Tyrannosaur Canyon

Written by Douglas Preston

Narrated by Scott Sowers

A stunning archaeological thriller from Douglas Preston, the New York Times bestselling co-author of Brimstone and Relic.

A moon rock missing for thirty years...
Five buckets of blood-soaked sand found in a New Mexico canyon...
A scientist with ambition enough to kill...
A monk who will redeem the world...
A dark agency with a deadly mission...
The greatest scientific discovery of all time...
What fire bolt from the galactic dark shattered the Earth eons ago, and now hides in that remote cleft in the southwest U.S. known as Tyrannosaur Canyon?

Tyrannosaur Canyon is a fascinating novel from the acclaimed bestselling author, hailed by Publisher's Weekly as "better than Crichton."

• Language: English
• Publisher: Macmillan Audio
• Release date: Sep 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781593978068

Douglas Preston

Douglas Preston writes about archaeology for the New Yorker and National Geographic magazines, as well as novels and nonfiction works (such as The Lost City of the Monkey God). With Lincoln Child, he writes international #1 bestselling thrillers, including the Agent Pendergast adventures.

Reviews for Tyrannosaur Canyon

[kenazari_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

There is one thing that's really been bothering me about this book. I read it a while ago but not so long that I shouldn't be able to remember. I remember the characters and storyline but even after racking my brain, I can't remember any of the characters names or most importantly how the story ended. I have always thought that the ending is the most important part of a book and this one was just not memorable.I know that it was entertaining in parts and mildly suspenseful but it just didn't really make an impact on me.I also remember thinking that it reminded me of Crichton but in no way did I think it was better. I find it hard to compare authors in general though, so if you do enjoy Crichton then Preston is not too far off.

[brookeashley-1 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

I loathe the idea of giving a Douglas Preston book only two stars, since he and his frequent writing partner Lincoln Child have never failed me before. Tyrannosaur Canyon, however, was just so difficult to get into. Nothing propelled me forward the way the Preston/Child books did. There wasn't a sense of mystery, and the big revelation towards the end is really ho-hum. After also being less than thrilled with Preston's The Codex, I'd worry that he isn't worth reading on his own, but his newest book, Blasphemy, is everything it should be.

[Janet L Kostielney · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Thank you, Mr. Preston for another exciting book!!!
More coming?!!

[caneil_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

I got this thinking it would be like Raptor Red, bringing Dinosaurs to life in today's time. That isn't what I got but I wound up liking the plot.

[Laurel Girard · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

It was very thought provoking, yet exciting at the same time!

[Jose Delgado · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Great Idea. Make you think about if's it true can it happen again?

[bensdad00 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Not as good as previous novels, to many glossed over concepts and skimmed plot. Agent Prendergast has moved from a modern Holmesian character into the realm of mental superhero and the change is not for the better.

[jessiqa_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Several times while shelving books at my local library during the years when I worked there, I happened across this title and read the jacket and thought to myself, "This sounds cool. One day I'll read it." One day. That's nearly a curse saying I'll never get around to it, just like all those other books that I've promised myself to read one day. However, one day I truly did pick up this books, and I was very glad of it.I've had a love of dinosaurs since my youth, Jurassic Park (both the film and book) being one of the major works in my life, that I continue to idolize even now as I am about to enter my thirties. So like I said, I thought Tyrannosaur Canyon might be something I would enjoy. I was right. There's a dinosaur fossil in extremely good condition hidden away in a canyon in New Mexico. Naturally, several factions are eager to get their hands on it, so the the story starts with a murder and gets pretty intense in parts as the Prologue (which takes place on the moon) finally falls into place with the rest of the story. I was hooked. I listened to this on audio and it made me want to drive more so that I could finish the book faster, I was that riveted. I highly recommend this to anyone who likes dinosaurs as well as anyone who like adventure or espionage stories. There's even a smidge of science fiction thrown in for spice. I loved this book.

[ozziejello · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Again, Preston/Child keep me reading their books everywhere - at lunch, on the train, at home and on my most recent camping trip. I try stop myself from skipping ahead. I can't handle the suspense!

