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Michael Crichton (1942–2008)

Author of Jurassic Park

159+ Works 155,523 Members 2,355 Reviews 478 Favorited

About the Author

John Michael Crichton, known as Michael Crichton, was born on October 28, 1942 in Chicago, Illinois. He wrote novels while attending Harvard University and Harvard Medical School to help pay the tuition. One of these, The Andromeda Strain, which was published in 1969, became a bestseller. After show more graduating summa cum laude, he was a postdoctoral fellow at the Salk Institute in California before becoming a full-time writer and film director. His carefully researched novels included Eaters of the Dead, The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, and Micro. He also wrote non-fiction works including Five Patients: The Hospital Explained, Jasper Johns, and Travels. In the late 1960s, he also wrote under the pen names Jeffrey Hudson and John Lange. He has received several awards including Writer of the Year in 1970 from the Association of American Medical Writers and two Edgar Awards in 1968 and in 1979. Many of his novels have been made into highly successful films, six of which he directed. He was also the creator and executive producer of the Emmy Award-winning television series ER. In addition to his writing and directorial success, his expertise in information science enabled him to run a software company and develop a computer game. He died of cancer on November 4, 2008 at the age of 66. (Bowker Author Biography) show less
Disambiguation Notice:

Michael Crichton also wrote under the pseudonyms John Lange and Jeffery Hudson, during his medical studies. He also co-authored one book with his brother Douglas under the pen name Michael Douglas.

Series

Works by Michael Crichton

Jurassic Park (1990) 21,467 copies, 327 reviews
Timeline (1999) 13,813 copies, 185 reviews
The Lost World (1995) 10,875 copies, 91 reviews
The Andromeda Strain (1969) 10,414 copies, 152 reviews
Prey (2002) 10,193 copies, 153 reviews
Sphere (1971) 10,042 copies, 124 reviews
State of Fear (2004) 8,909 copies, 148 reviews
Congo (1980) 8,198 copies, 94 reviews
Airframe (1996) 7,477 copies, 99 reviews
Next (2006) 7,326 copies, 168 reviews
Disclosure (1993) 5,576 copies, 54 reviews
Rising Sun (1993) 5,527 copies, 53 reviews
Eaters of the Dead (1976) 5,177 copies, 78 reviews
Pirate Latitudes (2009) 4,635 copies, 178 reviews
The Great Train Robbery (1975) 3,872 copies, 58 reviews
The Terminal Man (1972) 3,692 copies, 40 reviews
A Case of Need (1968) 3,310 copies, 45 reviews
Micro (2011) 2,534 copies, 78 reviews
Dragon Teeth (2017) 1,836 copies, 69 reviews
Travels (1988) 1,435 copies, 26 reviews
Five Patients: The Hospital Explained (1970) 970 copies, 7 reviews
Jurassic Park / The Lost World (1997) 638 copies, 4 reviews
Twister [1996 film] (1996) — Screenwriter; Producer — 549 copies, 3 reviews
Binary (1972) 525 copies, 8 reviews
Eruption (2024) 470 copies, 15 reviews
Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom [2018 film] (2018) 390 copies, 3 reviews
Grave Descend (1970) 344 copies, 9 reviews
Zero Cool (1969) 312 copies, 9 reviews
The 13th Warrior [1999 film] (1999) — Author — 279 copies, 4 reviews
Easy Go (1968) 254 copies, 11 reviews
Westworld (1974) — Author — 213 copies, 1 review
Timeline [2003 film] (2002) — Author — 197 copies
Drug of Choice (1970) 187 copies, 9 reviews
Scratch One (2013) 180 copies, 7 reviews
Odds On (1966) 153 copies, 7 reviews
The Venom Business (1969) 148 copies, 7 reviews
Jasper Johns (1977) 139 copies, 1 review
Twister [original screenplay] (1996) — Author — 134 copies
Congo / Jurassic Park (1993) — Author — 112 copies, 1 review
Electronic Life (1983) 104 copies, 2 reviews
Westworld [1973 film] (1973) — Director; Screenwriter — 102 copies, 3 reviews
Rising Sun [1993 film] (1993) — Author — 94 copies, 1 review
Jurassic Park (Graphic Novel) (1993) 73 copies, 2 reviews
ER: The Complete First Season (2003) — Creator — 71 copies
The First Great Train Robbery [1979 film] (1979) — Director — 67 copies, 2 reviews
Westworld: Season Two - The Door [2018 TV series] (2018) — Author — 63 copies
Disclosure / Rising Sun (1996) 49 copies, 1 review
ER: The Complete Second Season (2004) 48 copies, 1 review
Congo and The Terminal Man (1995) 42 copies
State of Fear [Abridged Audiobook] (1995) 39 copies, 3 reviews
Coma [1978 film] (1978) — Director — 39 copies
Runaway [1984 Film] (1984) — Director — 34 copies
ER: The Complete Fourth Season (2005) — Creator — 33 copies
ER: The Complete Sixth Season (2006) — Creator — 24 copies
ER: The Complete Seventh Season (2007) — Creator — 23 copies
ER: The Complete Fifteenth Season (2011) 12 copies, 1 review
Looker [1981 film] (1991) — Director — 12 copies
4 Film Favorites: Horror — Director — 6 copies
Erupción (Spanish Edition) (2024) 5 copies, 2 reviews
Disclosure [Abridged - Reader's Digest] (1994) 5 copies, 1 review
4 Film Favorites: Michael Douglas Collection (2011) — Director — 4 copies
Physical Evidence (1989) 4 copies
Next (2009) 3 copies
Un caso de urgencia (1994) 3 copies
Blood Doesn't Come Out — Author — 3 copies
Overkill (1972) 3 copies
Pursuit (2004) 3 copies
Rising Sun / Congo (1994) 2 copies
Rising Sun (audio abridged) 2 copies, 1 review
Travels, Vol. 2 (2000) 1 copy
Kirjavaliot (1998) 1 copy
Travels, Vol. 1 (2000) 1 copy
Andrómeda 1 copy
De Andromeda Evolutie (2020) 1 copy
Kong ju zhi bang (2005) 1 copy
Naliehavý prípad (1997) 1 copy
Dòng Thời Gian 1 copy, 1 review
O Mundo Perdido (2022) 1 copy
Uitbarsting (2024) 1 copy

