I was a big Michael Crichton fan.

Maybe you never heard of him. He was an absolute A list writer, screenwriter and director.

One of his most famous things is Jurassic Park. Yup, that's him.

Another one of his most famous things was the televsion series "ER" which took the country by storm when it came out. It was the Game of thrones of the 90's. It created and defined a whole new genre of television.

My first experience with Michael Crichton's writing was in the 70's with his first book "The Andromeda Strain". It's a popular science fiction book that was later even turned into a movie.

I first read Travels when it came out in the 90's and I could only remember a few things about it. As a summary, in my mind, I knew that the term travels was significant because it was about Mr. Crichtons travels in the world, and his travels in spiritual adventures. I found that theme to be amazing. He explored the regular world, and he explored the spiritual world. I was pretty much left in awe of Mr. Crichton and of what he has done. He traveled the world and he explored the mysterious aspects of of life.

And I just recently re--read this book after some thirty years. And my opinion of it has totally changed. For that first reading I was barely an adult; maybe around twenty years old.

But on the re-reading I was a full grown man in my 50's who had experienced a lot of of life myself. So, I had some context.

And I was stunningly disappointed by the book. It all seemed very shallow to me. There was a lot of bragging and a lot of excuse making. And there was a lot of silly stuff in the book. It was just a big disappointment. I guess it kind of knocked Mr. Crichton down off the pedestal I had him on and made him simply another flawed human being just like the rest of us.

I think about him sometimes. He passed away in 2008 and I wonder about the adventure he is on right now. Travels, the book, was a search through the world and through the spiritual realm. A search for experience and for answers. It is a flawed book but it was an attempt to find answers. And I just wonder now that he has passed on, maybe he has found the answers.

Hopefully he has. And maybe someday he and I will be able to talk about it.

Travels by Michael Crichton -

Book came out in 1992