There’s a lot of science behind the story’s progression. Raptor Red is always finding herself pushed towards finding safety, and survival, in larger numbers. Sticking with the pack is also a really big theme throughout the story. Tooth and claw are not the only factors considered for Darwinian success. There are times when Raptor Red is preying on larger animals, and times when she is prey to smaller ones. Often this is due to exterior(environmental) forces moreso than Raptor Red’s own personal arsenal. Survival of the fittest is a really prevalent theme, although the pecking order becomes both flexible and ambiguous at times. Sometimes the prey escapes, and sometimes the predator brings home dinner. It’s truly like watching a wildlife documentary. It’s not a happy story, it’s not a sad story. Just what you’d expect from a fictional book written by a scientist. There is also an obvious nod to birds in some of their behaviors as well. Very single-minded in an almost comical way. The raptors in this book are portrayed almost like the cat memes you see on the internet. Instead of expressing complex emotions like love and attachment, you get glimpses of animal instincts and genetics at play. Not only do the animals in Raptor Red not talk, but Bakker actually uses science to portray the dinosaur’s perspective to you. Raptor Red does this incredibly well though. Talking animals ups the challenge when writing a serious book aimed at adults. When I first heard about this book, I was curious how you could write a piece of dinosaur fiction. There will be no spoilers in this review, so feel free to read on with reckless abandon! The dinosaurs in this book are certainly portrayed that way. He was the first paleontologist to suggest dinosaurs may have been active, warm blooded animals, way back in the 1960s.

Robert “Bob” Bakker is the author and aforementioned paleontologist.

Actual Velociraptors were only about 3 feet tall, but Utahraptors were man-sized and larger. Utahraptor’s are essentially the Velociraptors you see in Jurassic Park. The story is about her migration south from Canada, down the Pacific coast into modern day US territory. The book is about a female Utahraptor named Raptor Red. A piece of dinosaur fiction written by a prominent paleontologist? It almost sounds like an oxymoron. It’s always been a book I’ve wanted to read though. Given that it came out in 1997, you could agree I’m a little behind on my reading. I just finished reading Raptor Red recently. One Raptor’s Road Trip Through North America

Raptor red robert bakker