Michael Crichton's last two novels to be published posthumously

HarperCollins plans to publish two posthumous novels by Michael Crichton, the best-selling author of Jurassic Park and creator of ER. He left behind one finished novel, Pirate Latitudes, and about one-third of an untitled novel, after his death in late 2008. Pirate Latitudes will be published on Nov. 24, 2009, followed by the currently untitled thriller, which is to be published in late 2010.

Written at the same time as 2006's Next, his last published novel, Pirates centers around Jamaica’s governor during British rule and his plan to raid a Spanish galleon with a local pirate. The novel was accidentally found by Crichton's assistant in the writer's computer and shows a another side of the author—one that is different from his famous fictional preoccupation with science and technology.

HarperCollins has plans to finish the incomplete second novel, a technology thriller, by hiring a ghost writer that is familiar with Crichton's books and understands his work. Crichton left behind notes explaining the direction of the novel, and with the material already written, HarperCollins hopes a writer can finish his last novel and have it ready to publish next year.

Before you say anything about the publishing giant taking advantage of the situation, HarperCollins has promised to not exploit the writer's image with future ghost writers and fabricated storylines. However, there are many computer files that may contain unfinished (and possibly finished) novels that anyone has yet to sift through.

Related links:
MichaelCrichton.com
Michael Crichton: 1942- 2008
Michael Circhton on IMDb

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