Any Crichton readers?

Anybody here a fan of Michael Crichton's novels? If so, what are some of your favorites? Which ones have you read?

I'm finishing up one of his very early works, A Case of Need and I really like it. I just ordered The Andromeda Strain and intend to read that next.
I also have State of Fear but haven't ever read it, so I might add that to my list.

I tend to like his medical thrillers more than anything.

 

Haven't read him in years... I have read Sphere, Congo, Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, Great Train Robbery, Prey, Fear, Rising Sun, Eaters of the Dead, Disclosure, and The Lost World.

Did you know that he gave up a career as a medical doctor to pursue writing? The money was better.

 

For some reason that doesn't surprise me, on two levels:
A> E.R. was his baby, and it showed.
B> you don't need 8+ years to be a writer, just some natural talent, and the money has got to be better.

I read a lot of his stuff, and loved it. He was very, very talented in tv/video and written works.

 

Didn't he finish medical school and his internship though? I thought he completed all the schooling necessary to practice, yet still decided to become an author.

Either way, he is fantastic at writing. And E.R., as you said, was his baby - and it was a great program.

 

ER was late in his career. In the 60s when he started out, very few authors made lots of money. Most did it for the art. You didn't have the megastars like him, King, Koontz and others. He probably paved a lot of road for those that came after him. Anyway, it was a big risk for him and he had a hell of an agent. Most of his early money was made through deals with movie studios picking up the rights to his books.

One also has to think what changes could have been brought in medicine if he had applied the same mind and dedication to that path for 40 years.

 

By the way, here's a FAQ on his official site. The first question is "how, having your medical degree, did you end up writing novels and films?": MichaelCrichton.com | About Michael Crichton

 

Yes I think Congo was the first thing I watched that he was involved in. Sphere was the first I read. He will be missed. One does wonder if he had of stuck with medicine what imagination he would have made reality.

 

Um when did he die??

I was addicted to E.R. for the first few years. When the 4th or 5th member of the original cast left, I kind of lost interest.

I've read a few of his books. Excellent author.

 

November of last year

 

well crap, I didn't know.

 

I know the sentiment. Cancer did him in.

 

Was browsing the forums and saw this thread. Michael Crichton's my favorite author. I've read a boatload of his books. My favorite is either Disclosure or Airframe, depending on which one I read last :p. Andromeda Strain, Rising Sun, Eaters of the Dead, & Jurassic Park come in a close second lol.

A new novel of his is being released posthumously in November: Pirate Latitudes. Seems like a pretty interesting novel. It's already being made into a movie actually, with some of the same team who created the Jurassic Park movie (including Spielberg).

Apparantly there's also another novel to be released in 2010. It's unfinished, and Wikipedia says the publisher is finding someone to finish it.

With all these posthumous releases, you have to wonder how many canned novels he had. I'd imagine he had plenty. At least it's nice to know we'll still get to read new works of his even after his passing.