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Next
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Michael Crichton, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Jurassic Park, comes an astounding, eye-opening look at the world of genetics as it’s happening now, told as only Michael Crichton can tell it, with lightening fast pacing and thrilling chases.
Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future—it’s the world righ ...more
Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future—it’s the world righ ...more
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Mass Market Paperback, US / CAN Edition, 547 pages
Published
December 2007
by Harper
(first published November 28th 2006)
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Mar 07, 2018
Mario the lone bookwolf
rated it
liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
crichton-michael
It had so much potential, it could have expanded the Biopunk genre, a whole series would have been possible, but Chrichton failed epically after a promising beginning.
You certainly know that the human brain memorizes negative and traumatizing experiences much better, because it´s better for survival to avoid them in future, and I still vividly remember reading, being fascinated, reading some articles about genetic engineering inspired by the novel, to start wondering, and to be completely disapp ...more
You certainly know that the human brain memorizes negative and traumatizing experiences much better, because it´s better for survival to avoid them in future, and I still vividly remember reading, being fascinated, reading some articles about genetic engineering inspired by the novel, to start wondering, and to be completely disapp ...more

Nov 02, 2007
Alex Telander
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
books-read-in-2006
NEXT BY MICHAEL CRICHTON: I’m still trying to figure out how this manuscript landed in the hands of an editor and actually got the go ahead to be published in time for Christmas. I can’t help but think about all those dads that are going to be so disappointed on December 26th when they crack open the book and find a collection of plot lines with confusing characters and stories that seem to go nowhere.
In Prey and State of Fear, Crichton did what he does best in providing a well researched book w ...more
In Prey and State of Fear, Crichton did what he does best in providing a well researched book w ...more

Oops! Finished this yesterday and forgot to review!
I enjoyed this book even though it was a bit spastic. Basically, Michael Crichton learned everything he could about the state of gene research and politics and combined it into a series of fictional stories to make separate points. Some of the stories ended up crossing and some did not. If you read this, don't expect any cohesion, just appreciate the anecdotes within. ...more
I enjoyed this book even though it was a bit spastic. Basically, Michael Crichton learned everything he could about the state of gene research and politics and combined it into a series of fictional stories to make separate points. Some of the stories ended up crossing and some did not. If you read this, don't expect any cohesion, just appreciate the anecdotes within. ...more

Next by Michael Crichton is a ridiculous, silly book. But I bet a lot of people said the same thing about Brave New World, Dune, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land, and 1984 when they came out. No, Next can not hold a candle to these science fiction classics, but it is the same kind of book, and it is poignant for its time. The fact is, Crichton writes satire, and the general perception of him does not accept this. Next is both silly and excellent. More importantly, I lear
...more

I'm giving the five stars not because of how it is written, but what it's about. Crichton was trained as a medical doctor before he was a novelist. And he died of cancer recently at a relatively young age. I am supposing he wrote this book after he was diagnosed. He knew there could be all kinds of ways of treating his disease that have not yet emerged from clinical trials. He was certainly angry at the medical establishment, at the research community, at Big Pharma, and at the government's poli
...more

1.5
Next is a very well-researched book. And that’s the only good thing I can say about it.
The characters were too many and too unmemorable; I forgot nearly all of them as soon as they were mentioned. The stuff on stem-cells and genes and biotechnology was excruciatingly boring. The story was over-exaggerated, silly and unintentionally funny. A swearing chimpanzee and a transgenic ape who goes to school?? Are you kidding me??
I’m still trying to figure out why I read Next instead of Jurassic Park. ...more
Next is a very well-researched book. And that’s the only good thing I can say about it.
The characters were too many and too unmemorable; I forgot nearly all of them as soon as they were mentioned. The stuff on stem-cells and genes and biotechnology was excruciatingly boring. The story was over-exaggerated, silly and unintentionally funny. A swearing chimpanzee and a transgenic ape who goes to school?? Are you kidding me??
I’m still trying to figure out why I read Next instead of Jurassic Park. ...more

