I think it’s safe to say you’ve heard of Jurassic Park.

I just finished reading the book last week, and it’s a lot better than the movie, that’s for sure. There is plenty of character background, back story, spread throughout the novel, along with some scientific factoids blended in. It is a well-crafted cross between a sci-fi book and a horror novel.

The storyline is significantly different, and much darker than its cinematographic counterpart. The characters are different as well. While Spielberg played-up the “Cool, Dinosaurs! Oh no, they’ve escaped” part in the film (though many character deaths were written out), the book has plenty of other things to balance it out.

Jurassic Park opens with the attacks of several Compsognathi, which had somehow escaped Isla Nublar. While everyone is confused about the “lizards” behind the attack (which were assumed to be Basilisks), Dr. Grant and company are at a dig site. They are asked a few questions by a government official concerned about the actions of the InGen corporation, who had been transferring supercomputers and genetic sequencers to their island off the coast of Costa Rica. After the official leaves, Hammond contacts them, and offers Grant and his student Dr. Sattler payment to come down to his park for the weekend.

In 2007, I read a lot of fantasy books (as usual). The best ones I read that year, in my opinion, are as follows.

Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling

In Deathly Hallows, Harry leaves the Dursleys for the last time, going to The Burrow for Bill Weasley’s wedding. As soon as he sets foot outside, a group of Death Eaters attack. From that moment onward, the book is action-filled and full of the usual plot-twists and, of course, the explanations we’ve all been waiting for.

Of course, you should not read this book unless you have finished reading the previous ones. Sorry, the movies don’t count.

The Lost Years of Merlin Series and The Great Tree of Avalon by T.A. Barron

In Arthurian legend, much of Merlin’s history is unaccounted for. What was he doing before? It seems he was busy in the fantastic realm of Fincayra. T.A. Barron’s epic, The Lost Years of Merlin, is a five-book series detailing Barron’s idea of the history of Merlin. Though I wasn’t a big fan of the first book, the rest of them are great.

The Great Tree of Avalon: The Child of the Dark Prophecy follows the Lost Years series. A thousand years later, Merlin comes briefly to Avalon, and leaves his staff to the Heir of Merlin, who is prophesied to save Avalon from an upcoming disaster.

Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen by Garth Nix

In a world full of necromancers, the Abhorsen reverses their work. When he gets trapped in Death by the necromancer Kerrigor, he sends a package to his daughter Sabriel, who resides across the Wall, a barrier separating the magical Old Kingdom from Ancelstierre.

The Old Kingdom trilogy is different and unlike anything else out there. Oh, and it’s not going to be a trilogy for much longer (two more books are in the works).