Book Reviews of Next

I’ve been a big fan of Michael Crichton for years, since Andromeda Strain. I did not enjoy this book. It’s as if he tried to explore every single possible ramification of genetic engineering. There are a dozen plots, none of them really well-developed, and only a few of them intersecting at the end to explain anything. The chapters are extremely short as he jumps from one subplot to another (is this a novel or a movie script he’s writing?). The characters are underdeveloped, and there was not one character I cared about. Well, maybe I cared about Gerard. Crichton could have done so much with the subject, very disappointing.

This book was very interesting, to say the least, filled with ethical issues to think about! The story was engaging, thrilling, and even a bit funny at times, but I felt like I was left hangin' with regard to some of the characters. There were too many characters to keep up with, too many sub plots, and one mysterious french woman I never quite figured out. Gerard, the transgenic talking parrot, was awesome, but the whole Dave situation, humanzees, wow, a very frightening concept. I really liked the Author's Note at the end. I think I share his views on many of the ethical issues brought up in this book. I don't think genes should be patented either. It's too bad business and science cannot be kept separate.

This is a book taking current biological (transgenic) research to the Nth degree. It is a fascinating book from the conceptual point. The bibliography is just as impressive as the book. Anyone who wants to see where cloning and genetic manipulation could take us would be interested in the fictional account.

I was totally unable to put this one down!!

Describes frightening world of science turned into a business of playing with genes. Profiting off creating creatures not meant to be genetically combined such as humans and apes. Advertising on fish? Scary to think they already have created a cat that people are Not allergic too, and are now creating colored fish.

NEXt blends fact and fiction into a tale of a coming world where nothing is what it seems. It's what can happen, may happen and will happen if 'good people do nothing'. Challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality.

A Great Read!

WOW--- loved it! Fact and fiction combined. Great moral dilemmas presented with "stories" mixed in with actual science. Crichton finished the book with an outline that would work great as fodder for a debate on the issues discussed. Recommend every person of science read it as well as anyone with interest in the morality of cloning, genetic manipulation,or animal research.

Not an edge-of the seat book, but a very interesting look into what could become of genetic engineering.

Great book.

Not one of his better books. I enjoyed his past novels much better.

Although the book is fiction, it comes very close to real life and that is the scary part.
At first, I thought the book was going to have too many characters but they all fit into place.
I found the story very enjoyable and interesting. It can be read just for fun or you can follow the "gene therapy headlines" as you read.
Marion

I normally do not read books like this but my grandfather told me how much he enjoyed Michael Crichton's other books. So, I went out a got it and I could not put it down! Very cool read, you will enjoy this book!

I have been a fan of Michael Crichton ever since I can remember (Jurassic Park being one of the first "grown up" books I ever remember reading), so naturally I tackled his newest book with vigor. However, I had trouble getting through the first several pages, and ended up restarting the book about 4 times before finally finishing it, after which I was completely disappointed. The only positive thing that I can really say is that topic of genetic technology and its moral implications is, I suppose, timely, and, as always with Crichton, the research is very thorough. But the chapters are entirely too short to develop plot line (average 3-4 pages), and each chapter deals with a different character. Chrichton is usually a master at developing many characters and weaving their stories together in unexpected and amazing ways. However, in "Next," I found the sheer volume of characters overwhelming, and the constant switching between them highly off-putting. By the end of the book, I can honestly say there was not one single character I was emotionally invested in. This book was touted as a novel, but somehow ended up becoming Crichton's personal platform for correcting society's attitudes toward gene technology. If he wanted to write a nonfiction editorial on the effects of patenting genes, he should have done so and called it such. Attempting to add all the trappings of a novel made what could have been an interesting medical read into a muddled and disappointing mess. Sorry, Crichton fans. This is definitely one of his books that fails to get my endorsement. Don't waste your time.

Oddly enough, I work at a place that does genome research. Although I'm just an admin assoc., I found it VERY interesting especially since our head genomic researcher is relatively well-known in the scientific world.

Just as scary as any of Michael Crighton's books. This one is about genetic engineering.

I tried to read this book - but I found myself re-reading the same sentences over and over...so I quit.

Very Good

This book blends fact with fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next shatters our assumtions and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

Michael Crichton at his best writes an absorbing story. This book, while not his best ever, was a good story. While I did not agree with the premise, I did enjoy reading about the sleazy characters who do stupid things, either in the name of science or greed. The topic of the book was a series of intertwined threads dealing with combining human genes with animals: monkey, parrots, etc. Also, the taking of cells from an individual for profit.

Absolutely compelling novel that blends fact with fiction about genetic engineering and the consequences it produces.

*

This book made some interesting points about science and ethics in our society even if it was a bit paranoid and over-the-top. There was a jumble of characters each as wooden as the next. It was an entertaining enough story with some food for thought thrown in.

In typical Crichton fashion, the book is very detailed and still a page turner. But he is getting preachy about his ideas re science and the world.

Interesting read.

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