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Summary: It could have been great
Review: I first read this book when I was in high school, in the late '80s. I liked it - but even then I thought it was dated in its depictions of modern society. (For example, the main characters are all educated or military white men who are single or who have placeholder wives. The film version tried to remedy this by changing one of the characters into a woman, but the film had its own problems.)The concept is great, the execution ... not so much. The parts that deal with the actual story being told are very interesting and move well. A lot of science is dumped on the reader, though, and I do mean dumped. The story comes to a screeching halt so that Crichton can explain, for example, the way to translate a number between base 2 and base 10 or the difficulty faced by scientists in defining "life". Still, "Andromeda" is far superior to other Crichton works, especially "Jurassic Park". Here there is at least some attempt made to give characters depth. Sure, some characters are blatant walking signboards, but not nearly to the same degree here. (The replacement physician is a standard plot technique - his function is to ask the questions the author expects the reader would ask - but a faint sense of character still comes through.) [If it isn't clear, I want books to have some sort of plot or idea, but my primary requirement is that the characters are well-developed and believable. This is sadly rare in science-fiction. This aside is my version of a disclaimer.] As far as the plot/idea goes, the contamination of the space probe and its aftereffects make for a good one. The topic is handled well, and most of the occurrences are honest. That is, the mistakes that are made are believable, the way that events develop is plausible, and tension is maintained well through the story. In all, it's good (but not great). If you want strong characters or smooth storytelling, "Andromeda" is not your best bet. (Harry Turtledove, maybe, if you still want science fiction.) If your primary requirement is a great idea, though, this book satisfies, and it stays with you long after you've finished.
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Summary: Loved this book back in 7th grade
Review: Like the first featured reviewer (at the time of my writing this) I also wish my biology teacher made things this interesting! Crichton's ability to predict the future is quite amazing as well. It's been exactly 33 years after the first hardcover edition came out, and it still could seem very up to date and "modern" by many peoples' standards. I think anyone could enjoy this book. I remember at around the same time I was reading this book, practically half my english class was reading it too. The other half was reading "The Hot Zone", which is based on the same idea of microorganisms killing off humans. The battle between humans and disease has raged on for a long time, and this book perfectly captures that in a very smart and interesting way. Highly recommended, but like the other reviewers have said, don't expect a thriller or even a page turner.
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Summary: A Fascinating Book
Review: I liked this book from the very first chapter. Just like nearly all of his books he grabs you from the very beginning and you're pulled right in and involved right from the start. If I HAD to criticize this book the only bad thing I could say about it is that it's too short. But it manages to fit a whole lot of stuff into its couple hundred pages. From beginning to end there's not a dull moment, and if I had to spend twenty dollars to read this book I'd think it would be worth it. So deffinitely get this book... even if you're not a Michael Chrichton fan. If you aren't, this book will make you one. If you are, this is deffinitely a book of his that must NOT be passed up.
Rating: 
Summary: A Great Book
Review: I thank this book would be alot better if Michael Crichton would have put a lot more exsitment into it. Some of the stronge pints was the sciens lingo and the detale. Michael might have been better off if he would tone down the lingo. The detale was great and inforitive. The weak pint where the ending. It was weak because you are whating for something big at the end, but it did not come.
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Summary: The Andromeda Strain
Review: Back in the the 1960's, 7 satelites, the Scoops, were sent up to orbit the Earth to collect organisms from other planets. Most of the satelites had burned up in the atmosphere, or had nothing in them. One of the Scoops had lost control and landed in Piedmont, Nevada. What this satelite had was a new organism that was very deadly. It killed the entire town of 48 people except for the alcoholic and the baby. Four scientists are notified after the satelite was recovered to study the new organism. Many experiments were conducted on Level V of the government building. Everything had to be isolated or else the scientists would be killed. The organism was named Andromeda Strain. In order to keep things in Piedmont contained, a 7-12(or an atomic bomb dropped) was issued. The plane incenerated before it got to its site from Andromeda. However though if the bomb was dropped it would have spread the organism to Los Angeles, Las Vegas and other small cities. What will happen? How far will Andromeda spread? This is what the scientists will need to figure out.
