"First I have to admit, Michael Crichton is why I write. In fact, if not for his books, I’d probably still be a practicing veterinarian in Northern California, dealing with flea allergies, ear infections, and all manner of medical maladies. It was Crichton’s stories of wild adventures, his explorations into the strange frontiers of science, and his truly ripped-from-the-headlines plotting that inspired me to set down my own scalpel and stethoscope and pick up pen and paper.
"But his influence went beyond mere heady inspiration. His books also served as a tutorial into the practicalities of storytelling. When I tackled my first novel (a deep-earth adventure titled Subterranean), I continually kept a copy of Jurassic Park on the shelf above my desk. That book became my roadmap on how to build a story’s structure: who dies first and when, at what point do we see the first dinosaur, how do you fold science into a novel without stagnating the flow? That old copy of Jurassic Park remains dog-eared and heavily highlighted, and it still holds a cherished place on my bookshelf."
(If you'd like to read the whole thing here is the link: http://www.amazon.com/Micro-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B0053JJLLC/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333295565&sr=8-1)
I wholeheartedly agree with what Rollins wrote. Honestly, I write all the time. If I have free time I'm either playing ponies with my daughter or sitting on the couch, trying to write something as convincing and spectacular as Rollins and Crichton.
I have a sort of love/hate relationship with all of the characters in State of Fear.
Kenner, the smart-ass professor who does, well we honestly don't know what he does, but he seems to arrive right on time, know exactly what to do, and is always playing Mary Mary Miss Contrary.
Sanjong is like a dog (I would have to say a Giant Schnauzer). Loyal, smart, and he has a bite to him if you threaten him.
Evans, the good, albeit pansy lawyer who turns into this hardened gun toting, devil may care guy, breaking up ELF. Hate the pansy, and how unobservant/suspicious he is.
Sarah, the assistant... honestly I can't say much bad about her because it's easier to relate to a woman than any of the men. She's ballsy, which, in my opinion is a good thing. Carries a gun, which I'm getting a license for. And doesn't back down, another good thing in my book.
But I cannot get past some of the plot points. Specifically in the chapter "To Weddell Station, Wednesday, October 6, 8:04 AM":
"...The overwhelming majority of the frozen water of our planet is in the continent of Antarctica. In many places the ice is five or six miles thick."
"No wonder they're concerned that the ice here is melting," Evans said.
Kenner said nothing.
Sanjong was shaking his head.
Evans said, "Com on gusy. Antartica is melting."
"Actually, it's not," Sanjong said. "I can give you the references, if you like."
Are you kidding me? The Antarctic is melting! Right? Well, I looked up several articles... and it would appear no one is really sure. All this hullabaloo about glaciers and increasing sea levels... and no one is sure?! Honestly this is one of the reasons I love books like these is: I find myself asking questions to things I had already accepted, asking questions I didn't know I needed to ask.
Books like State of Fear place an emphasis on scientific inquiry and the money behind it. Crichton constantly talks about research about this being funded by the oil industry, while research about that is funded by environmental groups. This question of who funded what gets down to a question we have talked about before, do you lean to one side of the data because that's what you were paid to do, or do you do real, good science. (Also circulating reference... but yeah.)
Whenever I read one of Crichton's books I always come to the same conclusion. Doubt. Maybe reading Crichton from a young age has made me cynical or mistrusting, but, honestly I think it is a good thing. Through out State of Fear Evans is trying to figure out what is true, but I don't think anyone can know what the truth is until they question everything they know and every concept they have ever thought was right. Doubt, it is one of the most powerful tools (and a great theme).
I can tell that you enjoy writing by how well your blog posts always flow. They are easy to follow and thought provoking.
ReplyDeleteI particularly enjoyed your character descriptions in this specific post I felt like you were right on. I agree that I also found this book to be thought provoking. It makes you wonder how many things we have been told as a general public can actually be interrupted in a different way. I came to the same conclusion that Crichton has a way of constantly making the reader question what they believe in, to inspire people to search for the truth. He would not be a best selling author if he didn't engage his audience as much as he does!
Funny, I was thinking the same thing as Andrea when I was reading your blog post: its obvious that you like to write, and that you have a great respect and fascination for Michael Crichton! I 100% agree with you, that Crichton is great in his own right, and not a writer to be tossed aside easily. For the record, I too have had an unusually hard time spelling his name. As I said in my post, the idea of doubt and unease is all over State of Fear, as it should be. The topics and questions that it raises are somewhat alarming and while this makes for a delicious action packed read, its a little disturbing how it close it is at times to reality!
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