News / 

State of Fear


Save Story
Leer en español

Estimated read time: 1-2 minutes

This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.

STATE OF FEAR By Michael Crighton

It’s not often that a best-selling thriller comes with an extensive bibliography, but this one does. State of Fear is not your average thriller, not even your average Michael Crighton thriller. Crighton has such an amazing way of using the worries at the fringe of science to terrify us, and this novel does not disappoint.

In State of Fear, environmentalists who want to keep their fundraising going strong believe that they have to keep people afraid of something in order to do that. Fear leads to concern which leads to donations. So the language changes - problems become dangers, dangers become crisis and crisis become catatrophes. The donors, the media, everybody gets sucked in by the concept of global warming, which the novel suggests is not really a problem.

I’m not at all sure of the science suggested in State of Fear, but I am sure it’s a page-turner. With the exception of the opening sequences which come off a little disjointed and confusing, the novel grabs you with characters who are compelling and believable and plot twists that are thrilling. There’s even a tsunami in the novel.

I should warn you that the book polarizes people because of the environmental claims, so if you feel strongly about global warming – you may find the novel too maddening to get through. For everyone else, a great read. A thumbs up for Michael Crighton’s latest bestseller, State of Fear. On the Book Beat for KSL Newsradio 1160, I’m Amanda Dickson.

Most recent News stories

KSL.com Beyond Series

KSL Weather Forecast

KSL Weather Forecast
Play button