Next

by Michael Crichton Narrated by Dylan Baker

Overview

From Michael Crichton, the #1 bestselling author of Jurassic Park and The Andromeda Strain, comes a devilishly clever, breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and genetic ownership shatters our assumptions.

Welcome to our genetic world.

Fast, furious, and out of control.

This is not the world of the future-it's the world right now.

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blonds becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only four hundred genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction-is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps, a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars and to test our spouses for genetic maladies. We live in a time when one-fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else-and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes....

The future is closer than you think.

Editorial Reviews

Forbes Magazine

Will cool your ardor for biotechnology. Crichton graphically portrays all the hideous things that can go wrong with genetic research. Critics carp that he exploitatively mixes fiction with fact to conjure up an array of Frankenstein-like outcomes. But so what? The last century showed us what the once popular, seemingly scientific idea of eugenics--the belief that we could improve human beings the way we improve animals and plants through selective breeding, planting and culling--led to. Most Western countries, including the U.S., forced sterilization on hundreds of thousands of people because the prevailing thought was that their bad genes shouldn't be passed on to future generations. The Nazis carried that idea to its murderous conclusion. (18 Jun 2007)
—Steve Forbes

From the Publisher

NEXT is one of Mr. Crichton’s more un-put-downable novels. Its emphasis is on excitement.” — New York Times

“[Crichton’s] in top form with NEXT....There’s a lot to like and to scare you.” — USA Today

“[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton’s storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation.” — Los Angeles Times

“NEXT is a romp and a potboiler...a blockbuster science thriller...an entertaining read.” — Philadelphia Inquirer

“Under Crichton’s imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon.” — People

“His plot, involving a score of main characters and a dozen different strands, defies summary but is completely brilliant.” — Daily Mail (London)

“[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We’re Not Having.” — Time magazine

“Crichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader’s attention right down to the last page.” — NPR (All Things Considered)

“Crichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads.” — Newsweek

“Crichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research.” — Globe and Mail (Toronto)

“Crichton’s latest techo-thriller raises fascinating ethical questions.” — Christian Science Monitor

“A compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution.” — National Review

“You realize what [Crichton]’s fictionalizing could be happening now, not “Next.” And that’s what makes it all so terrifying.” — Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

“As entertaining as anything he has written since Jurassic Park.” — Dallas Morning News

“Read this book. It’s enough to scare the DNA out of you.” — Baton Rouge Advocate

“NEXT will frighten, worry and amuse you, and keep you thinking long after its final words are read. Highly recommended.” — Bookreporter.com

“A cracking pace...fast-moving plot with highly detailed research.” — Sunday Telegraph (Australia)

“The writing is mentally sharp, with vignettes that make you wonder if you are reading satire or simply mild exagerration.” — Houston Chronicle

“A satirical thriller that will have bookworms glued to their armchairs.” — Denver Post

“(Crichton) is one of the most reliable purveyors of brain-engaged popular fiction at work today.” — Sunday Express (London)

“It is devilishly clever...thoroughly enjoyable.” — Aberdeen Press & Journal [Scotland]

“Crichton sets up mind-boggling scenarios. The pace and intrigue last to the final page.” — News of the World (UK)

“A complex and credible extension of present reality into the realm of the imagination. A highly readable novel.” — South China Morning Post

“NEXT is a page-turner, natuarlly; deft and dashing, eminently professional. ” — Daily Telegraph (London)

“[Crichton’s] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured.” — Mail on Sunday

“[Crichton] is a punchy, modern storyteller. NEXT is a popular thriller worth serious reading.” — Adelaide Advertiser

“A cracking dark tale about biotechnology and transgenics. Epic in style.” — Birmingham Post (UK)

“(Crichton) carouses through the landscape of scientific development, presenting one frightening possibility after another. Michael Crichton isn’t for scaredybabies.” — Daily News

“Wonderful...NEXT’s a regular romp.” — Evening Standard (UK)

“Provocative and entertaining.” — Calgary Sun

“NEXT is populated with blood-pressure-raising villains who will keep you turning the pages.” — Forbes

|Los Angeles Times

[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton’s storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation.

