I read Jurassic Park as a 5th grader (I was an advanced reader) and became a scientist because of that book. Crichton still ranks in my top 10 authors.
Man I've bought all of Abercrombie's books because of booktube (minus the Shattered Sea and Age of Madness), the first 4 books in the Dune saga, the first 3 Witcher novels, and I've added Sanderson and Malazan both onto my list of things to buy. The wallets of booktube fans are suffering
I actually just started Discworld. I like that most of the books are pretty short and have different themes and jumping on points. I also have the entire Malazan series in paperback.
@@mck7646 is Malazan as difficult to read as everyone preaches? I'm into Dune and I have some trouble with it but for the most part comprehension is on point.
Michael Crichton was an incredible writer. I'm kind of disappointed that, aside from the Jurassic Park series, his other stories didn't receive as amazing adaptations. Personally The Lost World is my favorite novel of his.
I love Pirate Latitudes, cause it's so different than his other books. Great Train Robbery is like it in terms of it being a period piece more than a scientific novel. It would also be a great movie
@davisphillips993 i turned it on a week ago thinking a 70s movie about the 19th century would be a snoozer. After grabbing my attention, i looked it up and realized he actually directed the movie! Set it aside for a full attention watcher
It’s such a solid movie. That guy escaping from the prison scene is wild. The ending scene, insane bc Connery could’ve fell off that train. Those were the days
Michael Crichton still remains my favorite author. His books curated a love of reading at an early age and inspired me to start writing. I've learned so much from him and regret never being able to shake his hand and thank him in person.
I was actually named after Marek from Timeline, though my parents changed the spelling because they thought it would be mispronounced. Funny enough, it’s now arguably my favorite book of all time
I recall reading Sphere, Congo, and Andromeda Strain around 7th grade and just being in awe of what happened in the books. It's a bit fuzzy now since I'm 40, but I recall having my mind blown by Sphere most of all. I feel like that book needs more recognition and definitely a re-read for me this year. Great video Mike!
Crichton was an outside the box type of thinker and writer and I admire him for that. He offered up a different kind of viewpoint that really made you think.
He was such an awesome writer! I recommend you start with Jurassic Park, the sequel novel The Lost World, Timeline, which is such a classic, Sphere is so interesting, Congo is very thrilling and scary. Amazing books, each one makes you really think too and have a blast doing it.
I saw his book “prey” on sale for five bucks at Books A Million a couple weeks ago and finally got around to opening it. I got about 20 pages left and I’m absolutely blown away. I can actually thank you for my picking it up. I remembered you saying that Dark Matter by Blake Crouch reminded you of Crichton’s style and I can totally see why. Definitely gonna pick up a copy of Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain the next time I’m at the book store. I’m officially hooked.
Just under a minute in and wanted to say Timeline is hands down my favorite. Read that enough times as a teen I had to get a second copy cause I was losing too many pages from wearing it out.
I think getting into reading Crichton novels as a teen helped me develop a sense of patience to wait through a long and well developed introduction and setup knowing the payoff will be worth the effort in the end. A lot of his novels start slow, but by about midway through you can hardly put them down until you finish. I would also say they are like a clinic for aspiring writers on fantastic use of subtle foreshadowing.
If Michael Crichton were still alive, he’d find a plethora of material for his books today. These past few years have been insane, from the pandemic to the political turmoil to the A.I. phenomenon. Just imagine what he could write about with that stuff.
This is PERFECT TIMING, as I have been on the cusp of diving into Michael Crichton! PLEASE tell us if you have read John Grisham, and what your opinions are. I have "The Client" and "The Firm" in my back list.
Last night I finished Dragon Teeth, which ends my read and reread of all of his novels this year. I hadn’t read any of the pseudonymous early stuff, but really enjoyed going through everything in (almost) chronological order. My brother from another mother sent me this video this morning, and it’s the first I’ve ever seen of yours - strong work, and happy to subscribe! For truly awful movie adaptations of great books, though, it’s hard to beat almost every Dean Koontz movie ever made. Sheesh. Congo was definitely up there with the greatest Hollywood travesties, though, for sure!
Dude the last year I have read jerassic Park, timeline, and am now reading Andromeda strain, I have fallen in love with his writing and would love to see a series on it by you.
Mike, I totally agree about Jurassic Park. It is an incredible read that I would suggest to absolutely anyone. The best part about it - like so many of Crichton's stories - is that it feels REAL! I haven't read it in ages; need to rectify that soon!
Loved the video. I had that exact same collection of Congo, sphere, and eaters of the dead. I loved all of them. Then I ripped through Jurassic Park and listened to Prey. Prey had me so riveted I would sit in the car after a drive because I couldn’t stop listening to the story. A reread would be awesome.
Per a recommendation from you on a previous video, I picked up Congo and Sphere. They're still a few books away on my TBR but I'm excited to get into them.
