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jamesqI finished reading "Next" by Michael Crichton last night. It was far more engrossing then it had any right to be.
The book is about as well written as anything he's done - which is not to say that it's good literature, but it is a good read. Crichton is like a carpenter that only know how to use a hammer, but uses it really well. As long as you don't expect much more then nails being pounded, he's your guy.
Which is to say that Next is heavy-handed, has multiple two-dimensional characters that are hard to keep track of (like, is this the guy who's brother huffed an experimental gene-treatment, or is this the guy who slept with the 16 year-old by accident) and parts of the novel read like a screenplay (which this will no doubt become in a few years).
Where Next shines is in the science. As with the Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, you have to squint a little to make yourself believe it's possible. The transgenic characters and gene therapies presented in Next look like they might be possible if you don't actually have any real knowledge of Genetics.
Two things struck me in the book. One was the character of Gerard (A transgenic, sentient, African Grey Parrot with near-human intelligence). Gerard has some of the best lines and moments in the book. When he doesn't get his way, he's prone to swearing or playing back your last sexual encounter with perfect memory and mimicry of all the voices and sounds involved. Gerard is an asshole, but he's your kind of asshole.
The second was a judge's speech towards the end of the book on whether naturally occurring genes should be patentable. Crichton's sock-puppet character says "no" and expands on the reasons why. In the afterword of the novel he expands on this topic, arguing that you should not be able to "own" naturally occuring propereties simply be describing them. Owning the gene for blondness, he argues, makes about as much sense as "owning" sunshine or iron or pi. A process that uses a gene to create some wonder drug would still be fair game though. This is a perfectly sensible position IMHO.
If you like techno-thrillers with a host of asshole characters and some gee-whiz science, pick it up.
The book is about as well written as anything he's done - which is not to say that it's good literature, but it is a good read. Crichton is like a carpenter that only know how to use a hammer, but uses it really well. As long as you don't expect much more then nails being pounded, he's your guy.
Which is to say that Next is heavy-handed, has multiple two-dimensional characters that are hard to keep track of (like, is this the guy who's brother huffed an experimental gene-treatment, or is this the guy who slept with the 16 year-old by accident) and parts of the novel read like a screenplay (which this will no doubt become in a few years).
Where Next shines is in the science. As with the Dinosaurs in Jurassic Park, you have to squint a little to make yourself believe it's possible. The transgenic characters and gene therapies presented in Next look like they might be possible if you don't actually have any real knowledge of Genetics.
Two things struck me in the book. One was the character of Gerard (A transgenic, sentient, African Grey Parrot with near-human intelligence). Gerard has some of the best lines and moments in the book. When he doesn't get his way, he's prone to swearing or playing back your last sexual encounter with perfect memory and mimicry of all the voices and sounds involved. Gerard is an asshole, but he's your kind of asshole.
The second was a judge's speech towards the end of the book on whether naturally occurring genes should be patentable. Crichton's sock-puppet character says "no" and expands on the reasons why. In the afterword of the novel he expands on this topic, arguing that you should not be able to "own" naturally occuring propereties simply be describing them. Owning the gene for blondness, he argues, makes about as much sense as "owning" sunshine or iron or pi. A process that uses a gene to create some wonder drug would still be fair game though. This is a perfectly sensible position IMHO.
If you like techno-thrillers with a host of asshole characters and some gee-whiz science, pick it up.