[lbswiener · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Tyrannosaur Canyon is a well researched book. It contains characters that are not likeable. It is not to the regular suspense that Douglas Preston usually writes. The book gets a nice solid three stars in this review.

[bookconcierge · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Book on CD performed by Scott SowersFrom the book jacket: A moon rock missing for thirty years … Five buckets of blood-soaked sand found in a New Mexico canyon … A scientist with ambition enough to kill … A monk who will redeem the world … A dark agency with a deadly mission … The greatest scientific discovery of all time… What fire bolt from the galactic dark shattered the Earth eons ago, and now hides in that remote cleft in the southwest United States known as Tyrannosaur Canyon?My reactions:This was one wild ride of a thriller! I was all set to follow independently wealth veterinarian Tom Broadbent not just through this novel, but any future ones. He has all the markings of a major series hero – wealth, good looks, a noble heart, the confidence and admiration of the community, and a wife who is both smart and beautiful. He’s also tenacious and does not suffer fools gladly, even when those fools are the police who seem to suspect HIM rather than listen to his story of the murdered prospector he found in the desert. Tom’s got his work cut out for him in trying to find out the identity of the murdered man. He’s also determined to find out what the old man was up to. He recalls a visit to a monastery to treat their sheep and meeting a monk who had some experience with codes, so he decides to ask for the monk’s help in deciphering the dead man’s notebook. The monk is an ex-CIA operative now living a life of contemplation in a remote monastery, and he is the character who steals the show. And then I realized that the series title is: Wyman Ford, NOT Tom Broadbent. Plenty of action, more villains that you can shake a stick at, twists and turns and danger to keep the reader turning pages and trying (in vain, in my case at least) to guess where this is going. And I loved that the T-rex gets a few chapters of her own to “narrate.” I will say this, for all the testosterone on the pages, Preston’s women are no shrinking violets. They give as good (or better) than they get – smart, determined, strong in mind and body!Scott Sowers does an excellent job reading the audiobook. He sets a good pace and has the skill to give the many characters sufficiently distinct voices. As a bonus, there is an interview with the author at the end of the audiobook. I found it fascinating to learn a little more of Preston’s background, including his years working for the American Museum of Natural History.

[librarycin · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

3.5 starsWhen a man is shot in a desert canyon, it seems he was hunting for some sort of treasure. Before the guy who did the shooting got to him, though, veterinarian Tom Broadbent got there and tried to help. While he was unable to help, the man who died had Tom promise to deliver a notebook to the guy’s daughter. Little did Tom know, but the man was shot for that exact notebook. This had chapters (mostly in the middle of the book) where it was very suspenseful and I wanted to keep reading. On the other hand, there were sections/chapters when it was a bit technical and not nearly as interesting. So, how interested I was in the book varied, depending what was happening at the time. Overall, though, I thought it was enjoyable, and definitely a good story. I really enjoyed the chapters that followed the t-Rex and her life.

[montzaleew · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Tyrannosaur Canyon (Wyman Ford #1) by Douglas Preston is a great thriller/mystery based around an archeology find. It is fast paced and exciting. I enjoyed it on many levels. I loved exciting stories of archaeological finds, stories that puzzle, those that might involve the government, and a new scientific find. Murder, mayhem, and suspense is the bonus! Good story!

[carol420 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

In this story we are introduced again to Tom Broadbent (from "The Codex") as he stumbles across a dying, gunshot man. Before the man dies, he passes on a dark secret within a notebook of numbers and importunes Broadbent to see the notebook returned to his daughter. This task, difficult because Broadbent does not know who the man is, soon involves great personal peril to both Broadbent and his wife as people begin to try killing them. Lots of people actually. An entire cast of scary bad guys, from crazed ex-cons, soldiers, sociopathic creepy scientists, government agents, and others come crawling out of the woodwork looking to end the Broadbents in various terminally nasty ways, for the notebook itself turns out to be something of a treasure map. The Broadbents find help in some unlikely places and people, and make many improbable escapes as they race to determine what secrets the notebook holds and what to do when the secrets are revealed.