Sep 15, 2018
Rohit Enghakat
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
library,
techno-thriller
Actually I liked this book. Don't know why majority readers thought this book was overrated. I was hooked from the word go. Well researched book, the author has taken pains to learn about genes and weave a story around it. The book was also interspersed with articles and essays on biotechnology related subjects.
To make it short, the book is about genetic technology and experiments around it including the discovery of various genes with behavioural traits. There are three or four plots in the boo ...more
To make it short, the book is about genetic technology and experiments around it including the discovery of various genes with behavioural traits. There are three or four plots in the boo ...more

Occasionally, I pick up a book completely outside of my usual genre just to see what others are reading and what's actually out there. Plus, a local charity shop sells 3 books for £1! I'm obviously aware of this author due to Jurassic Park.
Offensive content aside, (I'll come back to that), this was a page turner. I noticed that other reviewers found the numerous sub plots and multiple characters confusing. I was also worried about that at first, but I found that the key was to stay fully immerse ...more
Offensive content aside, (I'll come back to that), this was a page turner. I noticed that other reviewers found the numerous sub plots and multiple characters confusing. I was also worried about that at first, but I found that the key was to stay fully immerse ...more

Fast paced story with a ton of subplots that plays like a popular soap opera of your choice. Topics range from legal battles over human tissue (including the right to have bounty hunters go after the descendants of said tissue), transgenic apes, one transgenic parrot (that talk tough if provoked), biotech espionage vs. competitors, gene patenting, and a lot of angry people.
There's some scientific info woven into this tale as well but not too much yet I still learned about some new things like c ...more
There's some scientific info woven into this tale as well but not too much yet I still learned about some new things like c ...more

So I was, like, really broke towards the tail end of last month. But, you know, broke or not, I still needed something to read - I was just going to have to content myself with one of those trashy, $7.99 paperbacks. And, lemme tell ya, pickings are slim.
So I got a Michael Crichton book. I'm very ashamed. More so because I actually, well, liked it.
Crichton, I think, resonates so well with middle-of-the-road audiences because his takes on science and technology tend to play to the common man's fe ...more
So I got a Michael Crichton book. I'm very ashamed. More so because I actually, well, liked it.
Crichton, I think, resonates so well with middle-of-the-road audiences because his takes on science and technology tend to play to the common man's fe ...more

Aug 29, 2012
Tim Martin
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
science-fiction,
reviewed
Michael Crichton revisited the world of genetic engineering in his novel _Next_. Steering away from recreating extinct organisms (namely dinosaurs, as in his _Jurassic Park_ novels), he looked at issues of genetic engineering as well as how the legal world and the culture relates to it, issues that are relevant today. Some parts are scary, though more in a sickening death-and-taxes-that-could-really-happen kind of way than an edge-of-your-seat-oh-my-goodness kind of way.
Lots to dissect in this b ...more
Lots to dissect in this b ...more

This was not necessarily a bad novel (I still rated it right around average!) but suffice it to say that it is the worst Crichton novel that I have read thus far. I think where Next fails is that Mr. Crichton tried to get too many storylines going in order to have them all running simultaneously in an effort to show a more grand scope to his issues of possible problems with genetic research.
The main problem here is that many of the characters became washed out and meaningless. There is just so m ...more
The main problem here is that many of the characters became washed out and meaningless. There is just so m ...more

Mar 27, 2017
~Bellegirl91~
marked it as to-read
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
michael-crichton,
my-books-i-own
RTC
So I got this in a book haul and so excited to read this! it may not have many great reviews and here's what I say about those who say they don't like Crichton or give 1-2 star ratings and would think me weird.....

I FREAKING LOVE AND MISS MICHAEL CRICHTON!! the ONLY reason I think sooooo many people gave/give up on him or rate so low is because of all his science talk. yeah, it's boring I get it and I DESPISE science but he still manages to put in a thriller and an actual story and set you up ...more
So I got this in a book haul and so excited to read this! it may not have many great reviews and here's what I say about those who say they don't like Crichton or give 1-2 star ratings and would think me weird.....

