the andromeda strain by michael crichton

This unfortunately then set the tone for the rest of the book where I feel Crichton seemed anxious to demonstrate his research or knowledge to the detriment of his story. As he introduces the team being set up to investigate the strain he detours into detailed bios of each of the men's achievements listing scientific papers they have written and how their careers have developed.

At this point though the author seems to almost switch modes. The description of the Strain's impact on one small American town is a genuinely powerful scene. The book sets up this idea very well with David Morse's almost dispassionate narration setting bleak opening scenes and hinting at tension that surely had to follow. There's no doubt in my mind that the Andromeda Strain is a clever idea, particularly when it's date of origin is considered. But the Andromeda Strain proves different from anything they’ve ever seen - and what they don’t know could not only hurt them, but lead to unprecedented worldwide catastrophe. Under conditions of total news blackout and the utmost urgency, the scientists race to understand and contain the crisis. Four of the nation’s most elite biophysicists are summoned to a clandestine underground laboratory located five stories beneath the desert and fitted with an automated atomic self-destruction mechanism for cases of irremediable contamination. The United States government is forced to mobilize Project Wildfire, a top-secret emergency response protocol.

Twelve miles from the crash site, an inexplicable and deadly phenomenon terrorizes the residents of a sleepy desert town in Arizona, leaving only two survivors: an elderly addict and a newborn infant. 'I love anything Michael Crichton writes.' (Stephen King)Ī military space probe, sent to collect extraterrestrial organisms from the upper atmosphere, is knocked out of orbit and falls to Earth.

First published fifty years ago, The Andromeda Strain redefined the science fiction genre, and immediately established Michael Crichton as one of the brightest voices in contemporary literature worldwide.

The andromeda strain by michael crichton