Post by RedFeather on Oct 6, 2005 13:15:33 GMT -5
Okay, so I admit I am more than a little late with this, but I promised I would post it - just didn't post it when I'd promised. But here it is... Raptor Red by Robert T. Bakker.
My main problem with the book is that Bakker often gets distracted with little things like describing a turtle or a crocodile, or an aegialodon, which has hardly anything to do with the story. Sure, it is interesting, and I don't see any real problem with them being mentioned, or elaborated on a little bit, but it seems to me that he goes to the extreme, and there's an entire chapter written about a turtle, and about aegialodon. Perhaps if he had mentioned them, put them into the story a little bit, and then added a descriptive commentary on them at the end, it would have been a little um... better.
I've read this book so many times, as I completely love it, but when I read it, I always end up skipping over the aegie and turtle chapters, merely because they have nothing whatsoever to do with the ones you are supposed to interact with, the ones which mean something, the main characters - Raptor Red and her family.
He did not do this to other raptor species. For instance, he did not at all describe what the deinonychs looked like, what their body coloration was, nor did he mention much about that in regards to the yellow-snouts. (And personally, I would have loved to have had a visual image of those two, being more interesting creatures to me).
Okay, so I'm not saying turtles and such aren't interesting - just that perhaps, if they are going to be elaborated on that much, then perhaps they need their own book. It seemed to me that Bakker was trying to place many ideas, concepts and creatures into one book that he went overboard, and perhaps instead, he should have written a book on raptors (Raptor Red), another on a prehistoric turtle, a croc, or an aegialodon. Doesn't that make more sense?
What I do find interesting is, that to me, at least, there seems to be a little bit of a spiritual aspect near the end. (Don't laugh at me.
) But think about it. Raptor Red, near dying, has this dream of her mate, with wings. She had no idea of exactly where he was, and she had not re-found him. And then, she dreams this, and who... just who ends up saving her and her pack from the Deinonychs - none other than her mate.
And I find that somewhat funny, because from what I've seen, and the times when I've talked to Bakker online, he does not at all seem to be the spiritual sort of person, in any way, shape or form - he is merely logic, with a little bit of odd humor thrown in.
But the story itself, I love and am very loyal to. It feels comfortable, familiar to me, like I'm there. And I love that feeling. He is really good at getting one to feel what it must be like to be a raptor, to live a hard life, to deal with what one would have had to have dealt with back then - both negative, sad moments and positive, playful and happy ones.
The first time I read it, I was surprised at the end - because when I had gotten so near the end, it seemed for all the world like Raptor Red was going to die, and the book was going to end that way. And that really bothered me - why write such an awesome story about a Utahraptor, and then end it in her death? But, that's where the element of surprise kicked in for me, because she ended up making it, and unexpected things happened which saved her tail. And everything was all happy in the end - which is the sort of ending I like to a book.
Anyone here read the book, or have any comments?
(I, Vorchia made the title show only book and author, to make the Book Club forum easier to navigate)
My main problem with the book is that Bakker often gets distracted with little things like describing a turtle or a crocodile, or an aegialodon, which has hardly anything to do with the story. Sure, it is interesting, and I don't see any real problem with them being mentioned, or elaborated on a little bit, but it seems to me that he goes to the extreme, and there's an entire chapter written about a turtle, and about aegialodon. Perhaps if he had mentioned them, put them into the story a little bit, and then added a descriptive commentary on them at the end, it would have been a little um... better.
I've read this book so many times, as I completely love it, but when I read it, I always end up skipping over the aegie and turtle chapters, merely because they have nothing whatsoever to do with the ones you are supposed to interact with, the ones which mean something, the main characters - Raptor Red and her family.
He did not do this to other raptor species. For instance, he did not at all describe what the deinonychs looked like, what their body coloration was, nor did he mention much about that in regards to the yellow-snouts. (And personally, I would have loved to have had a visual image of those two, being more interesting creatures to me).
Okay, so I'm not saying turtles and such aren't interesting - just that perhaps, if they are going to be elaborated on that much, then perhaps they need their own book. It seemed to me that Bakker was trying to place many ideas, concepts and creatures into one book that he went overboard, and perhaps instead, he should have written a book on raptors (Raptor Red), another on a prehistoric turtle, a croc, or an aegialodon. Doesn't that make more sense?
What I do find interesting is, that to me, at least, there seems to be a little bit of a spiritual aspect near the end. (Don't laugh at me.
) But think about it. Raptor Red, near dying, has this dream of her mate, with wings. She had no idea of exactly where he was, and she had not re-found him. And then, she dreams this, and who... just who ends up saving her and her pack from the Deinonychs - none other than her mate.And I find that somewhat funny, because from what I've seen, and the times when I've talked to Bakker online, he does not at all seem to be the spiritual sort of person, in any way, shape or form - he is merely logic, with a little bit of odd humor thrown in.
But the story itself, I love and am very loyal to. It feels comfortable, familiar to me, like I'm there. And I love that feeling. He is really good at getting one to feel what it must be like to be a raptor, to live a hard life, to deal with what one would have had to have dealt with back then - both negative, sad moments and positive, playful and happy ones.
The first time I read it, I was surprised at the end - because when I had gotten so near the end, it seemed for all the world like Raptor Red was going to die, and the book was going to end that way. And that really bothered me - why write such an awesome story about a Utahraptor, and then end it in her death? But, that's where the element of surprise kicked in for me, because she ended up making it, and unexpected things happened which saved her tail. And everything was all happy in the end - which is the sort of ending I like to a book.
Anyone here read the book, or have any comments?
(I, Vorchia made the title show only book and author, to make the Book Club forum easier to navigate)
) I do plan on getting the book sometime. I will tell what I think of it when I have read it.
Red is not dead! 
