Airframe
Michael Crichton, 1996
Ballantine Books
448 pp.
ISBN-13: 9780345526779
Summary
Three passengers are dead. Fifty-six are injured. The interior cabin virtually destroyed. But the pilot manages to land the plane. . . .
At a moment when the issue of safety and death in the skies is paramount in the public mind, a lethal midair disaster aboard a commercial twin-jet airliner bound from Hong Kong to Denver triggers a pressured and frantic investigation.
Airframe is nonstop listening: the extraordinary mixture of super suspense and authentic information on a subject of compelling interest that has been a Crichton landmark since The Andromeda Strain. (From the publisher.)
Author Bio
• Birth—October 23, 1942
• Raised—Roslyn (Long Island), New York, USA
• Death—November 4, 2008
• Where—Los Angeles, California
• Education—A.B., M.D., Harvard University
• Awards—Edgar Award for Best Novel (1969)
John Michael Crichton—the American best-selling author, producer, director, and screenwriter—is best known for his work in the science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres. His books have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, and many have been adapted into films. In 1994, Crichton became the only creative artist ever to have works simultaneously charting at #1 in television, film, and book sales (with ER, Jurassic Park, and Disclosure, respectively).
Crichton's literary works are usually based on the action genre and heavily feature technology. His novels epitomize the techno-thriller genre of literature, often exploring technology and failures of human interaction with it, especially resulting in catastrophes with biotechnology. Many of his future history novels have medical or scientific underpinnings, reflecting his medical training and science background. He was the author of, among others, Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Congo, Travels, Sphere, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, Next (the final book published before his death), Pirate Latitudes (published November 24, 2009), and a final unfinished techno-thriller, Micro, which was published in November 2011
Background
John Michael Crichton was born in Chicago, Illinois, but raised on Long Island, in Roslyn, New York. He showed a keen interest in writing from a young age and at the age of 14 had a column related to travel published in The New York Times. Crichton had always planned on becoming a writer and began his studies at Harvard College in 1960. During his undergraduate study in literature, he conducted an experiment to expose a professor whom he believed to be giving him abnormally low marks and criticizing his literary style. Informing another professor of his suspicions, Crichton plagiarized a work by George Orwell and submitted it as his own. The paper was returned by his unwitting professor with a mark of B-minus.
His issues with the English department led Crichton to switch his concentration to biological anthropology as an undergraduate, obtaining his A.B. summa cum laude in 1964. He was also initiated into the Phi Beta Kappa Society. He went on to become the Henry Russell Shaw Traveling Fellow from 1964 to 1965 and Visiting Lecturer in Anthropology at the University of Cambridge in the UK in 1965.
Crichton later enrolled at Harvard Medical School, when he began publishing work. By this time he had become exceptionally tall. By his own account, he was approximately 6 feet 9 inches (2.06 m) tall in 1997. In reference to his height, while in medical school, he began writing novels under the pen names "John Lange" and "Jeffrey Hudson" ("Lange" is a surname in Germany, meaning "long", and Sir Jeffrey Hudson was a famous 17th-century dwarf in the court of Queen Consort Henrietta Maria of England). In Travels, he recalls overhearing doctors who were unaware that he was the author of The Andromeda Strain, discussing the flaws in his book. A Case of Need, written under the Hudson pseudonym, won him his first Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1969. He also co-authored Dealing with his younger brother Douglas under the shared pen name "Michael Douglas." The back cover of that book carried a picture, taken by their mother, of Michael and Douglas when very young.
During his clinical rotations at the Boston City Hospital, Crichton grew disenchanted with the culture there, which appeared to emphasize the interests and reputations of doctors over the interests of patients. Crichton graduated from Harvard, obtaining an M.D. in 1969, and undertook a post-doctoral fellowship study at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, California, from 1969 to 1970. He never obtained a license to practice medicine, devoting himself to his writing career instead.
Reflecting on his career in medicine years later, Crichton concluded that patients too often shunned responsibility for their own health, relying on doctors as miracle workers rather than advisors. He experimented with astral projection, aura viewing, and clairvoyance, coming to believe that these included real phenomena that scientists had too eagerly dismissed as paranormal.
In 1988, Crichton was a visiting writer at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
Personal life
Crichton was a diest.
As an adolescent Crichton felt isolated because of his height (at 6'9"). As an adult he was acutely aware of his intellect, which often left him feeling alienated from the people around him. During the 1970s and 1980s he consulted psychics and enlightenment gurus to make him feel more socially acceptable and to improve his karma. As a result of these experiences, Crichton practiced meditation throughout much of his life.
Crichton was a workaholic. When drafting a novel, which would typically take him six or seven weeks, he withdrew completely to follow what he called "a structured approach" of ritualistic self-denial. As he neared writing the end of each book, he would rise increasingly early each day, meaning that he would sleep for less than four hours by going to bed at 10 pm and waking at 2 am. In 1992, Crichton was ranked among People magazine's 50 most beautiful people.
