The Terminal Man: A Novel [Abridged, Audiobook] [Audio Cassette]

Michael Crichton (Author), David Dukes (Reader)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 8, 1996

Harry Benson suffers from violent seizures -- so violent that he requires a police guard when entering a Los Angeles hospital for treatment.

Dr. Roger MacPherson, head of the prestigious Neuropsychiatric Research Unit, is convinced he can cure Benson through a procedure known as a stage three. During this highly specialized surgery, electrodes, placed deep in Benson's brain, Send monitored soothing pulses to its pleasure canyons.

The operation is a success -- until Benson discovers how to get the pulses with increasing frequency. Then he escapes from the hospital and lapses into murderous rampages, becoming a homicidal maniac with a deadly agenda....

The Lost World, Jurassic Park, Congo, Disclosure, Rising Sun, and The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton, are available on cassette from Random House AudioBooks (The Lost World is also available on compact disc). Sphere and The Andromeda Strain are available as Random House Price-Less Audios.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Harry has a problem. Ever since getting in a car accident, he's suffered from "thought seizures," violent fits in which he attacks other people. He used to be an artificial intelligence researcher, which may explain why he targets anyone who either works on machines or who acts like a machine--mechanics, gas-station attendants, prostitutes, exotic dancers. But there's hope: he can become part machine himself, undergoing "Stage 3," an experimental procedure implanting 40 electrodes deep in the pleasure centers of his brain. The surgery is successful, and blissful pulses of electricity short-circuit Harry's seizures. That is, until Harry figures out how to overload himself with the satisfying jolts and escapes on a murderous rampage. One of Crichton's earliest, playing ably on '70s fears of computers and mind control. --Paul Hughes --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From the Inside Flap

Harry Benson suffers from violent seizures -- so violent that he requires a police guard when entering a Los Angeles hospital for treatment.

Dr. Roger MacPherson, head of the prestigious Neuropsychiatric Research Unit, is convinced he can cure Benson through a procedure known as a stage three. During this highly specialized surgery, electrodes, placed deep in Benson's brain, Send monitored soothing pulses to its pleasure canyons.

The operation is a success -- until Benson discovers how to get the pulses with increasing frequency. Then he escapes from the hospital and lapses into murderous rampages, becoming a homicidal maniac with a deadly agenda....

The Lost World, Jurassic Park, Congo, Disclosure, Rising Sun, and The Great Train Robbery, by Michael Crichton, are available on cassette from Random House AudioBooks (The Lost World is also available on compact disc). Sphere and The Andromeda Strain are available as Random House Price-Less Audios.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Audio Cassette
• Publisher: Random House Audio; abridged edition edition (October 8, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0679448969
• ISBN-13: 978-0679448969
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 4.4 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 0.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (140 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,390,285 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #22 in Books > Books on Cassette > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Crichton, Michael

More About the Author

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942. His novels include Next, State of Fear, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park, and The Andromeda Strain. He was also the creator of the television series ER. One of the most popular writers in the world, his books have been made into thirteen films, and translated in thirty-six languages. He died in 2008.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars The age is noticable, January 29, 2001

By 

Kevin Hasser - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Terminal Man (Paperback)

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.

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent Sci Fi, June 24, 2003

By 

James Duckett (St. George, Utah) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Terminal Man (Mass Market Paperback)

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.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Tom Wesley's Review, January 14, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: The Terminal Man: A Novel (Audio Cassette)

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-