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.

Sunday, October 5, 2014

New Reviews

Reviews PANGAEA:EDEN'S PLANET

JoAnna Singer
5-Stars

“Exciting and thought-provoking!”

Is there a literary category called “romance of science”? I hope so, because Tom Johnson has written such a book in his Pangaea: Eden’s Planet. Adventures in the future are usually called “science fiction,” but Tom Johnson boomerangs us into the past. That’s where the romance of science begins.

Who among us would not take the chances of a lifetime to walk where no man has existed before, to see creatures from a far-flung past, all in the company of experts in various scientific disciplines with the exception of their own hearts?

If you want an exciting and thought-provoking read, this book is for you.

Deborah Sanders
4-Stars

“Something for everyone!”

PANGAEA: EDEN'S PLANET by Tom Johnson offers something for everyone: a fresh take on a familiar Sci-fi theme which should thrill Sci-Fi and Fantasy buffs; romantic elements with "swoon" factor for romance addicts; non-stop adventure for adrenaline junkies; survivalist theme for preppers; and a shorter length (50k) for those readers who have limited time to devote to reading but still want the punch of a longer story.

Have you bought this book yet? You should.

Pangaea is the tale of an ill-fated NASA crew on their way to Mars by way of the Twilight Zone. (Sorry, had to throw that in!) The crew soon finds themselves on a prehistoric planet with danger and threats around every tree, boulder and hill and valley. Our adventurers encounter monstrous creatures so realistic you might find yourself looking over your shoulder as well as some pretty scary humanoids. The characters are fun, quirky and well developed. But don't get complacent. Pangaea is also about surviving insurmountable odds with limited resources. People get killed.
I don't want to give away the ending which was a surprise for me . . . and I'm not slow to catch on . . . so go buy the book. You'll be glad you did!