Dinosaurs—my undeniable favorite creatures, even if I’ve only ever encountered them as skeletons in museums. There’s something endlessly fascinating about their story, yet I’ve found that literature about dinosaurs is surprisingly sparse, especially in Estonian. Most dinosaur books tend to be hefty tomes that require a serious time commitment, so I haven’t read as many as I’d like. But when I discovered a new book about these magnificent creatures was being published, I couldn’t resist diving in! 😊

This book offers a fantastic overview of the prehistoric world and the incredible creatures that once roamed our planet. It takes the reader on a journey through the origins of dinosaurs, their spread across the Earth, and their unique lifestyles—if you can call them that. The focus narrows in on England, particularly the Isle of Wight, which I learned was once a bustling hotspot for dinosaurs (!!). Before reading this, I had no idea about the Isle of Wight’s rich paleontological history, but now it’s firmly on my travel wish list.

The Isle of Wight sounds like a dream destination for any dinosaur enthusiast. The coastal cliffs are teeming with fossils, and thanks to erosion and natural weathering, new discoveries are frequently unearthed. The thought of visiting and possibly finding a fossil of my own is thrilling! It’s a place where history literally emerges from the ground, and for the observant and patient explorer, there’s a real chance to uncover something extraordinary.

The book is not only well-written but also nicely illustrated, with engaging visuals at the end of the book that bring the dinosaur world to life. The images complement the text perfectly, making it even easier to immerse yourself in the prehistoric past. What I especially appreciated was how accessible the writing is. It introduces all the complex terms and scientific names in a way that’s simple and clear, so even readers who are new to paleontology can follow along without feeling lost.

For anyone curious about dinosaurs, this book serves as an excellent introduction. It provides a great balance of facts, stories, and visuals, making it perfect for readers of all ages, including younger paleontologists just beginning their journey. The combination of well-organized information, and engaging writing makes it a must-read for anyone eager to explore the dino-world.

Whether you’re a lifelong dinosaur fan like me or simply looking for an inspiring and educational read, this book won’t disappoint. Highly recommended!

NetGalley, Brit Keskra

This was a fantastic book to deepen my never ending thirst for dinosaur history and facts. The author has done fantastic work with presenting past and current information. I personally learned a lot, and got to refresh and correct some information I believed.

NetGalley, Emilie Borge

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The reign of the dinosaurs has fascinated us since the first dinosaur was described and named in 1824 by William Buckland. It has long been accepted that the demise of the dinosaurs was the result of an asteroid colliding with the earth. However, that has raised the question of why all of the dinosaurs, with the exception of avian, perished while mammals, reptiles, and fish survived. In his book, The Dinosaurs and Their Mysterious Demise, author Andrew Norman sets out to answer this question and, although it is, by necessity, speculation, he backs his theory up with plenty of facts and evidence. I won’t try to explain his hypothesis but will say that Norman writes in a very clear way that makes it easy to follow his reasoning. I also really appreciated that, despite his necessary use of many technical terms, he explains these terms right after their use rather than in end- or foot- notes which really helps when reading on an ipad as I was. There are also maps included showing the earth at different periods as well as pictures at the end which added to my enjoyment as well as understanding. I found this book extremely interesting and informative and would recommend it for anyone interested in the subject even if, or perhaps, especially if, like me, you are not a scientist.

NetGalley, Maxine McLister

As seen in 'New Book Provides a Fresh Perspective on Dinosaur Extinction'.

Read the full article here!

Everything Dinosaur

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

I can’t praise Mr. Norman enough. Not only does he present a new theory on the demise of the dinosaurs, he goes into their history. He lists many of the classifications and “families.” While the book is impressively technical, Mr. Norman translates the scientific terms to easy to understand language.

This book is a comprehensive discussion of dinosaurs. I was thrilled to pick up new geological terms and their meanings. I was interested in the author’s discussion of how dinosaur footprints are formed. Even the formation of the continents and the layers of the earth were described.

Mr. Norman extensively covered the meteors that struck the earth and how they contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. But, he takes his investigation further and out forth a theory which must be considered alongside the meteor theory.

The book is well written, both scientifically and in plain language. I am so glad I was able to read this work. There is a fantastic bibliography for those who would like to further study the history of the dinosaurs.

NetGalley, Joyce Fox

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Although it appears that the intent of the book was to propose a new hypothesis for why dinosaurs died out whereas many of its contemporaries survived, I found the book to be much more than that. It is a great introduction to dinosaurs and evolution. Andrew Norman writes in a conversational tone and gives a lot of background to the subject. While he uses a lot of technical terms, he explains them all in parenthetical remarks. This made the book very easy to understand and follow. I also found the writing fluid and that his enthusiasm for the subject area was very clear to me. He also included parts of his personal journey, something I find very interesting. While Norman did speculate about his theory, he acknowledges this and nonetheless provides, what is to me, credible supporting information. And the last part of the book provided useful continental maps, as well as great photos and additional information on dinosaurs. Overall this is a great read for anyone interested in dinosaurs.

NetGalley, Stephen Goldberg

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

This was a fantastic nonfiction book about the dinosaurs, it was engaging and had that feel that I was looking for from a dinosaur book. Andrew Norman has a great writing style and thought the overall concept was strong and the research worked overall.

NetGalley, Kathryn McLeer