History of Jur

The Jur novels came about during slow night shifts in France. Around 1965 I was a squad leader for a bunch of Army MPs in Southern France. At night, while working the desk and my patrols were keeping law and order, to pass the time I created plots and characters attempting to write fiction. Nothing became of my interest in writing until 1970, after a tour in the jungle of Vietnam, and those plots came back to me. I wrote the first two novels during that year, and sent the first to publishers. Basically, my main characters were an Army Green Beret and a French archaeologist, who accidentally fall through a time tunnel to the Jurassic Period. When the first novel didn’t go anywhere I set the manuscripts aside. James Reasoner suggested I change the Green Beret and set the beginning after the Stock Market Crash of ’29. The rest is history. The sequence of the novels are: “Jur: A Story of Pre Dawn Earth”, “Savage Land of Jur”, “Lost Land of Jur”, “Queen of Jur”, “Treasure of Jur”, and “Drums of Jur”. "Pangaea: Eden's Planet" actually takes place in the Permian Period, prior to the Jurassic, but it is the story that truly begins the JUR series.

Wednesday, June 18, 2014

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Pangaea: Eden's Planet
By: Tom Johnson | Other books by Tom Johnson
Published By: First Realm Publishing
ISBN # 9781497340749

Word Count: 50400
Heat Index  
Available in: N/A

About the book
NOTE: This is a previously published work. The title, author, and/or publisher may have changed.

A Love Story, 250 Million Years In The Making

Seven astronauts en route to Mars encounter a time warp in space that disables their ship. Crash landing on Earth, they discover an alien planet sixty million years before the dinosaurs. Pangaea, the super continent, is filled with danger and terror, as they must survive against fierce reptiles that ruled the Earth 250 million years in the past!

An excerpt from the book
Just as they thought they had reached the safety of the desert a giant Gorgon, fully twelve feet in length came out of nowhere, its long saber tooth-like tusks reaching for them. The colonel and Cooper had already holstered their guns in order to run unhampered, and the creature was upon them before either could draw their weapon.

Manning smiled. “Everyone has a purpose.” Without hesitation, he stepped between the monster and his shipmates.

Pangaea: Eden’s Planet Reviews:

Jaime J for Platinum Book Reviews 4-Stars

“Original, Well Written, And Thoroughly Researched.”

This book absolutely surprised me. I was thinking it was going to be your run of the mill, done a million times, sci-fi space exploration...but boy was I wrong. This book was very original, well written, and thoroughly researched. The characters were a perfect blend of different personalities, all having "quirks" to make them relate-able to the reader. Each individual was picked for their different skills to help on this mission, and they were all perfect in the role they played. I was eagerly turning the pages to learn what "new" findings greeted the group each day of exploration. The detail the author put into these prehistoric findings was exceptional and articulate. The interactions between the characters, had me laughing out loud at times, and certain situations left me broken hearted. By time I made it to the end of the book, I was hoping that it was going to lead into another to be released in the future. Tom didn't actually say it wasn't, but I was very pleased that he gave me closure and insight as to what happened in the following years for the characters.

Lototy Reviewer for Coffee Time Romance Rating 4-Stars

“An Adventure Like No Other.”

Colonel Evelyn Peterson is ready for the commission of a lifetime. Her career is a testament to years of hard work and dedication, and the trip to Mars is just one more feather in her cap. She will be among the first to build a living community on an alien planet.

Major Adam Cooper is second in command to the Colonel. His respect and admiration for her is absolute, and if he drives her a little nuts, it just keeps her on her toes. He would give his life for his crew mates, and there is no question in his mind that the Colonel would do the same.

Colonel Peterson and her crew set off on an adventure like no other. They are to set up a bio-dome on Mars, and start a terra forming project. However the mission quickly becomes one of survival on a planet so alien that it barely resembles Earth. The ship and its crew are swept back in time to the Permian Period of the Paleozoic Era; which is approximately 250 million years in the past. Colonel Peterson and Major Cooper along with their five crew mates fight for their lives against a primordial planet and its inhabitants. Humans may be the highest on the evolutionary ladder, but nature has a way of evening out the playing field. Does the crew have any hope of survival? Or will they become just another species to fall victim to the great extinction?