Audible has Timeline and Sphere in their 3-for-2 sale right now so I remembered this video and came back to check to see if either were in your Top 10 Crichton. Both made it! So, I'm off to grab Timeline, Sphere, and John Gwynne's Malice. This is why videos like this from huge fans of an author are a really valuable resource for readers who have yet to really dive into an author's catalog. Thanks Mike!
I read Sphere last week bc you talked about it in one of your videos. I really enjoyed it, especially that ending. Perfect ending imho.I put the the rest of your top 10 on my ridiculous long tbr. Timeline is next on my list.
I know you already have books to read, but I would recommend Shogun and the Sherlock Holmes story collection (can’t remember the authors). Great video btw
Right On! I have so much Michael Crichton on my TBR. So glad to see your top 10 and can't wait to dig in! I have been finding it terribly difficult to find good copies of many of his books, unfortunately. I would love to do a publication order read of them and am working on putting together a collection.
Sphere, in a large way due to the ending as you mentioned, is still one of my most influential novels I remember reading while a teenager. Really eye opening at that age. I read it again a few years ago and still really enjoyed it. It didn't come up in the list, but I'd definitely recommend trying to find the time for Dragon Teeth that was published posthumously a few years ago. It's fun and tied to some interesting real historical characters and events. Timeline is one I've never read, I'll have to look it up. I'd definitely be interested if you decide to start going through his novels on the channel.
I was waiting for this one. Many great concepts! Let's say that if you did something similar for Crichton, like you do now for King, I hereby sign up to read along. And since I've never read a single Crichton book, it'll be an interesting, but predictably, great ride for me.
Sphere was the first MC book i read. Sticks with me to this day. Was my first SciFi novel. Read it in my early teens after Jurassic Park came out in theaters. Then followed up with Eaters, Andromeda Strain, Congo, Timeline, and at some point down the road Prey. Never read Jurassic Park, since i saw the movie a million times. I will put JP on my to be read list.
Great video. I read The Andromeda Strain when I was younger too. I have read some others, but not Jurassic Park. I've only seen the movies and have been worried that the book would not keep my attention because of seeing the movies first. I did finally just get my hands on a second-hand copy and it's on my list to read this year and while I have been looking forward to it, you have made me want to read it even more. I for one would love you doing a Crichton series.
As someone who hasn't read any Crichton, I'd love to see a video series about his books. I have been tempted to read Sphere, Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain before but can never decide what to pick up first!
Your videos are excellent. I have all of his books and he also wrote under the pen names: John Lange, Jeffery Hudson, & Michael Douglas. I read Jurassic Park in 2020 and loved it. Oh, and I read his book Travels. Wow! What a great non-fiction book.
Great video once again, wonderful writer and had an interesting life also. My top 3 are: 1- Sphere, loved the ending and drawn out tension. 2- Congo, would love to see a more adult themed version. 3- Red Sun, hugely entertaining novel. An honourable mention to his novel Airframe, found this books analysis and information regarding an aircraft investigation riveting and lapped it up. Have u read it Mike? Thoughts? Brilliant output lately
This certainly brings back memories, especially from high school. I devoured his books, especially during the summers. I definitely agree with your #1 choice, but the whole list was great. Thanks for sharing this :)
I'm older than you but have the same nostalgic feelings about reading Michael Crichton. I also read Andromeda Strain as my first introduction to Crichton. I can remember as a teenager reading that book back in the late 60s at the same time as the original Planet of the Apes movie was playing in the theaters (The French author behind that story, Pierre Boulle, also wrote The Bridge Over the River Kwai). It was a paperback that I picked up at a local bookstore when such small businesses still existed in every city or small town (Aah, the wonderful store smell of all that reading material). Like you I have always been a Science Fiction fan and that book stays in my memory. I've read all the books on your list but couldn't get through State of Fear. I will probably revisit it at some time, since I was in a period when I had dropped off reading anything when I attempted to rekindle my interest in reading. Michael Crichton was one of the greats.
You're reminding me that I really need to get back to Crichton. I've read quite a few, but definitely not all. The Andromeda Strain was my first, too. I got to read it for high school required reading (picked from a list of options). Timeline is my favorite (that isn't Jurassic Park - no shade for that, because it's definitely #1, practically its own category), because I love that it's got both the modern and historical settings, and I'm a sucker for a fish-out-of-water type story. I'm overdue for a reread of it. I'd love to see you talk about them all more.
Timeline is such a good book. I remember when they were looking around for the guard towers before they went back in time and I could “see” everything he was writing. It was so damn good. One of my favorites.
Huge MC fan growing up, read them all through middle and high school. Your list is pretty fair, I would have Sphere up higher, same with Timeline, and I agree with your #1 choice, but I think you should have found a place for Airframe up there. One of his absolute bests by far since it was so different than the majority of his other novels.
Haven't watched the video yet, and I haven't read a gigantic amount of Crichton (maybe 5 to 7?), but my personal favorite of the bunch so far is absolutely Sphere. Excited to see if you put it on this list.