Associated Works

The Lost World (1912) — Introduction, some editions — 4,988 copies, 107 reviews
McSweeney's Mammoth Treasury of Thrilling Tales (2002) — Contributor — 1,499 copies, 20 reviews
The Lost World: Junior Novelisation (1997) 942 copies, 16 reviews
Jurassic Park [1993 film] (1993) — Screenwriter — 897 copies, 5 reviews
Approaching Oblivion (1974) — Foreword, some editions — 717 copies, 8 reviews
Jurassic Park III [2001 film] (2001) — Author — 449 copies, 1 review
Jurassic Park Trilogy (2001) — Author — 284 copies, 1 review
The Andromeda Strain [1971 film] (1971) — Author — 131 copies, 3 reviews
Congo [1995 film] (1995) — Original author — 113 copies, 2 reviews
Jurassic Park Collection: 4-Movie Collection (2015) — Author — 87 copies, 1 review
Jurassic Park [Movie Storybook] (1993) 54 copies, 1 review
The Andromeda Strain [2008 TV mini series] (2008) — Original book — 34 copies, 1 review
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1976 v01 (1976) — Contributor — 31 copies
Reader's Digest Condensed Books 1972 v04 (1972) — Contributor — 30 copies
Beyond Westworld: The Complete Series — Author — 2 copies
Die 7 Todsünden (2007) — Contributor — 1 copy

Tagged

action (450) adventure (1,877) American (310) audiobook (259) Crichton (599) crime (284) dinosaurs (1,499) DVD (348) ebook (651) fantasy (831) fiction (13,465) genetics (350) goodreads (353) hardcover (445) historical (312) historical fiction (908) horror (490) Kindle (321) medical (255) Michael Crichton (759) movie (383) mystery (1,250) novel (1,383) own (602) owned (345) paperback (572) pirates (254) read (1,908) science (534) science fiction (10,430) Science Fiction/Fantasy (264) sf (738) sff (335) short stories (315) suspense (1,349) technothriller (377) thriller (5,278) time travel (703) to-read (3,949) unread (526)

Common Knowledge

Legal name
Crichton, John Michael
Other names
Lange, John (pseudonym)
Hudson, Jeffrey (pseudonym)
Douglas, Michael (shared pseudonym with his brother Douglas)
Birthdate
1942-10-23
Date of death
2008-11-04
Burial location
Los Angeles, California, USA
Gender
male
Nationality
USA
Birthplace
Chicago, Illinois, USA
Place of death
Los Angeles, California, USA
Cause of death
Lymphoma
Places of residence
Chicago, Illinois, USA
New York, USA
Los Angeles, California, USA
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Education
Harvard University (MD|1969)
Harvard College (AB|1964)
Occupations
screenwriter
director
producer
novelist
physician
Relationships
Martin, Anne-Marie (former wife)
Crichton, Douglas (brother)
Organizations
Jonas Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Author's Guild
Writers Guild of America
PEN America Center
Directors Guild of America
Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (show all 7)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences
Awards and honors
Phi Beta Kappa
Association of American Medical Writers Award (1970)
Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Technical Achievement Award ∙ 1995)
The American Association of Petroleum Geologists Journalism Award (2006)
Short biography
Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942. His novels include Next, State of Fear, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park, and The Andromeda Strain. He was also the creator of the television series ER. One of the most popular writers in the world, his books have been made into thirteen films, and translated in thirty-six languages. He died in 2008.
Disambiguation notice
Michael Crichton also wrote under the pseudonyms John Lange and Jeffery Hudson, during his medical studies. He also co-authored one book with his brother Douglas under the pen name Michael Douglas.

