Dinotopia History
My name is Arthur Denison. This is an account of my adventures with my son Will on the lost island of Dinotopia.
Will and Arthur Denison began their journey on the northwest coast. They traveled to such amazing places as Waterfall City, Treetown, Canyon City, and The World Beneath.
We were sailing in uncharted waters when our schooner Venturer was lost in a typhoon.
We were carried ashore by dolphins. From the jungle we heard the voices of strange creatures.
We soon learned that we were on an island populated by all manner of dinosaurs living as equals with humans. A young woman brought us to an egg hatchery.
Our journey had just begun. Will began to dream that he might one day learn to fly the giant winged skybaxes in Canyon City. But first he would need to learn more about Dinotopians at Waterfall City and Treetown.
Dinotopia Books
Dinotopia: A Land Apart From Time
Explorer Arthur Denison and his son, Will, are washed up on the shore of an uncharted island, where they are astonished to discover a civilization of dinosaurs and humans living peacefully together for centuries. Published in over 18 languages and winner of the Hugo Award, The Colorado Children's Book Award and the World Fantasy Award, this New York Times best-selling book features over 160 pages of full-color illustrations and an uplifting 
story that will absorb readers of all ages.
Dinotopia: The World Beneath
The adventure continues in this second book of the series. Arthur Denison leads an expedition deep into the mysterious caverns beneath the island of Dinotopia. He discovers marvelous mechanical walking vehicles powered by by sunstones, while above ground his son Will continues his training on the skybax. Winner of the Hugo Award for Best Original Artwork. Each of the 160 full-color pages features incredibly detailed paintings, drawings, and diagrams, many of which were exhibited in 2002 at the Smithsonian Museum in Washington.
Dinotopia: First Flight
The third book in James Gurney’s Dinotopia series takes us back to Dinotopia’s ancient past, where the empire of Poseidos is about to use its robotic technology to capture the peaceful dinosaurs of Dinotopia. Only Gideon Altaire and his faithful mechanical friend, Fritz, can stop this evil plan. But first they must escape Poseidos and win the trust of the prehistoric creatures.
This dramatic addition to the award-winning Dinotopia series tells a tale of partnership and courage, where humans and animals fight side by side to overcome the greatest challenge yet to face Dinotopia. As a special bonus, the front cover opens up to reveal an easy-to-learn board game. By detaching the games cards from the back of the book, players can join Gideon on his adventure, experiencing his crushing setbacks and his high-flying triumphs.
Dinotopia: Journey to Chandara
Professor Denison and his saurian companion, Bix, set out on a perilous journey to the long-forgotten empire of Chandara. When their personal invitation from the emperor goes missing, they are forced to cross the border penniless and in disguise. Every step of the way, Denison documents in exquisite detail the creatures, characters, and architecture he encounters: a village composed of three galleons propped up on end, a fifty-foot-tall Brachiosaurus outfitted for firefighting, an Allosaurus tending its hatchlings, young pilots air jousting on giant pterosaurs, and a lot more.
Dinotopia Locales
Waterfall City
Waterfall City is Dinotopia’s center of learning and the arts, with plenty of room for visiting students and masters.
Waterfall City’s unique clock is called a “helicoid geochronograph.” It reconciles the Western idea of time moving in a straight line with the Eastern idea of time moving in a circle.
Steep Street leads through the musicians’ quarter of the city to Arthur Denison’s laboratory. The stairs are wide enough to accommodate even the largest Apatosaurus.
At the Round Table Hall, matters of official business are brought up for debate around a table so high off the ground that humans must use high chairs. Here the famous expeditions to Treetown and The World Beneath were planned.
Treetown
Treetown is the beloved summer camp for young people wishing to learn how to feed, ride, and communicate with dinosaurs. The village is built into an oak forest, safe from occasional stray meat-eating dinosaurs. Long-necked brachiosaurs come by for a morning snack.
People sleep in baskets suspended from ropes. Dinosaurs spend the night in vast barns on the ground.
