Well, know, here we are at Michael Crichton's most controversial book - State of Fear.  Why?  Because Crichton decided to take on one of the controversial subjects of the last decade or so - global warming.  He protrays enviromentalists and the industry that surrounds them as not the most honest industry in the world while also trying to present global warming as much more of an unknown than most people would like.  He says that enviromentalists have an agenda and they are in the business of promoting that agenda.  He says that there are many differing views on global warming, look at them and decide for yourselves.  So that is why it had a bit of a whirlwind surrounding it.  It is a work of fiction that has the look and feel at times like a reference book.

Crichton got attacked on many levels with this book.  Enviromentalists said poppycock, scientists said poppycock and book critics said poppycock.

Ladies and gentlemen, let tell you right now that Crichton is NOT a scientist.  He has opinions and he let his opinions be known in this book.  This book should have not surprised anyone.  Crichton has long taken bits of science and technology and weaved them into page turning thillers.  In Jurassic Park it was gene technology, in Prey it was nanotechnology, in Airframe is was aerodynamics, in Disclosure it was computer technology, etc.  You get the idea.  The difference between those books and this one is that Crichton let his opinion be known.  I don't think it took away from the story but others seem to think it did.  To me it was yet another page turning romp in world that may or may not be true.  Like all Crichton novels, it makes you think a little bit.

So why is this one of favorites?  Well, just for the simple reason that he decided to write it.  He had to know that he would be roundly criticized for this novel yet he wrote it anyway.  He showed readers that it was ok to question existing knowledge; that one should develop there own opinions through research and not propaganda.  And that science should be held to a very high standard.

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