David, a customer of Everything Dinosaur and a writer of science-fiction books sent into us a review of a new novel entitled “Predatory” authored by Mike Esola. In the heart of the Amazon rainforest, where the dense canopy swallows the sun and whispers of a primordial world still linger in the air, mercenaries embark on a perilous rescue mission and encounter prehistoric animals.

Here is the “Predatory” book review:

“Predatory” by Mike Esola

A plot summary: a unit of mercenaries are sent into the Amazon rainforest to rescue an abducted billionaire, Elizabeth Pollock. She isn’t the first to have been kidnapped. The tooth-and-claw environment of the Amazon is finely depicted in its naturalistic wonder and there is a compelling antagonist called Jeffery, a former billionaire that has boycotted his possessions and vast wealth.

The front cover of the novel “Predatory” by Mike Esola.

Disgruntled from the capitalist world, where billionaires have focused on space travel as a commercial luxury rather than invest their fortunes in aiding and preserving the natural wonders of the world, which are being pillaged, Jeffery has retreated to the heart of the Amazon, where over the last decade has metamorphosised into a lean, intimidating and athletic Tarzanesque character with a split personality known as the “Misanthrope” who is commandeering him and has filed down teeth and sharpened fingernails and has a preference for moving about on all fours which gives off vibes akin to Sabre-tooth in X-men Origins or the Beast from the film Split.

But Jeffery and the Misanthrope aren’t the only threat; inhabiting this uncharted region of the Amazon are packs of Fasolasuchus, utterly formidable and horrifying nine-metre-long rauisuchians cousin of crocodiles that thrived during the Late Triassic and preyed upon the first dinosaurs, a specimen unfamiliar to the public. Overall, this is a splendid alternative protagonist over a theropod dinosaur.

Encountering a Pack of Fasolasuchus

The detail of the attacks by these rauisuchians is described well, particularly the size, impact and violence. So, kudos to the author for his wise choice of creature inclusion. And to ramp up the fear factor, Jeffrey is able to exhibit a degree of control over them. He uses a wooden paddle which he smacks against trees to draw their attention to his location when he is stalking his human prey.

“Predatory” is a real treat for any lover of a creature-feature, the cover completely illustrates the tense opening segment, and the title is self-explanatory. Throughout the story, there are plenty of references to the films Predator and Anaconda, such as the quote: “Over here, over here, turn around, turn around” and there is a moment where there is a shrine of polished human skulls encountered and the character of Cooper Conrad is reminiscent of Billy from Predator.

There are some scenes where the mercenaries utilise night vision goggles that may picturesquely remind one of the Hyaenodon scene in episode 3 of Walking With Beasts or the Velociraptor attack scene in Jurassic World.

Lots of Dinosaur Interaction

The dialogue between characters has Michael Crichtonesque tone to it which explains the ongoing situation very well. There are some psychedelic scenes involving views of the Earth, interspersed with some visuals of dinosaurs, in particular a supplementary hunt of Deinonychus against a Tenontosaurus as well as Diplodocus, Sauroposeidon and Dreadnoughtus browsing at varying tier levels of heights.

“Misanthropic pessimism colliding with capitalist decadence in a primordial setting.” Is the prime theme of this story.

Predatory concludes with an interesting epilogue encompassing the irrefutable fact of humans “geologic connection” to the Earth [a recurring quote from the Misanthrope] and the morbid influence of the antagonist passing on the torch.

This novel would make for a great movie adaptation, hopefully not by some director who does only B-grade films but a proper, well-funded feature with top notch special effects and script.

To be advised: “Predatory” is recommended for a reader’s age of 15 years + and has strong language and descriptive violence.

It’s available on Amazon in paperback and E-book.

Our thanks to David for sending in his review and our thanks to Mike Esola for giving us permission to use the image included in this article.