A Soul Full of Shadows, Derek Landy

 

Book Title: A Soul Full of Shadows

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #18

Date Started: April 4th  2026

Date Completed: May 4th 2026

Genres: Fantasy, Action, Mystery, Thriller, Horror, Comedy

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

Regardless of where you find yourself in the Skulduggery saga, Derek has yet to disappoint in the new chapter he's added. With more than 20 full-length novels at this point, still every book is a truly original story, always with new ideas and fresh humour to make me laugh out loud (and that never happens). Nothing is redundant in a Skulduggery story, everything comes back around, and everything comes to an end. And, of course, this wasn't the real end.

I struggle these days with the sheer scale of people, places, magic systems and (now) timelines in the Skulduggery Pleasant world. It's somewhat inevitable, 18 main books and several spin-offs down the line, and luckily the hijinks and thrills don't suffer too much from it. I did find the first half of A Soul Full of Shadows a bit of a drag with predominantly talking and lots and lots of set-up, but the second half was a pure joyride and made up for it.

The sequel series/set of trilogies is not what the original 9-book/3-part trilogy series used to be; they've evolved significantly. Some parts I like, some parts I'm not as keen on - but I don't think I'll ever stop coming back for more, so I'm here for whatever road Derek wants to send a burning Bentley down. It would be nice if Tanith got to have something nice for more than 100 pages, though.

Circle of Flight, John Marsden

Book Title: Circle of Flight

Author: John Marsden

Series: The Ellie Chronicles #3

Date Started: May 4th  2025

Date Completed: May 14th 2025

Genres: Action, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

I'm actually quite emotional at finishing this book, the final in this trilogy plus the original Tomorrow series. I've been reading these since sometime around 2010 (when a family friend gifted me the first book after seeing me read under the table at a family dinner rather than socialise).

I've said it before, but John Marsden makes domestic things like farming, auctions, court hearings and more interesting and emotionally involving. These books are set in high-strung environments, literally and politically, and they have their fair share of adrenaline and pandemonium. But the characters exist in the downtime too, and not just a filler between fights. In so many ways, it differs from my usual reading preferences, and yet I am always drawn magnetically to the next book.

And when all hell does break loose - which, with Ellie, is pretty often - the action continues to rival the best I've ever read. It's exciting, fluid, chaotic but coherent, and oh so intelligent without being over-explained. It's not just this person does this move and then this; it's Ellie sees an opening so moves over here, has an intrusive thought and then gets her head back in the game, tries to do this and completely fails but manages to do this instead, gets hurt but lets the adrenaline take over etc etc. It's messy and raw and scary, but just like Ellie you recognise how thrilling and addictive it is, and maybe feel conflicted about that too.

Circle of Flight has a fitting end to this sequel series without being too self-conscious about nostalgically drawing attention to references of the past. It honestly brought me joy to see reveals and final resolutions done so well; not driven by ego or shock factor, just coming into Ellie's awareness as if they've always been there and she just hadn't looked over her shoulder and noticed (which is very Ellie coded). It's so satisfying, draws you so close to her as a protagonist, and feels like reality.

Ellie has been one of the most influential, present, important role models and characters in my life. I have enjoyed every moment of these books with her and her friend, and I am very grateful for them. This book itself was probably 4 stars, but I've given it 5 as recognition of both the Tomorrow series and The Ellie Chronicles as a whole, being some of the best fiction - the most creative, intelligent and emotionally charged - I've read in my life.

A Heart Full of Hatred, Derek Landy

Book Title: A Heart Full of Hatred

Author: Derek Landy

Series: Skulduggery Pleasant #18

Date Started: March 31st  2025

Date Completed: April 5th 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Adventure, Action, Thriller, Horror

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

The highlight of my year is the new Skulduggery Pleasant book coming out - okay, slight exaggeration but it's something that I always look forward to and enjoy when it comes back around. I have a thousand things to say about the combat, the tone, the magic and the world and where the people fit into and rage against it - but go read my other 17+ reviews of the other books in the series for those because they remain consistent and steadfast.

