from me.