I don't know what "homeschooled Christian" has to do with the content of the author's arguments. Is "brainwashed public school godless heathen" superior testimony in the market place of ideas? Frankly, evolutionists rarely depart from ad hominem attacks on Creationism, which makes their position greatly suspect. Furthermore, evolutionism overuses the argument from analogy to the point of absurdity. Just because you have an eyeball is evidence for them that you're related to an insect. False analogy is an informal fallacy of logic that is practiced by every evolutionist. However, one piece of evidence that dinosaurs and humans coexisted is the last nail in the coffin for their theory. With evolutionists, you have a rare example where ideology constantly dictates perception. Recently, a T-Rex skeleton was unearthed in Montana that was not fossilized. Indeed, it had fresh blood in it. According to the official report a scientist, Mary Schweitzer, could not believe her eyes: Schweitzer recalls, "I looked at this and I looked at this and I thought, this can't be. Red blood cells don't preserve." Schweitzer showed the slide to Horner. "When she first found the red-blood-cell-looking structures, I said, Yep, that's what they look like," her mentor recalls." The average scientist asserts that such fresh blood in the bone is proof positive that this creature had to be alive at least "50" years ago. Imagine that. 50 years ago. Recently, several reputable people claim to have seen what seems to be a perfect description of a T-Rex in the Australian outback known as the Burrunjor. Yet, here, right in cold Montana, these things apparently may be still walking around the prairie. If you have difficulty believing this, it only shows how successful a public school education has brainwashed you.
September 19, 2008

Utter bilge!

Written by a 14 year old. Cribbed from the internet. Mostly untrue.
Creationist rubbish. Does not contain a single cogent fact but plenty of religious drivel.
I threw my copy in the bin. Contains nothing of use to a serious cryptozoologist.
Read Heuvelmans instead.
August 27, 2008

Open minded? Read this book and you'll know.

After receiving "Dinosaurs, Dead or Alive" this morning I read it in 3 hours flat. Could not put it down. I am amazed at the vast number of sighting included and from so many parts of the world. Have read a few books on this subject already but was not aware that so much more is known. I have actually seen the dinosaur engravings in Carlisle Cathedral mentioned on page 14. This book could well be the best listing of such sightings available today. Not only because it is so extensive, but also because the probable species of the many creatures have been categorised. In fact, the Glossary on pages 105-107, lists no less than 33 different species.
The author has clearly done an incredible amount of original work - all the more astonishing in view of his age - just 14 years. With such a young author having access to this vast amount of information, it begs the question "Why isn't this taken notice of by the so called scientific experts?" The obvious answer lies in the challenging implications for the evolutionary believer, which are so adeptly explained by this young Christian. As the author says in chapter 15 "If a living dinosaur was discovered, it would put an end to the Geologic Column, and thus an end to evolutionary theory." I totally agree.
If your world-view is too sacred to be challenged by a good dose of reality and truth then don't by this book! But if your mind is not closed then buy it, read it, and pass it on. The world needs to know the truth that is being denied it by so called 'scientists' who are blinded by their evolutionary dogma.
July 28, 2008

excellent cryptozoology book

Ok, I want to be cryptozoologist one day, and I like dinosaurs so this book was the perfect combination. We ordered this book with a few others I was a little disappointed at first cause it was so thin, but it MORE then makes up for it in info. Who knew there could still be apatosaurs wandering around? or plesiosaurs right here in lake champlaine new york?! it also goes into disproving evolution (Which I greatly enjoyed.) Not bad for a 14yr old writer huh?
April 30, 2008

Preposterous?

Preposterous, You say?

That is the normal response one hears when it is suggested that dinosaurs still walk the earth. After all, who sees them? Where are the pictures? Where is the evidence? What do the scholars say? These are all reasonable questions.

If we can overcome our personal prejudices long enough to read Phillip O'Donnell's first book, we will come away somewhat surprised and much more educated. First, one has to realize that because they have not seen a certain animal, or that an animal is rare or nearly extinct does not mean that it does not exist.

