Too much talking, not enough Jack Bauer-ness....

Michael Crichton authored a book aptly titled State of Fear. If consipiracy theories wrapped up in attempted mass murders, undercover agents who are highly skilled in martial arts and weapons training, with a side of double crossing, some psuedo-scientific data and a pinch of  global warming theory is for you, read it. Sound like an episode of 24? It would be except at times you may feel as if there is not enough action. The premise of the novel is eco-terrorists who attempt mass murder to support their views. The debate of global warming serves as the backdrop for the book. In the book which is fiction with a peppering of susposed scientific data in it, if you read between the lines you can make out the beliefs of its author. A question that has been posed is to what extent is Kenner the mouthpiece of Crichton?

Though various differing veiwpoints are given in the book, the author uses different major characters as proxies for those viewpoints. It is my belief that the author uses the character of Kenner as a stand in for himself. Through Kenner he includes his views on global warming. He uses Kenner as a mouthpiece to state that the cause, extent and threat of global warming is largely unknown. The book is heavily indoctrinated with the opinon of the author. He does not buy into the theory of global warming and is out to discredit the whole theory. Though the book is a work of fiction, you are made to feel like at the end of it, you should have crossed the line drawn in the sand and joined forces with Michael Crichton against the absolute absurd idea that is global warming. I think that the author thought that if he packaged  up his idealogy neatly in some fast paced action with eco-terroism, with the fast and sexy trappings of a thriller, noone would realize that he sometimes went south on long winded rants to convince you that the threat of global warming is just a drill. 

My view on global warming does not matter in this case. I actually do somewhat share similar views with the author. I do agree that the issue of global warming is often over-hyped. I think that the issue lies within how well the author reached his intended audience. The book was a good read, very thought-provoking if not at times longwinded. However, a little more action can never hurt. Everyone loves Jack Bauer.