When I was in my freshman year of high school, I only asked for two things for Christmas: the
Michael Crichton novels “The Lost World” and “Jurassic Park.” As soon as I received my gifts, I got to reading and I fell in love with the author’s works. I have made it my goal to read all of Michael Crichton’s books and, thus far, have five under my belt. So, I thought that I would review what I have read.
I could never hate a Michael Crichton novel, however, “Pirate Latitudes” is generally regarded by fans as a substandard Crichton novel. As much as I hate to admit it, I would have to agree with this opinion. It was enjoyable for me, but some questionable aspects, for example, the inherent sexualization of a young female character, threw me off. Additionally, it did not feel like a very fleshed-out book, especially considering Crichton’s other works. “Pirate Latitudes” felt incredibly dialogue heavy to me, but the action scenes that were scattered throughout were of great quality.
“Dragon Teeth” was published posthumously in 2015. I loved this novel. Some regard it as a sort of prequel to the “Jurassic Park” novels, but I completely disagree. It is supposed to be regarded as its own book, and I view it as such. It tells the story of a university student in the midst of the bone wars, a time in which paleontological discoveries were made into an intellectual war. I really enjoyed “Dragon Teeth,” and have been meaning to read it again soon. However, I thought that it did not feel entirely like Michael Crichton – I think that some of the suspense of his other novels was lacking. This is understandable, however, as it was published after his death and was more of a manuscript for a novel. The lack of suspense doesn’t make “Dragon Teeth” a bad novel, however. In fact, I enjoyed it greatly as a historical fiction with a bit of a thriller twist. The old-timey, western setting of the book was a nice change of pace from Crichton’s other novels.
“Timeline” was a great read. I enjoyed it a lot, even though I am not a huge fan of physics. “Timeline” was not super physics-heavy, but some explanations did drag on and on. For example, the explanation of quantum mechanics was slightly confusing to me. After I finished it, I gave it to my stepmother to read. We had both finished “Jurassic Park” and “The Lost World” beforehand. She enjoyed it a lot as well. The movie was subpar, but incredibly entertaining nonetheless. I found the setting of medieval France incredibly intriguing and I got attached to the main protagonists of the novel. The concept of time travel has always been fascinating to me, as well, so I enjoyed “Timeline” and would rate it as a good Crichton novel.
The original “Jurassic Park” novel was released in 1990. The movie was made three years later and instantly became a cult classic. As good as the movie is, I enjoyed the book about a million times more. The novel expands upon concepts only briefly touched upon in the movie such as the lysine deficiency that is encoded into the genes of the dinosaurs. Essentially, the creatures on the island are thought unable to escape because they do not produce the amino acid lysine naturally and have to receive it in the form of supplements from the park staff. However, as revealed in the second novel, once the dinosaurs find their way to the mainland they can simply eat plants rich in lysine, further illustrating the doomed nature of Jurassic Park. The book also touches heavily on chaos theory, the idea that behavior is random and unpredictable. As other Crichton novels do, “Jurassic Park” leaves the reader with more knowledge than they had before about the field of genetics, paleontology and even mathematics. I seriously fell in love with this book.
“The Lost World,” undoubtedly, however, is my favorite Michael Crichton novel. I fell in love with its characters and its story upon first reading it at 14 and so immediately gave it to my stepmother for her to read. She loved it just as much as I did. At first, I thought that “Jurassic Park” was the superior Michael Crichton novel because, upon my first read, I enjoyed it more than its sequel, but as time has passed, I have found more and more enjoyment in “The Lost World.” Unlike the first novel, it is entirely different from the second “Jurassic Park” movie and, in my opinion, has a better plot than its movie adaptation. The idea of a mission to rescue a pedantic, stubborn professor who just wants to prove that dinosaurs truly are real is more entertaining to me than the second “Jurassic Park” movie, which focuses heavily on a plan to build a second park. Plus, I think that the ending to the “The Lost World” novel, which implores the reader to simply enjoy one’s life while it lasts, is a perfect ending to the series. I am currently in the midst of rereading “The Lost World.”
I cannot recommend Michael Crichton as an author enough, especially if one is a fan of the “Jurassic Park” movies. The books are even better than the movies, and in my opinion all of Crichton’s works are timeless. Even though I offer some critique for Crichton’s novels, they hold a very dear place in my heart – high above any other books. I think that a part of being able to enjoy one’s favorite work of literature is being able to admit to the work’s flaws while still enjoying that very book above all others.
