A Line of Dominoes: Iteration One and Two

At the earliest drawings of the fractal curve, few clues to the underlying mathematical structure will be seen. With subsequent drawings of the fractal curve, sudden changes may appear.

You've now landed on an island with hardly a soul on it. Reports say there's a rise of SIDS and a new sub-species of lizard is thought to have been discovered. Thus Crichton begins the novel.

I don't care who you are, any reader must admire Crichton at least for his precise methods of lining every single piece of evidence like a string of dominoes: one behind the other until vibrations send them cascading into each other.

In short: Welcome to the first and second iterations.

Before the novel even really begins, before Dr. Grant and Dr. Hammond are introduced, the author stacked odd and possibly unrelated events on the edge of a cliff, readying them for the moment in which they will send each other plunging into chaos. This all consists of the first 80 pages. While there is no doubt as to the truth behind these events from a reader's perspective, this doesn't stop the author. He doesn't hurry things along because their obvious. In fact, them being obvious is what makes this introduction so interesting and brilliant; it's like watching a horror movie. We all know what's coming. We all know the park is unstable. We all know exactly what everything means as it relates to the characters's probability of survival. Now we get the pleasure of watching them make every single mistake that leads to them fleeing the island.

For anyone who has seen the movie, Jurassic Park begins with the death of a local worker on Isla Nublar. While I can't say Crichton's tale shows the attacked, the specifics are quite gruesome and mysterious. Ed Regis, InGen's public relations manager, lands at the closest medical facility off the coast of Costa Rica in the tiny village of Bahia Anasco. Upon seeing the patient, Dr. Carter (Bobbie) makes it plain and clear that he needs help she is unable to give. They should have brought him to San Jose.

Of course, in traditional InGen fashion, Regis insists that she treat the man. Regis is unwilling to say anything about the wounds. It was a "construction accident." While this could be perfectly true, we all know exactly where that man was working. The construction accident would be nontraditional for sure. The man's skin is shredded, bone showing through the wound. Doctor Carter states it looks more like he was mauled than dragged by a piece of equipment. Adding to the mystery, and perhaps the most significant detail to a reader, the wound is covered in "slimy foam" and smells of "death and decay" - something the doctor finds odd even with the observation that it was definitely an animal attack. The worker unsurprisingly dies but not without leaving her with a few, chilling words.

"Raptor," he said. "Lo sa raptor..." The boy's lips moved. "Raptor," he whispered.

The locals tell her raptor means hupia which is some sort of kidnapper. When she looks in the English dictionary she finds a wholly different description: bird of prey. From here, we are shown several different events in which a lizard-like dinosaur attacks and even kills children. One doctor actually goes out to look for said lizard and finds a half eaten one. When it's sent to the lab with a drawing of what the victim described, no one can definitively say what it is except for one woman who has a son obsessed with dinosaurs.

The park is having containment issues, so by the time Dr. Hammond shows up asking Dr. Grant and Dr. Satler to come to the park, an x-ray of said lizard has already found it's way into their hands. Here's the point where most readers are yelling at the main characters to run in the opposite direction as fast as possible. After all, a secret island hardly anyone knows about with containment issues is enough of a warning to keep most people away, regardless of the fact it's harboring dinosaurs.

However, Crichton has purposed enough questions that as a reader, I don't want them to run away. I want them to run towards that park. It's time to start uncovering the mystery. Sure enough, the group flies through the fog and lands on Isla Nublar, sealing their fates.