No comments about Pirate Latitudes [Unabridged 8-CD Set] (AUDIO CD/AUDIO BOOK).

1 comments about Silent Treatment [Unabridged] [Audiobook] by Palmer, Michael.

1. Just before his 50th birthday, life begins to unravel for Dr. Harry Corbett of the Manhattan Medical Center.
   
   He believes he will die on his 50th birthday (family history), and his talented wife, Evie, is scheduled for serious neurosurgery on the same day.
   
   He survives the day ... but his his wife is murdered, and, after confessing to an affair with her, Harry's archenemy, Casper Sidonis, accuses Harry of having killed her.
   
   The most dimwitted cop in recent fiction arrives on the scene and agrees with Sidonis. From this somewhat far-fetched beginning, Dr. Corbett begins to unravel the mystery of his wife's murder, and uncovers a deep labyrinth of health insurance fraud and HMO conspiracies.
   
   This book is particularly timely right now, with all the information about bribes and fraud on the part of HMOs and the pharmaceutical industry. I give it 5-stars.

5 comments about Airframe.

1. Three passengers dead and 56 injured. A fatal midair disaster aboard a commercial jet traveling from Hong Kong to Denver triggers a pressured and frantic investigation by the head of the Incident Review Team, Casey Singleton. A fantastic book with an involved yet easy-to-follow plot line.



2. I'm surprised that at this point there are NO READERS' REVIEWS! There are only reviews from editors and publishers. For those of us who fly ( and I feel that applies to the great majority of us ) AIRFRAME is a ' must ' read.Exciting, engrossing, and as is typical of this wonderful author - an exceptioally well-written book. From the very first page, it's a read that's hard to put down.



3. Michael Crichton was a professional. He had a habit of taking topics and creating characters to make it work as a novel.
   
   Airframe is about a conspiracy in an industry I know nothing about. Airplane construction. I still don't know much, but I know more now than I did. It is a tale of a single, unsuspecting person being thrust into a slew of scenarios that are beyond them.
   
   I advise reading this if you are looking forward to a quick read that doesn't require deep concentration.
   
   t



4. This is one of my least favorite Michael Crichton novels. The story wasn't bad, just technical in a way that was less entertaining and interesting than most of his other novels. The mechanics of airplane design and engineering was informative but very much too confusing to follow. The character interaction in this novel was less compelling than in his other novels and was overshadowed by the mechanical description. I have yet to read a bad Michael Crichton novel. Airframe was just lesser than some of his better, more famous novels.



5. I doubt anyone who enjoys a good fiction would have liked to open an airplane training manual to learn some of the stuff I ended up learning from this book. Some of the poor reviews criticized this book for stuffing too much information into the book. However, always keep in mind that the books that benefit us are the ones most educational. This is why we outgrow Little Red Riding Hood. For Crichton to pack so much knowledge and information into the book, most of which I ended up learning and appreciating (I read most of this book through a flight), but never boring me since carrying all this information is a gripping story and gripping characters whose decision making skills can also teach us a lesson or two. As a fiction, it lacks certain suspense and pace, costing it a star. But the amount of learning you walk away with from this book, is much much higher than some 5-star fictions ther are.

5 comments about Prey CD.

1. I don't know much about nanotechnology. I have no way of knowing if this book was even remotely in the realm of possible. I would imagine it was, since Michael Crichton was always very good about that. I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would. When a book focuses on a topic I am completely clueless about, I worry that I'm not going to be able to follow the plot even if the topic is dumbed down for me. I was pleasantly surprised to find that I could enjoy the thriller without constantly having to wonder what the hell they were talking about.



2. What's obvious to the reader it's however extremely hard for the main character to discover. The story does keep the reader on the edge of their seat. Not the kind of sci-fi I enjoy the most.



3. I'd never read any of Michael CRICHTON novels so this was my first. I was pleasantly surprised. Though it was a bit slow to start with, it picked up the pace and kept me reading. I thoroughly enjoyed the subject matter and would recommend it to any reader, particularly sci-fi readers. Enjoy.



4. Like all of Micheal Crichton's books this was a very good read. I was so sad when he passed away a few years ago.
   Stephen LeGare
   Plano Texas
   Insurance Agent



5. Watch Video Here: http://www.amazon.com/review/RFV9SJGY8DMM6 My name is Rip Walker and I've been a Michael Crichton fan since I was about 11 years old. (That would be for over 40 years.) I've read many of his books and have never been disappointed. I wouldn't say the same about the related movies. Don't base a decision to buy his books based on the movies. In most of the movies, the stories have been altered too much.
   
   
   I hope this review will give potential readers some insight without giving away the story.
   
   Enjoy!
   
