Sphere, by Michael Crichton

The Book Pile

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In 1987, Random House commissioned a series of picture books to help preschool children learn their shapes. Fledgling children’s author Michael Crichton kicked off the short-lived series with his beloved “Sphere”, an innovative children’s book designed to strengthen memorization through the use of pure terror. Utilizing vivid imagery and accessible science, Crichton taught kids that a sphere is a three-dimensional round object, which will cause squids to come and kill everyone around you, as you find a naked dead woman in a submarine and survive multiple murder attempts. A sphere can be a ball, a globe, or a scuba helmet filled with pulpy innards and brains! Yay for spheres!!
But seriously, this is Kellen's favorite Crichton book (possibly tied with The Great Train Robbery), and also in this episode, Dave and Kellen perform the world's first long-form Michael-Crichton themed improv game (for reals).
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Kellen Erskine has appeared on Conan, Comedy Central, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, NBC's America's Got Talent, and the Amazon Original Series Inside Jokes. He has garnered over 100 million views with his clips on Dry Bar Comedy. In 2018 he was selected to perform on the “New Faces” showcase at the Just For Laughs Comedy Festival in Montreal. He currently tours the country www.KellenErskine.com
David Vance's videos have garnered over 1 billion views. He has written viral ads for companies like Squatty Potty, Chatbooks, and Lumē, and sketches for the comedy show Studio C. His work has received two Webby Awards, and appeared on Conan. He currently works as a writer on the sitcom Freelancers.