History Literature / StateOfFear

* ShownTheirWork: A misleadidng example — as with all his books, Crichton provides his references, even footnoting them, and he includes an annotated bibliography. [[BasedOnAGreatBigLie Some of the sources accused Crichton of misrepresenting their work or outright inventing falsehoods, while other sources were simply laughably unreliable.]]

* TrivialTitle: The title refers to the thesis that the U.S. government and the media are collaborating to [[YouCanPanicNow keep the public in a near-constant panic]], ensuring their continued power. This thesis was completely overshadowed (both in the novel, and in the RealLife media controversy surrounding the novel) by the secondary point that global warming in particular is just the latest hoax used to perpetuate the state of fear.

* YouCanPanicNow: The [[TitleDrop eponymous]] State Of Fear.

A GlobalWarming themed conspiracy novel by Creator/MichaelCrichton, as in "global warming is [[YouCanPanicNow a conspiracy to get power.]]" Cue the media firestorm calling it controversial, which naturally amounted to [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity free advertising]].

Administrivia/NeedsABetterDescription

A ClimateChange themed conspiracy novel by Creator/MichaelCrichton, as in "global warming is [[YouCanPanicNow a conspiracy to get power.]]" Cue the media firestorm calling it controversial, which naturally amounted to [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity free advertising]].

* ClimateChange: The subject of the book.

* ShownTheirWork: A somewhat controversial example — as with all his books, Crichton provides his references, even footnoting them, and he includes an annotated bibliography. Some of the sources accused Crichton of misrepresenting their work.

* FlameBait: The subject matter.

* {{Hatedom}}: Has quite a substantial one, because of the subject matter.

A GlobalWarming themed conspiracy novel by Creator/MichaelCrichton, as in "global warming is [[YouCanPanicNow a conspiracy to get power.]]" Cue the media firestorm calling it controversial, which naturally amounted to [[NoSuchThingAsBadPublicity free advertising]].

* GlobalWarming: The subject of the book.

* ActionGirl: Jennifer Haynes. She manages to free herself from being handcuffed to a poll by climbing the poll--backwards. Then she disables and cuts the throat of the boy soldier who was guarding her, while still handcuffed.
* AnimalAssassin: The main murder method of the bad guys is to get a team of thugs to break in, restrain the target and press a blue-ringed octopus in a plastic baggie of seawater against their armpit, apparently ''exactly because'' it's such [[ComplexityAddiction a bizarre and unlikely means of execution]]. It's not portrayed as a very effective method--most of the victims survive the experience with medical help, and no explanation of why they use this particular method is given.

* AssholeVictim: [[spoiler:Bradley]]. The fact that he's an asshole doesn't make his murder any less horrific or reprehensible, though.

* EcoTerrorist: The Earth Liberation Front, or ELF. Called the ''Environmental'' Liberation Front in the book. While the "real" ELF (which stands for Earth Liberation Front) is as far as we know merely a gang of arsonists united only by a common tactic/motive, Crichton's ELF is essentially an ecoterrorist ComicBook/GlobalFrequency--non-centralized network of fanatically dedicated and skilled operatives. It's likely that the name was chosen as a [[FunWithAcronyms joke]]; the ELF's "legitimate" cover organization is called the National Environmental Resource Fund - {{NERF}}!

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: During his speech one of the Russian scientists at the environmentalist conference starts talking about "disasters" that the ELF had planned but failed to carry out because Kenner stopped them. After a quick whisper from his handlers he corrects himself with the excuse that he was reading from a set of old notes. The oblivious media accept his explanation and edit the transcripts of the speech without comment.

* MadeOfIron: In the course of about a week Peter Evans survives falling down an ice crevasse and exposure to 40-below temperatures in Antarctica, having lightning repeatedly strike about a foot away from him, escaping from an SUV in a flooding river during a flash flood, and being bitten by a blue-ring octopus, all without any ill effects beyond a few stitches.

-->'''Kenner:''' You think civilization is some horrible, polluting human invention that separates us from the state of nature. But civilization doesn't separate us from nature, Ted. Civilization ''protects'' us from nature. Because what you see right now, all around you--''[Referring to [[spoiler:a tribe of cannibals]]]'' this ''is'' nature.

* NeverFoundTheBody: At one point, a character apparently gets drunk and drives his car off a cliff. They never find the body. Well until he inevitably comes back to save the day at any rate. [[spoiler:He really doesn't save it, aside from helping to accompany Kenner's crack team. He ''has'' been feeding the US investigators information on the ELF camp, however.]]

* ShownTheirWork: A somewhat controversial example--as with all his books, Crichton provides his references, even footnoting them, and he includes an annotated bibliography. Some of the sources accused Crichton of misrepresenting their work.
* StrawmanPolitical: Replete with them, the most obvious one being the ELF-supporting celebrity that, at one point, believes a poverty-ridden third-world city is "in touch with nature". [[spoiler:He gets eaten by cannibals, starting with getting his cheek cut off]].

** Potentially the ELF, though in an odd twist Crichton portrays them as significantly higher tech and better organized and funded than the real life version in order to justify having them as the antagonists.

* WhyDontYouJustShootHim: The ELF assassins would be much more effective if they just used bullets rather than octopus bites. They only manage to kill one person with an octopus bite, and it's because they throw him in a river while he's still paralyzed. For some reason they don't arrange similar accidents for any of their other would-be victims, and as a result they all survive.

** He's openly mocked on when one of the natives of the area snaps "You got cell phones, you got computers, you got antibiotics, medicines, hospitals. And you say the old ways are better?" [[spoiler:Said native was hired to take them to the general area of the ELF's last attack, but after hearing ''that'' he has no problem pulling a fast one on them, he leaves behind the guns they brought for the final confrontation, instead bringing a second case full of ''bullets'' as supplies for his own allies]].

