"John Crichton is alive!"
355973
Between 1999 and 2003, the unique sci-fi television series "Farscape" was aired on the Sci-Fi Channel in the U.S.  Filmed in Australia primarily by Jim Henson Productions with assistance from several Australian production companies and some funding from the Sci-Fi Channel, the series developed a strong following and was under contract for a total of five seasons.  However, various funding & political issues forced the premature cancellation of the show following the fourth season (a total of 88 episodes), much to the dismay of loyal fans who (for the most part, including myself) were greatly disappointed by the inconclusive events left in the final minutes of the final fourth-season episode.

However, under the leadership of Jim Henson's (1936-1990) son, Brian Henson (Jim Henson Productions' president & CEO), Jim Henson Productions was able to secure full control over "Farscape", allowing it to produce a four-hour mini-series in 2004 to provide a better closure for the existing four seasons than the final events of the final fourth-season episode.  Entitled "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars", the four-hour mini-series was ostensibly equivalent to what the planned fifth season would have been, albeit much shorter, but in no way less wonderful or engaging as the original 88 episodes.  On the contrary, thanks to Brian Henson's efforts (which included directing the mini-series himself), "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" was a fantastic, engaging and powerful conclusion for one of the best sci-fi television series that has ever been produced.

Seamlessly beginning where the final fourth-season episode ended, all of the cast members from the final fourth season returned in "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars".  This includes the no-nonsense Earth astronaut John Crichton (Ben Browder), his fiance Peacekeeper Aeryn Sun (Claudia Black), Ka D'Argo (Anthony Simcoe), Chiana (Gigi Edgley), Rygel XVI (voice of Jonathan Hardy), 'Pilot' (voice of Lani John Tupu), Scorpius/Harvey (Wayne Pygram), Sikozu Shanu (Raelee Hill), Joolushko Tunai Fenta Hovalis (Tammy McIntosh), Stark (Paul Goddard), Utu-Noranti Pralatong (Melissa Jaffer), Skarin Emperor Staleek (Duncan Young), Skarin War Minister Akhna (Francesca Buller), Peacekeeper Commandant Mele-on-Grayza (Rebecca Riggs), Peacekeeper Captain Meeklo Braca (David Franklin), Ka D'Argo's son Jothee (Nathaniel Dean) and wormhole alien dubbed 'Einstein' (John Bach).

With exquisite special effects, superb direction, an engaging & consistent plot and excellent acting, I rate "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" with a resounding 5 out of 5 stars and very highly recommend it to all "Farscape" fans.  Some of the many memorable scenes in "Farscape: The Peacekeeper Wars" include Rygel's efforts to help restore John & Aeryn and the subsequent consequences, the various battle scenes both in space and on the ground, John's solution to war, and the birth.  Many thanks go to Brian Henson and the many wonderful actors and film crew that brought "Farscape" back to life.  On a side note, Ben Browder has received four Saturn Award nominations from the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films, of which he won one in 2002 for "Best Actor in a Television Series".
4170756
For those of you who enjoy Michael Crichton novels this one is a must read.  The story is, naturally, fiction. The weather/climate science data illustrated in this book is real-world.  Michael Crichton is a master at blending fictional stories with futuristic technology that is either factually plausible, or already authentic and proven technology.  In the case of this book he did his homework meticulously and backed up his storyline with real-world data.  He provides website addresses and other data that allows the ready to check and verify/validate the data used in the book.
The book addresses a current real-world issue, global warming.  The storyline of this book is written is such a manner as to give the reader a prospective on both sides of the issue; that is to say the position that man's actions are the actual cause and effect of global warming as opposed to the position that global warming is, in fact, a natural process in which man cannot stop and has no control over.  After reading this book you will, more than likely, develop an alternate perspective on the subject as opposed to what you currently believe.
589849
I've read some of Crichton's early work like Andromeda Strain and Terminal Man as well as his recent novels like Next and Micro. In my opinion Prey was written at the peak of his career. And boy does it show...

