4 out of 4 stars
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I rather enjoyed Giant Dreams and Dragons by James Womack. This short tale of science fiction is well-written and well worth the read. To enjoy the story though, you have to set aside its resemblance to Jurassic Park. In the Preface, Womack explains that he started the story in the 1980’s before having heard the name Michael Crichton.
Leading character, Dr. Doss, clearly believes himself to be intellectually superior to the colleagues who belittle his ideas and make fun of him behind his back. However, for someone so smart, he is also a little short-sighted in his determination to be the world’s leading bio-engineer. As he sets out to bring two dinosaurs back from extinction, he doesn’t quite foresee the potential disaster that he may be creating.
Jerry Penn is an unknowing accomplice of sorts. He is brought into the scheme to deliver supplies to Dr. Doss while he works in seclusion. Jerry seems like a laid back and reasonable guy whose biggest concern is stopping drug smugglers from growing plots of marijuana in Kings Canyon National Forest. He loyally supplies the doctor’s needs while laughing off Doss’s declaration that life can be generated from the remaining blood protein found in fossils that are millions of years old.
It is so easy to dislike and, simultaneously, feel sorry for Dr. Doss. I wasn’t sure if I should root for him or against him. In the beginning, it seems that he is such an outsider and doesn’t get the respect that he deserves from colleagues (Dr. Doss would certainly not call them peers). Yet, as the story progresses, Dr. Doss reveals his arrogance and I began to wonder if he had, in fact, invited the disdain he received from his colleagues. He seems to want a friendship with Jerry while at the same time, he doesn’t express any real affection for him. On the contrary, he is quite critical of Jerry’s ability to find humor in every situation and single-minded determination of patrolling the forest. He certainly has affection for his creations but is it just because he is proud of his own ability to create?
There is, undoubtedly, a lesson to be learned in Giant Dreams and Dragons. As Dr. Doss states in the first line of the story, “Not all miracles are blessings.” It seems this is a lesson we never get tired of learning just as with Mary Shelley’s classic Frankenstein or Marvel Comics’ The Incredible Hulk.
I rate it 4 out of 4 stars. Giant Dreams and Dragons could easily be a story told ‘round the campfire. At around 50 pages in length, it is entertaining without a lot of investment. Whether or not it was Womack’s intent, the genius, but flawed, Dr. Doss was what I enjoyed the most about the story. I don’t think the end will necessarily come as a shock to anyone but it might just leave you wondering.
******
Giant Dreams and Dragons
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