Science Fiction

The Andromeda Strain

The Andromeda Strain

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  • Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
  • Create Date：2021-06-11 09:56:01
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
  • Status：finish
  • Author：Michael Crichton
  • ISBN：0099319519
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Summary

Five prominent biophysicists have set up the Wildfire Project， to investigate the frightening possibilities of a biological emergency。 They send an urgent warning to the President of the United States， that sterilisation procedures for returning space probes may not be adequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere。

Two years later， Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of outerspace to 'collect organisms and dust for study'。 But the real aim of the mission is kept secret - they have been sent to discover new biological weapons of war。

Then in the middle of the night， one of the probe satellites from Project Scoop crashes onto the tiny town of Piedmont， in northeastern Arizona。 Soon after， all but two of the inhabitants are found dead from a strange disease that dried the very blood in their veins and caused death in minutes。。。
The Andromeda Strain。

Time is running out for the scientists。。。they must discover the biological link between the two survivors and trace what is causing the horrifying virus。 For they know it is only a matter of time before it will spread through their country， killing millions， and only they have the knowledge to stop it from doing so。。。

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Reviews

Evander v ，

Maybe down to 3。5 for the ending， which was abrupt and a bit "deus ex machina" for my taste， tbh。 I think some people Crichton's books a bit heavy and dry but I like them。 It makes me miss lab work though and wonder if I'll ever get back to my career （I'm an anatomist/biomedical scientist by training）。 Maybe down to 3。5 for the ending， which was abrupt and a bit "deus ex machina" for my taste， tbh。 I think some people Crichton's books a bit heavy and dry but I like them。 It makes me miss lab work though and wonder if I'll ever get back to my career （I'm an anatomist/biomedical scientist by training）。 。。。more

Jonathan ，

This would have been an awesome thriller except that， first， it keeps foreshadowing spoiling its own suspense， and second， its ending was rather abrupt， （view spoiler）[with a positive tone that suggests victory for our protagonists， even though the outcome was clearly very negative， as the epilogue attests to （hide spoiler）]。 It reads like only the first half of the full story; I'm glad there's currently a sequel， and I hope it will be at least decent。 This would have been an awesome thriller except that， first， it keeps foreshadowing spoiling its own suspense， and second， its ending was rather abrupt， （view spoiler）[with a positive tone that suggests victory for our protagonists， even though the outcome was clearly very negative， as the epilogue attests to （hide spoiler）]。 It reads like only the first half of the full story; I'm glad there's currently a sequel， and I hope it will be at least decent。 。。。more

Kate ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 I read this when I was younger and enjoyed it， but i can no longer hang with educated white dudes being horrible

Fadayomi Morenike ，

This is not a character-driven book， instead， it is sci-fi with a fast-moving plot that has you following the characters as they find a resolution to the Andromeda problem。 Crichton did a great job explaining host-parasite relationships， microbiological concepts and techniques， in easy to understand terms without sacrificing important scientific details。 Also， his writing properly relayed the workings surrounding the discovery of an entity completely alien to humankind from the POV of curious sc This is not a character-driven book， instead， it is sci-fi with a fast-moving plot that has you following the characters as they find a resolution to the Andromeda problem。 Crichton did a great job explaining host-parasite relationships， microbiological concepts and techniques， in easy to understand terms without sacrificing important scientific details。 Also， his writing properly relayed the workings surrounding the discovery of an entity completely alien to humankind from the POV of curious scientists tasked with understanding it。According to Burton， most bacteria simply can't live within a man long enough to harm him。 Conditions are， one way or another， unfavourable。 The body is too hot or too cold， too acidic or too alkaline， there is too much oxygen or not enough。 Man's body is as hostile as Antarctica to most bacteria。 The best-adapted bacteria are the ones that cause minor diseases or none at allSome of Crichton's ideas in this book were interesting， especially Kalocin - the incredible， yet dangerous drug。 。。。more

Benjamin ，

I miss him。I give credit for my love of reading to my mother and Michael Crichton。 Of course it may be pseudo science， bent to fit a story but the term techno thriller is one that Crichton wore perfectly。 While the techno side may seem dated now， there is enough to allow the reader to understand some basics of science and or technology， but also to fall into a fun story。Crichton will always be a fun read。

