Winner of the AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books! * Newsweek 22 Books for 2022 * Philadelphia Inquirer 's Best Books of April * Publishers Weekly 2022 Holiday Gift Guide * Science News' Top Books of the Year * New Scientist best nonfiction books of 2022 * Smithsonian Magazine Best Science Books of 2022 * "A marvelous look at what happened after the asteroid hit Earth will make readers feel like a kid discovering dinosaurs for the first time. Black blends the intricacies of science with masterful storytelling for a cracking, enchanting read." ―Newsweek "This is top-drawer science writing." ―Publishers Weekly, starred review "Exquisitely written...as she expands her coverage through millions of years, Black’s skill as a writer and scientist and vivid imagination enable her to capture the dramatic transition from the Cretaceous period to the Cenozoic era which brought the flourishing of mammals and, eventually, humanity." ―Booklist "A real-life, natural history page-turning drama that is necessary reading for almost anyone interested in the history of life." ―Library Journal, starred review " Where science usually yadda-yaddas the gory details, Black’s The Last Days of the Dinosaurs reconstructs that bad day and its fallout in vivid, sometimes granular detail." ―Philadelphia Inquirer "A must-read." ―NewScientist "A deeply compelling narrative... The Last Days of the Dinosaurs would fit equally comfortably on the bookshelf of a die-hard dinosaur enthusiast, someone revisiting their childhood love of dinosaurs or paleontology, and anyone interested in the science of extinction or the transition from the age of dinosaurs to the age of mammals." ―Science Magazine "While engaging and approachable, The Last Days of the Dinosaurs is scrupulously rooted in information gathered by paleontologists, geologists, astronomers, physicists and ecologists." ―Science News "One of the keys to the book's success is Black's willingness to narrate events from the animals' perspectives, which allows readers to conceptualize both the scale of the disaster and the luck and ingenuity that allowed species to survive. The book also succeeds by lending immediacy and an admirable narrative sweep to scientific information." ―Shelf Awareness "One of the best books of the year." ―Coot's Reviews "Gorgeously composed." ―The Wall Street Journal "Captivating, conveying piles of scientific information with a poets grace. Even if dinosaurs aren't your thing, I recommend checking this book out from the library for the last chapter on it's own; it's one of the most beautiful meditations on life, identity, death, and the earth I've ever read." ―Scarleteen "Immerse yourself in the last moments of the dinosaur empire, as Riley Black weaves a tale of destruction, survival, and rebirth in the wake of a killer asteroid. You feel what T. rex and Triceratops felt as their world ended in an apocalypse of fire and famine on the single worst day in Earth history, and what our mammal ancestors felt as they emerged on the other side, in a ghostly void ripe for renewal. This is pop science that reads like a fantasy novel, but backed up by hard facts and the latest fossil discoveries. Black is pioneering a new genre: narrative prehistorical nonfiction." ― Steve Brusatte, professor and paleontologist at the University of Edinburgh and New York Times/Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs "This book is as vivid as a fairy-tale, brought to life by Black’s scientifically informed imagination. The Last Days of the Dinosaurs reveals the links between the deep past, and present-day ecosystems. Black guides you through Earth’s darkest hours - when an asteroid decimated the thriving dinosaurian world - and out the other side into a bright new evolutionary landscape. Facts are woven deftly into the narrative, parachuting you back in time to watch events unfold firsthand. This tale could be bleak, but Black turns our planet’s interstellar wound and subsequent transition into a story of hope and resilience. Mostly told from the animals’ perspectives, you share the experiences of a host of organisms including mammals, insects and plants. It’s Call of the Wild meets Armageddon ." ― Dr. Elsa Panciroli , paleontologist, Oxford University Museum of Natural History research fellow, and author of Beasts Before Us. "While the human endeavor of paleontology is infused into every page of this book, Black skillfully shifts it to the background and instead carries us straight into the forests, rivers, and plains of the Cretaceous and Paleogene world. Black's writing brings the last days of the dinosaurs and the critical first days, years, and millenniums afterwards to vivid