Westworld

Delos #1

by Michael Crichton

Two businessmen vacation in a recreated 1880’s frontier town, with realistic robot inhabitants. But when a programming error causes the androids to turn deadly, the two men are involved in a horrific battle for their lives against a gunslinger who is as lethal as he is unstoppable

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy, Westerns, Classics, Dystopia

107 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published March 1, 1974

About the author

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

Reviews

[Manny · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Alfonso said in a recent review:

So there!! I like shit blowing up! And computers blowing shit up! And sexy horny robots!

Alfonso and like-minded people, this is where it all started. For anyone who's interested in sexy horny robots blowing shit up, an indispensable source reference.

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

TV series only, in which I strongly see Riverworld by Philip José Farmer, Ground Hog Day, and snippets of Stephen King's The Dark Tower.

Is Westworld also Trumpland mentality, where pawns are sacrificed to cater for open-carry monied punters to get their cruel jollies?

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first thing to know is that this is a film script, not a novel, despite some of the confused reviews posted here. It's short and takes about as long to read as to watch the film. It's a good script, fast-paced and action-packed, very entertaining, though without the philosophical questions of ethics he raised in some of his other, later works which were filmed from novels. I haven't seen the television series but enjoyed the original film from August of 1973 that starred Richard Benjamin and James Brolin as visitors to the theme park and Yul Brynner as the android that goes w..o..r..n..g... (Not to mention Majel Barrett as a bordello madame!) The book also includes lengthy introductions from both Crichton and story editor Saul David that detail many of the changes that were made as the lengthy film-making process progressed, and a thick slab of black-and-white stills in the middle. Did you know that Crichton directed the film, too? Or that Neal Adams painted the theatrical release poster that serves as the book's cover? Cool stuff!

[Donovan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this when I was very young after watching the 70's movie of the same name. I'm pretty sure this was written for the movie or from the movie (A bit hard to tell). My memory of weather I liked it or not is a bit blurry although the concepts were relevant at the time.

Plot ***Spoilers***
Sometime in the near future a high-tech, highly realistic adult amusement park called Delos features androids that are almost indistinguishable from human beings. For $1,000 per day, guests may indulge in any fantasy, including killing or having sex with the androids. Delos' tagline in its advertising promises "Have we got a vacation for you!" The androids are programmed to act in character for each of the park's three themed "worlds" — WestWorld (the American Old West), MedievalWorld (medieval Europe), and RomanWorld (pre-Christian Rome). One of the attractions in WestWorld is the Gunslinger, a robot programmed to start duels. Thanks to its programming, humans can always outdraw the Gunslinger and kill it. The guns issued to the guests also have temperature sensors that prevent them from shooting each other or anything else living, but allow them to "kill" the room-temperature androids.

Peter Martin, a first-timer, and his friend John Blane, who has visited previously, visit WestWorld. Gradually, the technicians running Delos begin to notice problems spreading like an infection among the androids: the robots in MedievalWorld begin suffering an inexplicable number of systemic failures, a robot rattlesnake bites Blane, and against its programming, an android refuses a guest's sexual advances. The failures increase until the robotic Black Knight kills a guest in a sword fight in MedievalWorld. The resort's supervisors, in increasing desperation, try to regain control by shutting down power to the entire park, but this traps them in the control rooms, unable to turn the power back on while the robots run amok on stored power.

Martin and Blane, passed out drunk after a bar-room brawl, wake up in the WestWorld bordello, unaware of the breakdown. When the Gunslinger challenges the two men to a showdown, Blane treats the confrontation as a typical amusement until the robot shoots and kills him. Martin runs for his life as the robot implacably follows him.

Martin flees to the other areas of the park, but finds only a panicky fleeing technician, dead guests and damaged robots. He climbs down through a manhole to the underground control area, where the resort's technicians have suffocated since the ventilation shut down. As the Gunslinger stalks Martin through the corridors, he throws acid into its face and sets fire to it with a torch. He also finds a woman chained up in the dungeon, but she turns out to be an android. Finally, the burned hulk of the Gunslinger attacks him one last time before succumbing to its damage.

[John E Bailor · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a precursor to The Terminator.

The movie is a lot of fun. This book is not a novelization, but the script for the film.

For a price, guests can go to Westworld. It looks and feels like living in the old west. Since walking, talking cyborgs populate the town, you can even shoot it out without fear of getting shot. At least not until the robots stop obeying their programming...

Typical Crichton, but another great cautionary tale-if you don't mind reading in script format.

Since this book is difficult to find now, do yourself a favor and watch the movie. Whatever you do, avoid the sequel (Futureworld).

