RISE & FALL DINO PB

Excellent book for dinosaurs lover

Excellent book! Very informative and enlightening!

The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs by Steve Brusatte left me with a sense of respect for scientific humility and a clearer understanding of evolution as a slow, uncertain, and deeply non-dramatic process. My overall feeling was that the book provides both awe and perspective: dinosaurs were not inevitable rulers, and the story of life is shaped by a constant tension between inherited traits and environmental pressures. The book’s greatest strength lies in how honestly it treats evolution—not as a clean sequence of breakthroughs, but as a continuous process blurred at the edges. Brusatte shows that what we call “major evolutionary milestones” are often retrospective labels imposed on gradual change, much like diffused inter-regional borders that exist mainly as administrative classifications rather than real divisions in nature. This perspective helps dismantle the illusion that species boundaries are sharp or absolute. The nature vs nurture conflict is implicit throughout: dinosaurs had inherited traits that gave them advantages (nature), but whether they survived or thrived depended heavily on environmental conditions, catastrophic events, and chance (nurture). The author is also refreshingly transparent about missing evidence, repeatedly reinforcing that absence of evidence is not evidence of absence. His discussion of why dinosaurs survived while biologically similar pseudosuchians did not is especially compelling, ultimately pointing toward chance rather than deterministic superiority. That conclusion resonates beyond paleontology, echoing modern human experience: success, whether biological or social, cannot be reduced to a repeatable formula. The book consistently avoids overstated certainty and instead presents evolution as a selection process shaped by both inherited traits and environmental pressures. Where the book falls short is mainly in accessibility. The frequent use of complex Greek and Latin scientific names can distance general readers and make it harder to form an intuitive connection with the animals themselves. The limited and sometimes underwhelming visual aids do little to compensate for this gap. Some concepts could have reached a broader audience if explained with more relatable analogies, similar to how writers like Stephen Hawking translate abstract cosmological ideas without diluting their depth. Overall, I would recommend this book to readers interested in evolution, deep time, and scientific thinking that values true uncertainty over false certainty. It is best suited for curious readers who are comfortable with ambiguity and willing to accept that both inherited traits and environmental factors, along with chance, play a central role in the history of life.

When the book is still receiving awards you know how great a book this is. It's a must have for everyone. The best literary piece on prehistoric life. Brusatte made me his fan !

It’s great to know the history of world’s deadliest species... i loved it

I like the way the writer has described about how dinosaurs evolved. Paper quality is nice ,,weight less simply it's an awesome book,thanks to steve for such an awesome book

Must read for everyone to understand the past of our mother earth.

Steve Brusattes THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DINOSAURS ist für meine Begriffe eines der schönsten Sachbücher, welches ich in diesem Jahr gelesen habe. Brusatte versteht es, lebendig, witzig und informativ zugleich zu schreiben. Die Kapitel sind (selbst wenn man sich für Paleontologie interessiert) lehrreich und geben den aktuellen Stand in zahlreichen Unterdiskussionen wieder, und auch komplette Neulinge auf dem Thema werden an diesem Buch ihre Freude haben. Gleichzeitig ist dieses Buch einfach sehr menschlich geschrieben - Brusatte schreibt nicht nur über Dinosaurier und ihre Zeit, sondern auch über die Menschen, die der Erforschung dieser einzigartigen Tiere ihr Leben widmen. Hierbei stellt er dem Leser einige durchaus skurrile und denkwürdige Charaktere vor, was THE RISE AND FALL OF THE DINOSAURS zu einer alles anderen als trocknen Lektüre macht. Insofern kann ich mich kurz fassen: ein sehr unterhaltsames und gleichzeitig sehr lehrreiches Buch. Die Lektüre habe ich schlichtweg genossen. Von mir gibt es verdiente 5 Sterne.

Steve Brusatte, a Professor of Paleontology at Edinburgh University, is a brilliant writer who brings to life the story of the dinosaurs from circa 300 to 60 million years ago. The history of the dinosaurs is explained relative to the changing land mass of the planet and their discovery up into the present where so many new finds are being made. Each era is conjured with visual imagery of the dinosaurs in their setting. An active field worker, the narrative is full of anecdotes and firsthand experience of paleontologists in the field and in the laboratory. It is an analytical, absorbing and exciting read.

I felt like a 10 year old who knows all the dinosaur names. I had NO idea they and their predecessors were so interesting. I was disappointed that the book had an end - I could have kept reading and reading. He is a great author who keeps your interest as he is talking to you - the reader and makes you understand that he is like us - just plain curious.

(Slight Rev03) Nowadays dinosaurs' fossils are investment for the rich (also Leonardo DiCaprio) and some paleontologists are a celebrity. Our image on T-Rex have changed from a reptile-looking to sporadic birdy-feather-skin appearance also the rout cause eradicating the most of species has been defined as due to the collision of a meteorite. These two definitions are not what I knew in my childhood or when watched the first version of "Jurassic Park" in 1993. Darwinism has worked on dinosaurs making a genetic link between birds not reptiles and this scientific discovery was done by contemporary technologies including statistics.

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