The first part is the setup for the rest of the book. It contains the perfect amount of mystery and character development to make you feel like you are right in the story. It's amazing to me how Crichton is able to make characters so relatable and so, dare I say, human. Things move slowly in the first part but with just enough bread crumbs relating to the bigger storyline that is developing.

That storyline, and the science involved in it, are flushed out more in the second part. Part two is definitely more fast-paced but still keeps you in suspense. The science and technology explanations in this portion were a little harder to follow but you are able to still grasp the basic idea, at least enough to stay in the story. Crichton starts to present more of the ugly side of this technology, as well as the unsettling and disturbing power it holds. But that also sets up the plot even further as you can begin to see the roles that the main characters are meant to play out.

The climax of the book is appropriately in the last part of the novel. You can feel the wheels of the story spinning faster and faster here. And yet the suspense keeps building and building. The climax finally happens and won't soon be forgotten.

A great read with the trademark aspects of Crichton novels: suspense, thrills, the perfect dose of horror, and science and technology run amok by well-intended but largely flawed people.
1617083
The film adaptation of this novel was criminal.  Do not let that movie turn you off from this fantastic novel (my personal favorite from Crichton).  The overall plot is the same:  a research team disappears after an apparent attack by gorillas.  A second team is dispatched to discover what happened and comes under attack from the same violent gorillas.  Like other Crichton novels, this contains a lot of description and explanation of various sciences and technologies that surround the characters.  Unfortunately, the technology is dated because of the 1980 publication date.  Nevertheless, the action and suspense in this novel are first-rate.  This was the first Crichton novel I ever read and it made me a fan instantly.  I've read almost every Crichton novel since because of this book.  This is one of those books you can't put down until you finish it.  When you're done, you just want to read it again.
3862281
LIKE ANY MICHAEL CRICHTON NOVEL, I FOUND THIS NOVEL INTERESTING.  I WAS AMAZED THAT THIS WAS TAKEN FROM A PREVIOUSLY UNPUBLISHED MANUSCRIPT.
3052224
Once again, Michael Crichton has amazed me.  Crichton has gone above and beyond what a good book consists of, time and time again.  Prey is focused on nanotechnology; the study of small particles.  These particles have the capability of doing all matter of chores that are given to them.  When things go wrong, Jack Forman must find a way to save his life, save his children, and save civilization from ruining itself with the new technology.  While Prey was not Crichton's best book, it was one that I enjoyed immensely, and had a hard time putting down.  It was a fast-paced thriller, with a solid warning in place.  Even in the light of discovery, some things aren't meant to be played with.

Following the rest of his books, Crichton's theme is deep, and backed up by bone-chilling possibilities and endless problems that could arise with this source of technology.  Like in Jurassic Park, Crichton uses terror and discovery as a way to show the reader just how far science could go, and how far it should never get.  The plot was intense, though I had a hard time understanding the very specific technology related to the book.  The book was so detailed, that at points I did not follow completely.  However, I really enjoyed Prey and read the message loud and clear.
4116369
This is one of Michael Crichton's best books to date.

It is not only a fascinating perspective on global warming, but it is more importantly a message "beware the manipulation of science".

State of Fear should be read as a vital wake-up call to the overwhelming crisis facing society today: namely, that truth in science, medicine, climatology (pick any area of research) is for sale. This is the real State of Fear.

