The Terminal Man is one of Michael Crichton's earlier hit novels which, along with The Andromeda Strain, made him a leader in the science/techno thriller genre. Before this title in 1972, he had written over ten action/adventure novels - some of them under the pseudonym John Lange - several of these are now being reprinted by the Hard Case Crime imprint. He has described these as competition for an airline movie: they had to be quick, engaging, and last the length of the flight. They are much better than that, and A Case of Need won the Edgar Award in 1968.
The Terminal Man seems to bridge the gap between a quick thriller and his more detailed novels to come (like Jurassic Park and Sphere).
Two years ago, Harry Benson - a computer scientist dealing with artificial intelligence - was in a car accident, leaving him with a scar on his brain. This begins to trigger a series of violent blackouts preceded by a distasteful smell. He arrives at the hospital under police escort for 'stage three' neuropsychiatric surgery involving a computer chip to be wired into his brain, much like a pacemaker. It will stop the outbursts, but never cure the patient. The surgery seems successful, and Harry returns to being his usual cocky self. At the onset of the first blackout, the computer sends a pleasurable sense to his brain and it ceases.
Problems begin when Harry disappears from the hospital hours after his surgery, it's discovered he hasn't been given his medication, and his long-standing mental paranoia about computer machines eventually taking over human life kicks in. With every jolt from the computer chip, Harry begins to adapt, equating violence with pleasure, and now a homicidal maniac is loose on the city.
Told in a straight up, medical procedural manner with plenty of neuro jargon, actual psychosurgery documentation and technical references, it's a spare novel without a lot of character background. There are a few main doctors including psychiatrist Janet Ross (the only woman doctor in the hospital), with minimal back story on them - no ex-wives or college days. I found it entertaining that while it is written as a cutting edge medical thriller, it details 1972 technology. There is the soundproof Telecomp room with its cathode ray printers, and consoles linked to the main computer, so large it must be stored in the basement of the building. 1972 IBM computers cost millions of dollars and consume enormous amounts of power and space, yet have the power of an ant brain - to build a computer with the capacity of a human brain would take a skyscraper to house and unknown power! There is no WiFi or bluetooth to be seen, but that is part of the charm.
It's a simple story, but very engaging and at times, tense. An original concept told in a serious way and well written. I would recommend it to SciFi and thriller fans. It could happen tomorrow!
They made a movie of it in 1974 starring George Segal that wasn't a big hit, but has been rereleased with a director's cut in 2008.
1972 / Paperback / 305 pages
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