life, portraying a dynamic world full of living, breathing, creatures. I'd never before thought about what it must have felt like for a dinosaur to have lice, or for an early primate to be woken by birdsong, but now these images are seared into my memory, thanks to Black's skillful imagining of this lost world." ― Phoebe A Cohen, paleontologist and Chair of Geosciences at Williams College"During the most famous mass extinction, the dinosaurs died and the mammals survived. Riley Black brings every step of the crisis and the recovery to life in this novelization of the crisis. See it unfolding through the eyes of the victim dinosaurs and the survivor mammals. The lightness and pace of the writing is founded on thorough and careful analysis of the rich scientific evidence that lies behind the story." ― Michael J. Benton, paleontologist, professor of vertebrate paleontology at the University of Bristol, and author of Dinosaurs Rediscovered RILEY BLACK has been heralded as “one of our premier gifted young science writers” and is the critically-acclaimed author of Skeleton Keys, My Beloved Brontosaurus, Written in Stone, and When Dinosaurs Ruled . An online columnist for Scientific American , Riley has become a widely-recognized expert on paleontology and has appeared on programs such as Science Friday, HuffingtonPost Live, and All Things Considered . Riley has also written on nerdy pop culture.
Features & Highlights
Winner of the AAAS/Subaru Prize for Excellence in Science Books!
"This is top-drawer science writing."
―Publishers Weekly, starred review
In
The Last Days of the Dinosaurs,
Riley Black walks readers through what happened in the days, the years, the centuries, and the million years after the impact, tracking the sweeping disruptions that overtook this one spot, and imagining what might have been happening elsewhere on the globe. Life’s losses were sharp and deeply-felt, but the hope carried by the beings that survived sets the stage for the world as we know it now.
Picture yourself in the Cretaceous period. It’s a sunny afternoon in the Hell Creek of ancient Montana 66 million years ago. A
Triceratops horridus
ambles along the edge of the forest. In a matter of hours, everything here will be wiped away. Lush verdure will be replaced with fire.
Tyrannosaurus rex
will be toppled from their throne, along with every other species of non-avian dinosaur no matter their size, diet, or disposition. They just don’t know it yet.The cause of this disaster was identified decades ago. An asteroid some seven miles across slammed into the Earth, leaving a geologic wound over 50 miles in diameter. In the terrible mass extinction that followed, more than half of known species vanished seemingly overnight. But this worst single day in the history of life on Earth was as critical for us as it was for the dinosaurs, as it allowed for evolutionary opportunities that were closed for the previous 100 million years.
"This is pop science that reads like a fantasy novel, but backed up by hard facts and the latest fossil discoveries. Black is pioneering a new genre: narrative prehistorical nonfiction."
―
Steve Brusatte,
New York Times
bestselling author of
The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs
Customer Reviews
Rating Breakdown
★★★★★
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Most Helpful Reviews
★★★★★
5.0
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An absolute must-read for any dinosaur fan, with a very unique and appreciated perspective
This was an absolute joy to read, and I'm so glad I did! I blasted through it and just couldn't put it down. This is a book focused on the K-Pg event, aka the end of the non-avian dinosaurs (and much other life), and how life recovered from it. It's broken down into a series of chapters, such as Before the Impact, the Impact itself, the Day After Impact, A Month After Impact, A Year, 100 Years, etc, with each chapter being based on the latest science with a bit of informed speculation to fill in the gaps of what life was like at the time, what organisms survived, which perished, what new forms of life were popping up, and the likely how's and why's to all that.
But what I particularly enjoyed was how in addition to that, each chapter is framed around a vignette regarding a member of a species that was likely around in the Hell Creek formation in modern-day Montana (the primary setting of the book, due to the amount of fossils from near the K-Pg event at the side), sometimes a member of a species that was doing relatively well (all things considered) in this brave new world, sometimes ones that weren't so lucky, and using them as launchpads for the discussion of the rest of the chapter.
