remember Michael Crichton? - Controversial in his lifetime, now mostly known for his dinosaur books

[Jason Wynn]

I had a big Crichton phase in middle school where I read the majority of his novels. Rising Sun was kinda boring to my 12 year old self but may have to give it a reread and see if I appreciate it more as an adult.

Everyone loves Jurassic Park, but Sphere, Eaters of the Dead and The Andromeda Strain were my favorites. The Terminal Man was really good as well.

 

[Mayor Cody Travers]

Crichton is also one of my favorite authors.

I'm gonna buck the trend of the usual novels people (rightly, mind you!) espouse and state that his historical fiction is special to me: they read like Sid Meier's games come to life and as someone who got into his works the same time as I got into history via Civilization II:

-Eaters of the Dead/Thirteen Warrior is basically "de-mythologizing" Beowulf into a crossover with Arab traveller Ibn Fadlan as the Arab ambassador takes a wrong turn and ends up in a Viking war party out to destroy a raiding terror that turns out to heavily be implied to be neanderthals in that typical Crichton sci-fi twist. Civ II had the Vikings as a playable nation, and its very recent expansion pack showed specially-made Viking units and an entire Jihad scenario using the dummied-out Arab civilization in the base game as the scenario's protagonists. Getting into the book at the same time as that expansion pack release really felt like a Civ II game come to life in a great way.
-Timeline came out the same time as the expansion pack above and is about time-traveling back to 14th-century France during the Hundred Years War. It's also a gripping tale, and it has some surprising twists on the adage of "history written by the victors", well as who to trust and distrust (it's uplifting on how a lot of people you expect to be jerks in a dog-eat-dog world decidedly.... aren't), and even a hilariously unintended messages of how being the medieval equivalent of a weeaboo and working the fuck out will save your ass, just in case.
-Pirate Latitudes is basically Sid Meier's Pirates! in Crichton novel form. This is just a fucking great straight-up adventure story set in the Golden Age of Piracy as a colonial Yankee who found himself raised in the Caribbean goes off on a special mission for the Jamaican governor, only to return after harrowing moments with a bloodthirsty Spanish governor and sea monsters to find his ally ursuped by the lieutenant-governor. Funnily, I do remember this novel of all things being the one I realized Crichton would insert scenes obviously meant to be filmed: there's a moment where the usurper's co-conspirator is killed by the protagonist and he theatrically reaches for a goblet while mumbling out loud. But holy heck that is an INCREDIBLY minor gripe, this is an extremely effective action-adventure and that Crichton wrote it makes it all the more thrilling in all the best ways.

I would ask anyone to give these ones a shot. They're historical fiction done right, even with the expected Crichtonian sci-fi additions they get the atmosphere of each era done right with just enough legitimate historical information you find yourself wanting to learn more on the time periods. That's good writing, that.

 

[TheBallPit]

A shout-out to Looker (1981), which I referenced in another recent thread. Don't concentrate on the magic gun, but instead on the ramifications of having a company computer-map your entire body down to the millimeter, the way you express yourself physically including any and all quirks, and your speech down to any oral ticks. Here's a clue - it doesn't end well for those being mapped and is frighteningly prescient considering the way image generative AI is going and dead actors are being brought back for movies.

I still can't believe it was made in 1981. People must've thought Crichton was a loon.

 

[skykiii]

Edit: Hot take, the lost world book is better than the movie.

Is that really a hot take though? The Lost World movie sucked. I legit thought that Jurassic Park 3 was better.

The funny thing is just talking about the books, I recall enjoying Lost World (the book) more than Jurassic Park (the book). Also it led to me finding and reading the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle novel it took its name from.

Seems to be a trend, going by other replies, that Crichton is the kind of author who leads you towards other great work.

 

[Oddjob OTP]

I remember keeping up with his later books. They were kind of shitty because he was slowly becoming a political lolcow with more and more of the pages being spiels, but his last book Next was kind of funny because he named a basically unnecessary minor character after one of the journalists he had some fucking vendetta with. The character was a pedophile with a small penis.

 

[skykiii]

I remember keeping up with his later books. They were kind of shitty because he was slowly becoming a political lolcow with more and more of the pages being spiels, but his last book Next was kind of funny because he named a basically unnecessary minor character after one of the journalists he had some fucking vendetta with. The character was a pedophile with a small penis.

A pedophile with a small penis who was on trial for raping a two-month-old baby.

Yeah, like I said Next really feels like a first draft and like something that he just kinda scrawled out in a haze. My copy of the novel also includes an essay by Crichton where he talks about the genetics industry which IMO is way better than the actual novel.

Though the book itself was surprisingly fun to read. It had that energy of reading something written by a little kid, I kinda just got caught up in it.

 

[Tablet County]

Edit: Hot take, the lost world book is better than the movie.

That's not really a hot take when the Lost World movie sucks dick. It's also not a high bar, Crisp Rat riding a motorcycle is better than the Lost World movie.

 

[Eadred]

The Andromeda Strain is one of my favorite novels and movies ever. Unfortunately, I picked up Sphere as my next Crichton, and it was so mediocre it put me off him.

Just going by The Andromeda Strain, I will agree with you on good novelist and great essayist; that's a good way to describe reading it.

I watched the movie. Thanks a lot for the recommendation, I loved every aspect of it. Actors and their respective characters were well established, acted realistically and all contributed to the story. The mystery was a great hook and the meat of the story, resolving the problem in a scientific way was chefs kiss. Sound and set design were great too. A film like this won't get made today anymore.