Norah, the matriarch of Treetown, looks after everyone, preparing meals of baked breads and berry juice. She tries to keep the boys out of trouble.
Will Denison seems to have no fear of heights. He joins in on some dangerous stunts.
At the end of the training season, the young people take part in the Dinosaur Olympics. The most eagerly awaited contest is the Ring Riding event. Will joins in, riding on the back of a dinosaur and capturing rings with a pole.
If he wins this event, he is entitled to continue his training in Canyon City.
Canyon City
Canyon City is where young pilots, or skybax riders, learn to fly the giant, winged reptiles.
Will and his skybax Cirrus fly to far corners of the canyon.
Oolu is the teacher at the flight school. He warns the students not to fly beyond the Stone Sentinels, which guard the entrance to a mysterious underworld.
Cirrus has a strong independence and cannot be controlled. Will must learn new habits. He cannot steer his skybax as he would rein a horse.
While Will is learning to fly, Arthur is wondering what lies beyond the Stone Sentinels. The carvings suggest that Dinotopia has a long history, and the key to that history is The World Beneath.
The World Beneath
The World Beneath is a vast region beneath Dinotopia that has been unexplored for centuries.
Arthur Denison led an expedition into The World Beneath with Bix, Lee Crabb, and Oriana Nascava. Legends of the treasure of an ancient civilization had brought many earlier attempts to their doom.
During their voyage to the sunken entrance of The World Beneath, Lee Crabb operates the submersible while Bix looks on fearfully.
Their sub is attacked by a gigantic fish.
Professor Denison and his team were able to bring ancient vehicles known as strutters back to life and climb out from The World Beneath into The Rainy Basin, a jungle region where tyrannosaurs live.
The treasure horde was hidden in this dangerous realm, guarded over by Stinktooth, a Giganotosaurus, more powerful even than the tyrannosaurs. It is this treasure room that holds the forgotton scroll that tells of the First Flight.
Characters & Dinosaurs
Gideon Altaire
Gideon is a student drone pilot at the Strutterworks, the flight school and strutter factory of Poseidos. He doesn’t fit in with the system and his classmates call him a “lightweight.”
Fritz
Gideon Altaire’s best friend is Fritz, a hoverhead. Hoverheads are small robots whose multi-purpose heads can hover above their bodies.
But poor Fritz doesn’t have a body that works. Gideon rescued Fritz from a garbage strutter.
Avatar
Perhaps the noblest and strongest of all the Quetzalcoatlus skybax, Avatar is a great leader among the pterosaurs. As a youngster he was known for such daring stunts as flying directly into thunderheads.
Catapult
Catapult is a Tapejara, one of the pterosaurian clowns and comedians. He is notable for the large flat extensions to his beak.
Binny
Binny is a female Necrolemur. She is a relative of a modern tarsier. Like all Dinotopian creatures, she is a real creature from Earth’s fossil past. Her unique talents include leaping, excellent vision, and flute playing. 
Even though she’s small, she’s one of the heroes in the story.
Budge
Budge is a mammal-like reptile called an Estemmenosuchus. These amazing creatures actually lived before the time of the dinosaurs. Budge looks like a bulldog with antlers — but stay on his good side, because his talent is biting hard and holding on!
Faldo Mustakka and Mirella
Faldo Mustakka is one of the masked dancers, who occasionally perform in Poseidos. He is wearing a headdress that looks like a Triceratops. His niece Mirella is one of the dancers in the troupe. They travel from place to place on a balloon air ship.
Razzamult
Razzamult is a Scaphognathus. 
He speaks in a dialect from the Coramir district of the Great Desert.
Roff Stricker
Roff Stricker is Gideon’s nemesis. He is in charge of the Strutterworks and the flight school where Gideon is a student pilot. Together Roff Stricker and King Ogthar have dark plans for Dinotopia.
Fish Fleet
The fish fleet consists of huge-bellied watercraft designed to resemble sharks and groupers. They can be loaded up with cargo from the mainland, or they can carry fighter sprogs.
