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    The Great Zoo of China
    The Great Zoo of China
    The Great Zoo of China
    Audiobook10 hours

    The Great Zoo of China

    Written by Matthew Reilly

    Narrated by Rich Orlow

    3.5/5

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    About this audiobook

    In the blockbuster and bestselling tradition of Jurassic Park comes the breakneck new adventure from the New York Times and #1 internationally bestselling author Matthew Reilly whose imaginative, cinematic thrillers "make you feel like a kid again; [they're] a blast" (Booklist). It is a secret the Chinese government has been keeping for forty years. They have proven the existence of dragons-a landmark discovery no one could ever believe is real, and a scientific revelation that will amaze the world. Now the Chinese are ready to unveil their astonishing findings within the greatest zoo ever constructed. A small group of VIPs and journalists has been brought to the zoo deep within China to see these fabulous creatures for the first time. Among them is Dr. Cassandra Jane "CJ" Cameron, a writer for National Geographic and an expert on reptiles. The visitors are assured by their Chinese hosts that they will be struck with wonder at these beasts, that the dragons are perfectly safe, and that nothing can go wrong. Of course it can't.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherRecorded Books, Inc.
    Release dateApr 10, 2015
    ISBN9781490691787
    Author

    Matthew Reilly

    Matthew Reilly is the New York Times and #1 international bestselling author of numerous novels, including The Four Legendary Kingdoms, The Tournament, The Great Zoo of China, The Five Greatest Warriors, The Six Sacred Stones, Seven Deadly Wonders, Ice Station, Temple, Contest, Area 7, Scarecrow, and Scarecrow Returns, as well as the children’s book Hover Car Racer and the novella Hell Island. His books have been published in more than twenty languages in twenty countries, and he has sold more than 7.5 million copies worldwide. Visit him at MatthewReilly.com and at Facebook.com/OfficialMatthewReilly.

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    Reviews for The Great Zoo of China

    3.5/5

    230 ratings44 reviews

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    • 5/5
      OMG, This book was AMAZING!! From beginning to end, it kept you on the edge of your seat. LOVED-LOVED-LOVED IT!! I highly recommend it, your imagination is always engaged. And a lovely ending to boot. ?❤️??
    • 1/5
      The Great Zoo of China is one of the worst books I've had the misfortune to read. It is, in my opinion, a rip-off of Michael Crichton's classic Jurassic Park, only instead of dinosaurs, it has dragons. The unoriginal tale (which annoyed me for its borrowing of Crichton), is not improved by wooden dialogue, unlikely scenarios, and an almost-constant barrage of nearly fatal incidents. The author does not seem to have paid any attention to spacing events, so that the reader is under a relentless barrage of poorly-written action. I could not finish the book, so unimpressed was I, and I would not recommend it.
    • 4/5
      one of the best books I've ever read excellent read I recommended
    • 1/5
      I knew when I picked up this book in the store that it was not terribly different from "Jurassic Park." Even the blurb on the cover said, "In the blockbuster tradition of Jurassic Park ..." But I'm a sucker for a good cover, and for drawings and maps, so I decided to give it a try.

