Yep, he died of cancer. Brilliant author, at least early on. Sucks.

He is no more. He has ceased to be. He has run down the curtain and joined the choir invisible.

This is an ex-author.

Once, always.

Listening to NPR this morning...I'd forgotten just how prolific he was...I mean, I have Andromeda Strain, Timeline, Next, Congo...and loved them both before and after the movies. He had a very visual sense... so the translation wasn't that off-putting... and the bulk of what he wrote, to my perception, was character driven... folk put in rough situations react like this...

I did Powers that Be with my 8th grade students... gene splicing for the good of folk... However, everybody has their own agenda. The kids wished for the ability to either fly, or become invisible... at will. They did not like the idea of losing their sense of fashion.

His work with ER-- again, so very character driven... and magnificent drama development. The stories were timely, as always. And the real investment in the character development... people falling together- then delving into what works in a relationship, and what does not... beautiful perception of reality... fun, enlightening!!

The first Michael Crichton novel I read, and still my favorite, was Eaters of the Dead (the Chronicle of ibn Fadlan).

They made it into a movie, The 13th Warrior. Not awful, but not as good as the book.

='[.]'=

Yep, EotD and GTR are my two favorite MC books, and I liked all of them (as MC, anyway) until The Lost World.

The 13th Warrior was a massive disappointment and an insane mess. Kinda cool, yeah, but a mess.

I didn't like all of his later stuff but nobody deserves to go like that. Rest in peace.


Best wishes,

Scott

Maybe one day when I actually have time I should go read his stuff.

Until then, he remains officially unread. (By me.)

Oddly enough, two Crichton novels are going to be published posthumously. The first is a historical pirate novel, and appears to have been finished by Crichton (though perhaps not edited), and the second is a new techno-thriller, which will be finished by a third party.

Hmm...