Peter Dunn ，

Crichton's detail makes the scenario seem more real and I loved how he points out along the way how even smart people and their computers can make consequential and sometimes tragic mistakes。 Well worth the read。 Crichton's detail makes the scenario seem more real and I loved how he points out along the way how even smart people and their computers can make consequential and sometimes tragic mistakes。 Well worth the read。 。。。more

Benjamin Barutzki ，

Worth every page。

Sergey Geller ，

A little to technical and dry for my liking but still an interesting case study presented as if it was real。 You can tell a lot of research went into it。 It could have been longer and had characters do more。

Chad ，

I slid this one into my rotation for a nice change of pace from my usual readings and was not disappointed。 I loved the Sci-Fi / Thriller feel of this quick read。

Bre ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Mutating virus。。uh yeahI guess I shouldn't have expected anything else。 Mutating virus。。uh yeahI guess I shouldn't have expected anything else。 。。。more

Sarah ，

I love Michael Crichton， but this was probably my least favorite book of his so far。

Chad Manske ，

A biological thriller from the master of them， before they were conceived as a genre。 Michael Crichton’s （1942-2008） 1969 classic turned movie thriller takes place in a time when real world space exploration was in its infancy。 In this book， 17 satellites are sent to the fringes of space to collect dust and organisms yet one crashes to the ground in Piedmont， Arizona which quickly becomes littered with bodies as something horrible has occurred。 The country’s preeminent biologists who were part o A biological thriller from the master of them， before they were conceived as a genre。 Michael Crichton’s （1942-2008） 1969 classic turned movie thriller takes place in a time when real world space exploration was in its infancy。 In this book， 17 satellites are sent to the fringes of space to collect dust and organisms yet one crashes to the ground in Piedmont， Arizona which quickly becomes littered with bodies as something horrible has occurred。 The country’s preeminent biologists who were part of the initial start of the program and are now called in for crisis management to discover… Thrilling to the end！ 。。。more

Nat ，

The ending is a bit flat but what a ride getting to it。

Joey Patapas ，

A 2。5 star rounded up to a 3。 There is a good story in there。。。somewhere。。。but oh so many problems。 Where to begin。。。The Writing Style: It is dry。 Very dry。 I feel that you need a minimum of a B。Sc to appreciate what is being presented。 I happen to have advanced degrees in biochemistry， so I can appreciate what is being said， but I think it’s beyond many average reader。 In addition the format of the book isn’t really consistent; sometimes it reads like a military report， other times is reads lik A 2。5 star rounded up to a 3。 There is a good story in there。。。somewhere。。。but oh so many problems。 Where to begin。。。The Writing Style: It is dry。 Very dry。 I feel that you need a minimum of a B。Sc to appreciate what is being presented。 I happen to have advanced degrees in biochemistry， so I can appreciate what is being said， but I think it’s beyond many average reader。 In addition the format of the book isn’t really consistent; sometimes it reads like a military report， other times is reads like a third person narrative。 Pick a format and stay with it。The Science: The techniques presented were accurate and groundbreaking for a half century ago。 Today they are either routine or obsolete。 This doesn’t make the story bad， just dated。 The science fiction behind the actual “andromeda strain” had me shouting “bullshit！” more than once。 Again， we have a half century of scientific advancement to blame in part。 The rest I can overlook by just reminding myself that this is fiction。The Characters: They are generic and quite indistinguishable。 We are told that Leavitt is a dreamer; Burton is a slob; Hall is a funny guy with a temper; and Stone is a womanizing asshole， but we never really see anything to really illustrate these traits。 Frankly there is no character traits on display at all。 The Author Using Spoilers: More than once there is something along the lines of “Character XYZ weeks later would think back to this day and wished he did things differently。” Okay， that character survived the story。 Now whenever the character is in peril， I know he isn’t really and all the tension is gone。 That， along with poor development， means I have no vested interest in these characters。 No fear for their safety because they survived。 Anticlimactic Ending: The story made a big deal about the “Odd Man Out” protocol， however I knew nothing would come of it because of the author’s spoilers。 Still， the rush to conclusion was just too darn quick。 Loose Ends: what happened to the baby and the old man that survived？ This was the first time that I read any of Crichton’s work and I have heard that he has grown as an author。 That being so， I will give his other works a chance。 I really wanted Andromeda Strain to be excellent， but sadly I felt it fell short。 。。。more