This was an action-packed, if somewhat implausible story. I found the villains to be kind of lame. The evil ex-con who runs a convict dating service, the evil Museum curator, the coldly impassive Asian government agent. All seemed a little over the top. This being said, I love the books written by these two authors.

[nickhowes · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

A treasure hunter is gunned down in a remote desert location but, against all odds, there is someone who gets to him first, before the sniper that took him down. It appears the treasure hunter was successful...but what is the treasure, where is it, and who is the cold-blooded killer? Fast-moving story with twists and turns. I'm a Preston fan anyway, and I was not disappointed. An excellent science-thriller.

[marysgirl · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A fun thriller read with a SF twist at the end. He actually had a couple of smart capable women point of view characters.

[punxsygal · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Tom Broadbent was riding horse near the Maze in the canyons of New Mexico. When he found the dying old timer there wasn’t much life left. The old man handed him a notebook and told him to give it to his daughter, Robbie. Tom always keeps his promises. And thus a chain reaction is set off in a search for the greatest “treasure” in history. There is a reason Douglas Preston is known for his thrillers, both alone and with his partner, Lincoln Child. While this is a Preston single it is no exception, it will suck you right in. Hold on tight as there are lots of bumps and turns in the ride.

[karenrinn · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Very good intrigue leading up to the apex of the plot. A bit lengthy winding things up to the point that some of the tension was removed and it became a point of "when" will it end. Does wrap up nicely in the end.

[pierthinker · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

[[Douglas Preston]] is often cited as a successor to [[Michael Crichton]]. On the basis of this book he can best be described as 'from the school of...'. This type of fiction is plot and narrative driven, but this book lets a promising start fade away into a simple chase to find the MacGuffin - a perfectly preserved T. Rex fossil. There are too many unexplained reversals for the bad guys - a trained sniper and battle hardened ex-con gets beaten up by the hero's wife allowing her to escape his clutches and then fails to shoot them because he forgot to aim properly!! At every turn the hero is aided by shady characters because he seems honest and villains reveal their plans and secrets just by being asked to. The fundamental premiss here is fascinating, but there are too many loose ends and narrative avenues that are ignored or too poorly explored.[[Douglas Preston]] writes in that loose action-follows-action kind of way that makes for an exciting read and keeps the pages turning, but I was never engaged enough to care much about anybody or anything that was happening.

[dan.stout · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A techno-thriller for dinosaur nerds.

Although the cover art and blurbs present Tyrannosaur Canyon as a Jurassic Park knock-off, this book is about humans who chase fossils for both the brief glimpse into a lost world and the financial rewards which accompany it, all wrapped in the cloak of a fast-paced thriller.

Here's a bit of a disclaimer: I grew up wanting to be a paleontologist, and am predisposed to favor any story about this topic which is at least competently written. Douglas Preston's prose isn't brilliant, but it's certainly more than competent, and by the end I was glad that I'd picked this book up. If the story had revolved around stamps or antiques rather than tyrannosaurs and trilobites it would have still been a good airport read, but as it stands it was irresistible for me. (And frankly, the detail and affection with which Preston delves into the world of fossil hunting makes it obvious that he's more than a bit of a dinosaur nerd himself. That bit of passion from an author goes a long way toward giving life to any novel, regardless of topic or genre.)

Preston begins the mystery with the Apollo 17 moon landing, and he quite cleverly uses the actual dialogue from the mission transcripts to build the prologue for the story. From there we jump to the American Southwest in 2005, where a man is about to be killed as he returns from the site of a major find. By chance, a passerby hears the shot and tries to help the dying man. This good samaritan is Tom Broadbent, one of the main characters in an earlier Preston book (don't let this put you off-- I've never read that earlier book, and didn't feel that I was lost or walking into a sequel). Much as you'd expect, Tom and his wife are soon pulled into the crossfire as events spin out of control.

As in most thrillers, there are several villains, attacking our protagonists from several different vectors. As you'd expect, the villains with the most screen time are the most fleshed out, but I was disappointed to find that they were a bit of a mixed bag. While one heavy has outside interests and aspirations that round him out as a person, at least one had motivations which simply didn't ring true to my ear.

