Next by Michael Crichton Summary and Reviews
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Book Reviews of Next
Book Review: Excellent reading
Summary: 5 Stars
This was excellent reading. It took some thinking to remember who was who. There were a lot of characters. But if you pay attention, it all came together. What I really got from this book was an awareness of what is going on in the world of genetics and licensing. If you want an entertaining way to learn about corporations patenting your genes, etc... read this book. It was a real eye opener. He has a bibliography at the end along with a thoughtful author's note on the topic.Book Review: Excellent topic and good thoughts wasted
Summary: 1 Stars
Crichton chose an important and highly relevant topic and completely wasted it in a book that is miserably written. Too bad - because there are glimmers of good thinking in there. If you want some good arguments on the legal aspects of gene patenting, go ahead and read it. If you want a good story - forget it.
Book Review: Fails to hit the mark
Summary: 2 Stars
Crichton wrote this book as a way to bring the genetics science, or more accurately, the ridiculousness of certain aspects of genetics science to the masses. It's not entirely accurate, there are major gaps in logic behind the behavior of many of the characters and their actions, but it does have the feel of an action-packed, made-for-the-big-screen appeal that many other authors have a tendency to write in. While the methodology of telling an "entertaining" story to make a point about complex science and moral issues is a good way to go about it, this book is a poor vehicle for bringing the message to the masses.
At the core of every story are the characters, and aside from the chimp/boy Dave and the transgenic parrot Gerard, there isn't much of interest to this set of characters. Add to that the jumpy nature of the book, and it becomes difficult to differentiate Alex, a lawyer who's son is named Jamie, from her friend Lynn, who's son is named Jamie. Add to that the Michael Crichton trademark of having characters who are stereotypically stupid or incredibly intelligent with no middle ground, the book can be very hard to follow at times, and difficult to get into, especially after you've put it down.
The plot also meanders in and out of relevance. By the end of the novel, many characters cross each others paths, but there are also many plot strands that don't entwine with anyone else, but simply share a theme. It's as if you read a collection of short stories, but mix up all the pages. In the end, you can't really define the plot of "Next" as anything concrete like most of Crichton's more famous works (i.e. Jurassic Park is a book about scientists who make a theme park out of dinosaurs until it all breaks down), except to say that it's a book about stuff that happens with genetics.
While it does miss big time on two major elements of a story, though, there is some intellectual humor involved, and I do feel like I learned something from it. Crichton was able to bring to focus many of the issues involved in modern genetics, the ethical battles that scientists face, and the commercialism of modern treatment options, which definitely makes you think. Unfortunately, I'm not sure how accurate the information here is, since there are some very basic foibles in the writing (including miscounting the number of genes in the human genome and mixing up the letters in a common acronym that is consistently used throughout, verifiable with a simple Google search). By the end of the book, I felt like it was worth reading, but just barely, and is far below par for this otherwise exceptional author.
Book Review: Fantastic!
Summary: 5 Stars
I can't believe that there are so many negative reviews for this book...I put off reading this book for an entire year because I didn't want to waste my time with a book so badly reviewed. I finally picked it off my bookshelf and thought that I'd give it a shot.
At first, it took me a while to get used to all the characters and stories (this is not like Crichton's usual writing style). After a while, I was 100 pages in with no problem remembering who was who. I don't see how Crichton could have written this novel without all the characters and stories: the book would be terribly boring if we were just following around the talking parrot or the hybrid human/monkey...The stories all worked together and they all make for an explosive ending.
One reviewer complained that Crichton was too preachy: a) Crichton ALWAYS has a message behind his writing; b) In a world where 'American Idol' is the number one priority among many Americans, Crichton did us a HUGE favor in helping get the word out about the awful possibilities of genetic science.
'Next' has many elements that make it a great read: it has humor, action, thought-provoking (almost terrifying) stories, and a great message. My only regret is that I didn't read this book sooner. This book, at least for me, was nothing like what many reviewers wrote. If you have an open mind, a good memory, and love a good story, then 'NEXT' is for you.
5/5
Book Review: Far from His Best
Summary: 3 Stars
Another typical Crichton novel ......a scientific polemic presented in a fictional format. IMO this was one of his poorest efforts and nowhere near as good as his previous State of Fear. His traditional use of a handful of characters has been abandoned for an approach wherein he juggles at least two dozen in an effort to cover all aspects of the genetics controvery. In Chapter 61 he's still introducing new characters. Nearly all of them are nothing but remorseless money-grubbers who invoke little sympathy. Also, he rotates the plotline through ALL of these characters before returning to the first, so that by then you've forgotten who the person is. All in all, a very choppy novel.
So this leaves the science. This is a mix of fact and fiction and its often hard to judge which is which. Some of it is a blend of both. Only some of the humorous "news articles" can be recognized as 100% farcical, such as the reoccuring series relating to blond women.
Actually, humor is the most redeeming aspect of the book. Gerard, the transgenic parrot, has to be Crichton's most hilarious creation to-date. This spunky bird is more interesting than all the humans in the novel put together.
Bottom line: Crichton has blurred his message by trying to cover all the many facets of genetic engineering and by mixing in too many way-out extrapolations of present day genetic science. Also, his bloated hodge-podge of characters certainly doesn't help matters. Don't spend money on a hard cover. Find a used paperback if you feel you must read it. I'm only giving it a third star because of Gerard's insistence.