      I made it much further -- before I abandoned the book -- than the book deserved. The plot is simple: an astounding idea, spurred by science and greed, goes horribly wrong and all hell breaks loose. The rest of the story is more or less just a tale of survival. But ... good writing is able to convey "shock and awe" without relying so much on exclamation marks! (Really!) Likewise, the overuse of italics for emphasis just gets to be annoying after a while. And I can only read so many gory details of body parts mutilated and severed from one another before it becomes mind-numbing.
    • 4/5
      I bought this book as I found a host of Matthew Reilly (“MR”) books for 99p each on Amazon and, as I thoroughly enjoyed some of his previous books, I decided to give it a go as I had always described his books like “watching a fast paced, low budget, action film”.I didn’t have a clue what this one was about when I started reading, other than a Chinese zoo (obviously) as I was reading on Kindle (not easy to get to a blurb in my opinion).Let’s start with a positive, I liked the theme of the book, a Dragon zoo, but I quickly started to draw comparisons with Jurassic Park (a fact which the author acknowledges in the review at the end of the book). MR must have realised this on his proofing/feedback of early versions as at around the time when I started to think that is when everything just goes to pot with the dragons trying to escape.From there it is an incredibly unbelievable storyline from an action point of view (not a problem for me, that’s what I wanted) and found that the whole dragon aspect did seem well done. Particular standout points (without spoilers) were how the dragons survived, the links to other mythologies, and the idea of their pack mentality.My criticism comes from his use of exclamation marks, almost as if MR can’t believe what he had written (I think I have said this before in a review of another book of his). If you are like me you will hear the story unfolding with a series of “OMG’s!!!” being shouted at you - I somehow managed to ignore the exclamation marks after around 50% of reading the book and see through to the real content.I initially wanted to give the book only 3 out of five because of this, but on reflection, the story and the setting were well described (the maps did help). I would not say don’t read the book, just… try and get over the exclamation points as soon as you can! That was an intentional exclamation mark to make a point, not an over use ;-)
    • 3/5
      Usual fare from Reilly, if you like his others you'll like this book.
    • 1/5
      I liked the sound of the book, had never heard of the author and loved similar types like Jurassic park so decided to give it a try.Taken from Wiki: Dr. Cassandra Jane "CJ" Cameron is an alligator expert working as a freelance journalist when she is contacted by National Geographic for an assignment. She is selected to attend a preview of a secret project deep in rural China known as the "Great Zoo of China", and she enlists her brother Hamish as a photographer. After being escorted to the Zoo in a private jet with blacked-out windows, CJ discovers the secretive nature of the Zoo: it houses living, breathing dragons, and the project is intended to be China's answer to Disneyland. It soon becomes apparent that the captive dragons are far more intelligent than the Chinese authorities believed, and the dragons have found a way to break free of their control. CJ and Hamish must find a way to stop the dragons from escaping into the wider world, all the while pursued by the park's military-grade security team, who believe that they can get the dragons under control and that all witnesses to the park's failure must be eliminated.This is one of the rare occasions I just couldn't finish a book and struggle to see why there have been so many 5* reviews, the writing simplistic, the characters wooden and the twists easy to spot. Maybe my review is a little unfair as I only read around 60%, but that was more than enough. A poor man's Jurassic Park
    • 4/5
      I thought that this book was a lot of fun! This was actually my first experience with Matthew Reilly's work despite the fact that his books have been on my radar for quite some time. I have had a copy of this book for years but it somehow slipped through the cracks of my review schedule. I am glad that I finally got around to reading this one because it was incredibly entertaining.I haven't read Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton but I have seen the movie several times. I don't usually like to make a lot of comparisons but this book had a lot of similarities to that story. It was different enough that I didn't feel like it was the same story but they had the same feel. China has built a new zoo. It is a different kind of zoo that will end up changing the world. CJ, her brother, and a group of others are brought to the zoo to see just how different it really is. This zoo doesn't have your average zoo animals. This zoo is filled with all kinds of different dragons. Yes, dragons. During their visit to the zoo, things go very, very wrong. This was a pretty exciting book that was filled with action which made it really entertaining. There were some real surprises along the way and I enjoyed piecing together exactly what was going on. I liked CJ and liked how her skills as a veterinarian helped her to navigate the situation she found herself in. I also found that I had a lot of respect and couldn't blame them for their actions.Rich Orlow did a great job with this story. This was a really exciting and often intense book which I think he was able to take up another notch. I thought he handled all of the characters voices very well. I thought he had a very nice reading voice which I found easy to listen to for hours at a time. I think that I enjoyed the story just a bit more largely because of his narration.I would recommend this book to others. I found this to be a highly entertaining tale that read like an action movie. I think those action readers that don't mind some similarities to well-known stories will enjoy this one. I definitely plan to read more of Matthew Reilly's work in the future.I received a digital review copy of this book from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley and borrowed a copy of the audiobook from my local library.
    • 2/5
      Adventure thriller. Feels like it was written for a film adaptation later. All the action seems over the top. The premise of the story is pretty well thought out but you do have to suspend credibility.
    • 3/5
      Be sure to fasten your seat belt when you pick up The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly, as its fast pace and non-stop action requires the use of a safety harness. This book doesn’t bother much with developing characters or the plot as it races along, but it is a fun and exciting read and was a good choice to kick off my summer reading.Yes, this story will definitely call Jurassic Park to mind, only in this book we are dealing with dragons rather than dinosaurs, but in both cases human curiosity and ego has pushed the limits of scientific discovery and manipulation to the limit. China has kept the discovery of a cache of dragon eggs a secret for over forty years, they plan to out-Disney Disney land with the opening of their new Zoo that is filled with these mystical beasts. In advance of the opening they are unveiling the Zoo to certain VIPs and journalists. Representing the National Geographic Magazine, C. J. Cameron and her brother, Hamish, are along for the ride little knowing that these dragons are super intelligent, highly organized and are planning to break free.I had a few problems with the book such as the fact that I always knew what was going to happen next due to the high predictability factor, but Ii you can overlook the sloppy writing and can put aside any plausibility questions then The Great Zoo of China can be an entertaining and fun adventure read.
    • 4/5
      So, this one isn't big on realism. But sometimes you go to the movies to see some deep Oscar-winning film that makes you think and feel. And sometimes you want the big budget, action flick starting the Rock and filled with explosions and fast cars. This is the second one for sure. It's a totally fun, edge of your seat read. I liked that the main character was a tough female as well. I'd read a sequel if Reilly decides to write one.
    • 3/5
      Firsly, let me address the elephant in the room - this is a blatant ripoff of Jurassic Park. It's Jurassic Park but with dragons instead of dinosaurs. Other than that, it's pretty standard Matthew Reilly fare. It's all action and excitement, yes, but has none of the maturity of say Dan Brown or Scott Mariani. To say he writes like a schoolboy would be a little unfair, but it's definitely in that direction - perhaps re-categorisation as "Young Adult" would be appropriate. At least Seven Ancient Wonders had the Dan Brown/Indiana Jones feel to make up for it. His wildly enthusiastic descriptions of action scenes seem to have been written with film rights firmly in mind.I had called myself a fan, and have read quite a few of his books despite the immaturity of the writing, but I feel this book (while probably no worse than others) pushed me over the edge - it just may be my last Reilly book.
    • 5/5
      My mother bought me The Great Zoo of China for Christmas, which makes her the best mother in the world. Well, unless your mother bought you a copy as well, in which case the title of best mother in the world would have to be shared.