I've never read any Michael Crichton but we seem to have a similar taste in books so I will definitely check him out. Already got Jurassic Park and Lost World on my kindle from my wife. Thanks for giving me another author to check out.
Great list Mike. My personal top ten favorite Crichton novels are: 10. The Lost World 9. Airframe 8. The Andromeda Strain 7. Rising Sun 6. The Great Train Robbery 5. Disclosure 4. Timeline 3. Congo 2. Jurrasic Park 1. Sphere
I just read Timeline for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I think it holds up really well. It was an exciting page-turner for me and I couldn't put it down. Finished it in less than two days. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it for a re-read. Thanks to your video, my never-ending TBR just got longer by 5 books or so! I appreciate what you do and always look forward to your videos.
I’ve got a few Michael Crichton books I picked up used and so far I’ve been liking them for the most part. Dragon Teeth was my favorite so far, but I’m a history and geology nerd so that’s to be expected. Pirate Latitudes was meh, I didn’t get past the first act but I’d be willing to give it another chance. I found a nice hardback copy of Jurassic Park so that’s next, but I’ll be picking up State of Fear next week and I’m very excited for it. I’m hoping to get into climate research after graduation so it’ll be fun to read I’m sure! Great video once again!
I dabbled in Crichton territory in the late 90s. I read Eaters of the Dead, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Timeline. I think I may have also read Rising Sun, but I'm fuzzy on that. Of those, my favorite was Timeline, but I recall enjoying reading the other books as well.
Honorable mention: Pirate Latitudes ☠ maybe not a fantastic book under Crichton standards, but fun and atmospheric. Perfect summer read, especially when on any kind of Caribbean vacation. Anyways, I haven't read a lot, but JP and LW were great, Sphere was also great, and I had a lot of fun reading Timeline.
I’d love for you to do some Crichton book review videos. I’ve read most of his stuff, but it was also in my late teens and early 20s and Sphere would probably be my favorite.
I get the criticisms of it under today’s microscope but there’s so much in that book other than just his opinions on climate change. Makes it easy to see who actually read it and who is just going off of what they heard.
They say we live in echo chambers of our thoughts. You talking about MC like this feels like I'm bouncing off the walls of my own echo chamber. Love the work.
And here I am, having only read Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Pirate Latitudes... Maybe I should give some of his other novels a try. My impression was that he wrote just-above-average thrillers, but this video has me intrigued.
Great list! I didn't read that many of his books, but I might just pick a few up now - you should definitely do a reread! :-) I read Sphere 25 years a go, it blew my teenage mind, and I still haven't found any other book that made me sit on the edge of my seat like that!
I've always enjoyed his books. I grew up reading Crichton. He was always superbly well researched and knew how to keep a story engaging and keep the momentum going. Congo and Eaters of the Dead are two of my favorites. My dad met him a couple of times at a Japanese restaurant in West L.A. called Hakata. He was taller sitting down than a lot of people are standing up
Thanks for this video. Hope to see some Crichton reviews in the future. Maybe a Jurassic Park read along.... Here is my top 10 list 1.JP 2.LW 3.Congo 4.Disclosure 5.Rising sun 6.State of Fear 7.Prey 8.Next 9.Airframe 10.The Andromeda Strain Honorary Mention: A Case of Need I will at some point get to Timeline. Happy reading
I was with you until Sphere. I am in the group that was incredibly disappointed by the ending. One you didn’t mention was Prey. I remember that one freaking me out a little. You are right. I definitely want to revisit these though. It has been years since I read any of them. Great video! Thanks!
I read Timeline as a 14 or 15 year old and it blew my mind. I read Jurrasic Park around that time too and I truly didn't realize how many books this man wrote until 3 or so years ago. I really want to pick up some of the others you mentioned starting with a state of fear. It's already on hold for me lol
I regret not being as big a book worm as I should have, but I only recently came across Michael Crichton because I was listening to a political podcast, and the host was talking about State of Fear, and I felt compelled to check it out. I listen to books on Audible, and I was blown away by his writing and in the last couple months have listened to Jurassic Park, Congo, and The Andromeda Strain. Timeline sounds awesome! I'll have to check that out next.
I read State of Fear back in high school and I actually really liked it. Confusing for me for the most part but in time I slowly understood what was going on and yeah, pretty interesting for sure!
