Michael Crichton
Elizabeth A. Trembley
(Reviewer - Narayan Radhakrishnan)
1996 Greenwood Press
ISBN: 0313294143

A Critical Companion of one of America's most popular novelists.

Showing how the events in Michael Crichton's life affected the development of his style & how the heritage of popular fiction, including mystery, gothic, adventure & science fiction influenced his writing.

Sr. Associate Reviewer Narayan Radhakrishnan writes:

Crichton -- Born to Frighten (in 1942 in Chicago, Illinois). I am reminded of this particular blurb every time I read a Michael Crichton work. & ever since I read Jurassic Park, I made it a point to read & reread each & everyone of his works.

& so it was with much enthusiasm I started Michael Crichton: A Critical Companion by Elizabeth A. Trembley, in the Popular Contemporary Writer Critical Companion Series of Greenwood Press. Having reviewed two other works in this series (Scott Turow & James Patterson), I was pretty amazed by the way the author has amassed the information about this bestselling author who is somewhat an enigma, not only in the fiction writing world, but also in Hollywood.

With snippets of information that even the hardcore Crichton fan might not know, & though the book jacket proclaims it to be a “critical companion”, there is a biographical touch to the work, that makes it even more interesting. Elizabeth Trembley is quick to admit that it would be difficult to categorize Crichton into any one stream of contemporary popular literature. His fictional contributions are myriad, varied & difficult to pigeonhole -- just like the author under inspection!

Michael Crichton: The Critical Companion focuses heavily on 10 of the Crichton novels that attained cult status. However I for one had one major complaint -- his early works written under the name John Lange, particularly Binary, Easy Go, etc. should also have been dealt with. Save for a passing mention, the author steers away from the early Crichton works. So as a complete Comprehensive Critical Companion, the work is not, but as a selected Comprehensive Companion -- Dr. Trembley's work deserves praise.

The book covers all novels from The Andromeda Strain to The Lost World. Since then, Michael Crichton has written Airframe, Travels, Timeline, Prey & State of Fear & more! & I think it's time for an update.

Do catch my Interview with Elizabeth A. Trembley who is Head of General Education at Davenport College in Holland, Michigan.
(01/15/06)

Narayan
2006©Narayan Radhakrishnan
A RebeccasReads.Com Sr. Associate Reviewer

Reviewer's Bio:
I am a 26 years old lawyer practicing in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India. Along with my legal practice, I have finished post-graduate studies for both Business Law & Human Rights. I am a self proclaimed numero-uno legal thriller lover & am the proud owner of all of Grisham's & Turow's novels. I enjoy John Mortimer's Rumpole & relish an occasional Martini & a rare Scot(ch)t-oline with a Patterson on the side.

My work A FICTION OF LAW is now about 500 pages in length & features 500 lawyer authors & 2000 legal thrillers covering a 300 year period - inclusive of entries from the USA, UK, Asia, Europe, China, Middle East etc. Still in search of a publisher.
www.keralatourism.org