Crichton's books are alway timely. I was saddened to see it quickly come off the Best Seller lists. If the public wasn't given a chance to evaluate what it was saying, was its value also being manipulated?
4441468
The Lost World is one of Crichton's best.  It is every bit as good as Jurassic Park. If you've only seen the movie, read the book too. You will not be disappointed.
2542974
Michael Crichton captivated me in the 70's with a little novel written while he was still in college, "The Eaters of the Dead".
I liked "Timeline".  I think, given Crichton's penchant for  creating alternate realities, that he probably enjoyed writing this book.  I certainly think he has penned better stuff-but what the heck, can't a guy  have a little fun anymore?
By the way, The "The Eaters of the  Dead" has been reprinted.  I strongly recommend this first novel-if  only to appreciate just how talented Michael was at such an early stage in  his career.
Jerry Furland, Author of "Transfer-the end of the  beginning..."
3405448
I've enjoyed a number of Michael Crichton's novels, finding his erudition and dedicated research and some of his philosophy in sympathy with my own interests and concerns.  In looking through a list of his books, I found that I had read most of the later works but had missed one of his very first, The Andromeda Strain.  I decided to correct the omission and fully enjoyed the book.  Although it's a little dated (having been penned in 1969), it bears up well.  I was amazed at the number of scientific discoveries that were already put to technological use as early as the 60's (fiber optics being the one that comes most readily to mind).
As in so many of his other works of fiction, Crichton introduces underlying issues of modern society, bringing some of the behavior we tend to accept as a "given" into question.  In the case of the Andromeda Strain, he focuses on the hubris of the US military and of the scientific community.  He highlights society's blind faith in technological "fixes" for every miss management of the environment, as though scientists and engineers can unfailing forestall the effects of every misdeed perpetrated by humanity on the rest of the planet.
In Andromeda Strain, the space program has been more or less subtly commandeered by the military to probe Earth's upper atmosphere for non-terrestrial bacteria with which to culture biological weapons of mass destruction--sound familiar?  They succeed more fully than they are prepared to handle when the tiny organisms get loose among the naive biota of the earth, wrecking havoc with every living thing.  To the rescue is a team of 5 carefully chosen scientists from a variety of fields, sealed away in a hyper-isolation facility in the middle of the Southwestern Desert.  Can they save the earth in time?  Read on!
An excellent early book, worth reading even in the 21st Century.
4256670
This book is just downright amazing. It kept me on the edge of my seat. I couldn't put it down, and actually stayed up until 2:30 A.M. to finish it one night! I just couldn't put it down until I found out what happened to Casey Singleton and The Norton Company. The characters are perfectly developed and are easy to relate to. I could picture every character Crichton presented. He used a perfect blend of "good" guys and "bad" guys.
The plot was even more amazing than the characters. All the subplots came together in the end. After I was done, I could sit back and think about each of the plots and see how realistic they were. If you didn't know whether this novel ws fiction or non-fiction, you wouldn't know. It was so believable. Crichton puts you right into the novel with his great setting descriptions, beautiful character development, and excellent plot flow. This is truly one of the greatest novels I have ever read.
734874
The best of Michael Crichton's sci-fi thrillers share a simple theme:  humankind cannot control its own creations.  PREY is no exception.  This riveting, hair-raising novel concerns the melding of nanotechnology (the creation of tiny machines on a molecular level) and genetic engineering to create Crichton's latest menace to the human species: a deadly cloud of millions of self-replicating machines.
The narrator Jack is a stay-at-home dad who cannot find work because he was unjustly blacklisted in the computer science community.  His past work on an algorithm based on predator/prey models has earned him some fame; however, that all seems past him now as he struggles to raise his three kids.  His wife Julia, an executive in a local start-up company, does not seem to have time for them.  Lately, she has been distant and moody, not really herself.  Jack suspects that she is having an affair.  When he is given the opportunity to consult for Julia's company because his work on the program PREDPREY was used to direct the company's nanotechnology, he accepts it.  In the back of his mind, he only wants to find out the truth about his wife; what he actually finds is much more disturbing and threatening.
