Michael Crichton Standalone Novels books in order

Michael Crichton's standalone novels include bestselling techno-thrillers like Congo, Sphere, Rising Sun, Disclosure, and Timeline.

Reading order

# Title Published Author Buy on Amazon
1 Odds On 1966 Michael Crichton Buy
2 Scratch One 1967 Michael Crichton Buy
3 A Case of Need 1968 Michael Crichton Buy
4 Easy Go / The Last Tomb 1968 Michael Crichton Buy
5 Zero Cool 1969 Michael Crichton Buy
6 The Venom Business 1969 Michael Crichton Buy
7 Drug of Choice 1970 Michael Crichton Buy
8 Dealing, or The Berkeley-To-Boston Forty-Brick Lost-Bag Blues 1970 Michael Crichton Buy
9 Grave Descend 1970 Michael Crichton Buy
10 Binary 1972 Michael Crichton Buy
11 The Terminal Man 1972 Michael Crichton Buy
12 The Great Train Robbery 1975 Michael Crichton Buy
13 Eaters of the Dead / The 13th Warrior 1976 Michael Crichton Buy
14 Congo 1980 Michael Crichton Buy
15 Sphere 1987 Michael Crichton Buy
16 Rising Sun 1992 Michael Crichton Buy
17 Disclosure 1994 Michael Crichton Buy
18 Airframe 1996 Michael Crichton Buy
19 Timeline 1999 Michael Crichton Buy
20 Prey 2002 Michael Crichton Buy
21 State of Fear 2004 Michael Crichton Buy
22 Next 2006 Michael Crichton Buy
23 Pirate Latitudes 2009 Michael Crichton Buy
24 Micro 2011 Michael Crichton Buy
25 Dragon Teeth 2017 Michael Crichton Buy
26 Eruption 2024 Michael Crichton Buy
27 A Murder in Hollywood 2026 Michael Crichton Buy

Michael Crichton’s standalone novels span decades of bestselling techno-thrillers. His early work under pseudonyms — Odds On (1966), Scratch One (1967), A Case of Need (1968) — gave way to increasingly ambitious novels under his own name, beginning with The Terminal Man (1972) about a man with a brain implant.

The Great Train Robbery (1975) was a Victorian heist novel based on a real 1855 train robbery. Congo (1980), Sphere (1987), Rising Sun (1992), Disclosure (1994), Airframe (1996), Timeline (1999), and Prey (2002) each explored a different area of science or technology gone wrong. Posthumous novels have continued to appear, with Eruption (2024) completed by James Patterson and A Murder in Hollywood (2026) published from Crichton’s archives.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many books are in the Michael Crichton Standalone Novels series?

There are 27 books in the Michael Crichton Standalone Novels series, published between 1966 and 2026.

What is the first book in the Michael Crichton Standalone Novels series?

The first book in the Michael Crichton Standalone Novels series is Odds On, published in 1966.

What are Michael Crichton's most notable standalone novels?

Crichton’s standalone novels include Congo (1980) about an expedition to find rare diamonds in the African jungle, Sphere (1987) about scientists investigating a spacecraft at the bottom of the ocean, Rising Sun (1992) about a murder in a Japanese corporate building, Disclosure (1994) about sexual harassment in a tech company, and Timeline (1999) about historians transported to medieval France. Most were adapted into films.

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