Airframe by Michael Crichton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Airframe
Book Review: "A little bit of media-bashing..."
Summary: 5 Stars
Flight TPA 545 is travelling from Hong Kong to Denver with an entirely Chinese crew aboard. Somewhere along the way, something goes wrong, and the pilot asks for clearance for an emergency landing at Los Angeles. Over the radio he reports, "We have a passenger emergency. We need ambulances on the ground. I would say thirty or forty ambulances, maybe more."But nothing prepares rescue workers for the carnage they witness when they enter the plane. Ninety-four passengers are injured. Three dead. The interior cabin virtually destroyed. What happened on board?
The pilot says it was turbulence, but other than that the entire crew remains mysteriously tight-lipped. Enter Casey Singleton of the Incident Review Team of Norton Aircraft, the company that built the plane. It's up to her and the rest of the team to find out what happened, and they have to do it fast. Norton Aircraft has an as-yet unsigned huge deal with China on the cards, and everything depends on clearing up this incident, so the pressure's high.
To make matters worse, along comes a bunch of journalists who care more about visuals and "how it looks and sounds to the public" rather than actual facts.
This is one great thriller from Michael Crichton, and it's one of my personal favorites. The story is paced well, and as usual Crichton "got the science right". There's a lot of details on the sturcture of an aircraft and some of it's crucial parts. But all that technical gibberish won't make you feel out of place, because it's written so that even a layman would understand. After all, they don't call Crichton "a master storyteller" for nothing.
Another notable point of the novel is how Crichton points out the mishandling of information by the American media. This one really makes the media look evil. But I guess it's somewhat true.
All in all, this is one of Crichton's best. You can't afford to miss it for anything. Go read it!
Book Review: "Just One More Page..."
Summary: 5 Stars
I love this book! Michael Crichton writes his books in such a way that they are near impossible to put down. This is accomplished primarily by the fact that the story never gets boring, and he usually ends chapters on a cliffhanger note, thus nearly forcing you to turn the page. This applies not only to Airframe, but all of Crichton's book.Also, his documentary approach to the novel of suspsense (complete with a very posh looking intro) will leaving you wondering whether or not the story really happened, such is the level of detail. It's a shame that this wasn't made into a movie as it seems more fit to be one than some of the other Crichton ones that they've made into movies (Rising Sun, Eaters of The Dead (13th Warrior).
I can gurantee one thing, after reading this book you'll either never worry about riding an airplane again, as the safety measures of them are recounted in this book so painstakingly detailed, or you'll never fly in one again!
Book Review: 4 1/2 Stars: Good Book, But Not Crichton's Best
Summary: 4 Stars
This book is an excellent story about which, like many things, seems like a simple case but is much more complex. An airplane catastrophe causes four deaths and 57 injuries, but what is the problem? Corey Singleton, a Vice President with Norton Aircraft, is assigned with finding out. This is not a mystery novel per se, but you will be wondering too, with anxiety and fascination, while you read this fantastic book. The plot is thick and unexpected, and the resolution is unexpected. The characters leave a little something to be desired, but this is a plot-driven book, and after reading it, you will feel smarter and you will be glad you spent your time reading it. Worth the time.Book Review: @ the beach, couldn't put it down
Summary: 4 Stars
I guess the literary purists couldn't stand it and Crichton fans thought it sucked. Sorry, I didn't find it boring for even one page and I didn't think it was too technical, nor was I sorry there was no action or tension. I guess I'm too stupid to know anything about good literature. I too guessed the ending, but it didn't matter, I enjoyed it immensely!Book Review: A Crichton, but not at his best...
Summary: 3 Stars
Admittedly, I was dismayed at the storyline for Airframe. Having read and been hooked on other Crichtons such as The Lost World, Jurassic Park, and Timeline, I found Airframe to be one of his lesser works of fiction.As usual, Crichton backs up his story with scientific gobbledegook. If he doesn't thoroughly research his topic before writing it, he does an excellent job of making things up from what he already knows. Airframe is no different; it contains a plethora of technical terms, most likely in regular use within the aerospace industry.
I found the book frustrating, in much the way as one finds with an Agatha Christie novel: the plot is shrouded in mystery because one simple fact is concealed until the final stages of the book. There were also doubtful segments in the book, things that would never occur in real life. For example, the "common workers," the engineers in Norton aircraft factory, seem to want to murder a senior member of staff (Casey Singleton, the hero of the story). In fact, she knows about their dramatic tendencies even before they are focused on her. Like anyone would stay in a job like that!
Despite these shortfalls, the book is entertaining, and had me gripped for some long nights, albeit to find out what the final mystery was (don't worry - I won't spoil it). And, as usual, the scientific side is well explained to the average-intelligence human being!
But in the words of Simon Callow, "a distinctly average performance" by a superb author. Better luck next time, Mike.