The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

A New History of a Lost World

By: Steve Brusatte

Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Publisher's summary

A sweeping and groundbreaking history of the age of dinosaurs, from one of our finest young scientists.

The dinosaurs. 66 million years ago, the Earth's most fearsome and spectacular creatures vanished. Today their extraordinary true story remains one of our planet's great mysteries.

In this stunning narrative spanning more than 200 million years, Steve Brusatte, a young American paleontologist who has emerged as one of the foremost stars of the field - discovering 10 new species and leading groundbreaking scientific studies and fieldwork - masterfully tells the complete, surprising, and new history of the dinosaurs, drawing on cutting-edge science to dramatically bring to life their lost world and illuminate their enigmatic origins, spectacular flourishing, astonishing diversity, cataclysmic extinction, and startling living legacy. Captivating and revelatory, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a book for the ages.

Brusatte traces the evolution of dinosaurs from their inauspicious start as small shadow dwellers - themselves the beneficiaries of a mass extinction caused by volcanic eruptions at the beginning of the Triassic period - into the dominant array of species every wide-eyed child memorizes today, T. rex, Triceratops, Brontosaurus, and more. This gifted scientist and writer re-creates the dinosaurs' peak during the Jurassic and Cretaceous, when thousands of species thrived, and winged and feathered dinosaurs, the prehistoric ancestors of modern birds, emerged. The story continues to the end of the Cretaceous period, when a giant asteroid or comet struck the planet and nearly every dinosaur species (but not all) died out, in the most extraordinary extinction event in earth's history, one full of lessons for today as we confront a "sixth extinction".

Brusatte also recalls compelling stories from his globe-trotting expeditions during one of the most exciting eras in dinosaur research - which he calls "a new golden age of discovery" - and offers thrilling accounts of some of the remarkable findings he and his colleagues have made, including primitive human-sized tyrannosaurs; monstrous carnivores even larger than T. rex; and paradigm-shifting feathered raptors from China.

An electrifying scientific history that unearths the dinosaurs' epic saga, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs will be a definitive and treasured account for decades to come.

©2018 Stephen Brusatte (P)2018 HarperCollins Publishers

Critic reviews

"Patrick Lawlor's narration injects Brusatte's enthusiasm into the informative writing.... Listeners who love dinosaurs will thrill to the latest developments in their history." (AudioFile)

A general update on modern dinosaur science

Great book written in a breezy fashion. Does not deal with the minutia but gives a grand overview of dinosaurs: where they cam from, what they were like, and what happened to them. A good book for the interested layman and for those who want to caught up on the latest findings in Paleontology.

Enjoyed & Learned a Lot

This book is one part personal narrative, one part history of the dinosaurs, and one part profiles of paleontologists. It works. I enjoyed it and learned a lot. At times I wished for a more straightforward exposition of dinosaur history, but generally appreciated the style. Brusatte's descriptions of paleontologists are often as or more vivid than his descriptions of the dinosaurs. The narration is very good, especially given some of the difficult pronunciations of dinosaur names. The periods of time involved are mind-boggling, but by the end of the book I had a pretty decent knowledge and understanding of them. Truly amazing to ponder just how long dinosaurs dominated the earth. All in all, a very good audiobook.

Wonderful

The constant name dropping of his mentors and colleagues might have been annoying if it wasn't so earnest and endearing. It really filled me with wonder about dinosaurs in a way I haven't experienced since I was a child. He did a great job of explaining technical stuff in a way that was specific enough for those who might be familiar, basic enough for those who may not, and succinct enough to bore neither.

A Step Back In History

Fascinating, engaging, and at the very end, terribly thought provoking. This is a must read for active minds.

Great book. Tons of first person perspecrive.

I loved hearing about all my favorite dinosaurs as they rose and fell. I learned a lot I didn't know previously.

Tough translation on Audible

Does not translate well as an audio book. Really wanted to have a dinosaur family tree in front of me and be able to see drawings of dinosaurs. To his credit , Brusatti gives a shout out to every paleontologist that ever lived, but it bogs down the book. otherwise very enjoyable.

Excellent

The best dinosaur book ever written. Truly an epic story. Narrator made this book very easily understood.

Mind Blown

The modern world is intense. Time can move slowly when you're hoping for change. This book helped me see the long March of our planet. It shows you how scientists work with the passion of a poet to understand how our world was formed and why it is what we see. In a personal Brusatte shares his journey from Dino-fanboy to rockstar Paleontologist. I loved this book.

Very good

If you are into dinosaurs then you will love this book. It was very informative

Awesome information overall

It gives a lot of really great information and some understanding of what it is like to be in the field. Some of it is a bit outdated but that just comes with the territory. There are also several parts where the author is a bit of an authoritarian dick if you disagree with everything he believes. Over all very good but be prepared for an unjustifiable tongue lashing if you do bow down to his group think.