Michael Crichton – Beyond Popcorn fiction.

I love him and this why I shall go ahead and post about primarily an “airport stand – dwelling – book writer” on the great helicon. I do not apologize for the thoughts of utter dismay that I might have raised amongst the serious book readers who refuse to read anything that is not critically acclaimed. Perhaps, I came on too strong… simply because I have always believed that Michael Crichton has been so much more then just a successful paper back fiction novelist.

In an uncertain time, when my teens were battling their best against faith and principles of God I found solace in the chaos theory that Crichton exposed me to. I went on to read about chaos theory and then parallel universes and plenty such tangential concepts. Anything to define luck, chances and faith…. He is the reason why I still laugh at people who claim we are destroying the earth by chopping of trees.

Completely satisfied by my first read I then went on to read all his books and wait eagerly for his latest release. Couple of months back when I was in India, I managed to devour “State of Fear” and was left hungry for more.

And his plots have been consistently fantastic. He takes a theme, unbelievable to the imagination-challenged but absolutely believable to ones (like me) who believe in the plausibility of bendable laws of science, and then builds an entire present time scenario around that concept. His characters consistently show variegated personalities much like regular group dynamics. The plot carries the characters and the characters take the plot ahead at breakneck speed. Almost all his books have left me on the toilet seat much longer then needed or have robbed away crucial study hours before an exam. His ability of ending chapters and switching sub plots is almost perfect when it comes to racy fiction novels. The endings will mostly have the good guys getting a better hand or managing to not get killed. While some strong women characters are his trademark, Ian Malcolm created for ‘Jurassic Park’ and ‘The Lost World’, a cynical genius mathematician from the west coast continues to be my favourite. His sayings that lie scattered on pages between adjacent chapters are absolutely engaging and a tease of what’s coming ahead.

Science fiction was not all he wrote about. His interest in medical science was pretty obvious when he penned “Five Patients” and began helping with the script of “ER”. He toyed with male sexual harassment in “Disclosure”, oriental business management in “Rising Sun” and an extremely thrilling account of cannibalism in “Eater’s of the dead”. These were just some of his diversifying writing experiments.

However, writing a science fiction novel for the present times of cynicism is an art that he is the master of. His levels of research and dedication of topics are superb as he tries hard to make his idea believable or at least undeniable. While no one has been able to recreate Dinosaurs, no scientist has been able to completely defile the idea. “The Andromeda strain” and “Congo” are just brilliant reads if are ready to stretch your mind a bit. With “Sphere”, he builds a un-put-down-able plot and then plunges you into human psychology and darkness of the ocean. And that is where he differs from all the other novelists in his league; he will take you to an idea… It is up to you to believe then and then enjoy his books even more. In “Airframe” he will gladly take you’re beyond the skies and inside the structural complexity of an air plane. The entire book revolves around one incident and rigors of investigation that happen around it to reveal a much simpler answer.

To anyone who is not blinded by bias, his levels of effort of research that go into making of his book are painfully evident. Of late his books have been dealing with the recent scientific advancements in nano technology and his latest book “State of Fear” dealt with global warming or rather why the world is not really heating up. The tsunami that struck Asia makes you think twice of how much we really know about our dear old earth.

To be honest, I did not enjoy his last book. But I still could not put it down once I started. As I said, my preferences might have changed. But for those who haven’t explored his novels, I urge you to try. Start with his older stuff and then make your way to recent publications. Please visit the website listed below for list of books and projects and please don’t watch the movie versions of any book. Lastly, grab a coke and enjoy!

http://www.crichton-official.com/