Scared of flying? (Airframe - Michael Crichton)

Member Name: paulhanton

Product:	Airframe - Michael Crichton
Date:	29/06/09 (154 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Good thriller.

Disadvantages: A little outdated.

Airframe.

Michael Crichton (1996).

Now you may well know that, sadly, Michael Crichton died last year, depriving us of a prolific, talented and awarded write, director and producer. This is not a review of the man, though that would be comprehensive itself. I have read much of his work and enjoyed it and absolutely loved ER the series as well.

After his death last year I decided to read anything by him that I hadn't read, and Airframe is one such book. In fact, I have only about 4 books to read left of his....I would certainly recommend 'State of Fear' as one of his finest, though let's concentrate on the book in hand.


~~The Plot~~

Crichton excels at weaving facts into his novels, sometimes with poetic licence but always with a good deal of background knowledge that he obviously spent sometime researching. This book is no different.

We start with a thrill a minute opening of an airplane lurching through the sky, pitching up and down uncontrollably, sending passengers flying through the cabin; a request for an emergency landing, an additional request for 40 ambulances to be ready and a mystery in the making.

We then see the pace change to a painstaking investigation to find out what went wrong, why people died and what can be done to avoid this in the future.

Throw in with this some corporate skulduggery, global markets, media interest and strong characters. All set against a backdrop of Norton, the manufacturer blanacing the need for honesty and remedial action, against a pending sale of many of their new planes.

What we have is a plot that seems straightforward, but inevitably, in Crichton style, takes some twists and turns, making a few red herring detours along the way.


~~The Characters~~

We have only a few central characters and this is fine as the plot uses the characters, not the other way round. We have:
Casey Singleton. She is a quality assurance head of Norton, the aircraft company, and is pretty much in charge of the investigation. Single minded, knowledgeable and honest.
Bob Richman. Casey Singleton's appointed (by the head of the aircraft company) assistant on this investigation, may not be all he seems at first.
John Marder. Chief Operating Officer of the company, we don't get much of him, but he is an ominous presence lurking in the background.
Jennifer Malone. Segment Producer for Newsline, a TV programme that tries to sensationalise the story involving the incident; she is young ambitious and ruthless.


~~~What's Good~~~

The pace of the story is excellent, it changes with events and builds very nicely, with the unexpected conclusion coming almost at the very end, so you don't 'get it' halfway through.
The facts woven into the story make it very 'real' and you get to learn a bit about various topics such as aerodynamics along the way, cool.
It is not too long; some Crichton books are epic in length, this has 420 odd (small) pages.
The plot is strong, there is a nice balance between fact and fiction, and a nice balance between characters and story line, with subplots kept to a minimum.


~~~Not so good~~~

At times it is a little to meticulous and slow, but it seems intended.
A 1996 novel it seems just a little out of date, 13 years in avionics is a lifetime, this will not stand up as a novel in another 13 years I reckon.


~~~Overall~~~

Crichton has/had a writing style that I like. It is too the point and gives detail where needed but is not 'flowery' in that you get every little thing explained, he credits his readers with some intelligence, imagination and understanding. I like his style, I also like the fact that whilst he seems to have characters in most of his books that 'solve' the mysteries or who are integral to the plot, it is the plot that takes centre stage...think of Jurassic park...we all know the story...name the characters? This book is no different to that.

Not his best book to be fair, does not stand up to 'State of Fear' for instance, but a decent enough thriller/conspiracy novel that is easily readable in 3 days. A good holiday novel (unless you are flying, lol) that you will be happy to have read.

Summary: Airframe.