Review: Oh F*ck! Dinosaurs! by Dave Bruno

Sardonically echoing Jurassic Park, Alien, and other classic stories of predatory monsters, Oh F*ck! Dinosaurs! by Dave Bruno is an amusing escape that also doubles as a character study of survival during times of absolute chaos.

A dozen post-collegiate friends with a whole trunk of tangled baggage embark on a weekend in the remote mountains of northern California. Rumors of savage animal attacks in the area and their own interpersonal conflicts already threaten their peaceful plans for hiking, camping, and some tipsy debauchery, but when this mismatched crew mistakenly enters a restricted government area, they wander their way into far more dangerous waters.

The eccentric adventurers are sharing their secret pocket of wilderness with escaped experiments from Dynacorp – legendary predators who haven’t stalked the earth for 65 million years. As bloodthirsty beasts descend for an easy meal, these unsuspecting weekenders must put their feuds and feelings aside if they want to get out of the mountains alive. From conspiracy theories and hair-raising close calls to poorly timed blowouts and perfectly timed comedy, this novel unravels with an avalanche of wrong place, wrong time hijinks.

The whimsical title suggests a dinosaur-driven story, but the simmering issues swirling around these characters comprise the real meat of the plot – namely how relationships function in the crucible of desperate survival. Bernard is dapper and laid back, albeit profoundly lonely, while Chad paradoxically struggles with unexpected popularity, his internalized awkwardness, and guilt over prioritizing friendships. The sneering dynamic between (King) Azi Midas and Ellis, coupled with the heavy-handed intimacy of Stella and Cam, is painted in the sharp relief of heartbreak and barely concealed tension – the kind that exists in groups where relationship dynamics shift and secrets abound.

Some members of the slightly oversized cast are less well-developed, being literal fodder for the dinosaur antagonists. Still, the emotional components of pettiness, romance, and gossip dominate the prose more than the cretaceous beasts slowly picking these players off one by one, and the balance of action and drama is well-crafted, so one is never waiting for the next brutal attack. The forward placement of gender fluidity and modern romance is refreshing, with Bruno seamlessly capturing the banal and less glamorous aspects of young adulthood – relentless insecurities, bullying, jokes that fall flat, merciless self-analysis, repressed desires, compartmentalization, and more.

The author’s wry wit is also on relentless display, from caustic one-liners and brutal burns to subtle contextual humor, such as the guy playing “Wonderwall” on the banjo being the first to get eaten. The narrative voice is contemporary and youthful, peppered with idiomatic language and internal monologuing that echoes the sometimes manic energy of the digital world. The writing is also neatly accented with suspenseful jump scares and red herring moments, especially in the first third of the book, when readers know more about the imminent terrors to come than the characters themselves. That said, the author tends to lean on italicized asides to clue readers into characters’ feelings and intentions, and occasionally falls into the trap of telling, and not showing.

Overall, this combination of gore and drama is an entertaining take on monster-on-the-loose thrillers, reminding readers to choose their friends and significant others wisely, particularly if semi-extinct carnivores will be hunting you down for dinner.