Similarly, while the bulk of each chapter is focused on Hell Creek due to the strong fossil record there for the book's subject, each chapter ends in a coda focused around a species elsewhere in the world, such as the Atlantic Ocean, what would become modern-day Antarctica, New Zealand, etc, and the stories of these organisms and what was likely happening in these parts of the world as the days and years progressed was just as riveting for me.
All this is done while wonderful interspersing the history of how organisms such as the gigantic herbivorous sauropods and carnivorous tyrannosaurs likely evolved and got to their size in the first place, how those traits (and the traits and behaviors they didn't have) played a role in their downfall, and why those organisms who did survive were most likely able to do so, by having the right traits at the right time, whether it be the ability to burrow underground, use the burrows of others, stay submerged in safe waters, or other such methods (and this in turn leading to how the survivors would go on to shape the planet in their own way, in a world where non-avian dinosaurs were no more).
But what I most appreciate, perhaps due to my general disposition, perhaps because I've faced trials and obstacles in my life similar to the author's own personal story (which I feel she does a wonderful job interweaving where appropriate), is how the whole theme of this book, despite being about the event that caused the death of so many forms of life, is the sheer persistence and refusal of life to give up even under the most tragic and terrible of circumstances.
How even in the greatest of fires, new life will rise from the ashes, life that's both the same and yet different, has remnants of before the tragedy which they owe their survival to in the first place, and in time, especially as these survivors interact and prey on and compete with each other, something brand new will arise in the survivors as the processes of natural selection and evolution play out.
But just that general theme throughout the book, that this isn't a book about death, not truly, but rather one about life's ability to persevere even in the darkest of days really resonates me, and I love how the book concludes with a modified version of a quote from a certain infamous dinosaur blockbuster "If there is a way, life will find it."
We certainly wouldn't be here if it didn't. No matter what tragedies may befall the planet, the vast, interlinking, tapestry of life continues onward, sometimes being a much more ragged yarn than others, at times, like the worst single day life likely ever experienced, barely hanging on by a thread, but no matter how hard things get, if there is a way, life will find a way to continue on, and what a beautiful sentiment that truly is.
I personally feel this book succeeded wonderfully in its goals, and definitely not did I learn more than a few things reading it, but I also gained an even greater appreciation for dinosaurs (and all other forms of life) than I already did, and I definitely thank the author for that, a lot.
Truly a wonderful work, that I would recommend to anyone who loves dinosaurs, or anyone who want's a perspective on what likely happened the day the non-avian dinosaurs went extinct, and the years that followed, and what that says about the beauty of life and its ability to carry on, and find a way through even the darkest of nights.
45 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
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Meandering Paleo-Fantasy
I was looking forward to reading Riley Black’s The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, and the further I rooted through the book, the more I was looking forward to its completion. I’m a fairly linear person in my thought processes, and can handle a bit of back and forth, but Black’s work yields a meandering, redundant book that lacks continuity including the repetition that filled the pages, “ if not for the impact event, humans wouldn’t be here now”. How many times must this be uttered?
The book simply does not know what it wants to be. In the 56 page appendix, which is more readable than the actual text, the author explains the book’s speculation, which is plentiful. . Black presents contradictory writing on page 222 that Tyrannosaurus is almost as abundant in Hell Creek as some of the large herbivores... yet Black writes on 212, “Tyrannosaurus scans the clearing, but she has nothing to fear. She has not seen another rex in days, and these hulking dinosaurs maintain large territories—- a fact attested to by hypothetical tyrannosaur counts in Marshall et al. 2021 and Paul Collinvaux’s classic ecological study Why Big Fierce Animals Are Rare.”
