This book is a fast and exciting read. The short chapters and succinct prose kept me turning pages long into the night. After recently reading a news story about Colossal and its endeavor to de-extinct woolly mammoths, this story was a timely and cautionary tale about the dangers of the misguided use of CRISPR technology.

The author’s attempt to write a realistic modern woman was appreciated, but he failed epically. If I had to read one more sentence about the lead detective worrying about her weight, I was going to scream. Do better.

On a remote, deliberately isolated Colorado location, a disturbed scientist, working from prehistoric fossils and bones, has brought dinosaurs back to life. Now the wealthy can visit a luxurious lodge and safely observe mammoths, glyptodons, giant beavers and more. Sound familiar? Extinction, written by the talented Douglas Preston, is not Jurassic Park. It’s worse, far worse. Because, after all, some things should stay dead.

When Senior Detective Frankie Cash is put in charge of what is thought to be a kidnapping and possible murder on the grounds of Erebus Resort, she is baffled by the lack of cooperation from the resort security staff. She expects more because one of the possible victims is the son of a billionaire and the other an Olympic medalist. Erebus security is vague and gives Frankie the feeling that something is being hidden from the investigation. She’s right. It’s a someone, however, not a something.

Clear your calendar for Extinction. You wont be able to put it down. From the first horrendous chapters to the final scenes, Extinction blends suspense, mystery and science. The snowy, icy landscape is both creepy and atmospheric and the conclusion should scare anyone. 5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley, Tor Publishing Group and Douglas Preston for this ARC.

Loved the thriller and mystery aspect and I lived that the scientific aspect is easy to follow. Really enjoyed this book. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

It’s been 27 years since I last read “The Relic,” which Preston co-authored with Lincoln Child. As a freshman in high school, I remember being enamored and lost in the story, the atmosphere, and the excitement of it all. Since then, I’ve mostly turned towards memoirs and literary fiction, so reading a sci-fi title was something of a new experience for me. I found the premise of the book (bringing mastodons back from extinction!) and the execution to be brilliant, engaging, and even thought-provoking at times. A wonderful read that sparks the imagination and brings back the excitement of my earliest reading of Preston/Child with a premise reminiscent of the most famous sci-fi novels of all time! When’s the movie coming out?

I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for an honest review.

Let me preface with Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child are two of my favorite authors and I devour their novels as a writing team! I was absolutely exstatic to be approved for this novel and I am so regularly not for them! Now as a team, these two are phenomenal and I absolutely love their Pendergast series. Separately though, it's really interesting to see which parts of them they bring to their joint novels. Douglas Preston definitely brings so much of the science part and makes it extraordinary!

This novel is exactly that, crazy, scary, insane, REAL science in a fiction novel. I HIGHLY recommend reading the afterward with a lot of the true science explained. This novel does so well with giving action and adventure with the real science happening in the world. I liked the introduction of Agent Frankie Cash and Sheriff Colcord and I would be very interested to keep reading if they appear again. This was such an amazing novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I would highly recommend this to anyone who enjoys science, science ficition and especially amazing thrillers.

I should not have started this just before going to bed. Not even 100 pages in and my heart was racing; I could not put the book down. “It’s not like Jurassic Park” according to some of the characters. It is and it isn’t. Extinct animals brought back into existence - not dinosaurs but mammals that cohabitated earth at the same time as humans. Including extinct Neanderthals! Not that far fetched really. Of course something goes wrong. I figured it out less than half way through who the culprits were, but was still on the edge of my seat because I could not figure out how the good guys would get out alive.

I’m a little disappointed that it was never discovered/explained how the first two victim’s bodies were removed so quickly, without a single drop of blood, and no foot prints. We learn who did it, and why, but not how, and it’s bugging me.

If the wholly mammoth is de-extincted in my lifetime, I hope it doesn’t cost an outrageous amount to see it. Cuz that would be a magnificent experience. Be sure to read the Afterward for more info on real life research being done.

Preston delivers an entertaining story with a Jurassic Park vibe. Who wouldn't want to visit a park to see big wool mammoths! But the disappearance of hikers starts an investigation leading to something much more dangerous.

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Extinction delivers an interesting blend of science, mystery and horror. What can possibly go wrong when you mess with genetics? A story resembling Jurassic Park, but here all the creatures are not aggressive, so then what attacked visitors in the park? Preston delivers a well-crafted story with a solid ending.

Thank you NetGalley and TOR Publishing Group for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC of Extinction by Douglas Preston. This was a fast-paced page-turner of a thriller, with a fun set of new characters. However, many of the key plot elements were stitched together from other Douglas Preston stories or Preston and Child stories, like a modern Frankenstein. The analogy isn't accidental, since Mary Shelley pointed out the potential for science to abuse new technologies if the scientists lack ethics and society lacks empathy. Jurassic Park was Crichton's retelling of Frankenstein with dinosaurs, and with Ian Malcom's warning that just because we can doesn't mean we should. Extinction, at its core, is Jurassic Park with Pleistocene mammals. That isn't a spoiler, since Jurassic Park is mentioned many times in the novel, and the point is made that people should not do what the people in the story are actually doing, and the problem with the world today is a lack of ethics and empathy. Having Preston quote himself and his other novels is also a little weird. But overall the story is fun, and I highly recommend it.

