With the dawn of a new millennium about to break, the Nineties was a strange, floating decade of positivity, hope and something called the World Wide Web. 

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Reading lists

Books that defined the 1990s

Jurassic Park

The gripping science fiction cult classic that started it all... 
 
Discover the inspiration behind the new blockbuster film JURASSIC WORLD: REBIRTH starring Jonathan Bailey, Scarlett Johansson and Mahershala Ali. 
 
'Crichton's most compulsive novel' Sunday Telegraph 
 
'Breath-taking adventure. . . a book that is as hard to put down as it is to forget' Time Out 
 
'Crichton's dinosaurs are genuinely frightening' Chicago Sun-Times 
 
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On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park. 
 
Now one of mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true. Creatures that have been extinct for millions of years roam Jurassic Park, and all the world can visit them - for a price. 
 
But when a catastrophe destroys the park's defence system, what was once a scientific dream becomes a living nightmare. . . 
 
And scientists and tourists alike are left fighting for their lives. 
 
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More praise for Jurassic Park 
 
'Full of suspense' New York Times 
 
'Wonderful. . . powerful' Washington Post 
 
'Frighteningly real. . . compelling. . . it'll keep you riveted' The Detroit News 
 
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PLUS, OUT NOW: ERUPTION, THE SUMMER BLOCKBUSTER THRILLER FROM MICHAEL CRICHTON AND JAMES PATTERSON

Michael Crichton remains one of the most popular writers in the world, best known as the author of the global phenomenon Jurassic Park. He sold more than 250 million copies of his books worldwide, which have been translated into forty languages and adapted into fifteen films. He wrote a number of global bestsellers, including The Lost World: Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Sphere, Rising Sun, Disclosure, Airframe, and The Great Train Robbery. His influence and creativity extended far beyond books –he was the creator of the landmark television series ER, which ran for fifteen seasons, won twenty-three Primetime Emmy Awards, and received 124 Emmy nominations. He cowrote the screenplays of Jurassic Park and Twister and wrote and directed the film Westworld, which served as the basis for the HBO series. Crichton is the only writer in history to have a number one book, film, and television series at the same time, and he did it twice.

On a remote jungle island, genetic engineers have created a dinosaur game park. 
 
Now one of mankind's most thrilling fantasies has come true. Creatures that have been extinct for millions of years roam Jurassic Park, and all the world can visit them - for a price. 
 
But when a catastrophe destroys the park's defence system, what was once a scientific dream becomes a living nightmare. . . Now scientists and tourists alike are left fighting for their lives.

The Lost World

the sequel to Jurassic Park

The action-packed bestselling sequel to Jurassic Park.

'Gripping' Sunday Express 
'Action-packed' New York Daily News 
'Another monster hit by a giant of a writer' The Daily Express 
'The Lost World moves at a spanking pace. . . recommended as first-rate entertainment' The Spectator 
_____________________ 
 
The bestselling sequel to Jurassic Park 
 
Something has survived. 
 
Six years have passed since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park. In the years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end, the island has been indefinitely closed to the public, its park dismantled, the dinosaurs themselves destroyed. 
 
Or so it was thought. 
 
But something has survived. And when a team led by maverick scientist Ian Malcolm enters the mysterious 'Site B' to investigate, they are determined that this, at last, will be the end of the dinosaurs... 
_____________________ 
 
More praise for The Lost World 
 
'Harrowing thrills. . . fast-paced and engaging' People 
'Fast and gripping' The Washington Post 
'A very scary read' Entertainment Weekly 
'An edge-of-the-seat tale' St. Petersburg Times

Another monster hit by a giant of a writer

The Lost World moves at a spanking pace ... recommended as first-rate entertainment

Born in Chicago in 1942, Michael Crichton first trained as a doctor before going on to become one of the most successful writers in the world. In 1994 he achieved a feat unmatched by any other writer: by having simultaneously a number one TV series, book and movie with, respectively, ER (which he created), Disclosure and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, on its release the highest-grossing film of all time. He also directed several movies, including The Great Railway Robbery with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland. His high-concept thrillers were international bestsellers, and in total his books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. He died in 2008.

