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This book is a Michael Crichton techno-thriller but it is more science heavy than all the other Crichton that I have read before. It started out very captivating but morphed into a heavy biological examination. Now, I work in the medical field so watching this whole process was fascinating for me but I'd recommend this one cautiously if the biological/medical breakdown bores you I think this will turn into a slog by the end. Usually Crichton's work is more thrilling, he poses scientific theories in a very readable way while still keeping readers on the edge of their seats and invested in the plot, in The Andromeda Strain that didn't happen as much so, like I said, if you don't have an interest in biology and disease process then I could see the potential for eyes to glaze over. I think that Crichton was a little self-indulgent with this one but I still had fun with it.

Scientists! Making things happen! Getting called out of their homes in the middle of the night! Rigorously sanitizing every inch of their bodies! Looking over ASCII-image printouts! Performing exhaustive tests! Debating theories of exobiology! And it's a total blast!
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Michael Crichton made microorganisms thrilling for the masses by employing science that isn't laughable forty years later. Is it any wonder he set the entertainment industry on fire when he got his hands on dinosaurs?
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Worth noting that the movie is even better; featuring fine performances, tight direction and the wild decision to include a female scientist. So check out either and prepare to turn pages at the speed of propagating germs or stare unflinchingly at the screen as if humanity depended on it. You may never look at anti-bacterial soap the same.

Edited 9/15/2020

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The Andromeda Strain, Michael Crichton's contagion procedural, has more in common with Sjowall & Wahloo's Roseanna than anything created by anybody widely associated with the science fiction genre but the biological investigation by Stone, Leavitt et al is most assuredly science fiction and most importantly a fascinating account of how an extraterrestrial bacteria might react to human beings and how human beings might react in return.

It's a methodical, slow burn thriller that's heavy on the scientific explanations but done in such a way that the layman can easily follow. The novel almost takes the form of a matter of fact report after the fact, eschewing the exaggeration and hyperbole of lesser "blockbuster" thrillers, avoiding cheap thrills in favour of casually revealing that things will did go smoothly down the line after the scientists believe they've made progress in finding a cure. It's this that could cause dissatisfaction in some readers, he threatens disaster throughout but the delivery whilst not necessarily an anti-climax is somewhat akin to ignoring that old Chekov maxim "If in Act I you have a pistol hanging on the wall, then it must fire in the last act."

This book was not good.

I'm flabbergasted by these reviews. It absolutely didn't age well. I can forgive the lazy sexism since it was written in 1969, but I cannot forgive the utter lack of characterization or personality. The characters were nothing more than sub-human vehicles for Crichton to babysit his reader's knowledge of biology. Maybe in 1969 everyone need the biology lecture, but at one point he offered three analogies for the same idea and at some point YOU EITHER TRUST YOUR READERS OR YOU DON'T.

For example, you have John Hall who is there only to disarm the nuke should that become necessary. Instead of finding out how he feels about his eternal lack of companionship or his role about being the odd man out, you actually read a bimodal distribution chart (occupation v. relationship) with variance about the probability of correct decision.

Guys, I've been in the military and I do research for a living - I don't need to read FM 10-22 in a book because NO ONE SHOULD but also, data doesn't have to be boring. It could be used to reinforce the ideas of a story and this just wasn't the case in this book.

God, I've never finished a book out of sheer boredom before, but I just did, just to see if there was any payout.

Nope, instead, there was a total psych! moment and I just cannot.

I'm not sure if this book is a 4 or 5, but I think I liked it more on second reading. It is really engaging, heavy on the science, which for the most part, great added to the authenticity of the novel. On rare occasions,  e.g., toward the end where Crichton introduces unnecessary commentary on some experimental disease treatment that is irrelevant to the story and seems awfully forced , the science is burdensome.

The story is a slow burn, building tension over the course of 5 days after discovery of a microscopic alien organism that has laid waste to a small Arizona town. It is not fast-paced (until the end), heavily dependent and science and scientific theory, and overly intellectual - not traits I look for in a thriller generally, but here, they all work together to form a fantastic novel, still great and timely despite decades since first publication.

Highly recommended for fans of science thrillers, medical thrillers, and science fiction.

I didn’t expect to like this so much considering the last Crichton novel I read I hated with a passion. It’s nowhere near as amazing as Jurassic Park, but still a good read I finished in an afternoon.

If you’re looking for a fast read filled with science talk and the blandest characters ever, then this book is for you.

An unassuming start to an illustrious career of an author who was an innovator at core.
Not the first book he published but the first novel where he didn't use a pseudonym. He previously published novels under the name John Lange and Odds On was MC's first novel and he would continue to write as Lange even after the success of Andromeda Strain; his SIXTH novel. Wow
You know, as a med student he started his writing career to supplement his income. Nowadays it's the opposite, doctors publish books to supplement theirs. Sort of. haha.

This is not a book of the genre I usually read (that is, I read thrillers but rather not with such strong science fiction elements). The more I am surprised how much I liked it.

What makes this book so good is in my opinion its strong realism. This story does not seem like fiction, but like a report of real events. And that's really something! Ultimately, we have here elements typical for science fiction - contact with an alien form of life from space. This topic is very difficult to classify as realistic, but the author managed to do it. It is the realism of the whole situation that keeps you in suspense. And let me say in very high suspense.

The author managed to achieve all this thanks to the unusual form he used. This year I read several longer reports or memoires written by journalists and this book reminds me such a report. The events are described from the perspective of a person who knows how it all ended, who points to mistakes made by scientists from the perspective of later findings, etc. This is a very interesting way of writing. This writing style, combined with fictitious research results and a strong support in scientific works gives the whole history this unique, fantastic realism.

Of course, the plot itself is also very interesting. I'm not a fan of science fiction books, but I read a few thrillers with such elements. And this one is definitely one of the better ones. Although the very idea of contact with an extraterrestrial life form that kills almost all the inhabitants of a small American town may not be that unique, all the events described in the book together create a very interesting story. I really liked the human aspect of the whole situation. And again this realism, paying attention to details, for example small technical faults that no one detected in time, which would certainly appear if the situation were real.

After reading the book, I discovered with amazement that it was written in the late 1960s. I don't feel it at all, it seems so modern. I thought it was written in the late 90s or even later. This book has not grown old. It shows how good this story is. On the other hand, I am not surprised that it was written during the Cold War, it has something from those times.

This is my first book by Michael Crichton but of course I've heard about him before. I am sure I will read some of his other books one day. I hope they are as good as this one. I also know that a film was made based on this book. It may be interesting, I may watch it. It also seems to me that a continuation of this story was recently released, I need to check it out.

Having read a couple of this author's other books, I was looking forward to this. However, I have to say that I was disappointed in the ending of the book. The start was good, and it's clear that the author did his research regarding various scientific equipment and processes, but for all the lethality of the virus, the ending was just really anticlimactic.

This was one of the few Crichton novels I hadn't went back and read. With the sequel coming out (The Andomeda Evolution), I decided it was time to go back and read it. This was written 50 years ago being Crichton's first book and you can tell. The book is highly technical. It's well researched using the real science of the time, but it's packed with technical jargon, enough to bog the book down at times. The roots of a great story are there, especially the ending which is thrilling. And I like that Crichton uses a device that Stephen King also often uses, the foreboding shadow of things to come. If you're a Michael Crichton fan, this is certainly worth a read.