Microscopic robots have been invented to mine small patches of soil for new medicinal compounds. The catch? These robots are piloted by micro-humans, shrunk down to insect size. The concept is classic Crichton, who died after starting this book. While Richard Preston did admirably in the thankless task of finishing someone else’s story, the end result still feels like half of a Crichton novel: outlines of ideas, characters, and situations that never quite get filled in. 

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Discovered as a complete manuscript in Crichton’s files after his death, Pirate Latitudes explores the Caribbean in the late 1600s as privateer Charles Hunter embarks on a journey that will gain him great wealth and renown, or send him straight to the gallows. The pace and tension is vintage Crichton, who writes in a remarkably visual style. Beware of graphic descriptions of violence and immoral sexuality peppered throughout, distracting from what is an otherwise entertaining adventure.

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Perhaps this is Crichton’s attempt to branch out into a new style but it felt like a jarring, unwelcomed departure from his classic works. It has moments of tension, but the disconnected story lines and overall lack of suspense quickly lead to mind-numbing tediousness. As usual, Crichton is heavy on the science. In this book, he forgot to be heavy on the humans involved. We don’t care about the characters enough to care what happens next.

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Somewhere between a fantastic voyage into a world rich for exploration (Jurassic Park) and a screenplay in novel form (Prey) lies State of Fear, where environmental groups seek to perpetuate global warming despite evidence to the contrary. Although conceptually interesting, the story lacked dramatic tension or high stakes and even the finale left feelings of indifference. But flaws aside, this still classifies as a page-turner. Maybe that's a testament to Crichton's skill more than his story.

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What many people miss about Crichton is that his stories have a point – usually guised in the dangers of messing with science that is not fully understood. The implications are often devastating, and no less so here. But what works so well in other contexts fails to deliver the same gravitas here. Action and suspense abound, yet the story still feels surprisingly lifeless. Unlike parts of the story, however, Crichton’s skill as a writer remains vibrant.

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Time-travel experiments gone awry (don’t they always go awry?) lead to an entertaining romp through medieval times, filled with dramatic tension and breakneck pacing. Crichton is a master of advancing the plot without getting bogged down in dull exposition. Some criticize his work for its summer-blockbuster feel, but Crichton writes it well, and should continue doing so. Time will tell if Crichton’s latest ever hits the big screen, but it does not disappoint in printed form.

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When unidentifiable creatures start turning up on Costa Rican shores, certain people quickly realize that the threat of Jurassic Park is far from over. Ian Malcolm is among those who venture to InGen’s former manufacturing island, now abandoned by human life for more than five years, allowing the cloned dinosaurs to thrive in the wild. Crichton continues the melding of modern and prehistoric worlds in a fluid, tightly paced novel. By all accounts a worthy sequel.  

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A biogenetic company has been secretly doing something on an island near Costa Rica: cloning dinosaurs from DNA found in insects that have been trapped in amber since the Jurassic period. The goal is to create the world’s only prehistoric amusement park, but things go terribly wrong as the dinosaurs refuse to be constrained by man’s rules. This is Crichton at his best, deftly building tension and mixing characters with powerful results. Highly entertaining and engrossing.  

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Psychologist Norman Johnson is summoned by the Navy to participate on an aircraft crash investigation team. But it is quickly revealed to be a spacecraft crash site, located deep underwater, and mysteriously intact. The greatest dangers, however, come from what is found inside that ship…and inside the minds of those who investigate it. Crichton delivers kinetic pacing that overcomes plot thinness and a flat supporting cast. In all, it’s a solid reminder of his authorial prowess.

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