14 DAY TRIAL // There are probably a lot of people who don’t know about Michael Crichton's work (or if what they watched or read was actually his creation), but, certainly, those who have heard about him are indeed saddened by the recent passing of the beloved Sci-Fi author. "Jurassic Park" (1990) or "Sphere" (1987) are an illustration of how a book should be written, while Crichton was an example of a knowledge-holder that could stand out from the crowd and defend ideas that challenged those of the majority.
He was among the very few authors invited at the White House and also among the few who didn't believe in global warming (a subject that he also attacked in his book from 2004, "State of Fear"). The ideas described in his books (and TV shows, such as the Golden Globe-winning "E.R.," which also won other 113 prizes and was nominated for 258 more) covered a very wide range of scientific fields, from medicine and anthropology, which he specialized in, to genetics, archeology, astronomy or quantum physics. However, he managed to introduce the readers to them smoothly and simply.
Every person, be they famous or not, who got to meet him had only kind words to say in his respect, and not the ones you usually hear when someone passes away. "Michael's talent out-scaled even his own dinosaurs of 'Jurassic Park,'" shares the director of the blockbuster, Steven Spielberg, Crichton's close friend for 4 decades, quoted by The Associate Press via LiveScience. "He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the Earth. [...] Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place."
As far as his approach to global warming was concerned, Crichton said that "I have a lot of trouble with things that don't seem true to me. I'm very uncomfortable just accepting. There's something in me that wants to pound the table and say, 'That's not true,'" adding that "If we put everything in the hands of experts and if we say that as intelligent outsiders, we are not qualified to look over the shoulder of anybody, then we're in some kind of really weird world."
According to a statement released by his family, he died of cancer, which he had been fighting for the past few years. "Through his books, Michael Crichton served as an inspiration to students of all ages, challenged scientists in many fields, and illuminated the mysteries of the world in a way we could all understand," reads the statement. Indeed, he was a visionary, perhaps comparable to a modern Jules Verne, who still had much to offer to the world. Michael Crichton will certainly be missed.