He married five times; four of the marriages ended in divorce. He was married to Suzanna Childs, Joan Radam (1965–1970), Kathleen St. Johns (1978–1980), and actress Anne-Marie Martin (1987–2003), the mother of his daughter Taylor Anne (born 1989). At the time of his death, Crichton was married to Sherri Alexander, who was six months pregnant with their son. John Michael Todd Crichton was born on February 12, 2009.
Death
In accordance with the private way in which Crichton lived his life, his throat cancer was not made public until his death. According to Crichton's brother Douglas, Crichton was diagnosed with lymphoma in early 2008. He was undergoing chemotherapy treatment at the time of his death, and Crichton's physicians and family members had been expecting him to make a recovery. He unexpectedly died of the disease on November 4, 2008 at the age of 66.
Michael's talent outscaled even his own dinosaurs of Jurassic Park. He was the greatest at blending science with big theatrical concepts, which is what gave credibility to dinosaurs again walking the earth. In the early days, Michael had just sold The Andromeda Strain to Robert Wise at Universal and I had recently signed on as a contract TV director there. My first assignment was to show Michael Crichton around the Universal lot. We became friends and professionally. Jurassic Park, ER, and Twister followed. Michael was a gentle soul who reserved his flamboyant side for his novels. There is no one in the wings that will ever take his place. —Steven Spielberg at Michael Crichton's death.
Crichton had an impressive collection of 20th century American art, which was auctioned by Christie's in May 2010. (From Wikipedia.)
Book Reviews
Dramatically vivid.
New York Times
A one-sitting read that will cause a lifetime of white-nuckled nightmares.
Philadelphia Inquirer
The pacing is fast, the suspense nonstop.
People
[S]light, enjoyable thriller.... [The] suspense rises, peaking high above the earth in an exciting re-creation of the flight. It's possible that Crichton has invented a new subgenre here—the industrial thriller.... [B]estselling, cinema-ready entertainment.
Publishers Weekly
Crichton's talent lies in making arcane sciences fascinating to even the most spirited Luddite, and fans won't be disappointed by his descriptions of the technology employed in the making of passenger planes and, in particular, the precision with which the aircraft's wings are designed. —Mark Annichiarico
Library Journal
[b]illed as a "technical thriller" but the technology seems to outweigh the thrills.... Crichton incorporates enough suspense to keep readers going but a degree in engineering would be helpful in understanding this novel. —Katherine Fitch, Lake Braddock Middle School, Burke, VA
School Library Journal
Loading it with interesting detail on airliner construction, aerodynamics, the international trade in commercial aircraft, and air safety, Crichton produces a taut, absorbing suspenser. —Ray Olson
Booklist
Discussion Questions
Our thanks to Rena DeBerry of Salem, Virginia, for submitting these terrific discussion questions to LitLovers.
1. Did the book description meet your expectations?
2. Pages 286-291 - The book reveals that television media is not liablefor sharing only parts of truth or responsible for providing fairnessdoctrine when covering new story. In addition, there is no recourse for erroneous view and can only proceed reckless disregard which is very difficult to approve. What is your opinion of the practice?
3. Why is a personal video with a child in it from the airplane to be made a public not a privacy issue? What about the passenger’s rights? Was it violated with the video?
4. Some version of the excuse "you don’t understand" is used by Casey throughout the book. Do you agree or think it is an opt out for responsibility?
5. Let’s discuss Union. Throughout the book there is Union unrest and "accidents". Are they believable? Are they justified? How does this translate to modern times? In real life, do you think the Union Representative would have really warned Casey? Why do you think Don warned Casey?
6. Knowing you were on the Union’s "hitlist" would you have been as reckless as Casey in her search for the truth?
7. Throughout the book "company gossip" was the main form of communication. How have you been affected by company gossip, both true and untrue?
8. Would you have gone on the test flight?
9. Pages 412-417 -Were the "finding of 545" believable? Do you really believe that a major airline (foreign or domestic) would be so irresponsible in letting a noncertified pilot (familial or not) fly the plane?
10. Page 416-417 - Let’s discuss naivety as Casey described. Does it apply to just the pilot and Jennifer or also other characters?
Casey shrugged, "He loves his son. We believe he’s allowed him to fly on other occasions. But there’s a reason why commercial pilots are required to train extensively on specific equipment, to be certified. He didn’t know what he was doing, and he got caught."
Casey closed the door, and thought: And so did you.
11. Did you know Richman and Marder were the saboteurs of Casey’s investigation? If so, what tipped you off?
12.Greed is an underlying them throughout the book. Hal for the China sale. Marder for the Korea sale. How did greed influence the aircraft report? The Union? Media appearance? Was it justified? Was it believable?
13.With all the issues Norton faced, would the deal with China actually have gone through?
14.Because of Marder’s deception, what do you think the downfall of the Korea sale would have been for Norton? Marder?
15.Were you satisfied with the neat tied up endings for everyone? Casey? Norton? Marder? Richman? Malone?
16.On a scale of 1 to 5, how would you rate Airframe? Would you recommend Airframe? Why or why not?
(Questions courtesy of Rena DeBerry. Please feel free to use them, online of off, with attribution to both LitLovers and Rena. Thanks.)