Nov 05 2008
Michael Crichton, rest in peace.
Michael Crichton has died unexpectedly of cancer at the age of 66.
Born in Chicago, Crichton had sold more than 150 million books. He also produced the TV show “ER”.
Jurassic Park remains one of the most extraordinary books ever written–and one I have read several times. Crichton’s ability to take a simple scientific idea and spin it not only into a fictional story, but into such an entertaining and accessible story is a serious accomplishment.
Crichton went to Harvard College and Harvard Medical School, which gave him the medical and science background that was the basis of his cautionary-tale type of story-telling, and while not everyone agrees with all of his beliefs (for example, his criticism of global warming), no once can deny that he made an extraordinary contribution to fiction.
Most people do not know that he also wrote under the names John Lange (from 1966-1972), and he won the 1969 Edgar Award for Best Novel for A Case of Need, which he wrote under the name Jeffery Hudson.
He raised the bar on science-based fiction, and added something to each of our lives. What could be a better legacy than that?
Stumble It!
One of my co-workers seemed particularly devastated/shocked by the news. She loved Jurassic Park (the book, not the movie) and a lot of his other books, and she text messaged her boyfriend right when she heard about Crichton’s passing.
He was definitely a good author who knew how to play on his strengths and use his knowledge to create stories. He turned science-fiction into science-based fiction, where his stories existed in our world and presented scientific ideas that were accessible for those who normally couldn’t give a flying flip about Isaac Asimov or Ray Bradbury. Anyone who can get people reading using sheer craft should be commended.