Alli ，

Good enough。 This was written very early in his career。 It seems like he was just beginning to work on his titration of plot-to-technobabble ratios。 I come to Crichton for the science as much as the fiction。 But， as another reviewer put it: “the writing was drier than a cracker in the desert”。 I would say this is especially true of the dossier excerpts and ‘computer printouts’ included in the book。 Fortunately， this wasn’t my first introduction to Crichton- if it had been， it might have turned m Good enough。 This was written very early in his career。 It seems like he was just beginning to work on his titration of plot-to-technobabble ratios。 I come to Crichton for the science as much as the fiction。 But， as another reviewer put it: “the writing was drier than a cracker in the desert”。 I would say this is especially true of the dossier excerpts and ‘computer printouts’ included in the book。 Fortunately， this wasn’t my first introduction to Crichton- if it had been， it might have turned me off completely。 So， don’t start here！ But if you’re already a fan， it’s worth the read， for sure。 。。。more

Hunter ，

More of a 3。5 stars。 This was a good read。 Not as good as Jurassic Park， but still enjoyable。 I didn’t like the characters as much。 I wish we had a little more time to get to know them。 There were quite a few times where the characters were so similar that I didn’t remember who was who。 But the plot is interesting。

Kelly Toups ，

Although I'm a huge fan of the Jurassic Park film， I hadn't picked up any of Michael Crighton's books until now。 Although the ending fell a bit flat for me， I found it to be an engaging and well-written sci-fi novel。 It is easy to imagine scifi novelist Andy Weir being influenced by Crighton's work， as they both share a careful attention to technical details。 Although I'm a huge fan of the Jurassic Park film， I hadn't picked up any of Michael Crighton's books until now。 Although the ending fell a bit flat for me， I found it to be an engaging and well-written sci-fi novel。 It is easy to imagine scifi novelist Andy Weir being influenced by Crighton's work， as they both share a careful attention to technical details。 。。。more

Ryan ，

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Milton

Rosemary Moore ，

5 stars when I first read it as a teenager。 It's hard to say what I'd think of it now， but I'd probably still enjoy it。 5 stars when I first read it as a teenager。 It's hard to say what I'd think of it now， but I'd probably still enjoy it。 。。。more

Gabriel Rolland ，

L'idea del virus alieno non è certo originale， ma Crichton l'ha sviluppata in maniera particolare。 Nonostante si concentri sul lato scientifico， con calcoli e analisi， si è dimostrata una lettura piacevolissima。 L'idea del virus alieno non è certo originale， ma Crichton l'ha sviluppata in maniera particolare。 Nonostante si concentri sul lato scientifico， con calcoli e analisi， si è dimostrata una lettura piacevolissima。 。。。more

Jack Hammerland ，

Almost too sciency at times but a fun read that keeps the reader on their toes。

Rafael Sales ，

Na verdade， seria 2，5。 Metade do livro é incrível， uma escalada maravilhosa de tensão e curiosidade。 Crichton sabe brincar com nossa curiosidade e criar uma tensão onde queremos ler。 As vezes me senti em uma aula de biologia， sem dúvida o cara é inteligente。 Mas do meio para o final o livro se perde， perde o rumo， perde o enredo， perde o sentido， perde tudo。 O mistério que tentamos desvendar é jogado por água abaixo e lidamos com um livro totalmente diferente。 O final é desanimar！

Abhijeet Borkar ，

I like the premise of the novel and the way events unfold。 The ending feels a bit anti-climactic。 The writing doesn't feel as refined （e。g。 compared to Crichton's other later works）。 Some of the science and fascination with computers seems a little outdated in the 21st century。 Otherwise very enjoyable thriller。 I like the premise of the novel and the way events unfold。 The ending feels a bit anti-climactic。 The writing doesn't feel as refined （e。g。 compared to Crichton's other later works）。 Some of the science and fascination with computers seems a little outdated in the 21st century。 Otherwise very enjoyable thriller。 。。。more

