Airframe

Title: Airframe

Author: Michael Crichton

Published: 1996

Pages: 448

Rating: 3/5

This book kept me quite entertained on a flight to Seattle (which was, in retrospect, not the best idea, haha). Pretty standard Crichton thriller: rapid page-turning, short chapters, lots of tension. Great entertainment reading.

However, I really didn't think it was anything special. It certainly wasn't up to par with Jurassic Park, Prey, or Rising Sun. I'd say it compared most closely to Disclosure, but it wasn't quite as good.

On the other hand, Crichton's "issue du jour" for this novel was spot-on. It really attacks the media for shooting first and asking questions later, and that is definitely something worth exploring. I think maybe one of the biggest problems that this novel had was that this entire plot line was developed entirely too late; it only started around the midpoint of the text. There was, perhaps, a lack of focus, as much of the novel detailed an airline disaster and the investigation thereof. Some of this segment seemed like filler.

Anyway, only a few Crichton books left for me, really. And shame of all shames, the guy died. Damnit.