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State of Fear

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State of Fear is a 2004 novel by Michael Crichton published by HarperCollins on December 7, 2004. Like most of his novels it is a techno-thriller, this time concerning a small band of eco-terrorists who threaten the Earth. Unusually for a novel, the book contains many graphs and footnotes relating to climate change as well as two appendices and a twenty page bibliography, lending an air of scientific credibility. Critics, however, point out errors in the supposed factual basis of the book, for instance Crichton's estimate of the number of deaths from malaria resulting from the ban on use of DDT against malaria-carrying mosquitoes, which is erroneous since there is no ban on use of DDT against malaria-carrying mosquitoes.[http://www.malaria.org/DDTpage­.html.

The protagonist is an environmentalist lawyer, Peter Evans. Throughout the novel, Evans environmentalist views are frequently challenged by other characters.

Chrighton also chooses to include a statement of his own views on global climate change at the end of the book. Chrighton believes that the world is heating up, but that the causes, consequences and benefits or harms of this change are unknown. He also argues passionately against the politicisation of science, for the preservation of wilderness and for the continuation of research into all aspects of the Earth's environment.

The novel received strong criticism from parts of the scientific community for alleged factual inaccuracies[1]. It recieved support from climate change skeptics.

The novel had an initial print run of 1.5 million copies and reached the #1 bestseller position at amazon.com.

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