Timeline has been a book i've read numerous times. I've read it once, listened to the audiobook numerous times. It definitely holds up. I'd go for that reread, if you haven't since this video
I haven't read that much M.C. but he was one of my earlier adult writers I read as a teenager, and the first novels set in the contemporary world rather then some form of high-fantasy. I devoured Jurassic Park (thanks to Spielburg), and liked it but had some trouble with the differences in some characters (and somehow blamed the book for that). Then I read Congo (which far more easily replaced the movie in my mind) and then Sphere, and I'm very pleased with how high you put Sphere, cause I was riveted, terrified by the underwater terrors, then terrified tenfold by what was *really* causing the terrors, and the conversations with "Jerry" were funny and disturbing - I was also pretty happy with it's movie adaptation which for once came out after I read it. I bought The Lost World, but somehow my attention wandered off and I never got halfway through, and I still don't know if I should blame the book or myself for that. I tried the Andromeda Strain, but the technical language/documents/government organization swiftly made me stop...and I haven't read another Crichton for around 25 years. Until this month - and this viral occasion - I'm halfway through Andromeda Strain and am loving it - a genre establishing thriller/government SNAFU book which resonates in 2021. So, timely video, and I'd welcome deeper dives if you're inclined.
Like you, I spent much of late middle school/high school reading all of Chrichton's works. I'm surprised you didn't discuss the connection between Eaters of the Dead and Beowulf. I need to do some re-read to see if these hold up. I think my top 3 would be Sphere, Jurassic Park, and Congo. I also recall being incredibly upset with the Congo movie.
I have read almost all his books. But not the postumus ones. Are they good? I loved his books. Even Airframe, which wasn't that great. As a director, his movies were interesting but lacked something. Coma was ok.
Great video! I got really heavy into Crichton last year and read most of his books. (Hoping to finish them all this year!) Some top shelf stuff on this, and I'll definitely have to check out Disclosure and Rising Sun soon!
I was reading Jurassic Park on a bus and sailed right passed my bus stop. Was late for work as had to walk back three stops! Yes Michael Crichton is a great writer.
I've read some Michael Crichton before and own most of his works. Maybe I'll pick up Eaters of the Dead or Timeline after the series I'm currently on. Need a standalone between trilogies. Afterwards is most likely going to be Suneater.
I read Jurassic Park as a 5th grader (I was an advanced reader) and became a scientist because of that book. Crichton still ranks in my top 10 authors.
I gotta read more Discworld, I gotta read more Crichton, I gotta start Malazan. Booktube is a detriment to my life lol
Man I've bought all of Abercrombie's books because of booktube (minus the Shattered Sea and Age of Madness), the first 4 books in the Dune saga, the first 3 Witcher novels, and I've added Sanderson and Malazan both onto my list of things to buy. The wallets of booktube fans are suffering
I actually just started Discworld. I like that most of the books are pretty short and have different themes and jumping on points. I also have the entire Malazan series in paperback.
@@mck7646 before u have read the first book u bought the entire series?
@@mck7646 is Malazan as difficult to read as everyone preaches? I'm into Dune and I have some trouble with it but for the most part comprehension is on point.
What is discworld? A series of fantasy?
Michael Crichton was an incredible writer. I'm kind of disappointed that, aside from the Jurassic Park series, his other stories didn't receive as amazing adaptations. Personally The Lost World is my favorite novel of his.
I love Pirate Latitudes, cause it's so different than his other books. Great Train Robbery is like it in terms of it being a period piece more than a scientific novel. It would also be a great movie
It actually is a movie. In fact, Crichton himself wrote and directed it!
@davisphillips993 i turned it on a week ago thinking a 70s movie about the 19th century would be a snoozer. After grabbing my attention, i looked it up and realized he actually directed the movie!
Set it aside for a full attention watcher
It’s such a solid movie. That guy escaping from the prison scene is wild. The ending scene, insane bc Connery could’ve fell off that train. Those were the days
The Andromeda Strain had an amazing movie made from it, and later, a great limited series.
Michael Crichton still remains my favorite author. His books curated a love of reading at an early age and inspired me to start writing. I've learned so much from him and regret never being able to shake his hand and thank him in person.
Prey is so underrated absolutly loved the science mixing with biology
It was a tough cut along with Terminal Man.
Needs a good movie adaptation
His best book
You should check out Next by Michael Crichton.
Prey was fantastic, definitely in my top 5 Crichtons.
I was actually named after Marek from Timeline, though my parents changed the spelling because they thought it would be mispronounced. Funny enough, it’s now arguably my favorite book of all time
I recall reading Sphere, Congo, and Andromeda Strain around 7th grade and just being in awe of what happened in the books. It's a bit fuzzy now since I'm 40, but I recall having my mind blown by Sphere most of all. I feel like that book needs more recognition and definitely a re-read for me this year. Great video Mike!
Yeah, Sphere was a mind kick.
Sphere is one of the best books I've ever read.
Fully agree with the importance of letting new readers know about Crichton and his amazing novels. Good work!
Can’t let him be forgotten
Crichton was an outside the box type of thinker and writer and I admire him for that. He offered up a different kind of viewpoint that really made you think.
I definitely need to check out Michael Crichton!
He was such an awesome writer!
I recommend you start with Jurassic Park, the sequel novel The Lost World, Timeline, which is such a classic, Sphere is so interesting, Congo is very thrilling and scary.
Amazing books, each one makes you really think too and have a blast doing it.