[Maxwell Bauman · Rating 5 out of 5]

I saw the movie as a kid with my dad so it was cool being able to go back and read the screenplay. The movie came out in 1972 and I forgot how ahead of its time this (and pretty much everything Crichton did wrote was). There's an essay in the beginning of the book by Crichton about making the movie, talking about issues with budgeting, casting, special effects, etc. and how the studio thought it was going to be a flop, but the test audience loved it. It's worth reading if you watched the HBO version and wanted to see where it all started.

[Colleen · Rating 3 out of 5]

Westworld, Michael Crichton
I can't deny I'm disappointed and I feel like an idiot.
When I saw the 1973 movie Westworld I was amazed at how Crichton had predicted the technological future as far as robotics and computer viruses go. I was sure the book would be amazing. I had to wait a few years because the only thing I saw was egregiously overpriced. But I got it last month... only to discover that it's not a book; it's the screen play for the movie. Further research has led me to understand that it probably never was a book.
I had no reason to suspect it wasn't a book... a lot of books have movie art on them and I don't mind that so I didn't look at the description of the product. So it's my own fault. But in the forward that Crichton wrote there's a lot of inside-baseball on the film industry and some neat stories about making the movie. And I've got a screenplay to look at now if I ever want to write one... so I guess it's not a total loss.

[Lindsay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an odd reading experience because it’s a screenplay, not a book. Westworld was never a novel - it was originally envisioned by Crichton as a movie. The screenplay was written in 1972 and the movie came out in 1973.

At 107 pages, it’s short even for what it is. I haven’t seen the original movie but wanted to read this before starting the HBO series. But what’s great is that so much is conveyed in such short order. It’s hard to believe it was done in ‘72, it’s aged so well. Now I will gleefully go watch it, as the author intended.

[Ophilia Adler · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Michael Chrichtn alot! I didnt know he had writte a manuscript for Westworld at all and considering its been my fav show for a long time i had to read it. The idea is the same but they arent super connected story-wise.

Still loved it alot. I normally dont like scripts. But considering i seen the show it was easier to visualize everything.

I heard this script been made into a movie aswell. Might need to check that out too.

This book was super hard to find aswell.....So im very proud i got my hands on it.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Imagine if you will an amusement park full of robots programmed to fulfill every fantasy. Then something goes terribly wrong and the robots start killing tourists.

[Jen · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked up this book to read after watching the “Westworld” movie (as well as the first season of the re-imagined HBO series). I wanted to see if this would make a good selection for Movie Book Club.

Alas, the book, really more of a script, was written after the movie was completed as the foreword contained all sorts of comparisons between the enclosed script and the final movie, as well as notes on how the location scouts and prop masters stretched the budget. I have to admit that I found that part very interesting.

The rest of the script would have been interesting if I hadn’t seen it in its better format first: the movie.

I recommend consuming the book and the movie as a pair. Each enhances the other. Start with the movie and then watch the book. The re-imagined television series is a loose connection and it can be dispensed with; it is not part of this pas-de-deus.

I found both the movie and the script dated, but as they are from the early 1970s, of course they are. The idea of humans going to a place to let their most hedonistic and vile instincts run free is one as old as time, but I like the novel idea that we’d subjugate androids to be our victims in Crichton’s imaginings; it certainly paves the way for asking whether these androids deserve rights.

[Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

What absolute fun. I've not seen Westworld (neither the new television series nor the original movie) but I've been listening to a podcast where they talk about it all the time. I was under the impression the movie was based on a book, not that it was just a movie and now tv series, so I was surprised when a screenplay arrived at my door.

That being said, I still had a great time reading the screenplay and enjoyed envisioning the movie (which I hope to watch this weekend). The best part, however, was the into by Crichton explaining the shooting of the film (which I'll read again before watching the movie).

I loved reading through this screenplay. The action descriptives were amazingly detailed and at times quite comic. I would recommend to anyone who loves Crichton's mastery of writing and adores the media of film.

[Allen · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been a long time since I saw the 1974 movie Westworld. This paperback has a great behind the scenes by the story editor and even more from Michael Crichton the writer-director. Then the 100-page script is action-packed. Good luck finding this little paperback as it's going for $100 or so! The recent TV show has skyrocketed the interest in it. I also have a November 1973 issue of American Cinematographer Magazine with a cover story about the move I need to read next.

Now on to reading every Michael Crichton book!

[Kellie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gifted from my brother after I told him how difficult it was to find a copy online, and once I realized it’s not a book but the screenplay for the 1973 movie, I was able to easily read it in one sitting.