You never think about the different ways animals and people have died or how they lived. This book explores a sequence of events explaining how it could’ve been. As usual the author has taken something from the past and put a spin on it. A very good book and you can’t put it down! Highly recommend!

What an interesting concept! Definitely did not predict this ending. I love Douglas Preston books for the mix of science, mystery, and action. This book did not disappoint. I especially liked the afterword - although I cannot fathom that wooly mammoths may one day walk the earth again!

Recommend if you already love Douglas Preston books

"Extinction" by Douglas Preston is a science-speckled, action-packed, Jurassic Park-meets-GATTACA thriller. The premise is creative, the characters seem realistic, and the story is transportive. As always, Preston does an excellent job of setting up a compelling narrative and then letting everything run wild in a fun and interesting way.

That being said, the first third of the book is rather slow, with lots of scene setting and building tension. Additionally, I was able to guess the shocking twist in the second half of the book. That didn't make it less enjoyable, but it was less suspenseful.

I'm a serious Preston fan, and this book, while not my absolute favorite of his, is another winner.

An exclusive resort in America, much like Jurassic Park. Scientists have brought some prehistoric animals back to life (don't worry...just the herbivores). But of course, when you play with nature like that things are bound to go wrong as we've learned through two books and six movies, scientists like to push boundaries.

The CBI is sent to investigate the kidnapping and potential murder of a billionaire's son and his wife while they're staying at the Erebus Resort. The reader is kept in the dark for quite a while about what is happening but I think just about any reader will see exactly where this was going.

I was a little bit disappointed at first when I realized what scientists had "de-extinct" and what was causing the problem but I quickly realized how it made this more complicated and dangerous. I found the story interesting and a quick read. I think readers who enjoy Jurassic Park will be interested in this title.

I enjoyed reading this book. In spite of my 3 star rating, I feel it is worth reading.
When the book began, I thought it would get a 5 star rating.
About half-way through the book, I had downgraded it in my mind to a 4 star rating. There were too many derogatory mentions of the bad science in Jurassic Park that my mind kept making connections about where the stories aligned. It was as if Douglas Preston was thinking, "I know I have borrowed from Crichton's story, so I need to say why mine is better."
The author's explanation of the science following the story actually made me see additional flaws in the storytelling. This made me downgrade it to 3 stars.

Imagine hiking through a world where wooly mammoths come up to you and sniff you with their trunks and maybe even clean out you pockets; where giant sloths and Irish Elk wander free. Not a Jurassic Park There are no predators. But wait! If there are no predators how are people getting killed and what does Erebus Resort and Labs really have going in the abandoned mines. Based on real science (make sure you read the notes at the end) Douglas Preston takes you into a world that could become all too real. A fast moving tale you won't want to put down,
Thanks to #NetGalley#ForgeBooks#TorPublishing for the fantastic EARC #Extinction

Every good story begins with truth. At least that’s what I tell my students, because the truth is always stranger than fiction.The idea that some company is already working to de-extinct megafauna blows my mind. It also makes me realize how much we don’t know about ourselves as a species. Which, honestly, is what this romp through Colorado is really about. I loved this one, Preston is always a good read and you know you’re in the hands of a great writer. I fall easily into the scenes he sets up, wether a brutal crime or a family of mammoth grazing in an alpine meadow. The concept of this story is excellent, the action unremitting, and I have to wonder what is going to happen with these character?. If fans have learned anything it’s that Preston can’t leave ideas alone…

Honestly I was a little disappointed in this one. Right off the bat we get a sex scene that is described the way you'd imagine a middle aged white dude would describe it. Tries to be edgy and sexy but comes off as really cringe. After that the story itself was just okay for me with not a lot of the usual thrilling moments that I normally expect from Preston. I don't know why but the entire book didn't really click with me. That being said there are enough moments of interest to push it to 3 stars. Maybe others will like it better than I did.

This was a fast and fun read – and a very chilling look into new genetic technology and what futures it might bring to our capitalist society. I particularly enjoyed the afterword with all the science explained, and am now dreaming of possibly seeing a wooly mammoth with my own eyes in my lifetime.

I didn´t really connect well with the characters, but still very much enjoyed the book.

