Ebook Next crichtonmichael 9780732283636 Books
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Ebook Next crichtonmichael 9780732283636 Books
"This is the best of Crichton and the worse of Crichton. Ever since the ANDROMEDA STRAIN, this is the writer that rides not just the zeitgeist wave but the very edge of biomedical breakthroughs - and makes great novels on the issues they raise. The SPHERE, CONGO, JURASSIC PARK are all excellent biothrillers. In NEXT he seems to have managed the first but neglected the later.
This is collection of loosely related stories, all linked in some way or the other to either transgenic organisms or gene patenting; and all dosed under the light of the human science...being, well, all too human. Family obligations, personal choices, ambition, shortsightedness and pure greed bear much more influence on the outcome of the scientific process than most scientists will ever admit. I should know, I am a NeuroBiologist myself...
I found NEXT to be quite interesting, and eagerly followed some of the story-lines in the early morning hours. Yet, at the same time, there was no backbone to the story other than the cautionary message. This made the novel, at first to give the feeling of never-actually-taking-off, only to finally turn into an informative episodic collection of characters I hardly cared for.
This is, at most, a 3½ stars novel. I rounded it up (rather than down) because of the great books Crichton has given us in the past. My advise to Michael Crichton would be "no writer is big enough to totally ignore his editors"."
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Next crichtonmichael 9780732283636 Books Reviews :
Next crichtonmichael 9780732283636 Books Reviews
- I suspect that many readers don't get that he's writing this as satire and comedy, expecting his more serious dry style of previous books. The audio version is great because the actor adds so much to it with his characterizations of the various people and their reactions. The tone is tongue in cheek and parts are hilarious. There are a few missteps, such as the dead end plot line of the glowing animals used for advertising. There were even a few grammatical errors that made it past the editor, and some of the plots were farfetched (trying to arrest someone to grab their tissues because you own the rights to it)
But it brings up interesting topics and tosses in some education. The story had me eagerly awaiting the next chapter. - This was my sixth Crichton novel, after (in order) Micro, Congo, Prey, Jurassic Park, and Jurassic World. Next ranks in the top three, along with Micro (2nd) and Prey (an easy 1st).
Bear in mind, this book is seriously unlike the others. If you are looking for a straight forward plot, you will not like this book. Crichton takes several story lines, some important and some not, and weaves them all together (expertly, I might add), detailing genetic progresses, problems, and possibilities, all while building to an expertly constructed finale. As such, the story takes time, and doesn't really take off until at least 1/3rd into the book, although I'd argue it's really more like 60% in that it catches fire.
If you can get through about half (which is not bad, just exhausting - names are plentiful and difficult to remember) you're set, because the rest of the book is dynamite, and the ending is so well done I found myself really in disbelief.
I might re-read it, just now that the story has been made clearer and so I can focus on the genetic aspect, but this is one of those books that is best the first time around, when you don't know how it will come together.
This is not even to get into how well this is researched. The genetic knowledge Crichton supplies is incredible.
Without a doubt, a must read. - A gripping SEMI-SciFy novel that tweaks the reader at many levels and keeps the action—largely cerebral rather than bloody—going. I like Crichton. The short chapter style is a little choppy, and the pseudo-news clips a little tiresome (but perhaps necessary to clarify the science for lay readers). The author interview and essay at the end of the edition are not entertaining, but thought provoking and important, especially the essay (reprinted from his 2006 NY TIMES op-ed piece). I hope the cautions he recommends have been implemented by the time of this 2019 review.
- This is the best of Crichton and the worse of Crichton. Ever since the ANDROMEDA STRAIN, this is the writer that rides not just the zeitgeist wave but the very edge of biomedical breakthroughs - and makes great novels on the issues they raise. The SPHERE, CONGO, JURASSIC PARK are all excellent biothrillers. In NEXT he seems to have managed the first but neglected the later.
This is collection of loosely related stories, all linked in some way or the other to either transgenic organisms or gene patenting; and all dosed under the light of the human science...being, well, all too human. Family obligations, personal choices, ambition, shortsightedness and pure greed bear much more influence on the outcome of the scientific process than most scientists will ever admit. I should know, I am a NeuroBiologist myself...
I found NEXT to be quite interesting, and eagerly followed some of the story-lines in the early morning hours. Yet, at the same time, there was no backbone to the story other than the cautionary message. This made the novel, at first to give the feeling of never-actually-taking-off, only to finally turn into an informative episodic collection of characters I hardly cared for.
This is, at most, a 3½ stars novel. I rounded it up (rather than down) because of the great books Crichton has given us in the past. My advise to Michael Crichton would be "no writer is big enough to totally ignore his editors". - In this novel MC continues to warn us about the risks of new technology, that he began exploring with Andromeda Strain and reached a peak with Jurassic Park (the book not the movie). In "Next" MC continues the explicit "academic paper" style he started with "State of Fear". "Next" contains a detailed bibliography, including website addresses, and an aftermath with his opinion about the issues raised by genetic engineering. The most valuable part of the book are the legal, scientific, ethical, moral and religious issues raised throughout the novel. Probably a non-fiction book would have been a better instrument to deliver his message, or at least, he should have tried harder to make this book a real novel. This is what it shares with "State of Fear". As a novel, this is one of MCs weakest, we really miss the good old style of Andromeda Strain, Congo, Sphere, and Jurassic Park. As other readers noted, too many caracters, too much going back and forth, and some of the plot is too exagerated (specially regarding the monkey boy and the talking parrot that by coincidence end up together). After all, I recommend reading the book, genetic engineering is a technology that in the long-term will affect our lifes and that of our grandchildren. MC shows with clarity all the nonsense that is going on right now, as he did in "State of Fear" regarding global warning, conveniently exaggerated by the media. I fully agree with his point of view regarding the absurdity of pattenting genes, the dangerous relationships between universities and private firms, and the overstataments being made about short-term results.
