Customer Reviews

The Terminal Man

5 star:		(39)
4 star:		(36)
3 star:		(42)
2 star:		(16)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

First written in 1971, The Terminal Man is one of Michael Crichton's very first novels. As an avid reader of Crichton's books, I found it interesting to see how his style has changed, and it certainly has.

The different time period gives the book an awkward touch. Fans of Crichton know that he includes top of the line technology in each story he creates. The Terminal Man is no different. However, times have changed. Dime-size computer chips are no longer an oddity, and it's strange to hear them referred to as so.

To those who have read Jurassic Park or The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal Man will seem slow. Indeed, it is. The reader will be well through the first half of the novel before the story picks up and the action begins. This means that the first half of the book is generally an introduction. It's not unreadable, but it's a bit difficult to stick with.

Unlike his other works, The Terminal Man has few complexities. There are no side-stories, no backgrounds on characters, and few technological explanations- usually so common to Crichton's writing. This makes the story easier to read, but at times you'll find you really could use a little more information on some of the main characters. It's like coming into a movie 15 minutes through. You get the gist of what's going on, but you know something is missing.

It is an interesting read filled with a good deal of suspense to keep the reader going for a while. But it doesn't compare to his later works. Only purchase this as an insight to the author's early career, try not to expect another Jurassic Park.

For a book written at its time, it is almost like prophecy the things it mentions about computers. It most definately makes you think (and fear) about computers and what it can do to our society.

I have a big complaint that books written about computers are often way off the mark (ie, The Net). But this one does extremely, extraordinarilly well. A fast read that is hard to put down. This book has made me a Michael Crichton fan. I'm excited to start reading his other works.

The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton is a sci-fi thriller about the effects machines have on us humans. The story focuses on a man by the name of Harry Benson, someone who needs brain surgery to correct epilectic seizures. Yet, this is no ordinary brain surgery. This is a Category 5 brain surgery, never performed on a human before. The doctors do not know much about this type of surgery and Benson volunteered to be the test subject. Doctors Morris, Ellis, Ross, and MacPherson all attempt to place 40 miniscule electrodes inside Harry Benson's brain. They literally turn his brain into a computer, which proves too much for Benson to handle... I liked this book very much becasue it mixed science, medicine, and thrilling suspense into one novel. Crichton vividly describes all the cahracters in limited time and that is what makes him a great author. He also fits in the the trademark gore he loves so much into the book. This book is scary, thrilling and makes you think. That is what I loved about it. If I had to pick one criticism for this book, I would say that it would have to be the long, drawn-out scenes in which Crichton describes his medical explanations. Even though he has a degree in medicine, Crichton doesn't describe the medical terms for people who have no idea what he is talking about. You probably have to be a doctor to really appreciate what he's saying. But the rest of the sotry makes up for it and I really was thrilled by it. It was a page-turner all the way.

A-

This is a pretty good offering from Michael Crichton. Like all of his books, it is a page-turner, I read it in one sitting once I had the chance. It is a good story, and has some thought-provoking scenes. However, it's not Crichton's best work. Why? Well, there are some scenes that explain certain complex medical procedures in detail that many people may find self-indulgent. Also, the ending was weak.

Still, this is a Crichton book for God's sake, so it is good, just not his best. Don't make this your first read of MC (or the second or third for that matter), but do read it... eventually.

I thought it took quite a while for this book to get started and I thought it was okay until the end. For me it seemed like Chricton was eager to finish this book and get on with his next novel wich was "the great train robbery". If you want to chat about this IM me at my E-mail adress.I read this in one day becase when it got good illt was hard for me to stop.

I recently picked up a used copy of this book not because it was written by Michael Crichton, but because the story sounded interesting. To be honest, I've never even read a Michael Crichton book until this one. I have been a computer network engineer and database developer for more than 12 years, and have worked for 16 years in hospitals (Pharmacy, Information Systems, etc...) So, with that background, I found this book even more interesting and appealing.

