Fiction writer and famous global warming skeptic Michael Crichton has used his new novel "Next" to extract revenge against a magazine columnist who had written a column critical of Crichton's activities as a global warming denier. The New York Times has the story (reg. req.) .
{note: I am not Congressman Kennedy. This diary is crossposted at my blog BlueClimate
"Next," Michael Crichton's new novel about the perils of biotechnology, has not proved as
polarizing as his previous thriller, "State of Fear," which dismisses global warming. But one of the new book’s minor characters — Mick Crowley, a Washington political columnist who rapes a baby — may be a literary dagger aimed at Michael Crowley, a Washington political reporter who wrote an unflattering article about Mr. Crichton this year.
The fictional character in the book, Mick Crowley, is a Washington, DC political columnist and Yale graduate. So is Michael Crowley, The New Republic political columnist and Yale graduate who wrote the unflattering article about Crichton which appeared in the March 2006 edition of The New Republic. I wonder if Crichton's publisher, HarperCollins, was aware of what Crichton was up to? So far, Crichton and his publisher haven't commented on Michael Crowley's charge.
Mr. Crichton could not be reached yesterday for comment, and a publicist at his publisher, HarperCollins, did not return calls.
For pulling a stunt like this, Crichton richly deserves all of the bad publicity he is going to get. I don't know what it will do to his book sales. I had already decided not to buy his new novel because I felt cheated by his previous one, "State of Fear", which he used as a vehicle to attack global warming and those who are trying to do something about it. The novel ruined what little story there was by constantly interrupting the storyline with tedious and misleading lectures on the Crichton view of global warming science. For his efforts in service of global warming denialism, Crichton received invitations to testify before Congress by fellow global warming denier Senator James Inhofe as well to meet with President George W. Bush to exchange views about global warming. After this latest outrage, I expect the invitations will dry up. By the way, has President Bush ever met with a real climate scientist?