_____________________ 
Something has survived. 
 
THE BESTSELLING SEQUEL TO JURASSIC PARK 
 
Six years have passed since the secret disaster at Jurassic Park. In the years since the extraordinary dream of science and imagination came to a crashing end, the island has been indefinitely closed to the public, its park dismantled, the dinosaurs themselves destroyed. 
 
Or so it was thought. 
 
But something has survived. And when a team led by maverick scientist Ian Malcolm enters the mysterious 'Site B' to investigate, they are determined that this, at last, will be the end of the dinosaurs... 
 
Michael Crichton takes the terrifying events of Jurassic Park even further in this unstoppably readable adventure sequel, told by a master storyteller. 
_____________________ 
A must-read for Jurassic Park fans: the Steven Spielberg adaption of The Lost World made numerous major plot changes to the original novel, making this the true last unexplored frontier of the Jurassic Park world...

Disclosure

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942. His novels include The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Airframe, Jurassic Park and Disclosure. He is also the creator of the television series ER.

The thriller that opened a new chapter in the sex wars ... 
 
Thomas Sanders' world collapses in just 24 hours - he is passed over for promotion, his new woman boss comes on to him during a drink after work, then, the next morning, he learns that she has accused him of sexually harassing her. She demands his transfer, thereby threatening to cut him off from the millions he would have made when his high-tech company was floated on the stock market. 
What follow next made Disclosure the most talked about novel of the decade.

Timeline

A time-shifting thriller by the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

Timeline combines all the ingredients that make Crichton's books compulsive reading ... a brilliantly imagined story

Hollywood's favourite thriller writer evokes the experience of time travel superbly ... a rollicking read

The present and the long-ago past collide [as] three young historians whisk themselves back to fourteenth-century feudal France to rescue a friend - and engulf themselves in all manner of mind-blowing intrigue

Exciting ... classic adventure ... [a] swashbuckling novel ... Crichton delivers

Sometimes, it seems like you can reach out and touch the past... 
 
An old man wearing a brown robe is found wandering disoriented in the Arizona desert. He is miles from any human habitation and has no memory of how he got to be there, or who he is. The only clue to his identity is the plan of a medieval monastery in his pocket. 
 
In France, Professor Edward Johnston and his students are studying the ruins of a medieval town. Suspicious of the knowledge of the site shown by their mysterious financier, he returns to the US to investigate. But in his absence, the students make a disturbing discovery in the ruins: the long-decayed remains of Johnston's glasses - and a message in modern English. 
 
The implications are staggering. The consequences are earth-shaking. And the distant past isn't so distant any more. 
______________________ 
 
Increasingly considered an underappreciated classic that stands proudly alongside his more famous works like Jurassic Park and Westworld, Timeline confirms Michael Crichton as the king of the high-concept thriller, and a master storyteller to boot.

Airframe

A nailbiting airline thriller from the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

A deftly-woven tale of corporate skulduggery, media deceit and sleuthing

A compulsive page-turner ... Crichton dazzles the reader

Born in 1942 in Chicago, Michael Crichton trained as a doctor and went on to become one of the most successful writers in the world. In 1994 he achieved a feat unmatched by any other writer: that of having simultaneously a number one TV series, book and movie: with, respectively, ER (which he created), Disclosure and Steven Spielberg’s Jurassic Park, on its release the highest-grossing film of all time. He also directed several movies, including The Great Railway Robbery with Sean Connery and Donald Sutherland. His high-concept thrillers were international bestsellers, and in total his books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide. He died in 2008.

A pilot calls into the control tower to reqest an emergency landing. Following a mystery incident, the plane's cabin is virtually destroyed, ninety-four passengers are injured and three are dead. 
 
Investigating this fatal accident for the airline, Casey Singleton must find out the truth before the multi-million dollar business goes bust in the face of a huge meda backlash. Further lives are at stake and it seems everyone is against her - even her own colleagues - and everyone has something to hide. 
 
Airframe is a fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled thriller from the master of high-concept storytelling.

Eaters Of The Dead

An action-packed historical thriller from the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

The Eaters of the Dead is a brilliant, stirring tale of historical adventure which deserves a place on readers bookshelves alongside Michael Crichton's bestselling techno-thrillers. 
 
