Dinosaur Summer fleshes out the important characters, explains why the dinosaurs were captured and why they are to be returned to El Grande, and establishes how very dire the peril is for anyone trapped unarmed on El Grande. Book Two is the adventure that one has been anticipating from the moment Peter realizes that he is to accompany the dinosaurs back to Venezuela.

Book Two takes place on El Grande. The plateau has been broken up by earthquakes since Arthur Conan Doyle described it, mixing species that had before been kept separated by impassable chasms, and competition among the species is taking a terrible toll on the wildlife. Peter and his companions witness natural selection wreaking its inexorable logic on El Grande, and he and they become mere snacks and inconveniences for the beasts of the lost world.

Throughout their adventure, Bear retains his keen understanding of detail...