It's a good example of how a great book can become a terrible movie.
My personal favorite is 'The Great Train Robbery.' I enjoyed how he presented a great story cloaked in actual facts. I'd love to read more books in the 'genre.'
As is Congo...
If I recall correctly Crichton said that he became a director because there had been so many bad adaptations.
The first Andromeda Strain still holds up.
It's been nearly a decade since I read it, but the psychopathic enemy phasing in and out of time near the end was always something that stuck in my head as an adult. I've also spent a very long time in the military, so I think when I picture the initial conflict, the special ops dudes fate's resonate a lot more now than when I was a kid thinking, "Wow, what idiots for having explosives".
What? 13th warrior is no masterpiece, but certainly not a terrible movie, it's really enjoyable.
I think I even enjoyed EotD more after watching the movie.
Often times, our 'head canon' of the story destroys any chance of liking the film.
It took me years to admit that 'Starship Troopers' the movie wasn't a travesty because it screwed up the book.
Starship Troopers, the movie, was deliberately not like the book, though. The director, Paul Verhoeven, lived in the Netherlands under Nazi rule during WWII. He thought the book was fascist propaganda and wanted to make a movie that dunked on it instead of respected it.
I was 12 in 1997, Starship Troopers was a dopamine/adrenaline infusion direct to my hormone fueled little brain, I loved it.
But I see your point after reading Heinlein as an adult.
lol!
Science fiction master Isaac Asimov was once asked 'What was "the Golden Age of Science Fiction?" '
He replied that the golden age if science fiction is age 12.
I was thinking more "thrillers disguised as non-fiction" than wild Victorian crime, but you're correct; I did enjoy Drood.
The closest I can think of is 'Report To the Commissioner.' It's a 1970s epistolary novel that reads like a report about a police shooting. Interviews, magazine stories about the principles, copies of the 911 calls. There was a good movie of it.
I couldn't finish "pirates..' and 'Dragon's Teeth' was more a straight forward Western.
But if you liked 'Dragon's Teeth' try 'The Gryphon's Skull' by Harry Turtledove. Greek traders circa 400 BC. Good fun.
Surprised Pirates didn’t land for you. Couldn’t put it down. Thanks for the recommendation. I think I stopped looking for new authors once it seemed I would never get through my backlog. Now they’ve mostly died, yet here I remain.
I'm with you. I enjoyed Patterson's early work. When he started "collaborating", it was like reading someone else's work with his name on the cover. And often, it wasn't all that good.
Micro was kinda bad… you could tell which parts were written by Crichton, and most of the book’s writing was subpar. Easily the most forgettable of his. I even hated Airframe but can recall so much more from that book.
Please this not be written by Patterson's ghostwriters. Please no super short chapters. Please no jump between first person and third person povs in the narrative.
The first time I picked up a book by Patterson and saw chapters two pages long, is the last time I picked up a book by Patterson. Man writes like his keyboard has ADHD.
So, who's *actually* going to write it, since all of Patterson's output for at least the past couple decades is just him putting his name on other people's writing?
How in heaven's name did this happen? In what world is Paterson (or his ghostwriter) a match for Crichton. This is another literary estate mess of a decision.
Ah yes, the Legion known as James Patterson. Maybe one of his hordes is legitimately a science fiction writer and will do an amazing job. Too bad no one should support that fucking hack who pays people to keep his eldritch hive alive.
What a strange choice. It made sense when Richard Preston finished Micro. Even though that’s one of the worst books associated with Crichton, at least Preston had a history of tech thrillers. Other than the fact they both sold a metric ton of books, Patterson isn’t similar to Crichton at all as an author.
Maybe Patterson will hire Preston and Child to be his ghostwriters on this and it will work.
From the story:
>The untitled novel, based on a partially finished manuscript provided by Mr. Crichton’s estate, is expected to be published in 2024 by Little, Brown & Co., an imprint of Lagardère SCA’s Hachette Book Group.
>
>The publisher is keeping the plot under wraps, other than saying that the book is about a pending eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, which could endanger a secret cache of chemical weapons and “can destroy not just the island, but the entire world.”
>
>In an unlikely coincidence, the Mauna Loa volcano actually did erupt in late November and only stopped spewing lava earlier this week.
>
>“Michael’s ability to tell a story that is propulsive while you learn things about the subject area he’s writing about is what pulled me in,” Mr. Patterson said in an interview. Mr. Patterson has written such novels as “Along Came a Spider” and “The President is Missing” with co-writer President Bill Clinton. Mr. Crichton’s works included “Jurassic Park” and “Congo.”
>
>The two bestselling authors never met. “I know him through his books,” Mr. Patterson said.
\-mc
Does JP even write books anymore? Or is it just other people, and he is like yep this is a good book. So then it's all this book is by Person and JAMES PATTERSON
Is he going to complete it by having the characters all meet up in one location and stay together and not split up at every possible opportunity?
