State of Fear is a 2004 "message" novel by Michael Crichton published by HarperCollins on December 7, 2004. Like most of his novels it is a techno-thriller, this time concerning eco-terrorists who attempt mass murder to support their views. The novel had an initial print run of 1.5 million copies and reached the #1 bestseller position at amazon.com and #2 at the New York Times Best Seller list for one week in January 2005.
Like his latest fictional work, this novel contains a real bibliography for readers interested in a follow-up of the materials he researched for the book.[1][2][3] In this novel he also included many graphs and footnotes to real references and two appendices, considered by many scientific critics to give an actual or fictional impression of scientific authority.[4][5][6][7][8] However, the consensus of many prominent climate scientists is that this use of scientific data is inaccurate and misleading.[9][10][6][7]
Overview
State of Fear (like many of Michael Crichton's recent works) is a fictional work that uses actual science and technical non-fictional material to support the storyline. The debate over global warming serves as the backdrop for the book. Crichton supplies a personal afterword and two appendices that attempt to link the fictional part of the book with real examples of his central thesis, though critics dispute the validity of some of his citations.
The central thesis of the book is that the following five points are misused for personal/professional gain by some people, while the main bad guys in the plot are environmentalists Crichton does give blame to "industry" in both the plot line and the appendices, involved in the Global Warming debate:
- The science that supports and/or does not support the theory behind Global Warming is so incomplete that no reasonable conclusions can be drawn on how to solve the "problem" (or if the "problem" even exists)
- Elites in various fields use either real or artificial crises to maintain the existing social order.
- That these same elites misuse the "science" behind Global Warming to their own ends without ensuring that such "science" is sound
- Due to sometimes very subtle conflicts of interest the scientists doing the research on Global Warming subtly change their findings to be in line with their funding sources
Michael Crichton argues for removing "politics" from "science" and uses Global Warming and the two real life historical examples in the appendixes to make this argument. The book has had the opposite effect (Crichton's attempt to get some objectivity into the public debate) in many situations in that it has created a debate as to the real agenda behind the book, how accurately Crichton uses his sources and does he give the neutral point of view on the subject that he claims was his goal in the Author's Afterword.
Even though not overtly stated the secondary message Crichton attempts to make is a, while entertaining, frontal attack on what he believes to be a lack of critical thinking skills among the citizenry of the West[11]. He uses several minor characters to make this point as well as Kenner's (aka Crichton) refusal to take any personal stand on the central thesis.
Plot summary
The novel takes place in 2004. The title refers to the notion that political, legal, intellectual and media elites deliberately induce a state of unreasonable fear in the general population to maintain the existing social order. The key issue in the book around which the terrorists create this state of fear is the existence and causes of global warming
The protagonist is an environmentalist lawyer named Peter Evans. Evans is a junior associate at a large Los Angeles law firm that represents many environmentalist clients (although they also have clients in industry). Evans is described as someone who eagerly accepts all conventional wisdom about global warming, but not unquestioningly. He's also described as something of a weak willed person who has lukewarm relationships with women. Evans' chief client is a billionaire philanthropist (George Morton) who donates large sums to environmentalist causes. Evans' main duties are managing the legal affairs surrounding Morton's contributions to an environmentalist organization, the National Environmental Resource Fund (NERF), modeled after the Sierra Club.
The main plot takes place within a "subplot", i.e. the subplot is rarely mentioned but is the driving force for most of Even's actions later on, at the beheast of Morton. Morton has promised to donate $10 million to support a class action lawsuit on behalf of the people of the fictional island nation Vanutu. The suit claims that by it's inaction to curb global warming, such as not signing or enforcing the Kyoto Protocols the American Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) has doomed Vanutu to destruction, "technically" a act of war, beacause when sea levels increase by the amount that "most" climate models the nation will be underwater. On the behest of Morton Evans pays a visit to the lawsuit's offices where he volunteers to be a pre-jury selection interviwee. The interviewer is Jennifier Haynes who presents him with various pieces of evidence that she feels the defense claims will use in an attempt to discredit the "science" behind the lawsuit.