Philadelphia Inquirer

NEXT is a romp and a potboiler...a blockbuster science thriller...an entertaining read.

New York Times

NEXT is one of Mr. Crichton’s more un-put-downable novels. Its emphasis is on excitement.

Daily Mail (London)

His plot, involving a score of main characters and a dozen different strands, defies summary but is completely brilliant.

Time magazine

[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We’re Not Having.

USA Today

[Crichton’s] in top form with NEXT....There’s a lot to like and to scare you.

Globe and Mail (Toronto)

Crichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research.

Newsweek

Crichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads.

NPR (All Things Considered)

Crichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader’s attention right down to the last page.

People

Under Crichton’s imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon.

USA Today

[Crichton’s] in top form with NEXT....There’s a lot to like and to scare you.

Newsweek

Crichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads.

Los Angeles Times

[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton’s storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation.

South China Morning Post

A complex and credible extension of present reality into the realm of the imagination. A highly readable novel.

Dallas Morning News

As entertaining as anything he has written since Jurassic Park.

Houston Chronicle

The writing is mentally sharp, with vignettes that make you wonder if you are reading satire or simply mild exagerration.

Denver Post

A satirical thriller that will have bookworms glued to their armchairs.

Christian Science Monitor

Crichton’s latest techo-thriller raises fascinating ethical questions.

News of the World (UK)

Crichton sets up mind-boggling scenarios. The pace and intrigue last to the final page.

Birmingham Post (UK)

A cracking dark tale about biotechnology and transgenics. Epic in style.

Sunday Telegraph (Australia)

A cracking pace...fast-moving plot with highly detailed research.

Aberdeen Press & Journal [Scotland]

It is devilishly clever...thoroughly enjoyable.

Baton Rouge Advocate

Read this book. It’s enough to scare the DNA out of you.

Daily Telegraph (London)

NEXT is a page-turner, natuarlly; deft and dashing, eminently professional.

Evening Standard (UK)

Wonderful...NEXT’s a regular romp.

Adelaide Advertiser

[Crichton] is a punchy, modern storyteller. NEXT is a popular thriller worth serious reading.

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

You realize what [Crichton]’s fictionalizing could be happening now, not “Next.” And that’s what makes it all so terrifying.

Sunday Express (London)

(Crichton) is one of the most reliable purveyors of brain-engaged popular fiction at work today.

Calgary Sun

Provocative and entertaining.

Bookreporter.com

NEXT will frighten, worry and amuse you, and keep you thinking long after its final words are read. Highly recommended.

National Review

A compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution.

Forbes

NEXT is populated with blood-pressure-raising villains who will keep you turning the pages.

Daily News

(Crichton) carouses through the landscape of scientific development, presenting one frightening possibility after another. Michael Crichton isn’t for scaredybabies.

Mail on Sunday

[Crichton’s] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured.

National Review

A compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution.

Globe & Mail (Toronto)

"Crichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research."

(All Things Considered) - NPR

"Crichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader’s attention right down to the last page."

Time Magazine

"[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We’re Not Having."

People Magazine

"Under Crichton’s imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon."

Mail

[Crichton’s] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured.

Product Details

BN ID:	2940173752383
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/28/2006
Edition description:	Unabridged

Read an Excerpt

Next LP

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By Michael Crichton

HarperCollins Publishers, Inc.

Copyright © 2006 Michael Crichton
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0060873035

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Chapter One

Division 48 of Los Angeles Superior Court was a wood-paneled room dominated by the great seal of the state of California. The room was small and had a tawdry feeling. The reddish carpet was frayed and streaked with dirt. The wood veneer on the witness stand was chipped, and one of the fluorescent lights was out, leaving the jury box darker than the rest of the room. The jurors themselves were dressed casually, in jeans and short-sleeve shirts. The judge's chair squeaked whenever the Honorable Davis Pike turned away to glance at his laptop, which he did often throughout the day. Alex Burnet suspected he was checking his e-mail or his stocks.

All in all, this courtroom seemed an odd place to litigate complex issues of biotechnology, but that was what they had been doing for the past two weeks in Frank M. Burnet v. Regents of the University of California.

