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  • The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

  • The Untold Story of a Lost World
  • By: Steve Brusatte
  • Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
  • Length: 10 hrs and 6 mins
  • 4.7 out of 5 stars (748 ratings)
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The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

By: Steve Brusatte
Narrated by: Patrick Lawlor
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Summary

Sixty-six million years ago the dinosaurs were wiped from the face of the earth. Today a new generation of dinosaur hunters, armed with cutting-edge technology, is piecing together the complete story of how the dinosaurs created a hugely successful empire that lasted for around 150 million years. 

In this hugely ambitious and engrossing story of how dinosaurs rose to dominate the planet, using the fossil clues that have been gathered using state-of-the-art technology, Steve Brusatte, one of the world's leading palaeontologists, follows these magnificent creatures from the Early Triassic period at the start of their evolution through the Jurassic period, to their final days in the Cretaceous and the legacy that they left behind. 

Along the way, Brusatte introduces us to the cast of new dinosaur hunters and gives an insight into what it's like to be a palaeontologist whose job it is to hunt for dinosaurs. He offers thrilling accounts of some of the remarkable discoveries he has made, including primitive human-size tyrannosaurs, monstrous carnivores even larger than T. rex, and feathered raptor dinosaurs preserved in lava from China. 

At a time when Homo sapiens has existed for less than 200,000 years and we are already talking about planetary extinction, The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs is a timely reminder of what humans can learn from the magnificent creatures who ruled the earth before us. 

©2018 Steve Brusatte (P)2018 Pan Macmillan Publishers Ltd

What listeners say about The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

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So great I'm going to buy the physical copy

This is a really wonderful book on dinosaurs. Brusatte is clear and passionate in his prose, yet never patronizing to his reader. it took a chapter or two to get used to Lawlor as a reader, but by the end I couldn't imagine anyone else reading it.
The only problem is, as an audio book, you miss out on all the illustrations. I mainly listened to this while driving so I couldn't google the many fascinating creatures this book describes but I loved this book so much in planning on buying the physical copy for my shelf

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Pre-history at its best

An outstanding walk through the life and times of the dinosaurs that captures everything you could want of their story. Filled with interest nuggets it is both entertainment and academic, which are not easily brought together.

I think above all his passion for the topic and interest in their story ring most solidly. Loved it, very much recommended.

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Great science story well told

Interesting to hear the now familiar story from a younger persons perspective. Allows for a flexible viewpoint rather than the arguing of a long held treasured and now fossilized theorem. Not cold blooded reptiles but endotherms, tick, many had feathers some had wings even when only half their time as masters of their ecosphere was up and as a final proof that they are with us still , evidence of the complex lungs in common with birds , tick tick tick.

The crash of Death star and the extinction of flying fingerprints monsters of the deep and many other lifeforms is vividly portrayed by description of the horrors endured by the greater dinosaurs on their day of obliteration. A bit Hollywood chi but certainly makes the points for a general readership.

This book though incomplete to tell the full story is entertaining and recommended to anyone who like me has a general interest in the subject without a scientific background.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

Very interesting book

I learned a lot listening to this book - but I had downloaded many cladistic trees of dinosaurs, sauropods and therapods which made it all more easy to understand. It is not quite a book for a complete beginner ........ I became marginally irritated by all references to his fellow palaeontologists ...... Was sorry that there was not more on all the different types of dinosaurs - duck bills for instance - it really mainly focussed on T rex and his/her antecedents.

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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
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Great introduction to Dinosaurs

Easy listen. Engaging narrator. Not too technical. No particular science knowledge required. Good introduction to dinosaurs.

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I loved this!

As a science enthusiast who also loves stories, this book was the perfect blend of the two. The narration was stellar. Highly recommended!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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Bloody brilliant

fab. super interesting. very nicely paced. eye opening. wish I'd studied paleontology at uni! read this!

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A great introduction in the world of Old!

The book was great, as well as the presentation. Quite full of terminologies, but once into it, easy to follow. Plenty of great facts and interesting theories, especially about the anatomy of the actual dinosaurs. It was quite fascinating. Everyone is so enamored by aliens and AI that everybody kinda forgets that there were giant birds, ruling all living millions and millions of years ago.

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2 people found this helpful

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    4 out of 5 stars
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An update on a familiar story.

Lots of detail on the characters who find the fossils. Familiar dinosaurs with some that I'd not heard of before. Maybe more suited to younger readers who aren't as familiar with the story.

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Truly very interesting book

I have an interest in palaeontology but I hoped that this book would be useful for dropping off to sleep with at the end of the day as well as listening to in the car.

It is extremely well read very interesting highly informative and I don’t listen to at nights anymore I’m learning so much from this book I’m really glad I purchased it

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