Anonymous Rex

By: Eric Garcia

Narrated by: Maxwell Caulfield

Length: 6 hrs and 9 mins

Publisher's summary

Private investigator Vincent Rubio is down on his luck: He's out of work. His car's been repossessed. He's been banned from The Council. His partner has died under mysterious circumstances. And his tail just won't stay put. Vincent is a dinosaur - a velociraptor, to be precise. The dinosaurs faked their extinction 65 million years ago and still roam the planet, wrapped up in convincing latex costumes that allow them to blend perfectly into human society. They are doctors, janitors, senators, and football players. When Vincent is called to investigate a two-bit case of arson at a hip dino nightclub, he discovers something much more sinister that lures him back to New York City, the scene of his partner's death and a dangerous nexus of dinosaur-human intermingling. Will Vincent solve the mystery of his partner's death? Will he kick his dangerous addiction to basil, or will he wind up in Herbaholics Anonymous? Will a gorgeous blonde chanteuse discover Vincent's true identity, jeopardizing both their lives?

©1999 by Eric Garcia (P)1999 by The Publishing Mills, Inc.

Critic reviews

"The plot is bizarre, the pace fast, and the cliches poignant. Charismatic and sensitive, Caulfield's performance enhances a human-reptile combo, inviting a cult following." (AudioFile)

too silly but I liked it anyhow

Okay, the premise is absurd and unbelievable but jump past that and it's an enjoyable little story. Maybe in part because the basic premise is so silly. My rule of thumb is that it is good writing if we readers enjoy reading it. Nothing else matters, not precision grammar or university approved style. This one I did enjoy.

Weak-ish story but a great reading...

On balance nor worth it. Cute premise, dinos living among us, but stretched way too thin. The story is not really engaging but it'll keep your eyes open because of the comic-book style action and romance. Great production though.

Anonymous Rex

Definately a mystery with a twist- very funny and the narration is excellent and very much in character. I would like to listen to another of this series very much.

A rushed, absurd, and delightful little romp

While the story is a bit rushed, that's to be expected with shorter books like this one. The book would profit greatly if it was a longer, giving it time to build up some suspense and tension, as well as flesh out its world and characters more. It works more as part of a television series than a stand alone book.
There are a few jokes that don't land. And some that are honestly, kind of bad. (Giving the compies, a stupid and "simple minded" species, Mexican accents? Any sleezy dinosaur speaks with some kind of non-white accent, and its more than a bit off putting).

Now! Most viewers have pointed out how silly and absurd the plot is, but personally? I'm all here for it! Sci-fi doesn't need to be serious, grounded, or have a logical explanation for the how's and why's. The fi does of course, stand for fiction. We don't know how the Flux compactor works, just like how we don't know why gamma radiation made Bruce Banner into the Hulk. Sci-fi let's you take a weird idea, and run with it. And run with it Anonymous Rex has!
You don't get too many stories, aside from your cheesey "bad on purpose" movies (like sharknado), that are unafraid to get weird and even silly with their premise. The author wanted to write a story about dinosaurs living in the modern world with a secret society,and by Joe they did it! If you wantna fun little story, you'll find that here. if you miss your Korean whimsical Sci-fi stories (akin to your 50s-80s stories, you'll find that here too)!

The plot itself isn't too bad. I don't want to call it predictable, but that's more because, due to our brief time meeting and hearing about them, it's hard to remember exactly who everyone is. (Or their names very least.) That being said, the plot was fun, and one that could only work in this (or a similar) setting. It's a neat little scifi mystery plot, with unique problems.

Vincent himself is such a fun character. He's pathetic, he talks down about himself, while also being a prideful little shit. He's your stereotypical private detective, but it works well enough for the story. They let him be a loser, and that's when his character really shines through.

abridged takes away the minor details

I like the story, but there are a few little nit-picky details that get left out in the abridged version that really need to be included. The idea of a dinosuar succesfully wearing a human "skin" suit and speaking english is crazy, but it adds a little twist to a typical "Dick Tracy" detective story. Some of the imagery is a bit hard to imagine with the given descriptions, but it's still worth the read. I'll be looking for the sequels soon.

Neither good sci fi or good Mystery

This book is an ok mystery but terrible science fiction. Good science fiction takes an idea, maybe impossible, and develops a credible story around the idea. A good mystery has the plot and leads the reader on an adventure to solve whodunit. But the implausible science assumptions, hidden dinosaurs in our population, preordained that I could not generate much enthusiasm for trying to solve the mystery. The author had to keep introducing absurd ideas in a vain attempt to booster his sci fi idea and that is similar to introducing the killer at the very end of the book.

To be fair, the use of scent was very well done and dovetailed well into the solution, and there were bits of humor; this made the book readable. Still, if I had not been trapped inside Ohare airport for six hours, I doubt I would have finished it.