Members

Discussions

Chricton's Sphere Arrived in Easton Press Collectors (July 2023)
Jurassic Park - Folio edition in Folio Society Devotees (September 2021)

Reviews

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Tudo começa com uma aposta que Johnson faz na faculdade. Johnson era conhecido como um almofadinha que sempre passava as férias de verão na Europa, até que seu rival, Marlin, o desafiou a passa-las na expedição arqueológica do paranoico professor Marsh. Como não queria dar o braço a torcer e nem perder os mil dólares, Johnson aceitou o desafio.
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O que ele não imaginava era que Marsh também tinha um rival no mundo acadêmico, o professor Cope, que partira para o mesmo sítio arqueológico em busca dos fósseis da região oeste americana.
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Durante a viagem, Marsh acredita que Johnson é na realidade um espião de Cope e o abandona na região remota em meio a pistoleiros e ataques indígenas. Sem outra saída, Johnson se junta à expedição encabeçada por Cope e aí começa a aventura mais insana e perigosa de sua vida.
.
Ataques indígenas, saques à diligências, duelos, trapaças, uma corrida para proteger as caixas que guardam os fósseis e a fuga da cidade compõe esse livro divertido e bem ao estilo dos filmes de faroeste antigos.
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Quando li a sinopse, imaginei que teria algo mais científico, assim como foi em Jurassic Park, mas não é assim. A narrativa é focada na aventura de Johnson e nas figuras locais de Deadwood. Me diverti muito lendo esse livro e já estou ansiosa pela série baseada no mesmo que será produzida pelo Nat Geo em parceria com a Amblin Television e Sony Pictures.
… (more)
 
Flagged
gi_varotti | 68 other reviews | Oct 31, 2024 |
Fairly typical techno-thriller using an intense amount of jargon. The story plot seemed unlikely with acclaimed volconologists realizing the Mauna Kea volcano is going to erupt in a catastrophic way, yet they (and the government) fail to warn the local citizens to evacuate.
 
Flagged
pstrombo | 14 other reviews | Oct 30, 2024 |
Pirate Latitudes is based on a true story. A lot of research went into writing this book. The life of a pirate/privater was horrible. One could easily find oneself amongst crew members who without a doubt will turn on you to save their own self. Five stars were given to this review because the story of adventure, was compelling from beginning to end.
 
Flagged
lbswiener | 177 other reviews | Oct 27, 2024 |
I watched the movie a couple of years back when my cousin was obsessed with it. I enjoyed this more than I remember enjoying the movie, but they are rather different! I really liked the focus on science and technology (which was nit in the movie). I loved the palaeontology aspects. Although the science isn't perfect (some is definitely no longer quite accurate) a surprising amount of it has also held up relatively well. (Yes, yes there's the scifi elements but beyond that!) I will say that a lot of the characters were rather frustrating but I still had a great time with this one! The setting and dinosaurs make up for it. I have picked up the sequel from the library and am excited to keep reading about the dinos!… (more)
 
Flagged
TheAceOfPages | 326 other reviews | Oct 24, 2024 |

Lists

1960s (1)
Africa (1)
1990s (1)
mom (1)
1970s (1)

Awards

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Associated Authors

Anne-Marie Martin Author, Screenwriter
Brett Fallis Director, Director
William Wisher Screenplay
Warren Lewis Screenplay
Lisa Joy Creator
Joanna Kerns Director
Gloria Muzio Director
Arthur Albert Director
Donna Deitch Director
Dean Parisot Director
Mimi Leder Director
Robin Cook Author
Perry Lang Director
Abel Ferrera Director
Andrew Davis Director
Tom Gries Director
Sidney Lumet Director
Noah Wyle Actor
Gerald R. Molen Executive producer
Ian Bryce Producer
Alan Ruck Actor
BD Wong Actor
Jorja Fox Actor
Ed Harris Actor
Fred Karlin Composer
Geoffrey Unsworth Cinematographer
Alan Webb Actor
J. J. Abrams Producer
Susan Ekins Producer
Bryan Burk Producer
Kathy Lingg Producer
Kathy Lingg Producer
Rip Torn Actor
Omar Epps Actor
Kal Penn Actor
Scott Brick Narrator
Ettore Capriolo Translator
Vector That Fox Illustrator
Tarmo Haarala Translator
Virginia Tan Designer
Gregory Wenzel Illustrator
Anthony Heald Narrator
David Nakabayashi Illustrator
Chris Noth Narrator
Thomas Wintner Translator
Torkel Lundberg Translator
Dennis Lyall Illustrator
Geoff Hunt Cover artist
Amsterdam Edd Cover designer
Bob Askey Narrator
Ed Asner Narrator
Barbara Bagliano Translator
Gerald Messadié Traduction
Paola Bertante Translator
P. Bertante Translator
Ian Miller Illustrator
Gianni Pannofino Translator
Gregory Manchess Cover artist
M. Matignon Translator
Gilson B. Soares Translator
Peter Gudynas Cover artist
Pilar Giralt Translator
Glen Orbik Cover artist

Statistics

Works
159
Also by
37
Members
155,523
Popularity
#39
Rating
½ 3.6
Reviews
2,355
ISBNs
1,987
Languages
37
Favorited
478

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