M. Berthoud 2008-11-23

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

This exciting plot reminescent to Clive Cussler is backed up with an impressive bibliography to rival most research thesis. Definitely a must read for those not satisfied with being fed half-truths by the media because you can check out the documentation. Suggested follow-up reading is Dixie Lee Ray's "Trashing the Planet" and "Environmental Overkill". In the words of Paul Harvey "...and that's the other side of the story..."

Marvin Wiebener 2008-11-19

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

The Margin

State of Fear by Crichton was a disappointment in terms of story telling. This author stands alone when it comes to weaving a great yarn around science. His novels have kept me entertained and enlightened for years but this one falls short. If you are interested in learning more about global climate change and not just opinion based on anectodal evidence then I recommend it, however if you want an exciting well crafted thriller along the lines of The Andromeda Strain you might be disappointed too.

Marvin Wiebener, author of The Margin, a novel about a modern day treasure discovery and the consequences that befall the discoverer.

E. Abraham 2008-11-09

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

"State of Fear" is a book which grabs the reader from the start, never letting go until the last page is turned. Crichton weaves factual information around a fictional story very skillfully in creating an environmentally-oriented mystery novel. The plot keeps you guessing from the beginning as to who really are the good guys and who are the nefarious ones. In the end, I do not feel that Crichton was trying to convince anyone whether or not human-caused global warming is really happening. I believe his intent is to convey to the reader enough counter-evidence and contradiction to at least initiate some critical thinking on the matter. The issue has become entirely political and many people are profiting immensely from the cause. In this sense, "State of Fear" is merely attempting to balance out the conventional wisdom of the day. The book does have its drawbacks. It does fall into techno-babble on a few occasions and the main characters could have been fleshed out a little more. Also, the romantic relationship between the characters, which was teased as heading somewhere, is left completely unfinished when the book ends. It is as if Crichton got so caught up in the global warming theme that he forgot to finish out what he started with the characters themselves. These are minor issues, though. This is a very entertaining book from start to finish, even if it doesn't solve the global warming debate once and for all.

Pastor of Disaster 2008-11-05

4 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Hmm, I feel like an interrogator pulling on my thin leather gloves wondering which part of a particularly corpulent and repulsive individual to punch first.

Ok, as a scientific effort into repudiating climate change, this book makes the dinosaur cloning in Jurassic Park look believable.
This book provides a charter for all of those out there who want a "get out of jail free card" to wave so they can continue to lead lifestyles that feature conspicuous consumption and a lack of personal and moral accountability, with respect to our poor planet and the less fortunate individuals that inhabit the "poor bits", the "hot bits", the "not very nice bits" and the "prone to war and famine bits".

The science is selective and poor, and flies in the face of actual experts in the field (myself being one of them). The worrying thing is that people actually believe this stuff, and when I read he was asked to address Congressional Committees I was flabbergasted. I can only presume they were committees that were looking into cloning a mega-army of semi-intelligent dinosaurs, who ironically would probably be too intelligent to read this book.

Phew, thats better, and if this review gets published, I'll be a monkeys uncle (possibly one of the monkeys in "Next", his tirade into the world of genetic engineering, and considering where his dinosaurs come from, I mean, talking about biting the hand that feeds you!!!)

Edit - Ok Mr Amazon, send me some bananas!

Stephen Prins 2008-10-21

2 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Michael Crichton knows how to use brilliant science that is easy to understand. This book gives more than just interesting characters, suspense, and tough situations; it gives you the facts about environmental science. I thought it was great. -Stephen Prins, author of: Strife of the Lorin