The Andromeda Strain
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242
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Paperback
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Product Details
| ISBN-13: | 9781101974490 |
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| Publisher: | Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group |
| Publication date: | 01/24/2017 |
| Pages: | 304 |
| Sales rank: | 6,990 |
| Product dimensions: | 5.15(w) x 7.90(h) x 0.71(d) |
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
Andromeda Strain
4 out of 5
based on
0 ratings.
243 reviews.
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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.
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This book is excellent. Thrilling and very persuasive. I had seen the movie several times and was pleasantly surprised at how well the movie followed the book.
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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.
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the science that once was so cutting edge is now old hat and commonplace. Not Creighton 's best but a good read none-the-less.
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I reread this science fiction classic in anticipation of the “sequel” coming this fall. The book is still exciting and suspenseful, although its 1969 science is, of course, outdated. I also watched the original 1971 movie, and the 2008 miniseries that added much to the plot. Now I am ready for the sequel.
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This is by far one of Michael Crichton's best works. He expertly blends science and suspense to create a story that will keep you reading until the end.
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Too many lose ends. Some may love it but I guess I was looking for a different kind of read.
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A good book about a virus epidemic. I was disappointed in the ending; it seemed like Michael Crichton was fed up with it and did a quick disappointing ending.
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I was in 7th grade, not much of a reader, and I poured through this book in 2 days time. Need I say more?
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The Andromeda Strain is highly praised, often appearing in lists of "top" or "must read" science fiction" lists. I cannot figure out why.The story is essentially a disease story. A presumably alien organism is brought back to Earth by a space probe and kills off all but two members of the population of a small town. A special medical team is called in to investigate and they end up holed up in a special medical research bunker feverishly trying to come up with a cure for this horribly deadly threat. The alien organism threatens to get loose, the bunker's automatic defense system must be turned off to prevent it from escaping, and then, in an entirely anticlimactic twist - the organism suddenly turns benign.The whole book is written with scary time stamps on the chapters, trying to give a sense of impending doom as brave medical researchers put themselves in harm's way to halt the deadly invader. And then Crichton wraps it up with a nice bow as the invader suddenly becomes harmless, which to me makes the book a huge build up to a giant let down.The science is reasonably well-presented, and until the huge left turn the plot makes, the tension and fear created by the story is well-done. But the lame ending that blandly resets everything to status quo ante just does so much damage to the quality of the book that I can't see it as anything other than a run-of-the-mill offering in the genre.
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Imagine reading a book about biochemistry, only it's interesting and has mass appeal.That's The Andromeda Strain.When an extraterrestrial pathogen starts killing people by coagulating their blood or making them go insane and commit suicide, a crack team of scientists must isolate and investigate. The site of the crash has only two survivors: a Sterno-drinking man, and a wailing baby. The Wildfire facilities house them all, scientists and subject, until they figure out what's going on, and why these two people are still alive.Being the debut novel of Crichton, establishing him as a best-selling author of techno thrillers, this novel has a flare of realism and plausibility that many authors only dream of attaining. Though originally published in 1969, short of some ancient computers, this book could read like it was written forty years later.Though Crichton was an author that appealed more to a mass audience, he would thoroughly research his work, and make science fun and interesting to the reader. Like Bill Nye, only for grown-ups. So, if you're one of those "I only read this obscure or under-appreciated author" (I know, I'm like that too), you don't have to worry about eating McDonald's when you're used to whatever five-star restaurant is in the Ritz-Carlton you're currently living in. You may be getting a food that appeals to a wider palate, but is still just as nutritious, if not as filling.Dang, I've made myself hungry now!
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Dates read: September 1-9, 2009Synopsis: A probe satellite falls to Earth not far from the sleepy town of Piedmont, Arizona. Two members of a government agency go out to investigate and discover bodies lying all over the road. Five prominent bioscientists are dispatched to to stop whatever is causing the crisis before it spreads outside of Piedmont. They conduct their investigation in an underground laboratory with maximum security and state of the art technology. However, they are human and make human errors, overlooking critical pieces of the puzzle. The suspense grows as the reader is left to wonder whether the scientists will find the solution in time and whether this threat could actually happen.Pros & Cons: The Andromeda Strain was published early in Crichton's career and it is interesting to see how his writing has evolved over the years. For a book published in 1969, in the midst of the Cold War, I was surprised at how the plot has not aged. The technology described feels like it could be taking place in the present and not forty years ago. I didn't find that this is Crichton's most suspenseful book, but it was still exciting and kept me captivated. There is a lot of science jargon, but I still found it easy to read and understand. Michael Crichton has become one of my favorite authors recently, and this book did not disappoint.
