Binary [Import] [Hardcover]

John Lange (Author)

Product Details

• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: Century (February 17, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0712659196
• ISBN-13: 978-0712659192
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.2 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,382,226 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in 1942. His novels include Next, State of Fear, Prey, Timeline, Jurassic Park, and The Andromeda Strain. He was also the creator of the television series ER. One of the most popular writers in the world, his books have been made into thirteen films, and translated in thirty-six languages. He died in 2008.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars When more would have been, well, more..., May 17, 2008

By 

Mark Slattery (London, UK) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Binary (Hardcover)

Less is not necessarily more. Binary is one of Michael Crichton's shorter novels, and its not at all bad, but it does feel a touch underdeveloped, rather like an adapted short story or a novelised television movie.

It's a curious novel about a security agent, John Graves (aptly named for he has to save the day) and his protagonist the ingenious plotter John Wright. Graves is the man assigned to track Wright, who is regarded as suspicious and possibly subversive. It's played out against a 12-hour countdown to mass murder and with Wright's knowledge of Graves' psychological profile built in to his intentions.

The word Binary is literally two chemical agents that produce a result together but it also represents the duel between the two men to `out-puzzle' each other's actions and motives. Both are intelligent gamblers. Wright is rich and crazed; Graves is hamstrung by bureaucracy. It's a good read, but in the end, its brevity prevents any real depth to the characters when this is a psychological thriller. I wanted to know more about them. It's hard to think Crichton would write this without considerably more depth today. Frederick Forsythe would have made a lot more from the very good idea that forms the basis of the plot. The two writers have a lot in common.

That said, it's hard to stop turning the pages. This is spare: no aimless diversions, existentialism or sub-plots. You just wish there had been more of it to bring the characters fully to life!

It's worth adding this was written in 1972 and Crichton has always been one or two steps ahead of the game. The detail he routinely deploys to add credibility to his plotting is good, though not as detailed as many of his best efforts, and his vision of political terrorism remains ominous and unnerving.

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A great classic thriller that you should look for., December 4, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Maine) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Binary (Hardcover)

Although it took me a long time to find that this book was published under the pseudonym John Lange, and then it took me even more time to find the book itself, it was extremely worth it. It keeps a great pace and is better than many standard Crichton works. This book should be reprinted with the Crichton name so it wil be easy to find for everybody.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Liked it, January 1, 1998

By 

Jason "J.J." Hones (Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Binary (Hardcover)

I like some of Michael Crichton's "John Lange" work better -- "The Venom Business," for example -- but this was satisfying enough. I only wish I could find more of these now very out-of-print early novels.