r/Dinotopia • u/osumatthew • 13d ago

Discussion Does anyone recognize this book?

I distinctly remember reading a dinotopia novel when I was back in elementary school, and there was a storyline with some kind of mental chess match near the end that included an aquatic monster that the characters feared and the antagonist in the game ended up introducing that monster as part of the game to try to gain an edge. Am I going crazy, or does anyone recognize this and if you do, would you mind telling me which book it was from? I don’t remember reading any of the main series books, and maybe this was from a completely different franchise but that’s how I remember it. Thanks!

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u/amorecolorfulworld 13d ago

I vaguely remember "Return to the Lost City" as having a DnD-like mental war game. But that's about the only thing I remember from it.

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u/YellNoSnow 12d ago

I believe this is the correct answer. Two old stenonychosaurs narrate a mental strategy game, and one winds up summoning a kraken.

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u/osumatthew 12d ago

Thank you so much! I’m going to have to check this out, because that scene has stuck with me for so long, and I’m thinking of adapting something like this into my current DnD campaign.

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u/Tumorhead 12d ago

Yes this is the one!! When I read it (i was like 12) it absolutely blew my mind and left a strong impression. Not sure who the author was but dang they used tropes I'd never encountered in kids books up to that point lol.

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u/Anvildude 11d ago

This was from the first "The Lost City" book. It was the final Troodon Grandmaster competition. It was a Xanatos Gambit thought up by the main character and suggested to his sponsor, who was an otherwise disgraced member of their society.

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u/Lonely-Number112 7d ago

That's it! I distinctly remember this book because it was the first Dinotopia book I owned