The Andromeda Strain

Rating:
Summary: Spectacular science fiction
Review: Michael Chrichton has done an excellent job in making this scientific thriller a modern day masterpiece. Although the story was written thirty years ago, It still holds true to what could happen today using equipment that most of us are familiar to, thanks to high school biology. If you are looking for a fast paced, on the edge of your seat thriller, don't expect to get it here. The Andromeda strain is more of a psychological thriller, right down to computer printouts, and the bibliography to the end, leaving you in a state of mind of "wow, this could really happen." Chriton masterfully executes even the small aspects of the story. I was particularlly fasinated with the drug Kalocin, inveted for the story. This book isn't just a story, but a work of art. Make this your next read.

Rating:
Summary: True terror...
Review: Be prepared for the unexpected! This hair-raising novel by Micheal Crichton deserves all of the awards!

Project Scoop, a government owned space project, has launched seventeen satellites into the edges of space to collect organisms and space bacteria for further study. The satellites had all been failures, until one falls to earth, raging havoc on the unsuspecting inhabitants of Piedmont,AZ. The 48 citizens were found dead, flung to the ground in heaps, clutching their chests, and wearing a frozen look of surprise and pain on their faces. Project Wildfire is launched immediatey. 5 specialists are called in, and they find something horrible, something that could destroy all possible life on this planet. Something that has a deadly pattern of destruction. Something unexpected....

I really enjoyed this book by Micheal Crichton. Even though it scared the pants off of me at first, I couldn't seem to put it down. It is definatley my favorite of his books, and I even like it better than "Jurassic Park". The format of the book is so realistic that you find yourself wondering if it really is nonfiction, no matter what the label on the spine says. For a chilling masterpiece that you can't put down, read "The Andromeda Strain" by Micheal Crichton.

Rating:
Summary: Riveting
Review: Okay, so you've seen the movie a hundred times. Have you read the book? You really need to. Once you open the cover you will not put the book down. Excellent writing and description. You won't be sorry!

Rating:
Summary: A fascinating, science-filled story ...
Review: How do you fight a deadly micro-organism brought to earth by a returning satellite? You know nothing about this micro-organism other than it has completely wiped out an entire town's population except for a sickly old man and a crying baby (clues!). Exposure to this organism will kill you instantly. Do you dare try any of the conventional methods for destroying viruses and germs? Anything you do (even nothing) may cause the micro-organism to multiply faster, mutate, etc, and you risk decimating the earth's population!

That's the challange faced by Michael Crichton's team of elite biophysicists in their top-secret, ultra-sophisticated underground research facility (code name: Wildfire). Rich in scientific details, the book speeds along from the shocking discovery of a town full of dead people, to the cloak-and-dagger process of alerting and assembling the team of civilian experts (some of whom have secrets), to the action occuring in the facility itself (a central character with a few secrets of its own).

The ultra-biologically clean government facility is equipped with automatic safeguard mechanisms that I will only characterize here as extremely thought-provoking. I was intrigued by the elaborate procedures and mechanisms for decomtaminating the scientists prior to entering the facility (not as straight forward as one would think). Also interesting was a side story involving the unexpected results of an experimental drug that kills absolutely every single bacteria, germ, virus, and organisim in the human body.

Logically plotted, highly technical and suspensefully timed, this is a thinking-man's sci-fi story which constantly reminds you of time running out with everything at stake. If you've read Michael Crichton's work before, you'll recognize his recurring theme involving the unpredictability of the universe (chaos theory), and man's mistaken belief that he can change and control nature with technolgy.

The subject was highly topical in the late 60's and early 70's when Apollo missions were bringing material back from the moon on a regular basis. Today, who knows what micro-meteorites bearing alien bacteria may be captured by space shuttles, space stations, etc?

A SIDE NOTE:

If you like this book, you should check out the 1971 film that was based on it. Considering when it was made, it is a surprisingly well-made science fiction film directed by Robert Wise. This is one of the few films that is actually as good as the book it is based on. The acting, production values, set design, and art direction are all very impressive. Sure, the computer hardware may be dated, but this was the real equipment in use at the time and actually increases the film's realism (no ultra flashly graphics, talking computers, over-produced effects, etc.). Like '2001: A Space Odyssey', the film still plays well today. Rent it!