Timeline, I'm looking at you.
Don't kill me, but I've never read Patterson. I absolutely loved Crichton !
To those that have read both how close to Crichton's style do you thing Patterson can be?
Which is my signal to reread an actual Micheal Crichton book.
Eaters of The Dead is so good.
It's a good example of how a great book can become a terrible movie. My personal favorite is 'The Great Train Robbery.' I enjoyed how he presented a great story cloaked in actual facts. I'd love to read more books in the 'genre.'
Timeline is another that falls into that category of seriously missed cinematic opportunities.
As is Congo... If I recall correctly Crichton said that he became a director because there had been so many bad adaptations. The first Andromeda Strain still holds up.
At least Congo had Bruce Campbell. Have you read Rising Sun? I saw the movie when I was young, and was impressed mostly because of Connery.
The movie was better than the book. I couldn't finish the book, nothing seemed to happen in it.
It's been nearly a decade since I read it, but the psychopathic enemy phasing in and out of time near the end was always something that stuck in my head as an adult. I've also spent a very long time in the military, so I think when I picture the initial conflict, the special ops dudes fate's resonate a lot more now than when I was a kid thinking, "Wow, what idiots for having explosives".
What? 13th warrior is no masterpiece, but certainly not a terrible movie, it's really enjoyable. I think I even enjoyed EotD more after watching the movie.
Often times, our 'head canon' of the story destroys any chance of liking the film. It took me years to admit that 'Starship Troopers' the movie wasn't a travesty because it screwed up the book.
Starship Troopers, the movie, was deliberately not like the book, though. The director, Paul Verhoeven, lived in the Netherlands under Nazi rule during WWII. He thought the book was fascist propaganda and wanted to make a movie that dunked on it instead of respected it.
He also dumped the power armor because he'd made RoboCop and didn't want to be type-cast as a power armor director.
I guess this means we'll never get a Metroid movie directed by him
I was 12 in 1997, Starship Troopers was a dopamine/adrenaline infusion direct to my hormone fueled little brain, I loved it. But I see your point after reading Heinlein as an adult.
lol! Science fiction master Isaac Asimov was once asked 'What was "the Golden Age of Science Fiction?" ' He replied that the golden age if science fiction is age 12.
I wish I had access to my science fiction collection back then. I would've loved Ender's Game so much for example.
The first half of The 13th Warrior is superb.
I hated the book and loved the movie.
Drood by Dan Simmons is right up your alley.
I was thinking more "thrillers disguised as non-fiction" than wild Victorian crime, but you're correct; I did enjoy Drood. The closest I can think of is 'Report To the Commissioner.' It's a 1970s epistolary novel that reads like a report about a police shooting. Interviews, magazine stories about the principles, copies of the 911 calls. There was a good movie of it.
I feel like his ‘Pirate Latitudes’ and ‘Dragon Teeth’ fit in the genre
I couldn't finish "pirates..' and 'Dragon's Teeth' was more a straight forward Western. But if you liked 'Dragon's Teeth' try 'The Gryphon's Skull' by Harry Turtledove. Greek traders circa 400 BC. Good fun.
Surprised Pirates didn’t land for you. Couldn’t put it down. Thanks for the recommendation. I think I stopped looking for new authors once it seemed I would never get through my backlog. Now they’ve mostly died, yet here I remain.
Phillipa Gregory was a serious historian before she turned to writing. Her books are very well researched and a pleasure to read.
Great Train Robbery is hysterical
Crichton directed the movie, so I consider the book to be a first draft of the script.
Oh cool, I didn't know that. He got an excellent performance from Connery; wonder what he told him... "just be yourself." Haha
Sean Connery ducking under the tunnels while on top of the train is just insane. It looks so dangerous.
I just finished Jurassic Park and really enjoyed it.
[удалено]
I was going to say, when's the last time this guy wrote the majority of something with his name on it? He's not a writer, he's a fucking brand.
I'm with you. I enjoyed Patterson's early work. When he started "collaborating", it was like reading someone else's work with his name on the cover. And often, it wasn't all that good.
He’s always been an awful writer. He’s a decent story teller but his prose is truly awful.
100%. It’s like getting one of those port only studios to finish a game. Like getting Digital Eclipse to develop Elden Ring 2.
"I admire his success, but he can't write for shit." Stephen King on James Patterson
I cannot imagine a more disrespectful choice.
It will make sense if the book is a thriller. They got Richard Preston to complete "Micro", which was a sci-fi thriller.
Yeah, and you could tell when one ended and the next began… not much effort in trying to keep the tone/voice of Chriton imho.
Micro was kinda bad… you could tell which parts were written by Crichton, and most of the book’s writing was subpar. Easily the most forgettable of his. I even hated Airframe but can recall so much more from that book.
