Favorite Crichton novel?

[THX-1138]

I liked The Lost World, then Jurassic Park, then Sphere. I've only read like half of them though.

 

[biodroid]

I watched Jurassic Park first then bought the book and thought it was one of the best books I have ever read. The Lost World was good but not like JP. So for me Jurassic Park to me is my favourite of his, but then I have only read these 2.

 

[Rodders]

Sphere was a good book. It's a shame that the film wasn't anygood despite a great cast. I've read the Jurassic Park books and found them to be enjoyable enough, just not great. I'd like to pick up the Andromeda Strain though.

 

[THX-1138]

The Andromeda Strain and Prey were both great.

 

[Timba]

I thought of those I have read Andromeda Strain was the best. Enjoyed Timeline and Prey a great deal also.

 

[Snowdog]

I've only read one and that's Eaters Of The Dead. So that has to be my favourite by default. Actually it is a good book.

 

[soulsinging]

Jurassic Park by a zillion miles. I read it like 7 times in junior high and thought it was the best thing ever. This was before the movie came out (which I also loved). It's still one of my all-time favorite novels and, oddly enough, a key piece in the development of my religious-philosophical-political-social views.

 

[alchemist]

I too, have only read one (Airframe) and it was a very good read. I see a common theme here - we seem to like him.

 

[clovis-man]

It seems that almost everything he writes ends up as a movie. Keeping that in the back of my mind, I would first have to say that Jurassic Park is my favorite. Excellent build up of suspense. More so than the film, although the movie was something of a landmark for the genre.

But I also thought that Congo was a very worthwhile read. The killer apes were pretty scary. Unfortunately, the movie was dreadful. But don't let that stop anyone from reading the book.

 

[THX-1138]

Jurassic Park by a zillion miles. I read it like 7 times in junior high and thought it was the best thing ever. This was before the movie came out (which I also loved). It's still one of my all-time favorite novels and, oddly enough, a key piece in the development of my religious-philosophical-political-social views.

Me too! I read and watch Jurassic Park with profound nostalgia.

 

[steve12553]

This, for me, is another case where the idea of favorites is for the young. I've read both Jurassic Park novels, Sphere, Congo, The Andromeda Strain, Eaters of the Dead, TimeLine, Prey, and The Great Train Robbery that I can think of off the top of my head. In spite of the critics, I enjoyed his writing. Yes it was commercial but the stories kept me involved. There were interesting Science Fiction concepts and they read smoothly.I was disappointed in a couple of the movies. I read Jurrasic park just before the film came out and was good with it until the "Happy DNA" cartoon. I also dislike the very clever deductions in the book regarding the Stegasaurs eating the poison berries being turned into a "poo poo" joke and losing the concept. Having first seen dinosaurs in a film as a child with a movie like Lost Continent (1951) the Dinosaurs were great. Congo, of course was a let down but most of the others were from decent to great (The Andomeda Strain-1971) I still couldn't favorite a book because so many read so well.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I believe I have, at one point or another, read almost all of Crichton's (fiction) novels. Most of them, certainly.

Like many here, I really enjoyed Jurassic Park, Eaters of the Dead, and The Great Train Robbery. I thought Congo was good, too, as well as Timeline and Prey. I found State of Fear to be a bit of a drag, and I really didn't get the point of Next. I have yet to Pirate Latitudes (published posthumously).

Out of all of them, however, I though Sphere was his best. A very entertaining read, interesting premise, and a terrific ending. The movie was horrible, just horrible, and I would strongly recommend anyone who has not read the book to not judge it by the Hollywood disaster.

 

[jojajihisc]

I read Airframe, Congo, Sphere and Prey and liked them all about the same. I'm not sure if I read The Andromeda Strain or if I'm just remembering the film and even that was a while ago.

 

[nightdreamer]

I've only read The Andromeda Strain, and it's been a fairly clear memory for going on 40 years. The film was quite true to the book. It's not at all about an alien organism, of course. It, like Jurassic Park (assuming the film is true to the book) is about our over-reliance on our own abilities and our unwillingness to acknowledge human shortcomings. Checking the plot for Sphere, it sounds like it has the same themes. I'll have to read it. Crichton was very much a psychological sci-fi writer.

 

[Judy in Texas]

My favories are the same as many, Eaters of the Dead, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic park. I appreciated how he picked up new science and pushed a story out of it.

I was very upset with The Andromeda Strain for years, thinking the jumping genes were made up, the I learned that Barbara McClintock had won a Nobel Prize for this discovery (A Feeling For the Organism is about her, and gives a whole new understanding of what it means to see).

I did really like Next, and the way it leads us to think about messing with biology -- it reflects McClintock, who found the natural mechanism for this, but of course we humans take things to extremes. I didn't care for the nanotechnology book.

I found Timeline uneven, but loved some of the details, such as the mismatched plaid shirt and Abraham Lincoln's very high-pitched voice (which I had read about only recently, and apparently Crighton had too). And I loved the ending.

I'll have to re-read Sphere. Thanks to all of you who mentioned it.

 

[Shane Enochs]

Jurassic Park is my favorite. I enjoyed Airframe as well. I believe these two are about as close to perfect as his books comes.

I enjoyed Timeline as well, thought there were some things I wish he would have done differently. Sphere was gold, but I haven't read it since middle school. I need to read it again. I hated Prey towards the end when the nanites form human-like bodies, but the beginning and middle was awesome.

State of Fear was kind of boring to me, and I thought he could have done a ton more with Next.

I recently picked up Micro, but I believe that if he had known that this book (in its current form) had been published, he would have been very upset. Most of it doesn't even make any kind of sense. I doubt I'll be finishing it.

 

[THX-1138]

I recently read Eaters of the Dead. It was good. I think Congo would have to be my 4th favorite.

 

[bharatmisr]

Haven't read his posthumous novels, so I'll have to say 'Airframe'. Maintains a taut, dramatic pace throughout, without taxing on its intelligence.
This is one of the major landmarks in Crichton's novels, the lack of any literary 'gimmicks' and contrivances whatsoever.

 

[Steve Jordan]

Toughie. I've read Andromeda Strain more often than others, but I got the most enjoyment out of Jurassic Park. I won't try to break down the others, except that I hated Timeline.

 

[Cayal]

I watched Jurassic Park first then bought the book and thought it was one of the best books I have ever read. The Lost World was good but not like JP. So for me Jurassic Park to me is my favourite of his, but then I have only read these 2.

I've only read Jurassic Park and it is one of my favourite books (why didn't they make that the movie).

I haven't had a chance to read anything else of his yet.