      CJ is a herpetologist specialising in large animals like crocodiles, and being a Matthew Reilly novel, she also specialises in avoiding dying every page or two. She is recruited by National Geographic to take a press junket trip to a new zoo in China. The Chinese government have developed an amazing new zoo that is set to wow the world, assuming their main attractions don't try to escape and eat everyone. What could go wrong during the promotion junket for a zoo filled with dragons?

      Yep. Dinosaurs, sorry, Dragons.

      I've seen some reviews that suggest Matt's novel is just a rip off of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park. I agree completely. I also like to ignore that Jurassic Park is a rip off of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Lost World, which is in turn a rip off of Jules Verne's Journey to the Centre of the Earth, or possibly Off On A Comet - if you want to count dragons as dinosaurs. Because every idea is 100% original and comments complaining about rip-offs don't primarily show the complainer's ignorance.

      Ignoring that point - because who cares? - Matt's latest novel is all of the elements we've come to love from him. The story is fast paced, life and death, adventurous fun. I really enjoyed The Great Zoo of China: enough said.
    • 4/5
      Reilly delivers again! I think he did a great job of making the dragons realistic as possible which I think is important when including "monsters" in books or movies. It makes the book/movie that much more real and scary etc. if you can believe that "it" can happen. Reilly also really knows how to write over the top action scenes that just work. I think this would be a fun action movie so if we see it on the big screen I'll definitely watch. I think everyone would want a pet dragon after reading or maybe watching this story.
    • 3/5
      I was gifted a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. This in no way changes my opinion of this book.

      I am not a big reader of sci-fi, action or thrillers, but I was intrigued enough by this author and the reviews to dive into this book. Although it is not a 5 star read in my opinion (and we are all entitled to them), it definitely is not a 1 star either. I’d give it a comfortable 3.5. The mediocre rating is based on fact that this book seems to drag on a bit, and could be condensed significantly, and still have an enjoyable read.

      If you pick up this book expecting to read something similar to Jurassic Park, then yes, you will be disappointed. I would not compare it to that, however, some seem to see the similarities. In fact, I think The Great Zoo of China would be better, and would actually consider seeing it in a theater if it were to be produced.

      CJ and her brother, Hamish, along with a prestigious and select group of media personnel are invited to take a visit to China’s new zoo. However, the location is top secret, they are not able to see out the plane windows to even know where they are going, and all cell phone service is blocked by a device. That alone should have been a red flag. But when you are in the middle of China, without a way out, you just have to go for the flow and hope for the best.