Morton becomes suspicious of NERF and its director, Nicholas Drake, after he discovers that NERF has misused some of the funds he has given the group. Soon after, Morton is visited by two men, John Kenner and Sanjong Thapa, who appear on the surface to be researchers at MIT, but, in fact, are international law enforcement agents on the trail of an eco-terrorist group, the Environmental Liberation Front (ELF) (modelled on the Earth Liberation Front). The ELF is attempting to create "natural" disasters to convince the public of the dangers of global warming, "concidently" all these events are timed to happen during a NERF sponsored climat conference. They have no qualms about how many people are killed in these events and they ruthlessly assassinate anyone who gets in their way (their preferred methods being ones few would recognize as murder; the venom of a rare Australian Blue-ringed octopus which causes a form of paralysis most hospitals mistake for a disease and therefore never successfully treat; "lightning attractors" which cause their victims to get fried in electrical storms.) Kenner and Sanjong suspect Drake of involvement with the ELF to further his own ends (garnering more donations to NERF from the environmentally minded public).
Morton pulls his funding from NERF and has Evans rewrite the contract so that Drake can't access the money except in mediocre amounts. This earns Drake's wrath resulting in strained relations between Evans and the partners at his firm (Drake is a major client of the firm. He accuses Evans of being a spy for corporate industry). NERF holds a banquet in Morton's honor citing him as "NERF's Concerned Citzen of the Year", at the event Morton gives a very rambling speech that announces his pulling of funding. Morton subtlely makes this look due to his drinking too much on the flight from Los Angeles to San Francisco where he was accompined by two of NERF's biggest supporters (Ted Bradley, an actor and celeberty endurser of NERF, and Ann Garner, a wealthy socialite) and Evans. Soon thereafter the speech, Morton dies in a car accident under mysterious circumstances. Following Morton's last instructions, Evans teams up with Kenner and Sanjong on a globe-spanning trip to thwart various ELF disaster schemes. Also along for the ride is Morton's beautiful assistant, Sarah Jones. Evans is intimidated by Sarah because of her beauty and because she possesses a self-confidence Evans lacks. By the same token, Sarah also finds Evans attractive, but is put off by his lack of bravado.
The group travels to various locations to thwart the ELF's schemes: first, the detonation of several explosives in an Antarctic ice shelf to release an enormous iceberg, then the use of special rockets and filament wire to produce a man-made lightning storm and flood on a crowded national park. During his travels, Evans finds his convictions about global warming challenged by Kenner and Sanjong who present him with reams of data suggesting (the core of the citations in the appendixes) that global warming may not be happening at all, may be insignificant if it is, and may not be caused by human activity. Evans' convictions are further shaken as he observes the ELF trying to manufacture disasters that will kill thousands of people, discovers that Drake is directing these terrorist acts, and narrowly escapes several ELF assassination attempts. He also begins to shed his weak willed demeanor and grows more enamored of Sarah after he saves her life on several occasions. After NERF disbands the legal team that was preparing the Vanutu suit Jennifier joins the group.
In the finale of the story, the group travels to a remote island in the Solomons to stop the ELF's "piece de resistance", a tsunami that will inundate the coastline of California just as Drake is winding up an international press conference on the "catastrophe" of global warming. Along the way they battle man-eating crocodiles and cannibalistic tribesmen (Ted Bradley earlier Ann left the group based on for shadowing of this event). The rest of the group are rescued in the nick of time by Morton who resurfaces. It turns out that he faked his own death to throw Drake off the trail so that he could keep watch on the ELF's activities on the island while he waited for Kenner and his team to arrive. The group has a final confrontation with the elite ELF team, Drake decided to hire "pro's" for the tsunmi job because of the incompetence of the lower rungs of ELF's members, on the island during which Evans kills one of the terrorists who had tried to kill both him and Sarah in Antarctica. The rest of the ELF team on the island is killed by the backwash from their own tsunami which Kenner and his team sabotage just enough to prevent it from becoming a fullsize tsunami, rather just a group of large ocean swells. Drake and his cohorts are arrested. Evans and Sarah finally admit their feelings for each other. Evans quits the firm and goes to work for Morton with his new (unnamed) organization, which will practice environmental activism as a business, free from potential conflicts of interest.
Metaphorical Use of Characters
In order to allow the first time/causal reader to keep straight what different "camps" have to say about Global Warming Crichton uses the major characters as stand ins for different points of view on the issue.
