Footprints of Thunder [Mass Market Paperback]

James F. David (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 15, 1997

When a freak natural phenomenon dissolves the boundaries between yesterday and today, the world is transformed into a patchwork mixture of the present and the distant past. Entire cities are replaced by primeval forests. Prehistoric monsters stalk modern city streets, hunting for human prey.

While ordinary men and women struggle to survive in this strange new world, the president and his advisers search for a way to undo the catastrophe. But the solution may be more devastating than the dinosaurs....

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Dinos are stomping all over the fall fiction list: Crichton's upcoming Lost World, Bakker's Raptor Red and now this overblown tale in which wrinkles in time send the giant lizards into our near future. David's first novel is set up like a classic disaster yarn: he follows several individuals and groups as they grapple with the approach, onslaught and aftermath of the cataclysmic "time wave"?a culmination of all those nuclear tests?that exchanges parcels of today's land, including much of Manhattan, with their prehistoric counterparts. That's a nifty premise, but David works it ragged. His human cast is too large?the U.S. president, scientists, tourists, bikers, gang members, a little old lady, a dysfunctional family out sailing, etc.?to inspire sympathy with anyone in particular. His dinos, with a couple of exceptions, are too hazily drawn to inspire the sort of fear or awe that Crichton's did in Jurassic Park. There's far-fetched science too, as a frantic White House comes up with a solution that could just lead to doomsday. Despite a few memorable moments (most notably, that little old lady domesticating a duckbill dino with bags of sugar) it's all too much, as overbearing as the ancient beasts themselves.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Library Journal

This apocalyptic vision, another departure from routine mystery, sports a lengthy cast of characters but focuses intermittently on teenage and college-age kids. Because they are more resilient than some, the young learn to deal with sudden changes that occur throughout the planet. Various locations suddenly disappear amid sonic booms and terrible storms, only to be replaced with strange terrains, out-of-place climates, weird plants, and even dinosaurs. The president's science adviser theorizes about "time displacement," but doomsayers have their own ideas. This suspenseful, fantastic first novel may attract an audience because of the dinosaurs.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 512 pages
• Publisher: Tor Books (July 15, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0812524020
• ISBN-13: 978-0812524024
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 4.3 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (49 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #152,593 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A super summer dinosaur read!, August 28, 2002

By 

Karen A. Vowell "hoofinet" (Pahrump, NV United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Footprints of Thunder (Mass Market Paperback)

I loved the whole story line and the characters involved. Just the idea of having a time-quilt effect bring the past(millions of years ago) exist with the present was interesting to see what consequences resulted. I loved the New York City portion of the story with the old lady and the Iguanadon, she just took the whole situation in stride with life. The author writes very descriptive of what the country looks like after the quilting happens, I was able to see the steamy jungle like swamp next to the towering New York apartments. I had a great time with this book.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Jurassic Park it AIN'T---but it IS a fun read, November 28, 2000

By 

Jeff Edwards "RadioJeff" (Twin Falls, Idaho) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Footprints of Thunder (Mass Market Paperback)

After quenching my dinosaur thirst with 'The Lost World' (a great sequel, by the way) I happened to fall upon 'Footprints of Thunder' quite by accident, and figured the plot sounded decent enough to give it a go. I have to say I was glad I took the risk. As another reader mentioned, the overall premise is at best ludicrous...but c'mon! It's DINOSAURS we're talking about, you pretty much HAVE to suspend your belief in order to fall for it in the first place. But after you DO...well that is when this book takes off.

Author David sets us up with all kinds of odd phenomenon that has happened not just in the novel, but in real life, too. Accounts of it raining fish miles away from the nearest lake or river and a few other unexplainable occurances (some of which ARE from the authors imagination). Then, all-of-a-sudden--the landscape of the entire planet is changed in the twinkling of an eye. Parts of earth remain the same, but OTHERS suddenly become earth of the past...the WAAAAY PAST. Now we've got dinosaurs walking the streets of New York City. Sound interesting? I have to admit once I got past the odd premise, I really enjoyed 'Footprints of Thunder' very much. Was it better than 'Jurassic Park'? I don't think it even comes CLOSE. But hey, for a great beach read or something to pass the time on a long flight, it makes for a fun escape into the partial-world of the paleolithic. Overall, not bad.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A top-notch dinosaur thriller!, September 14, 2000

By 

Thomas A. Morrow (Oak Ridge, TN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Footprints of Thunder (Mass Market Paperback)

If you love dinosaurs, whether they're fierce and terrifying or cuddly and sympathetic, this book is for you.

If you like violent, bloody, non-stop action, this book is for you.

If you like big budget, end-of-the-world disaster epics, this book is for you.

If you want a plot that weaves Big Foot, UFOs, the Loch Ness Monster, weird falling objects, the Bermuda Triangle, spontaneous human combustion, and ancient Babylonian prophecies into one tidy paranormal thread, this book is for you.

If you're looking for a convincing science fiction story about time travel . . . forget it! The plot is outright ridiculous!

Billions of people, all over the earth, are transported -- overnight -- into the Late Cretaceous because of hydrogen bomb tests carried out in the 1950s and 60s?

I mean . . . really!

But if you're willing to suspend your disbelief, this book is fast-paced and entertaining. The dinosaurs themselves are a real treat. I actually liked this book better than Jurassic Park.