   Rip Walker
   Author
   Rip's Book of Common Sense Selling: Improving Sales Through Process Implementation

5 comments about Timeline.

1. I'm not a big historical fiction fan, but "Timeline" by Michael Crichton seemed to please me. Although there aren't many fiction books that I don't enjoy, this one was a fun read. Michael Crichton captured his readers from the beginning by making this book very interesting. The characters were well thought-out and developed throughout the story. Michael Crichton's knowledge of the Middle Ages was very evident in the way that he described France in 1357. The residents of France were fairly violent people in the Middle Ages and the author helped the reader understand just how violent they were.
   
   There were some flaws in this story, too. For example, the main characters seemed to escape death time and time again in an unrealistic fashion. Despite this, I would recommend this book to readers that are intrigued by technology or the Middle Ages in Europe. "Timeline" incorporated the elements of plot while still teaching the reader about this era. This novel taught me a lot about midevil times in Europe.



2. I'm a big Crichton fan - I like techno thrillers, sci-fi and usually enjoy Chrichton, but this was too much of a stretch for me. It smacked more of fantasy and role playing - something Dungeons and Dragon fans would get into.
   
   I know you need to suspend belief, but the way the time travel is presented and what happens never hooked me the way Andromeda Strain, Jurrasic Park, Sphere were able to do. Borrow from a friend, buy it used, check it out at the library to see if you like it. Not one for my collection.



3. Beam me up, Scotty! A wonderfully inventive and gripping story from the only person able to spin such a story, Michael Crichton! He takes us on a journey that is not only fanciful but intriguing and historical at the same time. It is sad to note that this is the final novel from this prolific, talented writer. His touch will be greatly missed by his many fans. This is a must read!



4. I've read almost all of Michael Crichton's fiction, and I would rank TIMELINE in the bottom half of his work. This novel is moderately entertaining, but its dragged down by two major shortcomings.
   
   First, this novel involves a rather implausable plotline involving time travel. To his credit, Crichton works hard to come up with a believable scientific basis for such travel. But in the end, his explanation (involving quantum mechanics) is both convoluted and unconvincing. The major strength of Crichton's books is their scientific realism; this novel lacks that crucial element.
   
   Second, TIMELINE suffers from some really superficial characterization. Crichton has never been good at creating three-dimensional protagonists, but in this novel he doesn't seem to even try. TIMELINE features a plethora of characters, and only one of them (Marek) is truly interesting. The others are stereotypes of one sort of another, and many of them are silly and forgettable. I often had to flip back in the book to remind myself who certain characters were, which is never a good sign.
   
   Still, don't get me wrong -- there's a lot of good stuff in TIMELINE. Crichton knows how to write a good action scene, and he includes a lot of fascinating information about science and medieval history. But the flaws in this book are difficult to ignore, and I ultimately enjoyed it less than I would have hoped.
   
   If you've never read Crichton before, my advice is to go with JURASSIC PARK, THE GREAT TRAIN ROBBERY or SPHERE instead. Those are far more enjoyable efforts.



5. I usually stick with a book after the first hundred pages if I like the style, plot and characters. Since this was my first Crichton novel, I gave it some extra time which I regret. It was like reading the screenplay of one of those cheesy Star Trek episodes. Don't read this book even if you like knights. And don't read Ivanhoe either! -RP

No comments about Eaters of the Dead (The 13th Warrior), The Manuscript of Ibn Fadlan, Relating His Experiences with the Northmen in A.D. 922 [UNABRIDGED].

5 comments about Next.

1. What do you say about a scatological story more suited to eschatology than to fiction in which every single human being makes exactly the wrong decision when confronted with choices? But worse, what do you say about a story in which the outcomes of those decisions are people not acting the way experience says they should act? That there are way too many characters in this book to care about is reflected in how shallow each is developed. In one of the three main arcs of no less than ten story arcs is a scientist who unknowingly helped create a talking monkey. Upon learning this he goes to the top secret facility where shazam, his swipey card still works a year after he left the facility. Upon learning that his "offspring" is going to be "terminated" he monkeynaps said simian and takes off for, wait for it, his family's home in La Jolla, where it's pointed out that liberal acceptance would only go so far in accepting a talking monkey into the community. Really? That the reader is asked to believe no one called his cell phone to ask him to return the creature that belongs to the Federal Government or that a SWAT team would not show up at his house to take the animal back, but that the newest member of the family can freely take up a desk at the local elementary school where no one questions why he's throwing poo at his playground bullies is just absurd.
   
   The whole Gerard thing, the talking bird, is reduced to similarly ridiculous plot construction even though this is the only truly likeable character in this idiot's tome. At least he's the only character for which an adequately developed sense of self is conveyed even if the play of bird poop is twice important to the plot
   
   And that is just one plot arc of many that play out without any sense of logical context. And the protagonist of the book, or so it would seem, just seems to disappear with those loose strings sort of being tied up in a court decision, but if the author doesn't care to write a proper ending for what is really his main character why should any of us care?
   
