The Last Days of the Dinosaurs

An Asteroid, Extinction, and the Beginning of Our World

By: Riley Black

Narrated by: Christina Delaine

Length: 7 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

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

an excellent book for all ages

Riley black does an excellent job writing about the last days of the dinosaurs and the impact that changed all life on Earth. she speaks about true events from the eyes of imagination. I was captivated the whole time I was reading 10 out of 10 cannot recommend this enough appropriate for all ages.

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.

amazing

generally not my area of interest, despite this I was captivated by the fantastic writing.
do yourself a favor and take time for this one.

excellent book

The book was so detailed and the narrator had a voice that allowed you to picture what was happening.

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.

Engaging & well-composed.

Nice job. Really enjoyed this & learned much. Worth the tone to listen to. Do it.

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.

From 3 to 4 stars

I originally gave it 3 stars ("Pretty Good") but later changed it to 4 stars ("It's Great"). The reason is I watched the 2-hour Nova show 'Dinosaur Collapse' narrated by Sir David Attenborough with guest expert Riley Black which covers much the same material in the book (the release of the book and show coincide). The show has incredible CG that brought to life 66 million years ago on Hell Creek, Montana that felt like true time travel. The world was both familiar and different, but familiar enough to be believable. This then fed into and reinforced what I learned in the book. The two together are more than the sum of parts. Highly recommended to pair these into a multi-multi-media experience (text, audio, video).

Encouragement to open your mind

I have never been especially interested in or fascinated by dinosaurs, but this book provides a perspective of life on Earth that kept my attention. The narration is pleasant to listen to.

a lovely breath of fresh air

pros are lovely, and bring these animals to life without compromising on accuracy. excellent!