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The Andromeda Strain

3.77 of 5 stars 3.77 · rating details · 87,116 ratings · 1,242 reviews

The United States government is given a warning by the pre-eminent biophysicists in the country: current sterilization procedures applied to returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere. Two years later, seventeen satellites are sent into the outer fringes of space to "collect organisms and dust for study." One of them fal...more

Paperback, 327 pages

Published October 28th 2003 by Avon (first published 1969)

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Dec 18, 2008 Richard rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: classic, scifi, scifi-alien-first-contact, scifi-hardscience

This was probably one of the first science fiction books I ever read, and so far the only book by Crichton. My rating is based on my reaction over three decades ago -- I seem to recall there were some parts that felt awkward, like they were written by someone trying to leap across the so-called "generation gap". But my teen self loved the book, so it gets the five stars. I have no idea whether I'd still feel as generous if I were to re-read it, but then I seldom re-read books anyway.

The movie wa...more

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Aug 22, 2007 Russ rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Scientists

Shelves: 2007, thriller, novel

This book is all about the tension, not the payoff.

As with most entertainment, this book pulls you in by asking some questions. "What is it?" "How does it work?" "What happened?" While those questions are still being asked, this book is a fairly thrilling read.

If you don't like books that get too technical about things, though, this isn't the book for you. It's full of pages from government documents, computer readouts, and the like. That only helps the book go by quicker, because I just skippe...more

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Jul 11, 2007 Ed G rated it 3 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Crichton fans, Medical Fiction fans, Mystery fans

All I'm going to say about Crichton is that he has a knack for what I call the "miracle ending". In one summer I read Congo, Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery and Sphere. I felt the same about each of them when I finished each.

He's a very good writer with captivating storylines, dead on science, compelling plot and in depth characters, but...I feel like he gets tired of writing the same story or can't properly tie things together at the end so he has som...more

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Jan 26, 2009 Andrew Mueller rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Andromeda Strain starts fast in a small Arizona town where a mysterious military satellite has crash landed. When a dispatch team is sent to retrieve the satellite, something terribly wrong happens. At the site of the satellite, the dispatch team also sees a horde of dead bodies surrounding the satellite. As the dispatch team contacted a nearby military base to tell the news they are suddenly overcome by a mysterious unknown force, leaving them dead, and the communicator silent. The militar...more The Andromeda Strain starts fast in a small Arizona town where a mysterious military satellite has crash landed. When a dispatch team is sent to retrieve the satellite, something terribly wrong happens. At the site of the satellite, the dispatch team also sees a horde of dead bodies surrounding the satellite. As the dispatch team contacted a nearby military base to tell the news they are suddenly overcome by a mysterious unknown force, leaving them dead, and the communicator silent. The military then acts fast, engaging a procedure meant only for this type of emergency. They gather a team of professional scientists together, each with separate unique specialties. This emergency procedure codenamed Wildfire is professionally setup in order to end the potential for an epidemic. After a thorough scan and sampling from the crash site they realize the cause of the deaths was a mutant alien virus. The team then works together to come up with an antidote and a vaccine for this highly contagious, highly dangerous virus. As they do this they encounter several problems which make an epidemic inevitable.
The overall presentation of the book was very good, giving a mixture of well planned events and a creative writing style. Even at the beginning, the suspense was overwhelming. It only takes a few pages to get fully absorbed into the book. The beginning was perfectly created to catch and keep the reader’s attention. After the first chapter the suspense doesn’t end. The fast paced storyline only slows down for a few parts but picks right back up again. However, if science isn’t your thing, then this book isn’t for you. It is packed with real facts to back up the reality of the plotline. Michael Crichton, an ex-physician used a lot of science based theories and terms to describe possible causes for the virus. A lot of medical terms were used as well when describing and classifying the virus. When the reader is first introduced to the virus identification building it starts to over explain some of the technologies and procedures. Some chapters explicitly just explained layers of the facility and why it was that certain way. Though these parts may seem boring, they add to the seriousness of the situation and end up helping the reader’s imagery.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a classic book displaying the mysteries of the universe. It is another work that shows that the human race might not be as intelligent as they think they are. Michael Crichton is also known for several other great works such as Jurassic Park that display the same type of message. The book shows themes such as organization and persistence which are reflected on constantly throughout the book. The writing style that Crichton shows is more casual than most authors and doesn’t challenge the reader as much as some may hope. The writing however, though casual, displays a great deal of imagery which helps visualize the setting in both the crash site and the project area. During the introduction to the project facility, Michael Crichton uses simplistic images in the book to carry out the full feel of the technological advances used in the building. The characterization that he uses is also excellent. During the virus analysis Crichton really gives the doctors a personality. As they find more and more about the virus they show signs of excitement and self-fulfillment which make them seem life-like. Each scientist is given a specialty that they are to focus on for the project. This separates their qualities so that the author can focus on each scientist’s character traits. As the book progresses the characters become better defined.
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Jun 24, 2012 Frank Roberts rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, wicked-awesome