   Like State of Fear, MC does a good job of mixing fact with fiction and defends this by his foreword in which he states the book is true except for the parts that aren't. But unlike State of Fear, the story telling here is boring, predictable and littered with cliches. The ideas in this work would have been nicely suited to the reader if it had been written as an essay about the very real problem of gene patenting. It might even have made a difference and benefitted humanity. But this book as fiction is just a waste of time and talent. And humanity benefits from neither.



2. Too bad I couldn't give this zero stars. When I read "State of Fear," I was sure it was Crichton's worst novel to date. He set a new low with "Next." This book is pointless. It is completely unenjoyable. I was sick of it less than a third of the way through. There is no coherent story and no characters worth caring about. Crichton skips from one "subplot" to the next schizophrenically, making it extremely difficult to focus. I put "subplot" in scare quotes because there is no real "plot," only a bunch of small stories jumbled together like a Mississippi mud pie and loosely connected by a theme. Crichton thinks he's being cute by interspersing news accounts to steep his novel in reality. But that sensation is completely destroyed when 40-something and 50-something year-old characters open their mouths and post-pubescent drivel pours out. "Next" has one thing going for it: it's better than the best avante-garde/post-modern garbage out there. Though that's not saying much.



3. I can't believe that there are so many negative reviews for this book...I put off reading this book for an entire year because I didn't want to waste my time with a book so badly reviewed. I finally picked it off my bookshelf and thought that I'd give it a shot.
   
   At first, it took me a while to get used to all the characters and stories (this is not like Crichton's usual writing style). After a while, I was 100 pages in with no problem remembering who was who. I don't see how Crichton could have written this novel without all the characters and stories: the book would be terribly boring if we were just following around the talking parrot or the hybrid human/monkey...The stories all worked together and they all make for an explosive ending.
   
   One reviewer complained that Crichton was too preachy: a) Crichton ALWAYS has a message behind his writing; b) In a world where 'American Idol' is the number one priority among many Americans, Crichton did us a HUGE favor in helping get the word out about the awful possibilities of genetic science.
   
   'Next' has many elements that make it a great read: it has humor, action, thought-provoking (almost terrifying) stories, and a great message. My only regret is that I didn't read this book sooner. This book, at least for me, was nothing like what many reviewers wrote. If you have an open mind, a good memory, and love a good story, then 'NEXT' is for you.
   
   5/5



4. You have got to be kidding me. If this so-called novel had been written by anyone but a successful author with a big name and a wide audience it would have been laughed at by any publisher. I listened to this book via the audio edition. The only thing worse than the story and writing was the performance by the reader. Bigshot with all his Tony awards was giving children & monkeys his pseudo-Shakesperean Madonna-quality English accent. Ok, hotshot, save it for summer-stock. WHAT AN UTTER WASTE OF TIME.



5. I totally disagree with the negative reviews. This book was written very much to match today's style of news and how we get our information. Segments of stories, all over the world, seemingly unconnected, start coming together in bits and pieces to show a shuddering possibility of what is to come...
   
   How many times do you get a short newsflash on CNN, then a quick Yahoo! story on a home page, a sidebar on another site, small glimpses of many stories, but never a full start-to-finish story.
   
   Michael has taken some very realistic (and a few unbelievable) events, all which are very much connected, and shown the same issue from many different angles and experiences around the world.
   
   I got the same feeling from this book as I read along and connected the dots... the same feeling when I first "felt" the ground vibrate in the puddle of a T-Rex footprint...

1 comments about The Michael Crichton Collection: Airframe, The Lost World, and Timeline.

1. An absolutly enjoyable read/listen. Great entertainment! Hard to put down because you want to keep going!

5 comments about State of Fear Low Price CD.

1. I found myself completely engrossed in reading this book. As amny reviewers have stated, the subject matter is controversial, but since my views on the subject are similar to the author's, it made the book more enjoyable. In my opinion, the story flows smoothly from location to location, with plenty of action to keep the reader entertained.Overall, I would recommend this book to those who enjoy a good mystery.



2. Probably if you're a big believer in AGW, you'll find this book intensely irritating. Crichton's over-the-top portrayal of environmental terrorists is not calculated to win friends on the left -- thus 300+ one star reviews.
   
   What irritated me more was the almost complete lack of interesting characters in the book: the lawyer hero is an ignoramus and wimp who is inexplicably attractive to a series of beautiful women, until he grows a spine and starts saving the world, half-dead and unconscious; the girls are interchangable and / or boring, never even figured out who is who; the cop / professor who leads the good guys is Crichton's mouthpiece for most of his sermons, otherwise just a guy who either kills you or drowns you in bombast; and the bad guys are all rent-a-villain from Hollywood acting, except for the cannibals, who only have one scene.
   
