Official Review: Dino's World by Shawn Taverner

[Ghost11111]

This book sounds like the author tried really hard to come up with photographic evidence and first hand accounts of extraterrestrial beings only to fall flat on his face in regards to proof. Maybe if it had been angled more towards fiction instead of nonfiction it could have been a better book. I appreciate the honesty of this review. I'm open minded to the idea of extraterrestrials but this book doesn't sound like it will change anyone's opinion on the subject. I might have to read it over myself at some point. Thanks for the review!

[Prisallen]

The description of the book makes me want to take a look at the pictures to see if I can identify anything. However, it sounds as though he is just seeing what he wants to see. Thank you for a wonderful review!

[amandathebibliophile]

This sounds like an interesting book! I too enjoy books and movies that theorize whether aliens are real. It's too bad the pictures made the author’s claims less believable! Still, I enjoyed the humor and thoughtfulness of your review. Thanks!

[rusyalana]

The book sounds interesting and the topic about aliens is rather exciting - there are a lot of people who want to believe that there is life somewhere over there. But I'm not a fan of non-fiction and first hand encounters with extraterrestrials. Still congratulations on becoming BOTD!

[Florence Nalianya]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Dino's World" by Shawn Taverner.]

---

3 out of 4 stars

---

Share This Review

---

E.T. is real. Or so Shawn Taverner would have you believe. In his book, Dino's World, the author tells of the year he spent observing extraterrestrial ships and their pilots. He includes photographic evidence in the tome and notes that he took video as well. In fact, the title of the book is due to a particular alien crew member looking like a little dinosaur.

Shawn starts his short book by noting how he's always had "a keen, and almost obsessive, interest in extraterrestrial beings." He then goes on to say how this obsession has resulted in him spending much of his time stargazing, hoping to see something more than just the sun, moon, stars, or clouds. It is during one evening in 2017 that Taverner spies something unusual and starts taking video on his cell phone, the only device he has handy. He then spends the next year or so documenting his evidence, sometimes sharing his pictures and videos with friends and family.

I too have always been fascinated by the idea of aliens from other worlds - as well as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness Monster, the Bermuda Triangle, etc. - so I nabbed this book as soon as I saw it. I was very interested in reading a first-hand account, complete with pictures. Sad to say, I was a little disappointed. Even though I believed that Shawn saw something, I wasn't completely sold on the things being extraterrestrial in nature. The included pictures were very muddy and really just looked like a mix of colorful shapes that could be anything. The author did note that the pictures had to be digitally blown up many times, resulting in very pixelated photographs. I have experienced this myself, but without clear evidence, I only had his word to go on, and I didn't buy it. One thing in particular that stood out to me was that even though the ships were hundreds of miles away (if not further), when he examined the pictures, he could clearly make out the aliens' faces and parts of the interior of their ships. I found this very hard to believe. I've taken pictures of airplanes, which are much closer to the earth (a mere 7.5 miles above ground, at most), and have never been able to make out a face or any other details in the photographs. To be able to make out that much detail in his pictures seemed like a very far-fetched claim. Shawn did note that he saw the aliens much closer a couple of times. Once, he saw one on a footstool in his house (there was no picture of this encounter), and he saw one on his neighbor's roof another time. There was included a picture of the creature on the roof, and it resembled a face, but I still wasn't certain.

Even though the pictures were less than convincing, I was still captivated by Taverner’s story. He noted how the visitations became more and more frequent until they were nightly. The aliens kept getting closer and closer too. I kept thinking, "Is this guy for real?" and wondering if this book was supposed to be tongue in cheek. The front of the book noted, "This is a work of nonfiction. No names have been changed, no characters invented, no events fabricated." Furthermore, in the Author's Note, he explained, "This is a real-life story that has stayed hidden for far too long." Even so, I kept feeling as though my leg was being pulled. Barring this book being fiction, I thought that the author had a vivid imagination and was just seeing what he wanted to see. Funnily, at one point, he wrote, "I wondered if what I was seeing was even real. Perhaps my deep desire to witness these things had somehow ended up creating illusions in my head." The pictures and videos erased his doubts, but I still had mine. Still, my doubts didn't decrease my reading enjoyment; his excitement was palpable, and I found myself getting excited, even though I was very skeptical. I enjoyed the author's voice as well. It really seemed like we were sitting somewhere, and he was telling me about these events in a casual, friendly manner. In addition, Dino's World seemed to be professionally edited, as I found only one very minor error.

Even though I haven't been persuaded that aliens from other planets are real, I am giving this tome 3 out of 4 stars. The removal of one star is due to the murky, unconvincing pictures; the author used the photographic evidence as a major selling point, so I can't just let the abysmal pictures go. I do, however, recommend this book to fans of first-hand extraterrestrial accounts and readers who are fascinated by unproven entities like the Yeti. People who enjoy science fiction may also find the read enjoyable, but I don't recommend that anyone phone home just yet.

******
Dino's World
View: on Bookshelves

Like MsTri's review? Post a comment saying so!

Great review. I love discoveries Who doesn't anyway?? it's a must read.

[Cecilia_L]

Poor quality photographs are definitely a turn off, but I am glad you enjoyed the book otherwise. Even so, reading about extraterrestrial existence is not my cup of tea.

[Dainora]

Aliens are not very much in my interest zone, but I liked the review. Was very helpful to create an image of what the book is about.

[Agnes Masobeng]

Haha just reading about the pictures I'm laughing out loud. Probably the author was trying to sprinkle humour around the book

[Pilar Guerrero]

I didn't really like this book, the topic of aliens is not something I am interested in and the story does not convince me of their existence. The cover made me think it is a children's book, but it wasn't. The narration of the events was not entertaining either. I respect the writer's work, but I cannot find anything I like or enjoy about his book. Sorry.

[Azrevread]

Dino's World sounds like an interesting book because Shawn Turner is brave and imaginative
enough to write a book based on unique evidence. The review is insightful. Congratulations
on book of the Day.

[Kajori Sheryl Paul]

A book where the author persuades that ET is real seems interesting.

Thank you for the great review.

[Manang Muyang]

Oh, I love E.T. The universe is so vast. The Earth is but a tiny speck in the scheme of things. It is entirely possible that we are not alone. I'm eager to meet Dino in my new book. Thanks for sharing your experience, Shawn!

[InStoree]

The aliens are a thought-provoking subject, but as a non-fictional book, this story doesn't seem quite convincing in facts or pictures. I'm not sure, yet, if I would pick it or skip it. However, I did enjoy your lovely review!

[Noilaus]

Wow, so interesting. Maybe the nonfiction and unchanged characters part, the author wrote about in the introduction, was just a business language to attract readers, as some would say. Further-more, his confession about illusions, that he wasn't sure if he really saw what he wrote about … , can be a confirmation that the book is a fiction work. Entertainers are unpredictable; so just try to understand the author. Good review

[Jorge Leon Salazar]

A non-fiction book in which the author tells about the year he spent observing extraterrestrial ships and their occupants. It includes photographic evidence and indicates that he also took videos. However, it is a difficult story to believe since the evidence is not conclusive but rather generates many doubts, however, it is worth reading.