State of Fear

I never liked reading when I was a teenager. I usually only read when I had to, like Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities in the 9th grade. Now that I am in my mid twenties, I have discovered that reading is a wonderful activity. And, one of my favorite authors today, Michael Crichton, I read for the first time when I was a teenager. Even if you don't know the name, you know some of his work. He wrote Jurassic Park and Congo (both made into movies, obviously), and he is the creator of the Television show ER.

Recently, I read a book of his that he wrote a few years ago - State of Fear. It follows the same pattern as his other books that I've read, a-fast-pace-edge-of-your-seat kind of ride. A fairly large book, and I read it in a weekend. And, I am not a fast reader, so reading a book in a weekend means that I read it practically nonstop.

But, another interesting aspect of the novel is the subject matter. Michael Crichton is famous for writing about controversial subjects. Think about Jurassic Park: resurrecting dinosaurs to make money - there's so many ethical issues there! Well, in State of Fear, Michael Crichton deals with the issues of Global Warming. And, by the end of the book, you will be wondering if global warming even exists, at least from the man-made catastrophe angle. Plus, it won't make you feel any better about institutions of higher learning. Are you wondering what I mean? Well, then, go read Michael Crichton's State of Fear.