      In an attempt to restore order to China, the Chinese Colonel has bred a new species, something unlike anything mankind has ever seen before. But who is it that really needs the saving- the species, or mankind?
      Without revealing any spoilers, I am unable to elaborate on the species or much of the action. Take a read for yourself, and get lost in the male-dominated country of China alongside CJ and Hamish.
    • 4/5
      Fans of Reilly's will enjoy "The Great Zoo of China". It's pretty typical fare from the extreme action/thriller author. Plenty of action, weapons, interesting characters, mini-cliffhangers, and action. (No redundancy...it deserves to be said twice.)While in the reviewer's humble opinion, "TGZoC" is not quite at the same level of intensity or interest as Reilly's Scarecrow and Jack West books, it will keep your interest and the pages turning. Obviously set in China, the book has a female protagonist, reptile expert Dr. Cameron "CJ" Cameron with her quirky journalist brother, Hamish, in a supporting role. The Camerons, along with other American dignitaries are invited to the wilds of China to experience a sight more spectacular than Disney World, at least according to their Chinese hosts. Without revealing too many plot points, let me suffice to say that what the group views is along the scale of Jurassic Park, more so than Disney World and, in true Reilly fashion, the core must fight for their very lives when things at the zoo go terribly wrong.This is a quick and fun read. Like most Reilly novels, readers must be prepared to seriously suspend their levels of disbelieve, but, if they're a fan, they already know that. TGZoC won't disappoint.
    • 5/5
      Sometimes I want to pick up a book and be taken along on a roller coaster ride of a story. I just want to have fun creating my own mental movie. That is exactly what I did with Matthew Reilly's The Great Zoo of China. From first page to last, I willing suspended disbelief and had a blast. CJ Cameron is the type of intelligent, determined woman who can fight a hungry crocodile and win. When everything starts to go pear-shaped, I knew CJ was the person to glue myself to. From the plausible why's and how's of how the Chinese government could create such a zoo to the beautiful yet deadly dragons to the all-out, on-the-fly escape plans Cameron has to come up with, I was on board and enjoying every syllable and punctuation mark. Is the plot predictable? Not always. Are the bad guys really bad and the good guys the best they can be? You bet! Will you really believe in the existence of dragons? That I don't know. All I know is that, for 416 pages, I certainly did.If you enjoyed the Jurassic Park movies (at least one or two of them), and if you're in the mood for action-packed derring-do and just plain fun, I highly recommend picking up a copy of The Great Zoo of China. What a ride!
    • 5/5
      The Great Zoo of China by Matthew Reilly is a very highly recommended thriller for action/adventure junkies.

      In The Great Zoo of China Reilly opens with a scene that immediately lets you know that you are in for an action packed ride of the large scale creature variety.

      Dr. Cassandra Jane “CJ” Cameron, a herpetologist and expert on crocodiles who is also a writer for National Geographic, along with her brother Hamish, a photographer, are invited to China to see The Great Zoo of China before it is opened to the public. Chinese officials have kept the existence of the zoo secret for years while building and planning it. Their goal was to create the greatest tourist attraction in the world. Along with a small group of VIPs, CJ and Hamish are flown to a secret valley without cages or enclosures. The Chinese have established electromagnetic domes to keep the zoo animals in while giving guests ultrasonic personal shields to keep the enclosed creatures at bay. We all learn quickly what animals are in the zoo.

      CJ and the other guests learn that in November 1979, miners in a nickel mine broke through to a most unusual underground passageway and cavern. Inside was a large cache of eggs. In July 1981 one of the eggs hatched and a dragon emerged. The dragons are archosaurs, similar to pterodactyls. Suddenly mythical creatures from the collective historical past are real, alive, and thriving. We know from the opening that this visit will likely not end well and the guests will all be in danger.

      Reilly fully admits the fact that he loves Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and wanted to write a novel in the same vein in homage to Crichton. He goes on to inform the reader that making a novel "fast and easy to read is not easy at all. It takes time and lots and lots of constant revising. If anyone says The Great Zoo of China is easy to read and only takes a few days to get through, then I will take that as a big compliment, because I worked hard to make it that way!" Reilly certainly succeeded in keeping the action moving non-stop and there are maps and diagrams throughout the novel to help you follow the action. I found myself compulsively stealing time throughout the day trying to find out what on earth happened next.

      While I will concede that there isn't a lot of character development, I wasn't really looking for that in The Great Zoo of China. Reilly delivered exactly what I wanted. I was hoping for a totally engrossing thrill-ride of escapism and non-stop action. This is a fantastic "stuck overnight at the airport book." That makes it very highly recommended for an action/adventure thriller. There is a lot of violence and bloodshed, but, ahem, here there be dragons...