The evolution of this series never fails to impress me. Of course there's a special connection when you read a story as a kid and it then grows and develops into more mature and complex territory alongside you. But the Skulduggery Pleasant series is so politically conscious, socially aware, and chooses to do something powerful with that it has a special place in my heart.

I'm really enjoying the character focus over plot hijinks in this new trilogy. There's still the classic action adventure, the punching, the world-threatening disasters, the punching, the dry humour, and the punching. But the conflict arises more often from why the characters want to punch each other, rather than the punching happening first and questions asked later.

I'm also very much enjoying where Valkyrie is in her arc. We've progressed from the 'I'm unkillable' to 'I'm very killable, that's scary, but you'll have a hard time trying' and that's really cool. Credit where it's due for giving the same character who we've followed for literally nearly 20 years (that's terrifying) new arcs as they grow. It's what so many sequel series fall down in - twisting their characters into different people to try and give them something new to grapple with - but something that of course people continue to do. We don't overcome one problem in our life and live happily ever after.

On a final note, Derek finally heard my request for more Tanith and I'm very pleased. But I still don't think it's a kids series.

The Listeners, Maggie Stiefvater

Book Title: The Listeners

Author: Maggie Stiefvater

Date Started: February 13th  2025

Date Completed: February 26th 2025

Genres: Magical Realism, Historical, Thriller

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook for review ◆

Of course, The Listeners has fascinating subject matter, well played with; a luxury hotel in the mountains turned indulgent prison (and at some times, a stage) for the opposition's diplomats during the early Second World War. But that's all really just the backdrop to a story about how people pretend, present and project themselves onto those around them, and what those people do in response.

Plot-wise, the start has a lot of exciting paths being shown to us, then there's slow-going progress through the middle before the satisfying and rousing finale in the last 15%. The final twist could've used a bit more buildup, but overall I was hooked almost the whole way through. Stiefvater also presents a fantastic use of magical realism to make the story feel full, to materialise these feelings of utter loss and dread and listlessness and steadfastness in a world falling apart, and a cast of characters screaming into the void as it happens.

I am utterly in love with the neurodivergent representation, so seamlessly in place. It's never called that, or really given a name at all, but it resounded so true and personally with me, and clearly what Stiefvater was intending. The power and respect June has, and the 'unusual' parts of how she thinks that make it possible, fills my heart. As a protagonist, she is idealistic and insightful and unmoving, but also not infallible and scared and stubborn. What an adaptation this would make if done well.

I was dithering between 4 or 5 stars for this book while reading - it's a great concept, creatively told, but dawdles in the middle and almost falls into the listlessness of literary fiction. But, actually, I haven't felt this moved in a way I can't articulate in a long time; so 5 stars it is.

Only Human, Sylvain Neuvel

Book Title: Only Human

Author: Sylvain Neuvel

Series: Themis Files #3

Date Started: January 27th  2025

Date Completed: February 1st 2025

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Adventure

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Two Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

◆ Thank you to NetGalley for this ebook for review ◆

I’ve never been able to settle into science fiction literature, and while the first book in this series had a mythic/fairytale quality that I liked, the trilogy has progressed into pure sci fi (which is absolutely fine, I’ve just found my attention waning unfortunately).

That being said, there were three things that kept sticking out to me reading this; the transcript style often doesn’t lend itself to the drama the story seems to need, the characters can often very flippant with their generation of countries (I get some of them are supposed to be bad people but even the main cast do it), and - most importantly - I don’t buy the melodramatic father/daughter drama for a second, it’s far too shallow and performative on both sides.

I miss Rose being the main character, and I miss Kara all around. I think that, for me, was why almost all the beats in Only Humans just didn’t hit; there didn’t seem to be an emotional anchor in the way the other books had. I’ve read a lot of books about governments turning into facist world-ending adrenaline junkies and having a field day being corrupt politicians, whether it’s against aliens or the lower classes or each other. I want to pay more attention to the people standing against them.