This might be a wildly inaccurate review since this isn't exactly a freshly read book. Read it about 36 years ago when I was 8 - it was my first Big People book, having had my fill of Roald Dahl and Judy Blume I felt it was time to step up my literary undertakings. So I'll try to write something here reflecting how I felt reading it in third grade.

The Andromeda Strain is the greatest book ever!!! The movie was on TV a couple of times this year, but always at like 9 o'clock and mom won't let me s...more This might be a wildly inaccurate review since this isn't exactly a freshly read book. Read it about 36 years ago when I was 8 - it was my first Big People book, having had my fill of Roald Dahl and Judy Blume I felt it was time to step up my literary undertakings. So I'll try to write something here reflecting how I felt reading it in third grade.

The Andromeda Strain is the greatest book ever!!! The movie was on TV a couple of times this year, but always at like 9 o'clock and mom won't let me stay up to see it. But dad let me get the book at K-Mart which was nice.

It's a super cool story about a satellite that crashes on earth and it's got space viruses on it. The viruses kill everybody in a small town by making their blood coagulate. That was wicked crazy but kind of a cool idea for killing people in a book. Not everybody died though because a baby and am old man survived. They were immune to the space germs and they get taken to a huge underground lab with the scientists and the satellite to figure out a way to stop the viruses.

The underground lab they went to was super awesome, they had to go through lots of germ protocol stuff like getting their epidermis ashed off by ultraviolet lights. Michael Crichton did not write about if that stings or not.

So they figure out how to make people immune to the virus by using the baby but all of a sudden the virus gets loose and everybody gets really scared. The lab has a nuclear bomb inside it to blow up in case stuff like virus getting out happens. So one of the scientists has to stop it because radiation from nuclear explosions will only help the germs go out and coagulate more blood in people. He climbs through to get to the upper part of the lab to stop the bomb from going off. He almost can't make it because the lab is designed to stop animals from escaping and he's climbing through a tube that monkeys might use to escape. And the lab's defensive programs shoot darts at his legs and he gets all heavy and almost gets knocked out. But he makes it anyway and stops the bomb and all his friends down inside feel awesome that they're not going to get blown up.

I really liked The Andromeda Strain. It is the coolest book I have ever read.

Going to read this one soon (I think you have to be in 6th grade before you're allowed to):

Jackass on a Camel (less)

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Feb 08, 2012 shayla rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: sci-fi

Such an expertly written book. You can tell Crichton has a background in medicine from some of the terminology he uses, the knowledge of biology is uncanny! Definitely makes the book unique in context to any others I have read. The cover and use of the galaxy name Andromeda in the book draws Sci-fi readers towards it definitely. I know this for a fact because I wouldn't of even gotten the book if it didn't have the cool cover of the earth and numbers matrix style and the space title.

The plot of...more Such an expertly written book. You can tell Crichton has a background in medicine from some of the terminology he uses, the knowledge of biology is uncanny! Definitely makes the book unique in context to any others I have read. The cover and use of the galaxy name Andromeda in the book draws Sci-fi readers towards it definitely. I know this for a fact because I wouldn't of even gotten the book if it didn't have the cool cover of the earth and numbers matrix style and the space title.

The plot of the book is fascinating. The idea of an extraterrestrial organism that can kill off humans in a matter of seconds is not only terrifying but pretty exciting. The books also has you wondering about what secret government organizations are really spending all their time and effort on, even if it is based on fiction. Imagining if some project of theirs like this ever did leak, how they would explain it to us.. just thoughts to ponder.

The terms and made up hypothesis in this book really give it a genuine feel. I was definitely confused until I did further research as to whether or not the book was actually real. It unfourtunately has no real fact in it, other than some characters who were named after real people, which is still a nice little touch.

The references and hypothetical way of looking at the organism though I found were very relatable to science today. For instance, when Leavitt was thinking about ways to look at the organism he thought of a man and a house. One man means almost nothing to the world, but being a part of a bigger picture, a city, he means alot more. He thought maybe the part of the organism they were looking at, was part of a much bigger picture. That maybe it worked as a big city, instead of just a singular cell like in our bodies. I found the moments where thinking like this came through as very interesting and very appliable if you will to studies of foreign organisms today.