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Summary: Crichton Definetly Picked a Great Topic
Review: Originally the Andromeda Strain was to be based on certain events that mixed biological entities and science fiction along with the era's events. A graduate from Harvard, Crichton just entered the time where his writing was done under other names, and a book that was to be known as his works was still being considered. The Book was an experiment, a test to see if Crichton had what it took to make good novels. And it worked. Written in the late 60's, this book has sold more than 1.4 million copies, translated into several languages, and is still read. The main point of the book is an explanation to the downsides of both the space program, and the use of biological warfare. Remember in that time, the cold war was still at its high point, and both powers (US, and the Soviets) were building up their weapons. The book introduces the newest of these weapons: a space program designed to send sattelites into space and pick up dust particles, or anything that may be out in the cold darkness of space. However one of the orbiters encounters a problem about 40 hours after its launch. The sattelite, and whatever particles it has caught falls back to the Earth, crashing a short distance from a small town of Piedmont, Arizona. Soon the object is taken into the town and opened by the town's doctor. However high above a hill watching over the town, a pair of agents have been keeping vigil watch on the town and its new shipment of declassified goods. Soon they notice the eerie silence that falls over the town. Something is not right. Soon the last transmission sent to the headquarters is a loud-pitched scream. Something is really not right. The Andromeda Strain is a great military science thriller. It combines some of the military protocal, as well as Crichton's Medical knowledge and of course, his good science fiction imagination. Although this book is a little old and out of date in the terms of technology, it is still one of the best books written by Crichton-even if it was an experiment. It is his introduction to what he has written to this day, and it is that introduction that changed the world's look on the government's action.
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Summary: The Andromeda Strain
Review: This exciting thriller is one of Chrichton's best. The action adventure mixes scientific and technical data together, and envelops the reader in a fictional tale of the failed armageddon of Earth. A virulent organism is brought onto the Earth's surface by a secret government capsule, Scoop VII, which was designed to capture single celled organisms in the Earth's atmosphere. Which may lead them to locating an extra terrestrial life form of any size. Scoop VII lands in the middle of a small-town Arizona. The population of 48 soon gets curious and opens up the capsule to take a look for themselves. Little do they know they have just released the most deadly organism known and not known to man. Before the "virus" is allowed to spread, five scientists who are part of the secretly run government organization known as "Wildfire," must use state of the art equipment, and their heads to try to stop it before the "virus" before it ends the legacy of the human race. The very well written book, even though written 20 years ago, is remarkably close to real life. Chrichton intertwines the marvelous plot with very descriptive words and real life (well some) scientific data. Not a book you want to miss! A must read! Even though it was one of Chrichton's first books, I think it is one of his best!
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Summary: An Explosive Start
Review: The Andromeda Strain was the first Michael Crichton book I ever read. I discovered it when I was in junior high school, and from there I went on to become an avid reader of science and medical fiction. Although this book was written almost 20 years ago, it's still scary today. (Perhaps even more so after the events of last fall.) Crichton has a way of keeping up the suspense while still making the characters believable. The Andromeda Strain remains one of my "must-read" books.
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Summary: Terrifying and plausible worst case of what if?...
Review: Michael Crichton's first, and wildly successful, novel to be published under his own name is a terrifying tale of an alien microbe, one that is toxic to earth residents, getting loose in northern Arizona. In what would become a trademark storytelling style, Crichton describes the fictional events as actual occurrences, so the novel reads like non-fiction reportage. Undoubtedly a few were suckered in by the realistic mimicry (ala the infamous Orson Welles War of the Worlds radio broadcast). This faux realism keeps the novel pulsating with energy even today, some thirty years after its original publication, helping retain its narrative edge. A brilliant and highly recommended debut.
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Summary: Excellent Work Of Scientific Fiction...
Review: I found the book pleasant, shocking, sobering, and amazing. The technical detail that Crichton uses is almost unparalelled among the authors I have read (one possible exception: Alistair MacLean). Wonderful plotline, excellent tension, a beautiful ending, an awesome Crichton work.
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