As a lifelong lover of all things dinosaurs, Impossible Monsters was a perfect read for me. The science is interesting, the writing is great, and it held my attention the entire way through.

" This splendid history of discovery tells a much-told tale better than it has been told before," says The Economist about this book. Well, I disagree, even though I liked it. Coincidentally, just before I started "Impossible Monsters", I read another recently published book on almost the same subject, which I liked even more - "Dinosaurs at the Dinner Party" by Edward Dolnick. So it somewhat spoiled the pleasure of reading Michael Talor's book, which I think I would appreciate more otherwise.

"Impossible Monsters" is a more typical history book than "Dinosaurs...", it delves deeper into some issues and also covers a longer period of time - but most of the revelatory thesis of the book is very similar to the ones in the book I've read before. And in my opinion, Dolnick did a better job of presenting them in a moving and thought-provoking way. But if you are interested in this period, both books are worth reading.

Thanks to the publisher, W. W. Norton & Company / Liveright, and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

I thought this would be a much more captivating book about the mix of science and religion, but it was plodding and dense. Might be more interesting to someone who has a high interest in either religion or paleontology.

A non-fiction book that dives into the 19th century debate between religious figures and scientists as dinosaur fossils started to be unearthed.

I wanted to like this one more, but I found it really dense. I really enjoy non-fiction and studied history in college, so that isn't the problem. I think it is more that there are so many figures for us to follow and many of them get descriptions that do not need to be as long as they are. The way the parts were structured too made it feel more disjointed. Interesting story, just don't love the way it was written!

This was an interesting look at the birth of paleontology and the split/conflict between religion and science from the the early 1800s on. An excellent and highly readable account.

I thought this was going to be a decent read about paleontology, but it turned out to be so much more. Putting a lens on the intersection of science and religion tickled a fancy I didn't know I had.

I enjoyed this book. Michael Taylor did a great job of discussing the development of evolutionary theory and its implications for religious thought. I found the tone mostly conversational, but somewhat more literary than popular science books. Sometimes the extensive use of quotes interrupted the rhythm of my reading; on the other hand some of the quotes were absolutely perfect. I loved the Dramatis Personae at the beginning of each section as well as the quotes at the start of the chapters. This book is well worth reading for anyone interested in evolution or the history of science. Thank you to Netgalley and Liveright for the advance reader copy.

My thanks to both NetGalley and the publisher W. W. Norton & Company for an advance copy on the rise of the science of paleontology, and how the bones of dinosaurs raised doubts, fears and quite a bit of consternation among people who were sure about the origins of the world, and God's role in it.

Like most children, even a pre-Jurassic Park child, I loved dinosaurs. I loved to play with dinosaur toys, loved dinosaur pop-up books. Watched Godzilla, a close to dinosaur movie, and Journey to the Center of the Earth to see dinosaurs fight. We all had favorites, and would argue about them. After Jurassic Park, the movie, everyone seemed to be a dinosaur expert. I was working in bookstores at the time, and even we were stunned by the amount of titles that came in, and how little kids were looking at books that were bigger than they were, but the kids were enthralled nonetheless. I knew that paleontology was well not a relatively new science, but I did not know the impact that fossils and dinosaur bones had on the thinking of people. People who were sure about the origins of the Earth. For if this was wrong, what else could be wrong, and that could send a theology reeling. Impossible Monsters: Dinosaurs, Darwin, and the Battle Between Science and Religion by Michael Taylor is a look at what happens when beliefs meet science, the reactions from people to the growth of new sciences, to the covering of ears and eyes, and praying nothing changes.

There was a time when there was a consensus about when the world began. Through careful study, math, a little bit of creative imagining, James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh came to the careful conclusion that the world began at 6 pm, October 22, 4004 BC. Something that a few holdouts still use, no matter what science or even common sense might say. Religion is hard to argue with, especially when the power of the state, and a more than willing populous is in favor of it. But little things through the ages, began to poke holes in theories. This all culminated in the 19th century, when a young woman, looking to feed her family, something that had led to the death of her father, began to find a lot of bones in some rocks on the coast of England. The bones were of an ichthyosaur, and from this bones, a science was born, and over almost one hundred years, much would change for Victorian society, in belief, what is known, and even more what is unknown.

A very well written book that balances a lot of people, with different backgrounds and ideas, yet never bogs down in either religion, dinosaurs, or even what life was like for so many people. Taylor has done a lot of research, and writes in a way that is not overwhelming to people either new to the times, the people or even paleontology. Taylor was a Jurassic Park child, who came to his love of dinosaurs through the film. Also we both share an agreement that the movies have gone consistently downhill. Taylor writes of religious matters, and of the era with a lot of familarity, more conversational than lecturing. Also Taylor is funny, which helps quite a bit. There is a lot going but again, Taylor holds is all together, and gives a balanced and intriguing account of all the backroom shenanigans, cover-ups, and lies to keep power and their control. I different sort of dinosaur book.

Recommended for dinosaur fans, fans of history, and people who enjoy reading books about science, and the growth of different scientific fields. A lot of fun, and very well told.

A fascinating read about the history of the beginning of the study of palaeontology, geology and the oftentimes fractious reactions of Victorian society to the realities being uncovered.

The impact of the first modern dinoaur discoveries must be in the air now. This is the third reference I've come across this year, and it's the best. A month or two ago I read an ARC about the subject on NetGalley, and it did a good job but it stopped too soon. It covered the discoveries, the players, and some of the activities, but it didn't get into the impacts on society. That book ended with Darwin, and he's akey player in this book. The author gets into the scientific and religious debates that resulted, covers their impact on Victorian and other societies, and covers all angles that I can think of. Dinosaur fans get their fill, and the those wanting to know what people thought and their thoughts changed throughout the 1800's will get their fill, too. This is one of the best ARC's I've read this year.

Though this was interesting, it was not as entertaining a read as other recent books on similar topics.

An interesting look at the history of the discovery of dinosaurs and the impact of that discovery. It is obvious from the reading of this book, that great dedication was taken in writing it. I absolutely love paleontology and history and enjoyed reading this book. I learned a number of facts that I had not know before. I look forward to using what I learned from this book to continue researching and learning more. It's a bit awe inspiring to think about the short amount of time that humans have really been aware of dinosaurs...