Michael Crichton, página 3 de 12

An irresistible tale of swashbuckling pirates in the New World from master storyteller Michael Crichton -- now in paperback Jamaica, in 1665 a lone outpost of British power amid Spanish waters in the sunbaked Caribbean. Its capital, Port Royal, a cuthroat town of taverns, grog shops and bawdy houses -- the last place imaginable from which to launch an unthinkable attack on a nearby Spanish stronghold. Yet that is exactly what renowned privateer Captain Charles Hunter plans to do, with the connivance of Charles II's ruling governor, Sir James Almont. The target is Matanceros, guarded by the bloodthirsty Cazalla, and considered impregnable with its gun emplacements and sheer cliffs. Hunter's crew of buccaneers must battle not only the Spanish fleet but other deadly perils -- raging hurricanes, cannibal tribes, even sea monsters. But if his ragtag crew succeeds, they will make not only history ! but a fortune in gold.

Una novela explosiva sobre el imperialismo económico japonés. En la mejor tradición de los buenos thrillers, la historia arranca con el hallazgo de un cadáver, en esta ocasión el de una call-girl en el piso 45 de la torre Nakamoto, un rascacielos de Los Angeles que alberga el cuartel general desde donde el coloso oriental lanza su invasion economica sobre Estados Unidos... Sol naciente es una de las novelas mas trepidantes de Michael Crichton, celebre autor de Parque Jurasico, y su adaptacion cinematografica, protagonizada por Sean Connery, constituyo todo un acontecimiento

Un N-22 de Transpacific Airlines, un moderno avión fabricado por la empresa aeronáutica Norton, sufre un extraño accidente en pleno vuelo que cuesta la vida a tres personas y heridas graves a otras cincuenta y seis. No obstante, el aparato logra tomar tierra en Los Angeles, y a partir de ahi se inicia una precipitada investigacion para esclarecer las causas del misterioso suceso. ¿Por que ha ocurrido? ¿Es un fallo mecanico o humano? ¿Quien es, en todo caso, el responsable? Hay en juego muchos intereses: esta pendiente la firma entre la Norton y China de un contrato por la compra de cincuenta N-22; los empleados de la empresa ven peligrar sus puestos si la investigacion revela un defecto de fabricacion; y la prensa no dua en tergiversar los hechos si asi consigue mas ventas. Incluso el piloto, el mas avezado de Transpacific, parece ocultar algo.

This one was something of a guilty pleasure. Michael Crichtons books arent particularly interesting stylistically, but for a plot-only romp with a half-baked scientific understanding, they are unmatched. This was not one of his better books, though it was much more enjoyable than Disclosure, whose entire plot I had predicted by the time I was 1/3 of the way through it.

It is six years since the disaster at Jurassic Park and the park is now closed, the island deserted and the dinosaurs destroyed. However, there are rumours that something has survived on another island. Could the nightmare be beginning again? "Penguin Readers" is a series of simplified novels, film novelizations and original titles that introduce students at all levels to the pleasures of reading in English. Originally designed for teaching English as a foreign language, the series' combination of high interest level and low reading age makes it suitable for both English-speaking teenagers with limited reading skills and students of English as a second language. Many titles in the series also provide access to the pre-20th century literature strands of the National Curriculum English Orders. "Penguin Readers" are graded at seven levels of difficulty, from "Easystarts" with a 200-word vocabulary, to Level 6 (Advanced) with a 3000-word vocabulary. In addition, titles fall into one of three sub-categories: "Contemporary", "Classics" or "Originals". At the end of each book there is a section of enjoyable exercises focusing on vocabulary building, comprehension, discussion and writing. Some titles in the series are available with an accompanying audio cassette, or in a book and cassette pack. Additionally, selected titles have free accompanying "Penguin Readers Factsheets" which provide stimulating exercise material for students, as well as suggestions for teachers on how to exploit the Readers in class.