This book is a very good representation of exactly how things can go wrong in what looks like to be such neat and controlled situation. You have this state of the art labratory, with all 7 of it's levels, and still, this seemingly tiny foreign object has penetrated every inpenetrable area of it. The explanation of the labratory is extremely detailed, to give you a feel of just how much money and effort was put into this top secret experiment going on. Then, it all crumbles down in a matter of days. The organism thrives in what they thought was the only thing that could destroy it, a nuclear detonation. Not only does it thrive inside of the only thing known to man to kill off every living thing known to us, it disintegrates rubber, which seals all the rooms and controls contamination passing between them. It goes to show how utterly fragile and helpless we really are. We convince ourselves we can protect ourselves against anything; when really the exact opposite it true. We are but a spec in the universe and foolish to think otherwise. We could be wiped out at any moment, extinct just like the dinosaurs. This book, I feel, is a reminder of that.(less)

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Jan 12, 2009 Annette rated it 3 of 5 stars

liked the beginning, thought the end was unbelievably anticlimatic.

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Nov 27, 2011 jzhunagev rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition Recommends it for: Michael Crichton and Techno-Thriller fans

Recommended to jzhunagev by: the "Voice"

Shelves: action, award-winning-best-seller, fiction-contemporary, science-fiction, speculative-fiction, thriller, 2011-reads, from-book-to-film, dark-chest-of-wonders, drama, suspense

The Strain That Started It All
(A Book Review of Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain)

Where others credit classic writers like Jules Verne and H. G. Wells, I forever owe my first real taste of science fiction to Michael Crichton — long before I was even made aware that such a classification exists — and perhaps, as I think of it now, even more.

I still remember the day I borrowed Congo from the high school library during my junior year. What made me pick me the book is this vague idea that’s it...more

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Jan 05, 2009 Branko rated it 4 of 5 stars

Branko Galonja
Ms. Campanella
English 3H Period 2
8 December 2009
The Andromeda Strain

The genre of this breath-taking and awe-inspiring book is classified as a Science Fiction novel, one with many technological and medicinal terms. I chose this book because I am a huge fan of Michael Crichton and I love Science-Fiction novels. I love the feeling of mystery and fear throughout the books and love to see what the characters do in the situations of peril and disaster. The setting takes place in t...more Branko Galonja
Ms. Campanella
English 3H Period 2
8 December 2009
The Andromeda Strain

The genre of this breath-taking and awe-inspiring book is classified as a Science Fiction novel, one with many technological and medicinal terms. I chose this book because I am a huge fan of Michael Crichton and I love Science-Fiction novels. I love the feeling of mystery and fear throughout the books and love to see what the characters do in the situations of peril and disaster. The setting takes place in the small town of Piedmont, Arizona. This was a quiet and peaceful little town before the strange and destructive event took place. It seems that there was a satellite out of orbit and was on a destructive path spiraling towards the earth and unfortunately landed in Piedmont, Arizona. As soon as the satellite hit the small town, all the residents in the area started to decimate away. It was a complete mystery, but as soon as the satellite collided with that town, every single living organism died in that town. An investigation party was sent to search and research the crash site, but before they made any report of what they saw, they died as well. So after that two doctors were sent in to take samples of the specimens on or near the site of the crash just in case if any evidence was seen concerning the deaths of all those people. Stone and Burton were sent in to check the crash and encountered possibly the most horrible organism a man meet. It was absolutely disgusting in its approach and it was barely visible. It was up to these two brave scientists to figure out what caused this tragedy and make sure it does not spread to other areas of the United States. Dr. Stone, Dr. Burton, Dr. Hall, and Dr. Leavitt are definitely the protagonists and the antagonist could be the deadly bacterium. The supporting characters are Officer Wilson, Dr. Robertson and Peter Jackson as well as Arthur Mancek who are all part of the team to solve this mystery.

