State of Fear by Michael Crichton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of State of Fear
Book Review: Global Warming thriller???
Summary: 5 Stars
Not his best book, but then how often can you deliver a Jurassic Park or Andromeda Strain? "State of Fear" is an excellent portrayal of the media battle between the "pro-global warming forces and the anti-global warming forces. Although M Cricton clearly favors the former, anyone who enjoys his easy style of writing and the excitement that comes with it should enjoy this book.
If you are a die hard pro global warming advocate you may not like his bias toward your opponents but you may like the glimpse he provides into their tactics as well.
Sam Hendricks, author of Fantasy Football Guidebook
Book Review: Global Warming: Fact or Fiction?
Summary: 3 Stars
Crichton's scientific research on global warming is impressive in this book, but the story itself is nothing new. Essentially, a multi-millionaire goes missing and his lawyer gets wrapped up in an investigation that takes him around the world to uncover how a secret group of scientists plan to cause natural disasters using modern technology. The climatic event in the book is supposed to be a man-made tsunami offshore of the Solomon Islands that would reach the west coast of the United States. Of course, the main characters interrupt the plan and save the world, but what I found interesting is that this book was published before much of the world was aware of the danger of tsunamis made known by the devastating December 2004 tsunami in Southeast Asia. The author does a good job at presenting evidence and data refuting the idea of global warming all together, despite the current trend to believe otherwise. If you're interested in the topic of global warming this book may be up your alley. If you're solely looking for a quick novel, look somewhere else.Book Review: Good Content, Bad Story
Summary: 3 Stars
Michael Crichton hits the nail on the head by exposing the politicizing that goes on in regards to Global Warming. Man induced Global Warming is certainly a sham that is is being pushed over and over again in the news, in our schools, even around the water cooler. Proponents of Global Warming look silly in their quest to prove something that cannont be proven.
As for the storyline of the book, I found it unbelievable. The characters were hopping back and forth all over the world, suffering hypothermia, lightning strikes, Octopus induced drug overdoses, and sleep deprivation, yet they continue on like nothing ever happened.
There is far too much profanity. The language is coarse and unappealing to read.
Nevertheless, it is a book that should be read since it exposes the ridiculous side of those who would inflict fear on our society using theory and postulating.
***UPDATE*** It appears that Crichton was correct in his thesis. The Global Warming hype has all been a sham. December 2009.
Book Review: Good but probably more compelling as nonfiction
Summary: 4 Stars
The main premise of this book relates to how political organizations and groups have used environmental concerns to either draw or scare people into agreeing with their positions. Crichton blends a fictional story and many real world examples to make his point that this politicization of science almost always leads to manipulation of facts and conclusions.
The fictional themes and characters were good, but it lost steam as the seriousness of the topic gained more relevance as the book unfolded. In fact Crichton has probably realized this as he has since created a web clearing house for global environmental studies. That's why I would have rather spent the same time reading a non-fiction piece.
Those who shout down any voice that questions the different hypotheses describing global climate change surely do not understand the scientific process. For without critics, the world would still be flat, the sun would revolve around the earth and global cooling would still be the topic of the day.
Book Review: Great Author; Great Concept; Poorly Written
Summary: 4 Stars
As a devoted Michael Crichton fan and a critic of environmentalism, I went into this novel with high hopes.
The plotline is a rather straightforward, but very entertaining, combination of eco-terrorist and false flag operations. Eco-terrorists from the Earth Liberation Front, under the direction of more mainstream advocacy groups, attempt to create environmental disastors in order to generate public support for climate change legislation.
Unfortunately, the writing is overtly didactic. When the theme of a book is issue-based some level of direct explanation is of course required, and Crichton is also a very knowledgable author. He spent three years researching for this book; discussions between characters are actually footnoted with real peer-reviewed articles. Yet it gets tiresome for most readers (though I found it simply informative), and detracts from the novel as a whole.
These detractions include a lack of overall character development and the hurried completion of plotlines with little to no resolution. What was Drake's involvement? Who was the Russian scientist? Who exactly hired the private investigator? Was the conspiracy later revealed? Why was Margo poisoned? And most importantly, who was the hot little Francophile number and her American boyfriend?
Overall I enjoyed the book, but it left a sort of bad taste in my mouth. I'm not sure if it was actually a novel or not...