Indeed, start with Jurassic Park. I loved Sphere, as well. Just try to avoid watching the films beforehand.
@@GreatOldOne9866 two of my favorite ones are Andromeda Strain and Prey
I have read all of his books. Absolutely amazing!
@@GreatOldOne9866 micro was great as well. It was his last.
I saw his book “prey” on sale for five bucks at Books A Million a couple weeks ago and finally got around to opening it. I got about 20 pages left and I’m absolutely blown away.
I can actually thank you for my picking it up. I remembered you saying that Dark Matter by Blake Crouch reminded you of Crichton’s style and I can totally see why. Definitely gonna pick up a copy of Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain the next time I’m at the book store. I’m officially hooked.
Happy to hear it! Crichton was a master.
Jurassic Park still holds up! It’s so good! I’m also a huge fan of Timeline.
Just under a minute in and wanted to say Timeline is hands down my favorite. Read that enough times as a teen I had to get a second copy cause I was losing too many pages from wearing it out.
I think getting into reading Crichton novels as a teen helped me develop a sense of patience to wait through a long and well developed introduction and setup knowing the payoff will be worth the effort in the end. A lot of his novels start slow, but by about midway through you can hardly put them down until you finish. I would also say they are like a clinic for aspiring writers on fantastic use of subtle foreshadowing.
Likewise.
If Michael Crichton were still alive, he’d find a plethora of material for his books today. These past few years have been insane, from the pandemic to the political turmoil to the A.I. phenomenon. Just imagine what he could write about with that stuff.
This is PERFECT TIMING, as I have been on the cusp of diving into Michael Crichton!
PLEASE tell us if you have read John Grisham, and what your opinions are. I have "The Client" and "The Firm" in my back list.
I remember enjoying 'Airframe' too. May have to reread it, especially since I work in aviation.
Man, Sphere is one of my favorite books period. I also read it in high school and I tried to get everyone to read it for years afterwards 😂
Last night I finished Dragon Teeth, which ends my read and reread of all of his novels this year. I hadn’t read any of the pseudonymous early stuff, but really enjoyed going through everything in (almost) chronological order. My brother from another mother sent me this video this morning, and it’s the first I’ve ever seen of yours - strong work, and happy to subscribe!
For truly awful movie adaptations of great books, though, it’s hard to beat almost every Dean Koontz movie ever made. Sheesh. Congo was definitely up there with the greatest Hollywood travesties, though, for sure!
It wasn't great but at least it had Tim Curry!
Crichton was my favorite author growing up.
Dude the last year I have read jerassic Park, timeline, and am now reading Andromeda strain, I have fallen in love with his writing and would love to see a series on it by you.
Mike, I totally agree about Jurassic Park. It is an incredible read that I would suggest to absolutely anyone. The best part about it - like so many of Crichton's stories - is that it feels REAL! I haven't read it in ages; need to rectify that soon!
It has aged wonderfully
Loved the video. I had that exact same collection of Congo, sphere, and eaters of the dead. I loved all of them. Then I ripped through Jurassic Park and listened to Prey. Prey had me so riveted I would sit in the car after a drive because I couldn’t stop listening to the story. A reread would be awesome.
Great list Mike. I love Crichton and grew up on his novels too.
Per a recommendation from you on a previous video, I picked up Congo and Sphere. They're still a few books away on my TBR but I'm excited to get into them.
Thanks to you, I discovered this man's other work besides Jurrasic Park and Iam loving his material so far.
I've only read Timeline [thought it was really good] but you have inspired me to read more Crichton!
Mission accomplished
The Great Train Robbery was my first Crichton book and I really loved it. It’s a great, quick read and pretty awesome historical fiction as well.
The Great Train Robbery did happen on 1855. How fictitious is that novel?
Audible has Timeline and Sphere in their 3-for-2 sale right now so I remembered this video and came back to check to see if either were in your Top 10 Crichton. Both made it! So, I'm off to grab Timeline, Sphere, and John Gwynne's Malice. This is why videos like this from huge fans of an author are a really valuable resource for readers who have yet to really dive into an author's catalog. Thanks Mike!
I read Sphere last week bc you talked about it in one of your videos. I really enjoyed it, especially that ending. Perfect ending imho.I put the the rest of your top 10 on my ridiculous long tbr. Timeline is next on my list.
I know you already have books to read, but I would recommend Shogun and the Sherlock Holmes story collection (can’t remember the authors). Great video btw
James Clavel for Shogun. So good. I have my eyes peeled for his others at used book stores.
@@Michael-ee4uz King Rat is very good if you haven't read it.
@@Michael-ee4uz King Rat is one of my all time favorite books. I read it as a teenager and it still sticks with me.
Shogun is definitely a fantastic read.
Right On! I have so much Michael Crichton on my TBR. So glad to see your top 10 and can't wait to dig in! I have been finding it terribly difficult to find good copies of many of his books, unfortunately. I would love to do a publication order read of them and am working on putting together a collection.