The Central conflict conflict could be seen as man versus nature because of their epic fight to solve the mystery of The Andromeda Virus and its horrible symptoms. They would like to see how the virus functions and to create an antidote for the disease so just in case if someone catches the infection, they will be able to survive the horrible process. They would also like to contain the virus and be definite that it does not spread past the town of Piedmont, Arizona. The theme of this book could be the significance of teamwork in the face of a catastrophe. Teamwork is extremely needed in the face of a horrible ordeal, because if one tries to take on a complex situation by himself, he will surely fail. But if there are friends and family there to help him through the troubles he has a higher chance of succeeding through the ordeal. The motifs in this book are teamwork and strong will. In this book these motifs are expressed greatly, because if they are not utilized by the scientific team, they surely would have been infected by the virus and would have seen the same fate as the others in the town. They worked together, never giving in to the extremities of the virus, fighting through the pain and eventually defeating the virus. In this book there is quite a few examples of figurative language. For example there is a great deal of similes and metaphors and one or two examples of personification.

The writing style of the author is interpreted in the language of Science and Medicine. This book in general, has a good amount of scientific and medicinal terms. There is a necessity to this kind of language to further interest the reader because it allows him or her to experience what situations a real doctor must endure through. It gives a real feeling of what the body might go through a disease or what the physical appearance of the body might be because of the infection of the disease. But I was in total awe when I was reading the novel. By every flip of the page, I grew more and more interested in the book. The vivid language of Science and medicine really caught my attention and allowed me to express what a real doctor must go through in the face of a dying patient or critically injured patient. I recommend this book to anyone who likes Science-Fiction novels and who likes a good story of natural disaster and mysteries.

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Apr 22, 2008 Jason rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fiction

Andromeda Strain addresses a "worst case" scenario, where an unknown bacteria has the potential to wreak havoc on society, and a secret government agency has to deal with it before it gets completely loose.

The construction of the events and the execution feels very real - rather than an elite team of geniuses who use super spy powers to do whatever they want, you get a feel for the bureaucracy created by a government organization made to address an unknown threat, and the hodge-podge nature of a...more

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Jul 02, 2010 Ryan rated it 2 of 5 stars

I was disappointed by The Andromeda Strain.

I was impressed to see that even as far back as 1969, Crichton had prepared all of the ingredients that would make up his later work. The Andromeda Strain challenges our faith in science. It ridicules the objectivity of scientists. Carefully managed systems fail elaborately to create suspense. A crack team is challenged under harsh conditions. Unfortunately, The Andromeda Strain reads like little more than a blueprint for Crichton's later works.

Even by...more

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Jan 13, 2008 Maddy Toft rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

I think I read this when I was in junior high at my Dad's recommendation. I really liked it and ended up being a fan of Michael Crichton's books for a while. I've probably read most of them. I have to say though, for some reason, this is still my favorite by him. I started feeling like every book he was writing was written so it could be made into a movie. It was almost as if he was constructing shocking, suspenseful action scenes that would make a movie exciting while keeping dialog simplistic...more

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Apr 08, 2013 Kevin Y. rated it 4 of 5 stars

If I had to describe this book in one work, I would have to say paranoia. For the whole pretense of this book is paranoia and the what if there is an organism out there that can be fatal to almost all humans and there is no cure? What would humans do then? Although science fiction, I have to admit this is quite the chilling tale that hits the darkest pits of our home.
This book is about how an extra-terrestrial bacteria is found in a town annihilated by this bacteria. A group of the nation's best...more

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Mar 05, 2013 Trent Smith rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a hair-raising read that encapsulates a shocking discovery when a military satellite crashes into a small town in Piedmont, Arizona. When a recovery team is dispatched to retrieve the satellite, during a live radio conference with their base, the team members unexpectedly die. Streets become littered with bodies, and it is up to a team called Wildfire to figure out and terminate this fast paced killer. The team consists of a bacteriologist (Jeremy Ston...more The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton is a hair-raising read that encapsulates a shocking discovery when a military satellite crashes into a small town in Piedmont, Arizona. When a recovery team is dispatched to retrieve the satellite, during a live radio conference with their base, the team members unexpectedly die. Streets become littered with bodies, and it is up to a team called Wildfire to figure out and terminate this fast paced killer. The team consists of a bacteriologist (Jeremy Stone), a pathologist (Peter Leavitt), an infection vectors specialist (Charles Burton) and a surgeon (Mark Hall). However, through the help of the teams discovery, they engulf themselves into a world of research, picking up clues and making new discoveries, all intertwined with the aspects of human error, ignored facts and blind spots to end this thrilling epidemic.

The storyline is intriguing and suspenseful. Crichton really showcases his knowledge on biology, bacteria evolution and medicine creating an accurate and engaging experience in figuring out the cure to The Andromeda Strain. The amount of knowledge he incorporates throughout this reading is uncanny, certainly showcasing the amount of research he did in learning about these subjects. He provides great examples to help further understand these concepts, giving the reader a fully detailed and understanding experience. The amount of twists and turns throughout this book keeps you on your feet, as the characters uncover incredible information and spurs out factual evidence giving you the ability to find out how the epidemic will end.

Throughout this book I was constantly connecting all the situations happening throughout the book to Crichton’s definition of a ‘crisis.’ He gives a brief intro in what a ‘crisis’ is in the beginning of this book, but never did I realize that Crichton was actually forming a ‘crisis’ throughout the book underlining the ingredients that make a ‘crisis’ in the events that take place. Because of this, I found his stylistic approach to be incredible and left me in awe. Although the majority of the book is a turn paging thriller, the end of the book was disappointing. The ending was very predictable and the finale of the book left me discouraged. Crichton creates a stellar climax, but completely drops the ball when it comes to the end. Overall, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the biology and evolutionary aspects. This book is heavy in factual content, but he provides a good understanding for those who do not know much about biological concepts.

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Mar 05, 2013 Erica rated it 4 of 5 stars

The Andromeda Strain revolves around a biological conflict in the form of a extraterrestrial strain responsible for the deaths in an Arizona town. A team of scientists are commissioned to examine the virulent microorganism and prevent a worldwide epidemic.

I enjoyed the technicality of the story, though others might not be so keen on it. The clinical narrative allows Crichton to demonstrate his medical background in the team’s examination of the microbe. The scientific process of their assessment...more

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Mar 04, 2013 LittleAsian Sweatshop rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: scifi

Andromeda Strain is a (surprisingly) well-written book by Michael Crichton (whom I usually loathe). I was actually interested for most of the book and the parts when I nearly fell asleep, only rested my eyes for the action that was to come later. Typically, I dislike books that can be easily dated, but in this case, the obvious 60's/70's feel of the book (you could practically smell the bell-bottoms) helped, rather then hindered this novel. Rather then try to hide the time period it was written...more Andromeda Strain is a (surprisingly) well-written book by Michael Crichton (whom I usually loathe). I was actually interested for most of the book and the parts when I nearly fell asleep, only rested my eyes for the action that was to come later. Typically, I dislike books that can be easily dated, but in this case, the obvious 60's/70's feel of the book (you could practically smell the bell-bottoms) helped, rather then hindered this novel. Rather then try to hide the time period it was written in, Crichton brilliantly writes this novel, as if telling about an actual event. The little diagrams that he sticks in of the computer printouts and the maps, while doesn't further the story line, does give the novel, a decidedly realistic feel.

This "true story" novel unfolds over four days, documenting a top-secret government team, called Project Wildfire. It starts out with the discovery of the death of an entire small town, with the notable exception of two people. The Project Wildfire team (consisting of only four members and assistants), race to find the cause and cure, documenting the course of this viral threat from outer space. Once you get used to the techno-babble, which Crichton filled the book with, the story is engaging and the excitement builds as time runs short and no apparent cure can be found.

Contrary to the proper way things should be done, I'm going to do this backwards and start with the ending (because it bothered me so). I won't ruin it for you, but know that he totally copped out at the end. However, I will say that I was incredibly disappointed that Crichton used the expected "deactivated the bomb with seconds to spare" device. The action, up to that point was understated and tense with the scientists mental race against the virus, but the use of the bomb device, changed the story from one of understated subtly, to a crass pandering to the masses. The tension and excitement is already there, this was completely unnecessary to the plot.

Not surprising, there were no character developments; all of the characters were just static and flat, virtually undistinguishable between each other. Important details about these characters aren't revealed early on in the story, but just sentences, before certain character quirks were needed (such as one scientist's epilepsy...the moment it was revealed, it was obvious that this would start a chain of events). This rather shoddy unfolding of the details quickly became tedious, and made otherwise unexpected, predictable and trite.

However, I do have to compliment Crichton on his technical details. I think I learned more about chemistry and biology then I ever did from college, however he quickly glossed over some basic facts (that was needed for the reader to come to the same conclusion that he did) with big long words. Also, he has a horribly heavy hand in the foreshadowing of events (the best example of this heavy handedness was in his book Disclosure). This seems to be a classic Crichton trait, as are the incredibly tedious flashbacks (they are totally pointless, and he flashes back to the same scene, from 20 different angels...and is NOT necessary for the continuous flow of the story).

