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michael crichton

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Welcome to our genetic world.

Fast, furious, and out of control.

This is not the world of the future --- it's the world right now.

Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction --- is it worse than the disease?

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime.

We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes ...

Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.

431 pages, Hardcover

First published November 28,2006

This edition

Format
431 pages, Hardcover
Published
November 28, 2006 by Harper
ISBN
9780060872984
ASIN
0060872985
Language
English
Characters More characters

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About the author

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michael crichton

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Michael Crichton (1942-2008) was one of the most successful novelists of his generation, admired for his meticulous scientific research and fast-paced narrative. He graduated summa cum laude and earned his MD from Harvard Medical School in 1969. His first novel, Odds On (1966), was written under the pseudonym John Lange and was followed by seven more Lange novels. He also wrote as Michael Douglas and Jeffery Hudson. His novel A Case of Need won the Edgar Award in 1969. Popular throughout the world, he has sold more than 200 million books. His novels have been translated into thirty-eight languages, and thirteen have been made into films.

Michael Crichton died of lymphoma in 2008. He was 66 years old.

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Community Reviews

Rating(4.1 / 5.0, 100 votes)
5 stars
34(34%)
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38(38%)
3 stars
28(28%)
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100 reviews All reviews
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Yukicorn
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Picked up Michael Crichton after a long long time. Pleasantly glad to have discovered that his books still evoke the same level of engagement and adrenaline in me.

‘Next’ tells us stories. Horror stories of what might happen if genetic engineering is commercialized. If genes are played as a fiddle by the hunky dory capitalistic techbros. The book is thrilling. It is engaging. I docked out stars because it had so many parallels running that it is difficult for the reader to keep all of them in mind. And the science is a bit off at times (there is NO one gene that codes for one trait or one behaviour - it is extremely COMPLEX) but I think it was partly intentional by the author to make the point that scientists can be wildly unethical in exaggerating their claims and discoveries.

It’s not equal to Jurassic Park in its quality but is still a good read if you are a fan of some racy science fiction thriller.
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RJHex
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This book was a very random purchase in Hoboken, NJ while waiting over two hours for the next train to upstate New York to visit a friend. I’d read a few books by Michael Crichton and this one was on sale for $7.00 (hard cover) so I grabbed it.

Next delves into scientific advancement. What is wrong, right, and where the line between them is largely overlooked. Medical related, of course, the story follows individuals as they face the consequences of things like genetic engineering, DNA decoding, genetic tampering, and one of the most insane things out there: gene patenting (side note, did you know 5% of the genes that make up who you are are patented and "owned" by companies?)

Are all the things going on in the book true? Most likely not. Could they be? Of course. That is what kept the book interesting to me. In this book I didn't really grow attached to the characters in the pages due to a lack of real character development but I did care about what they were doing to help change (some for the better, some not) the world in which we live.

Next is fast paced with lots of interesting tidbits of information in this sect of science, technology, and patent law. It makes the reality of cures, cloning, and judicial rulings in these matters rather scary. Not a read for everyone but if you like science and can stand an intersting book where you don't fall in love with the characters then I do recommend this book.
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ahiddensub
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Man Micheal Critchton’s writing is amazing but man was this book just meh.
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PROStefi1000
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Somehow I've avoided reading any of Michael Crichton's books until now. Not intentionally, mind you. I just haven't done it.

I'm afraid I'm probably hooked. I'm going to have to read all of his books now. The creativity and natural writing style in Next drew me in and didn't let go throughout the entirety of the story, which is a bit long, but doesn't feel like it at all.

The story focuses on several different aspects of genetic research and genetic engineering from various angles involving legal, moral, and practical issues. According to Crichton himself, the science involved in the story is more fact than fiction. Crichton blends them so naturally that the lines are completely invisible.

I'm not sure which of Crichton's books I'll read next, but I'm far from finished with him.
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Mako
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I finished NEXT last night, having taken two months of bedside reading to move through it leisurely. I also read several of the reviews on this web site. I wonder if those who complain it "has no plot" actually finished the book. Crichton DOES pull together his disparate plot lines in the last few chapters.
Its important to keep in mind, as one reviewer pointed out, that Crichton is a satirist. Here he mixes his serious material with raw comedy, going way over the top at times.
It might have helped if Crichton(alas, the late Michael Crichton) had put his chapter on background research up front; then his purposes might have been better revealed and fewer readers dissapointed or--if my suspicion is true--scared off.
This is a fun book. Grim fun, to be sure, but that's often true of SF humor. Much of it is a send-up of that profile of high-seriousness that drug companies bring to all they do, often lulling the public into an acceptance of highly questionable methods.
Should we be pissed at Voltaire for taking his narrative "too far"?
Crichton is not trying to paint an accurate picture here of how far things have come. Well, yes he is. But he's much more concerned, I feel, with what's coming NEXT, if this goes on.
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Cuteholic
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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A 3.5 - 4 star.

Lots of good elements to this, topic of gene editing could not be more fascinating. Also unlike Jurassic Park which had alot of dense scientific explanations, this one is written in a way that is authentic yet explains what's going on in a simplified manner. The drawbacks here however are in the story and an overload of characters. Even though the voice of each character was portrayed well, there were just far too many to keep track of.

If had to describe the plot would say snippets of lives of numerous people affected by gene editing. Even halfway in, I couldn't say who was the main protagonist or what was the plot of the book. Rather felt like a compilation of many stories interspersed between each other. The finale gets a bit action packed but still didnt feel like wrapped up all threads.

While I enjoyed the incidents and legal ramifications, would have been quite something if had a valid beginning, middle and end. Regardless, I particularly enjoyed the lawyers in this, as were ready to come up with some brilliant runarounds to defend action which are clearly immoral and absurd, yet make sense legally. There was also a strong similarity to planet of the apes movie which reckon they must have inspiration from here. And ofcourse Gérard the parrot, a real fun character.

Overall, its a fascinating topic and well researched, but not much for a well rounded plot, more of a fun read on lives of people involved around the gene editing field.
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jumbosan
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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„Dieser Roman ist reine Fiktion,
bis auf die Passagen, für die das nicht gilt.“

Ehrlich gesagt, beschäftigt mich dieses Buch weitaus mehr, als ich es gedacht hätte. Gerard & Dave - absolute animal boss babes!!
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tensaiotaku
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Este no es mi favorito del autor y es que me tenía acostumbrada a thrillers.
O sea, no digo que en este libro no hubiesen situaciones que, como mínimo, te ponen nervioso, pero este libro no tiene una historia central, sino varias historias que pueden llegar a relacionarse como no.
El tema principal es la inigeniería genética, la experimentación con genes y aborda dentro de las situaciones de ficción, problemas éticos que pueden presentarse cuando se expeimenta con eso. ¿Hasta dónde se puede llegar con la modificación genética de seres (humanos o animales)?
Los problemas legales que pueden presentarse y lo que pasa si los científicos son irresponsables con sus metodologías y experimentos.
En ese sentido es súper interesante y en ocasiones aterrador, porque el mundo científico que propone es de locos, no tiene límites y eso hace que quieras seguir avanzando.

Lo que hace que no sea tan bueno, es la falta de hilo principal, uno lee como avanzando no más pero sin un propósito específico y por eso les recomiendo que si van a leerlo, lo tomen como una serie de anécdotas.

De todas maneras fue muy entrete de leer.
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