Sphere, in a large way due to the ending as you mentioned, is still one of my most influential novels I remember reading while a teenager. Really eye opening at that age. I read it again a few years ago and still really enjoyed it. It didn't come up in the list, but I'd definitely recommend trying to find the time for Dragon Teeth that was published posthumously a few years ago. It's fun and tied to some interesting real historical characters and events. Timeline is one I've never read, I'll have to look it up. I'd definitely be interested if you decide to start going through his novels on the channel.
I was waiting for this one. Many great concepts! Let's say that if you did something similar for Crichton, like you do now for King, I hereby sign up to read along. And since I've never read a single Crichton book, it'll be an interesting, but predictably, great ride for me.
Sphere was the first MC book i read. Sticks with me to this day. Was my first SciFi novel. Read it in my early teens after Jurassic Park came out in theaters. Then followed up with Eaters, Andromeda Strain, Congo, Timeline, and at some point down the road Prey. Never read Jurassic Park, since i saw the movie a million times. I will put JP on my to be read list.
Great video. I read The Andromeda Strain when I was younger too. I have read some others, but not Jurassic Park. I've only seen the movies and have been worried that the book would not keep my attention because of seeing the movies first. I did finally just get my hands on a second-hand copy and it's on my list to read this year and while I have been looking forward to it, you have made me want to read it even more. I for one would love you doing a Crichton series.
As someone who hasn't read any Crichton, I'd love to see a video series about his books. I have been tempted to read Sphere, Jurassic Park and Andromeda Strain before but can never decide what to pick up first!
I didn't really care for Andromeda Strain. If think it was his first book if I recall.
Please do so!!! If you like the movie Jurassic Park, the book will blow your mind.
@@bmoneybby It was the first under his own name. He had written several under a pen name before it though :)
My wife read Timeline for the first time last year and really enjoyed it. It made me look forward to a reread later this year.
I gotta do it again soon
I’m halfway thru rereading Sphere for the first time in 25 years. It basically feels like a new experience and I’m loving it.
Your videos are excellent. I have all of his books and he also wrote under the pen names: John Lange, Jeffery Hudson, & Michael Douglas. I read Jurassic Park in 2020 and loved it. Oh, and I read his book Travels. Wow! What a great non-fiction book.
Great video once again, wonderful writer and had an interesting life also. My top 3 are:
1- Sphere, loved the ending and drawn out tension.
2- Congo, would love to see a more adult themed version.
3- Red Sun, hugely entertaining novel.
An honourable mention to his novel Airframe, found this books analysis and information regarding an aircraft investigation riveting and lapped it up. Have u read it Mike? Thoughts?
Brilliant output lately
This certainly brings back memories, especially from high school. I devoured his books, especially during the summers. I definitely agree with your #1 choice, but the whole list was great.
Thanks for sharing this :)
I picked up Timeline for $1 at Goodwill a while back. I've heard great things about it for years. I'll definitely give it a read one of these days.
Well worth that money.
Whenever you talk about Crichton I want to drop what I’m reading and pick up one of his books.
I'm older than you but have the same nostalgic feelings about reading Michael Crichton. I also read Andromeda Strain as my first introduction to Crichton. I can remember as a teenager reading that book back in the late 60s at the same time as the original Planet of the Apes movie was playing in the theaters (The French author behind that story, Pierre Boulle, also wrote The Bridge Over the River Kwai). It was a paperback that I picked up at a local bookstore when such small businesses still existed in every city or small town (Aah, the wonderful store smell of all that reading material). Like you I have always been a Science Fiction fan and that book stays in my memory. I've read all the books on your list but couldn't get through State of Fear. I will probably revisit it at some time, since I was in a period when I had dropped off reading anything when I attempted to rekindle my interest in reading. Michael Crichton was one of the greats.
Always in for more Michael Crichton content!
I remember being on a road trip with my dad and he popped in the cassettes for Prey. I loved it. The Chrichton nostalgia is certainly a thing lol
💯
Michael Crichton is easily in my top 3 favorite authors. I would love to watch you go way more in depth with his books
You're reminding me that I really need to get back to Crichton. I've read quite a few, but definitely not all. The Andromeda Strain was my first, too. I got to read it for high school required reading (picked from a list of options). Timeline is my favorite (that isn't Jurassic Park - no shade for that, because it's definitely #1, practically its own category), because I love that it's got both the modern and historical settings, and I'm a sucker for a fish-out-of-water type story. I'm overdue for a reread of it. I'd love to see you talk about them all more.
Yeah I really need to revisit some of them.
Timeline is such a good book. I remember when they were looking around for the guard towers before they went back in time and I could “see” everything he was writing. It was so damn good. One of my favorites.
I recently read Jurassic Park as my first Crichton, but I'm planning on getting to some more!
I really appreciate how you tackled this video. Good job bro. Makes me want to read Michael Crichton.