   The scenery is a little better; in the mode of Hercules (I mean the Greek myth, also a thousand remakes since, such as James Bond). One fights battles in scenic locations around the world, on the theory that readers are such dullards they would get bored if they had to stay on, say, Antartica or New Guinea too long. One gets the feeling Crichton himself is suffering from jet lag. Nevertheless some of these scenes are interesting despite Crichton's skimpy descriptions.
   
   The story, such as it is, is utterly ludicrous on many levels. Also that at times Crichton can't seem to make up his mind whether he's doing farce or tragedy.
   
   One reason he still gets three stars is that SOME of the sermons are interesting. And that, of course, is because in some cases I'm part of the choir -- when he stresses the limits of what we know, his skepticism about primitive tribes, and of course his partial skepticism about Anthropogenic Global Warming.
   
   Also, despite all its bad qualities, the book reads pretty well. One wants to end the thing, and one doesn't much care how it ends!
   
   Like The Da Vinci Code, a beach novel. Crichton is far more serious about his research, however, so if you care about ideas, and about truth, the book offers much better food for thought.



3. On one hand:
   I am a conservationalist and do believe in protecting the environment, but only to a degree. When I hear people say the debate is over about global warming, I believe it's because they aren't listening. Lately, the global warming, Al Gore types have taken a few hits. Considering MC wrote this book 5-6 years ago, he was ahead of the game. So, if you want some ammo against the global warming debate, this is a good reference source.
   
   On the other hand:
   If you only want to read this book for the fictional story, you could do better. The novel was good enough for me to finish it, but I found so much of the action to be over the top and not believable. By the way, I think the same about the show 24. There is no way so much can happen to the characters in such a short amount of time. I kept thinking...oh yeah, right, not believable.
   
   Currently, I am reading the following book and like it:
   
   Tsar: A Thriller (Alex Hawke)



4. I waited almost 6 years to read this fascinating book. Although some of the commentators have frowned on the action elements of the story, the much more interesting aspects are the commentaries on environmental science. What we know and don't know.
   
   Crichton is almost prescient in predicting the various problems with the global warming scientists who aren't specifically named (e.g. the East Anglia university research unit and the U.N. IPCC). He shows doctored science for political purposes.
   
   He is clearly (in 2004) ahead of the curve in discussing problems with glaciers, Antarctica, temperatures, and sea levels as well as environmental litigation fraud. He has clearly done his homework. Reviewers shortly after the book was published had no inkling of these research deficiencies.
   
   Near the end of the novel there is an interesting discussion about the political-legal-media complex. I would add "university". These "leaders" shape public opinion without acknowledging contra-facts and create a "State of Fear".



5. It truly is uncanny how this book has mirrored today's perspective on Global Warming and the great lengths organizations will take to use fear to perpetuate a non-existant crisis.
   
   Albeit this is a fictional piece of work, there are many factual references made and the scenarios are very real. If you want to understand how things work today, and you would like to be enlightened in new fantastic view points, this book will cover all of that and more.

5 comments about Pirate Latitudes CD: A Novel.

1. I have read all of the fiction books Crichton has published and this is easily the worst. Since it was found after his untimely passing, I'll bet that either he didn't like it and wasn't planning to publish it or was planning to work on it more at some point. There is nothing wrong with the storyline, it could make for a good book, - but there is no suspense, everything works out easily and very quickly for the protagonists. If you have read his other books, you know that this is not the norm for Crichton. Perhaps he saw this work as only a shell of the final book and intended to go back and add more adversity and detail before publishing it.
   
   If you are a fan - don't bother with this one - remember him at his best. If you are new to Crichton's work, don't read this - read State of Fear or Jurassic Park instead.



2. This book feels like it was in between drafts... It lacks the typical Crichton polish (which as we all know is not possible due to his death). I felt like I was playing the "Pirates" game from the 1990's while reading it.



3. I've read virtually everything written by Crichton. This book is one that I believe will actually be a better movie than it is a book. It's a fun tale but characters are not well developed. This book will not be considered among the best of Crichton's works.



4. Michael Crichtton includes all the elements for a great story: a paradise scenario, bad and good guys (some of them not too good), a formidable task to be accomplish by the courage and bravery of men and rapidly and unexpected development of the situations. Great book, I'm gonna miss Crichton.



5. I do not think this book was intended to be published. It touches a little bit many plots without much substance. I had high expectations, the book was disappointing and crude. I am sad this was the book that closed such an amazing career for Mr. Crichton who is one of the best authors of our time.