Rating: 
Summary: Not one of Crichton's best
Review: I'm a big fan of Crichton's works, and I had high expectations for this book. I'm sorry to say that I was somewhat disappointed. I read "Terminal Man" while on a 3-month excavation in the middle of the Egyptian desert, but it didn't hold my interest very much. Don't get me wrong, it's well-written, but certainly not as engaging as "Congo," or "Andromeda Strain." I would recommend reading it if you've read all or almost all of Crichton's other books, just for the experience. But I wouldn't recommend picking this one as the first or second of his books to read.
Rating: 
Summary: it leaves you wanting more
Review: This was a pretty good book. The ending was very appropriate, with a lot of symbolism in Harry Benson's disillusionment as well as his murderous capabilities. The medical jargon is NOT too technical to handle, the ending is NOT disappointing, and it makes you feel like a genius after reading it. My only qualm is the characters. It feels like it went under heavy editing in order to make it shorter. All in all a good book, with some serious insight on machine vs man.
Rating:
Summary: A good read....but certainly not his best
Review: Michael Crichton is a great writer and I usually enjoy his books. The Terminal Man was no different. While not as exciting and suspenseful as Jurassic Park, it still made for a good read. There weren't a lot of technical explanations to be distracted by, but he included enough for the reader to understand what was going on. I felt as if I was a part of the story as an outsider looking in. While the story started off extremely slow, it still was bearable to read. And even though the ending was a little predictable, I never lost interest. This was a book that I could put down for a few days and not be lost when I started again. It is a good book for anyone, but if you're a student looking for something that doesn't bore you then this is a book you should try.
Rating:
Summary: A good read, although mildly predictable...
Review: Written in 1971, The Terminal Man picks up on Michael Crichton's consistent themes of technology run amuck. In 1971, Crichton seemed to still be preoccupied with specifically medical technology (as in "Coma") and does a very nice job speaking about what is closest to his background. His explanations of stereotactic surgery--brain surgery--are well done and remind me of his later descriptions of chaos theory ("Jurassic Park") and quantum theory ("Timeline"). What is even more amazing is that, even in 1971, some of his observations about computer science were remarkably prescient. However, readers today should recognize that we know much more about electrical stimulation within the brain, and this therapy is used to treat a number of nervous system disorders, most notably essential tremor and Parkinson's without any issues of "mind control" (which plays prominently in the novel). Harry Benson would never receive an implanted device in today's hospitals. That issue aside, this is a good read, with decent characters and a plot line that keeps the reader moving.
Rating:
Summary: The age is noticable
Review: First written in 1971, The Terminal Man is one of Michael Crichton's very first novels. As an avid reader of Crichton's books, I found it interesting to see how his style has changed, and it certainly has. The different time period gives the book an awkward touch. Fans of Crichton know that he includes top of the line technology in each story he creates. The Terminal Man is no different. However, times have changed. Dime-size computer chips are no longer an oddity, and it's strange to hear them referred to as so. To those who have read Jurassic Park or The Great Train Robbery, The Terminal Man will seem slow. Indeed, it is. The reader will be well through the first half of the novel before the story picks up and the action begins. This means that the first half of the book is generally an introduction. It's not unreadable, but it's a bit difficult to stick with. Unlike his other works, The Terminal Man has few complexities. There are no side-stories, no backgrounds on characters, and few technological explanations- usually so common to Crichton's writing. This makes the story easier to read, but at times you'll find you really could use a little more information on some of the main characters. It's like coming into a movie 15 minutes through. You get the gist of what's going on, but you know something is missing. It is an interesting read filled with a good deal of suspense to keep the reader going for a while. But it doesn't compare to his later works. Only purchase this as an insight to the author's early career, try not to expect another Jurassic Park.
Rating:
Summary: 4 1/2 Stars--Terminally Underrated
Review: I think that this book is extremely underrated. This is an excellent story by MC that, although a little dated, is still a compelling and exciting tale which centers on Harry Benson, a computer programmer who was hit by a car and recieved dementia and a condition where he has seizures. Seizures in which he can horribly injure or kill people. He recieves an operation in which 40 electrodes are implanted in his brain, to counterract the seizures. He discovers the electric pulses they generate are pleasurable and discovers how to get them faster, then he turns into a maniac on a killing spree. The ending was abrupt, you never find out what happens to the characters, that is my only complaint. In any case, this book is a good read that will keep you interested until the last page.
Rating:
Summary: 6 words: I was sad when it ended
Review: The Terminal Man is a great book, and is probably better than many of Crichton's other books. And if you think it's your usual suspense-thriller book, you're wrong. The Terminal Man leaps far ahead of other suspense-thrillers in both content, complexity, and suspense. Harry Benson, a paranoid computer programmer, has violent seziures because of a wierd disease in his brain. Then some doctors find a solution to his problem. The solution is to open up his brain and put electrodes in to a certain part of it. When Harry will start to have seziures, the electrodes will send a little shock to stop the seziure. The operatin works until he increases the frequency of the pulses that stop the seziures and goes crazy. He escapes from the hospital, an eratic murderer who doesn't know what he's doing... All in all: PROS: Great suspense; great story; very detailed; scary at times; complex and intersting; great characters CONS: Complexity can sometimes be too much; hard to understand at times BOTTOM LINE: A movie waiting to happen. The Terminal Man has incerdible atmosphere, suspense, action, and dialouge which pushes it ahead of your average thriller.
Rating: 
Summary: realistic
Review: Crichton does great job of conveying a sense of realism. The annotated bibliography that is present in one of the older editions of the book adds to this realism, as the articles cited actually do exist.
Rating:
Summary: great CDs
Review: I enjoyed listening to this another excellent work by Crichton.It is about what was a new brain surgery to treat seizure, not done before; palcing many electrodes in the pateints brain, which make him as a computer, and here where the excitemnt begins. The performnace of George Wilson brought it alive. From the first chapter in ER descrping the door, nosies - the admission, disccusion between doctors about this new brain surgery, Opertaing room, the security - finally chasing in the basement. All those really made me greatly enjoyed this audio book.
Rating:
Summary: An OK one of Crichton's
Review: I always forget this book when I recall all MC's books I've read. Probably because it wasn't the best. But it wasn't the worst either. It was actually sort of creepy and I wouldn't recommend reading it at night, but it was good and did not include billions of technical details like some OTHER Michael Crichton books I've read *cough cough "Andromeda Strain"* I liked it because it had a female as the main character and I like when MC does that. :-) A pretty good book.
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