Book Review: The Monster’s Bones by David K. Randall

What an absolutely fascinating story this was! I listened to this one, and it’s the first non-fiction book I’ve done in audio. I wasn’t sure if it would work well, since my attention wanders more with audiobooks, since I tend to multi-task while listening. I was worried that a non-fiction story, requiring more attention to detail, might be problematic and I would find myself floundering to keep the details straight. Not so at all with this incredible tale from David K. Randall!

The Monster’s Bones is that best of all possible worlds in non-fiction (to me anyway): truth that reads like fiction/a novel. The tale is engaging, informative, and full of quirky characters, treasure hunts, and even P.T. Barnum! I found the notion of a pre-dinosaur world fascinating and bizarrely incongruent – yet, obviously, there was a time when 65 million year old bones were not a part of the common parlance. In equal parts educational and entertaining, Randall spins a yarn that encompasses literal millenia. Along the way, he interjects with spin-off details and stories that flesh out the overall tale of one man’s quest to bring the first T. Rex skeleton to the American (actually, world) public.

It was a mesmerizing story, made all the more entertaining and engaging by the wonderful narration by Roman Howell. Howell does a magnificent job bringing the characters to life and presenting their distinctive personalities through vocal variations that were clear and easy to follow without ever devolving into melodramatic – even when the subject matter of their expeditions and adventures were!

It was a marvelous journey and I’ve been recommending it left and right!