Michael Crichton

Hey, Joe. Haven't read any of his books recently, but I was a big fan of his after reading The Andromeda Strain. What, exactly, did you want to know?

I think i enjoyed Congo most of all. There was another about a deep sea expedition, although i don't recall the title.

Sphere, it's his best book. Massacred by the movie even worse than Congo was (because Sphere deals with the mind).

Yes, i really enjoyed that one, Boss, but read it a very long time ago.

Sphere, eh? What did you like about it?

Hmm, the main thing I liked about it was the pervading concept, which if I state is a spoiler.

Other than that I liked the twists and turns and attention to detail.

I read it about 3 times and each time I noticed subtlties.

Hmmm - is oervading pervading?

I'll have to re-read it - I have forgotten it, pretty much.


I liked his writing in early episodes of ER - I mean, the series has degraded into a soap opera, but very early on, apart from wildly over-dramatising how things are done in an ER, it was a great look at the emotional realities of life in that setting - for patients, and for staff - like how it is for young doctors getting used to the demands and speed of big hospital medicine, and of life and death in the raw. I was working in a hospital at the time, and it was very real in spirit - though, as I said, wildly hyped in manner.

"Sphere" was good. "Timeline" had a great premise, but sloppy execution, and his latest book, "Prey" about nanotechnology, was excellent and exciting.

I read it for the science - and found the programming stuff fascinating. Problem is, I don't know how real it was!

Jurassic Park was an interesting way to look at Bakker et al's theories on dinosaur physiology/behaviour.

Timeline really fissled.

Airframe was boring but interesting, if you know what I mean (boring story, interesting insight on a variety of topics).

I've only read Jurassic Park, Congo, Prey, & Timeline. All of which were good, but the thing that's so interesting about all of them is that they deal with hard science but then Crichton blurs the lines of fact and fiction by adding his own imaginary science.
The result is usually spectacular. The thing is, in some books, Timeline being the one I have in mind now, it's hard to know where the facts end and the fantasy begins.
I liked Timeline as a book but don't want to see the movie. Where Timeline was primarily about the repercussions of a major breakthrough in quantum physics, I'm fairly sure the movie is pretty much about swordfighting and how cool it is to use a longbow in medieval siege warfare. Not quite the same.
Come to think of it, Craven, all of Crichton's books fizzle at the end. It's like he just wants to end the book already...so the good guys make it out ok, the bad guys (things) are destroyed, and...and...um...the end.

He's really good at blurring the line between science and fiction. Eaters of the Dead aka 13th Warrior is the perfect example. It's a pseudo-historical document complete with footnotes about the translation from Arabic.
I've read all his books up to Timeline and enjoyed them all.

Also I may be wrong but I believe that Airframe is the only book of his that was not made into a movie.

I've read almost everything by Crichton and the one I enjoyed most was The Great Train Robbery. Sphere and Timeline were not his best efforts. Nor was Congo.

I'd put Jurassic Park and Rising Sun near the top.

But if I was going to recommend one book, it would be The Great Train Robbery -- excellent reading.

I too, would have to say the Andomeda Strain was the best. I believe the rash of "Outbreak" stories, and to some extent Stephen King's "the Stand" are all take-offs from it. I couldn't put Rising Sun down either.

Someone give me a nudge to help me recall Rising Sun.

Rising Sun-A young American model is murdered in the corporate boardroom of Los Angeles's Nakomoto Tower on the new skyscraper's gala opening night. Murdered, that is, unless she was strangled while enjoying sadomasochistic sex that went too far. No plot ruining here. Actually begins with the transcript of a video interrogation. Contains very interesting perspectives on how Japanese view Americans. It's not Shogun, but very entertaining nonetheless.

Thanks, Palm Beach. Was this book made into a movie starring Sean Connery? If so, it starred one of my favorite actors, Kevin Anderson.

I think so. They butchered it if memory serves.

One thing Crichton is king at is anticipating a trend or fear.

For example, Rising Sun came out when Americans were afraid of Japanese economic advances in America. Airframe came out right when there was a slew of crashes....

His books seem to have perfect timing in their release.