State of Fear
HarperCollins, December, 2004.
Hardcover, 603 pages.
ISBN: 0066214130
Michael Crichton has squandered some of his
science thriller capital with his latest novel, State of Fear.
Yes, he earned some capital. But why spend it so foolishly on
a message that stands counter to scientific fact itself?
Intertwined within the thriller is the message that
we don't have enough evidence to conclude that global warming
is a serious threat. Yet even a quick Google search turns up scores
of credentialed scientists and organizations, such as NASA, the Pentagon,
and the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution, who disagree with
Crichton's statements.
While it is perturbing that Crichton has given some fodder to
the Dittoheads and the anti-global warming activists,
there are still some exciting moments to be found in the novel.
Certainly there is enough action,
espionage and cutting-edge technology to keep Crichton fans
interested. But Michael Crichton, the amazing, groundbreaking
author of SF thrillers -- who even has dinosaurs named after him -- is
capable of so much more.
--Greg Knollenberg
State of Fear is available for purchase on Amazon.com
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This review was published in the January-February, 2005 of The Internet Writing Journal.
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