With the 30th anniversary of Jurassic Park (film) having just passed, I’ve had Michael Crichton on my mind. I was introduced to him with Prey in middle school (undoubtedly a little early for the material) and I consider his work to be hugely influential in my love for reading today.
Bearing in mind at the end there he got a bit controversial, I still love almost every Crichton book I’ve read and have a few cherished copies of Prey and Airframe in my collection (IMO an underrated title in his backlist).
Are you a Michael Crichton fan and if so which titles do you most enjoy? Who are some other pop fiction authors you enjoy or consider guilty pleasures?
I have fond memories of Sphere from back in the day, though I haven’t touched a Crichton book in a few decades now. For a long time, my pulp guilt pleasure was Robert B Parker, but the last few times I’ve wanted pulp, I’ve gone for Elizabeth Moon’s Paksenarrion books for pulp fantasy specifically. Haven’t been so much into non-genre pulp in a bit.
I’ve not tried to get into any fantasy pulp fiction, but I have been on a big fantasy kick overall this year so I may have to check this out - thanks!
Oh, the deed of paksenarrion is a great choice if you’re looking for a good, easy-reading fantasy trilogy with a very satisfying arc. It basically reads like a very well made d&d campaign.
Whelp, as someone who is currently on a Baldur’s Gate binge, you’ve sold me - will add to my TBR!
oh yeah, you’re gonna like it then :D glad to share, it’s not high literature but it’s been one of my favourite comfort reads for many years.
I would second Deeds of Paksenarrion, especially if you like Baldur’s Gate. It captures the feel of a D&D-like world and plot very well (pseudo-medival world, dwarves/elves/orcs/etc, cults of evil gods, shining (stuck-up) paladin orders, farm girl who leaves home for adventure, so on and so forth), but Moon adds a level of depth and ethical nuance that is usually missing from such adventure/quest focused fantasy.
Elizabeth Moon in general is one of my go-to authors when I want a standard sci-fi or fantasy story that I know will be excellently executed, include interesting elements that set it apart and will not make my roll my eyes or hold my nose like a lot of older genre stuff does. She wrote a lot in both sci-fi and fantasy and was very consistent.