Like everyone of my generation or younger, I've grown up with the Jurassic Park movie - but for some reason this is the first time I've picked up the book (even though I was reading Michael Crichton back in my mid teens). I had a good time with it. 

It's an interesting mix of hard sci-fi (with plenty of scientific explanations and more than a bit of philosophising) and action thriller. I found the pace quite slow, much slower than I had expected, though it did pick up a lot in the second half of the book. There was plenty of atmosphere, even without visualising the movie, and a real sense of danger. 

Probably the book's biggest weakness was the characters, many of whom I didn't care much about, though (unlike some other reviewers I've seen online) I at least didn't find the two kids annoying!

Overall I enjoyed the book, and would quite like to eventually get my hands on The Lost World.