Sphere: A Novel

by Michael Crichton

Overview

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton, a riveting science fiction thriller about group of scientists sent to investigate a ship resting on the ocean floor and a discovery that defies imagination.

“Crichton keeps us guessing at every turn.”—Los Angeles Times

“A page-turner. . . . Cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action.”—Newsweek

In the middle of the South Pacific, a thousand feet below the surface of the water, a huge vessel is discovered resting on the ocean floor. It is a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently undamaged by its fall from the sky. And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old. But even more fantastic—and frightening—is what waits inside . . .

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062428868
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	01/26/2016
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	528
Sales rank:	19,769
Product dimensions:	5.20(w) x 7.90(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was the author of the bestselling novels The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Jurassic Park, Sphere, Disclosure, Prey, State of Fear, Next and Dragon Teeth, among many others. His books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, have been translated into forty languages, and have provided the basis for fifteen feature films. He wrote and directed Westworld, The Great Train Robbery, Runaway, Looker, Coma and created the hit television series ER. Crichton remains the only writer to have a number one book, movie, and TV show in the same year.

Daniel H. Wilson is a Cherokee citizen and author of the New York Times bestselling Robopocalypse and its sequel Robogenesis, as well as ten other books. He recently wrote the Earth 2: Society comic book series for DC Comics. Wilson earned a PhD in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University, as well as master’s degrees in Artificial Intelligence and Robotics. He has published over a dozen scientific papers and holds four patents. Wilson lives in Portland, Oregon.

Hometown:

Los Angeles, California

Date of Birth:

October 23, 1942

Date of Death:

November 4, 2008

Place of Birth:

Chicago, Illinois

Place of Death:

Los Angeles, California

Education:

B.A.. in Anthropology, Harvard University, 1964; M.D., Harvard Medical School, 1969

Website:

http://www.michaelcrichton.net/

Editorial Reviews

A page-turner with oomph. . . . Crichton’s writing is cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action.” — Newsweek

“Sphere may be Crichton’s best novel, but even if it ranked only second or third, it would be a must for suspense fans.” — Miami Herald

“Crichton writes superbly. . . the excitement rises with each page.” — Chicago Tribune

From the Publisher

Crichton writes superbly…the excitement rises with each page.

Chicago Tribune

Praise for STATE OF FEAR: “One of our most gifted popular novelists... Crichton’s fecund imagination and considerable storytelling talent have brought pleasure to millions. A master.

|Los Angeles Times

Praise for PREY: “Crichton’s books [are]…hugely entertaining.

New York Times Book Review

Praise for STATE OF FEAR: “One of our most gifted popular novelists... Crichton’s fecund imagination and considerable storytelling talent have brought pleasure to millions. A master.

Los Angeles Times

Crichton writes superbly…the excitement rises with each page.

Chicago Tribune

No one can ask more of a thriller, except maybe that it be a little longer....Part of the fun of ''Sphere'' is that it keeps you going even when you're pretty sure of what will happen next....The last 10 pages are exactly what they should be. Take this one with you for your next long plane ride. -- New York Times

Robin Mckinley

Crichton has rolled the present, past, and future into one highly technical and confusing science fiction adventure. The present features, among others, a pompous astrophysicist, a female zoologist, a black mathematician, and a 53-year-old psychologist, who are summoned by the Navy to examine a plane crash in the South Pacific. The past is manifested in the stranded object resting on the sea bottom where it has been for some 300 years. When the four scientists, who carry their emotional minority baggage of sex, color, and age along with them, descend to the deep in their submersible, they discover the wreck to be no less than a spaceship from the future that fell through a black hole, defying time and space. Strange things begin to happen as one by one the cast of characters diminishes. Disappointing. Literary Guild dual main selection. Marion Hanscom, SUNY at Binghamton Lib.

Library Journal

YA As in Crichton's Andromeda Strain (Knopf, 1969), the focus of this science adventure tale is humankind's encounter with an alien life form. Within a space ship lying on the sea bottom is a mysterious sphere that promises each of the main characters some personal reward: military might, professional prestige, power, understanding. Trapped underwater with the sphere, the humans confront eerie and increasingly dangerous threats after communication with the alien object has been achieved. The story is exciting and loaded with scientific and psychological speculations that add interest at no cost to the action, including an intriguing sequence in which human and computer attempt to decode the alien communication. As the story races to an end, suspicions of evil-doing fall as many ways as in a detective novel. Young adults should find this book both accessible and satisfying. Mike Parson, Houston Public Library

School Library Journal