Which of Michael Crichton's novels is YOUR personal favorite?

I read on Writer’s Almanac earlier today that today – Oct. 23, 2012 – would have been best-selling author Michael Crichton’s 70th birthday. Born on this day in Chicago in 1942, he died on Nov. 4, 2008 of complications from throat cancer.

Crichton was a remarkable man. The son of a magazine editor, he was raised on Long Island and went on to graduate summa cum laude from Harvard. After teaching anthropology at Oxford in England, he went on to graduate from Harvard Medical School. Best known for his thrillers, his books have sold 200 million copies worldwide. His books fell into a wide variety of categories, including action, adventure, science fiction and techno-thriller.

As you might have imagined, Crichton won a number of awards during his career. He received an Edgar Award for Best Novel in 1969 for “A Case of Need” from the Mystery Writers of America. In 1980, the movie “The Great Train Robbery” received an Edgar Award for Best Motion Picture. The 6-foot-9 Crichton was also named to People magazine’s list of “50 Most Beautiful People” in 1992.

By my count, Crichton wrote four non-fiction books and 27 novels, including two that were published after his death. What follows is a complete list of his books in alphabetical order by title:

- Airframe (1996)

- The Andromeda Strain (1969)

- Binary (1972)

- A Case of Need (1968)

- Congo (1980)

- Dealing (1970)

- Disclosure (1994)

- Drug of Choice (1970)

- Easy Go (1968)

- Eaters of the Dead (1976)

- Electronic Life (1983)

- Five Patients (1970)

- Grave Descend (1970)

- The Great Train Robbery (1975)

- Jasper Johns (1977)

- Jurassic Park (1990)

- The Lost World (1995)

- Micro (2011)

- Next (2006)

- Odds On (1966)

- Pirate Latitudes (2009)

- Prey (2002)

- Rising Sun (1992)

- Scratch One (1967)

- Sphere (1987)

- State of Fear (2004)

- The Terminal Man (1972)

- Timeline (1999)

- Travels (1988)

- The Venom Business (1969)

- Zero Cool (1969)

Thirteen of his books have been turned into movies. Those movies (and their year of their release) include the following films:

- The Andromeda Strain (1971)

- Dealing (1972)

- The Carey Treatment (A Case of Need, 1972)

- The Terminal Man (1974)

- The First Great Train Robbery (1979)

- Jurassic Park (1993)

- Rising Sun (1993)

- Disclosure (1994)

- Congo (1995)

- The Lost World: Jurassic Park (1997)

- Sphere (1998)

- The 13th Warrior (Eaters of the Dead, 1999)

- Timeline (2003)

I’ve only read two of Crichton’s novels – “Congo” and “Eaters of the Dead,” but I’ve got “Read all of Michael Crichton’s novels” on my bucket list. I’m going to have to get busy if I plan to pull that off. I’d have to say that “The 13th Warrior” is probably my favorite Michael Crichton movie.

In the end, which of Crichton’s books is your all-time favorite? Which of the movies based on his books is your all-time favorite? Why? Let us know in the comments section below.

(For more information about Michael Crichton, visit his official Web site at www.crichton-official.com.)