Next by Michael Crichton

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. n nWelcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future-it's the world right now. 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 addiction-is it worse than the disease? n nWe 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; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime. 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... n nDevilishly 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. n nEditorial Reviews n n[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton's storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation. n- |Los Angeles Times n nNEXT is a romp and a potboiler...a blockbuster science thriller...an entertaining read. n- Philadelphia Inquirer n nNEXT is one of Mr. Crichton's more un-put-downable novels. Its emphasis is on excitement. n- New York Times n nHis plot, involving a score of main characters and a dozen different strands, defies summary but is completely brilliant. n- Daily Mail (London) n n[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We're Not Having. n- Time magazine n n[Crichton's] in top form with NEXT....There's a lot to like and to scare you. n- USA Today n nCrichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research. n- Globe and Mail (Toronto) n nCrichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads. n- Newsweek n nCrichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader's attention right down to the last page. n- NPR (All Things Considered) n nUnder Crichton's imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon. n- People n n[Crichton's] in top form with NEXT....There's a lot to like and to scare you. n- USA Today n nCrichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads. n- Newsweek n n[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton's storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation. n- Los Angeles Times n nAs entertaining as anything he has written since Jurassic Park. n- Dallas Morning News n nThe writing is mentally sharp, with vignettes that make you wonder if you are reading satire or simply mild exagerration. n- Houston Chronicle n nA satirical thriller that will have bookworms glued to their armchairs. n- Denver Post n nCrichton's latest techo-thriller raises fascinating ethical questions. n- Christian Science Monitor n nA cracking dark tale about biotechnology and transgenics. Epic in style. n- Birmingham Post (UK) n nYou realize what [Crichton]'s fictionalizing could be happening now, not Next. And that's what makes it all so terrifying. n- Pittsburgh Post-Gazette n nProvocative and entertaining. n- Calgary Sun n nNEXT will frighten, worry and amuse you, and keep you thinking long after its final words are read. Highly recommended. n- Bookreporter.com n nNEXT is populated with blood-pressure-raising villains who will keep you turning the pages. n- Forbes n nA compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution. n- National Review n nCrichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research. n- Globe & Mail (Toronto) n nCrichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader's attention right down to the last page. n- (All Things Considered) - NPR n n[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We're Not Having. n- Time Magazine n nUnder Crichton's imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon. n- People Magazine n n[Crichton's] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured. n- Mail n nNEXT is one of Mr. Crichton's more un-put-downable novels. Its emphasis is on excitement. - New York Times n n[Crichton's] in top form with NEXT....There's a lot to like and to scare you. - USA Today n n[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton's storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation. - Los Angeles Times n nNEXT is a romp and a potboiler...a blockbuster science thriller...an entertaining read. - Philadelphia Inquirer n nUnder Crichton's imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon. - People n nHis plot, involving a score of main characters and a dozen different strands, defies summary but is completely brilliant. - Daily Mail (London) n n[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We're Not Having. - Time magazine n nCrichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader's attention right down to the last page. - NPR (All Things Considered) n nCrichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads. - Newsweek n nCrichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research. - Globe and Mail (Toronto) n nCrichton's latest techo-thriller raises fascinating ethical questions. - Christian Science Monitor n nA compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution. - National Review n nYou realize what [Crichton]'s fictionalizing could be happening now, not Next. And that's what makes it all so terrifying. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette n nAs entertaining as anything he has written since Jurassic Park. - Dallas Morning News n nRead this book. It's enough to scare the DNA out of you. - Baton Rouge Advocate n nNEXT will frighten, worry and amuse you, and keep you thinking long after its final words are read. Highly recommended. - Bookreporter.com n nA cracking pace...fast-moving plot with highly detailed research. - Sunday Telegraph (Australia) n nThe writing is mentally sharp, with vignettes that make you wonder if you are reading satire or simply mild exagerration. - Houston Chronicle n nA satirical thriller that will have bookworms glued to their armchairs. - Denver Post n n(Crichton) is one of the most reliable purveyors of brain-engaged popular fiction at work today. - Sunday Express (London) n nIt is devilishly clever...thoroughly enjoyable. - Aberdeen