NEXT [Paperback]

MICHAEL CRICHTON (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 474 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; BEST-SELLERS edition (2007)
• ISBN-10: 2221109104
• ISBN-13: 978-2221109106
• Product Dimensions: 9.8 x 6 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (539 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,922,296 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

24 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars the human nature, progress and money..., October 20, 2008

By 

Aleksandra Nita-Lazar (MD, USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Next (Hardcover)

I have very mixed feelings about "Next" and I will try to describe them accurately here, although there are hundreds of reviews already and mine will not add much to the discussion probably - but maybe some points will be reinforced by my adding to the subject.

The novel's central theme is genetic manipulations and the ethical issues surrounding them. There are many subplots, all revolving around the famous philanthropist, Jack Watson (is the name a pure coincidence?), who advocates scientific progress and donates money to biotech companies. The plethora of characters includes bounty hunters, lawyers, drug addicts, physicians, teachers, secretaries, security guards, and, of course, scientists of all levels, both from academia and biotech (the difference between the two becoming less and less clear). The animal-human hybrids are made in secret; the genes are patented, the genetic screens are used to the advantage of insurance companies and in numerous trials as a tool to extort money; the scientists are depicted as vicious breed. The only two families who seem honest and, of course, like in a good thriller, win at the end, are the Burnets, who because of Frank Burnet's precious cancer cell line become involved in a massive scheme, and the Kendalls, who decide to adopt Henry Kendalls genetic son Dave, a hybrid between human and chimpanzee.

The novel is fast-paced and the characters flick like in a caleidoscope, some being introduced only for the sake of presenting another problem connected with biotechnology (for example, the whole story of the MD who donated sperm as a resident is very loosely connected to the main plot, only by the implied involvement of Watson).

Initially, I could not stand this book, but after about 200 pages I reflected and realized several things:
1. I am not in the target group, being a scientist in an academic institution and working on cancer. My point of view is not that of a model reader of "Next".
2. The presented issues are important and it probably does not matter so much how they are presented as long as they make an impact on a larger audience.
3. Crichton's technique as a writer is remarkable - although irritated, I kept reading and felt for some characters (mostly for the humanized animals, Dave and Gerard, as, no doubt, was the author's intention). No wonder why he is the best-selling novelist: he is not afraid of weighty issues and he is very good at his craft.
4. At the end, I saw the references and the authors' note and this was very important for me - I could verify some of the facts I did not know (in particular, the art using biotechnology or its remnants) and I realized I agree with the main points Crichton had tried to make (politics and science... Very difficult subject)

Having said all that, I will also say, that the points from the author's note are hardly visible during the course of the novel. The examples are vivid, but the novel reads like a manifesto against science, and will be perceived as such by many readers (and many people do not read the author's note at the end). Also, this is a work of fiction, and, however scientific, this is fiction and should be read as fiction (repetitive, I know, but I want to make my point). Additionally, I appreciate Crichton's knowledge, but there are errors, some because the book is already outdated (there are about 20,500 genes in the human genome, not 32,000) and some perhaps editorial (repeated use of the acronym GPF for green fluorescent protein instead of GFP, which is correct), not counting the ones already pointed out and explained in other review ("gene" instead of "allele" etc.). This should not happen, because it is misleading. Last but not least, an annoying non-scientific mistake is the argument of Bellarmino with his postdoc, when the director forces the poor guy to surrender the first author position in a breakthrough article and put his own first. No group leader would do that, because for professor and team leaders the last author position is far more important than the first author, and anyone who is doing research and publishing it would know that. The last author is always the one who is referred to in the articles about the work ("the study from XYs laboratory...") and this is the position Bellarmino would fight for, if there are several groups or collaborations involved. The first author position would be meaningless for him at his level. I know that it was probably to stress Bellarmino's malice, but it was excessive and erroneous.

Because "Next" evoked all these reflections, I will award it three stars - it is an average between my own contradicting opinions. To be accurate, I should probably write two reviews, one one-star, the other five-star, but sadly, Amazon does not allow this option.

44 of 54 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Long-time Crichton fan, and I found this book so disappointing, December 1, 2006

By 

L. E. Eastman "Goddess" (USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Next (Hardcover)

Michael Crichton is my favorite author, and I've been eagerly awaiting this book for months. Wow, was I ever disappointed. The author jumps back and forth between eight or nine parallel stories (all tied to genetic engineering). The result is a confusing mess. There are too many characters to keep track of - I felt like I needed a program to tell one player from another. And a number of subplots never reached a resolution, leaving me to wonder why Michael even bothered to include them in the first place.

NEXT does pose some interesting moral and ethical dilemmas about genetic engineering; unfortunately the impact of this message gets diluted by multiple convoluted subplots. I'd come to expect so much more from the author of such masterpieces as "The Andromeda Strain," "Jurassic Park," and "Eaters of the Dead."

26 of 31 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Crichton's most humorous book, April 15, 2007

By 

Sally Forth "Book Worm" (Bay Area, California) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Next (Hardcover)

I just finished listening to the audio tape of Next and LOVED it (and chuckled a lot). I also just read the Amazon reviews and was amazed that people didn't get the joke. This was satire! I was a scientist and my husband is a biotech patent attorney and Crichten is right on concerning the foibles of science, genetic engineering, technology transfer, etc. What I like about this book (and all of Crichten's books) is that he writes terrific 'what if' plots based on man's innate stupidity. To take one scene from Next, a group of American's are in Borneo looking for orangutans in a research park. They are a noisy and whiny crowd and the leader is afraid that the orangs will not show--but one does and makes some gutteral sounds, although orangs don't make sounds. Someone in the group realizes that the creature is making fun of them in Swedish (it speaks French too!). The news sweeps around the world with Crichten creating wonderful headlines and the reader (audio CD) speaking BBC English. It's true the plot skips around but the main characters are memorable and there IS a plot. Don't forget Crichten has a lot of ground to cover and a lot of material to make fun of. Get the CD. It brings the book to life.