Alex was thirty-two, a successful litigator, a junior partner in her law firm. She sat at the plaintiff's table with the other members of her father's legal team, and watched as her father took the witness stand. Although she smiled reassuringly, she was, in fact, worried about how he would fare.

Frank Burnet was a barrel-chested man who looked younger than his fifty-one years. He appeared healthy and confident as he was sworn in. Alex knew that her father's vigorous appearance could undermine hiscase. And, of course, the pretrial publicity had been savagely negative. Rick Diehl's PR team had worked hard to portray her dad as an ungrateful, greedy, unscrupulous man. A man who interfered with medical research. A man who wouldn't keep his word, who just wanted money.

None of that was true--in reality, it was the opposite of the truth. But not a single reporter had called her father to ask his side of the story. Not one. Behind Rick Diehl stood Jack Watson, the famous philanthropist. The media assumed that Watson was the good guy, and therefore her father was the bad guy. Once that version of the morality play appeared in the New York Times (written by the local entertainment reporter), everybody else fell into line. There was a huge "me, too" piece in the L.A. Times, trying to outdo the New York version in vilifying her father. And the local news shows kept up a daily drumbeat about the man who wanted to halt medical progress, the man who dared criticize UCLA, that renowned center of learning, the great hometown university. A half-dozen cameras followed her and her father whenever they walked up the courthouse steps.

Their own efforts to get the story out had been singularly unsuccessful. Her father's hired media advisor was competent enough, but no match for Jack Watson's well-oiled, well-financed machine.

Of course, members of the jury would have seen some of the coverage. And the impact of the coverage was to put added pressure on her father not merely to tell his story, but also to redeem himself, to contradict the damage already done to him by the press, before he ever got to the witness stand.

Her father's attorney stood and began his questions. "Mr. Burnet, let me take you back to the month of June, some eight years ago. What were you doing at that time?"

"I was working construction," her father said, in a firm voice. "Supervising all the welding on the Calgary natural gas pipeline."

"And when did you first suspect you were ill?"

"I started waking up in the night. Soaking wet, drenched."

"You had a fever?"

"I thought so."

"You consulted a doctor?"

"Not for a while," he said. "I thought I had the flu or something. But the sweats never stopped. After a month, I started to feel very weak. Then I went to the doctor."

"And what did the doctor tell you?"

"He said I had a growth in my abdomen. And he referred me to the most eminent specialist on the West Coast. A professor at UCLA Medical Center, in Los Angeles."

"Who was that specialist?"

"Dr. Michael Gross. Over there." Her father pointed to the defendant, sitting at the next table. Alex did not look over. She kept her gaze on her father.

"And were you subsequently examined by Dr. Gross?"

"Yes, I was."

"He conducted a physical exam?"

"Yes."

"Did he do any tests at that time?"

"Yes. He took blood and he did X-rays and a CAT scan of my entire body. And he took a biopsy of my bone marrow."

"How was that done, Mr. Burnet?"

"He stuck a needle in my hipbone, right here. The needle punches through the bone and into the marrow. They suck out the marrow and analyze it."

"And after these tests were concluded, did he tell you his diagnosis?"

"Yes. He said I had acute T-cell lymphoblastic leukemia."

"What did you understand that disease to be?"

"Cancer of the bone marrow."

"Did he propose treatment?"

"Yes. Surgery and then chemotherapy."

"And did he tell you your prognosis? What the outcome of this disease was likely to be?"

"He said that it wasn't good."

"Was he more specific?"

"He said, probably less than a year."

"Did you subsequently get a second opinion from another doctor?"

"Yes, I did."

"With what result?"

"My diagnosis was . . . he, uh . . . he confirmed the diagnosis." Her father paused, bit his lip, fighting emotion. Alex was surprised. He was usually tough and unemotional. She felt a twinge of concern for him, even though she knew this moment would help his case. "I was scared, really scared," her father said. "They all told me . . . I didn't have long to live." He lowered his head.

The courtroom was silent.

"Mr. Burnet, would you like some water?"

"No. I'm fine." He raised his head, passed his hand across his forehead. "Please continue when you're ready."

"I got a third opinion, too. And everybody said to me that Dr. Gross was the best doctor for this disease."

Continues...

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Excerpted from Next LP by Michael Crichton Copyright © 2006 by Michael Crichton. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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