tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post3336489830343398229..comments2023-10-26T22:06:11.166+11:00Comments on Metamagician3000: Slate on Michael Crichton's posthumous novelRussell Blackfordhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-48372603496873736072011-12-07T22:29:50.761+11:002011-12-07T22:29:50.761+11:00I devoured Crichton novels when I was a teenager. ...I devoured Crichton novels when I was a teenager. He had a talent for constructing exciting narratives around interesting topics that other authors of a similar calibre as writers tended to overlook. I found <i>Eaters of the Dead, Jurassic Park, Sphere</i> and <i>Airframe</i> all quite thought-provoking, as well as fun reads. <br /><br />However, it seems to me that his talents waned in the last decade or so of his life. His plots became weaker and weaker, culminating in <i>State of Fear</i> which, Crichton's views and presentation of data on climate change aside, was little more than a series of dialogues interspersed with some really ridiculous action sequences. I haven't read <i>Next</i>, however.<br /><br />I wouldn't bother with <i>Pirate Latitudes</i> if I were you, Russell. I suspect it was an early draft of a story that Crichton never bothered to finish.godsbelownoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-68060927305329107282011-12-07T11:17:51.860+11:002011-12-07T11:17:51.860+11:00I actually think that Airframe may be his best boo...I actually think that <i>Airframe</i> may be his best book of those I've read. He gets some real interest and suspense out of an obscure topic.Russell Blackfordhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12431324430596809958noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-24761391.post-11582590910888576952011-12-07T01:45:16.222+11:002011-12-07T01:45:16.222+11:00After "Eaters of the Dead" his work beca...After "Eaters of the Dead" his work became airport fodder.<br /><br />I never realized he published under a pseudonym.<br /><br />Distinct plot similarities between "The Terminal Man" (1972) and "Man Plus", published in 1976 by Frederik Pohl.steve oberskinoreply@blogger.com