Novel surprise from Crichton
Author’s widow found manuscript for Dragon Teeth in his archives
A completed and unpublished NEW YORK Michael Crichton novel, recently discovered by his widow, is coming out next year.
HarperCollins Publishers says Dragon Teeth is scheduled for May 2017. It says the book is based on the rivalry between 19th-century paleontologists Edward Drinker Cope and Othniel Charles Marsh as both explored fossils in the U.S. West.
“The story unfolds through the adventures of a young fictional character named William Johnson, who is apprenticed first to one, then to the other — and not only makes discoveries of historic proportion, but transforms into an inspiring hero only Crichton could have imagined,” the publisher said. “Known for his meticulous research, Crichton uses Marsh and Copes’ heated competition during the ‘Bone Wars,’ the golden age of American fossil hunting, as the basis for a thrilling story set in the wilds of the American West.”
Sherri Crichton found the book in her late husband’s archives and thinks it was inspired by his correspondence with Professor Edwin H. Colbert, curator of vertebrate paleontology at the American Museum of Natural History.
“When I came across the Dragon Teeth manuscript in the files, I was immediately captivated,” she said. “It has Michael’s voice, his love of history, research and science all dynamically woven into an epic tale.”
Crichton, known for such blockbusters as Jurassic Park and Rising Sun, died in 2008 at age 66. The next year, HarperCollins released Pirate Latitudes, which an assistant found on his computer after his death. Crichton’s Micro, based on an unfinished book that was completed by The Hot Zone author Richard Preston, came out in 2011.
HarperCollins says Dragon Teeth will be published without additional writing or major editing.
It has Michael’s voice, his love of history, research and science all dynamically woven into an epic tale.