There is a recurring problem with American authors: apparently writers must produce a minimum number of pages in order for a book to be to considered by a publisher, even when the core ideas can only fill half of them. In the case of How to Build a Dinosaur: Extinction Doesn’t Have to Be Forever by Jack Horner, the mix to get to the minimum number of pages includes:
- 30% description of a great idea on how to test evolution by “recreating” a dinosaur staring from a chicken;
- 50% multiple repetitions of the same idea;
- 20% irrelevant and boring descriptions of marginal and irrelevant details.
IMHO, reducing everything down to a 100 pages book would make this a smaller but perfect book, very enjoyable.
It’s like mixing half a glass of Bordeaux with half a glass of water. I can’t avoid thinking how much better would be enjoying the pure wine, without the water!
Franco Folini 