      In the past I have enjoyed Reilly's novels, but always noted that he went too over board in the use of exclamation points. I'm actually pleased to note that he was much stingier with them in The Great Zoo of China. Yes, of course they are there (real, live dragons are running amok!), but certainly their usage was much more restrained.


      Disclosure: My Kindle edition was courtesy of Gallery Books for review purposes.
    • 5/5
      A typical Matthew Reilly book. Fast paced, and way 'out there.' Loved every minute of it. Recommend the audio version...Sean Mangan, as usual does a marvellous job narrating the book.
    • 4/5
      Matthew Reilly at his preposterous best. Loved it!
    • 3/5
      Received via NetGalley from Gallery Books in exchange for an completely honest and unbiased review

      The Great Zoo of China is about to open, and a select few VIP visitors have been invited to get a preview before opening day. Our hero, CJ from the National Geographic is tasked to write a piece on the clandestine Zoo after a brief visit, one that will expose her to inexplicable danger and test her physical and mental limits. She, her brother Hamish, and a few other surprising additions must fight to survive an ancient and cunning adversary, but can they stay alive long enough to survive the night? And when all hope is lost, can they stop the Zoo’s destruction caused by its creators who desperately wish to hide all evidence of their failure?

      As Reilly states, his novels are about “bigger and bigger action” or “big-scale action”. Reilly wants to make a splash, and wants to do it via the most creative methods possible. He uses ancient Dragon myths to construct a story, one based on fact and farfetched fiction to make something matching a Hollywood movie on paper. Matthew Reilly will never be an academic writer, nor will he be seen as someone who writes deep, meaningful prose. That’s okay because he does quite well filling in his niche, and making it pleasurable to read. A roller coaster of excitement, experience and unexpected turns that keeps the reader wondering “what next, and who will survive?”

      I read Reilly’s JackWest Jr novels a few years ago and when I saw The Great Zoo of China on NetGalley, I absolutely needed to read it. I have spent numerous months reading academic papers and novels generally servicing as emotional outlets. It took a while to shift gears and enjoy Reilly’s action packed thrill ride. I disliked CJ immensely because she was someone who felt she was a victim due to a choice she’d willingly made years before causing enormous facial damage. She also slips from her academic guise quickly, and turns into a super-agent instantaneously which was a far too drastic development in my opinion.

      Regardless of my distaste for the hero of the story, I was able to enjoy the surprises that arise from the imagination of a man who delivers entertainment on a grandiose scale. The exaggerated and wholly impossible situations the characters find themselves time and again capture the reader’s attention and the Dragon’s uncanny intelligence adds an extra level of fun!

      If you enjoy dragon myths, cover ups, action, adventure, tough female roles and some gore The Great Zoo of China is for you. If you are a Reilly fan, this book is most definitely the most “big-scale action” yet from Reilly! Also, riding a Dragon sounds like the most frightening experience on Earth..or exciting if you're into heights..
    • 3/5
      Yes, it is Jurassic Part with dinosaurs. Had some good moments, nice ending (as in, 'oh, that's nice')
    • 3/5
      Jurassic Park with dragons and desperate Chinese party officials. Fast-paced, bloody.
    • 5/5
      Dr. Cassandra J. Cameron, a reptile expert working on behalf of National Geographic, and her brother Hamish, a photographer, are on a special VIP trip to China. About to be revealed was a secret the Chinese have kept for the better part of forty years. At first glance it doesn’t seem like anything out of the ordinary – just another zoo – granted, an amazing facility but would one expect anything less from the Chinese?

      The book begins with an excerpt from a book titled “China and the World” by Adam Fisher, fictional as well (I’m fairly certain – I checked). From that excerpt …

      “China desperately wants to be Number One, the pre-eminent nation on Earth. In the Communist Party this passionate desire even has a name: “The China Dream”. But to achieve that dream, China must seize the position currently occupied by the United States of America, and to do that it must first match America’s 20th century achievements …

      … And then – then – to truly replace America as the world’s most dominant nation, it must do something more difficult. China must replace the United States as the cultural ruler of the planet. …

      … What, I ask you, apart from the panda bear and a very long wall, is singularly and uniquely Chinese?

      And here lies China’s biggest problem in the 21st century. …

      Where is China’s Ford?

      Where is its Coca-Cola?

      Where, I ask you, is China’s Disneyland?”