Very fun read, and I loved the similarities to Jurassic Park. Since I already binged the first season of the 2016 series with my best friend a few months ago (incredible), I’m definitely interested in watching the original movie now!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A classic...

[SaDarius · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 🌟. Very interesting to see the basis for one of my favorite IPs in book form. I am a huge fan of Crichton and it's pretty cool to see how his mind works and the things he came up with and changed from screenplay to film and how they were further improved upon and changed from film to the TV show.

[Pushkar Deshmukh · Rating 2 out of 5]

Barely one hour read. Mediocre and in script format. Pass it, as you ain't missing a thing

[sznn.plnk ☀️🌿 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reads as a movie script but was easy to read in one sitting.

[Mark · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun read!

[Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the original screenplay of Westworld as it was just two days before actual shooting began. Before this, there had been many cuts, changes, additions and deletions over a period of months. Much can be learned about actual film making from reading this book. It is to be suggested to read the Forward by Former Story Editor Saul David and the introduction by Michael Chrichton at least twice, once before downloading and seeing the original film and then afterwards. Now it is said Westworld was ahead of its time in depicting the dangers of computers and automated systems. Now we can realize that when the ro I am not sure that the author Michael Chrichton even realized what he had done here. He says that his goal was merely to provide “entertainment”. We now understand that the robots in the movie are breaking down because of a virus or a bug in the system. The guests are paying and coming to Westworld to experience life as it was in the days of Pompeii before it was destroyed in the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 79 AD, or the Medieval World of the 13th Century or the Wild West of the 1880s. Now we know the robots start breaking down or malfunctioning that they are being hit with a programming bug or by a computer virus. In this and many other respects this movie used new technology and did things that had never been been done before.

[Drew Weatherton · Rating 4 out of 5]

I saw the Westworld movie a few years ago. The script includes some deleted scenes and an introduction by Michael Crichton that discusses challenges of the shoot. The story is a mix of Jurassic Park, Terminator, and the Truman Show. Yet it was written in 1972, long before any of these. Of course, Jurassic Park is also written by Crichton and the similarities to Westworld are obvious. There is even a shared line "We've spared no expense." I highly recommend watching the movie and, if you enjoyed it, the script adds some additional scenes and feels like Crichton material.

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was one of the first adult books I read. The thought of an adult amusement park where guests can live out there fantasies without repercussions or remorse was both intriguing and horrifying. This amoral world seems destined to fall because of the selfish intent and nature of the place. Crichton uses an anti-septic and cold impersnal writing style to convey this. At times, the book paints humans as heartless and the robots as slaves. perhaps, this was the intent. Nevertheless, the result is mayhem and a solid science fiction tale.

[Paula Greythorn]

I loved the show. The book is the script version of it. Live out your fantasies for $1,000 a day at Westworld, the ultimate resort! Murder, violence, wild sexual abandon, any human desire is fulfilled by totally computerized, humanoid robots programmed for your pleasure alone...Until a small computer casualty spreads like wildfire and one man stands alone against the berserk machines bent on total slaughter!

[Kristina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy the tv series and was just curious to read the story it was adapted from. It was a very quick read and I followed it by watching the 1973 movie which was so corny but for the 70's it wasn't that bad. The forward for the book was interesting to understand how the movie was costed, how the scenes worked and what parts of the script actually had to be cut due to technical reasons.

[DashofDaisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Really fun reading the screenplay for the movie. I am obsessed with the new HBO series and wanted to see where the inspiration came from. I did like the original movie and I enjoyed reading all the descriptors and stage directions.

[H. R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Forget the HBO series, go back to the source, a cool book to have around, with the script and stills from the original movie 'Westworld'. From a different era: who today would buy a mass market paperback with the script from a good but marginally successful movie?

[Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

I saw the series remake of this recently and decided to check out the book. I wish it was a novel rather than a screenplay, but it was still freaky. Now I have to go find the original movie. Such a great concept.

[Chad Evans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Influential story that is suspenseful and interesting however it is splattered with bits of scientific machine talk and more focus on the technician's in the control room than the characters in Westworld or the other worlds make it boring and not worth the read... (or watch for that matter)

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basing this on the original 1970's movie, rather than the book as it is written as a film script. Highly innovative that still feels fresh today. It is not beyond the realms on possibility this could still come true, even with virtual reality growing.

[Alejandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Less is always more to me. Crichton said it himself in the foreword, his goal was to entertain, not to share deep thoughts, although he certainly opened the door for it without the pretentious monologues or subplots the show added.