Next by Michael Crichton - Book Review

Michael Crichton needs no introduction in the genre of science fiction thrillers. Jurassic Park took the world by storm in the 90s and Crichton became the master of mixing the possibilities of modern research with page-turning suspense. Next deals with genetic engineering on a more human level. In Next, Crichton brings up some provocative dilemmas dealing with the subversive topic of genetic testing and ownership. But when numerous sadly sketched characters and tangential storylines don’t resonate or connect, examining those dilemmas falls flat and Next leaves readers wanting.

Pros

• Crichton still knows how to write a page-turner, no matter how vapid the characters and sloppy the plot(s)
• Next’s critique that scientific research is becoming increasingly like a corrupt business is intriguing
• The faux science journal articles mixed throughout the novel are biting and fun

Cons

• The most memorable characters are a talking parrot and a chimpanzee mixed with a human
• The plot development is practically non-existent and the people or animals involved merely "exist" to serve a topic
• Crichton would have been better off forming a journal of his findings or writing a novella that dealt solely with Alex and her son being pursued cross-country because of their valuable genes

Description

• Do you wish you could blame all your bad behavior on your genes? If you could, how much would a corporation be willing to do to find a "cure?" How much would you be willing to pay for it?
• Would you let your genes be owned by someone else for a price? If so, what if the price allowed the company that owned them to come after your family?
• Is a monkey-boy a chimpanzee or a human? Does his genetic father have the responsibility to raise him?
• What if a talking parrot really knew what he was saying? Would you want him to be able to talk about everything he heard and saw in your house?
• All these questions and more are addressed in Next, a haphazard mix of bizarrely intriguing, yet sadly laughable and empty science fiction.

Like Stephen King and John Grisham, Michael Crichton has become the master of his genre. But unlike King’s and Grisham’s works of 2006, Next is a disappointing addition to the library.

Next has plenty of ideas and discussions on the moral and financial implications of human genetic engineering, but none of them add up to a cohesive and involving story. The chapters are short and crisp, some moments even thrilling, but it’s hard to care where the story is going when there are so many thinly thought-out plots and characters.

With a more straightforward and focused approach, Crichton could have created a sharp literary science fiction thriller. One of the most intriguing ideas in Next involves the dilemma of humans stubbornly declaring their right to free will while desiring to blame their mistakes on genes (which ironically disregards free will if we merely act a certain way simple because it’s in our genetic makeup). This idea could have then been shaped around the story involving Alex and her son fleeing cross-country because a court system has ordered that a biotech firm has a right to their genes (regardless of Alex’s choice) so they can manufacture a potentially million dollar cure for cancer.

With his previous works and a few tidbits in Next, Crichton has proven he has the ability to write compelling science fiction with intelligent hypotheses and authentically human characters. Next is just proof he wasn’t born with those genes – he still has to choose to write that way.