Until now, Michael Crichton's many readers have had nowhere to turn for more information on one of America's most popular novelists. This companion features clear analyses of Crichton's life and literary influences, as well as chapters on each of his 13 novels to date. It will help Crichton's readers to learn more about how significant events in his life affected the development of his fiction and literary style and how the heritage of popular fiction, including mystery, gothic, adventure, and science fiction, influenced his writing. This study provides close textual analysis of each of his novels in turn, focusing on plot, character development, theme, and critical interpretation.This study analyzes Crichton's novels from ^IThe Andromeda Strain^R (1969) to ^IDisclosure^R (1994). It features a clear, user-friendly organization, with two general chapters on Crichton's life and literary heritage, and one chapter on each of his novels. For ease of use by the reader, each chapter is subdivided into sections on general critical analysis, plot, theme, character development, and alternative perspectives on the novel that offer additional insight. The author shows how each of Crichton's novels incorporates a theme or debate from current culture and how his visions of genetically engineered dinosaurs, killer viruses from outer space, and deadly relations in international business have become part of American culture. This study will help the reader to understand the important issues raised by Crichton's fiction and to apply critical insight to an examination of those issues. No secondary school, public library, or college library should be without this first serious examination of the works of Michael Crichton.