Michael Crichton died last Tuesday. He was 66. He was not only an author but also a director and producer. He was a SF writer in the sense that he based his novels on extrapolations of current science, i.e. The Andromeda Strain and Jurrasic Park as well as the underrated Terminal Man. He was an MD and his Five Patients is a non-fiction account of cases at Mass General where he trained after graduating from Harvard. It is probably his best book although I love The Great Train Robbery in both its book and movie forms. If you have not seen it, rent it!