From the Bookshelf This is a fortnightly review of bestsellers for business executives Who do you believe? By Nicole Wong A new fiction bestseller suggests the facts about global warming have been deliberately obscured In the information age, we tend to get immersed by a deluge of facts and figures and can often get diverted from questions which are central for all of us: how much of the whole picture are we seeing and can we separate truth from fiction? Michael Crichton certainly has something to say about this in his latest techno-thriller, State of Fear, which again combines science and technology with page-turning suspense. Taking the widespread concern about global warming as its underlying theme, the novel explores how information can be and is manipulated in contemporary society. From the streets of Paris to the glaciers of Antarctica, readers are taken on a nerve-jangling rollercoaster ride. Environmental groups, whose research is funded by individuals as well as universities and governments, are fuelling fears about the effects of climate change around the world. A radical element has gone so far as to concoct high-tech schemes to engineer flash floods, storms and other catastrophes they can then ascribe to global warming. Dr Keener, an agent of the US government's National Security Intelligence Agency, finds out about these activities and sets out to prevent them. The battle between the two sides spans the globe and, more pertinently, also questions the validity of global warming as an environmental issue. Throughout the book, Crichton makes use of numerous charts, graphs and footnotes to debunk many of the myths he believes have grown up around the subject. Dialogue and explanatory passages are used as mini-lectures on the topic and we learn, for example, that only 2 percent of the ice in Antarctica is melting, while the rest of the continent is getting colder, information which is contrary to popular belief. Divergent views Despite being a work of fiction, State of Fear sheds light on the creation of this kind of conventional wisdom by the mass media. Most readers will be left wondering if global warming is really a non-issue dreamt up by certain environmental groups that are, in fact, part of an industry whose main interest is making money. As the divergent views of the leading characters are introduced and expounded, they raise the question of how much of the public's presumed knowledge is based on deliberate misinformation. For example, how many of us have actually checked into the scientific research on which a high-profile news story is based or taken the trouble to verify the reported facts. For all his criticism of the media, Crichton pinpoints "the state of fear" as the real mechanism that governs mass behaviour. As the story unfolds, we discover that "social control is best managed through fear". For instance, we may be buying certain food at the supermarket because of a fear planted in us about the chemicals and additives said to be in an alternative product. Trivial as this might seem, readers might well reflect on their own choices when out shopping and consider exactly why they make them. Is the information grounded in scientific fact or simply propaganda organised by influential corporations, or even by our own governments? Detailed research With its intriguing plotlines, State of Fear is an entertaining read, which also questions many of our assumptions about the world at large. While Crichton supports his basic theory – that the issue of global warming has become more political than scientific – with extraordinary research, readers should bear in mind that this is a novel and is presenting one possible perspective on global warming with selected information. As the author admits in his message to readers: "Everybody has an agenda" (State of Fear, p.573). Despite our almost unlimited access to information, it seems that the truth is harder to find than ever. Content highlights: The issue of global warming is more political propaganda than a genuine environmental crisis threatening potential disaster. The mass media create conventional wisdom that shadows scientific facts. Mass behaviour can be influenced by the mechanism of fear, which is often controlled by influential corporations or governments. About the authors Acclaimed as the "father of the techno-thriller", Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942. A graduate of Harvard Medical School, he went on to become the author of international bestsellers such as The Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man and Congo. Two of his most popular works, Jurassic Park and The Lost World, inspired the Steven Spielberg films of the same names and reignited the world's fascination with dinosaurs in the 1990s. He is also the creator of the Emmy-winning television series ER. With a first print run of 1.5 million copies in December 2004, State of Fear has been praised by readers and critics such as Publishers Weekly as "one of the most memorable books of the year" and is well on its way to becoming a No. 1 bestseller. Taken from Career Times 4 February 2005 Your comments are welcome at [email protected]