JP Carlson delivers a rousing, non-stop, prehistoric action adventure in the tradition of the classic pulp novelists as a group of roughneck cowboys travel to another planet in the company of a Rex-riding stranger to stop the destruction of their town in a race against time.
WINNER: Book of The Year 2011 - Foreword Reviews/Juvenile Fiction
"Blindingly awesome . . . the American frontier. With dinosaurs!" www.io9.com
"Rex Riders is a deft blend of action, humor, and wall-to-wall adventure in a truly original setting. Reading it was nothing short of pure joy, ... " www.NewYorkJournalofBooks.com
"Take a pinch of Aliens, a dash of dinosaurs and mix them with a Western main ingredient and you have the recipe for a rip-roaring good children's read." www.dinosaurnews.org
"Rex Riders takes a childhood fascination with dinosaurs and delivers a hard-nosed, rip-roaring Western adventure through the dusty plains of Texas and beyond. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED." www.strangekidsclub.com
"[E]verything about the story is startlingly original. ... As much a tale of cowboy adventure and exciting dinosaur encounters, the canvas of the narrative is huge - in one scene, the two central protagonists discuss the future of the Old West, and D'Alessandro's speech about the changing world is reminiscent of Tolkien writing about the inevitable onslaught of the future on an idyllic rural way of living in Lord of the Rings." www.dinosaursociety.com
"Who's the best audience for Rex Riders? It has reluctant reader written all over it, especially boys who don't want any soap opera with their stories. It's the book that should be sold at every rodeo across America. (Do bookstores set up at rodeos? If not, they should.) Carlson has written something that manages to be both straightforward and sensational; it's the best sort of blend of Americana and science fiction for the ten and up crowd." www.guyslitwire.com
"This 'weird western' inserts the prehistoric world of dinosaurs into the traditional setting of cattle roundups, rodeos, and stampedes, square dances and six-shooters ... [R]eaders will enjoy the lively action and adventure in the manner of King Kong and Jurassic Park." Voice of Youth Advocates
Zeke Calhoun is a 14-year-old tenderfoot, struggling to fit in on his Uncle Jesse's broken-down ranch on the outskirts of Dos Locos, Texas. Too bad Uncle Jesse acts like he's got a burr stuck in his boot 24/7 and the two don't get along. All that changes when Zeke discovers a mysterious eight-foot tall stranger riddled with bullets and a juvenile T-rex the size of a horse protecting him from a pack of hungry wolves. What is he? Who shot him? And why?
Zeke rescues the stranger and the men of the Double-R hear a story that seems too unbelievable to be true. The clock is ticking as Zeke and his Uncle must join forces with the stranger known as the Rex Rider before it's too late.