The Fantasy World of Dinotopia

The Age of Dinosaurs millenia ago holds a special interest for people. Children want books and toys of dinosaurs, studying them with great fervor. Adults are interested in the giants of the past too. There are many books and other media that give us information or fictional stories about these creatures. The artist and author, James Gurney, took the great dinosaurs and populated his Fantasy world with them. Dinotopia exploded into a popular world for children and adults over the years. There are several books, a tv miniseries and soon to be regular tv series this fall. The world of Dinotopia is about to grow bigger.

James Gurney first brought this Fantasy world to life in Dinotopia: The Land Apart From Time. Dinotopia is a mythical island where intelligent talking dinosaurs and humans share a utopia of peace. The biologist Arthur Denison and his son Will are shipwrecked on the island where they learn about the culture of the dinosaurs and people. This is a book presented like a journal with many illustrations and text that elaborates this wonderful Fantasy world.

The next book by Mr. Gurney is The World Beneath. It continues the story of Arthur Denison and Will. This time they discover an ancient civilization beneath the surface full of new wonders, creatures and people. The book is filled with more of Mr. Gurney's art work to go along with the story. There is more adventure in this sequel of new discoveries and further mysteries.

Other authors have written books set in this world. Alan Dean Foster contributes a couple of books. Dinotopia Lost is the story of a pirate ship making it to the island intact when most ships are wrecked on the reefs. Captain Brognar Backstrap and his pirates kidnap smaller dinosaurs, demanding ransom for them. This leads to confrontations with tyrannosaurs as Will Denison fights the pirates to restore peace to the land. Another book by Mr. Foster is The Hand of Dinotopia, which is the story of finding the mysterious key called the Hand. It holds a safe, secret sea route between Dinotopia and the world. Both books have intriguing plots full of action that adds further dimensions to the world of Dinotopia.

Recently, "Dinotopia" appeared on television as a six hour miniseries. Two young men, David and Carl, come to the island after their plane crashes and they lose their father. They discover the intelligent dinosaurs, learning of the idyllic existence of Dinotopian society. David doesn't want to become a member. He constantly rebels while trying to find a way off the island. Carl is happy to remain. They find themselves in a position to save the island from the failure of the sun stones. The miniseries has good special effects and is entertaining, especially for children.

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic