Next

by Michael Crichton

2007

Status

Checked out

Publication

Harper (2008), Edition: Reprint, 560 pages

Description

Fiction. Science Fiction. Suspense. Thriller. HTML: Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addictionâ??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 or 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 . . . Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect. The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.… (more)

Media reviews

All science fiction has some element of titillation — a strategy of taking known facts and stretching them to the limits of credulity, for the purposes of both entertaining and enlightening. But Crichton seems intent on confusing his readers, pummeling them with a barrage of truths, half-truths
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and untruths, until they have no choice but to surrender. As one of the author’s numerous stand-ins warns a naïve interlocutor, “Disinformation takes many forms.” Here, finally, Crichton has a point that should be heeded.
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1 more
''Next'' would be a narrow, uninteresting book if its sole point were to condemn such tactics as transgressive. Instead Mr. Crichton moves far beyond questioning the morality of such experiments and acknowledges that they happen. His whole thriller-tutorial boils down to one troubling question,
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asked about each freakish breakthrough described here: Now what? Since ''Next'' is one of Mr. Crichton's more un-put-downable novels, the reader may experience some frustration. It's tempting to stop and look up each of the genetic, legal and ethical aberrations described here in order to see how wild a strain of science fiction is afoot. Save a step. Just believe this: Oddity after oddity in ''Next'' checks out, and many are replays of real events. ''This novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren't,'' Mr. Crichton writes, greatly understating the book's scary legitimacy.
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User reviews

LibraryThing member klarusu
When will I ever learn? This book was truly awful on so many levels I don't even know where to begin.

(a) Badly written and ill-conceived. It's a mish-mash of stories put together with no apparent respect for any vague flow of storytelling, seemingly just to prove a point.

(b) The science is just
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nonsense. It's not me being over-picky because I work in that field, it's just awful beyond belief. I mean come on .... the talking parrot, the man-chimp hybrid living as a normal boy ... get a grip! It's beyond science fiction, it's science fairy tale!

(c) It's opinionated without being informed - a dangerous combination

(d) It's just bad. But then it cites a Matt Ridley book as source material so what should I expect?
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LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
This is a smart science-based thriller about the ethical and legal issues surrounding genetic engineering. Crichton manages to cram so much material and thought into this book, that I'm almost shocked it's still a page-turner, but it is. The characters are absolutely believable, and the situations
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are frighteningly believable. Many of the questions addressed here are already drifting into our court-systems, and I'm sure some of the others are sure to follow. Yet, at heart, this is an intelligent novel that entertains even as it drives thought--I can't recommend it highly enough if you're interested in either the subject or the genre. There's also plenty of humor in the book, which is a welcome addition to the action and suspense. For animal lovers, especially, this will provide plenty of smiles. My only warning? This is a book that you need to read relatively quickly, whatever that is for you. There are so many different sub-plots and characters that you can't just drift through this one over the course of two or three weeks while reading other books on the side---though, really, the book will probably hook you quickly enough that you won't Want to put it down.

Yet, I do have some qualms that make it a less-than-five-star read, for two small reasons that don't really detract from the book in the end, Depending on you subjective take on what you want to gain from reading and your taste. First, there are So many sub-plots, that at times I was frustrated at how they'd all fit together. Yet, Crichton never let go of the ones that held the most interest, and balanced them admirably. Once I'd finished the book, considered the work as a whole, and given some thought to the title, I was satisfied with the structure and just decided to reread it at some later date if I have time--still, it was at times an inkling of an annoyance as to how it would all come together in the end.

Second, Crichton does have an agenda here. He did extensive research, and there's a "for further reading bibliography" at the end of the book that gives the proof, along with a short essay-like list of Crichton's post research conclusions on the questions he explores. For me personally, this is a welcome addition to the book, but then, I like books that make me think. If you're looking for a thriller that you can pick up and put down, reading it without letting it affect your thinking or drive you to consider larger contemporary issues facing our society, this may not be the best book for you. For me, again, I think it was well done, and makes this an intelligent book, but I realize others are looking to solely escape reality with their reading...and for them, this may not be quite sci-fi enough or live up to Jurassic Park, though I'd say it surpasses the earlier works that I've read.

In the end, if you're interested, I recommend it, but with the understanding that it's not for everyone, as described above.
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LibraryThing member MixMasterMax
Incoherent gibberish. Makes no sense at all. There are remnants of a plot, but only just. Just like 'State of Fear', this book is merely a device to unload Chrichton's (very odd) ideas about genetics, law and politics. (He seems to have taken the same path Tom Clancy did in his Jack Ryan books.)
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Not over-the-top enough to qualify as satire - but almost. It has about as much to do with real-life genetics as 'The Fly' or 'Species' (even if some of the numerous topics covered in the book may well have warranted a closer look by somebody prepared to think about them for more than the day and a half it apparently took to slap together this piece of $&%!.)
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LibraryThing member kkossol
I thought this book was very entertaining, however it was really hard to follow. There were too many stories going on at once, though they all kept my attention. There really was not a dull moment in this book. Right from the very beginning I found it to be a hard book to put down. The ideas
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discussed in the story were interesting because one day they might happen. Even right now, some of the moral issues in the story are being talked about in real life. The relationships between the all of the characters in the story are very real. Also the connections between the characters fit together nicely, and of course that helped combine some of the stories. So there weren't so many and they weren't so overwhelming. I found Gerard (the talking parrot's) story the most entertaining. It was a perfect combination of seriousness and humor. I have read books like this before and I feel that a story like this could very easily become predictable, however this one did not. Some of the endings did disappoint me a little. They weren't very clear and there was more than one way to read them. This may just be one of those books that you have to read more than once to completely understand it. Overall, I really enjoyed it, and might want to read it again in the future.
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LibraryThing member ALincolnNut
In "Next," science fiction author Michael Crichton returns to his most fertile subject matter, genetic engineering. Weaving together several stories involving scientists, corporate executives, tourists, hired thugs, and an artificially created simian, Crichton blends fact, scientific potential, and
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fantasy into a page-turning narrative.

Unfortunately, unlike several previous novels that clung, however breathtakingly, to fantastic plausibility, this novel frequently descends into the absurd and ridiculous. This is enormously disappointing given the quality of many of Crichton's previous novels, especially such classics as "The Andromeda Strain" and "Jurassic Park." While the late authors literary skills are evident, they never coalesce into a pleasing novel here.

In part, this is due to Crichton's attempt to offer a complex narrative of multiple overlapping stories that eventually converge, similar to films such as "Crash" and "Babel." Too often, this ambitious approach leads to confusion and disinterest. Those who tend to be critical of Crichton's character development might blame the confusion on that, though it is more likely due to the author's intentional use of multiple narrative voices, including frequent extended quotations of journalistic sources (whether these are actual quotations or fictitious creations attributed to real sources is never clear).

Fans of Crichton's previous books are unlikely to appreciate this attempt, while those unfamiliar with his work will likely the unimpressed.
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LibraryThing member glade1
I read this one a week or so ago and enjoyed it. Crichton has a knack for making his science fiction sound so factual it's hard to know what to believe. This book certainly provides some food for thought, and with stem-cell testing in the news again this week, it is still a timely novel.
LibraryThing member Audacity88
One of Crichton's weakest.
LibraryThing member nfmgirl2
I'm a little torn over this story. While it was quite preposterous at times, I still found it very thought-provoking. My favorite part of the entire book was the author's note at the end of the book. I was fascinated and concerned over the facts that the author outlines after all is said and done.
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I think the story stretched the facts and possibilities a little too far, causing it to be preposterous, but based on possibilities left open by current laws. The story was a little far-fetched for me, but the facts that the story was based were very intriguing.
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LibraryThing member donhazelwood
it wasn't as bad as I had heard this was - it was educational - made you think about the ridiculousness of gene patenting - however I think the end was rushed and forced. I don't think Crichton tidied up all the business as nicely as he could have.

Crichton got much more open about his politics
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since Prey. He's always been political but I just felt he was much more open about it towards the end of his career and in this book more so. Maybe I've just noticed the politics more as I have gotten older, but there just seemed to be some cheap shots in the book that hasn't been in his past works.
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LibraryThing member iswearidontknowhow
Science fiction doesn't normally do it for me, but I absolutely adored Michael Crichton's Next. His story lines managed to strike the perfect balance between fiction and fact, and created a fast paced, enjoyable read which was still informing and thought provoking.
Although some storylines were a
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tad on the unrealistic side, the facts and research behind them still checked out, and they left intact the real-life issues behind them. Yes, the novel was at times slightly unbelievable, but it was this side of the story which turned it into such an enjoyable read.
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LibraryThing member Radaghast
This is the greatest work Crichton has ever produced. Told in a disjointed style that changes perspectives between a large number of characters, some only involved once or twice, and mixed with fake news articles, this book was a recipe for disaster. But Crichton balances it all masterfully, in a
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way that belies the criticisms he has received as merely a writer of popular fiction. And Next is relevant, in a way no other Crichton book has been. The frightening issues of gene manipulation, gene patenting, science as a money-making scheme, and the gradual erosion of ethics are all happening right now. Next is terrifying, poignant and a great read.
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LibraryThing member suetu
I'm another one of those readers who looks forward with anticipation to see what subject Michael Crichton takes on in each successive novel. I feel like he, more than anyone else, has his finger on the pulse of the future. I believe he sees what is going on in science, technology, and our culture
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and draws logical, if disturbing, projections about the pitfalls ahead. In Next, Crichton takes on several different aspects of genetic research, and there is plenty of grist for his mill.

Many readers and reviewers have criticized Next as having too many characters and too many subplots going on. This is actually a strength. The novel is the literary equivalent of films like Crash and Syriana, that take on huge topics by creating a pastiche of interrelated characters on all sides of the issue. In Next, those characters include researchers in many shades of gray on the scale between good and evil. There are many individuals who stand to profit financially from this new science. There are interesting explorations of the legal ramifications of this emerging technology. We are even introduced to some amazing transgenic animals.

When I read Prey, I was amazed by the potential of nanotechnology. I am wowed again by the potential of genetics. But as with everything that involved money and power, there's a very real dark side citizen's need to be aware of. There are gray areas in the ethics of this research. As always after reading a Crichton novel I feel better educated about these issues. I feel I've actually learned something in a thoroughly entertaining way. Because I was entertained. The story being told had me fully engaged and the short chapters kept everything moving at a brisk pace.

Now, I can explore some of the books in Crichton's bibliography of Next to explore the non-fictionalized aspects of these important issues. Even if you don't feel like reading a bunch of science books, it would be well worth your time to read Next.
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LibraryThing member JeffV
Not my favorite Crichton book, Next is a story of genetic research gone awry. There is a bunch of story lines, some intersect, others do not. A drug addict huffs some gene-therapy spray stolen from his researcher brother and suddenly he is a paradigm of society. Their mother hounds the good son to
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get more of the therapy to give to friends. He gives in...then finds that after a short time, they grow prematurely old and, well, die. A orangutan is found in the wild that can swear in three languages. A parrot speaks French and English and can do math, and irritates everyone. A hybrid monkey is close enough to human to pass for a child and actually attends school. But then he shows a proclivity to bite. Hard. Ears come clean off. Meanwhile, lawyers are running amok, claiming people don't own the cells in their own bodies. Lots of little dramas, no real plot. Interesting, although rather alarmist.
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LibraryThing member tess_mcgrady
Great science fiction novel, but also has some bleak undertones. One of the main character's outlook on humanity is pretty gruesome -- believing that humans are nothing but lying, thieving monsters. But, that only the good ones can overcome the fight or flight reactions and be compassionate, and
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caring. Good book.
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LibraryThing member jennemede
I've been a long-time Crichton fan but Next is disappointing. The plot is not cohesive and seems to be so fragmented that by the time you're done, you're not even sure you've read a whole story, or just parts of different ones. Definitely not recommended.
LibraryThing member sdrsuperstar
Why do I keep reading these stupid Michael Crichton books? They are really quite terrible. Unbelieveable characters. Ridiculous plots. Completely UNthrilling.
LibraryThing member mrtall
I enjoy Michael Crichton's unpretentious, fact/concept-driven novels, but Next is obviously not one of his better efforts. In spite of a strong topic -- i.e. genetic engineering -- Next has too many characters, too many coincidentally-connected plotlines, and too little in the way of memorable
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images/ideas.
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LibraryThing member avalon4175
I usually love Michael Crichton and find genetics fascinating, but this was not one of his better efforts. The book jumps continuously from one story line to another. It's very much like a group of exaggerated fables, but all mixed together. Aesop would not be amused!! My advise is to skip the book
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and just read the author's notes at the end. They are extremely thought provoking and provide valuable insight concerning problems in the world of genetic engineering - both present and future.
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LibraryThing member markmobley
Crichton returns to the theme of Jurassic Park and the challenge faced by mankind as we move forward into the wild frontier of genetic engineering.

Crichton has consistently raised the question of how science will negatively impact the future. His dystopian view of science is interesting coming from
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a trained medical doctor.

It is not that science is completely evil. It just seems to get a pass when it gets ahead of how we should proceed with the powerful new technologies that we have developed over the last 100 years.

This book raises the questions in very practical and disturbing ways. It reminds us that laws are often simply a speed bump to people dead set on trying the morally gray experiments. It is not a question of if these things will happen. It is a question of when. And often the answer is: it has already happened and they haven't published it yet.

Perhaps we have passed a tipping point. The release of scientific knowledge to the masses may be the fulfillment of the parable of Pandora's Box or a re-enactment of devouring the forbidden fruit only to discover too late that the knowledge of good and evil ultimately destroys you. Maybe the genie is out of the bottle and we can't put it back, no matter what. Wow, that sounds fatalistic now that I have typed it. The information on developing weapons of mass destruction is commonplace, easily accessible on the Web. Can we ever constrain the knowledge that we have released so that we will not be destroyed by it? It is hard to come up with a scenario, isn't it?

While the novel obviously spurs some very deep thinking, it has its faults. Too many characters, too many threads, requires too much suspension of my disbelief (especially the ending). The book felt unfinished, as if he got all the information into the book that he wanted but had to tie it all up into a neat little package.

Fascinating, informative, fun, but ultimately a little disappointing. I'll read it again, but I'll do Timeline, Sphere, Jurassic Park, or Congo first.
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LibraryThing member AmandaSo
A chilling view of genetic research and the medical, social and political ramifications of gene patenting and university engagement in research for commerce. Unlike JURASSIC PARK, Crichton draws much of the basis for his book from actual court rulings and currently enacted legistlation, and his
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editorial Afterword leaves no doubt as to where this former physician stands on the issue of genetic marketing. A frightening and compelling "must-read"
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LibraryThing member rbarrphd
Legal, social, and ethical problems of bio-engineering shown through a series of intriguing story lines. Gives a strong case against patenting genes.
LibraryThing member KevinJoseph
I've been a long-time fan of Michael Crichton and respect his use of the thriller medium to frame for the masses his bold positions on controversial scientific, legal and ethical matters. I also hold a special interest in the debate surrounding the rapid advances in genetic engineering and gene
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therapy, having chosen that subject as the centerpiece for my first novel. So when I heard about the premise of "Next," it naturally secured a high spot on my holiday wish list.

I'm sorry to report, however, that "Next" fell short of my lofty expectations. The story reminded me of a four-hundred-page law school hypothetical, crammed to the hilt with unsavory, one-dimensional characters whose actions often served little purpose other than to generate issues for the reader to spot and analyze. There are the unethical biotech executives, patenting gene sequences willy-nilly and brazenly asserting ownership of human cells mined from unsuspecting citizens. And there are, of course, the shyster lawyers, all too eager to profit, in the most unscrupulous ways imaginable, from every new scenario presented by the biotech revolution. And finally there are the trans-genetic parrot and chimpanzee, living examples of the ethical minefield that lies before us.

That's not to say this the book wasn't entertaining or informative. Crichton certainly knows how to keep the pages turning with non-stop action, and he cannot be faulted for failing to cover the full spectrum of issues in the genetic engineering debate. I only wish he had spent as much time and energy on creating a believable plot and populating it with real characters as he did on researching and analyzing controversial genetic engineering issues. (Gerard the parrot, with his relentless quotation of movie lines, was the one memorable character in the lot.) And Crichton's attempt, in the closing chapters, to bring the myriad of plot strands together through numerous contrived happenings and coincidental intersections of the many characters, came off poorly. But for those who appreciate the haphazard plotting of movies like "Crash" and are more interested in the genetic engineering debate than in a coherent, well-told story, "Next" may prove satisfying, nonetheless.

-Kevin Joseph, author of "The Champion Make
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LibraryThing member size12isnotfat
Entertainment Weekly and People Magazine gave this book bad reviews, but I really liked it!
LibraryThing member sallyanny
A disappointment to me, although it grabbed my attention and held it. Just a bit too much. His most recent novels have been a bit too "preachy" for my tastes.
LibraryThing member CarlaR
This book is a marvelous tale of what can happen when gene patenting and genetic reasearch go too far without ancillary issues being addressed before hand. Crichton uses an interesting mix of fact and fiction to bring this book to life, and some of the issues he explores are of great importance.
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Using courtroom issues such as genetic framing for a crime and genetic information being used in custody cases, transgenic animals including a hybrid chimp/human and parrot/human, and a host of characters being put into a series of different situations Crichton writes a very interesting and entertaining novel. The bad- The story tries to use too many different issues and at times seems confusing. Instead of using a main protagonist and antagonist, he uses multiple characters in multiple situations. I admit that it took me about 1/4 of the book to get the characters down pat.
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Language

Original language

English

Original publication date

2006-11-28
2006

Physical description

560 p.; 4.19 inches

ISBN

0060873167 / 9780060873165

Barcode

1600467
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