The Last Days of the Dinosaurs

An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World

De: Riley Black

Narrado por: Christina Delaine

2022 Library Journal Best Books of the Year, Long-listed

In The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, Riley Black walks listeners through what happened in the days, the years, the centuries, and the million years after the impact, tracking the sweeping disruptions that overtook this one spot, and imagining what might have been happening elsewhere on the globe. Life’s losses were sharp and deeply-felt, but the hope carried by the beings that survived sets the stage for the world as we know it now.

Picture yourself in the Cretaceous period. It’s a sunny afternoon in the Hell Creek of ancient Montana 66 million years ago. A Triceratops horridus ambles along the edge of the forest. In a matter of hours, everything here will be wiped away. Lush verdure will be replaced with fire. Tyrannosaurus rex will be toppled from their throne, along with every other species of non-avian dinosaur no matter their size, diet, or disposition. They just don’t know it yet.

The cause of this disaster was identified decades ago. An asteroid some seven miles across slammed into the Earth, leaving a geologic wound over 50 miles in diameter. In the terrible mass extinction that followed, more than half of known species vanished seemingly overnight. But this worst single day in the history of life on Earth was as critical for us as it was for the dinosaurs, as it allowed for evolutionary opportunities that were closed for the previous 100 million years.

A Macmillan Audio production from St. Martin's Press

©2022 Riley Black (P)2022 Macmillan Audio

Surprise

Much more. deeper than I assume for the better. The title does not do the book justice.

It is a smart book

It is a smart book. I recommend it.

i liked having the narrative broken down to what happened following the PCE event in time segments: Preceeding, the moment of, first day, week, month, year, thousand years, million years and so on. This helps the reader to get an overview of the sequence of events.

I also liked the author sharing about her trans transition and using the example of that experience to say that the evolution of life is all about many different kinds of changes, I think her point is something along the lines that lots of those changes are painful and even deadly, but physical changes in individual organisms has always been a natural part of the evolution of life.

In fact, some place in the book the author writes something to the effect that "Diversity is more than the spice of life Diversity is the seeds that are necessarily sewn for the survival of a species.". I really liked the quote when I heard it. I am happy that yhe author was applying the idea to more than biology. I say well done to the author I thought the reading performance was top notch

This is the best science book I have ever listened to

I cannot recommend this book highly enough. The author’s exceptional knowledge and the wonderful way she helped me learn about this catastrophic event 61 million years ago and how it affects of every way life on earth today was delightful. If you were going to read one science book, or listen to one science book this year, this is the one I recommend.

A captivating read

I’m a lifelong fan of dinosaurs and it thrilled me to find a book that really went into the story of the asteroid’s impact and how it affected Earth in the centuries afterward. I found the story enthralling and I found the narrator delightfully engaging. There is a good tempo and rhythm to her voice that made it easy for me to follow along, and the writing was crystal clear with just the right amount of scientific terms. I felt the author did a lovely job tying everything together with such deep understanding. I definitely recommend this book to all dinosaur enthusiasts.

A scientific fairytale

I was afraid I would have a hard time with a more nonfiction book, but it tells the story through the animals in such a way it’s much easier to grasp than I thought. Keep in mind though, like the title says it’s about the extinction- it was still very good talking about the struggles and how life persisted and shaped after the extinction, but if you are here to purely listen to something about dinosaurs this might not be for you. That being said I learned so much, and the way it is written really pulls you in, as it zooms in on the lives of a diverse array of creatures throughout time.

Beats Around the Bush

As long as you don’t mind building suspense and lots of fictional anecdotes it’s a fun read, but it does ramble and repeat itself quite a bit.

a great listen

this story gives a great visual on the effects of the great cataclysm that ended the reign of the dinosaurs. by following set groups of dinosaurs and how each creature was affected large or small.

One of the best

There are not many Dinosaurs specific books on Audible, but there are a couple good ones. I place this book immediately into the group of with the best 2 or 3 other Dinosaur books available. The author deals specifically with the Dinosaurs and their world as it happened around them. There isn't down time in which the author talks about the fossils or the fossil hunter's and their stories. This can be beneficial at times but a lot of Dinosaur books get bogged down in stories about the Dinosaur scientists. So this was definitely refreshing take on the topic.

come immerse yourself in the past of our planet

Absolutely stunning. Well written and well read. I've enjoyed every chapter, many times over. It has become my favorite bedtime story. I true comfort to me, and jt opened my eyes to what life was like after the impact and before we came along. I highly recommend this to any dinosaur enthusiasts

Cinematic and scientific

Prior to this book, I've learned I've learned quite a lot about this extinction event. But, this book brought the period and event alive for me. It has many captivating scenes with the science to support the details. very cool.