Like Dr. Strangelove with dinosaurs and ants, what more could you want? ( )

A scifi fable about a hypothetical symbiosis between ants and dinosaurs and the dangers of gaining hegemonic control. Though the ants and dinosaurs have human-like characteristics, character development is minimal, so the story relies on the novelty of the alliance between ants and dinosaurs. Dinosaurs outsource work that requires precision and small size to the ants. The advantages ants have are not surprising and even this interdependence is not explored deeply making the story feel as though it were written for children (maybe it was?).

If you know Cixin Liu from the Three-Body trilogy and are expecting something similar, then you will be disappointed. Conversely, if you have not read the Three-Body trilogy, then do not let this mediocre story dissuade from one of the most epic scifi stories written. ( )

Beginning with an act of cooperation and trust and ending in competition and deceit, The Cretaceous Past is a fascinating and plausible imagining of the rise and fall of the symbiotic dinosaur and ant cultures. ( )