Rating:
Summary: Amazing detail, fact, and plot
Review: Well, I won't go into the details of the story (that's what your job is), but I'll give you my opinion. Crichton integrates a tremendous amount of medical/biological, and scientific knowledge, clearly influenced by his time at Harvard Medical School, and large amounts of research, with elements of fiction that mix so perfectly, it seems as if it's actually happened. His vivid descriptions of events, locations, and everything else appearing in the story set the scene beautifully, so you can visualize everything to the smallest detail. Overall, an amazing book, just as his other novels were, and follows Crichton's usual medical/scientific theme for a great read.

Rating:
Summary: Brent Talbot's Review
Review: The Andromeda Strain is a fantastic book filled with scientific themes and drama. It was a book that increased my knowlede of the biological field. The book did not drag on like books from other authors. It just got to the main points and told an interesting tale of a virus that was unknown to human kind that we were not prepared for even though there were scientists that recomended that special facilities be built the facilitities just were not good enough. The cure for the virus was not hard to find even though the scientist could not find out the cure right away. They just overlooked a few facts that I am sure they would have found if they took there time like scientists should in a non emergency such as the case was because it was not spreading anywhere. I was not able to put the book down through all the excitment that was going on. I am sure that if Michael came out with another book even if it was along the same lines I would enjoy it.

Rating:
Summary: Good Book
Review: I gave this book 5 stars because it kept me entertained. Its all about a satellite that has fallen to earth near a little town in Nevada and is infected with a virus and kills eveyone but two people. A team is sent in to investigate and ends up getting trapped in their shelter. This book kept you reading on.

Rating:
Summary: A perfect mix of science fiction and eeire reality.
Review: As a high school student with high degrees of interest in medical technology and great literature, I can say this book caters to both. This thriller is based on an upper atmosphere-born contagion being unleashed upon a small town, and possibly the world. To counteract it, a top secret project, known as project Wildfire is set in motion. Several things about the novel pleased me. First off, I read this book in the year 2000. Keep in mind that it was written in the 1960's. Yet, the science fiction aspects avoided that outdated death sentence and were as interesting as the day they were written(the completely automated medical examination device was my favorite). Second, the detail in which the virus and the facilities to stop it were described was incredible. This was so believeable that I find myself remembering technology from the book as fact! To put it the short way, if you love science fiction, medical thrillers, science mysteries, or any kind of thrilling tale, read The Andromeda Strain!

Rating:
Summary: Incredible Novel
Review: A gtoup of five intelligent biophysicists team up with a group of scientists, as well as NASA, to start a program that recovers organisms from outer space, swich was given the name of Project Scoop. They would launch satellites up into orbit to collect organisms and bring them back to Earth. Due to the fact that this was a top-secret organization, they picked isolated places to have the satellites come back to land so no one would find out about the events going on. Previously, six "Scoops" were successful in bringing back life from space, in the form of bacteria. However, the seventh went wrong. The seventh "Scoop" crashed near Piedmont, Arizona, where the poplulation of 50 people went to see what happened. A doctor opened the satellite, exposing the people to the Andromeda Strain, which killed nearly everyone. The strange thing was, 2 people out of 50 did survive with no damage done: A baby and a 63-year-old man. Many hypotheses were tested by research and experiment, but all failed to explain the fatal disease. In the end, the Andromeda Strain gets loose, spreading all over the labratory when... I would definitely recommend this novel, especially to those who find science fiction, as well as the thought of new life forms interesting. I know I do. This book contains some actual facts, as well as some created stuff, which makes it all the more interesting. Once you get hooked into this novel, it becomes a fast read, mainly because the plot is so intense. You cannot put this novel down! This book is a great one, which I know I will most certainly pick up again!

Rating:
Summary: Unbelievable for its time
Review: Considering the fact that this book appeared in 1969, it is more than a thriller but rather a futurologist's view. From studying science closely Crichton could predict to a very large degree what would be happening 30 years later (like robotized laboratories etc.) Sometimes he overdoes it: the diagnostic computer chair, which seems to have made it anonymously into Newt Gingrich's "To Renew America". The story itself is very good but the final part is slightly disappointing (the Andromeda Strain is harmless after all). And: some things are taken for granted - the Wildfire planners seem to assume that life is based on DNA and amino acids except when it doesn't...