Tyrant Lizard Queen - by Riley Black (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

From the author of the beloved The Last Days of the Dinosaurs, an imaginative celebration of T. rex from hatching to adulthood

Tyrannosaurus rex is a prehistoric celebrity. Exceeding 40 feet in length and weighing over 9 tons, the largest individuals of this dinosaurian species were intimidating predators capable of crushing bone and consuming more than a hundred pounds of flesh in a bite. But the last of the tyrant dinosaurs had a life beyond ripping and tearing. More than 66 million years ago, T. rex courted each other, nested, watched over their offspring, slept, drank, and explored ancient floodplains inhabited by a fantastic cast of impressive dinosaurs like the huge long-neck Alamosaurus and burly, three-horned Torosaurus. For the first time, the life story of this impressive, sensitive predator is told as if you were there to watch it unfold.

In her latest prehistoric nature walk, bestselling and award-winning author Riley Black follows the life of plucky T. rex Snaggletooth from the time she hatches through her tumultuous adulthood. The prehistoric forest Snag emerges into is full of danger, and yet, as Riley bases Snaggletooth's life on the latest scientific discoveries, the carnivorous dinosaur survives to play, court, fight, sleep, nest, and more as she grows up in Cretaceous North America. She tussles with rival tyrannosaurs, hunts for delectable prey, and finds soft moments of connection in the forest. Even the most die-hard dinosaur fan will come away with a new perspective and appreciation for the Tyrant Lizard Queen.

Review Quotes

"Paleontologist and science writer Riley Black clearly understands that good stories are the vehicles that bring people to science."
--Science

"Brings Earth's greatest carnivore to life in a way that defies the stereotype of T. rex as a mere flesh ripper."
--Science News

"Combining evocative storytelling with meticulous science, Black offers a captivating and intimate portrait of Earth's most famous carnivore. Dinosaur enthusiasts and general readers alike will find much to savor."
--Publishers Weekly

"What a perfect time for award-winning science writer Riley Black to lead an evidence-based hike through the life of fictitious T. rex, Snaggletooth. In Tyrant Lizard Queen, Black follows Snaggletooth as she hatches, survives, plays, sleeps, mates, and nests in Cretaceous North America. Sign me up for this walk in the woods."
--Nautilus

"Nobody brings dinosaurs and their world to life like Riley Black. Gorgeously written, Tyrant Lizard Queen is reminiscent of animal-centric epics The Black Stallion and Call of the Wild, instantly pulling you into the thrilling inner world of Tyrannosaurus rex. As we follow Snaggletooth the T. rex on her journey from little nestling to fierce adult, we learn fascinating details dinosaur physiology and the Jurassic ecosystem--but most of all, we learn to identify with a creature who has vanished from the Earth, and to appreciate who she really was beyond the myths and monster movies."
--Annalee Newitz, author of Four Lost Cities: A Secret History of the Urban Age and Automatic Noodle

"With Riley Black's latest paean of dinosaurian lore, Tyrant Lizard Queen, she lyrically recreates the life of a tyrannosaur who experiences many meat-and-greet moments during her adventure-filled life in and around a Late Cretaceous forest. Although Tyrant Lizard Queen is part make-believe, its story is firmly grounded in the latest of what we know about this most famous of dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus, and the places they called home more than 66 million years ago. Read, roar, and enjoy!"
--Anthony Martin, Paleontologist at Emory University, author of Dinosaurs Without Bones

"Riley Black is one of my favorite writers because she sees fossils with such beauty and clarity, as real animals that once had to eat, sleep, mate and confront all the normal challenges of life. Over the years she has created her own genre of narrative prehistorical nonfiction, and in this new book she introduces Snaggletooth, the dinosaur hero we all need: a T. rex who is an individual, not an icon. Black is remarkable in how she humanizes dinosaurs without anthropomorphizing them. Written with empathy, warmth, and wonder, this is a dinosaur book unlike any you've read before."
--Steve Brusatte, University of Edinburgh paleontologist and New York Times/Sunday Times bestselling author of The Rise and Fall of the Dinosaurs

About the Author

RILEY BLACK (she/they) has been heralded as "one of our premier gifted young science writers" and is the bestselling, award-winning author of several books, including When the Earth Was Green and The Last Days of the Dinosaurs. A science correspondent for Smithsonian and regular contributor to publications like National Geographic and Slate, Riley is a widely-recognized expert on paleontology. She won the 2024 Friend of Darwin Award from the National Center for Science Education.