Piers Anthony is one of the authors I fell in love with while still in middle school--his books are a big part of what made me fall in love with fantasy and never look back. I also love dinosaurs and animals in general, so you'd think that I'd have loved this book... and I didn't Not love it. There were moments--and the illustrations, especially--where I was totally enthralled with it. At the same time, it had the feel of too many of those books and films about friendships between animals and children--you didn't know whether to dread what was coming or assume there'd be a predictable good ending. At one point, I actually couldn't resist flipping to the end of the book to make sure that I'd get the ending I wanted, and I don't remember ever doing that before... in any case, I finished reading the book after I did that, and I'm glad I did.

I enjoyed the book--it's by no means going to stand out as one of my favorites, and it's more in the lines of young adult than I'd expect from Anthony, but I'm glad to have finally gotten around to reading it. If you love animals and dinosaurs, in particular, then the book is worth digging up for the illustrations alone. ( )

Turns out this is much less about the re-engineered extinct mammal than his human companion. I think Balook has appeared perhaps 4 times so far, with no significant interaction. I'll be discarding my copy.

Balook is a Baluchtherium, an ancient rhinocerous, three times the size of a horse, brought back from extinction by some enterprising future scientists. Thor is his companion, friend, and champion. Balook is anachronistic and misunderstood. What is his usefulness? Is he dangerous? The modern world must deal with these questions, and Thor must guide them to the answers. This is ostensibly a young adult novel, but quite complex in theme and science. The young characters are relatable to the young reader, but people of all ages will fall in love with Balook and wish they could have one as a friend. I was also quite enamored with Anthony’s vision of a future where cutting down trees is illegal, and most everyone is conveyed by bicycles. ( )