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story identification - Trying to Remember a Book that explored evolution of Dinosaurs to intelligence and then encountering humans


Many, many years ago, I read a book where dinosaurs were assumed to have suvived the K-T event (or it never happened), and they evolved to intelligent species that used not only language (which combined sound, posture, and colour changes on their skin) but also used technology. In the series, a human is captured or somehow gets integrated with one of the evolved dinosaur groups.


Again, from a very faint memory, the dinosaurs had a level of technology that would be about middle ages, and the humans were much more analogous to American Indian.



That's really all I can recall about the book, and I am trying to find it for my daughter to read. Can anyone help me out?



Answer



You're probably thinking of West of Eden by Harry Harrison.


The lizard people use a biological based technology and genetic engineering. A scientist captures a human to study and teaches it to communicate in their language.


West of Eden is the first of three books that continue in Winter in Eden and Return to Eden.


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