- Kenner is a stand in for Crichton himself [12]
- Evans is the stand in for the reader (who Cricthon presumes accepts most of the tenants of Global Warming without any detailed study of it, but not unquestioningly)[13]
- Drake is a stand in for the environmental movement "professional" activist [14]
- Ted/Ann are stand ins for people who accept the "environmentalist" party line without question [15]
- Sara [16]/Jennifer [17] are stand ins for the academic community (intelligent enough to follow the debate but undecided until the evidence is presented) with Sara being the portion of the community likely to believe in Global Warming on less then undeniable evidence (they will accept Likely, but not proven as sufficient "proof") and Jennifer represents the part of the community that accepts undeniable evidence only
- Jennifer is also a stand in for conflicts of interest created by how the research is funded (i.e. her "official" story changes based on who is paying the bills but in private she makes her true feelings known)[18]
- Sanjong is a stand in for the local university library/reputable Internet source verification, etc. [19]
- Morton is a stand in for public opinion (Crichton presumes that public opinion will turn very nasty against the traditional enviromental groups once they discover their "subjective" PR campaign) [20]
Critics (and some first time/casual readers) mistake Kenner/Sanjong as being stand ins for "industry". Since Kenner (aka Crichton) is often as critical of "industry" as he is of the "environmental movement", his only "real" agenda is to present the "science" in a "objective" manner. The lack of having any major "industry" characters is likely purposeful by Crichton to subtly make one of his key points that Global Warming is just an other "unfounded fear" in a long chain of such ones created by the elites of society as a form of social control. Previous ones are/where the Cold War, DDT, etc. (cited else where in this article).
Author's afterword/Appendixes
Crichton spent three years studying the themes of the book, and he included a statement of his views on global climate change as an afterword. In the "Author's message", Crichton states his belief that the cause, extent, and threat of climate change is largely unknown and unknowable, a view disputed by many mainstream scientists.[9] He finishes by endorsing the management of wilderness and the continuation of research into all aspects of the Earth's environment. In Appendix I, Crichton warns both sides of the global warming debate against the politicization of science. Here he provides two examples of the disastrous combination of pseudo-science and politics, the early 20th-century idea of eugenics, whose logical extreme lead to the Holocaust, Crichton also names many famous people of the day who supported eugenics in the Western World and Lysenkoism, the idea of agricultural fertilization without fertilizers in the Soviet Union. This appendix is followed by a bibliography of 172 books and journal articles that Crichton presents "...to assist those readers who would like to review my thinking and arrive at their own conclusions." (State of Fear, pp, 583).
Criticism
Scientific
This novel received criticism from leading climate scientists,[4][6][9]science journalists[21][22] and environmental groups[23][8] for inaccuracies and misleading information. 16 of 18 top U.S. climate scientists interviewed by Knight Ridder, said the author is bending scientific data and distorting research.[9]
Peter Doran, leading author of the Nature paper,[24][25] wrote in the New York Times stating that
- "... our results have been misused as “evidence” against global warming by Michael Crichton in his novel “State of Fear”[6]
Myles Allen, Head of the Climate Dynamics Group, Department of Physics, University of Oxford, wrote in Nature in 2005:
- "Michael Crichton’s latest blockbuster, State of Fear, is also on the theme of global warming and is likely to mislead the unwary. . . Although this is a work of fiction, Crichton’s use of footnotes and appendices is clearly intended to give an impression of scientific authority."[4]
The Union of Concerned Scientists devote a section of their website to clear up some of Crichton’s misconceptions in the book[8]. Jeffrey Masters, Chief meteorologist for Weather Underground, writes: "Crichton presents an error-filled and distorted version of the Global Warming science, favoring views of the handful of contrarians that attack the consensus science of the IPCC."[26] James Hansen wrote: He (Michael Crichton) doesn’t seem to have the foggiest notion about the science that he writes about.[7]
Literary
The Novel has received mixed reviews from professional literary reviewers[27]. Most criticisms make the following points as to the reason for their "bad" reviews:
- The storyline is rather weak compared to previous Crichton works.
- The use of heavy footnoting and presentation of numerous graphs serves no plot development purpose and only exists to support his central thesis (as stated in the "Overview").
- In attempting to prove his central thesis Crichton has lost sight of the elements that have made him the definitive Techno Thriller author.
