Oldies But Goodies
{Put This One on Your TBR List}
Book Review: State of
Fear by Michael Crichton
by Karen S. Wiesner
Be aware that there may be spoilers in this review.
State of Fear was a 2004 technothriller fiction novel written by Michael Crichton that I found utterly authentic each time I've read it. I'll state upfront that there really isn't anything "alien" about this book. No strange beasties or supernatural elements anywhere, beyond extrapolation of current events pushed to the extreme edge toward one possible conclusion. I chose to cover it here because the series of Michael Crichton reviews I've been rolling out for more than a month now and will continue for a few more weeks simply wouldn't be complete without this book included.
Also, let's dispense with the climate controversy surrounding this particular title right from the off. The author included at the back of the book not only graphs and footnotes, an appendix, but also a 20-page bibliography containing a list of 172 books and journal articles presented "to assist those readers who would like to review my thinking and arrive at their own conclusions". In all this, the author supported his own highly-controversial beliefs about global warming. A host of so-called experts in numerous fields disputed his views, and he fought back with a statement on his website (which you can read here: https://www.michaelcrichton.com/works/state-of-fear-authors-message/). Crichton has also stated that he didn't want to write the book. He was encouraged to do it, tried to ignore the idea, felt like a coward, worried he'd be killed for going ahead and writing it, and, against all logic, he ended up doing it anyway.
I think everyone needs to be reminded from the beginning of this review that this book is a work of fiction, one grounded in the very realistic science that Crichton was famous for delving into and finding the "potentially terrifying underbelly" beneath.
That said, I don't have anything nearing an educated opinion about climate change or global warming. (I, in fact, doubt there's a single person alive who actually does. It would take great arrogance and audacity to believe anyone could know much, if anything, about an ancient planet that's been in existence long before any of us appeared on it.) I only know that I believe each and every one of us is a steward and caretaker of Earth by default, given that we were all born here. As such, we need to take care of it and do our parts in protecting our portion of it in whatever ways we can. I'll say no more about this subject than that.
State of Fear runs the gamut of settings--from Ireland's glaciers to Antarctica's volcanoes, to Arizona desert and Solomon Islands' jungle, the streets of Paris and the beaches of Los Angeles. You won't be bored on the setting front. Each of these locations is described brilliantly, and the characters involved are finely drawn with a lawyer for a rich philanthropist, Peter Evans, leading the extremely large cast. Evans manages contributions to the fictional National Environmental Resource Fund (NERF). Misused funds are noted, and it comes to light that international law enforcement agencies are following the trail of an eco-terrorist faction with the acronym of ELF, a fictional group that's modeled after the existing Earth Liberation Front. This particular group is so fanatical about convincing the world that global warming exists, they're willing to simulate natural disasters, killing countless, in order to get their message across. Surrounding the controversy is the planning of a NERF-sponsored climate conference. Evans, along with a host of others, intends to stop ELF from causing a tsunami to inundate everyone and everything on California's coastline.
The only reason I can see anyone not liking this book is because they've forgotten it's written in Crichton's usual modus operandi of fiction with "the absolute ring of truth" (stated by Larry Nation, American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG), after the author received their 2006 Journalism Award, which has since been renamed the "Geosciences in the Media" Award, for the research he did for State of Fear). This story has everything a reader could want in a tightly-written thriller. It's sad when fiction has to be saddled with overwhelming and usually toxic political agendas.
Whether or not you've read this story before, you might want to consider it if you're looking for a fast-paced, deep and well developed tale from a master.
Next week, I'll review another Oldie But Goodie you might find worth another read, too.
Karen Wiesner is an
award-winning, multi-genre author of over 150 titles and 16 series.
Visit her website here: https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/
and https://karenwiesner.weebly.com/karens-quill-blog
Find out more about her books
and see her art here: http://www.facebook.com/KarenWiesnerAuthor
Visit her publisher here: https://www.writers-exchange.com/Karen-Wiesner/
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