Incurable, John Marsden

Book Title: Incurable

Author: John Marsden

Series: The Ellie Chronicles #2

Date Started: January 18th 2024

Date Completed: January 25th 2024

Genres: Action, Adventure

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

These books really are a saga, all the way from Tomorrow When the War Began to where we are now. While the story only takes place over a few years at most, this series has been with me for most of my life thanks to a dear family friend. I wish it got more traction outside of Australia because it really is one of the best book series for young adults out there.

For a story no longer taking place during a war, there sure is a lot of drama and action. If you had to assign a genre I’d probably go for ‘slice of life’ - but the most exciting kind imaginable. I’m finding it incredibly freeing to follow the aftershocks of the war and Ellie and her friends’ experiences. And especially since living through the Covid epidemic, I have a newfound appreciation for epilogues and what comes next.

Reading John Marsden book is always a joy because no one writes action like this. I get through a fair amount of action-intense books across various genres, but none have this clear-headed processing and absolute petrifying chaos in their execution. Ellie and her friends find themselves in life threatening situations chronically frequently, but every time, it’s just as tense and inescapable and hugely satisfying to watch them finding their way through.

And wow, how amazing is it to see a genuinely clever female character kick ass. I love a lot of YA fiction and heroines, but Ellie is just so instinctively intelligent, it never gets old. The witty one liners aren’t her thing, nor are the elaborate gotcha plans running in the background; but adrenaline pumping survival instinct? No one does it better. She’s such a good example of a protagonist being the person who swoops in and saves others, rather than being agency-less and only ever experiencing things as a result of being caught unawares - Ellie really takes charge of situations and feel the strain it of course takes to do it.

I think I would probably read anything by John Marsden after this series, regardless of the genre or even synopsis. I expect I said this in my last review but, who knew farming could be so intrinsic and actually interesting in a war story from a teenager? How could so many ‘will they, won’t they’ relationships just be a small part of a much bigger human story? How could a protagonist who literally never seems to win be so rewarding to follow along? I still don’t really know the answer, but I definitely enjoy the ride.

The Screaming Staircase

Book Title: The Screaming Staircase

Author: Jonathan Stroud

Series: Lockwood & Co #1

Date Started: April 12th 2023

Date Completed: April 21st 2023

Genres: Adventure, Mystery, Horror, Fantasy

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to Double Day for this proof copy for review (from 10 years ago, I'm sorry) ◆

Having enjoyed the show, and receiving this proof copy in the mail about a decade ago, I thought it was time to have a little easy read from my TBR. The first Lockwood & Co book was good fun, exciting and spooky, and just the sort of thing I was looking for. Like the show, the well-balanced mix of worldbuilding and fantasy building, fleshing out parallels and similarities with our own reality, was pretty key in making the spoopy ghost-hunting adventures feel more mature and complex, with bigger enemies clearly at play behind the curtain and waiting for the heroes to find them.

It's fair to say that the recent Netflix adaptation is really quite faithful to the book, though this first novel instalment takes up a mere couple of episodes as the start of the tv series. On reflection, of course it was destined for Netflix glory as its episodic style, with multiple seemingly unrelated threads all tying together into a chilling finale is the perfect source material for such creations. And, even though I know the story and its twists, I still found experiencing it in its original medium engaging.

The most significant area of surprise for me was how unkind to its characters the prose is. There are constant jokes about George's weight (there isn't a single time he's referenced that doesn't include exaggerating his size) and Lucy 'smiling prettily' to get her way and being more 'sensitive to emotions' than the boys. Look, I don't think it's unfair to say that it hasn't aged very well in the last 10 years. That had no small part in making me appreciate the TV show and how well it adapted the story, developing areas of weakness and utilising the cinematic and enthralling mysteries and themes.

Unfortunately, the early 2010s attitude of body shaming and casual sexism isn't honestly something that fills me with a great desire to continue the series in book form, though I hold big hopes for the continuation of the more culturally-conscious Netflix adaptation bringing me more exciting ghost-hunting adventures with (their version) of the gang.

