Airframe
by Michael Crichton
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Book Reviews of Airframe
Book Review: I'm sure this isn't his best
Summary: 3 Stars
Strangely enough this is the first Michael Crichton book I've read and it probably won't be the last - I really liked his writing style but overall I was disappointed in this story. There was way way too much technical detail - most of which in the end turned out to be pretty irrelevant - the end was pretty much of a disappointment. I kind of thought we were building up to some major conspiracy and much of the stuff that happens - eg security guards being assigned to protect the heroine and a couple of incidents where she is being followed and threatened really add up to nothing but red herrings when you think about it all afterwards. Why should a character involved in a plan to deprive her of her job, take the risk of threatening her with physical harm? It was almost like he wrote this book with the sole purpose of it being turned into a film thinking - this would make an exciting scene - rather than focusing on the plot making sense. I just began to feel irritated with the way he was keeping certain plot elements in reserve to build up to an exciting - and not very believable climax on board a plane. Would a news reporter really risk her life in such a way? I'd like to read some of his other books though, as I liked his writing style and think he's probably better at sci fi, based on what I've seen of films made from his books ...Book Review: More Than You Ever Wanted to Know About Commercial Airplanes
Summary: 3 Stars
Don't get me wrong, this book was good and exciting, but some of the bits seem like reading a technical airplane book. Fortunately I didn't mind it, Crichton has a way of making it usually very interesting. To me, it seemed there was a lack of suspense, but the book was still interesting; it was very much like reading a great magazine article about commercial airframes with a loose plot tied in to make it more interesting.An airplane has crashed, killing three people and injuring pretty much everyone else. Casey Singleton, the VP of Quality Assurance at Norton Aircraft, must help the team figure out what went wrong by the end of the week or the company will miss an airplane deal with Bejing that will save the company. Not to give anything away, I will say that there are some fairly-unpredictable plot turns at the end.
Another thing that bothers me about this book is the countless characters and acronyms in the book. It takes awhile before I started to remember who all the nonessential characters were and since airplanes are so technical-like, there is a lot of industry jargon and acronyms thrown in to the mix.
I had mixed feelings about this book. It was enjoyable to read, but I never really felt there was any real suspense. However, this book is great if you are interested in technical things, especially airplanes.
Book Review: The plot is in the title
Summary: 5 Stars
This is my first Michael Crichton novel. At first, I hated it. At the beginning, I found his style too slow moving for my taste. Nothing seems to happen. Yet, Crichton is a crafty writer. Reading AIRFRAME is like putting together a fascinating puzzle. It starts slow but builds and builds and builds to the point of supersonic speed and intrigue. He teases the reader to continue to read with mere tidbits of unrevealed clues - then he slaps the reader in the face. Everything is laid out for the reader, but I missed it. That's what makes this a great novel - the element of surprise.Crichton's characters are also vivid. In my experience, character development is the most complex and difficult task for a writer. Crichton's mastery of the English language enables the reader to feel that the characters are real rather than fiction. The pace in describing the main characters demonstrates his crafty writing skill. His style produces a rare kind of realism that pushes the reader on the edge of the chair. The vividness of being chased and falling are so genuine, one feels like one is watching a film rather than reading a book.
Lastly, and this will not spoil the plot, the story line can be found in the title. Yet, I doubt that most readers will be able to put it all together until the last chapter.
Book Review: It pains me to say this, but Airframe is just okay...
Summary: 3 Stars
I am a HUGE Michael Crichton fan, and I was absolutely thrilled when I picked up a copy of Airframe...coming off what I thought was a perfect sequel to Jurassic Park, I figured that he was on a roll. To say that Crichton does his homework on his subjects is like saying a brain surgeon must do a little schooling in order to perform operations...this is NOT in debate. I found the research to be absolutely facinating, and if I were to judge Airframe based on pure background work, it'd be a 5-Star plus novel...however I am somewhat more picky and base my reviews on the total package, and in that, I am sorely afraid that Airframe left me wanting. That isn't to say that it isn't a facinating and fun read, but compared to some of his other novels, it just fell short--for ME anyway.I would be hard pressed to cite specific details of the 'why' but based upon content, the storyline and the ultimate outcome of the novel, I just felt that it left me flat. It starts off as exciting as pretty much any of his previous novels, and the investigation following the *incident* is thoroughly entertaining--but even though I can't seem to put my finger on exactly what it is, Airframe just didn't do *it* for me. I must say however, that his next novel, 'Timeline', was a very pleasant surprise, one that I enjoyed very much.
Book Review: An eye-opening look into the world of crash investigations
Summary: 4 Stars
The incident in the book is fictitious (as is Norton Aircraft), but the possibility is not. While not as compelling as some of Crichton's other novels, Airframe is an eye-opening look into the world of the National Transportation Safety Board and aircraft manufacturers. High profile crashes like the Columbia breakup, TWA Flight 800 and United Flight 232 have made the public more aware of what can go wrong on an aircraft -- and how hard it can be to find the true cause because the wreckage does not always make the root cause of the accident clear. Airframe proves this point as investigators pore through physical evidence, video and audio records from flight voice/data recorders and passenger video cameras, and the "black box" (they are actually bright orange for visibility reasons) that records the status of major systems on an aircraft on a looping tape or on a digital recorder. The true root cause of the accident is uncovered at last -- and it's something that one would never expect to happen with the long hours pilots put into their training and with the extensive simulations and testing carried out by aircraft manufacturers -- but is something that is quite capable of bringing down a modern airliner. It's worth reading, especially to any fellow aerospace buffs out there.