by Michael CrichtonThis story takes place six years after the Jurassic Park disaster. The book starts out with Ian Malcom giving a speach on his theory of extinction at aplace called the Santa Fe Institute.
As he’s talking, a tall man stands up. His name isRichard Levine. He’s a paleontologist, and he is fairly wealthy. He interrupts Ian to tellhim that he doesn’t think dinosaurs are really extinct. He believes there’s a lost world on anisland somewhere off Costa Rica.
“I’m quite serious. What if the dinosaurs did not become extinct? What if they stillexist’somewhere in an isolated spot on the planet?” (5) Ian tells him this is nonsense,and continues on explaining his theory. Outside of the Santa Fe Institute, Ian meets up with his long time friend, SarahHarding, a well-known biologist who studies large predators in Africa. They discuss whatLevine said, and they come to the mutual conclusion that Levine probably doesn’t knowwhat he’s talking about. Meanwhile, Levine is secretly preparing equipment for a jungle expedition. He enliststhe help of a man called Doc Thorne, who was a college engineering professor, but nowdesigns souped-up vehicles for expeditions and searches.
He also enlists Doc Thorne’s bestmechanic, Eddie Carr. Levine has Doc Thorne and Eddie rig a Ford Explorer and amotorcycle to run on batteries. He also has them build reinforced trailers to housebiological labs. Levine inspects the equipment and sees that it is satisfactory and almostready to go. He suggests that instead of testing the prototype vehicles first, they take themdirectly to Costa Rica to start the expedition. Thorne doesn’t like the idea, but becauseLevine is so enthusiastic, he agrees.
Levine sets to leave at midnight from San Francisco,and the expedition is to join him in Costa Rica about forty-eight hours later. As they’re finalizing their plans for the trip, a black kid, Arby Benton, about ten yearsold, wearing glasses and a suit, and a taller white girl named Kelly Curtis walk in and catchwind of the plan and immediately want to go. They had been expecting to go on anothersmall expedition with Levine over their spring break to study fossils having already hadpermission from their parents. Since they already had permission to be away from home,they decided it wouldn’t hurt to go a little farther. Levine, Thorne and Eddie immediatelysay, “No,” thinking that the risk would be too high. Levine leaves later that night for CostaRica.
Back at the Santa Fe Institute, Malcom says goodbye to Sarah, because she is goingback to Africa to continue her study of hyenas. As Malcom watches her leave, he decidesto go visit his friend Doc Thorne in a day or two. Levine reaches Costa Rica the next day and charters a fishing boat to bring him to IslaSorna, one of five islands in a chain known as the “Five Deaths. ” Satellite evidenceindicates to Levine that a volcanic island in this area may be home to nests of livingdinosaurs. Before Levine leaves for the island, he hires a local guide, named Diego, whovisited the island frequently as a child and claims to have knowledge of the island’s trailsand primitive roads. They set out for Sorna and reach it two hours later.
Levine and Diego are forced toclimb steep cliffs to reach the plateau at the top of the island. As they reach the top, Diegolooks around and confidently tells Levine to follow him. Diego leads the way to a streamwhere Levine stoops down to take a drink. In the undergrowth around him, he noticesseveral small, chicken-sized dinosaurs. He recognizes them as procompsagnathuses. Diego also notices them and reaches out his hand to pet them.
Levine warns him that eventhough these dinosaurs are small, it’s possible that they could have a venomous bite. Diegoquickly pulls his hand back just as one of the dinosaurs jumps at him and tries to bite him. Suddenly, the little dinosaurs begin to chirp and become skittish. They quickly scatter intothe underbrush and disappear. Levine looks around worriedly for a some sign of what hasfrightened the diminuative dinosaurs.
As he glances around, he can tell something iswrong, but he can’t put his finger on what it is. Suddenly, Diego is jerked from his feetand dragged screaming into the surrounding bushes. Levine fills with panic and blindlybegins running into the jungle. He doesn’t make it far, however, before he is smashedfrom behind. He is saved only by his backpack, which the animal on top of him begins totear to shreds. Levine manages to struggle loose from his back pack and quickly scramblesup the nearest tree.
Back in San Francisco, Malcom opens the door to Thorne’s office and sees him sittingat a computer console with Arby and Kelly. Before Malcom can say “Hi,” the satellitephone on Thorne’s desk rings. He picks up the phone, only to hear static and the words,”Help. . . trapped.
. . Isla Sorna. ” They recognize Levine’s fear-stricken voice immediately. Then the connection goes dead.
Thorne looks at Malcom and tells him to contact SarahHarding and have her meet them on Isla Sorna as soon as possible. Then Thorne sends Arby and Kelly home, after steadfastly denying their request to goon the expedition, stating that it would be too dangerous. Arby and Kelly act as if they areleaving, but sneak into a trailer as stowaways in a cabinet. Meanwhile, at a cafe in Chinatown, Lewis Dodgson, a researcher for the BiosynCorporation, learns from his spies of Richard Levine’s expedition to Isla Sorna. He decidesto take advantage of the situation and take his own expedition to Isla Sorna. He intends tosteal Levine’s research and pass it off as his own.
He also plans to collect an egg from eachspecies of dinosaur. He and his accomplice, Howard King, another researcher at Biosyn,and the unwitting Professor George Basilton decide to head to Costa Rica and get to IslaSorna as quickly as possible. In Africa, Sarah gets Ian’s phone call while she is studying a hyena kill of an Africanbison on the savannah. She’s learns of Richard’s dire predicament and says that she willmeet the expedition on Isla Sorna as soon as she can. Doc Thorne, Ian Malcom and Eddie Carr reach Puerto Cortez in Costa Rica the nextday and waste no time in getting their equipment ready for sling loading by helicopter toIsla Sorna. They reach the Island an hour later and land in a grassy clearing in the jungle.
Thehelicopters leave, and the members of the expedition set about readying their equipment. Eddie drives the battery-powered Explorer out into the open and is followed by Ian andThorne, who are driving the lab trailer. Eddie leads the way down what appears to be anold, overgrown jungle road. After about a half mile, Eddy stops at a stream. He flips on aradar monitor to see if he can detect the sensor that was carried by Levine.
A red dot,indicating Levine’s position, flashes on the monitor. Eddy conveys to the rest of the teamthat he has a visual on Levine’s position. They decide to press on. After another half mile, they come to a fork in the road. A nearby sign points left to”swamp. ” To the right it points to “Site B.
” They mutually agree to investigate Site B. Eddy puts his foot on the gas, but abruptly stops. Over the CB, his shocked voice can beheard saying, “What’s that!?” They all gaze in the direction he’s pointing, just in time to seea dinosaur the size of a cow cross the road, followed closely by a dinosaur three times thatsize with a bony frill on its neck and three large horns. Ian calmly explains, “That’s atriceratops. A young one, by the looks of it.” (125) Everyone watches in amazement asthe dinosaurs trundle across the road and disappear into the trees.