Jade City

Book Title: Jade City

Author: Fonda LEe

Date Started: March 12th 2023

Date Completed: April 13th 2023

Genres: Thriller, Fantasy

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

I wasn't expecting an incredibly detailed and political gangster-clan war story when I picked this up. And yet, while it came as a surprise to me, you can't oppose that the hype is founded; Lee's grasp and exploration of sometimes incredibly violent, sometimes incredibly vulnerable, complex characters - her humanisation of them and ability to lift them beyond their actions alone, into their motivations, vices, and ambitions - rival and surpasses classic gangster or even epic fantasy tropes.

It's undeniable that the worldbuilding is simply lush. The fantasy elements are so naturally constructed and fit into the story it comes across closer to magical realism, where the fantastical elements heighten the stakes and drama of the otherwise familiar characters, dynamics and narrative.

If you enjoy watching characters you've come to feel (for over the course of years in-story) making terrible decisions, and yet being unable to disagree with them, then this is probably going to be a wild ride for you - and a very good one.

While I Live

Book Title: While I Live

Author: John Marsden

Series: The Ellie Chronicles #1

Date Started: September 4th 2022

Date Completed: October 3rd 2022

Genres: Adventure, Thriller

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

For once, I'm so happy there's a sequel series to an original. The Tomorrow series was incredibly influential to me as a teenager, and remains one of the best explorations of war, survival, friendship and bravery I've ever come across. It's such a shame it isn't as well known outside of its native Australia. The Ellie Chronicles, taking place (spoiler) after the end of the war that fractured the protaginst's existence over the course of seven books, follows the endlessly conflicted and clever Ellie trying to work out what to do with her life next. 

I'm always a bit mystified how Marsden can make the everyday, however grim the circumstances, compelling and immersive. Ellie spends most of this book at home trying to work out how to balance her finances while looking after her cattle and getting into arguments with people trying to help. It's so far removed from my usual preferences, but it felt like visiting dear friends.

Ellie is one of the few protagonists that's ever felt truly real to me - and that goes for all of Marsden's characters. She's written to be so human, to the point where she's really vindictive sometimes and the narrative doesn't lay any judgement on her at all. She's constantly pissed of and tired and trying and that's the closest thing I've ever related to with fictional characters. Don't get me wrong, we don't have to feel like we are a character to relate and love them - but it's something special when it does happen.

I think part of this comes from the fact that Ellie is only as strong as her relationships, and the other people in her life are so influential and important to her growth. The familiar faces from the original series are so naturally featured, without being shoehorned in for a quick reference. The friendships are so tactile and precious; characters don't have to be joined at the hip and speak every day to be close, as I think the representation often becomes. Months go past without Ellie speaking to dear friends, and when she does see them it can be awkward and hesitant. But they're still so close, and that's something that so many struggle to translate to the page.

Babel

Book Title: Babel

Author: R.F. Kuang

Date Started: May 27th 2022

Date Completed: June 22nd 2022

Genres: Historical, Fantasy, Thriller, Adventure

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

◆ Thanks to NetGalley for this eBook copy for review ◆

Writing this review is hard, for a number of reasons. One of them is that I'd need an essay to fully explain how great and clever and thoughtful and dreadful and magical it is. Another is that I want to shove you in the direction of other people's reviews and thoughts (reading reviews from different people with a variety of backgrounds, preferences and specialisms is a good thing, kids). And, really, it can all be summed up by saying R.F. Kuang is an exceptional writer, storyteller and academic.

Babel, at its heart, is a love letter to Oxford, to etymology and language and things lost in translation. It marvels at technology, at communication, at friendship, at culture. And it exposes its cracks and its shadows and the selfish people who control it, and the people who go along with it, and the people who very quietly say no. It is so well-balanced and articulated; how do you communicate the endlessly dreadful conflict of dearly loving something that comes from terrible, ignorant, colonial roots. What is our responsibility in acknowledging these things, and what is our responsibility for changing them? This isn't what Babel is wholly about - it is about so much more - but it is the thing that many people reading it may not have been confronted with before, even though we all should have been a long time ago.

