I'm not a huge fan of science-based novels. Sometimes it seems like authors either don't really get the subject matter at all or they get it too much and go too far. While I've come across some medically-themed books in the past that worked well, most of the time when an author wanders into the fanciful nature of science writing - I guess one would call it science fiction (shutter) - they lose my interest.
Michael Crichton's layered story of genetic science was not what I had anticipated. Next is a novel about the perils, pitfalls, misconceptions, and marvels of the genetic engineering field. A little ADD at times, Crichton jumps between a myriad group of diverse characters, all the while informing and cautioning the reader about this new frontier.
The opening page reads "This novel is fiction, except for the parts that aren't." With this ominous disclaimer, Crichton creatively sprinkles real news articles or clippings in between various chapters, often foreshadowing coming action. While everything that happens might not be one hundred percent realistic, it probably is not that far off base. Curing drug addiction through one's genes, genetically modified animals that can compute or even speak, the legality and ethics behind the concept of patenting parts of DNA are all addressed in this story in a way that takes the fiction out of the science fiction.
Sergio del Limonar
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