In the following essay, pop-culture writer Wilson discusses Crichton's use of classic elements of espionage fiction in State of Fear.

Michael Crichton's State of Fear has been described by the publisher as an "eco-thriller," implying a new breed of suspense fiction hitherto unknown to the reading public. In truth, Crichton's novel recycles many familiar (and clichéd) conventions from Cold War spy fiction and simply places them into a modern setting, despite the fact that many of the conventions lose their original intent in the transition.

The first chapter of the novel takes place in France. It is a short vignette that ends with the viewpoint character's death. Never again does the story return to France, and the other characters introduced in this first chapter make only brief, insignificant appearances elsewhere in the book. Crichton continues this trend in the next five chapters, which take place in...