In a age where the destruction caused by natural disasters and man made disasters is difficult to compare (as they both seem to do similar damage), any disaster is given an eyeful before being determined whether it was indeed nature playing on its fury or a man made idea gone awry. I must confess, it was the latest Tsunamis which actually made me think and write this review – peculiarly because I have just completed a book that addresses threat of global warming, eco terrorists et al – [b]State of Fear[/b] written by one of my favorite authors [b]Michael Crichton[/b].
Crichton’s strength has largely always been his impeccable research and his ability to convince a reader about the misguided possibilities of science. State of Fear is no different from his usual trend of novels, though it is much better than his off late efforts which read more like movie scripts. Not that this one doesn’t too, but Crichton manages to infuse enough book into to merit it being called a Book. And of course, the research!
As mentioned, the topic of Crichton’s fancy this time is Global Warming – a term which we have come to know in daily life as earth’s temperature going up, ice melting at caps, weather patterns changing to create havoc on earth. However, Crichton treads the path of controversy this time by not just refuting Global Warming and its implications, but goes on to argue about the danger of eco terrorists trying to take over human sensibilities.
[b]Story[/b]
Unlike Crichton’s normal pattern where a group of scientists always mess up something good, this one begins right within a mess. The Island nation of Vanatu has decided to sue Environmental Protection Agency because Vanatu is sinking due to polar melting. Since United States is the biggest contributor to earth’s pollution, EPA has been targeted with a lawsuit which is to be revealed in a conference. A millionaire philanthropist who is about donate millions to environmental research organization fighting this lawsuit suddenly rebukes his offer and in a booze binge, dies. Somewhere across the world, mysterious dealings involving arms, detonators, scientific equipment and materials of world war 2.
Enter a professor from MIT who doubles as a FBI agent on a goose chase to hunt down the terrorists who have bought the materials. Involving the millionaire’s lawyer and his secretary, the trio begins to hunt down the terrorists and their plans trough their codes – together they traverse across half the world from Iceland to Antartica to Arizona to Tokyo trying to uncover the mammoth plans lay by eco terrorists. In between they also try to link up the mysterious relation between the environmental agency and its lawsuit with the eco terrorists.
[b] Research [/b]
However its not the story per se that holds your attention as in most Crichton’s books – it is the research. While the troika are globe trotting, the professor agent begins to discourse on how the entire global warming science is completely unfounded in its own unpredictability. Crichton cleverly showcases how warming may affect cities, but there is no relevant data to show that it has affected smaller towns. Or that sea levels have not really increased in the last 30 years. Crichton does away with the arguments of glaciers melting and instead offers a view point of glaciers actually rising up, and how the earth is actually getting colder instead of warmer.
What sets apart Crichton’s story telling is the degree of authenticity Crichton presents in terms of scientific references, papers, graphs and so son. At many times, footnotes capture the scientific detail inappropriate for storytelling – add to that a mammoth 15 page bibliography on environmental research. However, the most compelling part of the book really is in its Appendix, where Crichton discusses the issue of Science and Politicized science.
He argues that like eugenics, global warming too has been used by the western nations to deprive other countries from getting industrialized. Eugenics (a study of how whites were superior to other people) formed the basis of Hitler’s argument in cleansing Jews – and surprisingly study of eugenics was a funded research in US University. However after World War II, eugenics lost its hold in all communities, and slowly became something of a dangerous science. Crichton argues that global warming is similar in its approach that, while scientific research is good for the world, politicizing it and using it as a shield towards other countries is not.
Crichton makes a wonderful point about how global warming is misplaced amongst almost half the humanity for what it is – and that misinformation is being used by western nations to force smaller nations to NOT be industrialized. Indeed, the appendix itself is worth every penny of this book for the way it is written.
[b] Overall [/b]
Overall, this definitely must rank as Crichton’s best novels – though this one very much feels like a movie script, the extent is very less, and hence the book comes through. All in all, a good read and must be read by anyone who is a fan of Crichton.
[b] The tsunami connection [/b]
An episode in the book reflects on how eco terrorists plan to create a tsunami by using resonating waves to create an earthquake under water. Convincingly chilling, it just brings out the human tragedy that can happen when a man tries to ape nature. And perhaps [b] nature is best left alone [/i].
Happy reading – and it feels good be back in penning mode!