Next [Hardcover]

Bestseller Crichton (Jurassic Park) once again focuses on genetic engineering in his cerebral new thriller, though the science involved is a lot less far-fetched than creating dinosaurs from DNA. In an ambitious effort to show what's wrong with the U.S.'s current handling of gene patents and with the laws governing human tissues, the author interweaves many plot strands, one involving a California researcher, Henry Kendall, who has mixed human and chimp DNA while working at NIH. Kendall produces an intelligent hybrid whom he rescues from the government and tries to pass off as a fully human child. Some readers may be disappointed by the relative lack of action, the lame attempts to lighten the mood with humor (especially centering on an unusually bright parrot named Gerard), and the contrived convergence of the main characters toward the end. Still, few can match Crichton in crafting page-turners with intellectual substance, and his opinions this time are less likely to create a firestorm than his controversial take on global warming in 2004's State of Fear.
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“NEXT is one of Mr. Crichton’s more un-put-downable novels. Its emphasis is on excitement.” (New York Times )

“[Crichton’s] in top form with NEXT....There’s a lot to like and to scare you.” (USA Today )

“[NEXT] is a tribute to Crichton’s storytelling skill...the docmentation he sprinkles throughout the narrative teases us with speculation.” (Los Angeles Times )

“NEXT is a romp and a potboiler...a blockbuster science thriller...an entertaining read.” (Philadelphia Inquirer )

“Under Crichton’s imaginative scrutiny, body-part theft, the extinction of blonds and transgenic experiments...all loom on the horizon.” (People )

“His plot, involving a score of main characters and a dozen different strands, defies summary but is completely brilliant.” (Daily Mail (London) )

“[Crichton] invites a mass audience irresistibly into some of the Most Important Conversations We’re Not Having.” (Time magazine )

“Crichton creates a series of fascinating dramatic situations that hold a reader’s attention right down to the last page.” (NPR (All Things Considered) )

“Crichton addresses complex contemporary issues...into thrilling reads.” (Newsweek )

“Crichton has created a series of vivid, thought-provoking morality plays, presenting key questions engendered by genetic research.” (Globe and Mail (Toronto) )

“Crichton’s latest techo-thriller raises fascinating ethical questions.” (Christian Science Monitor )

“A compulsively readable beach book about the dawn of the biotech revolution.” (National Review )

“You realize what [Crichton]’s fictionalizing could be happening now, not “Next.” And that’s what makes it all so terrifying.” (Pittsburgh Post-Gazette )

“As entertaining as anything he has written since Jurassic Park.” (Dallas Morning News )

“Read this book. It’s enough to scare the DNA out of you.” (Baton Rouge Advocate )

“NEXT will frighten, worry and amuse you, and keep you thinking long after its final words are read. Highly recommended.” (Bookreporter.com )

“A cracking pace...fast-moving plot with highly detailed research.” (Sunday Telegraph (Australia) )

“The writing is mentally sharp, with vignettes that make you wonder if you are reading satire or simply mild exagerration.” (Houston Chronicle )

“A satirical thriller that will have bookworms glued to their armchairs.” (Denver Post )

“(Crichton) is one of the most reliable purveyors of brain-engaged popular fiction at work today.” (Sunday Express (London) )

“It is devilishly clever...thoroughly enjoyable.” (Aberdeen Press & Journal [Scotland] )

“Crichton sets up mind-boggling scenarios. The pace and intrigue last to the final page.” (News of the World (UK) )

“A complex and credible extension of present reality into the realm of the imagination. A highly readable novel.” (South China Morning Post )

“NEXT is a page-turner, natuarlly; deft and dashing, eminently professional. ” (Daily Telegraph (London) )

“[Crichton’s] latest is in genetics and his literary success is assured.” (Mail on Sunday )

“[Crichton] is a punchy, modern storyteller. NEXT is a popular thriller worth serious reading.” (Adelaide Advertiser )

“A cracking dark tale about biotechnology and transgenics. Epic in style.” (Birmingham Post (UK) )

“(Crichton) carouses through the landscape of scientific development, presenting one frightening possibility after another. Michael Crichton isn’t for scaredybabies.” (Daily News )

“Wonderful...NEXT’s a regular romp.” (Evening Standard (UK) )

“Provocative and entertaining.” (Calgary Sun )

“NEXT is populated with blood-pressure-raising villains who will keep you turning the pages.” (Forbes )