      National Geographic – “(American zoos) are visited each year by more than a hundred million people, a number that exceeds the combined attendance of all big league baseball, football and basketball games.”

      And that is the point at which this book begins. China has built the greatest zoo in the world. Why is it the greatest? Because it was built to house only one kind of animal attraction – Dragons! The group are taken via monorail through the zoo and even introduced, up close and personal, to some dragons that have been trained. Constantly, our group of VIP’s is assured that the zoo is entirely safe -- snicker, snicker -- of course it is! Needless to say, chaos soon ensues.

      No doubt as you are reading this review you must be thinking, as I did when I read the book’s flyleaf, “ah geez, another Jurassic Park re-do”. I can’t mislead you here … it is. But I will give Mr. Reilly a hall pass on that because he not only freely admits (in the Q&A at the end of the book) that Mr. Chrichton’s Jurassic Park is one of his favourite books. Even his characters draw a humorous comparison in their dialogue. I prefer to look at it as homage to Jurassic Park. There are some similarities, but Mr. Reilly takes the premise and runs amok with it. He combines some dragon myths and legends with some science and concocts a palatable explanation of how, why, when and where the dragons were discovered.

      Mr. Reilly has been a guilty pleasure of mine since I read his “Seven Deadly Wonders” series. He is the master of over-the-top page turning action thrillers and this latest book is no exception. I started it on Saturday evening and finished it on Sunday afternoon. I would have finished it sooner but had some pesky interruptions such as needing to sleep.
      There is a quote used in the book that reads, “Fairytales cleanse and sanitize what were once true stories … if dragons were real, then in all likelihood they were not graceful, high-chested, noble creatures; rather they would have been dirty, ugly, reptilian and mean.” Mr. Reilly’s dragons, with a few exceptions, were all that plus cunning, smart, strong and relentless.

      Mr. Reilly loves “big scale action” and this book is nothing if not the epitome of that. If you like big scale action then this is a must read.
    • 3/5
      This is Jurassic Park on steroids. Having personal stress issues, I wanted something brainless and quick to read and this was it. It was an easy and quick read with actually some interesting ideas, though of course you know it's all going to go badly wrong. I did get slightly tired of the heroine facing certain death and escaping it for the 40th time but if Spielberg wants to remake Jurassic Park without remaking Jurassic Park, he has an option here!Suited my mood this weekend.
    • 4/5
      This book is a pulse pounding, edge of your seat, roller coaster ride that will not let you go! It has similarities to Jurassic Park, but sill maintains a uniqueness of its own. I don't normally read books of this type but all the great reviews had me curious and the book did not disappoint. I think it will be appealing to fans of many genres including sci-fi, fantasy, thriller and suspense. This is one you will likely read in one sitting because you can't bear to put it down. I was provided a digital copy of this book by Netgalley.
    • 3/5
      I love a good B movie and creature feature and I thought this was a great homage to Jurassic Park, also one of my favourite books.
      This book was reminiscent of the sci-f, fantasy pulp fiction that I used to devour. I wasn't expecting to enjoy this book as much as I did. So thanks Mr Reilly.
    • 4/5
      The Great Zoo of China is a classic Matthew Reilly book - fast paced, fun, disregarding realism and literary rules.Is it any good? Yes, yes it is.Initially I was worried it would be a Jurassic Park like story however it certainly isn't and stakes its own claim as a fanciful and enjoyable read. Definitely a hard book to put down once you start as you want to read just a few more pages... then suddenly the sun is rising and you're finishing the book in one sitting.
    • 5/5
      I LOVED this book. Could not put it down and had the bad idea to start reading it when I went to bed. LOL It is a great, fast-paced read that kept be reading until the wee hours of the night and I finished the book.Highly recommended if you are looking for a action-packed book that is a lot of fun.
    • 4/5
      An entertaining, exciting story.Journalists and VIPs come to look at China's latest tourist attraction - The Great Zoo of China. Pandas maybe? But no. One of the specially invited group, CJ Cameron, is an expert on reptiles, and has the scars to show for it. The zoo is full of something far more exciting and dangerous than the alligators and saltwater crocodiles in CJ's past - dragons! There are certain similarities though, so CJ's work on alligator vocalizations helps her to understand the mood of the dragons. The zoo has several safety systems in place to ensure the safety of visitors, but things go wrong, and the visitors are in extreme danger. What happens next is exciting, thrilling and very scary as visitors and staff alike fight for their lives.Recommended!