Author Michael Crichton Has 'Died Unexpectedly'

[Jboy001]

Sad to see, I might have to break out Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain and give them a read again. I always enjoyed his books.



http://www.etonline.com/news/2008/11/67369/

[Telefrog]

Just saw this on CNN as well.

He may not have been the greatest wordsmith, but his contribution to the sci-fi genre was prolific and influential. I loved Andromeda Strain.

[AgtFox]

Wow, I'll have to go read. Long and private battle with cancer...dang! When I read the title on the forum list I figured it was, "Michael Crichton Has Cancer" or something, not this.

[Sandman]

This reminds me I need to watch the Andromeda Strain mini series.

[Cyndair]

Wow... he was still young too. Great author. I really enjoyed reading his books.

[Jboy001]

This reminds me I need to watch the Andromeda Strain mini series.

You could skip it and not really miss anything IMO, I was less than impressed.

[MagGnome]

Wow, this is surprising.

I enjoyed some of his books when I was younger.

[Sandman]

According to Wikipedia he has a book due out in December.

[AgtFox]

Anyone ever read Airframe? I really liked that book and it was a change of pace for him. There was a time it was almost greenlit for a movie treatment, but it fell through.

[Sammael]

Jurassic Park is the first book that I ever read more than once.
My dad had lent it to me when I was in Junior High. That copy was lent out so many times, I had to buy another copy. The book actually split in half at one point, and people were still asking to borrow it anyway.

Very fun, exciting read.

Congo was terrible.
Andromeda Strain was interesting.

[Typical Michael]

That sucks, I read Jurassic Park in 3rd grade, it was the first grown up book I read.

[pomeroy]

Congo was terrible.


Fuck you, son. Congo is especially great now. The depictions of technology and future technology are so interesting.

[muddi900]

I am going to be the douchebag and say that he was a horrible writer. Still, too young to die.


EDIT: He was 66:eek: He didn't look a day above 50.

[roboninja]

I am going to be the douchebag and say that he was a horrible writer. Still, too young to die.

I would not say he was horrible, just that he was not a master of the literary arts. But your final point stands.

[Khrymsyn]

Congo was terrible.

the F you say!
it had BRUCE F@#KING CAMPBELL in it you heathen!

[squirrelTactics]

Wow. This really sucks, I loved his books.

[Vandabo]

I'll agree that Congo was weak, as both book and film (especially film), but most of his other stuff was great. Sphere is one of my favorite books, and Andromeda Strain was awesome.

[TheFlyingOrc]

the F you say!
it had BRUCE F@#KING CAMPBELL in it you heathen!

...Bruce has never been exactly a seal of quality on things.

[Xydarc]

This is terrible news. While his literary works will not be hailed as the greatest man has to offer, they were at least entertaining. I personally enjoyed his books.

[Adam Blue]

Eaters of the Dead, and the film version, The 13th Warrior, are my favorite.

[Ten19]

Some of my favorite books when I was growing up were Terminal Man, The Andromeda Strain, and Jurassic Park. He introduced the concept of technology being a scary and sometimes deadly thing, and I can't help but think that's formed part of me today.

His more recent books didn't seem to quite have the same edge, but he was always bringing fresh scientific concepts to his work, asking us to think about these technologies and the potential ramifications of abusing or underestimating them, and I think that will be a loss, overall.

[VerseD]

I loved Crichton when I was young. Jurassic Park and Timeline were two of my favorite books, and I always read everything he wrote, including that anti-global warming book. Sad day.

[Telefrog]

I loved Crichton when I was young. Jurassic Park and Timeline were two of my favorite books, and I always read everything he wrote, including that anti-global warming book. Sad day.

Ugh. Don't get me started on State of Fear. That book is pure garbage and it saddened me greatly that the guy that championed Chaos Theory and basically got it into the mainstream could go all crazy in that book.

[court12b]

I'm very unhappy to hear this. I think I've read more of his books than any other author. The man could write a good hook.

[Disgustipated]

Crichton was great, and his books were always fascinating. Pick up "Travels" if you've never read it before. This is a sad passing.

[roguebaboon]

:( i just finished rereading Jurassic Park and the first chapter of The Lost world, now it just makes me sad.

[Lint of Death]

I got hooked on Crichton books for a short while a few years ago. An odd selection, but I recall it was based on Prey and Rising Sun.

It's always sad to hear about familiar famous people passing away, since they're already so distant it's hard to believe they're gone. Plus they tend to have a posthumously released book or movie :p

[Atepsflame]

Man, this is going to make me revisit Crichton. I read a lot of his books (Sphere is still one of my favorites) but nothing since Timeline for... no apparant reason. What a sad day.

Also, authors need to stop dying. Who's next? Niven?

[Zonkuya]

Thanks to Crichton, I began to believe I'm going to see a real live T-Rex... someday.

And it'll all go horribly wrong, and I may possibly end up being eaten.

[Jboy001]

Thanks to Crichton, I began to believe I'm going to see a real live T-Rex... someday.

And it'll all go horribly wrong, and I may possibly end up being eaten.

I take it you saw those cloning from dead cells articles the other day, claiming they are going to bring back mammoths or something :)

[Gorvi]

Wow, that's terrible. I enjoyed his stuff, even if it wasn't the best in the world.

[fitbabits]

Anyone ever read Airframe? I really liked that book and it was a change of pace for him. There was a time it was almost greenlit for a movie treatment, but it fell through.
I read it this year, and I agree - great book. A rip-roaring page turner.

[Young Al Capone]

Sad news, Michael Crichton wasn't always the best but he was an inspiration for me.

He was one of the reasons I decided to get my undergraduate degree in Anthropology even though I want to write for a living. It seemed to do him well.

[Worldcrafter]

First my grandma gets admitted to the hospital and diagnosed with a terminal illness, then Obama wins the presidency (woooo!), and finally one of my favorite authors dies. It has been a crazy week.

Sad (and unexpected) to see him go. Crichton didn't write prose, but his books had a fun tech-adventure feel to them. I'd put the Andromeda Strain, Sphere, and Jurassic Park as some of my all time favorite books.

[n3rdXcore]

Sphere was one of the first books I really got into. This really sucks.