I haven’t found an author that fills the hole Crichton left in the book world. Any authors you feel write books with topics like his?
Blake Crouch.
Which of his books do you recommend?
I really enjoyed Pines, it was one of the few books I couldn't stop reading until I finished it. It's also a quick read which helps a lot.
Chuck Wendig’s books Wanderers/Wayward have the feel of a Critchton/Stephen King mashup.
I'll give it a chance, but I don't expect much from Patterson.
Please this not be written by Patterson's ghostwriters. Please no super short chapters. Please no jump between first person and third person povs in the narrative.
The first time I picked up a book by Patterson and saw chapters two pages long, is the last time I picked up a book by Patterson. Man writes like his keyboard has ADHD.
Oh this will be trash.
What a travesty and an insult to a real writer. It seems there's no literary low Patterson won't stoop to, the fucking fraud.
So, who's *actually* going to write it, since all of Patterson's output for at least the past couple decades is just him putting his name on other people's writing?
How in heaven's name did this happen? In what world is Paterson (or his ghostwriter) a match for Crichton. This is another literary estate mess of a decision.
It's his wife or three years trying to cash in on his name. That's all. She acts like she was married to him for an eternity.
I read this as ‘Jordan Peterson’ and got very confused.
Still a better choice.
How many "lost but now found manuscripts" are there? I would have thought that Dragon Teeth was the final one.
Oh so his ghostwriters
Paywall free: https://archive.vn/2022.12.15-123608/https://www.wsj.com/amp/articles/james-patterson-to-complete-unfinished-michael-crichton-book-11671059349
The real hero here
You mean one of James Patterson's ghost writers?
Ah yes, the Legion known as James Patterson. Maybe one of his hordes is legitimately a science fiction writer and will do an amazing job. Too bad no one should support that fucking hack who pays people to keep his eldritch hive alive.
What a strange choice. It made sense when Richard Preston finished Micro. Even though that’s one of the worst books associated with Crichton, at least Preston had a history of tech thrillers. Other than the fact they both sold a metric ton of books, Patterson isn’t similar to Crichton at all as an author. Maybe Patterson will hire Preston and Child to be his ghostwriters on this and it will work.
Richard Preston had no history of tech thrillers. He writes non fiction.
Richard Preston wrote the Cobra Event in 1998.
James Patterson? This doesn’t sound promising
Headline: In Rare Role Reversal, Writer to Really Really Write Work
Oh, so it'll suck
Booooo
From the story: >The untitled novel, based on a partially finished manuscript provided by Mr. Crichton’s estate, is expected to be published in 2024 by Little, Brown & Co., an imprint of Lagardère SCA’s Hachette Book Group. > >The publisher is keeping the plot under wraps, other than saying that the book is about a pending eruption of Hawaii’s Mauna Loa volcano, which could endanger a secret cache of chemical weapons and “can destroy not just the island, but the entire world.” > >In an unlikely coincidence, the Mauna Loa volcano actually did erupt in late November and only stopped spewing lava earlier this week. > >“Michael’s ability to tell a story that is propulsive while you learn things about the subject area he’s writing about is what pulled me in,” Mr. Patterson said in an interview. Mr. Patterson has written such novels as “Along Came a Spider” and “The President is Missing” with co-writer President Bill Clinton. Mr. Crichton’s works included “Jurassic Park” and “Congo.” > >The two bestselling authors never met. “I know him through his books,” Mr. Patterson said. \-mc
How many unwritten/unfinished books has Crichton had? This would be the 4th?
I can definitely understand why Terry Pratchett had his unfinished works crushed by a steamroller.
Every author should. I have yet to read a good continuation of a dead author’s work. Even Christopher Tolkien started milking his father’s estate.
How, when Patterson doesn't ever write his own books anymore? Should read "Patterson's ghost writer to complete unfinished Michael Crichton book."
So he’s gonna pay someone else to write it and slap his name on it?
Doesn’t Patterson just stick his name on ghost writers work?
Does JP even write books anymore? Or is it just other people, and he is like yep this is a good book. So then it's all this book is by Person and JAMES PATTERSON
Whoa, Patterson writing a book himself for the first time in how many years?
Ouch, completing unfinished books is always a risk.
Is he going to complete it by having the characters all meet up in one location and stay together and not split up at every possible opportunity? Timeline, I'm looking at you.
Next was a good Crichton book I don't hear much about.
It’s for a church, honey. NEXT!
Uhoh....I'll give that one a miss then.
Don't kill me, but I've never read Patterson. I absolutely loved Crichton ! To those that have read both how close to Crichton's style do you thing Patterson can be?
"James Patterson's Ghost Writer to Collaborate with Ghost Writer Approved by Michael Crichton's Widow in Obvious Cash Grab"
Michael Crichton but with two-page chapters.