Impending Rant

i'm about to read michael crichton's state of fear, and based on the author's note at the back of the book (which i read first), the appendix explaining why politics + science = bad news (i agree with this point, but not the reasoning), and the intro, i've determined that i will be really pissed off by the time i finish reading it. so, give me a few days, folks, and i'll have nice bitchy, ranty, over-the-top post for your reading pleasure. i'm preparing myself for the blood pressure spike that is sure to ensue from the reading of the book in question.

as a general rule, i'm a big fan of michael crichton. i'm impressed that he has a phd in biology and still manages to write in such a completely engaging fashion. i think it's his educational status that gives his books such realism. i adored his last book, prey, and timeline was much better as a book than a movie (although, i really liked the movie, too). so, when i picked up state of fear in barnes and noble one day shortly after its release (and yes, i'm just now reading it - i tend to collect books when i don't have the time to read them, so they just sit on my shelves for a while) i expected to be just as impressed by this latest novel as i have been with his others. i knew when i purchased the book that the premise involved global warming being a figment of our collective imagination, perpetuated by politicians with an agenda. fine. it's fiction...with a solid scientific base. but when i read the author's note, etc. and realized that much of the story reflects the author's point of view, i became inexplicably irate. i strongly disagree with most of what our beloved mr. crichton had to say about modern science and environmentalism. i don't think this would have enraged me so if i didn't know that this particular author holds a very high degree in a scientific field.

so, why am i reading this book when i am convinced that it will just make me mad? well, being pissed off at the author isn't going to keep me from enjoying the story, which i fully expect to be just as cleverly presented as works such as jurassic park. and who knows? maybe after i read the book, i won't be as mad as i am now. maybe i will have accepted mr. crichton's position (although i don't expect to ever agree with him). or maybe i'll be even more pissed. so, be prepared for a second post about state of fear, one that will inform you of exactly what i'm so angry about and why.

an aside: the book i just finished (dan brown's angels & demons, which i've been quoting on my website lately) was fantabulous. it deals heavily with the concepts of science and religion, so if talk of either of these subjects offends or frightens you, don't read it. but whether you think that science and religion don't mix, whether you think that science and religion can work together, whether you believe in God or you don't, whether you're an advocate of organized religion or not, angels & demons is a great book, and dan brown brings these subjects together masterfully. i highly recommend it. i guess you'd call it the prequel to the da vinci code, although angels & demons was written first. i haven't read the da vinci code yet (it's on my bookshelf, patiently waiting to be opened), but i've heard good things, and if it's anything like angels & demons (it's based on the same main character) i'm sure i'll love it.