I have reached the seventeenth chapter of my dinosaur book and things are heating up. A bitter betrayal will take place in the aftermath of a vicious dinosaur attack. It is going to be a very emotional chapter as the character struggle to figure out what to do next. Time is against them as several carnivorous dinosaurs compete against each other to reach the humans first.
Monthly Archives: October 2020
DINOSAUR BOOK: CHAPTER 16 AND FIRST 100 PAGES
I have reached the sixteenth chapter and first hundred pages of my dinosaur book. In this chapter, the characters get a terrifying glimpse into just how intelligent and dangerous the reverse engineered dinosaurs truly are. It is going to be a psychological scene full of atmospheric suspense.
FANTASY PROTAGONIST TRAITS
Allow me to give you an overview of the main character of my third fantasy book. I have given a lot of thought about what traits my protagonist would have compared to his forebears. I looked to other fantasy stories for inspiration and combined certain traits together into one character. Like Aegon the Conqueror from Game of Thrones, my character will command dragons to decimate armies. Like Ainz Ooal Gown from Overlord, my protagonist will be a powerful sorcerer who strikes fear into his enemies and allies alike. Like Leto II Atreides from the Dune series, my character’s immense power earns him the title of “God Emperor.” Like Anduin Wrynn from World of Warcraft, my protagonist will genuinely desire peace despite the unrivaled power he wields. Overall, as the story progresses, my main character will evolve into a powerful yet complex individual.
A DINOSAUR DAYDREAM
I remember my last visit to the Bozeman Museum in Montana. They had this large Tyrannosaurus Rex skeleton outside the building. As I stood in front of the skeleton, I could envision what this creature would have looked like when it was alive. I could see every muscle, scale, fang, and talon. Such a beast would have been the terror of the earth when it was alive. I could imagine its piercing roar echoing through the valley and its footsteps causing the ground to shake with each step. If this thing was still alive, it would literally snap my body in half with its powerful jaws and robust teeth. I was standing in front of the remains of a 40 foot long, 15 feet tall, and 7 ton monster from another world and another time. These daydreams and realizations will give me a pretty good idea of how to depict the giant dinosaurs in my dinosaur series.
STAR WARS: BABY YODA FOR PRESIDENT!!!
I found this picture that featured Baby Yoda from the Star Wars show known as The Mandalorian as a potential candidate for President. I like this idea because not only is Baby Yoda super cute, but we need someone as wise as Yoda to dig us out of the hole Trump put us in. BABY YODA 2020!!!
A POLITICAL HOSTAGE
In medieval times, it was common for monarchs to acquire hostages from their vassals in order to guarantee their future loyalty. These hostages were often gained in the aftermath of a quelled rebellion. If the hostages’ families rebelled again, the hostage would be executed. Therefore, it is the fear of what could happen to the hostages that keeps the vassals in line. I will be exploring this concept in my third fantasy book and depict the relationship between the emperor and one of his hostages.
DINOSAURS OF THE CARIBBEAN
I have been thinking of what section of the world’s oceans would be an ideal place to put my dinosaur island. After much thought, I have decided not to put it in the Pacific Ocean because the Pacific has been used more than enough times. I therefore decided to turn my attention to the Caribbean Sea, which is a vastly vacant area of water between the islands in the area. I thought that would be the perfect place to put mysterious island. Also, this is nearby the Yucatan Peninsula, which is where the meteor that killed the dinosaurs landed. With this in mind, I thought this would be the perfect place for the dinosaurs to be reborn. The place of their death becomes the place of their rebirth. Oh, the irony!
A GROWING ISLAND
Normally, an island is usually a set size unless the sea level rises or a volcano expands it. However, I am planning something very unusual about the island in my dinosaur series. What if the island grows nonstop every year? How would such continuous growth affect the surrounding landmasses? This island will not be growing due to volcanic activity. Instead, it will be due to something far more extreme and unnatural. It will be a form of technology that goes horribly wrong. Another thing to consider is how will the island’s constant growth affect its inhabitants. This concept gives me a lot of ideas to work with as the series progresses.
THE ULTIMATE HUNT
The evolutionary arms race between predator and prey has produced some epic battles. However, the most epic of these battles took place during the early Cretaceous Period in South America. During this time, the largest dinosaurs that ever existed clashed with one another for survival. The largest herbivore was Argentinosaurus, which was over a hundred feet long and about a hundred tons. That makes Argentinosaurus one of the largest land animals that ever lived. They were frequently hunted by the largest theropod (carnivorous) dinosaurs such as Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus. Giganotosaurus and Mapusaurus were of similar size: 45 to 50 feet long and weigh between 8 to 9 tons. This predator/prey conflict was a true clash of the titans that shook the earth and filled the air with their deafening roars and bellows. When these animals battled, Giganotosaurus or Mapusaurus would hunt in packs in order to isolate one of the weaker Argentinosaurus from the herd. Once the victim was isolated, the predators would gang up on the creature, taking systematic bites out of the prey until it slowly dies from bloodless and exhaustion. Compared to lions hunting zebras, this hunt was far from as quick. I am thinking of portraying a similar hunt in my dinosaur series where the largest herbivore clashes with the largest predator.
WHAT IF THE HAWAIIAN ISLANDS BECAME ONE?
I had an intriguing thought to tinker with for my dinosaur book. Hawaii has had a long history of volcanic activity. Volcanoes are responsible for the creation and growth of islands. What if the Hawaiian Islands underwent a volcanic cataclysm that is so devastating that all the islands would be fused together, but would be completely lifeless as a result? How would this freshly made super island be treated in the future? Those will be some of the questions I will ponder on as I write my dinosaur book.
Grady P Brown - Author 