The Andromeda Strain

Review

A slowly building tale of suspense, the paranoia of the character reaches the reader and Michael Crichton masterfully makes a complicated story simple to grasp.

Good, but not as good as I thought it would be

The Andromeda Strain is an interesting novel about a group of scientists trying to learn about a new and deadly microorganism that fell to Earth with a satellite. Having read books by Michael Crichton before, so I expected the characters to be well developed, but unfortunately I was sadly mistaken. I think the book was written mostly to entertain, and i kind of was, but at the same time it was very informative. I would definitely recommend this because it constantly kept me entertained, even though the characters weren¿t fully developed. I think anyone could enjoy this book, but the people who will get the most out of it, will be the ones who have at least a little bit of background knowledge on biology.

Great Book

The Andromeda Strain is a great science fiction thrilller that takes place in the middle of the desert of Arizona. A mysterious disease kills almost everyone in a small town, and scientists in a secret government installation must solve the mystery and develop a cure before it is too late. It is a very suspensful "race against time" type of book with lots of scientific facts and advanced technology. It is hard to believe that such an interesting book was written in 1969

Very Well Done

A pretty good sci-fi book with an alien virus infecting a small town and the race that follows to eradicate it and produce a vaccine. Very X-Files-ish. I liked it a lot. If you did too, I also recommend reading Crichton's Jurassic Park.

Genius

Except for very few moments in the book, you would not realize this book was written in 1969. The idea of a biological pandemic is pretty common nowadays with zombie movies, the movie "Outbreak," etc. but the way this story was presented and how the virus/bacteria comes into existence shows how brilliant and how much Crichton was ahead of his time. This was a very quick read but it is probably better suited for those who have at least a decent understanding of science and appreciate intellectual thrillers. This book makes you think, and if you can put this into perspective given the context of when this was written, you will love it.

Possibly one of the greatest Sci-Fi novels

On one fateful night,Piedmont receives a gift. Withing minutes, the town is dead, as if they dropped for no reason in the middle of the night. Now, Wildfire is activated, summoning scientists from across the country to help solve the mystery of what happened, and why 2 lonely survivors managed to avoid the catastrophe that claimed so many others. But their time is limited, as soon their quarantine breaks and people start dying. A thrilling Sci-Fi novel that will leave you questioning things you never thought to ask before. You will feel as though you are a member of the wildfire team, discovering possible cures only to find that the virus has evolved into a new, deadlier form. I first discover Micheal Crichton through the wonderful novel of Jurassic park, and thought that he would be a one hit wonder author. I was pleased to find I was wrong, and reading this book shed new light on the world of biology for me. The entire novel is not a simple 'What-if?" technology, all of it based off technology we do indeed have, if not a little more simplified and advanced, but based in reality nonetheless. Mr. Crichton, god rest him, was also a very well educated individual, sporting both his own speculations and those of other scientists who were experts on their respected subjects. I also enjoyed it because not only did I find myself thinking about the subjects I was reading about, but I was also generating my own knowledge and interest, and later found myself studying more about Biology simply so that I could read on a higher intellect level. Sci-Fi lovers would love it as well as scientists, as the book uses ideas that causes questions to be raised and answered, but only if the reader is truly paying attention to the book itself.

Pretty Good

I thought this was below average for Michael Crichton. I enjoyed it quite a bit, but it is much more fact driven than a lot of his better novels. It is not very character driven at all. It is really interesting and was a fast read, just not super great.

Captivating, Interesting, Thriller

In this read, Michael Chricton has intrigued me. The Andromeda Strain is about a space probe that has landed in a small town named Piedmont. Within short time of the probes crash people throughout the town start to experience death. The probe was collecting space particles before its unpleasant return to earth; the materials collected a 'strain' that caused death. Scientists were called to discover what the 'strain' the probe brought back was. The Andromeda Strain was a interesting read that really kept me wanting more. The book got quite confusing, such as its unneeded depth in a type of disease. On the plus side it was juicy and you always wanted to turn the page. If you like the suspense, the thrill, the sci-fi action that is attempted to be created in a real life way, I would suggest you start reading The Andromeda Strain, if none of the following listed things do not intrigue you I suggest finding another book. If I were to suggest that other book, I would suggest Sphere also written my Michael Crichton. All in all The Andromeda Strain was a interesting read that really kept me wanting more while reading but also had me confused, but a great read I would have to say.

The Andromeda Strain

I was looking forward to reading this book, but once I did I wasn't so impressed. This isn't a bad book it's technical and if you don't like that then I wouldn't recommend this book to you. I felt like a scientist reading a paper about a paticularly interesting find that happend to scare and be potentially dangerous to people. I did not find it very thrilling or exciting. I did find it very fascinating though. If you are interested in physics and biology I would give it a good read. It's not a bad book though but compaired to his other books this one is the least exciting that I have read.

Only if you're into this sort of thing

Okay, first of all, I hate it when people write review about a book they had to read for school or never finished, and sadly both are true about this review, but here I am writting this anyways.

This book is PAINFULL to read, if you are not a hardcore sifi fan.

The plot is good. The idea is great.

The style, in my opinion, is horrible. The charects have no personality. They don't even dispay emotions. I felt like I was reading about thoes aliens in star treck. For example in the begging of the book, men come to one of the charecter's door with guns and tell him that he has to come with them, and will be gone for an extended period of time. The charecter puts up little fight from this, and leaves without even a hug good-bye to his wife. The only real personality trais actually displayed in the book are that two of the scientists don't like eachother, and if you ask me, it is a streach to even say that gives some one personality.