I FREAKING LOVE AND MISS MICHAEL CRICHTON!! the ONLY reason I think sooooo many people gave/give up on him or rate so low is because of all his science talk. yeah, it's boring I get it and I DESPISE science but he still manages to put in a thriller and an actual story and set you up ...more

This is classic Michael Crichton. I love his stories and how he intermingle science within a fictional novel. The story deals with the ethics and stories associated with bio genetics. There is a long cast of characters and the author ties them together in the end (which is probably a little too far fetched). However, it is a great way (for me) to get lost in an amazing world that Michael has a way of putting together. I am sad that he has passed away and will no longer be able to gift the world
...more

Fantastic book. Immensely futuristic even as it shows you what is actually happening today. The fact that transgenic animals have been created for decades was an eye-opener. The book clearly has a viewpoint on genetic engineering and there is an author's note at the end which is a must-read. Highly recommend this to anyone who is looking an intelligent thriller, even though the book is also satire.
...more

This was riveting! The book is about all of the possibilities of gene therapy and genetic engineering and it blends fact and fiction in clever ways that leave the reader with the unnerving sense that some of the fictional story lines are probably happening somewhere in the world right now. It also gives a strong sense of just how uncontrolled this field is and what ethical questions arise if a person allows a company to "purchase" their cell line...or a scientist decides to insert human genes in
...more

The later few Crichton novels seem to have a higher vision and intent than to only entertain; they also seek to educate and encourage debate. To that end, Next throws light on areas such as the government's policies on intellectual property rights for genetic discoveries, the absurd practice of patenting entire genes (and all uses and interactions that genome may carry out with anything else - in all of mankind) and diseases, what exactly constitutes cell ownership, and the moral grey areas such
...more

This book was a very random purchase in Hoboken, NJ while waiting over two hours for the next train to upstate New York to visit a friend. I’d read a few books by Michael Crichton and this one was on sale for $7.00 (hard cover) so I grabbed it.
Next delves into scientific advancement. What is wrong, right, and where the line between them is largely overlooked. Medical related, of course, the story follows individuals as they face the consequences of things like genetic engineering, DNA decoding, ...more
Next delves into scientific advancement. What is wrong, right, and where the line between them is largely overlooked. Medical related, of course, the story follows individuals as they face the consequences of things like genetic engineering, DNA decoding, ...more

May 01, 2019
Ramon Remires
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
great-as-4-stars
It is a scientific thriller that tells about genetics.
Although I'm not familiar with science nor genetics in particular, yet it seems that Crichton did an excellent job in his scientific explanations.
Two main drawbacks in the book-
First of all, you have to be patient because Crichton is overly exaggerating with the scientific descriptions and genealogy articles that appear in each chapter.
Second, the book has many characters, and finally, only at the end of all things, everything connects, so it ...more
Although I'm not familiar with science nor genetics in particular, yet it seems that Crichton did an excellent job in his scientific explanations.
Two main drawbacks in the book-
First of all, you have to be patient because Crichton is overly exaggerating with the scientific descriptions and genealogy articles that appear in each chapter.
Second, the book has many characters, and finally, only at the end of all things, everything connects, so it ...more

I finished NEXT last night, having taken two months of bedside reading to move through it leisurely. I also read several of the reviews on this web site. I wonder if those who complain it "has no plot" actually finished the book. Crichton DOES pull together his disparate plot lines in the last few chapters.
Its important to keep in mind, as one reviewer pointed out, that Crichton is a satirist. Here he mixes his serious material with raw comedy, going way over the top at times.
It might have he ...more
Its important to keep in mind, as one reviewer pointed out, that Crichton is a satirist. Here he mixes his serious material with raw comedy, going way over the top at times.
It might have he ...more

I love the way that Michael Crichton takes seemingly non-related parallel story lines and brings them all together in the end. Being a scientist, the topic of this book was interesting to me and I liked the book. I could really do without the profanity in the book... the F-word being his word of choice. I must say that Crichton sure did exhaust it's usage... as verb, noun, adjective, and maybe even some new ways to use it. I had to laugh when on page 370, one of the characters, "shouted and swor
...more

