Michael Crichton, author of numerous hit sci-fi novels including Jurassic Park, died yesterday of cancer. Crichton’s popularity was largely due to his skill in blending science with good old-fashioned story-telling, and his ability to tap into the hot issues of the day.
His first best-seller The Andromeda Strain, written while Crichton was a medical student, explored the outfall of an alien micro-organism infecting the human race. The book was made into an excellent movie in 1971, and a further twelve of his books were turned into films. He also created the long-running medical soap, E.R, and so we must always be grateful to him for helping to introduce the world to George Clooney.
For more information on the life and works of Michael Crichton read the obituary from The Guardian.
6 November 2008 at 2:31 pm
I just noticed that they are playing the movie based on his book Timeline on TV2 soon: TUESDAY 18 NOV 8.30pm
The book was one of my fave Crichtons, a time travel yarn done well.
7 November 2008 at 9:23 am
His autobiography Travels is I think the most entertaining I’ve ever read. It begins “It is not easy to cut open a human head.”
10 November 2008 at 9:39 am
I remember being so surprised that the author of Jurassic Park was also the author of The Andromeda Strain – I remember hunting down a copy of the latter book in a second-hand bookstore, and loving it! Not a huge dinosaur fan, so haven’t read or watched the Jurassic books/movies.
And, yes, we are indeed grateful that E.R. arrived on our tv screens, and indeed continues – sadly without George Clooney.