The science fiction series Tales of Dinosaurs (new edition) by YANG Yang and ZHAO Chuang was published by Dolphin Books in June 2024. This series consists of four volumes: Li-An’s War in the Wilderness, Er-Ma’s Secrets in the Jungle, Gaoyuan’s Legend in the Sky, and Lu Xiong’s Journey on Terra. In science, these four books present the grand theme of dinosaurs from birth to extinction through four dinosaur protagonists who experience different fates; in literature, these stories narrate deep love between father and son, brothers, friends, and lovers, as well as reflections on faith, dreams, tolerance, and persistence.
Li-An’s War in the Wilderness centers around the story of Li-An the Panguraptor and Dianzhi the Yunnanosaurus. The book vividly depicts the prosperous scene of Lufeng, Yunnan Province, China, in the Early Jurassic and showcases the evolutionary process of some early dinosaur groups, such as theropods and basal sauropods.
Focusing on the story of Erma the Mamenchisaurus and Qichuan the Tuojiangosaurus, Er-Ma’s Secrets in the Jungle illustrates the true appearance of the Sichuan Basin in the Late Jurassic, as well as the living conditions of local residents, including Mamenchisaurus, Tuojiangosaurus, Yangchuanosaurus, and other dinosaurs, as well as other animals inhabiting the same community. The book also describes the evolutionary process of dinosaurs from different taxa in the Jurassic period.
Gaoyuan’s Legend in the Sky takes Microraptor, one of the most famous feathered dinosaurs, as the protagonist. This book tells the tortuous and bizarre story that happened to Gaoyuan the Microraptor, reproduces the survival and living conditions of this unique group of feathered dinosaurs in the Early Cretaceous, and discusses the critical evolutionary transformation from dinosaurs into birds.
Lu Xiong’s Journey on Terra is set in Zhucheng, Shandong Province, during the Late Cretaceous and describes this Mesozoic dinosaur paradise. The book tells a story of the two Zhuchengtyrannus brothers, Lu Xiong and Lu Ying, depicting the magnificent life of dinosaurs before the catastrophe.
Tales of Dinosaurs is a representative science fiction series created by PNSO. YANG Yang, PNSO’s science writer for children, has chosen four representative dinosaurs of different periods as the protagonists, narrates in warm and delicate words, highlights the ups and downs of the times with the help of their fates, and tells a series of exquisite stories. Through the different fates of the four individuals, the series actually demonstrates a magnificent scene of the birth and extinction of ancient and mysterious dinosaurs across the glorious era from 235 million to 66 million years ago, as well as the challenges and brave choices they faced and made in those undulating times. Mr. ZHAO Chuang, PNSO’s scientific artist, strictly follows available scientific evidence throughout his creation by building his artistic framework based on fossils and scientific data. He restored skeletons, models, and ecological environments from fossils to make these both scientifically rigorous and artistically creative.
The Simplified Chinese version of Li-An’s War in the Wilderness, Er-Ma’s Secrets in the Jungle, Gaoyuan’s Legend in the Sky, and Lu Xiong’s Journey on Terra have been published by Dolphin Books. We look forward to your reading feedback.
