Michael Crichton’s Followers (20,323)

Add New
Videos

Add a comment

Michael Crichton

Born

in Chicago, Illinois, The United States

October 23, 1942

Died

November 04, 2008

Website

http://www.michaelcrichton.com/

Genre

Mystery, Thriller, Science Fiction

edit data

John Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scient John Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scientific and technical underpinnings that became a hallmark of his work. Crichton began writing under pseudonyms, producing suspenseful thrillers as John Lange, including Odds On, Scratch One, and Easy Go, and as Jeffrey Hudson with A Case of Need, earning him an Edgar Award. His first major success under his own name, The Andromeda Strain, established his signature blend of scientific authenticity, tension, and exploration of technological hazards, leading to its film adaptation. Over his career, he wrote 25 novels, including The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next, several adapted into major films, with four additional works published posthumously. Crichton also made significant contributions to film and television. He wrote and directed Westworld, pioneering the use of 2D computer-generated imagery, and later directed Coma, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, and Runaway. He created the influential medical drama ER, which he executive produced and developed with Steven Spielberg, achieving critical and commercial success. Many of his novels, most famously Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, became cultural phenomena, combining imaginative adventure with grounded scientific speculation, often exploring humanity’s overreach in genetics, biotechnology, and complex systems. His literary style was notable for integrating meticulous scientific detail, suspense, and moral cautionary themes. His works frequently addressed the failure of complex systems—biological, technological, or organizational—demonstrating the unpredictable consequences of human hubris. Employing techniques such as first-person narratives, false documents, fictionalized scientific reports, and assembling expert teams to tackle crises, Crichton created immersive stories appealing to both popular and scholarly audiences. His exploration of genetics, paleontology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence revealed both fascination and caution about humanity’s technological ambitions, while his early non-fiction, such as Five Patients and Electronic Life, reflected his scientific insight and forward-thinking approach to computers and programming. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Crichton experienced social isolation in adolescence and later pursued meditation and consultations with psychics, cultivating a lifelong interest in human consciousness and alternative experiences. A workaholic, he approached writing with disciplined ritualistic methodology, often retreating entirely to complete a novel in six or seven weeks. He was married five times, fathered two children, and maintained a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century American art. Crichton engaged in political and scientific discourse, particularly regarding global warming, where he was an outspoken skeptic and testified before the U.S. Senate. He contributed significantly to the discussion of intellectual property, technology, and environmental policy, coining concepts such as the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including Edgar Awards, a Peabody Award for ER, an Aca ...more

Combine Editions
Michael Crichton’s books

Average rating: 3.9 · 3,190,363 ratings · 112,735 reviews · 227 distinct works • Similar authors

	Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1) 4.13 avg rating — 1,063,147 ratings — published 1990 — 33 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Andromeda Strain (Andromeda, #1) 3.91 avg rating — 271,842 ratings — published 1969 — 234 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Timeline 3.87 avg rating — 217,263 ratings — published 1999 — 7 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Sphere 3.84 avg rating — 198,269 ratings — published 1987 — 201 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Prey 3.79 avg rating — 186,247 ratings — published 2002 — 152 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Lost World (Jurassic Park, #2) 3.88 avg rating — 181,476 ratings — published 1995 — 100 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Congo 3.63 avg rating — 178,862 ratings — published 1980 — 13 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	State of Fear 3.71 avg rating — 91,933 ratings — published 2004 — 148 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Airframe 3.75 avg rating — 89,425 ratings — published 1996 — 163 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Disclosure 3.80 avg rating — 74,675 ratings — published 1994 — 16 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Michael Crichton…

Series by Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park (2 books)
by

Michael Crichton

4.10 avg rating — 1,255,945 ratings

The Andromeda Strain (2 books)
by

Michael Crichton,

Daniel H. Wilson (Goodreads Author)

3.91 avg rating — 286,322 ratings

ジュラシック・パーク (4 books)
by

Michael Crichton

4.50 avg rating — 14 ratings

Logan Ramsay has unintentionally become a better version of himself. As an agent for the Gene Protection Agency, Logan receives an upgrade to...

Polls

March 2022 New School Classic Group Read

The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway, 1926, 189 pages

69 votes, 25.9%

The Woman in Black by Susan Hill, 1983, 138 pages

43 votes, 16.2%

Swann's Way by Marcel Proust, 1913, 444 pages

39 votes, 14.7%

Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton, 1990, 466 pages

26 votes, 9.8%

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym, 1952, 231 pages

24 votes, 9.0%

The Price of Salt/The Price of Salt: Or Carol by Patricia Highsmith/Claire Morgan, 1952, 292 pages

22 votes, 8.3%

Long Day's Journey into Night by Eugene O'Neill, 1956, 179 pages

22 votes, 8.3%

The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather, 1915, 407 pages

21 votes, 7.9%

266 total votes

2 comments

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL WINTER CHALLENGE - 2008/2009	2155	4187	Mar 04, 2009 07:03AM
Glens Falls (NY) ...: Two New Michael Crichton Novels Found	50	159	Apr 18, 2009 06:27AM
100+ Books in 2026: Laura's 2009 Books	27	1601	Aug 15, 2009 02:27AM
SA Book & Challen...: October Book of the month (Movie theme)	15	30	Sep 10, 2009 01:13PM
The Book Challenge: Meghan's Other 2009 Challenges	11	263	Oct 31, 2009 09:58AM
SciFi and Fantasy...: November Sci Fi Theme Book Nominations	121	294	Nov 03, 2009 11:30PM

More…