Seen all the adaptations but never read a book of his. It's time that changes!
Michael Myers from Halloween was styled after Yul Brynner in Westworld, so thanks for my favorite horror movie, Mr. Crichton!
Oh man, now I want to read all those books again too. I was like you and read them as a teen in the 90s.
Huge MC fan growing up, read them all through middle and high school. Your list is pretty fair, I would have Sphere up higher, same with Timeline, and I agree with your #1 choice, but I think you should have found a place for Airframe up there. One of his absolute bests by far since it was so different than the majority of his other novels.
I'd love some MC content! I haven't read any of his books yet but I've got Jurassic Park on my shelf and want to get to it soon
Haven't watched the video yet, and I haven't read a gigantic amount of Crichton (maybe 5 to 7?), but my personal favorite of the bunch so far is absolutely Sphere. Excited to see if you put it on this list.
I've never read any Michael Crichton but we seem to have a similar taste in books so I will definitely check him out. Already got Jurassic Park and Lost World on my kindle from my wife. Thanks for giving me another author to check out.
Great list Mike. My personal top ten favorite Crichton novels are:
10. The Lost World
9. Airframe
8. The Andromeda Strain
7. Rising Sun
6. The Great Train Robbery
5. Disclosure
4. Timeline
3. Congo
2. Jurrasic Park
1. Sphere
I should revisit Airframe. I think it just wasn’t what I wanted as a teenager.
I just read Timeline for the first time a couple of weeks ago, and I think it holds up really well. It was an exciting page-turner for me and I couldn't put it down. Finished it in less than two days. I would be interested in hearing your thoughts on it for a re-read. Thanks to your video, my never-ending TBR just got longer by 5 books or so! I appreciate what you do and always look forward to your videos.
Big fan of Chrichton here. Good list Mike! Have not read State of Fear but will pick it up immediately.
I’ve got a few Michael Crichton books I picked up used and so far I’ve been liking them for the most part. Dragon Teeth was my favorite so far, but I’m a history and geology nerd so that’s to be expected. Pirate Latitudes was meh, I didn’t get past the first act but I’d be willing to give it another chance. I found a nice hardback copy of Jurassic Park so that’s next, but I’ll be picking up State of Fear next week and I’m very excited for it. I’m hoping to get into climate research after graduation so it’ll be fun to read I’m sure!
Great video once again!
Also if you did that Michael Crichton ITMV type thing I would totally follow along
I dabbled in Crichton territory in the late 90s. I read Eaters of the Dead, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Timeline. I think I may have also read Rising Sun, but I'm fuzzy on that. Of those, my favorite was Timeline, but I recall enjoying reading the other books as well.
Yes please to a Crichton "multiverse", especially with a schedule. I'd love to read along because he was also key reading in my High School years too!
Honorable mention: Pirate Latitudes ☠ maybe not a fantastic book under Crichton standards, but fun and atmospheric. Perfect summer read, especially when on any kind of Caribbean vacation.
Anyways, I haven't read a lot, but JP and LW were great, Sphere was also great, and I had a lot of fun reading Timeline.
Yes! Please do a multiverse series for Crichton! One of my all time favorite authors.
Jurassic Park is one of my favorite books ever.
I’d love for you to do some Crichton book review videos. I’ve read most of his stuff, but it was also in my late teens and early 20s and Sphere would probably be my favorite.
It’ll most likely happen.
Thanks, I just bought the same omnibus as the one you have, Congo Sphere and Eaters of the Dead. Good to know they'll all be worth the time.
Great to get your opinion on State of Fear... definitely going to read that one!
I get the criticisms of it under today’s microscope but there’s so much in that book other than just his opinions on climate change. Makes it easy to see who actually read it and who is just going off of what they heard.
@@mikesbookreviews you get that so much these days. People having an opinion without taking the time to read it. Needs to stop lol
They say we live in echo chambers of our thoughts. You talking about MC like this feels like I'm bouncing off the walls of my own echo chamber. Love the work.
And here I am, having only read Jurassic Park, The Lost World, and Pirate Latitudes... Maybe I should give some of his other novels a try. My impression was that he wrote just-above-average thrillers, but this video has me intrigued.
Great list! I didn't read that many of his books, but I might just pick a few up now - you should definitely do a reread! :-) I read Sphere 25 years a go, it blew my teenage mind, and I still haven't found any other book that made me sit on the edge of my seat like that!
I've always enjoyed his books. I grew up reading Crichton. He was always superbly well researched and knew how to keep a story engaging and keep the momentum going. Congo and Eaters of the Dead are two of my favorites. My dad met him a couple of times at a Japanese restaurant in West L.A. called Hakata. He was taller sitting down than a lot of people are standing up
Thanks for this video. Hope to see some Crichton reviews in the future. Maybe a Jurassic Park read along....
