He Was Crichton

[spectralbovine]

Michael Crichton died.

Jurassic Park came out when I was twelve years old. For as long as I can remember, I loved the hell out of dinosaurs-I wrote a book called The Disastrous Dino War in elementary school-so you can imagine how much I loved that movie. I saw it with my family in a San Francisco movie theater, having smuggled in Burger King

Comments

[sdwolfpup]

Oh my god. I didn't even know he was ill. I read all of his stories, too. This is shocking.

[spectralbovine]

I know. They kept it pretty quiet, it seems. Fucking cancer.

[daynr]

I loved some of his books when I was young (and would still read them as braincandy), and can remember similar reading book stories from my youth. It's amazing when a book just grabs you and takes you somewhere.

[spectralbovine]

Share some book stories!

And, yeah, it's great when you can get completely absorbed in a book. As much as I love TV, it can't give you the same experience. It gives you so much! With a book, it's just you and the words, baby.

[daynr]

ooooh, I'll have to think on it. A lot of them are just from when I finally learned to read and was AMAZED at the world. I love being in people's thoughts. I graduated pretty quickly from basics to age-appropriate books, but probably my first absorption story might be being my new stepfather's friends' house (and thus uncomfortable) and being given a Louisa May Alcott book. I've always like other times/places and female protagonist, so I was sold. Fortunately my strict was so damn happy that I was finally reading that she bought me the whole series (Little House, not Little Women) and I got to spend a week reading them. A week in the car, travelling up to Seattle.

[spectralbovine]

I'm not scientific in ANY way, shape, or form but Crichton made it interesting! And though a lot of it probably DID go over my head I was still able to get the gist of what was going on.
That's what was so great about him! He was able to show off his research in an accessible way.

Ack, what the fuck, past tense.

I liked the movie too, but the book was better - naturally. I actually found myself scoffing that Malcolm lived. (Although, according to Crichton he DID live so... I guess Spielberg knew something I didn't.)
Hee, I thought that was totally lame of him, but, hey, it was fun to have Malcolm in the second book, which, hilariously, bore no resemblance to the movie at all.

Like you, I kind of fell out of reading his books later in my life.
Isn't that weird? I mean, he's writing for adults, and...we stopped reading his books when we became adults. Hee.

I saw the movie Timeline and enjoyed it.

[sneaker328]

I was shocked when I saw the news. He was so talented. And tall! Very tall.

This was a nice post, thanks for sharing.

[spectralbovine]

You're welcome. There have been so many high-profile deaths this year, but I think this is the first one that's really affected me personally, the first person who had a specific effect on my life. And what's a journal for if not sharing personal experiences and emotions?

Trivia: I discovered the news from Felicia Day's Facebook status. The Internet is weird.

[pandora_17]

---:(

I think I was seven when Jurassic Park came out and it scared the hell out of me. To this day I feel a wave of panic at the sight of a T-rex. Even cartoons.

I believe I have already told the story of going to the St. Louis Science Center with my dad right after the Jurassic Park fever and being hunted by the animatronic T-rex.

[spectralbovine]

Perhaps. Tell it again!