Indeed, as we think of the exploration of the various continents by "modern" man we find that the creatures catalogued by explorers are new and strange to civilized minds. They were, however, know to the local peoples in the areas where they were "discovered." This is exactly what happened with animals with whose existence we are now comfortable including the mountain gorilla, the hippopotamus, the manatee, the bison, the coelacanth fish, the Komodo dragon, and innumerable species of reptiles and amphibians. Of course, whether or not these animals were new discoveries or simply part of the local fauna depended entirely on where one lived.

In his initial venture Mr. O'Donnell goes through the anecdotal and scientific evidence for the existence of surviving animals from a group of large reptiles and amphibians. Because of the rarity of any such survivors and their perceived size the existence of such survivors seems impossible on the surface. However, Mr. O'Donnell has approached this data with an open mind. In doing so he has engaged in extensive research not only about the reports that are perpetually generated in our "civilized world" but in understanding the taxonomy of creatures that we know of from the fossil record.

As he progresses in his exploration he has done a remarkable job of listing the categories into which many of these reported animals seem to fit. His Glossary of Possible Living Dinosaurs required an immense amount of work not only to construct, but also to research the characteristics of the creatures in question from traditional science and to match them up, when appropriate, with the sightings that have been reported.

As part of this, he has spent some time concentrating on unknown flying creatures. In doing so he has resisted the temptation that has befallen other researchers to categorize every unknown animal, commonly called a "cryptid" as falling into the class he is looking for. Specifically, he has done a good job of not confusing reports of what may be relict Teratorns, large predatory birds, with the animals he is researching. Again, this evidences his efforts to approach the subject with an open mind and without prejudice.

One notable and impressive characteristic of his work is that he goes beyond the normal recitations of sightings of huge unknown animals to the point where he inquires as to just how they might be surviving. This has led him into an area of inquiry not seen in the work of most other researchers. He has, in fact, searched for reports and records of smaller or juvenile members of what he believes to be dinosaurs. This search has turned up numerous reports of what appear to be young "crytids" and which others may have dismissed simply as unusual lizards, since they have not yet reached a size that sets them apart.

It is also Mr. O'Donnell's stated intent to help readers question the theory of evolution and consider the possibility of a special creation.

Stop right there, you say?

If we are intellectually honest, we cannot blindly accept the theory that evolution is a "fact" any more than we can blindly accept the theory that some dinosaurs or their descendants still survive. Each must be supported by science, history, and evidence. Mr. O'Donnell, if given the chance, does a good job of stating his hypothesis and conclusion.

Finally, Mr. O'Donnell states that there are personal, experiential, spiritual and religious consequences of accepting or rejecting not just creationism or evolution, but the veracity of the Judeo Christian Scriptures, which he uses as historical points of reference. His premise and conclusion is sound. He has not attempted to prove or disprove these documents, there are many others who have approached that task, but he has clearly stated the implications that one's belief system has for all of life.

All in all, this is truly a remarkable book written by a remarkable young man. At an early age he has learned to engage in extensive research, put that research together, and to utilize reason and logic to understand the implications of his work. One has to imagine that PHD will be following his name sooner rather than later.

On top of all of this, Mr. O'Donnell has written a book that is simply fun to read. And perhaps that is the primary point of this review. This book is fun. You owe it to yourself to spend a few hours of enjoyment taking a look at what Mr. O'Donnell has put together. You'll be glad you did.

August 05, 2007

SIMILAR PRODUCTS

BIG BIRD! - MODERN SIGHTINGS OF FLYING MONSTERS
by Ken, Gerhard
by Jonathan, Downes, William, M Rebsamen

Missionaries And Monsters
by William J. Gibbons
by William M. Rebsamen

Searching for Ropens: Living Pterosaurs in Papua New Guinea
by Jonathan Whitcomb

Cryptozoology A To Z: The Encyclopedia of Loch Monsters, Sasquatch, Chupacabras, and Other Authentic Mysteries of Nature
by Loren Coleman, Jerome Clark

Cryptozoology and the Investigation of Lesser-Known Mystery Animals
by Chad Arment