Here is my top 10 list
1.JP
2.LW
3.Congo
4.Disclosure
5.Rising sun
6.State of Fear
7.Prey
8.Next
9.Airframe
10.The Andromeda Strain
Honorary Mention: A Case of Need
I will at some point get to Timeline.
Happy reading
I need to check these books out.
Only book I read was Dragon Teeth. I loved it.
You've inspired me to give Crichton a shot. I read JP in 8th grade, not too long after it came out. So I'm gonna try something not JP haha
Highly recommended
I was with you until Sphere. I am in the group that was incredibly disappointed by the ending. One you didn’t mention was Prey. I remember that one freaking me out a little. You are right. I definitely want to revisit these though. It has been years since I read any of them. Great video! Thanks!
Prey was a very tough cut.
I read Timeline as a 14 or 15 year old and it blew my mind. I read Jurrasic Park around that time too and I truly didn't realize how many books this man wrote until 3 or so years ago. I really want to pick up some of the others you mentioned starting with a state of fear. It's already on hold for me lol
I regret not being as big a book worm as I should have, but I only recently came across Michael Crichton because I was listening to a political podcast, and the host was talking about State of Fear, and I felt compelled to check it out. I listen to books on Audible, and I was blown away by his writing and in the last couple months have listened to Jurassic Park, Congo, and The Andromeda Strain. Timeline sounds awesome! I'll have to check that out next.
I bought my dad The Great Train Robbery for Christmas per your recommendation and he liked it! I'm going to read it soon!
I read State of Fear back in high school and I actually really liked it. Confusing for me for the most part but in time I slowly understood what was going on and yeah, pretty interesting for sure!
I also put Timeline pretty high up there. It was a blast.
Timeline has been a book i've read numerous times. I've read it once, listened to the audiobook numerous times. It definitely holds up. I'd go for that reread, if you haven't since this video
Great shirt!
Great video again Mike
I've only read 2 Crichton books so far and now I'm hyped to read some more
I haven't read that much M.C. but he was one of my earlier adult writers I read as a teenager, and the first novels set in the contemporary world rather then some form of high-fantasy. I devoured Jurassic Park (thanks to Spielburg), and liked it but had some trouble with the differences in some characters (and somehow blamed the book for that). Then I read Congo (which far more easily replaced the movie in my mind) and then Sphere, and I'm very pleased with how high you put Sphere, cause I was riveted, terrified by the underwater terrors, then terrified tenfold by what was *really* causing the terrors, and the conversations with "Jerry" were funny and disturbing - I was also pretty happy with it's movie adaptation which for once came out after I read it.
I bought The Lost World, but somehow my attention wandered off and I never got halfway through, and I still don't know if I should blame the book or myself for that. I tried the Andromeda Strain, but the technical language/documents/government organization swiftly made me stop...and I haven't read another Crichton for around 25 years. Until this month - and this viral occasion - I'm halfway through Andromeda Strain and am loving it - a genre establishing thriller/government SNAFU book which resonates in 2021.
So, timely video, and I'd welcome deeper dives if you're inclined.
Like you, I spent much of late middle school/high school reading all of Chrichton's works. I'm surprised you didn't discuss the connection between Eaters of the Dead and Beowulf. I need to do some re-read to see if these hold up. I think my top 3 would be Sphere, Jurassic Park, and Congo. I also recall being incredibly upset with the Congo movie.
Great video. Thanks so much. I’m gonna give Timeline a read as my next one.
State of Fear is a perfect book to describe what is going on in the world today. I consider it one of his unsung heroes.
I have read almost all his books. But not the postumus ones. Are they good? I loved his books. Even Airframe, which wasn't that great. As a director, his movies were interesting but lacked something. Coma was ok.
Great video! I got really heavy into Crichton last year and read most of his books. (Hoping to finish them all this year!) Some top shelf stuff on this, and I'll definitely have to check out Disclosure and Rising Sun soon!
Sphere sounds pretty interesting. Just added it to my TBR!
I am glad I found The Andromeda Strain in there :D I was hoping for it, because I got it for Christmas and it will be my first Crichton book :D
I loved JURASSIC PARK. I own most of Crichton's books. I haven't read all of them but, based on what I have read, I consider myself a fan.
I’ve always thought of his book as “Dad books” but maybe I’ll investigate further
Did you see Jurassic Park and think “eh, kind of a snoozer for old folks”?
@@kyleerrington8004 lol
Crichton has made an influence on me as well. Also, Robert Ludlum, Ken Follett, Leon Uris, Mario Puzo.
Mario Puzo is underrated despite what he wrote.
Mike, I would love to see you cover Michael Crichton books. You'd be a great person to review them.
I was reading Jurassic Park on a bus and sailed right passed my bus stop. Was late for work as had to walk back three stops! Yes Michael Crichton is a great writer.
I've read some Michael Crichton before and own most of his works. Maybe I'll pick up Eaters of the Dead or Timeline after the series I'm currently on. Need a standalone between trilogies. Afterwards is most likely going to be Suneater.