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Harper Collins 2004
Reviewed by Karen McNamee
Bizarre scenes are playing out
covertly all over the world. Powerful equipment capable of sending
devastating shock waves deep into the earth has been purchased
clandestinely and shipped to remote locations. Vast quantities of
explosive components have been procured. Select individuals are being
murdered in bizarre fashion. The question is, what ties all these
incidents together? One thing is clear .… something big is looming on the
horizon, and someone is watching.
Against that backdrop we meet environmentalist and billionaire George
Morton, who is poised to donate ten million dollars to a prominent
environmental organization. Just before he signs the check over he learns
that monies which he had previously donated have disappeared. His
suspicions set in motion an effort to uncover the truth and reveal a
shocking reality.
Peter Evans is a young lawyer who helps manage George Morton's financial
contributions. Peter's comfortable world is turned upside down when he
becomes entangled in a series of nightmarish adventures, while in the
company of feisty and beautiful Sarah Jones, Morton's assistant. Peter and
Sarah, at Morton's directive, find themselves jetting all over the planet
with two special agents who are on a treacherous mission to seek out and
stop eco-terrorism before it occurs. They have been tracking a group of
environmental radicals who will stop at nothing to further their cause. In
fact, death and chaos only serve to promote their agenda. From the willful
misrepresentation of scientific data to the manufacture of natural
disasters, these disciples of global warming believe the end justifies the
means.
The state of fear in this book title refers to the popular notion that our
planet is facing a global environmental catastrophe. Author Michael
Crichton gives examples of similar states of fear used throughout human
history to control and manipulate populations and promote various agendas.
Theoretically the more fearful people are the more compliant they become.
The story focuses on the powerful forces at work behind the global warming
initiative, revealing that not all of them are altruistic.
STATE OF FEAR is nearly 600 pages long. The plotting was slow to take
shape, making the first third of the book confusing at best, but
eventually there was clarity and I found I couldn't put it down.
Crichton's inclusion of actual scientific data was very compelling.
Through that vehicle he encourages readers to be objective on the issues
surrounding global warming. Be prepared to shelve many of your
pre-conceived notions about global warming if you decide to read this
book.
Michael Crichton is an acclaimed author of an incredible list of best
sellers, most notably JURASSIC PARK. It may come as a surprise to many
that he also graduated summa cum laude from Harvard and
received his MD from Harvard Medical School. He is a brilliant man with an
impressive background in science, so he's not to be dismissed as just
another author of fiction.
October 2008
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