Full review (below) was originally posted on The Rachel Perspective.


OVERALL . . .
I really wanted this to be good. I really did. I read it with the intention of having a good “staycation” through a book. But it just ended up reminding me that I’m not always fond of reading literature by men. It was really just a hot mess.

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Michael Crichton – the literary marvel that brought us the world of Jurassic Park; the medically minded creator of ER, which was probably the greatest doctoral show of its time; the triple threat author-film director-physician who helped to shape science fiction, medical fiction, and thriller genres both on and off screen…

Michael Crichton the world traveler, the mountain hiker, the deep sea diver…

Michael Crichton the spiritual dabbler?

Yes, all are true about our Michael Crichton and his stories of the latter are at your fingertips in his 1988 non-fiction novel, Travels. Between 1965 and 1986, Travels documents Crichton’s exploits through medical school, his journey out of the medical field, and his adventures around the globe for a multitude of purposes in between. Including the few instances of mystic, psychic, spiritual awakening he took upon himself to experience.

But as great as this may sound, it is the opinion of this reviewer that he should have probably stuck to writing fiction, and likewise, we as readers should turn to those pieces of fiction when searching for Crichton’s best work.

imageWhen I began reading Travels, I found similarities between myself and Crichton when it came to travel and our general purpose for doing so. “I saw everything… I ate everything… I experienced everything” he said. We travel to not only see the world, but to learn more about ourselves and gain perspective of our lives. Furthermore, Crichton and I agree that “traveling” by reading books still “alters your mindset.” But it turns out, as I continued, that was where the similarities stopped – in their most simplified forms.

Crichton can be quoted saying that he had an “obsessive desire for experiences,” but what he had were not true experiences. He limited himself to “learning about himself, and only that.” This literature was not him understanding the cultures he so easily immersed himself into (you know, escapades that only the financially endowed can buy). His book was merely how he perceived these people and places, at face value, and in an incredibly superficial manner. As a male brain (note: I am not stereotyping all men for thinking this way), a great many of his observations were based on the attractiveness of locals, sexual desires, and/or the level of interest he was able to keep in a given location. And let me tell you, Michael Crichton is a man easily uninterested. He is a prime example of what other countries mean when discussing stereotypical American travelers, and he is the most annoying type of tourist, through and through.

Unfortunately his ventures into the metaphysical, of which there were more than I expected in a book about traveling, were not any better. For someone that purposefully put himself in so many situations involving the more supernatural aspects of life – actively visiting psychics, attending week-long seminars in the desert with healers, being self-described as “greedy for spiritual experiences” – I cannot believe how skeptical Crichton remained. Even more so, his reasons for entering into these things were incredibly foolish. The “might as well go along with it because I’m here” mentality, rather than partaking in these things because it was something he believed in, is not the right reason at all.

What I learned from Michael Crichton’s Travels was that Crichton had a bad habit of doing that a lot. I felt as though he wanted to have all of these excursions merely for the sake of saying he did them, with the off chance that he might learn something about himself. It did not feel like he truly assimilated himself into the world around him. It was more that, as a newly successful writer and director at the time, he wanted to use his new financial stability to go places (or sometimes using his profession as a method for travel).

I hate to be so critical considering his fictional works are quite good (I enjoyed reading techno-thriller Prey) and there is a tinge of remorse for criticizing an author who is no longer with us (Crichton died of lymphoma in 2008), but I want to remain an honest reviewer. And the honest truth is that I stalled out (a.k.a. did not read a word for two months) partway through Travels because, ironically similar to Crichton’s escapades, I became bored and uninterested in the material. I grappled through it because I have a personal rule of always finishing the books I start, and do so to always give books a chance to get better. This sadly, was not one of those instances.

But despite the four paragraphs stating the contrary, I give Travels a two-star rating. Dare I say it was because of the select few times he wasn’t entirely erroneous in what he said… or rather, someone he met or worked with amongst his travels said something genius to give his novel relevancy.

While filming The Great Train Robbery in Ireland, Sean Connery said “I’m here for the day, I can enjoy it or not.” A quote suitable for a life motto.

Or Brugh Joy, a physician-turned-psychic healer whom Crichton spent two weeks with for a conference, who states “[You] had the choice of finding something interesting about it or be annoyed by it, but… [you] should know [you] had a choice.”

