Michael Crichton, 1942-2008

Obituary on BBC News
CBC News – Scare Tactics: Ten ways that Michael Crichton touched popular culture

Reading about his death was certainly a shock, particularly since it has been a while since I’ve read his works. When Jurassic Park came out in theatres, I went and read the novel first. That was my first exposure to Michael Crichton’s work. There’s always something intriguing in the novels I have read, from race relations in Rising Sun to the politics of sexual harassment in Disclosure. Oh yeah, and dinosaurs run amok. Timeline in particular had that great combination of science and history, as well as the quotation that spurred me on as I finished my undergrad: “If you don’t know history, you don’t know anything.”

I do recall the row regarding State of Fear and how it went against convention in the climate-change debate, but I haven’t gotten around to figuring out why. But it just might be Crichton’s unfortunate passing that would get me to revisit his works, particularly the ones I haven’t read yet. Regardless, Michael Crichton was a big influence in my reading, and his genius will be missed.