Noted American novelist Michael Crichton, MD (October 23, 1942 – November 4, 2008) died at the age of 66 of cancer.

Having sold over 150 million books intentionally, he is best known for sci-fi action novels The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Disclosure, Rising Sun: A Novel, Timeline, State of Fear, Prey, and Next. Crichton also dabbled in television and movies, creating TV show ER, and the movies Jurassic Park, its sequel The Lost World, Twiser, and others.

Criticisms of Crichton’s work revolve around two themes: scientific inaccuracies around his portrayal of climate change, and his general hostility towards technology and industrial systems. On the issue of global warming, Al Gore said on March 21, 2007 before a US House committee: “The planet has a fever. If your baby has a fever, you go to the doctor [...] if your doctor tells you you need to intervene here, you don’t say ‘Well, I read a science fiction novel that tells me it’s not a problem’.” This was an obvious reference to State of Fear.

The other problem with his work is hatred for technology–all kinds of technology, from standard aircraft construction, to genetic engineering, to computer systems, and even nanotechnology. In a Crichton story, anything that can go wrong in his mind will go wrong, even if the scenarios are ludicrous in actuality. Some would go so far to classify Crichton–although he denies the charge–as a luddite.