-->'''Kenner"''' You think civilization is some horrible, polluting human invention that separates us from the state of nature. But civilization doesn't separate us from nature, Ted. Civilization ''protects'' us from nature. Because what you see right now, all around you--''[Referring to [[spoiler:a tribe of cannibals]]]'' this ''is'' nature.

''State of Fear'' is a novel by Creator/MichaelCrichton. In a nutshell: Environmental terrorists try to cause a series of "natural" disasters to give the US a very good reason to start spending more on anti-global warming initiatives.

!!Contains Examples of:

* ActionGirl: Jennifer Haynes. She manages to free herself from being handcuffed to a poll by climbing the poll - backwards. Then she disables and cuts the throat of the boy soldier who was guarding her, while still handcuffed.
* AnimalAssassin: The main murder method of the bad guys is to get a team of thugs to break in, restrain the target and press a blue-ringed octopus in a plastic baggie of seawater against their armpit, apparently ''exactly because'' it's such [[ComplexityAddiction a bizarre and unlikely means of execution]]. It's not portrayed as a very effective method - most of the victims survive the experience with medical help, and no explanation of why they use this particular method is given.

* AuthorFilibuster: Quite a few, many of which are {{Character Filibuster}}s by Kenner. Chrichton seems aware of this, as he has Sarah think at one point, "I can't take any more lectures from this guy right now."

* CruelAndUnusualDeath: a Chrichton standard. The ignorant blowhard actor is [[spoiler: beaten and then butchered and eaten alive by cannibals]]

** Evens doesn't check that the survival gear mentioned is actually in the snow track before driving out on the Antarctic ice, and he seems fine with his local contact removing the emergency transponder form his snow track with the weak excuse that it will let him get music on the radio.

* MadeOfIron: In the course of about a week Peter Evens survives falling down an ice crevasse and exposure to 40-below temperatures in Antarctica, having lightning repeatedly strike about a foot away from him, escaping from an SUV in a flooding river during a flash flood, and being bitten by a blue-ring octopus, all without any ill effects beyond a few stitches.
* ManBehindTheMan: Drake is the head of NERF and carries on with Henley a mostly quiet aide. While watching video of the two in an office, it's soon clear Drake is an easily manipulated front man and Henley is really the one pushing this entire plot.
-->'''Peter''': Doesn't it seem like Henley is the one in charge here?
-->'''Kenner''': He's always been in charge. Didn't you know that?

-->'''Kenner''': ''You think civilization is some horrible, polluting human invention that separates us from the state of nature. But civilization doesn't separate us from nature, Ted. Civilization '''protects''' us from nature. Because what you see right now, all around you -(referring to '''[[spoiler: a tribe of cannibals]]''')- this '''is''' nature.''

* PinballProtagonist: Protagonist Peter Evens spends the entire novel being dragged around the world and talked down to by AuthorAvatar Kenner, with nearly all of his dialogue being reactions to what other people are saying rather than anything he came up with himself.
* ShownTheirWork: A somewhat controversial example-as with all his books, Crichton provided his references, even footnoting them, and he included an annotated bibliography. Some of the sources accused Crichton of misrepresenting their work.

** Likewise, the [[spoiler:said detective also disappears after he's rescued in the nick of time,]] though his injuries will likely keep him out of commission for a while.

** He's openly mocked on that one as a native of the area snaps, "You got cell phones, you got computers, you got antibiotics, medicines, hospitals. And you say the old ways are better?" [[spoiler:Said native was hired to take them to the general area of the ELF's last attack, but after hearing ''that'' he has no problem pulling a fast one on them; he leaves behind the guns they brought for the final confrontation, instead bringing a second case full of ''bullets'' as supplies for his own allies]].

* AnimalAssassin: The main murder method of the bad guys is to get a team of thugs to break in, restrain the target and press a blue-ringed octopus in a plastic baggie of seawater against their armpit, ''apparently because it's such [[ComplexityAddiction a bizarre and unlikely means of execution]].'' It's not portrayed as a very effective method - most of the victims survive the experience with medical help, and no explanation of why they use this particular method is given.

* StrawmanPolitical: Replete with them, the most obvious one being the ELF-supporting celebrity that, at one point, believes a poverty-ridden third-world city is "in touch with nature". [[spoiler:He gets eaten by cannibals, starting with getting his cheack cut off.]]

* The two assassins working for the ELF, much bandied about in the intro and first half, after trying to befriend the main character and instead [[spoiler:paralyzing the private detective spying on him]], disappear completely from the narrative.
* Likewise, the [[spoiler:said detective also disappears after he's rescued in the nick of time,]] though his injuries will likely keep him out of commission for a while.
* Also, [[spoiler:Drake and the ELF's fate is left unresolved at the end of the novel]].

** He's openly mocked on that one as a native of the area snaps on how "you have antibiotics, you have cell phones, you have cars, but you think I'm better off here?"

* CapturedByCannibals: This happens to the group. Kenner pooh-poohs the idea that there aren't any real cannibals.

* AnimalAssassin: The main murder method of the bad guys is to get a team of thugs to break in, restrain the target and press a blue ringed octopus against their armpit, ''apparently because it's such [[ComplexityAddiction a bizarre and unlikely means of execution]].'' It's not portrayed as a very effective method - most of the victims survive the experience with medical help, and no explanation of why they use this particular method is given.

* INeverSaidItWasPoison: During his speech one of the Russian scientists at the environmentalist conference starts talking about "disasters" that the ELF had planned but failed to carry out because Kenner stopped them. After a quick whisper from his handlers he says corrects himself with the excuse that he was reading from a set of old notes. The oblivious media accept his explanation and edit the transcripts of the speech without comment.