Darshini ，

So here's another novel about an invasion by alien organisms （with 10X jargon — which， by the way， the author warns you of in the beginning）。 It's about a space probe crash landing that causes the outbreak of a mysterious disease in Piedmont， a lesser-known （not anymore， though） town in America。 Though not extraordinary， it kept me engaged。 At some places， the book dragged too long。 At a few others， I simply couldn't get myself to enjoy the flavour because the plot ended up sounding like somethi So here's another novel about an invasion by alien organisms （with 10X jargon — which， by the way， the author warns you of in the beginning）。 It's about a space probe crash landing that causes the outbreak of a mysterious disease in Piedmont， a lesser-known （not anymore， though） town in America。 Though not extraordinary， it kept me engaged。 At some places， the book dragged too long。 At a few others， I simply couldn't get myself to enjoy the flavour because the plot ended up sounding like something fit for a random background of a movie scene （basically， I couldn't have cared less about it）。 Also， it could be just me when I say that the ending didn't live up to the buildup。 Maybe， I was expecting a lot more from this novel after reading the reviews。 。。。more

Phil Schuler ，

I am mad with myself for never getting into Crichton earlier。 With this book I keep having to remind myself that it was written in 1969。 We tend to take for granted the technology we have today。 We also seem to forget how long that technology has been around - either in the developmental stage or in use by the government。 This book was not at all what I expected it to be。 Some may have found passages to be repetitive and boring or that the ending was an anticlimax， but I found it to be quite bri I am mad with myself for never getting into Crichton earlier。 With this book I keep having to remind myself that it was written in 1969。 We tend to take for granted the technology we have today。 We also seem to forget how long that technology has been around - either in the developmental stage or in use by the government。 This book was not at all what I expected it to be。 Some may have found passages to be repetitive and boring or that the ending was an anticlimax， but I found it to be quite brilliant。 Now I have to make up for lost time and read all the other Crichton books！ 。。。more

rip ，

Had high expectations， they weren’t met and there was some tough medical/science-y jargon。 Oh well！ It’s weird like I liked it but yea I felt like I read an incomplete book

Henry ，

A great scientific rollercoaster。 Dropped a star for a slightly anti-climactic ending， but well worth reading。

Jacco ，

A secret facility is activated after a mysterious "wildfire" event occurs at a crash site in a rural town。 A large majority of the book is spent on how the facility was formed， the need and secrecy of it， and the general set-up and description of the "high-tech" installations。 In good Crichton style small mistakes go unnoticed and start derailing everything。 There is plenty of foreshadowing of this and a bit overdone at points。 The last major topic is the research into the mystery of Andromeda a A secret facility is activated after a mysterious "wildfire" event occurs at a crash site in a rural town。 A large majority of the book is spent on how the facility was formed， the need and secrecy of it， and the general set-up and description of the "high-tech" installations。 In good Crichton style small mistakes go unnoticed and start derailing everything。 There is plenty of foreshadowing of this and a bit overdone at points。 The last major topic is the research into the mystery of Andromeda and reminded me of a bad Dr。 House episode。 The final diagnosis is resolution is a bit underwhelming。The story is very enjoyable and pretty short。 For it's age this "techno-thriller" holds up really well and is good fun to read in 2021。 。。。more

Duncan Rice ，

Pretty standard airport read。 It doesn't stand up very well 50 years later。 Pretty standard airport read。 It doesn't stand up very well 50 years later。 。。。more

Paul ，

3。5 stars for my first Michael Crichton book。 I loved the amount of science used in this book and it really drew me in。 My only issue with it was it was all very anti-climactic and over too soon。 It seemed like a short story that was rushed in it's ending。 Really enjoyed the writing and the premise of the book and I am looking forward to digging into one of his more hefty novels next。 3。5 stars for my first Michael Crichton book。 I loved the amount of science used in this book and it really drew me in。 My only issue with it was it was all very anti-climactic and over too soon。 It seemed like a short story that was rushed in it's ending。 Really enjoyed the writing and the premise of the book and I am looking forward to digging into one of his more hefty novels next。 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Andromeda Strain

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Andromeda Strain&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Andromeda Strain&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0