Dinosaur time travel alien sci-fi book

[val baustian]

I read a sci-fi book where people are taken right before they die in the present time and taken to the past by aliens as a social experiment. They live in colonies and they fight each other and the dinosaurs for survival. The aliens unlock clues to help them. I would like to read it again if I could find it. Any ideas?

 

[tinkerdan]

What comes to mind is Julian May's (The Saga of Pliocene Exile Books)
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00633YOUU/?tag=id2100-20

https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00633YOUU/?tag=brite-21
however it doesn't punch enough of the key elements in the proper order.

 

[PaulMmn]

There's a similar story where people nearing death (ie plane about to crash, etc.) are taken to the future because the genetic material of mankind has been damaged/destroyed. No fighting among colonies that I remember. One line I remember-- stewardess had been in cockpit and goes back to check on passengers. "They're all dead!" she screamed hysterically. She had walked in when the people from the future had finished with the passengers and the on-duty flight attendants and were about to take the cockpit crew.

 

[williamjm]

There's a similar story where people nearing death (ie plane about to crash, etc.) are taken to the future because the genetic material of mankind has been damaged/destroyed. No fighting among colonies that I remember. One line I remember-- stewardess had been in cockpit and goes back to check on passengers. "They're all dead!" she screamed hysterically. She had walked in when the people from the future had finished with the passengers and the on-duty flight attendants and were about to take the cockpit crew.

I think that one is John Varley's Millennium. I haven't read it, but did see the film adaptation a long time ago.

 

[PaulMmn]

There's a similar story where people nearing death (ie plane about to crash, etc.) are taken to the future because the genetic material of mankind has been damaged/destroyed. No fighting among colonies that I remember. One line I remember-- stewardess had been in cockpit and goes back to check on passengers. "They're all dead!" she screamed hysterically. She had walked in when the people from the future had finished with the passengers and the on-duty flight attendants and were about to take the cockpit crew.

Oh-- I left out-- the people from the future replace the people they take with dead bodies from the future, dressed appropriately.

 

[hitmouse]

I think that one is John Varley's Millennium. I haven't read it, but did see the film adaptation a long time ago.

Didnt it have one of the original Charlie's Angels in it? Slightly odd 1980s film if I remember.

 

[tinkerdan]

yes Millennium by John Varley I have seen the movie; read the book: definitely not what the original post is looking for.

The book is good . The movie is about as faithful as movies can be.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0441006779/?tag=brite-21
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00012SYOQ/?tag=brite-21
Cheryl Ladd
Cheryl Ladd - Wikipedia

 

[geosmithredux]

No idea about the book the OP is asking about, but the movie sounds like Millennium from 1988/89/90, based on John Varley's story "Air Raid" (which he later rewrote as a tie-in novel). The flick had Kris Kristofferson, Cheryl Ladd, and Daniel Travanti (at least I think it was Mr. Travanti) in it.

[ETA} Did not mean to post that - wrote it up before realizing that everyone had already mentioned Millenium. I swear I deleted the post, then closed the page. No idea how it posted (some sort of autosave, even though I deleted it and did not hit post?).

 

[tinkerdan]

You know:
except for the dinosaurs this sounds a bit like Farmers River world series.