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All-Time High Scores
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"Next" finds the bestselling author uncharacteristically jumping back and forth through a number of different storylines, each dealing with the overall theme of the science--and business--of the human genome.
HarperCollins, 448 pages
11/28/2006
$27.95
ISBN: 0060872985
Fiction
General Literature & Fiction
Science Fiction & Fantasy
All reviews are classified as one of five grades: Outstanding (4 points), Favorable (3), Mixed (2), Unfavorable (1) and Terrible (0). To calculate the Metascore, we divide total points achieved by the total points possible (i.e., 4 x the number of reviews), with the resulting percentage (multiplied by 100) being the Metascore. Learn more...
The average user rating for this book is 5.7 (out of 10) based on 27 User Votes
Note: User votes are NOT included in the Metascore calculation.
super man gave it a10:
To everyone who thinks this sin't an awesome book, all I can say is that I'm sorry you think that the Jurassic Park movie is better than the book and you think Hilary Duff rocks while thinking Tom Petty is a poser. Am I the only one who liked how Mr. Crichton used the two Jamies and the bounty hunter? Philistines.
Dave gave it a3:
The premise of the book was very interesting, but because the subject matter is so complex it came off half baked. Crichton did well enough to keep my attention throughout the book, but that was about it. The ending was the best part not just because it was the end, but because it gave me time to make sense of a very frantic 400 pages with all of the different plots. In a perfect world this book would have been 600-700 pages, allowing for it to be better laid out and more detailed explanations of the complex genetics related material. You do not have to be a biology student to read this book, but if you know anything you feel like this novel was very “dumbed down” for the mass public. Not surprisingly I found the legal battle the most compelling part of the book, which he could have created a novel around. Instead he tried to cram the 5 or 6 different plots into 400 pages, which did not work.
David S gave it a1:
This is his worst book ever! It was terribly confusing to read because he kept so many different stories going at the same time. In the end, he threw most of the stories together in a comical and trite fasion. The various stories he could not fit in were either just ignored or the characters suddenly died. I had a hard time making myself finish it.
Rupert D gave it an8:
I enjoyed the different style Michael Crichton applied to Next. Although sometimes confusing, it is very easy to browse back through to an earlier chapter to remember each character, and it adds several perspectives to a few key points - most importantly that of gene patenting. Much more interesting than State of Fear, and in a significantly different style than his previous works, I recommend Next for being entertaining and enlightening. Crichton's novels are always well-researched, and this book is no exception.
Joseph S gave it a2:
This book is terrible! It has like 12 different plots that lead nowhere. Characters are dull. It is scientifically inaccurate in almost every single fact. It tries to make a non-valid point. And it jumps from one story to the other, making it really hard to follow. It was like reading a "Scientific magazine" written by George W. Bush's advisers. Avoid this book at all costs.
Chris gave it a4:
A confused book with no gripping plot development, the story ends before it really even begins. With such profoundly false statements as "the identical cells of a parent can be found in the child", the book focuses far too much on bizarre ways to create transgenic species, and far too little on doing anything with its characters. In fact, there are so many characters and side stories, there are too many loose ends for him to tie up by the end. Some stories have no substantial impact and add nothing to the story line. Others just finish with no conclusion. Still others are strung together near the end just to give the book some coherence, but it's done in a dull and predictable way. There was no sense of suspense from a supposed "thriller". The narration was also not up to par, never quite gripping like his previous work. Finally, the ending was extremely unrealistic and boring. Swing and a miss.
Tye gave it a4:
A messy and fantasical plot mar this book's interesting theme. Definitely not in the same league as Crichton's other classics such as Jurassic Park or Andromeda Strain.
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