This was a thrilling read. I definitely recommend it to those that are Preston fans or fans of realistic sci-fi and thrillers. As Preston writes in his afterward, this book is influenced by the real life effort to resurrect the woolly mammoth. So as sci-fi as the premise seems, it might not be too far off. This is shown through the novel as real scientific methods are discussed, which I really liked about it. Although Jurassic Park is mentioned in the book and the premise sounds very similar, I guarantee that this book is different.
In Preston’s typical fashion, he does an amazing job at building up the tension and the sense of impending disaster in the book. I love this about Preston’s books. He does such a great job at building a complex setting and storyline and characters and then sows into the plot seeds of discord and subtle hints. These slowly build as the book goes along until the climax of the story. Pieces of the story that seemed unimportant or possibly out of place suddenly click into place. I had a really hard time putting the book down because I just had to know what happened next.
My only gripe with this book was that it went in a totally different direction from what I was expecting. It took me a bit to suspend my disbelief and go forward once the twist was revealed. But ultimately it did work for the plot of the book and it made for a fun twist. It just wasn’t exactly what I was hoping for in the book.
I really liked the characters in this book. For a one off book, Preston spent a lot of time into developing different personalities for each character. Cash was by far my favorite character and I really liked Romanski and Colcord, too. They all felt very three dimensional. For the characters that did survive (no spoilers), I would love to have another book set with some of the characters from this one!
4/5 stars

I’m rating this as 4/5 stars as I did really enjoy it. While it’s not my usual read, I thoroughly enjoyed the murder mystery aspect of this story, the science behind it all and the thriller aspect of it as well. It kept me on my toes throughout the whole story, guessing and second guessing myself on what would happen next and I often found myself reading quickly and breezing through the chapters to find out what would happen next even though I told myself I was stopping for the night six chapters earlier. Part of why I wanted to read this story so much was that it had similarities in some aspects to Jurassic Park and as a fan of the original movies, I was very much drawn to the summary of Extinction. I will say that I’m a little disappointed that there wasn’t more focus on the “de-extinction” of the animals, but, and without giving away any spoilers, I very much enjoyed that “de-extinction” was the main plot of this whole story. Preston did a really great job of incorporating science into this story without bogging it down too much with science terms and the like, and it was really interesting to read the Afterword and see the science behind Extinction and the writing process behind the story. It’s a great read and a cautionary tale on just what can happen when humans try to play God with science and whether we want to admit it or not, the events of Extinction and Jurassic Park are probably a lot closer to happening than we realize, like Preston includes in his Afterword as well.

The characters that Preston includes in Extinction are really entertaining to read with a great mix of everything from enjoyable side characters, protagonists that are multi-dimensional and can be both loved and annoyed by, side characters and antagonists that you can’t help but to hate, just the perfect mix of well-written and fleshed out characters that go through a satisfying journey of growth as the story progresses. The language that Preston uses while writing his female characters leaves much to be desired for me in Extinction as a female reader however. The amount of unnecessary comments about Cash’s size in her own POV chapters as well as in Colcord’s POV chapters (and even McFaul’s POV chapters) were quite disheartening to continue to read; the constant reminders that Cash was “amazingly fit, despite her rather heavy size,” got harder and more frustrating to read as the story progressed because they really, truly had no place, no affect on the story progression or plot, and only proved to be description fillers rather than anything of relevance or importance. There’s always an added emphasis too on Cash’s bad relationship with food, from having her rarely eating throughout the main events of the story, only drinking expresso and eating the little snacks in her hotel room to even in the end Preston writes her as avoiding a sticky bun to eat and then when she caves and eats half there’s the mandatory comment that “it shot her diet to hell, but she’d make it up by skipping dinner.” It’s completely unnecessary and extremely unhealthy to any female readers or any readers in general who struggle with their relationship with food and/or their weight to constantly stress and emphasize these negative comments that always follow Cash around, no matter what’s going on in the story. The way Preston also paints Cash’s surprise at the Lieutenant Commander of the Denver Swat Team being a woman too, despite Cash herself obviously being an agent in a similar field of work with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI), felt wholly unnecessary and mildly sexist, especially when we find out that the second-in-command of the CBI is a woman too. And the oddly sexual introduction chapters of the book between the first victims (while clearly a married couple with a baby on the way) just didn’t feel right, there wasn’t any need for that to be included as it didn’t impact their story or drive their plot progression either. Overall, just the tone and language used towards Preston’s female characters in this story left me feeling uncomfortable and expecting better. This is largely why I can’t find it in myself to give this book a better rating despite how much I enjoyed reading it.

Aside from my above comment, this story is an enjoyable read and anyone who’s a fan of thriller, murder mysteries (and possibly Jurassic Park as well) is going to thoroughly enjoy Extinction. The way Preston ends this story too is very well done and very satisfying, it’s very clearly (hopefully) book one of at least two and I very much look forward to the second one if it happens and seeing what comes next for this story and (hopefully) Cash and Colcord and the others too; there’s a lot more story to tell with how the events play out in the last ten chapters or so!