The science and weaponry details are there for geeks of multiple stripes; this is the kind of book that specifies what make and caliber of handgun is being waved under our hero's nose, while still finding time to ruminate on the different types of sediment thrown up by the impact which wiped out the dinosaurs.

Preston references paleontologists and bone hunters from the early days of museum expeditions to Bob Bakker, and mixes them effortlessly with car chases and kidnappings. (The desert wandering ex-CIA monk doesn't mix in so effortlessly, but hey-- they can't all be winners.)

Don't let the cover fool you-- it's no Jurassic Park clone, and Tyrannosaur Canyon is worth a read.

[jacksonarthur · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I saw this book in a storefront on my way to catch a plane home. I had recently read Preston and Child's Relic and enjoyed the book, and I had no time to browse. As it turned out I am glad that my schedule forced my hand. T-Rex Canyon is a strong book that keeps you turning pages. Enjoyable and intelligent.

[Tiana Warner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

What stood out the most were Preston's vivid descriptions of the dinosaurs. I read this book ages ago and still remember his description of the T-Rex.

[ct4bergeron · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Again, A very entertaing book by Douglas Preston. It is a fast paced thriller that keeps you turning the pages. There is a completely and perfectly preserved Tyrannosaurus body somewhere in New Mexico. As everyone race to find, what will be the greatest paleontological discovery of all time, troubles lurkes not far away. Since the stakes are High some will do everything in there power to ensure they get the price... Even Murder.

[paulmorriss · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

This is a fairly unremarkable, but enjoyable thriller. It's what you might call a "beach read".

[herebedragons · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Meh. An enjoyable enough read, but not earth-shattering in any way, and I had to look up a synopsis to remind myself of what happened in the story. Combines dinosaurs and paleontology with alien stuff.

[permaswooned · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Fascinating details about fossil hunting and finds. Good mystery. Utilizes characters from a previous novel, but it is not essential that one would have read it.

[catsinstacks · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book! I loved every page!

[rdurant1217 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I've been a fan of Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child together and the solo ventures of both authors have never disappointed either. Thankfully this novel is no exception, bringing a very unique story and cast of characters to the table. A quick read, it kept me up at night promising just "one more chapter" before bed. The whole novel was good and although I could have lived without the anthropomorphism of the Tyrannosauras, those passages were short enough not to annoy me. Overall a good read.

[roguebelle · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

An amazingly fun read, if a little uneven. It's brain candy, but exquisite brain candy. Intriguing, well-written, suspenseful-- and after The Codex, I did enjoy getting to see Tom and Sally again. Overall, a worthwhile read.

[stretch_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

Exciting well researched thriller, but a little over the top. The science, specifically the geology, was absolutely spot on. The research that went into this novel must have been an incredible undertaking. Even for someone with a background working for the Natural History Museum. When he described the mineralogy equipment and how they are used in such detail, I was bowled over. Literally the description of the optical microscope was masterful. His explanation of the K-T boundary and the theories surrounding the K-T extinction was just awesome. It certainly meshed with the latest research it was hard to argue that Preston didn’t do his homework. I would say his research and use of science is much better than Crichton and Jurassic Park. One of my favorite parts was the story, at the beginning of the major breaks, of the ordinary day in the life of a T. Rex just before the asteroid hit. Preston really has a knack for description whether describing a past event like the sea of tranquility, the impact of the asteroid, the fictional environments, or the characters.While I think dinosaur and science buffs will find it interesting, the plot doesn't have the sense of wonder or thrills of JP. There are no living dinosaurs, although dinosaurs play a central role. And while it could have worked as a murder mystery had the author chose to hold back more information, he instead wrote a by-the-numbers thriller that doesn't get interesting until the late arrival of a new threat in the third act. It's the action sequences in the latter half of the book and connection to a larger government conspiracy that is so implausible and really ruin what could have been a very good book. It’s too bad really, I think the book could of stood by itself without the grand conspiracy.