"I study the ecology of thought," Hoffman said.
"And how it has led to a State of Fear."
Environmentalist lawyer Peter Evans has always been on the right side of the global warming debate—or so he thought. An unconventional professor named John Kenner starts poking holes in the largest case of his career: the Vanutu Islands litigating against fossil fuel companies for their alleged role in threatening sea level rises. Kenner's research—acquired with an Indiana-Jones-esque skill-set—are starting to make more and more sense. Soon Evans is wrapped up in the quickly unravelling legal, political, and scientific game where both the planet's future and his own are at stake.
From sub-zero Antarctica to volcanic Pacific islands, stormy Arizona deserts, and—most dangerous of all—charity balls of green movement organizations, Evans' and Kenner's search for the truth behind global warming spans the deadliest corners of the earth, including the world of politics.
From sub-zero Antarctica to volcanic Pacific islands, stormy Arizona deserts, and—most dangerous of all—charity balls of green movement organizations, Evans' and Kenner's search for the truth behind global warming spans the deadliest corners of the earth, including the world of politics.
WHY I LOVE IT
If you read just one of Michael Crichton's books in your life, please make it State of Fear. The impressive combination of a hotly-contested contemporary issue with a white-knuckled adventure yarn makes for a delicious feast. I couldn't put it down, as the multiple plot threads connect seamlessly in a dramatic climax, enriched by the characters' evolving perspectives based on scientific research and an tumbling house of cards. [JG]
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
| Michael Crichton (1942-2008) remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year. His novels include Jurassic Park, The Lost World, The Andromeda Strain, Next, and Sphere among others. Collectively his works have sold over 200 million copies worldwide, been translated into thirty-eight languages, and provided the basis for fifteen films. He was also the director of Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, and Looker. |
FAVORITE QUOTES
5. "This guy is really big on references." "As opposed to rhetoric," Kenner said, nodding. "Yes. I am."
4. "So the real question with any environmental action is, do the benefits outweigh the harm? Because there is always harm...When do you head any environmental group speak that way? Never...They go before judges arguing that regulations should be imposed with no consideration of costs at all. The requirement that regulations show a cost-benefit requirements was imposed on them by the courts after a period of wretched excess. Environmentalists screamed bloody murder about cost-benefit requirements and they're still screaming." — John Kenner
3. "You think civilization is some horrible, polluting human invention that separates us from the state of nature. But civilization doesn't separate us from nature, Ted. Civilization protects us from nature. Because what you see around you — this is nature." — John Kenner
2. "But I am a very dedicated to the environment, and I have been all my life," she said. "I read everything. I read the 'Science' section of the New York Times every Tuesday cover to cover of course The New Yorker, and The New York Review. I am extremely well informed." "Well then," Kenner said, "I look forward to our conversation."
1. ""We have a lot of work to do," Morton said. The plane descended smoothly toward Los Angeles."
4. "So the real question with any environmental action is, do the benefits outweigh the harm? Because there is always harm...When do you head any environmental group speak that way? Never...They go before judges arguing that regulations should be imposed with no consideration of costs at all. The requirement that regulations show a cost-benefit requirements was imposed on them by the courts after a period of wretched excess. Environmentalists screamed bloody murder about cost-benefit requirements and they're still screaming." — John Kenner
3. "You think civilization is some horrible, polluting human invention that separates us from the state of nature. But civilization doesn't separate us from nature, Ted. Civilization protects us from nature. Because what you see around you — this is nature." — John Kenner
2. "But I am a very dedicated to the environment, and I have been all my life," she said. "I read everything. I read the 'Science' section of the New York Times every Tuesday cover to cover of course The New Yorker, and The New York Review. I am extremely well informed." "Well then," Kenner said, "I look forward to our conversation."
1. ""We have a lot of work to do," Morton said. The plane descended smoothly toward Los Angeles."
| "We know astonishingly little about every aspect of the environment, from its past history, to its present state, to how to conserve and protect it. In every debate, all sides overstate the extent of existing knowledge and its degree of certainty...I am certain that there is too much certainty in the world." |
— Michael Crichton, State of Fear
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