“Most disturbing is the fact that no watchdogs are found among scientists themselves. It is remarkable that nearly every scientist in genetics research is also engaged in the commerce of biotechnology. There are no detached observers. Everybody has a stake.”

One of the overarching themes of the novel is the potential danger of unchecked scientific advancement, particularly when it is pursued for selfish reasons. In the past, scientists were concerned about discovery more than money. In the modern age, scientists are paid to discover what the people who pay them want them to, and therefore science has become a playground for the wealthy. People can pay scientists to pursue unethical advancements that would otherwise be deemed unacceptable by legal or social standards. Hammond buys an island in Costa Rica and takes advantage of this trend to recreate dinosaurs, the thing he loves most. The results are profound and amazing at first but soon fall apart and result in the deaths of many, including Hammond. 

“Bobbie looked at the stars, and listened to the peaceful lapping of the surf at the shore. In the darkness she saw shadows of the fishing boats anchored offshore. The whole scene was quiet, so normal, she felt foolish to be talking of vampires and kidnapping babies.”

Juxtaposed with the dramatic and out-of-the-ordinary events of the raptor bite Bobbie witnessed earlier that day is the quiet, peaceful night on the beach. After the experience she had, Bobbie is relieved to have a moment of solitude and what at least appears to be normalcy. She recently learned from the local midwife about the hupia, or raptor, that kidnaps children, and this foreshadows the real-life raptors that will be revealed later. Ironically, there is nothing normal about Costa Rica or the island Bobbie inhabits; instead, something completely unexpected and extraordinary is taking place very close by: the recreation of dinosaurs.