Or furthermore, Linda, a meditation guru of sorts whom Michael met through one of his many friends, tells: “There is no drug you can take, no trip to another place in the world, no new person to have a relationship with. None of these things will get you where you want to go. What you are looking for isn’t out there. You must stop looking outside. You must go in.”

And believe it or not, Crichton wasn’t entirely without his own strokes of intellect – he not so poetically spoken, but spoken nonetheless. While in Pahang, Singapore (Malaysia), he says “It must be your city, the way we grow up in a city.” As someone who wishes to be less of a tourist when traveling, I found this quite profound; to submerge yourself and live within the location as though you’ve been there your entire life. Funny considering Crichton can say this but doesn’t necessarily follow through during his own ventures.

Or hiking Kilimanjaro, “Any route looks different going and coming.” So simple, but adequately describes how an experience can change you.

But it is the centuries-old words of ancient Chinese philosopher Lao-tzu, quoted by Crichton (in a most confusing postscript chapter) whose words are most profound – “Existence is beyond the power of words to define.” A statement that has enough power to discredit Travels and all that Michael Crichton sought to discover through writing this book; so much so that it begs the question “why do we do it at all”?

Despite the shoddy writing and poor structure, to some extent, Travels helped to discover that. It reminded me that through travel, seeing the world instead of solely living in it, meeting people, learning from one another, understanding one another… we can at least discover more about ourselves and what we want from our lives. What makes us tick. We may not be able to define existence on a grand scale, but on a more personal one, we can at least try. Especially through travel.

I had no idea Michael Crichton's life was so interesting!

Travels is one of my favorite books. I've read it at least three times in my life. It is Michael Crichton's autobiography detailing his life in medical school, but most of all his travels around the world. Each chapter is a new adventure and Dr. Crichton makes you feel as if you are right there with him! I definitely recommend this book to anyone that likes to travel or just wants a fun, entertaining, read.

I was excited for the travelogue, but Crichton, as it turns out, is a moron. For all his experiences, he learned so little I wanted to punch him in the head. But a few good stories in here.

This was an interesting ride. I thought I signed up for a travel memoir and ended up getting confessions of a MD and phschophysics for dummies. There were some great takeaways sprinkled throughout the book, but I was surprised with how little he analyzed the situations. It felt more like I was reading facts then a well thought out recollection of memories.

Overall, glad my cousin (thank you and don’t hate me for giving this three stars) gave me this book and I will treasure the gift forever. I just hope she doesn’t spend too much of her free time trying to bend spoons!

Michael Crichton, ubermensch (medical doctor, best-selling novelist, screenwriter and film director--all by the age of 30), wrote a book about traveling, both to places like Borneo and Tibet, as well as to inner destinations: spirituality, astral-projection, self-hypnosis, spoon-bending, channeling, etc.

Clearly, for all his remarkable intellectual gifts, Crichton was not given a spiritual barometer when he was young. So, after seeing his inadequate responses to life's difficulties, he set out to undesrstand the unseen world. This is what he found:

"I believe the experiences reported in this book are reproducible by anyone who wishes to try. I went to Africa. You can go to Africa. You may have trouble arranging the time or the money, but everybody has trouble arranging something. I believe you can travel anywhere if you want to badly enough. And I believe exactly the same thing is true of inner travel. You don't have to take my word about chakras or healing energy or auras. You can find out about them if you want to. Be as skeptical as you like. Find out for yourself."

I was astounded as well by Crichton's warts-and-all honesty. He openly discusses his romantic failings, his personal weaknesses, and his ignorance. He reveals what the rest of us mortals suspect: that even the Olympians have troubles. He also reveals how a true student of life deals with doubt: he sets out to get the information to either prove or disprove it.

So, in my opinion, if honesty is esteemed as highly as it should be, Crichton was not just a great artist, he was also a great human being and this book deserves your consideration.

Provides some interesting insight into Crichton’s interior life, with the prolific author detailing some of his experiences in travel across physical and psychic realms. I honestly thought I’d enjoy reading about his intercontinental travels more, but my favourite part of the book ended up being the final chapter, with Crichton makes a compelling, albeit somewhat flawed, case for the serious consideration of anti-science to a non-existent audience of skeptics.

I'm actually only in the "medical school" chapters, but I love them enough to rate this book highly already. I've never been a huge fan of Crichton's fiction, but I always liked his prose and I'm delighted to be reading this account of his life, philosophy, struggles, and revelations. Thanks for recommending, AL!!!

