Reviews

Andromeda: Roman by Michael Crichton

curtiswastaken's review against another edition

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informative mysterious 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

2.75

Crichton does the same thing here that Stephen King loves to do, which is to end chapters ominously. "She drank the soda. Little did she know, it would be the last soda she ever drank." I think Crichton leans on that mechanic a bit too strongly as the book goes on, dolling it out pretty liberally. 

Another issue I have is the same as I did for Project Hail Mary, the exposition feels less informative to the plot and more so a series of brief science class "did ya know?" segments. 

This book's narrative structure has the events taking place over a series of 5 days. Within each day, it feels like multiple days are taking place and it makes the timeline very confusing. Presumably, the 5-day structure is meant to be foreboding but the inconsistent pacing undermines it.

Ultimately, a very cool premise that takes a bit too long to unfold (which is something I would also say about Project Hail Mary).

zesty_estey's review against another edition

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challenging mysterious 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

3.5

griimoiir's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.75

tykxboy's review against another edition

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5.0

I loved this book, tho it was a little short so i read it in maybe a couple of hours. Very intriguing. I love the what-if's and the scientists rushing to try to find the cause and solution. The payoff isn't as good as I would have hoped for, but the book seems more geared to the what-if's and the panic and making you think about frighteneing possibilities and skips the usual hero scenario that shows off man's ingenuity and intelligence that could stave off a potential global catastrophe. Overall I quite enjoyed it and it still makes my mind whirr when i think about it.

danaravonk's review against another edition

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informative mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? N/A
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.25

moosegurl2's review against another edition

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3.0

"For years it was stated that men had forty-eight chromosomes in their cells; there were pictures to prove it, and any number of careful studies. In 1953, a group of American researchers announced to the world that the human chromosome number was forty-six. Once more, there were pictures to prove it, and studies to confirm it. But these researchers also went back to reexamine the old pictures, and the old studies — and found only forty-six chromosomes, not forty-eight.
Leavitt's Rule of 48 said simply, 'All Scientists Are Blind.' "

sidekick_sammy's review against another edition

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4.0

Hard science made easy to understand without dragging the book down with long exposition. Crichton gives you what you need to enjoy the story (sometimes this includes helpful diagrams) and nothing more. Would gladly pick this up again.

sandra_goodson's review against another edition

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2.0

Meh. It was okay. I had unrealistic expectations of where this story was going... It went somewhere I wasn't all that interested in investigating. Oh well. It's not a bad book, just kind of, how do you say?... Boring.

brookes_books14's review against another edition

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informative mysterious tense medium-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

3.5

bookmarish's review against another edition

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4.0

It's too bad I read this book after Richard Preston's "The Hot Zone," which was much more exciting. This book was entertaining in its own right, and intriguing in its foreshadowing of the threat of biological contamination wreaking havoc. Interesting read.