Customer Reviews

Drug of Choice

5 star:		(0)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I am a longtime Michael Crichton fan and have been tracking down and reading his early novels, most of which were written under the "John Lange" pseudonym. "Drug of Choice" is the first Lange novel I've read, and my reaction is mixed. It's an entertaining novel with some typical Crichton touches, but it's hardly an undiscovered masterpiece.

"Drug of Choice" starts off like a typical medical thriller: a physician encounters some very peculiar cases and decides to investigate them. He quickly learns that these cases are related to a secretive corporation that runs a lavish resort on a remote Caribbean island, and travels there himself. From there the story progressively becomes more and more implausible and bizarre. The novel is quite short in comparison to Crichton's later work; it feels very rushed, and there are plot holes and loose ends everywhere. The last few chapters are so absurdly over-the-top that I wondered if Crichton intended the novel as satire.

This book may be of interest to Crichton completists; read this and you'll see ideas that turned up in his later work, particularly in his films "Looker" and "Westworld." But if you're looking for more of Crichton's engaging, well-researched techno-thrillers, you'll be disappointed.