Crichton does a wonderful job with Jack's character and narration up until his arrival at the Nevada lab; afterwards, Jack could be any Crichton hero.  The formula elements are there:  the cowardly but determined-to-save-the-company executive, the children in jeopardy, the marital discord, the easily identified expendables.  Of course, Jack and his small band are cut off from society's help - no outside communication, surrounded by nothing but desert.  Jack must be resourceful with the materials and knowledge at hand to defeat the enemy.  Despite these formulaic devices, Crichton manages to keep the reader in constant suspense, with each turn of the plot as surprising and as breathtaking as the last.  This time around, he doesn't overburden the plot with lengthy treatises on scientific subjects; he demonstrates some (but not entire) restraint, adding only what is necessary *when* it is necessary.  The story is grounded in realism, with brand names and everyday chores and realistic technology, so that by the time the story takes its leap into the unfathomable, the reader is completely willing to suspend disbelief.
The main flaw of this novel is the cardboard characters (except for Jack, and even he goes flat.) Yes, the science isn't perfect and some plot elements are ludicrous - for example, Jack is allowed into the highly classified building of a government contractor without a security clearance - but hey, it's a good read.  This kind of book is not meant to be contemplated too carefully after it's over.  PREY is pure entertainment, no more, no less.
PREY is a first-rate thriller, on a par with both JURASSIC PARK and THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN, both of which echo in parts of this book.  I highly recommend this book for readers of thrillers and science fiction.
2914828
I found myself glued to the book from the start.  I have always been a huge Micheal Crichton fan and haven't had the ability to burn through a book since his last work.  John Williams does an amazing job of creating some awesome characters and keeping the action flowing.  I enjoyed the cultural creations and customs of the three other races.  I wish that he would have gone into more depth on the ships and the science behind the way they travel. Perhaps this and other parts were intentionally left out by the author to let the readers creativity brew?  Thank you for the awesome read!  This was the first time I have ever flown on an international flight and not watched a single movie!
3604654
I loved this book! Well-written, thought-provoking, fascinating heroes and villains. The future portrayed is both terrifying and realistic. The book grabs you from the first page and builds to an exciting conclusion that leaves you hungry for more. I am currently reading the sequel: The Demon Maelstrom, and it is thrilling like the first. If you like Michael Crichton, you'll like this. I personally like it more than Michael Crichton because it's more than an exciting plot, it also has excellent character development and poses fascinating questions about good and evil in society, government, and the human heart.
1313472
If you've read Crichton before, you know he comes across as a highly intelligent, very thorough writer who feels details are the key to believable fiction. I was working for a major book retailer when Timeline came out and found it odd so many of his fans were more preoccupied with the release of a third Jurassic Park book called "Embryo" than his latest creation about time travel. Embryo never materialized, and Timeline sold fairly well, but I never heard any reviews or comments about it. I finally procured Timeline for myself and found it reads very much like a classic Crichton tale-a slow buildup with lots of technical descriptions in the beginning, though in this story, thank God, he was kind enough to omit the bulk of the diagrams and such he seems to favor, then on to grand adventure! Considering the scientific theories used and/or created for this piece of fiction, I still found a few points difficult to swallow-mainly character reaction to some of the goings-on. Many things seemed to fit together a little too smoothly, keeping the pace fast and the action almost non-stop, creating a high-flying, swashbuckling story that struck me as almost dull in its predictability and formulaic layout. It comes across as a little boy's knights-n-armor fantasy made true, which isn't bad. It's actually quite entertaining and fun...I just think Crichton could have roughed it up a bit and added a few more surprises instead of letting it play out to its predictable end. A bedtime story for grown-ups. Read it-don't think about it. Just relax and let Uncle Michael tell you a tale about knights and battles and beautiful conniving heroines from a long, long time ago...
2075909
This year might be the "year of Crichton" for me.  I enjoyed this book a lot but I must admit that I'm a little spoiled by Michael.  For the first third of the book I was waiting for some big "out of nowhere Crichton surprise", some supernatural thing that would explain or describe `Airframe'.  There wasn't one and once I realized that I thought I was going to lose interest in the book.  NOT SO!  Although this book didn't have the classic "science-y" feel like his other ones this one is by no means boring!

It is; however, very technical but Michael has that special skill to write a story so you don't feel stupid as you read it.  It was a little different reading a Crichton story that dealt with the "real" world but (again) I really did enjoy it.  This book is over 12 years old so I don't need to tell you about it but I do highly recommend it!
766243
Yes, this is a book about "global warming," but Crichton is such a good writer, that I could not put it down!  Honestly, it's a page-turner.  Loved it!