How James Patterson completed an explosive mix with Michael Crichton

Bestselling author James Patterson was up for the challenge of finishing a book by the late Michael Crichton, and the result is an explosive blockbuster.

Best-selling author James Patterson was a big fan of the late Michael Crichton's work.

What do you get if you combine thriller kings Michael Crichton and James Patterson? Answer: an explosive blockbuster.

It’s fitting then, that the title of the biggest release of the year is Eruption, following the story of an enormous volcanic eruption that threatens the existence of the world.

The late Michael Crichton – who penned Jurassic Park – had been working on his passion project, set in Hawaii, for decades, before he died in 2008, aged 66. When his bereaved wife Sherri Crichton found his manuscript, she initially set it to one side, then presented it to Patterson to finish it.

Sherri and James tell The Saturday Telegraph how their collaboration came about.

“After Michael passed away, it took me a while to get into his real work. But when I did, I came across this manuscript. This was incredibly special, because it was a partial-manuscript that Michael had talked about for years – he was always talking about volcanoes,” Sherri says, over Zoom from LA, adding the couple even honeymooned in Pompeii, where he “was teaching me about volcanoes”.

Sherri Crichton. Picture: Jamie McCarthy/Getty Images

Michael Crichton. Picture: AP/Jim Cooper

“When I came upon this book, it was so emotional, because I really could feel Michael’s voice present,” she said.

Sherri then undertook an exhaustive search to piece together all his research.

James Patterson finished a Michael Crichton manuscript.

“It took years until I felt comfortable I had all the pieces. It was a lot of research – there was research about research,” she says. “So, then I was like, you know, who do you get to finish this, because it’s so special and so meaningful? I thought, how amazing would it be if Jim would be open to it and for these two storytelling giants to come together on the page,” she says, adding she didn’t know if James was, “even a Michael Crichton fan, would he take on something like this?”

Fortunately, all of those answers were yes, she says.

The Eruption cover.

They don’t get any bigger than James Patterson – the 77-year-old has sold more than 425 million books and created everything from Alex Cross to the Women’s Murder Club. But he had no hesitation taking on this project, he says, from his Florida base.

“I said, ‘Let me read it’, then I said, ‘I’m in’,” he says.

“I’m a huge Michael Crichton fan. I’ve read all his novels and nonfiction.”

He says he was gripped by the story and had to know how it turned out.

“I loved what he had written,” he says. “My joke with Sherri was, ‘I’ve got to write it, because I gotta find out how the hell it ends, man!’”

The pair connected well together.

“Sherri lost Michael and I lost the first love of my life when I was 35, to a brain tumour,” he says, talking of his girlfriend Jane Blanchard, who he was in a relationship with before he met his wife, Susan.

James Patterson has collaborated with other writers, and big names such as Bill Clinton.

James, who regularly collaborates with other writers, as well as big names such as Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, says the working process was enjoyable.

“Her feedback was better than most,” he says. “She kept reminding me to keep the dual storyline working and also to be respectful of Hawaii.”

So, did he take on Michael’s voice, or use his own?

“Oh no, we wanted it to be seamless,” he says. “We wanted it to feel like a Crichton,” adding the challenge is to spot the point “where Michael stopped writing” and he began.

Set in Hawaii, the story follows action-man scientist John “Mac” MacGregor as he battles an imminent volcanic eruption combined with a secret military operation. The fast-paced, high-action page-turner is already destined for the big screen, unsurprisingly, considering Crichton’s other Hawaii-based franchise, Jurassic Park, has grossed more than $A9bn.

The response from Hollywood was “overwhelmingly positive,” says Sherri. “We think we have found someone really fabulous to elevate this genre.”

“With this movie, you’ll feel the heat, you’ll smell the sulphur, you’ll really feel the danger in a realistic way,” says James.

The big question is, what Michael would have thought of the finished product?

“I think he would be really proud of it,” Sherri says, adding she showed it to her and Michael’s son, John Michael Jr, and Michael’s daughter Taylor, from a previous marriage.

“The two critics that I want the most input from think it’s great,” Sherri says. “It’s a great combination of Crichton and Patterson, and what Jim did so well is keep that science in, so you walk away smarter.”

“Just reading his research I’m smarter,” says James. “I tested my IQ and it’s two points higher than when I started.”

Eruption, by Michael Crichton and James Patterson, $34.99, is out now