All in all, it was enjoyable reading for a long flight back from Dallas, but I was disappointed in that it was also a very typical Michael Crichton book. One of his better ones, but still typical... (less)

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Jan 30, 2013 Duffy Pratt rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

I saw this movie when it came out. I was about ten at the time, and it impressed me quite a bit. I don't think I've seen it since. Yet I can still vividly remember much of it, and found myself comparing scenes in the book to my recollection of the movie. Here's one of the rare examples where the movie is better than the book, or at least my fond memories of a ten year old's impression of the movie is better.

Crichton has great ideas, but his writing is pedestrian at best, his characters lack char...more

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Jan 19, 2013 Jen rated it 3 of 5 stars

And my streak of reviewing thrillers continues with the second epidemiological thriller in a row! The Andromeda Strain is another reread. I picked it up because (a) I had the book sitting on the shelf doing nothing, and (b) I had already reread Carriers so I figured, "Why not?"

It is the story of a bunch of scientists doing their scientific thing in trying to find the cure to a plague that originates in outer space. Well, not really foreign outer space so much as simply really, really, really hig...more

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Oct 24, 2012 Peter B rated it 4 of 5 stars

For my Individual reading book I decided to read The Andromeda strain because I was looking for a book that involves science fiction and this one seemed interesting. I really did enjoy it because for once in my reading career I was able to read a book of my preference and not one that was assigned to me. This story was a very intense and well-written book that had me reading for hours at a time. People often use the fraise “I couldn’t put the book down” but in my case I literally could not. It w...more For my Individual reading book I decided to read The Andromeda strain because I was looking for a book that involves science fiction and this one seemed interesting. I really did enjoy it because for once in my reading career I was able to read a book of my preference and not one that was assigned to me. This story was a very intense and well-written book that had me reading for hours at a time. People often use the fraise “I couldn’t put the book down” but in my case I literally could not. It was a very curious and interesting book that I could not stop reading it. It always had me guessing if something bad was going to occur or if they would find a way to stop the deadly virus.

In the book the scientists always make new advances towards finding a cure for the virus or discovering what it really is. Most of the scientists get along but there are two polar opposites that do not get along to well (Jeremy Stone and Charles Burton). When these two characters fight it adds comic relief, which is necessary to the book considering there isn’t much comedy in it. Both scientists play major roles in figuring out how to stop the virus and ultimately get along.

During the book in order to get into the secret lab they had to go through a decontamination period that took twenty-four hours. I could not imagine doing that. They had to be absolutely sterile in order to work with the virus, which I thought was pretty cool. All of these scientists where called in out of nowhere and had to work with this mystery virus in order to save potentially the whole planet for being infected which is crazy. And the worst part is that no one would ever know what they did because the virus had to be top secret.

As a young student this compels me to not work harder in order to pursue what I want to accomplish in my life but also continue to read more than I have been recently. The reason for this is purely for the knowledge and the excitement of being able to read whatever book I want in stead of being assigned one which I think is very boring. Also if you are looking for interesting books to get you started on a certain genre like science fiction a lot of books by Michael Crichton will satisfy that need.

After reading this book I realized that reading could be fun and interesting if you find the right book. I was unsure of what genre of books I like to read but after reading The Andromeda strain I realized that Science fiction is the categories of books that I enjoy reading. If you are interested in reading this book I definitely recommend going to the bookstore and buying this book. It’s an interesting one.(less)

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Oct 18, 2012 Bruce rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: science-fiction

This book recounts the five-day history of a major American scientific crisis....

So begins Michael Crichton's first book, the one that made his name. When an Army space probe sent to look for extraterrestrial bacteria as potential biological weapons actually succeeds -- and kills a town of people -- a team of four scientists is called to a top-secret lab to examine the bacteria and find ways to control it. They only have three pieces of evidence to start with:

1. The strain kills by completely cl...more

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Oct 12, 2012 Marcel rated it 5 of 5 stars

I can see how someone not interested in science, might put this book off as boring due to the large amount of technical details. That said, Crichton managed to write a thriller on scientific discovery, which is quite exciting in its own right. Also, most scientific concepts are clearly described and I, as a reader, felt thrilled to join the scientists on their quest to understanding the extraterrestrial organism. Indeed, given this quest it was necessary to provide technical details and this boo...more

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Mar 02, 2012 Ruben rated it 3 of 5 stars

The Andromeda Strain was a decent storyline, but felt like it should have been more. The book was published in 1969 and so much credit should be given to Crichton who literally invented a world of advance technology that wasn't in existence yet. And due to the book's early publishing date, some of the "unknown truths" about the real life universe hadn't been discovered yet. So the fictional state-of-the-art technology that he uses, and the state-of-scientific-knowledge that he relies upon could...more

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Feb 08, 2012 Donovan rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sci-fi, thriller

Although this book is quite dated, there is that element (that Crichton is famous for) that is as valid today as it was back then when looking at how humanity would respond to certain situations and the morality associated. This is a classic story and was made in to a movie around the same era it was written. It has its dry moments, but over all it is not a bad read.