Controversies
Despite it being a work of fiction, the book has found extensive political use by global warming skeptics. For example, United States Senator Jim Inhofe, who once pronounced global warming "the greatest hoax ever perpetrated on the American people",[28][29] made State of Fear “required reading” for the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works, which he chaired from 2003-2007. In September 2005, Inhofe called Crichton to testify before this committee.[30] During Crichton's testimony Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton scolded him for views that "muddy the issues around sound science" and Senator Barbara Boxer said, "I think we have to focus on facts, not fiction." [30] In part for his reliance on Crichton's novel as a scientific source, Chris Mooney of The American Prospect called Inhofe "the U.S. Senate's leading abuser of science."[28]
The novel received the American Association of Petroleum Geologists (AAPG) 2006 Journalism Award. AAPG Communications director Larry Nation told the New York Times, "It is fiction, but it has the absolute ring of truth." The presentation of this award has been criticized as a promotion of the politics of the oil industry and for blurring the lines between fiction and journalism.[31] After some controversy within the organization, AAPG has since renamed the award the "Geosciences in the Media" Award.[32]
Dr. Daniel P. Schrag, Director of the Center for the Environment at Harvard University , called the award "a total embarrassment" that he said "reflects the politics of the oil industry and a lack of professionalism" on the association's part. As for the book, he added, "I think it is unfortunate when somebody who has the audience that Crichton has shows such profound ignorance."[31]
Al Gore is reported as having 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, in Dave Langford's opinion, is a reference to State of Fear.[33]
References
- ^ Crichton, Michael (1999), Timeline, HarperCollins, New York, ISBN 0-679-44481-5
- ^ Crichton, Michael (2002), Prey, HarperCollins, New York, ISBN 0-00-715379-1
- ^ Crichton, Michael (2006), Next, HarperCollins, New York, ISBN 0-06-087298-5
- ^ a b c Milles Alen (2005-01-20). "A novel view of global warming". Nature vol. 433. Retrieved on 2008-08-14. PDF version from ClimatePrediction.net site
- ^ Review of Michael Crichton's State of Fear : Weather Underground
- ^ a b c d Peter Doran (2006-07-27). "Cold, Hard Facts", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-14.
- ^ a b c Michael Crichton’s “Scientific Method” James Hansen
- ^ a b c "Crichton’s Thriller State of Fear". Union of Concerned Scientists (2005-06-27). Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ a b c d Borenstein, Seth (2005-02-10). "Novel on global warming gets some scientists burned up", The Seattle Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ Review of Michael Crichton's State of Fear : Weather Underground
- ^ Crichton, Michael http://www.michaelcrichton.com/speech-alienscauseglobalwarming Aliens Cause Global Warmins, Speech to Cal. Tech
- ^ http://www.technologyreview.com/Infotech/14441/?a=f MIT Tech. Review of State of Fear
- ^ http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2005/02/01/roberts-fear/
- ^ http://www.opinionjournal.com/la/?id=110006022 Wall Street Journal Review
- ^ http://www.grist.org/advice/books/2005/02/01/roberts-fear/
- ^ New York Times Review of 'State of Fear'
- ^ http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/03/overheated-rhetoric Harvard Magazine Review
- ^ http://harvardmagazine.com/2005/03/overheated-rhetoric Harvard Magazine Review
- ^ http://www.popsci.com/scitech/article/2005-04/science-friction Popular Science's Review
- ^ http://www.aapg.org/explorer/2005/02feb/crichton.cfm AAPG's Review/Award Page
- ^ Mooney, Chris (2005-01-18). "Bad Science, Bad Fiction". Committee for Skeptical Inquiry. Retrieved on 2008-08-20.
- ^ Evans, Harold (2005-10-07). "Crichton's conspiracy theory", BBC NEWS. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ "Michael Crichton's State of Fear: They Don't Call It Science Fiction for Nothing". Natural Resources Defense Council (2004-12-16). Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ Doran et al. (2002). "Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response". Nature 415 (6871): 517-520. doi:10.1038/nature710. Retrieved on 2008-08-14. in Letters to Nature 2002-01-13
- ^ Doran et al. (2002-01-13). "Antarctic climate cooling and terrestrial ecosystem response". University of Illinois at Chicago. Retrieved on 2008-08-14. PDF version: advance online publication Letters to Science
- ^ Review of Michael Crichton's State of Fear : Weather Underground
- ^ http://www.metacritic.com/books/authors/crichtonmichael/stateoffear Metacritic.com's summaryr of major American Newspaper and Magazines Reviews Ranked and Scored
- ^ a b Mooney, Chris (2005-01-11). "Warmed Over - American Prospect: Sen. James Inhofe's Science Abuse", CBS News. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
- ^ Coile, Zachary (2006-10-11). "Senator says warming by humans just a hoax", San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b Janofsky, Michael (2005-09-29). "Michael Crichton, Novelist, Becomes Senate Witness", The New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-15.
- ^ a b Dean, Cornelia (2006-02-09). "Truth? Fiction? Journalism? Award Goes to . . .", New York Times. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
- ^ President 06:2006 EXPLORER
- ^ Ansible 237, April 2007
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