It is AD922 and Ibn Fadlan is sent north from Baghdad as a peaceful ambassador. But before he reaches his destination, he falls in with some Vikings and when they are attacked by mystical bloodthirsty creatures in the midst of a terrible fog, he reluctantly agrees to become the prophesied 13th warrior in order for them to survive. 
 
Later turned into a major Hollywood film, Eaters of the Dead is an imaginative and breathlessly exciting retelling of the Beowulf myth that rescues the story from dry academic analysis and resurrects it as an action-packed story of adventure.

The Terminal Man

A murderous thriller about the dangers of technology, from the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

A fascinating, splendidly documented thriller

A brilliantly achieved and all-too-believable modern Frankenstein

Harry Benson is a man troubled by violent seizures and blackouts, with grave doubts about what occurs during those lost hours. When two surgeons approach him with a drastic new treatment for his extreme fits he leaps at the chance, even though it means having electrodes planted deep into his brain. The surgeons are so obsessed with trying out their new theory they ignore warnings from another doctor that the man they are about to experiment on is a psychopath, who believes there is no difference between man and machine. It is too late when they realise what kind of monster they've unleashed on the world... 
 
The Terminal Man is a fast-paced thriller about the grave danger of technology falling into the wrong hands, from the master storyteller behind Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain.

A Case Of Need

Was it murder? Was it horribly botched surgery - accidental malpractice? Was someone in the great Boston medical centre -violating the Hippocratic oath? No one knows exactly. . . Only one doctor is willing to push his way through the mysterious maze of hidden medical data and shocking secrets to learn the truth. This explosive medical thriller is vintage Michael Crichton - with the breathtaking blend of riveting suspense and authentic medical detail that has made him one of today's most fascinating writers.

Rising Sun

A gripping thriller of greed, murder and corporate cover-ups, from the bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

Dazzling ... A bravura performance ... As well built a thrill machine as a suspense novel can be

The combination of Japan-bashing and murder mystery makes for provocative reading

Crichton pulls off a slick thriller at a cracking pace

On the forty-fifth floor of the Nakamoto Tower in downtown L. A. a grand opening celebration is in full swing at the new American headquarters of the immense Japanese conglomerate. On the forty-sixth floor, in an empty conference room, the dead body of a beautiful woman is discovered. The investigation immediately becomes a thrilling chase through a twisting maze of industrial intrigue, a no-holds barred conflict in which control of a vital American technology is the fiercely coveted prize - and the Japanese saying 'business is war' takes on a terrifying reality. 
 
Rising Sun is a powerful, compulsive thriller from a master of the genre.

The Andromeda Strain

A terrifying science-fiction thriller from the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

He had me convinced it was all really happening

Science fiction, which once frightened me because it seemed so far-out, now frightens me because it seems so near. The Andromeda Strain is as matter-of-fact as the skull-and-crossbones instructions on a bottle of poison - and just as chillingly effective

Terrifying...One of the most important novels of the year

NOW CELEBRATING ITS 50th ANNIVERSARY 
Read the spectacular techno-thriller that catapulted Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton to fame. 
 
Five prominent biophysicists give the United States government an urgent warning: sterilisation procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of space in order to 'collect organisms and dust for study'. 
 
Then a probe falls to the earth, landing in a desolate area of northeastern Arizona. A little while later, in the nearby town of Piedmont, bodies are discovered heaped and flung across the ground, faces locked in frozen surprise. But the terror has only just begun, because when they try to find the cause of death, the scientists don't realise just what kind of unearthly danger they are dealing with... 
 
Brilliantly filmed by Robert Wise in 1971, The Andromeda Strain was the first book to introduce Michael Crichton's audacious combination of believable plots and white-knuckled excitement to a wide audience.

Congo

A non-stop thriller of scientific discovery and African adventure from the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

The search for diamonds, a crucial scientific breakthrough and a mythical ruined city set off this adventure into the heart of the Congolese jungle. 
 
The American expedition is led by Karen Ross, desperate to find her husband and recover the data he found before he disappeared. But there are other teams trying to get there first, and the way is strewn with life-threatening dangers -- plane crashes, civil wars and a dormant volcano awoken by dormant explosives. 
 
In the tradition of Arthur Conan Doyle and H. Rider Haggard, Congo is a novel of high adventure from the master of the modern thriller.

