A Day in the Life of a Tyrannosaur Family During the Cretaceous
Cretaceous takes place in a small slice of Laramidia, one of the island-continents of the cretaceous era. The story centers on a family of Tyrannosaurs and their titanic struggle to survive a single day in one of the most savage times in Earth’s history. Their lives set off a domino effect, and the story follows each domino as it drops onto the life of another prehistoric creature. From insects to sauropods, and jungles to oceans, the story covers the circle of life, and death, for the family of tyrannosaurs in this era of the dinosaurs.
Overview
I absolutely loved Cretaceous. The story was very visceral, all of the animals were presented in a completely wild and natural way. The story also doesn’t pull any punches, and absolutely demonstrates the full harshness nature has to offer. The artwork was also nice. Very vibrant creatures and environments, but with dark overtones. Brown tyrannosaurs contrasted against luscious green environments, or brightly colored dromeosaurs contrasted with bloody and decaying carcasses. There is quite a bit of blood and gore.
The story itself is like two rollercoasters on parallel tracks. You’re riding with the tyrannosaur family until they intersect with another dinosaur. Then you jump on the track with the new dinosaur until it brings you back to the family. It’s very suspenseful and keeps you on edge with each frame, keeping you guessing as to the outcome of each encounter, and then waiting to see how it folds into the next. Cretaceous is an enlightening look into the daily lives of dinosaurs.
Strengths & Weaknesses
Cons
I only have vanishingly small complaints about Cretaceous. Some of the oceanic setting portions didn’t connect enough, or at all, with the story. For example, there are two pages about a prehistoric sea turtle that do not tie into the story whatsoever. There is no transition in, or out. It pulls you out of the otherwise continuous stream of story.
Pros
I enjoyed this book because of how real it feels. Tadd Galusha doesn’t pull any punches in showing how unforgiving existence within the animal kingdom is. I also appreciated the addition of the gory details from simple scratches to picked over, desiccated corpses. It really helped the story feel more authentic.
Recommendation
Cretaceous gets a big stomping recommendation from me. I love the butterfly-effect storytelling of the various dinosaurs, I love the artwork, and it definitely leaves me wanting a sequel. It is another great addition to the genre of stories told directly from the animal’s perspective. You can grab digital and physical copies of Cretaceous on Amazon for $11-15 US, I grabbed the digital one. If you enjoyed Cretaceous, you can also check out Ted Rechlin’s T-Rex Generations. It follows a Tyrannosaur family as well, but is much more focused on the family.