Aside from all that, it's also a gripping and enchanting thriller. The characters are lovable and fantastically rounded and flawed (what else do we expect from Kuang?). I'm endlessly impressed by the author's ability to write and execute her stories just as brilliantly in different genres. The Poppy War was astounding, the complexity and fantasy and scope that was so readable that you just got absolutely lost. She's done it again with a historical thriller, a setting worlds apart and yet so close. She's writing a rom-com? I cannot wait. If she published her college thesis I would devour it. I will read everything she ever writes at this point.

Kuang also knows how to write endings that fit the stories she's telling. I don't think it's unfair to say that the majority of stories we process have endings that might be pleasing, or nice - bittersweet even - but few of them align the themes of their story so perfectly that it is seamlessly right for the story being told. Often because, as human are fallible and flawed and problematic, these endings aren't necessarily perfectly happy, or they might even in some way seem hopeless. The dragon isn't slain, never to return; he lives on. But Kuang hangs her endings perfectly in the balance of reality and resolution, and they are so endlessly satisfying as a result. And somehow, by acknowledging the hopelessness, it can, just maybe, feel hopeful. The dragon wasn't slain - but now maybe we know that it can't always kill us either.

Piranesi

 Book Title: Piranesi

Author: Susanne Clarke

Date Started: July 27th 2021

Date Completed: July 29th 2021

Genres: Mystery, Thriller

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

Piranesi was a lot of fun, and a way quicker read than I had expected. Full of intrigue, wonder and a lot of good characterisation, while it isn't quite the masterpiece some sell it is, it's a very well-crafted piece of fiction.

Overall, the book is well-paced and planned. Clarke puts a lot of thought into building tone and atmosphere, without overdoing the description. A great deal of this story relies on picturing the House and the things Piranesi comes across, and Clarke pulls it off with very succinct prose. Piranesi himself is a bit of an idiot but he's balanced well with his kind-heartedness. And who doesn't love a book that can pull off mysterious puzzles where the audience are invited along to solve what's happening themselves.

The best way to go into this is without knowing much about the story, but the tone is definitely more towards The Secret History meets Circe meets The Maze Runner (I seemed to have it in my head that it was a classical retelling, perhaps from the cover and marketing).

Darkdawn

Book Title: Darkdawn

Author: Jay Kristoff

Series: The Nevernight Chronicles #3

Date Started: May 19th 2021

Date Completed: May 31st 2021

Genres: Fantasy, Action, Thriller,  Romance

Quality Rating: Five Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Five Star

Final Rating: Five Stars

Review:

The final chapter in The Nevernight Chronicles ties up pretty much everything surprisingly neatly, and just as satisfyingly as expected. Kristoff's players on his chessboard press forward with calculated, organic moves, all towards the Queen waiting at the very end.

I'd forgotten just how intense these books were. They just don't stop, from start to finish. And it doesn't get old: somehow each action scene feels new, the revelations are just as revelatory, and the things we knew were always going to happen still feel like twists. I actually find it a little funny that the final finale was actually probably the least exciting bit, I suppose because we all knew how it was going to end.

Mia's great, as always. And it's been nice having this big cast of characters the whole way through the series, even if they do step on and off the stage; without taking away from Mia as the protagonist, Kristoff can balance different sub-plots and people so that we become attached to things from all directions. It's one of the reasons his twists and turns land so well; because we care about the whole picture. (Also, just to note, this is how you can write women sexily, and use smut and cursing and crude jokes, without objectifying and shaming women and other groups.)

I also really respect the 'screw destiny' vibe, while still having that prophecy-driven force in the storytelling. The chosen one has always been a problematic trope, but (as with so many things) Kristoff manages to adapt it to complete the story with due justice to Mia and all the other n0n-chosen ones who are just as key to the victory.

I don't know just how much Kristoff did plan ahead, but nothing in Darkdawn felt conveniently moved in the plot just to pull off a twist or a climax, as happens so often. Things fell into place like they were divinely planned - in the way all great fantasy epics are, by nature, constructed, but seamlessly.