Plot ***Spoilers***
When a military satellite returns to Earth, a recovery team is dispatched to retrieve it; during a live radio co...more Although this book is quite dated, there is that element (that Crichton is famous for) that is as valid today as it was back then when looking at how humanity would respond to certain situations and the morality associated. This is a classic story and was made in to a movie around the same era it was written. It has its dry moments, but over all it is not a bad read.

Plot ***Spoilers***
When a military satellite returns to Earth, a recovery team is dispatched to retrieve it; during a live radio communication with their base, the team members suddenly die. Aerial surveillance reveals that everyone in Piedmont, Arizona, the town closest to where the satellite landed, is apparently dead. The base commander suspects the satellite returned with an extraterrestrial organism and recommends activating Wildfire, the government-sponsored team that counters extraterrestrial biological infestation.

The Wildfire scientific team studying the unknown strain is composed of Dr. Jeremy Stone, bacteriologist specialist; Dr. Peter Leavitt, disease pathology; Dr. Charles Burton, infection vectors specialist; and Dr. Mark Hall, M.D., surgeon, biochemistry and pH specialist. Hall is the "odd man", since he is the only one without a spouse. The Robertson Odd Man Hypothesis states that unmarried men are capable of carrying out the best, most dispassionate decisions during crises and he is given the only key that can disarm the self-destruct mechanism. A fifth scientist, Dr. Christian Kirke, electrolytes specialist, was unavailable for duty because of appendicitis.

The scientists believe the satellite, which was actually designed to capture upper-atmosphere microorganisms for bio-weapon exploitation, returned with a deadly microorganism that kills by nearly instantaneous disseminated intravascular coagulation (lethal blood clotting). Upon investigating the town, the Wildfire team discovers that the residents either died in mid-stride or went "quietly nuts" and committed bizarre suicides. Two Piedmont inhabitants, the sick, Sterno-addicted, geriatric Peter Jackson; and the constantly bawling infant, Jamie Ritter, are biologic opposites who somehow survived the organism.

The man, infant, and satellite are taken to the secret underground Wildfire laboratory, a secure facility equipped with every known capacity for protection against a biological element escaping into the atmosphere, including a nuclear weapon to incinerate the facility if necessary. Wildfire is hidden in a remote area near the fictional town of Flatrock, Nevada, sixty miles from Las Vegas using a sort of purloined letter approach, by locating it in the sub-basements of a legitimate Department of Agriculture research station.

Further investigation determines that the bizarre deaths were caused by a crystal-structured, extraterrestrial microbe on a meteor that crashed into the satellite, knocking it from orbit. The microbe contains chemical elements required for terrestrial life and appears to have a crystalline structure, but lacks DNA, RNA, proteins, and amino acids, yet it directly transforms matter to energy and vice versa.

The microbe, code named "Andromeda", mutates with each growth cycle, changing its biologic properties. The scientists learn that Andromeda grows only within a narrow pH range; in a too-acid or too-basic growth medium, it will not multiply — Andromeda's pH range is 7.39–7.43, like that of human blood. That is why Jackson and Ritter survived: both had abnormal blood pH. However, by the time the scientists realize that, Andromeda's current mutation degrades the plastic shield and escapes its containment. Trapped in an Andromeda-contaminated laboratory, Dr. Burton demands that Stone inject him with Kalocin ("the universal antibiotic"); Stone refuses, arguing it would render Burton too vulnerable to infection by other harmful bacteria. Burton survives because Andromeda has already mutated to nonlethal form.

The mutated Andromeda attacks the neoprene door and hatch seals within the Wildfire complex, racing to the upper levels and the surface. The self-destruct atomic bomb is automatically armed when it detects a containment breach, triggering its detonation countdown to incinerate all exo-biological diseases. As the bomb arms, the scientists realize that given Andromeda's ability to generate matter directly from energy, the organism would feed, reproduce, and ultimately benefit from an atomic explosion.

