State of Crichton

Having been a big fan of Crichton’s Jurassic Park, I thought that I would be receiving this novel very well. In Jurassic Park, Crichton in a thinly veiled commentary criticizes the notion that we humans have the ability to bring about the end of the earth – that it sooner would dispel us from its environment than fall prey to our destructive tendencies. However, given my personal politics considering global warming, I find this commentary to be extremely arrogant and downright cynical.

I think the cover of State of Fear should be read as a “passage” from the front of the novel. The cold, highly rationalized block style text amidst a dramatic, singular strike of natural electricity tracing – a reflection of the kind of fear Crichton risks instilling in his readers. I understand that I’m letting part of my ideology shine through – but I feel that Crichton is playing a dangerous game here.

In the first few pages, Crichton asks through a character, “Qu’est-ce que tu penses”, French for “What do you think?”. This is a question I have been asking myself throughout the entirety of my time reading – and one that should be constantly asked until the end. My fear is that in the same way that I have been interpolated into the cultural phenomena of Global Warming, others may find themselves on the other side of the fence.

Maybe I’m just selfish.