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curtiswastaken's review against another edition
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
My disbelief is always mightily suspended, and I can be more forgiving over clunky science and plot holes if I'm enjoying the ride itself.
But in this book, you've got a guy that thinks computers want to get him, and doctors that understand both that and that this guy is a psychopath. They know he has blueprints for this hospital. Then he calls them and tells them he wants to "fix" the computer. Then they find out he called them from the hospital.
Yet, when their computers start behaving weirdly afterward, they STILL don't put together that maybe it's this guy that's fucking with it. They don't immediately go to the MAIN COMPUTER, they still have to talk it out.
Also, all the epilepsy stuff here sucks a lot. God forbid someone has an issue in their brain and a million sci-fi writers don't load up their typewriter and think "How can I turn these people into monsters??"
But in this book, you've got a guy that thinks computers want to get him, and doctors that understand both that and that this guy is a psychopath. They know he has blueprints for this hospital. Then he calls them and tells them he wants to "fix" the computer. Then they find out he called them from the hospital.
Yet, when their computers start behaving weirdly afterward, they STILL don't put together that maybe it's this guy that's fucking with it. They don't immediately go to the MAIN COMPUTER, they still have to talk it out.
Also, all the epilepsy stuff here sucks a lot. God forbid someone has an issue in their brain and a million sci-fi writers don't load up their typewriter and think "How can I turn these people into monsters??"
sarahrigg's review against another edition
4.0
I'd forgotten that this was my first book by Crichton until I went back and looked at the books I'd listed in my journals from the 1980s. This one is creepy and suspensful.
starstrikers200's review against another edition
informative
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Not one of my favorite of Michael Crichton. Slow pacing plot, and that abrupt ending caught me by surprise
carissaabc's review against another edition
2.0
listened to this in the car with jay. it's interesting that this book is older than us and is all about technology and despite some major details that date the book (a computer for a hospital that takes up the entire basement and uses punchcards and tapes) and some major fears about computers taking over the world (which, I suppose, in a way they have, but as far as I know, none of them have gone rogue and decided to secede and begin their own society) it wasn't tooooo bad. I'm not a huge fan of suspense books and this one had a lot of cliche's, but who knows? Maybe Crichton was the first one to write these, so they weren't cliches back then? Not a particularly cheerful or uplifting book.
katestar99's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
benj_78's review against another edition
5.0
I read this one a long time ago, and it was probably the book that made me a believer in Michael Crichton. The premise was very good and the story sucked me right in. I can remember being so drawn in at one point, that I held my breath :)
nellibeans's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
hippenreads's review against another edition
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Fast Pace techno thriller. What I have come to expect from Michael Crichton. This book felt the most outdated of any of the Crichton books that I've read. Still a fun fast read if you don't have a lot of time. Took me only a couple days to get through this novel. Worth the read if you are into thrillers.
missmusicbox's review against another edition
3.0
A solid read. Had a few plot problems but I really enjoyed the writing. The science and medical stuff wasn’t boring or confusing and even though it was written in the 70s it still felt like it could be modern. I’ll definitely read mor Crichton