To halt the atomic detonation, Dr. Hall must insert his special key to an emergency substation anywhere in Wildfire. Unfortunately, he is trapped in an unfinished section with no substation. He must navigate Wildfire's obstacle course of automatic defenses to reach a working substation on an upper level. He barely disarms the bomb in time. Andromeda eventually mutates to a benign form and is suspected to have migrated to the upper atmosphere, where the oxygen content is lower, better suiting Andromeda's growth.

The novel's epilogue reveals that a manned spacecraft, Andros V, was incinerated during atmospheric re-entry, presumably because Andromeda Strain ate the plastic heat shield of Andros V and caused it to burn up.(less)

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Jan 14, 2012 Helynne rated it 4 of 5 stars

I have heard this book criticized as being too scientifically complex for the average sci-fi reader. That may be true, but who cares? This chilling story of a deadly virus from an extraterrestrial missile accidentally set loose in a small Nevada town is such an exciting read and has enduring for so many decades that no reader really cares if he/she really comprehends all the scientific data or its reliability. The virus has killed everyone in the town but an old man and a small baby. An elite g...more

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Jan 12, 2012 Kaph rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: 1000-books, weird-science, g1000-crime

So I decided to give Crichton another go. I was optimistic. There is no movie of this one (as far as I’m aware) and I do enjoy a good space epidemiology premise. What can I say? I was right, solid 3. Also, look up ‘page-turner’ in a reputable dictionary and you will be directed to this book. Bloody impossible to put down, almost irritatingly so. I read the last chapters in a kind of frustrated mania, aware I had things to do but also accepting of the fact that they were not getting done until I...more

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Jan 02, 2012 John E. Branch Jr. rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: techno-thriller

This, the first Michael Crichton novel I read, came my way during high school, through a path I no longer recall. As an adolescent with a capable mind but a tendency to self-doubt and rebellion, I was not the most diligent student, nor was my school that demanding (despite being better than practically any other public school in the city). Outside of school, too, my pursuit of various interests was rather skipping and dilettantish rather than dedicated. I was, then, only acquainted with, not wel...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Samantha rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Fans of Crichton, Technothrillers, Classmates of mine who would actually understand this ;)

Shelves: books-i-own, space, techno-thrillers, reviewed

Ohmigosh!!! That was one of the sickest(as in coolest, not in terms of illness) Crichton books yet!

At first, I assumed it was gonna be good, considering I had already read quite a few other books by Michael Crichton {Jurassic Park, Prey, Next, Timeline, Pirate Latitudes & Rising Sun}. Jurassic Park was by far the best. I've loved the movie since I was about 5 and decided to read the book last year when I found it at a local Friends of The Library store. I automatically found a new favorite...more

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Nov 21, 2011 Jessica rated it 2 of 5 stars

Not good! I have given Crichton's non-JP books a solid chance now, I just really don't dig his writing style. I find the fake documentary style obtrusive, since he's always adding bits about "He recalled later that...", which is so less fun than just saying how the characters actually reacted in the time of the events. Also, this seems to be his only effort to build tension, things like "Later they realized that they missed this really important thing...", but, it's just annoying! Tension not bu...more

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Oct 24, 2011 Holden added it

Shelves: 10th-grade

I found that the book the Andromeda Strain was extremely interesting. It was not amazingly written but that is because it used extremely advanced vocabulary and was written almost as a report. I found the plot very interesting though and I really liked how the story came together. The Odd Man Hypothesis in the book is quite interesting and seems almost realistic even though the statistics are most likely fictional. Throughout the book the is a very creative yet vivid imagery, I really found the...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Michael Johnson is currently reading it

The Andromeda Strain
By Michael Crighton

The Andromeda Strain: 1-269
Total: 269

Summary: The Andromeda Strain is about a new illness that has killed an entire town of fifty people in just one night. A group of scientists, known as WILDFIRE, has been formed to deal with such situations as new forms of life previously unknown about. This illness clotted most people blood in seconds, but then drove others insane until they committed suicide. The WILDFIRE team must study this organism in their secret la...more

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About Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton was an American author, film producer, film director, and television producer. His books sold over 150 million copies world wide, and among his best-known works were techno-thriller novels, films and television programs. His works were usually based on the action genre and heavily feature technology. Many of his future history novels had medical or scientific underpinnings, reflec...more

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Quotes from The Andromeda Strain

“Human intelligence was more trouble than it was worth. It was more destructive than creative, more confusing than revealing, more discouraging than satisfying, more spiteful than charitable.” — 10 people liked it

“The rock, for its part, is not even aware of our existence because we are alive for only a brief instant of its lifespan. To it, we are like flashes in the dark.” — 7 people liked it

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