This story has such a fascinating concept, I was enthralled from the very beginning. If you are at all interested in prehistoric Earth, this is a fantastic fictional read. Mr. Johnson gives life to prehistoric Earth with amazing detail. His descriptions of plant and animal life, as well as the geographical layout makes the story come to life for the reader. From the scorching desert to the steaming swamps each page is loaded with an eye for detail. The characters are also fully developed, and have a great diversity of personality. I fully enjoyed this story, and hope that Mr. Johnson has many more to come.


Terry Roberts TRobertsReview@aol.com Rating 5-Stars

“A Fascinating Tale of Survival.”

After a devastating nuclear war, NASA selects seven special astronauts for a mission to Mars; America hopes to begin a terra-farming project on the red planet to bring life back to our neighboring world. Earth is slowly dying from the radioactive effects of the war, and we will need to eventually leave for a fresh start elsewhere.

Colonel Evelyn Peterson and Major Adam Cooper pilot the Galileo Two, with their five teammates, each a scientist in their own field. But things go drastically wrong from the start, as they encounter a space anomaly that damages their ship and sends them falling back to Earth. To their dismay, they discover it is a world alien to the one they just left. Somehow they’ve traveled back in time 250 million years, and the planet they once called home is now teaming with ferocious reptiles and volcanic danger that might yet destroy them.

This was a fascinating tale of survival that gives us a glimpse of our world’s past. The Permian Period was 60-million years before the dinosaurs, yet had reptile predators just as menacing and deadly as T-Rex. It’s also a love story, as two people slowly realize they’ve been fighting against their own feelings from the beginning, only to discover their love in the end.


Rhoda E’Torre Author of Goin' Postal & The Creek 4-Stars:

“An Entertaining Read.”

This is a well written sci-fi with a romantic twist.  Pangaea: Eden's Planet can greatly appeal to those who may not normally read sci-fi.  A NASA crew in our near future heads for a trip to Mars but soon finds themselves diverted to a strange world--a world 250 million years in the past. The story line is well written, the characters interact with distinct personalities, and although a sci-fi, it is not bogged down with technical terms that could distract or confuse some readers.  The flow is good, there are no grammar mistakes or typos, and there are no obvious repetitive words or statements.  With great lines such as, "his face a mask of excruciating pain", the reader is able to imagine the scene without endless pages of description.  This is certainly an entertaining read that I read in one day due to my enjoyment of it. 

Colleen Drippe Author of GELLEN Rating 5-Stars

“A Blast From The Past.”

Tom's non-stop adventure story - no it never lets up - is a "blast from the past" in more ways than one.  Written in perfect early fifties style though retaining at least a veneer of modern science, this is a story of Earth's own past all the way back in the Permian. No dinosaurs, I'm afraid, but there are plenty of monsters and some lovely Dimetrodons as well as some sort of reptilian apemen.

The characters are very clearly drawn, though most of them get killed off at a pretty fast clip.  The whole crew might have stepped out of any vintage pulpzine, though the ladies get to be officers and scientists just like the men.  Even so, the whole book could have been serialized about 1952 with very few changes.  The author has the details down, along with a real feel for that golden age spirit – it is easy to visualize the action in grainy black and white with a mockup spaceship and some of early Hollywood's best monsters.

Don't want to spoil the ending but I will say it's not what I expected.  A pretty good ride as long as you can get into the spirit of things.

Tagon Maas Author of Machines of The Little People Rating 4-Stars

Do you remember going to the movies on Saturday to see your favorite hero?  Excited beyond words, getting your popcorn, finding just the right seat anxious to see what happens next.  I do.  Tom Johnson balances evolution against creationism... tit for tat with his tale filled with the wonders of technology, time, space travel and the images of a world in its violent beginning. This story has all action and adventure that those Saturday morning trips to the movies promised but without the popcorn and sticky floors.  I KNEW where this story was going right up until the hero I identified with was devoured like a stray cat by a wild dog.  It's very clear Mr. Johnson is a student of paleontology and uses this information to create a wild and believable world that asks "Could you survive?"... I used to think so... now I'm not so sure.


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