Michael Crichton (1942–2008)

Periodically I think I like reading James Patterson. Periodically I remind myself that I HATE reading Patterson. It's fluffy prose that I can't stand. I got half way through Eruption, which most people really enjoyed, and found myself bored with the story and bored with the characters. The one redeeming aspect is that, having been to the Big Island several times, I enjoyed the story involving places that I have been to. However, I gave up on reading the novel - there are so many others out that that can fully engage me.… (more)

This is a decent story about paleontologists looking for fossils in the Old West. It’s got everything that one would expect in an adventure set in this time and location - including Indians, bad guys, interesting nicknames, and general lawlessness.
The plot revolves around a young Yale college student (William Johnson) who accepts a bet made by a college classmate that involves spending his summer break digging for fossils with one of the nation’s preeminent paleontologists, Dr. Othniel Marsh. Along the way across the country, Johnson gets left behind by Marsh’s team. At wit’s end as to imagine how to continue, Johnson has the good fortune to hook up with Marsh’s blood rival, Dr. Edward Drinker Cope who’s also heading west to search for ancient bones.
From here, the story weaves in and out of situations with the aforementioned Indians and resident bad guys. Johnson is forced to deal with a number of encounters that toughen and mature him beyond his years.
It’s a decent enough story, but if I hadn’t known in advance, I would’ve never known this was written by Michael Crichton. There’s decent enough storytelling plus a little bit of science, but nothing that would lead one to believe that this was written by the same man who wrote Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain- at least to this reviewer.… (more)