The Good: A fantastic premise, as always, from Crichton. Fact based, with completely terrifying implications, Next takes science today to that "next" step. If furthers things just a bit more, the ramifications of which give the readers a lot of troubling thoughts to consider.
The Bad: Crichton lost me at the money. Apparently, if you mix human and monkey DNA, a monkey will be born with human vocal capabilities. A monkey that you can pass off as a child with a hairy birth defect and some impulse c ...more
The Bad: Crichton lost me at the money. Apparently, if you mix human and monkey DNA, a monkey will be born with human vocal capabilities. A monkey that you can pass off as a child with a hairy birth defect and some impulse c ...more

Mar 01, 2018
Danni The Girl
rated it
really liked it
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
all-reading-before-2014
This book was recommended to me by my Dad, I'll always read anything he gives me.
I read this a long time ago, I remember it being very scientific, so at times I did struggle to keep up and understand what was going on, but I remember it being brilliant.
A guy working with a monkey trying to find a cure? I will definitely have to re read this but I remember it being good ...more
I read this a long time ago, I remember it being very scientific, so at times I did struggle to keep up and understand what was going on, but I remember it being brilliant.
A guy working with a monkey trying to find a cure? I will definitely have to re read this but I remember it being good ...more

Science runs amok when introduced to the profit motive.
This is a work of fiction, but firmly rooted in the possibilities of today. Genetic capitalization, that is the name of the game and Crichton spins multiples stories that all revolve around how the progress of science can be (and likely already is) used and abused for capital gains. In a world that has seen the proliferation of drug commercials, sky-rocketing drug costs, and morally ambiguous legal decisions regarding big pharma, much of wha ...more
This is a work of fiction, but firmly rooted in the possibilities of today. Genetic capitalization, that is the name of the game and Crichton spins multiples stories that all revolve around how the progress of science can be (and likely already is) used and abused for capital gains. In a world that has seen the proliferation of drug commercials, sky-rocketing drug costs, and morally ambiguous legal decisions regarding big pharma, much of wha ...more

Aug 01, 2007
bendyroad
rated it
did not like it
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Nobody
I had been boycotting Michael Crichton since his unhelpful muddying of the waters of the climate change "debate" in his next-to-last novel which included a personal message to his readers that he didn't believe the issues were really human related at all. Read the IPCC report, you ignoramus. However, I was stuck in an airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, having finished every novel in my bag and with the prospect of 12 hours of airplanes and airports ahead. The novel selection in the airport shop w
...more

I liked this book. Crichton takes quite a few characters within stories that seem unrelated to each other, mixes in a bunch of factual articles, and by the end comes up with a compelling story about genetic experimentation. Much of this has been superseded, but it is still a compelling story. It is mostly a quick read [it took me a while because of interruptions for other books / other projects - but it was a quick read when I was able to dive into it...]. My main criticism is that there are alm
...more

It's not very often that I experience self-consciousness while reading a book. This book inspired that kind of feeling in me by its being so poorly crafted that I felt absolutely philistine. I'm not sure if Crichton just had a bad writing streak, or if my tastes in reading have moved on - but his most recent book, Next, was an astounding disappointment.
Next focuses on the potential that present day and up and coming genetic technologies may have upon our society and way of life. A cautionary tal ...more
Next focuses on the potential that present day and up and coming genetic technologies may have upon our society and way of life. A cautionary tal ...more
topics | posts | views | last activity | |
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Shepherd Center B...: Next by Michael Crichton | 2 | 4 | Nov 15, 2018 12:41PM | |
Goodreads Librari...: Cover is missing | 4 | 16 | Jan 22, 2018 11:17AM | |
Book review quarter 1 book 2 | 1 | 4 | Sep 28, 2017 10:07AM | |
2015 Reading Chal...: Next by Michael Crichton | 1 | 19 | Feb 23, 2015 02:51PM | |
What's the Name o...: SOLVED. Monkey/Chimp/Baboon silhouette with neon colors [s] | 12 | 45 | Nov 20, 2014 03:17AM | |
Wrong ISBN - Slovak edition | 1 | 8 | Sep 24, 2014 03:25AM |
Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was one of the most successful novelists of his generation, admired for his meticulous scientific research and fast-paced narrative. He graduated summa cum laude and earned his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969. His first novel,
Odds On
(1966), was written under the pseudonym John Lange and was followed by seven more Lange novels. He also wrote as Michael Doug
...more
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