One of the reviews says that this book is "Riveting." I can't find a more precise word to describe this novel. This was a real page-turner for me. I love to read but, unfortunately, do not have a lot of time to do so. I finished this entire book in one week; I couldn't put it down. If you have an interest at all in thrillers, medicine, or computers, or combination of these, definitely pick up this book and give it a read. Granted, while the technology and medical practices in the book are dated, the book focuses on neither of these. Crichton succeeds in constructing and developing two main characters (Harry Benson and Dr. Ross) whose lives are intertwined throughout the book. Crichton is definitely a master story teller and this book, again as dated as it is (1972 or so), is a perfect example of how Crichton excels at story telling (plot, character development, setting). Crichton's writing is concise yet descriptive. In one scene, he describes the operating room in which Benson gets his surgery. In only a limited number of very concisely written paragraphs, Crichton gives the reader the whole rundown of the operating room. He paints a thorough descriptive picture, but in as few words as possible. He is definitely a master storycraftsman.

I highly recommend this book -- you won't regret it!

Don't get me wrong, I love Michael Crichton and even his worst writing is a lot more readable than the works of other mainstream authors. And Terminal Man just so happens to fit in that category.

The characters aren't terribly interesting and even poorly written at points (particularly one of the main characters, Dr. Janet Ross, behaves totally and inexplicably out of character near the end). And not much is to be found in character development (well, maybe except for the title character).

But the story is usually the main focus of Crichton's books. And although its well researched and sort of interesting, it's also horribly dated, and that bothered me a lot. Crichton's ideas about mind control and articial intelligence must have seemed like tangible goals (or threats) at that time, but nothing ever materialized out of it. In fact, the human mind is just as mysterious as ever and the quest for artificial intelligence has been much more frustrating and difficult than anyone could have imagined. And the little informational factoids about computers would make a modern reader laugh. Of course, I don't blame this on Crichton; he did the best he could do during that time period.

Like Crichton's other three 'early' books (The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, and Eaters of the Dead), The Terminal Man is written in a terse, impersonal manner; almost like a scholarly or scientic account of events that lacks in high emotion or drama. This technique fits fairly well with Andromeda Strain and Eaters of the Dead, since they were supposed to sound like scholarly accounts, and Train Robbery, because it was based on real events, but it doesn't work with Terminal Man. What could have been an amazing thriller turns out rather boring compared to his later, greater stuff.

This novel, also made into a film (in 1974), deals with the effects and morals of electronic implants being attached in the brain of a man who has a behavioral disorder. The implants are supposed to control any anti-social or violent behavior by sending an electrical impulse to the brain's "pleasure" center. But, the results are unexpected when the patient discovers that he can get the impulse on demand. There are villains in this novel not usually mentioned: the physicians who set up and performed the procedure on the main character. The neurologists and neurosurgeons clearly had not done the necessary preliminary studies before the procedure was to be attempted on a human. This is a major topic of discussion in bioethics even today.

I feel this book could have been better. I have read many other of Micheal Crichton books and he is by far my favorite writer, I just feel that this book had to much scientific stuff for the average reader to follow. Especially if its thier first time reading one of his books. Again I dont think its his best, and the characters could have been better formed. The ending needed some work also.

The Terminal Man, by Michael Crichton, was overall a good book. It gives you and inside look at hospital life. It basically takes place in the NPS (the section of the hospital where brain surgery is researched on and performed) where Dr. Morris and Dr. Ellis are preparing for the biggest operation in their careers. The operation is to be performed on a man named Benson. Some years back, he was in a car accident, and has suffered seizures and strange symptoms ever since then. The purpose of this operation is not cure his seizures but prevent them. This is possible by the implantation of electrodes in the brain. The doctors in this book show a lot of competition between eachother. The operation is raising a lot of excitement in the hospital, and all the whole staff is curious about what it is and what will happen. A woman doctor named Janet Ross, has become friends with Benson, and is trying to stop this operation. She believes that this will never work, and the results could make this man pshycotic. This whole thing is exciting to read. Yet amongst the excitement, there is a lot of "technical talk" which only brain surgeons would understand. This makes the book seem more believable, but it doesn't make it any more exciting. I would say if you are interested in any complex science, anatomy, computers, or anything having to do with something such as this, it is a good book to read. It's almost like you are there at times, in the hospital, waiting to see what will happen next. I gave the book three stars because of all the talk which I didn't understand. But again, if you are interested in that field, read it.