The Dinosaur is Dead
Thursday, 6. November 2008 - 7:49 am
Aside from my original love for epics, poetry, and classical literature, I also devour “paperback” novels thanks to my introduction to this wonderful world of fiction through If Tomorrow Comes. Paperback thrillers are journeys on a Formula 1 race track as opposed to a deliberate drive in the woods or the coastline or the curvy mountain road. After demolishing Sidney Sheldon, Harold Robbins, Robin Cook, Irving Wallace, Ian Fleming, Arthur Hailey (semi-paperback though), it was Michael Crichton’s turn. And he remains one of my favourites.
Sadly, he’s no longer alive. And 66 is hardly the age to die. Jurassic Park, the book is more chilling, and more real than the movie. The New York Times has a neat literary obituary, unflattering in places.
Michael Crichton, who died on Tuesday at the age of 66, was like a character in a Michael Crichton novel. He was unusually tall (6 feet 7 inches), strikingly handsome and encyclopedically well informed about everything from dinosaurs to medieval banquet halls to nanotechnology. As a writer he was a kind of cyborg, tirelessly turning out novels that were intricately engineered entertainment systems. No one — except possibly Mr. Crichton himself — ever confused them with great literature, but very few readers who started a Crichton novel ever put it down.
Because he wrote on such varied subjects, it’s hard to do a comparison and say this is his finest. But here’s my list of his books I enjoyed most, ranked in a top-down order.
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Disclosure
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Jurassic Park
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Congo
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Lost World
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Rising Sun
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Sphere
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Prey
What’s yours?
Tags: Books, Michael Crichton, Michael Crichton Dies, Paperbacks, Scientific Novels, Thrillers
10. November 2008 - 6:50 am
Congo is my favorite. In fact, despite my dislike of movies made from the books, Congo, the movie, along with Day of the Jackal and Guns of Navarone rank as among my favourites.
I didn’t quite enjoy Sphere though. Among the Sheldons that I’ve read, If Tomorrow Comes clearly stands out as his best. I would certainly rank that along with Archer’s Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less.
Great post, Sandy. Really rocks.
10. November 2008 - 1:02 pm
Curvy mountain road? and semi paperback though?
…curvaceous? just wondering what a wholesome paperback would be?
Sidney Sheldon, Harold Robbins, Robin Cook, Irving Wallace, Ian Fleming, Arthur Hailey – Jeffrey archer, Dan Brown, Grisham, Forsythe, Jack Higgins all greats missing
Even though Vittal I feel that one out grows these novels. Archer and Forsythe have used their masterly use of story telling better in the short story genre – more brilliant – even though that perhaps is not the correct word but evocative.
“but very few readers who started a Crichton novel ever put it down”… me the minority. was never a Crichton fan and Jurassic Park was a memorable film which indubitably may be Crichton’s best, but the film is outstandingcos of the inimitible Spielberg stamp. The shot when they are approaching the island. The aerial view – the shot mind boggling and unforgettable!
Also Robin Cook could be termed as a moderately successful writer, the medical details tended to get tedious. The film though had some fabulous suspenseful nail biting scenes with Genevieve Bujold and Michael Douglas who added that touch of class.
Ironically the film was directed by Crichton – Great!
10. November 2008 - 1:04 pm
Rage of Angels was my Sheldon fave
10. November 2008 - 1:23 pm
Vittal,
Bingo! I like Sphere because of its complicated thematic structure and not sacrificing readability. A pretty rare feat if you ask me.
Vibha,
Curvy as in curved roads, not “Curvaceous” because I know what you are hinting at. I can also add ten more names to that list but it would’nt embellish my point in any way apart from making my post look like a telephone directory of novelists.
10. November 2008 - 1:31 pm
Irwing Wallace outstanding… Harold Robbins except for A stone for Danny Fisher cannot be considered among any greats.(semi porn) Ian Fleming can be credited for discovering Bond . Period – his novels were never really unputdownable like James Hadley Chase, Alistair Maclean – crisp clean well researched unptdownables – racy rip rollicking roller coaster rides. Arthur Hailey again I feel is overrated as a pulp fiction writer. Money Changers was the only novel which left any impact on my mind.
10. November 2008 - 1:32 pm
10. November 2008 - 1:44 pm
long and winding roads… ups and downs – the journey of life!