Update 6-1-13:
I loved the beginning of this book chronicling mediical school; and I very much enjoyed most of his travel journals (though I did find myself leaning toward bitterness when realizing how many exotic, expensive places he's had access to his whole life). But near the end it got very new-agey and I found it difficult to understand how an intelligent, scientific person could so easily give credence to things I myself do not believe are possible. He did express a good deal of doubt and initial resistance, so that tempered my irritation somewhat. But in the end he endorses and presents as real many things that just seem imaginary to me. Either he's just done a great job of convincing himself and thus he "sees" what he wants to see; or I'm genuinely missing out on an entire plane of existence.

Update 6-2-13:
I was premature in delivering that review, as I was a couple chapters away from the end and jumped to conclusions. Chricton actually did a great job closing up the book with a persuasive defense laid out logically and objectively of his "transformation" from an academic/scientific/traditional thinker to one who allows for and believes in at least the possibility of metaphysical and psychic phenomena. I still fall more on the skeptical side, but I loved his final speech (never delivered) addressing the CSICOP. The author redeemed himself to me by acknowledging that his views may not be shared by the majority and he has no interest in "converting" anyone to believe in psychic powers. I liked his assertion that reality is never fully known, and the idea that science is the pinnacle of reason and must always be the accepted explanation of any phenomenon is only what we've been taught to believe in the Western world. I enjoyed his review of the concept of theories and whether in science we are forming theories based upon data or are actually letting our pre-conceived notions determine which data we let ourselves see.

I was also very impressed with his assessment of the continual shift away from direct experience via the ubiquity of electronic media and its constant assault on our senses and mind. I'm in full agreement about the resulting bewilderment and the alien pace of information processing forced upon most of us in this part of the world. I continue to do all I can to stay free of such influences, and I sincerely hope to take his advice to heart and travel as much as possible in attempts to reset myself, promote lifelong self-assessments, and directly experience the world.

This was my second time reading this (it's been a little over 10 years since the last read) but I really enjoyed it again. It's a "page turner," and it confirmed something I've been noticing this year: it's super-interesting to read memoirs that are only slightly out-of-date (versus, you know, Ben Franklin's memoir). This was written about Crichton's literal travel plus his metaphysical experiences in the '70's and '80's, and it was so intriguing to notice the big and little changes that have come about since then. Even Crichton's thoughts and attitudes are interesting, and sometimes anachronistic. Anyway, if you like Crichton's book/film work you'll like this, and if you want to blast back in time to the '80's cutting-edge "New Age" lifestyle of corny mysticism and neon fanny packs here you go!

This was another life-altering book for me. While it is a travel narrative, not a fictional book as Michael Crichton usually writes, I found something in each of his travels that challenged my thinking, stimulated my imagination, or sparked a desire to follow in his footsteps. I'm not sure why but his telling of his climb to the top of Mount Kilimanjaro was amazingly enlightening for me. Perhaps it's the mental challenge that accompanied the physical challenge. Whatever it was, I immediately added that climb to my life list. As I get older I question whether or not I'll get to experience it but I'm not giving up hope. I also learned a good deal about meditation, chakras, and aura (I know, sounds odd for a travel narrative but trust me, it fits and it works) that altered my thinking about the body and Eastern philosophy regarding it. This book truly broadened my mind. Even more, it's not filled with trivial travel moments. Each chapter is a different travel and within each one the author discovers something about himself and his world. These discoveries are rewarding for the reader as well and truly elevates this travel narrative above all others. Even his account of his swim with the sharks is fascinating and goes further than what you can ever glean from watching a shark dive on TV. There was one chapter, though, that I didn't find quite as mesmerizing, but that could be due to my spiritual beliefs. Even so, you have to have the information he provides in order to see the full journey the author made. My only regret is that I loaned this book and it was never returned. I've often wanted to re-read different chapters at various times in my life but didn't have the book readily available. I'm going to go right now and add buying another copy to my "to do" list for today.

Eevryone should read this book - I now like Michael Crichton even more as an author knowing more about him as a person. What a badass.

Always enjoyed Crichton books until this one. Its not the book itself, it is what he reveals about himself. A pedophile sympathizer. Page 112/113. Morally bankrupt and spineless. Vile revelation. Imagine his own children enduring that while he does nothing.... its no different when you tolerate it out of someone else or to someone else's child. Thailand or not, unacceptable. A man who showed no concern for a child he could have helped. NO thanks. The only thing this book is good for is toilet paper.