It wasn't until I was many chapters into this book that I knew what it was about. Even once I learned that it was about global warming, I didn't know the author's opinion on the subject until the end of the book.

What Michael Crichton does advise is skepticism and examination of factual evidence. He says that nobody really knows the truth about what's happening to the environment or how best to take care of it. He points out that environmental organizations are often more interested in pushing their agendas than in examination of whether those agendas are flawed, and that industry is in fact more interested in money than in consequences.

But embedded in these real-world issues is an actual good piece of fiction. I would never claim it to be Crichton's best - I still prefer Prey, but it's certainly a good story. In the end, I certainly got the impression that Crichton doesn't buy the notion of global warming, and that this book is propoganda in disguise, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.