Still a great adventure story. Stranded on a planet with dinosaurs. Read this & follow up with Dinosaur Planet Survivors. Perhaps these books planted the ideas for Jurrasic Park & Survivor! Who knows!
A crew is sent to Ireta to catalogue fauna and flora and search for new energy sources. It was a simple mission with a standard crew. Kai and his beautiful co-leader Varian, the best xenob-vet in the business followed all the standard procedures--but the results of their investigations were totally unexpected. Not only were the planet's creatures larger than expected and the geological finds smaller, but the rescue ship had disappeared. Then suddenly on a world of giant swamp creatures and deadly predators, a curious change had come over many of the members of the ARCT-10 crew--a change that would lead all of them into the primitive darkness of a future world.
This is an offshoot from the "Sassinak" Series. It is set approx 90 years before Sassinak begins. Her Great x 4 or 5......Aunt is part of a survey team investigating a planet for "trans-uranics" and for settlement. Part of the team mutinys, and the other part, including her Great Aunt, goes into cryogenic stasis to hide from the mutineers. The story is continued in "Dinosaur Planet Survivors".
It is tough to write a review without ruining the story for new readers. I liked the character development and the description of the planet . This novel has elements of hard sci fi and such an imaginative setting. BUT, beware!! The book actually has a cliffhanger ending. You will not know what happens to the main characters until you find "Dinosaur Planet Survivors". So, now I search for the sequel.
First published in 1978, this book is the fifth printing. It's a good fun read about a planet where dinosaurs still exist and the adventures of the member of an expedition sent to explore their planet. Mutiny, shipwreck... great fun!