Ninth House

Book Title: Ninth House

Author: Leigh Bardugo

Series: Alex Stern #1

Date Started: April 4th 2021

Date Completed: May 11th 2021

Genres: Horror, Mystery, Thriller, Fantasy

Quality Rating: Four Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Three Star

Final Rating: Three Stars

Review:

Ninth House ended up being more gothic-occult horror than mysterious detective adventure - what made me think it was going to be the latter I'm not sure, but it was a bit of change in direction at first. That's not any real problem with the book, but it definitely contributed to what made me move at a snail's pace (it took me more than a month to read this): it's just a bit more convoluted than it needs to be. While the voice of Jake Peralta kept saying 'cool motive, still murder' in my head throughout, it felt morphed a bit into 'cool story, still slow'.

There's a lot of information piled on you in the whole book, but especially at the start. I honestly still don't really understand the magic system and I couldn't name the different houses, let alone match what discipline is from which house, or what person is in what house; I just about got on top of the classical codenames by the end (Alex is Virgil right... right?). Ultimately, if you latch onto the brilliant cast of characters, nothing else matters too much, but I think it's worth saying that I'd hope later books in the series continue to make distinctions because I need a handbook.

I really like the themes Bardugo chooses, but they are slightly lost amongst the genre pieces in this. The classism and casual sexism, the gaslighting and prejudice against addicts, is interesting and nice to actually see tackled amongst fantasy, but it fades into the background when it isn't used as the main issue of the scene (where it knocks you over the head a bit).

Ultimately, Ninth House did not need to be anywhere near as long as it is. The last third was great and I blasted through the end of the story, but the first 200/300 pages was a lot of extra stuff that wasn't necessary for it. I will say that I'm a big fan of books that finish their own story arcs satisfyingly but leave questions unanswered and strings left untied so there's somewhere to go. Whether I'll read the next instalment, I'm still unsure. More because Ninth House just wasn't really my thing and it taking so long to get to the point made it less enjoyable for me.

Jurassic Park

Book Title: Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

Series: Jurassic Park #1

Date Started: October 29th 2020

Date Completed: October 30th 2020

Genres: Sci-Fi, Adventure, Thriller, Horror

Quality Rating: Three Stars

Enjoyment Rating: Four Star

Final Rating: Four Stars

Review:

Michael Crichton's original story is anything but a novelisation of the film that has become so iconic, and I can see why a lot of people who know the film don't necessarily like the book. But I personally found this to be a great novel, if of course flawed. And actually, knowing the process of translating prose to screenplay, I was more impressed by both the source material and Speilberg's wonderful work to adapt it.

I think we all appreciate that it's impossible not to compare this book to the film, so I'll get the major things out of the way. The big changes are that Alan Grant likes kids (shocking, right?), the girl is actually the younger sibling and pretty much useless, and there are a lot more dinosaur encounters written down than end up in the film. In a broader sense, the book is both slower and faster-paced; the first section is all about the mystery of this strange lizard that has been found while the audience tries to work out what's happening - it's pretty obvious to all of us now, but I did like the way it really built up the ripple effect of Hammond's creations before we even got into the meat of what he had created. I'm also going to point out that the women in the novel are far less prominent, and written as figureheads. While Crichton is aware of the sexism that's around them, he doesn't do much to oppose it other than inferring to it a few times.

Aside from those inevitable comparisons, however, I was really impressed at how creepy and tense this story was. Considering it's written and has no actual visuals of dinosaurs for the reader to reference, it's very vivid and wonderous. Having been a dinosaur-obsessed child (as so many of us are) I could picture a lot of them, but even so their behaviour, the way they moved, the mere presence of size and strength was tangible.

The whole book reminded me a lot fo the Martian. It's very much fiction but backed up with a lot of constructed science, and very convincing. A lot of the tension is in the reader's realisation as the writer explains the evidence. A little unexpectedly, Crichton does a lot of this with maths as well as biology (Malcolm is even more pretentious than in the film if that's possible) and even starts delving reasonably deeply into philosophy. Again, potentially another reason why some people don't totally engage with it.

Overall, I really enjoyed Jurassic Park, although it does become repetitive the further on you go when it basically becomes Grant and the kids having various encounters with dinosaurs that only really differ depending on a very specific characteristic that highlights the behaviour of said species they run into. But you can tell it's an influential work of fiction because even the new films are still borrowing things from this first book.