State of Fear
by Michael Crichton
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Book Summary Information
Author: Michael CrichtonEdition: Mass Market Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Format: Print
Published: 2005-10-25
ISBN: 0061015733
Number of pages: 672
Publisher: Avon
Product features:
- State of Fear by Michael Crichton
- Thriller, suspense mystery
- First Avon Books paperback printing, November 2005
- Avon Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers
- ISBN-10: 0061015733, ISBN-13: 9780061015731
Book Reviews of State of Fear
Book Review: 3 Stars - But Surprisingly Still a Good Read!
Summary: 3 Stars
Normally I feel a novel should be judged on its story and not its take on a subject. The best example of this is the Da Vinci Code, which I know upset many people because of its central idea. However, I liked the Da Vinci Code solely on its merits as a story without regard to anything else. It's fiction, after all.
In the case of State of Fear, however, its overriding message of the falsehood of global warming cannot be separated from the story. Michael Crichton continually lets the reader know his viewpoint. I feel he should've concentrated on the storyline first and interjected his beliefs second, but he did the reverse. The effect is a preachy novel with 2-dimensional characters.
One of the central characters is Kenner, a mysterious scientist who works for the government and continually argues against global warming. Kenner convincingly argues with every single environmentalist he encounters against the earth getting hotter. It's incredible - not a single one of them has any good argument for the earth actually getting warming. Kenner makes them look stupid by citing one scientific study after another (which is footnoted) reinforcing his stance on the warming. It works like this: Kenner cites a specific scientific article against global warming, and the environmentalist response is essentially, "Well, everybody knows it's getting hotter." Environmentalists are portrayed as extremely stupid. I am fine with that - but could not one of them have been a worthy opponent to Kenner?
There are also some problems with the plot - Kenner supposedly works for a secret government agency, which I would think has available resources for life-threatening situations involving the public. However, when Kenner goes against the bad guys (environmentalists), he enlists the aid of a lawyer. If you knew environmentalists were planning a catastrophic natural disaster (doesn't that sound weird), wouldn't you call in the army? Not Kenner! Another problem I thought was that Crichton's argument is basically man doesn't really effect the weather - and yet the evil environmentalists are able to manipulate things like lightening strikes and hurricanes using science.
I debated giving State of Fear 4 stars because I read it quickly. One of my criteria for whether a book is good or not is how much I want to finish it. In the case of State of Fear, I was intrigued by the global warming discussions and its fast pacing. I think Michael brings up some interesting points and ideas. However, I decided its 2 dimensional characters and implausibility in parts didn't warrant giving it 4 stars. That doesn't mean it isn't worth reading, but realize what you're getting.
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