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I remember when I was in my early teens, my mother and I were at the library and she told me that I should read The Andromeda Strain. Simply put, I loved it. Even though it was an old book, the way that Crichton morphed the characters into my head and how he made me keep flipping page after page, even though it was a school night and even though it was 02:00 in the morning. I think that this offers a young reader a change of pace from The Simpsons and Harry Potter, and that without a doubt Michael Crichton offers exactly that. A must read for any young teen.
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This was a re-read for me, I had been wanting to reread it for some time. I absolutely love this book. It is kind of cerebral, like flossing your brain. When you look at it very closely, its kind of hard to understand why it has the effect it does on me. It is totally scientific in nature, in fact, in some ways it more closely represents a science book than a novel, yet it leaves me totally engrossed by the end of the book. I always (after several repeats) find it difficult to actually get into the story. There is so little real action at the beginning, the book kind of plods along at first as it lays the scientific groundwork and sets up the story. Yet there is enough real interest throughout to allow me to anticipate what is coming. And its always worth the work. One of my favorite books. Read it if you like Science Fiction at all.
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I dove straight into this book without reading the "First Published..." etc like I normally do. So, I was a bit confused when he started talking about computer screens you touch with a light pen! This book hasn't aged well in terms of technology, but, if you can get past that and transpose some of the old stuff with new stuff you've seen in holidaywood or newer books, it's a cracking read. I did, however, feel that the end was a *little* bit of a let down. I think it was trying for a War of the Worlds twist at the end, but it just didn't seem worth it.Read the book as it's a good crack, but don't be surprised if the end creeps up on you quickly and then goes out with a whimper!
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At first, I loved 'The Andromeda Strain'. It was so neatly written, so scientific, so different to the usual airport bookshop thriller. Then, when I'd finished, I started to wonder if it really had been any good. The danger resolved itself in the worst deus ex machina kind of way, the climax was weak hollywood action, and all the hints about the scientists making crucial errors in judgment and method were wasted. What a shame!
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I loved it! People should give him more credit for his work! It is about this virus that kills within seconds and this team of scientists that are looking at it to find a way to stop it. It was REALLY good.
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I saw the movie a couple years ago and thought the book must be better. I was surprised to find that the movie follows the book pretty closely, except for the fact that one of the doctors is a woman in the movie. I enjoyed this and it's fairly quick read so I would recommend it. Like most Crichton books, I have no criticism. I think he blends a little bit of horror with science fiction in modern life very well.
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Is set up as an actual event, don't know it that's true. A great page-turner. A US satelite comes back to earth in a small town in Arizona and everyone immediately dies. They take it to an underground facility to analyze it and many problems result. Really good.
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Great book, but the ending was terrible. Totally anti-climactic.
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Incredibly tense book which left me feeling dazed, in the best possible way.
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What if there was a threat from outer space--not from aliens as we typically think of them, but from a micro-organism that unleashes a new and deadly plague upon mankind? That is the premise behind this book, intriguing in itself and brilliantly brought to life by the author. Not only does the mircro-organism come to earth in a downed satelitte, it also infects a remote desert town. To the rescue come the scientists of Project Wildfire, who been contracted by the government to respond in just such an emergency. But will their efforts be enough? While an older book, this is still a good page-turner and the premise still seems eeriely plausible.
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A good book, but I felt that the story cut off abruptly without me feeling satisfied. SPOILER ALERT! I WARNED YOU!! I hated that the end of the story has the virus mutating in a very dangerous (all though, not to flesh, per se) form, the characters fretting over it and the end. What about the effects of the new virus? what about further mutation?!Also, some of the plot elements don't seem to amount to anything in the end. I wish there was a pay off for everything. It almost feels like there should be a sequel.
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The worst novel by Crichton I've read. Not surprisingly it's also one of his earliest. There are good elements here, seeds of Crichton's later skill. But it doesn't come together in the Andromeda Strain. There's no point, no real ending, and a bland story.
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It opens with an "acknowledgments" page claiming the "book recounts the five-day history of a major American scientific crisis." That crisis? Microbes from a crashed space probe wipe out a small town in Arizona, and team "Wildfire" is assembled to identify it and find a cure. A lot of the writing is very technical, filled with scientific concepts, reports, data, charts, graphs, figures, maps and even references in the back. The book was written in 1969, but as far as I can tell as a layman the science is accurate and plausible. What really dates it is, besides all four of the scientists on the team being male, was just the gender biases of the language--things like "schoolboy" for instance being used when referring to children as a whole--I'm not a PC sort of person, believe me, and I'll eschew gender neutral language if it's awkward or ungrammatical, but it stood out to me. Otherwise the style seemed smooth enough, even if a bit dry, and the plot had a neat scientific resolution. What keeps me from rating the book higher was the characters--bland and forgettable and we learn little of them beyond their bare names.
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