Black claims that the ( opisthotonic pose) dorsoflexion assumed in the death poses of non-avian dinosaur and bird fossils was caused by the extreme heat following the bolide impact. This caused the ligaments and tendons of the head and tail to desiccate and contract to pull the animals head and tail into the death pose. Two problems exist with the authors claim. One, Black writes there are no Cretaceous animals from this particular time slot. Second, this pose is found in other dinosaur species throughout the Mesozoic, and has been duplicated in chickens in water, ergo underwater burial is associated with the cause for this pose. Claims such as heat from the bolide impact causing the dorsoflexion of dinosaur skeletons is sketchy and a reader may begin to question assorted claims made by the author.
Black writes,” ...and when that bolide broke apart at least one huge piece had the bad luck of heading toward Earth and striking our planet — an event so rare that the frequency is measured in terms of billions of years.” However, there are 190 confirmed large craters given in the Earth’s data base. Yet, 3/4 of the Earth’s surface is covered by water. Black is incorrect. Black also claims that acid rain from the bolide impact have eaten away at fossil remains leaving no trace of the animals that lived in those last Cretaceous days, yet, the finds at the Tanis site associated with Hell’s Creek, recent papers are somewhat controversial, appear to refute this very idea, seemingly with preserved animals from the day of the impact. Black mentions Tanis in passing, but seems to dismiss what has been found. Note this book was published in 2022
Pictures of some of the creatures presented by Black are cartoonish in nature. Colloquialisms, childish at times, used by Black, in my opinion, detract from the text. There is no index. So cross referencing what Black writes is difficult. Also, as a person who is tolerant and supportive of the LGBTQ population, I found Black’s own admittance to bisexuality and transgender lifestyle strangely out of place in the book.
I found Black’s enthusiasm, and infatuation for dinosaurs infectious, but , too much speculation, questionable claims, an annoying redundancy contribute to a book that doesn’t really know what it wants to be. It tries to cover too much in speculative fashion, a sort of Jack of all trades, but really mastering very little.
22 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Nearly the End of Everything -- But Not Quite
There is no denying that this book is an interesting read, aware of its moment in pop culture. (Expect numerous dino book publications in the same year as a new Jurassic Park/World movie release, and indeed the author of this book is a self-professed fan.) The text is not technical, and the chapters tell short stories about Earth's ecosystems immediately before impact and in the days / months / years / millennia afterward: what was lost, what persevered, what ecological opportunities were created and exploited.
Note that this is a very speculative book, intent on giving the reader a "you are there" sense. But that being said, I'm not fully convinced of some of the author's arguments. For instance, if the only way to avoid incineration was to go either underground or underwater, then how did any trees survive? What happened to the burrowing dinosaur species? Why mosasaurs but not sharks? As horrific as the events must have been, there had to be nuances at play other than a giant asteroid followed by global forest fires.
Also, I had to speed through a passage that argued we can't have big, sauropod-sized mammals because mammals have live births and don't lay eggs. Wait, what? It's an argument that forgets the existence of whales and those other mid-Cenozoic beasts that flirted with gigantism. This hypothesis might explain gender dimorphism, perhaps, but I'd wager that body size is more dependent upon other physiological factors, ultimately capped by a creature's metabolism and ability to sustain a healthy blood pressure.
The penultimate chapter, called the "Conclusion," gets a little drippy, in the sense that its primary theme seems to be "dinosaurs must've been awesome, and it's sad we'll never get to see them." Some readers might be advised to skip this section altogether. But the "Appendix" is a must-read, as this explains some of the thinking in the earlier chapters, putting some actual discoveries behind the speculation. This section reads more like a traditional pop-science book, explaining what we know and how we know it. (But, notably, not the "big baby" hypothesis noted above.)
I do recommend this book, and I am happy to report it is exactly as advertised. Some of the speculation, though, might leave you asking more questions than this book can answer.
6 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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Dinosaurs - and Us!
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.
This is, hands down, the best nonfiction I’ve read in two years. The author’s voice is authoritative (and points to more sources) but it’s the narrative that really gives this it’s power. You see and smell and hear the changes of a world effected by a killer asteroid. Also, this is really two books in one. It draws on the latest science to bring the dinosaurs alive in their glory, but it is also a story of how Earth - and we - came to be in the wake of the loss of these creatures. Fun and educational - highly recommended!
