State of Fear

By: Michael Crichton

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 18 hrs and 18 mins

Publisher's summary

The undisputed master of the techno-thriller has written his most riveting, and entertaining, book yet.

Once again Michael Crichton gives us his trademark combination of pause-resistant suspense, cutting-edge technology, and extraordinary research. State of Fear is a superb blend of edge-of-your-seat suspense and thought provoking commentary on how information is manipulated in the modern world. From the streets of Paris, to the glaciers of Antarctica, to the exotic and dangerous Solomon Islands, State of Fear takes the listener on a rollercoaster thrill ride, all the while keeping the brain in high gear.

©2004 Michael Crichton (P)2004 Harper Audio

Critic reviews

" State of Fear is one of Crichton's best because it's as hard to pigeonhole as greenhouse gas but certainly heats up the room." ( Entertainment Weekly)
"Michael Crichton's new, can't-put-it-down novel is a first-of-a-kind thriller - a fast-paced adventure based on the notion that a current widespread fear is baseless." ( Forbes)

MADE FOR TV

Controversial topic but poor execution - unanswered questions , incomplete premises - seems to be finished in a hurry . Maybe to fulfill media contract- Narration seemed uninspired also.

Good Story! You'll enjoy it!

If you can ignore the other reviews that seem to worried about where this book falls in the political spectrum, then you will enjoy it tremendously. I always look for one thing: a story to keep me interested and listening, something that I won't drift off and realize that I have no idea where the narrator is. Although it starts a little slow, with perhaps a little too much detail added in, all in all the story - again I emphasize that point - is a good one.

Fearful State

I sometimes find the narration of an audio distracting. This was transparent and easily understood. Well done accents added to the realism without making the narrator instrusive.

Crystalizing for me an idea that had been nagging irritatingly at my consciousness, the premise felt like a weclome resolution. With each daily news cast we get new "important information" designed to make us afraid. Why do we tune in daily for another dose? Are we addicted to bad news? I thought his premise to be valid.

The presentation of the facts about global warming and climate change, however, was a bit one sided. Not enough is realy known about climate for anyone to be sure and there is convincing evidence on both sides of that question. Seems that some error on the side of caution would be warranted.

Neverhteless, I found this an expremely enjoyable book.

great read

I almost did not read this due to the wacki reviews of some of the reviewers. Many of us do believe that global warming is just a bunch of hot air(pun intended). This is a story that questions the thesis that man has caused global warming. Michael Crichton, does not seem to come down on eiither side of this issue.
As for the supposed stomach noises the reader is accused of,there are none. There are a few electronic noises, which are not a problem.
All scientists do not believe in the global warming theory.
The data as shown by Crichton's graphs does not support this theory.
If you include Social, Psychiatric, Medical, Rocket, Biological, Mechanical and other scientists, irrelevant to the theory, then maybe, only maybe, you might have a "scientific" majority held view, positive to global warming. These scientists know less than the average well informed and intelligent subscriber to Audible.
One large volcano eruption can do more damage to the ozone layer than a thousand years of using Freon to keep ourselves cool. Follow the money. The makers of Freon are about to lose their patent. They contribute to powerful Democrats re-election funds. They, in turn outlaw Freon. The same company introduces a new gas for use in air-conditioners. Hey-presto! Everyone makes lots of money. Very similar to the book's thesis. Great story. Well read

State of Fear

What an enjoyable listen. I found myself ingnoring my duties to listen to the book. Crichton has once again set a a group of otherwise normal people in a very extraordinary situation. I found myself loathing the villains and even enjoying their just deserts. The perfect book for a road trip to pass the time while the miles slipped away.

Good story. Interesting reading, controversial

I enjoyed this book. The story was fun, the politics intriguing and the narration fantastic.

If you don't like the global warming denying, then enjoy it for the story.

should be five stars

Loved the book and enjoyed the reader. It rates up there with "Jurasic Park", and "Sphere".
The views expressed in the book may be a little controversial for many readers, but they are very thought provoking.
I would have given it 5 stars except for the liberal use of strong profanity

First time MC Reader

This was my first audio book by Micheal Crichton. While the novel was riviting, and had many moments of suspense, I was less impressed by his development of the characters. It was difficult of care about any of them. I also found that the story didn't keep my interest like many of the other authors from Audible have done. Maybe it is getting used to a new author or the subject matter. While I found the book of interest, I may give a second thought to ordering another of his books.

Not bad, but not great either

Michael Crichton is a good writer, with good skills at story telling. I felt that this story was slow, very slow, to start; but once things got rolling, it was engrossing. It was an interesting spin on misinformation, that we all know takes place so often in the research community. I did find however, that the narration lacked a lot, and may have contributed to the slowness of the book. The gastrointenstinal noises of the narrator (maybe he was hungry, but all the time?) were very distracting, and at times, incredibly disgusting. He also had a fairly bland way of story telling, that during exciting moments of the book, made those times seem less exciting that they were.

Entertaining, maybe far fetched but it is Fiction?

I enjoyed the book immensely. There are always two sides to a story and usually there is not a clear wholly correct side. But who cares about whether he is right or wrong on his Environmental premise the book was good. I think it keeps you wondering what else is going to happen and how the characters are going to survive. What else could you want from Fiction. Very entertaining.

As far as the main character just being a normal joe, that is Michael Crichton's theme. Normal joe's being in unnormal situations. But again, it is fiction so critiquing it's statements seems a little unfair to me.