Press & Journal [Scotland] n nCrichton sets up mind-boggling scenarios. The pace and intrigue last to the final page. - News of the World (UK) n nA complex and credible extension of present reality into the realm of the imagination. A highly readable novel. - South China Morning Post n nNEXT is a page-turner, natuarlly; deft and dashing, eminently professional. - Daily Telegraph (London) n n[Crichton's] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured. - Mail on Sunday n n[Crichton] is a punchy, modern storyteller. NEXT is a popular thriller worth serious reading. - Adelaide Advertiser n nA cracking dark tale about biotechnology and transgenics. Epic in style. - Birmingham Post (UK) n n(Crichton) carouses through the landscape of scientific development, presenting one frightening possibility after another. Michael Crichton isn't for scaredybabies. - Daily News n nWonderful...NEXT's a regular romp. - Evening Standard (UK) n nProvocative and entertaining. - Calgary Sun n nNEXT is populated with blood-pressure-raising villains who will keep you turning the pages. - Forbes n- From the Publisher n nIt is devilishly clever...thoroughly enjoyable. n- Aberdeen Press & Journal [Scotland] n nCrichton sets up mind-boggling scenarios. The pace and intrigue last to the final page. n- News of the World (UK) n nWonderful...NEXT's a regular romp. n- Evening Standard (UK) n n(Crichton) is one of the most reliable purveyors of brain-engaged popular fiction at work today. n- Sunday Express (London) n nA cracking pace...fast-moving plot with highly detailed research. n- Sunday Telegraph (Australia) n n[Crichton] is a punchy, modern storyteller. NEXT is a popular thriller worth serious reading. n- Adelaide Advertiser n nA complex and credible extension of present reality into the realm of the imagination. A highly readable novel. n- South China Morning Post n n[Crichton's] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured. n- Mail on Sunday n nNEXT is a page-turner, natuarlly; deft and dashing, eminently professional. n- Daily Telegraph (London) n nRead this book. It's enough to scare the DNA out of you. n- Baton Rouge Advocate n n(Crichton) carouses through the landscape of scientific development, presenting one frightening possibility after another. Michael Crichton isn't for scaredybabies. n- Daily News n nDo you own your body's cells? If a doctor develops a cure for a disease using your cells in the process, are you entitled to a share of the profits? These are some of the questions Crichton explores in his latest science-as-boogeyman polemic. Baker does all he can to give life to the characters, but they are little more than tools to convey the plot, so the author leaves him little to work with. Baker subtly shifts the tone of his voice to distinguish between characters and deftly alters the cadence of his speech to keep the narrative flowing. Despite his best efforts, though, Baker cannot turn the nonfiction interludes between chapters into anything remotely interesting. As if these weren't distracting enough, the multiple subplots make it quite difficult to keep track of what's going on, or how one plot line relates to another. Reading a book that goes in this many directions would be difficult enough, but on audio it's almost impossible to follow. Baker's performance is excellent all around, but listeners hoping Crichton would return to Jurassic Parkform will be left wanting. Simultaneous release with the S&S hardcover (reviewed online). (Jan.)Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information n n- Publishers Weekly n nWill cool your ardor for biotechnology. Crichton graphically portrays all the hideous things that can go wrong with genetic research. Critics carp that he exploitatively mixes fiction with fact to conjure up an array of Frankenstein-like outcomes. But so what? The last century showed us what the once popular, seemingly scientific idea of eugenics--the belief that we could improve human beings the way we improve animals and plants through selective breeding, planting and culling--led to. Most Western countries, including the U.S., forced sterilization on hundreds of thousands of people because the prevailing thought was that their bad genes shouldn't be passed on to future generations. The Nazis carried that idea to its murderous conclusion. (18 Jun 2007) n-Steve Forbes n n- Forbes Magazine n nCrichton's books dazzle listeners with technical jargon that sends them fleeing to an encyclopedia to find answers and actual characters who rub elbows with their fictitious counterparts. The subjects here are genetic engineering, genetic tampering, cross-cultural gene experiments, and stem cell research. Crichton screeches down the genetic highway at breakneck speed, tossing out truth and fiction in equal amounts. Can an African Grey parrot be able to carry on conversations with its owners? What about experiments to place commercial advertising on animals and fish? Throughout these flights of fancy are several story lines that bring the gene question down to a human level, pitting firm believers against equally firm opponents. Lawsuits that touch on the furthest reaches of genetic research confuse the jury and irritate the judges. Actor Dylan Baker has a multitude of voices to contend with as well as some tongue-twisting medical terms, and he handles the job very well. Some of his characters whine too much or speak sarcastically when the situation doesn't really call for it, and one has to wonder why journal headlines are read in a plummy British accent. Still, don't be diverted from diving head first into one of the most important fiction books of modern time. Highly recommended for all public libraries. n-Jodi L. Israel n n- Library Journal n nA compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution. n- National Review