The Master of the Techno-Thriller Returns

Throughout the later years, many have become interested in the developing science of the human genome and what commercial benefits might arise through this new and infinitely dangerous scientific triumph. In Next, Crichton address the myriad far reaching issues concerned with the developing science of genetic research. As always, Crichton delves into a new and fascinating area educating whilst entertaining and ultimately causing the reader to ponder the effects of such technological advances and what purposes these advances would achieve. Will mankind use this valuable knowledge for good or for evil? This is a fictitious history of the development and implementation of genetic discoveries. It could be our story.

Crichton's novels are renowned for the fascinating concepts portrayed and for the scientific knowledge explained within the story. However, despite the fascinating genetic concepts presented, Crichton's usual deviation into lengthy and sometimes laborious scientific diatribes concerning the more intricate factual nature of the subject were absent during this venture. Although this lack of in-depth scientific exhortations caused the novel to be easier to read and comprehend, I found myself longing for the difficult explanations. I do not even profess to understand all of Crichton's lofty concepts, but I always did come away from one of his novels with a feeling that on some small scale I had gained knowledge concerning a subject that I had previously exhibited extreme ignorance over. Still, this deviation from profound scientific concepts did not cause me enough distress to truly register as an extreme complaint. Rather I felt it to be a minor irritant worthy of mention but not egregious enough to reduce my star rating.

The storyline itself was distinctly different from any other Crichton novel that I have indulged in. Instead of presenting the story through the view of one main character, as in his novel Sphere, Crichton chose a different approach and presented a wide range of characters and dilemmas throughout Next. Each character was presented with a unique situation and was astoundingly well characterized. Each individual character's story proved extremely interesting and thought provoking. However, and here the reason for the four star rating is revealed, so many characters were presented that it often confused the reader. None of the stories truly tied together with the other stories in any discernible fashion and by the conclusion of the tale, many loose ends remained. While this major literary blunder would normally induce me to author one of those dreaded one star reviews, the rating was miraculously redeemed by an excellent writing style (far improved from Crichton's earlier works) and the sheer ingenuity of each story. Although, as previously mentioned, their was an innumerable amount of characters, each of these characters stories was surprisingly well presented and massively entertaining as well as being thought provoking. A dull story was never presented throughout the novel and due to Crichton's indefinable magic the story, despite major short comings, proved most enjoyable and was certainly worthy of reading.

Generally, in a Crichton novel, the plot is the star of the novel and the characterization and other elements seem to be considered unimportant to the progression of the tale. Not so in Crichton's latest masterpiece. Each character is endowed with a distinct personality and acquires a life of his or her own. This concentration on the personality of the character as well as the progression of the tale drastically elevated my opinion of Crichton as an author and has caused me to return to the recesses of my book shelf for further works by Crichton.

As briefly observed, the conclusion left many questions unanswered and although all the characters stories proved to be an excellent example of a master story teller, I was distinctly disappointed by many aspects of the conclusion. I discovered no discernible plot and my observation was proved by the rather pointless ending. The novel presented itself as more of a hodge podge of people's lives with a generally genetic theme overlaying each story. I found the individual stories to be worthy of attention but as a whole, the entire tale lacked focus and purpose. Once again, my suspicions that a four star rating was required were confirmed.

As for the general theme of the tale, genetic research, the author made his opinion clear on the subject and effectively supported his beliefs of the inherent danger and corruption to be located in the scientific world concerning the purchasing of patents to own genes. His opinion was convincing and well founded and I found the addition of an author's note most fascinating and insightful. Overall, although this tale does have its share of flaws, this is a worthy addition to any Crichton fan's ever expanding library. The master of the techno-thriller is still producing first rate novels and I eagerly anticipate reader further works from Crichton. This novel is a must and although not perfect, it will never fail to grasp the imaginations and emotions of the reader.

- Countess_Eva