I had to read a Michael Chrichton novel called 'Timeline' for a college course once. Its insulting to have been raised in a society which perceives this author with so much cachet ... Calling his writing 'not good' is ... overly generous.
Most of his other premises are much more grounded. Some are actually fiction and not science fiction. In general, he finds something technical and complex he enjoys and finds ways to explain them through a narrative, often with unintended consequences as a unifying theme.
Also, SF authors don't have societal cachet. Joan Didion has cachet. Tom Wolfe has cachet. Arthur Miller has cachet. Kazuo Ishiguro has cachet.
At best, SF authors have...an audience.