The Great Train Robbery

A thrilling Victorian heist story based on real events – by the internationally bestselling author of Jurassic Park.

A nineteenth-century version of The Sting ... Crichton fascinates us

A work of intelligence and craftmanship ... Written with grace and wit

In teeming Victorian London, where lavish wealth and appalling poverty exist side by side, one mysterious man navigates both worlds with perfect ease. Rich, handsome and ingenious, Edward Pierce preys on the most prominent of the well-to-do as he cunningly orchestrates the crime of his century. 
 
Who would suspect that a gentleman of breeding could mastermind the daring theft of a fortune in gold? Who would predict the consequences of making the extraordinary robbery aboard the pride of England's industrial era, the mighty steam locomotive? Based on fact, as lively as legend, and studded with all the suspense and style of a modern fiction master, here is a classic novel, set a decade before the age of dynamite - yet nonetheless explosive...

Five Patients

ER has become the most succesful television series in the world since CHARLIE'S ANGELS. Michael Crichton created the series from his own experiences as a medical doctor in the emergency rooms, operating rooms and wards of Massachusetts General Hospital. FIVE PATIENTS is Michael Crichton's true account of the real life dramas so vividly portrayed in ER. A construction worker is seriously injured in a scaffold collapse: a middle-aged despatcher is brought in suffering from a fever that has reduced him to a delirious wreck; a young man nearly severs his hand in an accident; an airline traveller suffers chest pains; a mother of three is diagnosed with a life-threatening disease.

James Patterson

Michael Crichton

It's a thrill and the pages turn themselves

Patterson's skill as a storyteller is evident

Flat-out incredible. Buckle up. This is heart-pounding storytelling at its finest. I dare you to try and put this amazing book down. It's Crichton-smart, Patterson-paced, incredibly cinematic and it just feels like a giant summer movie. Two of the bestselling storytellers of all time have come together to deliver a hugely entertaining techno-thriller adventure story

Eruption features Michael Crichton's stunning knowledge of science, scientific speculation and edge-of-your-seat storytelling and Patterson's remarkable gifts for suspense and relentless pacing. The once-in-a-lifetime combination of Michael Crichton and James Patterson results is one of the most entertaining novels I've read in years. You will be absolutely riveted as you turn every page

Two of the bestselling storytellers of all time have created an unforgettable thriller. 
 
A once-in-a-century volcanic eruption is about to destroy the Big Island of Hawaii. 
 
But a decades-old military secret could turn the volcano into something even more terrifying... 
 
Now it’s up to a handful of brave individuals to save the island – and the entire world. 
 
_______________________________ 
 
'As thrilling and jaw-dropping as Jurassic Park' Don Winslow 
 
'Heart-pounding storytelling at its finest' T.J. Newman 
 
'One of the most entertaining novels I've read in years' Adrian McKinty 
 
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PRAISE FOR JAMES PATTERSON 
 
'It's no mystery why James Patterson is the world's most popular thriller writer ... Simply put: nobody does it better.' JEFFERY DEAVER 
 
'No one gets this big without amazing natural storytelling talent - which is what Jim has, in spades.' LEE CHILD 
 
'Patterson boils a scene down to the single, telling detail, the element that defines a character or moves a plot along. It's what fires off the movie projector in the reader's mind.' MICHAEL CONNELLY 
 
'James Patterson is The Boss. End of.' IAN RANKIN 
 
'The master storyteller of our times' HILLARY RODHAM CLINTON 
 
'One of the greatest storytellers of all time' PATRICIA CORNWELL 
 
'James Patterson is the gold standard by which all others are judged.' STEVE BERRY 
 
‘Patterson knows where our deepest fears are buried ... there's no stopping his imagination’ NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW 
 
‘Patterson is in a class by himself’ GUARDIAN

Michael Crichton

Praise for Eruption

It's a thrill and the pages turn themselves

Fast-moving and fun

Enjoyable

It's a thrill and the pages turn themselves

Fast-moving and fun

Enjoyable

It's a thrill and the pages turn themselves

Fast-moving and fun

Enjoyable

Books by Michael Crichton

Articles featuring Michael Crichton

Books that defined the 1990s

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