Also, it is ubelieveably detailed in its descripion of insterments used to gather data. I found this rath unintresting, to say the least.

Basically this is a book about a virus, and a concept of extratresstrial life. It makes me wonder why the writter is writting si-fi instead of actual scientific papers.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

captivating

The Andromeda Strain is a terrifying story when you consider how plausible it could be. A probe satellite falls back to earth near the town of Piedmont. Within minutes, almost everybody in the town is dead. That satellite brought back something with it from outerspace. A team of scientists is assembled to figure out what "it" is that was brought back. This is a fun thriller that really kept me hooked. At times the language got quite technical but that just lent more to the non-fiction feel of this novel. Overall....The Andomeda Strain is a captivating read.

Another great thriller by Micheal Crichton.

As always, Michael Crichton delivered an almost perfect techno-thriller. I you enjoy a smart and thrilling read, his novels are for you. Perhaps not my favorite of his, but still great considering it was an early novel of his. The characters were good, but the scientific plot was the thing that really gets you interested.

Interesting reading for techno-thriller

I was very captured by this story from the very beginning and it kept me going all the way to the end of the book. I like the attention to detail Crichton gives on the different stages of the book. I was really pulled into the story as if it was happening right in front of me. The end of the book lacks closure, although this could be the point.

I believe all Michael Crichton fans would enjoy this thrilling quick-read.

Andromeda Strain or Entertaining Epidemic?

Michael Crichton¿s impressive first work ¿The Andromeda Strain¿ is about an extraterrestrial disease that lands in a small American town called Piedmont. Even worse is the fact that everyone in Piedmont is dead save for a raging alcoholic and a infant. A team is assembled to combat the disease at a research station (Wild Fire) designed to locate, analyze, and defeat an alien disease.
While the novel is impressive (especially for a first work), it does suffer from some problems. The characters are a bland to the point you have trouble remembering their names. You may find yourself in a situation where you remember them by their profession. The language used while informative may be a bit too technical for those without some kind of medical training, and even those with sufficient information (i.e. a 9th grade education) will need to re read some. I won¿t spoil the ending, but the action starts 20 pages before the ending. So if you¿re looking for an action packed book keep looking (although those last 20 pages are riveting). Finally I must rant about the ending. While I appreciate the open ending I must protest the extent. It leaves too much to the imagination.
The book has problems but it also has many excellent qualities. The story is very informational considering it is a work of fiction. While it lacks memorable characters the story and the disease itself are unforgettable. The book is veal for any intellectual, and is an absolute must read, and own. While it lacks the action of other books by this brilliant author (Jurassic Park, Congo, Timeline) it has a certain charm that cannot be replicated.
In conclusion I must recommend this masterful work. As anything it has draw backs, and I would not recommend to someone who has never read a Crichton, and lacks a knowledge of medicine. It¿s a nice short read that you can probably finish in a plane flight. The question is do you want to come down after reading it?

Great Book! Riveting Storyline!

The Andromeda Strain was a great book. I thought that it was very interesting because I like science fiction. I also like Michael Crichton as an author. I have read some of his other books and have found them quite entertaining. Although some parts of the book were a little slow reading, I found the book to be one I would recommend to any reader that likes science fiction.
I found the details of the experiments performed in this novel very cool. I wanted to read on until the end of the book because I wanted to know why all of these people in Piedmont died. The characters were also very engaging. I liked their personalities throughout the story. I also enjoyed the way that their lives and experiences tied into the final experiments and ending of this novel. Overall, as a story, I found the Andromeda Strain to be very enjoyable but it would be a very frightening situation if it happened in real life.

People who dont like it, dont understand it.

This is by far one of Crichton's best. I thought that it was one of the best books if have ever read. The biological crisis is highly original. You must have a very good understanding of biology and science to read this book. Highly recommended

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

The Andromeda Strain

In Andromeda Strain a group of scientists investigate an unknown virus that was brought from space on a satellite. This virus kills intantly and spreads easily. This book was pretty boring and even after I was more than halfway through it I was waiting for the climax. Overall it is not a great book if you're not into viruses.

A reviewer

The author was able to hold my interests throughout this book.The author was able to do this by moving at a pace were not a whole lot is going on and then mini-climactic ending to a chapter. I kept reading this book for that reason. It pays off in the end. If I had to change this book in any way, I would change the pace of the book. I enjoy books that move fast and don't have many. Like the harry potter books.I would take out the boring parts and add exciting ones.I think this would make this book awesome.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

A reviewer

This book was not a positive experience for me. I am not a man who likes reading. The only thing I enjoy reading are comic books. The characters in the novel were not believable. I did not have a favoite character because none of the characters were interesting to myself. In my opinon, the author did not put in a any effort creating the characters in this novel. The author did not hold interest through the first page, not even thinking of the entire novel. The author had a pitty attempt of a some what well writen plot. I learned from this book to never waste my time by reading this book ever again. The only thing I gained from reading this book is hours of boardom. I think I would recommend this book to my friend just to mess with them. It would be funny for them to go through the same missury I went through.

0 out of 2 people found this review helpful.

Astonishing, another masterpiece by Michael Crichton

Since i was a little boy i had read mvery many horror stories, and science fiction novels (Such as the Andromeda Strain) and since then i have never read a novel so far-out, unique and differnt as the Andromdea Strain. A powerful story that chooses the fate of all man kind, who will win Good or evil, man kind or The Androemda Strain. I call the Andromeda Strain 'The science fiction story of the century'