I mean, how much do I need to expound upon when a book is titled Tyrant Lizard Queen about a T. Rex? If you are reading this, you are going to want to read the book. It’s very simple.
You want more? Okay fine. Riley Black, the author, is an honest to goodness paleontologist. You know, the thing we all said we wanted to be as kids, but somehow life ruined everything. Black also wrote the beloved (by me and a lot of other people) Last Days of the Dinosaurs. That book and this one have something in common that is quite rare. Technically, they are both fiction. I also read both of them and loved them.
Calling Tyrant Lizard Queen fiction is slightly misleading. It might be better to call it extremely informed dinosaur conjecture. Black tells the story of Snaggletooth (her maiden name, not sure if she ever got married). Black weaves a story about her life from birth to her apex predator status. Ultimately what Black is doing is using a story to tell you oodles of T. Rex facts from why their arms are so little to how badly they smell. Instead of a list of facts, though, Black takes Snaggletooth on a life adventure and brings us along for the ride.
And if you are a huge pain in the butt about making sure this story can be supported by the facts (which is me, I’m that person, and no, people don’t appreciate it), well, Black has an extended section at the end of the book which explains where all the conjecture came from. Turns out you can have it all.
(This book was provided as a review copy by St. Martin’s Press.)
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