6 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
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Hoped for scientific emphasis, was disappointed
It contains plenty of interesting information, but the writing style is what I would call 6th grade level. Plus the author spends an irrelevant chapter bragging about his/her/their transgender status.
5 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Interesting
This book is about an extinction level event that destroyed the dinosaurs. I thought the book started out really good and interesting. After about more than half way through it becomes boring. The author talked about being transgender. I’m not sure what that had to do with the dinosaur extinction. It seemed a rather unnecessary inclusion. For the most part I enjoyed the book. I think maybe the author could have included a picture of the dinosaurs she was talking about. It would have added to what was happening.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the early copy
5 people found this helpful
★★★★★
5.0
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If you love dinosaurs then this is a must read. Very entertaining.
As most children I was fascinated by dinosaurs and that never left me. When I saw this title on NetGalley I decided to take a break from my fiction reading and spend some time with the dinosaurs. I wasn't disappointed. From the first line of the preface I was sure I had made a good choice. "Catastrophe is never convenient. The dinosaurs never expected it. Nor did any of the other organisms from the tiniest bacteria to the great flying reptiles of the air that were thriving on a perfectly normal Cretaceous day 66 million years ago." Yes, I was hooked and enjoyed every page. It wasn't all dinosaurs to meet in this well written book, it was meeting every other living creature around that day. The day the dinosaurs became extinct and the mammals set the course for us to inhabit the earth.
The story of their extinction was presented in a lively, easy going style - nothing dry from a textbook that would have you nodding off mid chapter.
5 people found this helpful
★★★★★
4.0
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Good mix of scientific observations and prose.
Not correct English. Masculine by preference is the rule. Unless you are talking about the Queen of England, 'they' is not appropriate for a single individual.
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
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Novel approach. Limited value.
Riley Black is an evocative writer. Her descriptions of T. Rex (pp 19-32) conjure as vivid a living image of it as I have ever read. Yet, as her story imagines and speculates its way to a fifty-six page, bet-hedging appendix, a central reality emerges: Her guess is surely better than mine, but still a guess.
The epoch she writes of begins when a gargantuan object from space slams the planet, an event she calls “a strong candidate for the single worst day in the history of life on Earth.” She says every T. Rex in existence dies that day. Many other life forms vanish forever. Earth is set afire.
But there is an inescapable caveat here.
The time frame in question is divided into a number of vast parentheses with millions of years between the opposing curves. Almost everything in between is a data-free zone, bereft of evidence and subject to often-changing inference and extrapolation. The author essentially concedes the point while extending the practice. As she notes on page 212: “I‘ve created [an] appendix to explain … how much speculation I used to smooth over the gaps where research has not given us the answers …” Consequently, with not even a hint of disrespect or disparagement intended, it is reasonable to conclude that a notable portion of this stuff is fanciful, or perhaps fashioned from a generous list of competing educated guesses.
Her clarifying appendix is laced with terms like “hypothesize,” “extrapolate,” “speculate,” “imagine,” and other implied qualifiers. It all left me with an uncomfortable impression of paleontology as a field of tentative assumptions trembling on a strata of question marks.
This is much less a book of science than it is an assembly of endlessly blossoming, theoretical off-shoots and contending TBD’s. I do not see how this well-meant work moves, at best, beyond “as-far-as-we-can-tell-but-really-not-sure.”
3 people found this helpful
★★★★★
2.0
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The appendix is best part of book.
After the first couple of chapters I became bored by repeated formula used to describe what happened. Then when I got to the appendix it was much more interesting, at least to me, describing in order what actually happened. And in a more fluent manner I thought. ... And for the life of me, why is this little book with a few crude illustrations so expensive. To me it is very overpriced. .. I have beautifully illustrated books about the age of dinosaurs that cost less than this little tone.
