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“We all live every day in virtual environments, defined by our ideas.” ~ Michael Crichton

In case you've not heard, Michael Crichton passed away this month after a private battle with cancer. Born in 1942 he was only 66. As a writer, he accomplished a lot in his relatively short (these days) career. His fame and fortune enabled him to write about whatever he became interested in.

I remember in high school being impressed by his first novel Andromeda Strain. My grandmother, a sci fi buff, loaned it to me and I gobbled it up. I had no idea he was such a young man (27), or that this was his first book. The Hollywood flick based on the film struck a nerve with viewers, and was dramatic enough to probably pave Crichton's path to producers unto perpetuity.

West World, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic Park and Twister all became household names and showed that he knew how to touch the masses with an idea. He also showed that he liked the research part of the game as much as the writing. The books became an excuse to delve into whatever subject he was curious about.

When the Internet came along, he predicted in a speech at the National Press Club that network television was a dinosaur that the new information highway would bring to its knees within ten years. The time line was off, but for sure all the mainstream media sources have seen an erosion of power and one wonders what the future really holds when Time magazine has to lay off 600 and city newspapers are being forced to slice payrolls.

His last book, which I am reading now, is called Next. It deals with bioengineering and genetic research. I have never seen a Crichton book with so many bad reviews on Amazon. One reviewer called it the worst book ever. "Wait for it at the dollar store." I've been getting into it, though. Like most of his books, he brings up issues that make for interesting mental fodder. Maybe it doesn't matter to me that much if it's not a great book. They will still probably make a movie based on it.

I especially liked the opening disclaimer. "Everything in this book is fiction, except the parts that are not."

One idea in the book that was discussed briefly was the notion that science has changed. It used to be that scientists defended their work based on good science, repeatable tests, etc. Today, many ideas are defended not by science but by consensus within the scientific community. “Whenever you hear the consensus of scientists agrees on something or other, reach for your wallet, because you're being had,” he writes.

I think here especially of the global warming debate, the theme in his 2004 bestseller State of Fear. I was recently reading predictions about the weather in the year 2100, which strikes me as strange because fifty percent of the time the weather forecast for the coming weekend is wrong. But that's a whole 'nuther topic...

Mr. Crichton, congratulations for having been able to live your dream as a writer. We've appreciated and enjoyed the fruit of your labors. Thank you for giving us so much to think about.