Crichton: I'll miss him.

The Terminal Man by Michael Crichton.

I had been anxiously awaiting a new book from Crichton all year. Next left me with such a high. I loved it: sci-fi, real science, a blending of the possibilities of the present and the future, plus genetics. It was awesome. Crichton rocked. I am truly saddened by his death. Unfortunately, I'm not sad for his loss, but mostly for my own. I really loved his books (and ER, too!).

Crichton Books That I've Read: The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, Congo (I think), Sphere, Jurassic Park, The Lost World (I think), Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next.

The Terminal Man

The Terminal Man is a solid medical thriller about a man named Benson who suffers from traumatic brain injury. This injury leads to episodes of uncontrollable violence. Doctors at a leading university hospital decide to implant electrical wiring and microchips to monitor and readjust his brain waves to help prevent these attacks. The protagonist is a female neuro-pschiatrist named Dr. Ross who is quite uneasy about the surgical experiment. To make a long-story short: the patient, who is already neurotic and believes that computers are trying to take over the world, gets the surgery and goes nuts. He learns how to control the microchips in his brain. He breaks out and begins attacking people. The hospital personnel gets involved, and the police must track him down. Good plot, good excitement.

One of the most interesting parts of this story is that it was published in 1971. There's a lot of talk about new technology of the day. There's musings about the place of the computer versus the machine in society. What's so compelling is how this mindset compares to our current day views. Heck, I recently saw a clip on 60 Minutes about how chips can be implanted into the heads of the ALS patients so that they can control a mouse with their minds! And you know what I thought? That's damned awesome!

Here's a bit about a doctor who finds himself in a computer development office.

"Morris looked around the room, at the large pieces of computer equipment standing in different areas. It was an odd sensation: the first time he could recall being in a room littered with computers." (159)

My mother's house has 5 computers in it. Five computers for 4 people!

But there is another interesting point made in the book by Benson: Machines require our input, but computers are developing in such a way that they are becoming self-sufficient and independent of us. While my mother's house has 5 computers, they still work as machines - requiring input. They are still basically fulfilling the role of a tool. How often in my life do I currently come into contact with a computer or computer program that runs on its own and adapts? I don't know. Probably lots of times, but I'm completely complacent in living my life unaware.

What would happen if computers exceed us and no longer need any input from us? Will we fade away? There's an interesting Bradbury short story about this. Well, probably several. And a few from Asimov, too.

But that's a whole 'nother blog.

Grade: B (Probably a B+ or A in the 70s or 80s)