Michael Crichton has been one of my favourite authors since the early 90s. I knew who he was before then because he was one of those authors who always seem to get a brief biological sketch whenever they are mentioned, eg “doctor turned writer turned film director”. In the 80s Crichton seemed to be associated with flops – the films Looker and Runaway (which I actually loved) in particular; his novels weren’t that well known in the reading lists of my circle (where Steven King reigned supreme), and his best known work at that stage - Westworld - was considered old hat.
But I gave Jurassic Park a read when the film came out and loved it and have tried to read everything else he’s done since then. I read a lot less fiction nowadays than I used to (due to a combination of lack of time and increasing obsessiveness with books about other topics) but I always try to read the new Crichton when it comes out.
Crichton’s first published novels were a series of pulp works, I guess you could call them, under a pseudonym. The best know of these is Binary, which I bought as one of those three-in-one volumes. It was an entertaining, fast-paced look at a threatened attack – what I remember most about it was the baddie dies a fair bit towards the end, and although there is still a threat, it doesn’t feel as severe as if the baddie was still alive (I felt a similar thing about the movie Blown Away).
I liked it just as much as The Andromeda Strain, also entertaining. This novel helped popularise the “10am San Francisco” method of science fiction writing, which was used on the X Files to such a degree. Thing I remember most about that book was the fact that the government save the day by refusing to blow up a contaminated site.
I still haven’t read Five Patients or Electronic Life but I really enjoyed The Terminal Man, a scary sort of version of the Frankenstein story. This demonstrates a Crichton technique: take a concept that’s normally only been done in a silly sci fi movie (dinosaurs come back to life, killer virus), treat it seriously and back it up with great research. This had a sympathetic female protagonist – something to keep in mind when Crichton copped all that sexism stuff around the time of Disclosure.
Westworld is a film with one of the great sci fi ideas of all time – so good Crichton himself later reused it in Jurassic Park and Timeframe. I always found the movie actually a bit slow – slow motion Western shoot outs, etc – but it was great to set up whimpy Richard Benjamin against Yul Brynner. And killing off the bold friend (James Brolin) is a terrific idea. They’re always remaking 70s films at the moment – why not do this one again, with faster pace and better special effects?
The Great Train Robbery was also enjoyable, though at times it felt Crichton was a bit weighed down by his period detail. I feel he’d loosen up and write more of a “romp” these days. Sean Connery was perfect for the lead in the film version.
Eaters of the Dead is an odd book – adventures among the Vikings. Crichton says in his introduction that there was something profoundly appealing about the viking lifestyle – I didn’t feel this came across, they seemed like a bunch of blood thirsty warriors who’d kill you as soon as look at you (admittedly they could navigate and paint).
Jasper Johns is a book about the artist. Crichton really stretches his wings here and the book is really good – I only read it because he wrote it, that’s how much of a fan I was. It has plenty of terrific pictures, and explains a number of complex concepts and thoughts in an easy-to-read style (he could do it for art as well as science).
Congo was a marvellous adventure romp in the vein of a H Rider Haggard novel. The talking apes worked fine in the book but came across a little silly in the movie. Sphere started off memorably, but the twist of the entity or whatever it is taking on aspects of the crew didn't quite work, something especially apparent when you watch the film version.
Travels is a wonderful book, Crichton’s most emotional and personal. Full of interesting stories, personal asides, and fascinating trips. It’s really fantastic and ranks as Crichton’s masterpiece along with Jurassic Park.
Crichton has long been a skilled essayist. I particularly love the introduction to his Westworld script, and this tribute to Conan Doyle’s Lost World. One essay I don’t like this one advising how to have an argument with your partner. Crichton’s been divorced like four times – I don’t necessarily think he should be giving advice on this stuff. (Mate, sometimes all they want to hear is “sorry”.) He’s also not too great on the battle of the sexes either - but no one can do everything.
Jurassic Park deserves all the acclaim that came it way bar one – it deserved a better movie. Spielberg hit goals with the dinosaur technology and the T-rex sequence is amazing, but the ending! Crichton wrote a great ending! Why didn't they use it? (David Koepp’s big budget scripts all seem the same – workmanlike pieces that seem to suck a lot of excitement out of it.) The Lost World isn’t anywhere near as good, seemingly made up of sequences that Crichton left out of the original (the movie version was far superior).
Rising Sun attracted controversy on its publication for perceived Jap-bashing. It wasn’t so shocking in the redneck wonderland of Queensland where I grew up - Japan-bashing was a common past time (especially around the period where they were buying up big slabs of the Gold Coast). This tended to obscure the fact that the book was also a first-rate whodunit.
Disclosure was also controversial, taking on sexual harassment in the early 90s. The two big sexual harassment pieces of the time – this and Oleanna by David Mamet – both centered around poor old men being falsely accused of sexual harassment (the much maligned David Williamson at least wrote a play where the guy actually did it). The book isn’t really about sexual harassment it’s about corporate politics – the sexual harassment stuff is a furphy. As a result it shouldn’t really be seen as a book about sexual harassment, but where that is a topic.
Twister made a so-so film, best remembered for its special effects and spinning cow – but Bill Paxton being able to “sense” tornadoes? And want to run into them, and evil corporate sponsored baddies… I know scripts are rewritten and will have to read Crichton’s original before passing judgement.
Airframe deals with airline safety. This seems to be a lower key book than his others mainly because the havoc wrecked feels relatively minor. Its mainly notable for the way Crichton gets stuck into the media, something that would become a particular preoccupation of his in recent years.
Timeline was much better, a thrilling time travel story whose main attraction was the marvellous “feel” for medieval life (smells, tastes, danger). These elements were all missing in the poor film adaptation, which lacked any feeling of authenticity, and was further hampered by Paul Walker’s “woah dude” quasi-naturalistic performance; also who wants to cheer the French on against the English?
I’ve read Prey but have a hard time recalling any of it, except a vague image of a bee swarm-like antagonist. Maybe I just don't find nanotechnology that exciting.
State of Fear is Crichton taking on the environmental movement, not very convincingly (not so much the arguments against global warning just the fact that I can’t see them being this well organised). Around this point I really felt Crichton should think about not living in California any more, I think it gets to him.
Still, marvellous writer and always worth reading - brisk style, ferociously intelligent. You might ask "what about the characters, huh?" and it's true some of Crichton's people can be a little on the dull side, especially the heroes. But the outlandish ones are vivid: the gunslinger in Westworld, the Terminal Man, the Arab in Eaters of the Dead, T-Rex. And that's not as easy as he appears. And how many novelists are still kicking goals after thirty years?
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