At Last, an Evil Worldwide Cabal of Our Own

Crichton thriller denies climate change; world fails to laugh at him

Popular author Michael Crichton's new novel State of Fear features an evil cadre of environmentalists that uses secret technology to cause catastrophic natural disasters in order to convince the public of the dangers of global warming. They are aided by gullible Hollywood types and the liberal media. A particularly nefarious group of greens sends agents driving Priuses to dispatch enemies with bites from blue-ringed octopuses. But it's not a joke. Not even a satire. It's a serious thriller, and in the bizarro world that is climate-change debate in the U.S., it's being taken seriously. Scientists whose work is cited in the book claim it cherry-picks facts and distorts conclusions; reviewers say it is didactic and plodding. It is, however, No. 2 on Amazon.com's bestseller list. We give up.