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The Andromeda Strain #2
The Andromeda Evolution
In 1967, an extraterrestrial microbe came crashing down to Earth and nearly ended the human race. Accidental exposure to the particle—designated The Andromeda Strain—killed every resident of the town of Piedmont, Arizona, save for an elderly man and an infant boy. Over the next five days, a team of top scientists assigned to Project Wildfire worked valiantly to save the world from an epidemic of unimaginable proportions. In the moments before a catastrophic nuclear detonation, they succeeded.
In the ensuing decades, research on the microparticle continued. And the world thought it was safe…
Deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity—until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle, and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle.
Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat. If the Wildfire team can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly, and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it.
In the ensuing decades, research on the microparticle continued. And the world thought it was safe…
Deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity—until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle, and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle.
Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat. If the Wildfire team can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly, and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it.
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2019
3164 people are currently reading
10603 people want to read
About the author
Daniel H. Wilson
124 books2,043 followersA Cherokee citizen, Daniel H. Wilson grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma. He earned a Ph.D. in Robotics from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh. He lives in Portland, Oregon.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,616 reviews
December 28, 2019
2 Stars
I read some other reviews before writing this. It appears that 9 times out of 10 people liked it okay. Unfortunately, I cannot join them.
I thought this was a far fetched, outlandish, unbelievably boring mess. The whole plot is held together by the thinnest of spiderwebs. Most of the time when something happened, I said to myself,"seriously . . . SERIOUSLY!? Ugh *sigh*". Also, it felt like plot points were being randomly generated to move the questionable story along. The only thing I was interested in was finishing it so I could move on.
Not that the original Andromeda Strain was my favorite Crichton book, but this makes it look like a literary prize winner in comparison. While I found little redeeming value, I am very glad that many found this to be a good read - hopefully if you try it you will not have the same experience I did.
I read some other reviews before writing this. It appears that 9 times out of 10 people liked it okay. Unfortunately, I cannot join them.
I thought this was a far fetched, outlandish, unbelievably boring mess. The whole plot is held together by the thinnest of spiderwebs. Most of the time when something happened, I said to myself,"seriously . . . SERIOUSLY!? Ugh *sigh*". Also, it felt like plot points were being randomly generated to move the questionable story along. The only thing I was interested in was finishing it so I could move on.
Not that the original Andromeda Strain was my favorite Crichton book, but this makes it look like a literary prize winner in comparison. While I found little redeeming value, I am very glad that many found this to be a good read - hopefully if you try it you will not have the same experience I did.
October 14, 2019
THE ANDROMEDA EVOLUTION by Daniel H. Wilson is a science fiction / techno-thriller novel and a sequel to Michael Crichton’s THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN. It can be read as a standalone novel, but it would be beneficial to read Crichton’s novel first.
Wilson continues Crichton’s story after approximately 50 years of waiting. Research has continued on the strain and the world thought it was now safe. The watchdog group, Project Eternal Vigilance is on the verge on being shut down when a large formation appears in the Amazon jungle on the equator showing similarities to the original strains of Andromeda. A team of scientists (Project Wildfire) are deployed to the jungle to investigate and determine how to stop it. However the microbe is evolving and time is of the essence.
This is a well-written novel and carries on Crichton’s legacy and builds on his original story line. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained. The novel is written as a post-incident report. The main characters are well defined with a variety of personalities and traits that came across as very realistic and in the case of one character, highly imaginative.
It took me about 7% of the book to get totally committed to the story, but once I was there, I devoured the book. There are also some technical explanations and diagrams. Don’t let that throw you. They make sense.
Overall, the novel was thought-provoking and entertaining. If you enjoy Michael Crichton novels or science fiction, I recommend you try this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and Daniel H. Wilson for a digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Wilson continues Crichton’s story after approximately 50 years of waiting. Research has continued on the strain and the world thought it was now safe. The watchdog group, Project Eternal Vigilance is on the verge on being shut down when a large formation appears in the Amazon jungle on the equator showing similarities to the original strains of Andromeda. A team of scientists (Project Wildfire) are deployed to the jungle to investigate and determine how to stop it. However the microbe is evolving and time is of the essence.
This is a well-written novel and carries on Crichton’s legacy and builds on his original story line. I was thoroughly engaged and entertained. The novel is written as a post-incident report. The main characters are well defined with a variety of personalities and traits that came across as very realistic and in the case of one character, highly imaginative.
It took me about 7% of the book to get totally committed to the story, but once I was there, I devoured the book. There are also some technical explanations and diagrams. Don’t let that throw you. They make sense.
Overall, the novel was thought-provoking and entertaining. If you enjoy Michael Crichton novels or science fiction, I recommend you try this. I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.
Many thanks to HarperCollins Publishers and Daniel H. Wilson for a digital ARC of this novel via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. Opinions are mine alone and are not biased in any way.
Want to read
June 20, 2019Soooo this is a thing??
I loved book 1 and I can't wait to read this one too!!
I loved book 1 and I can't wait to read this one too!!
November 12, 2019
“The Andromeda Evolution” genuflects appropriately to "The Andromeda Strain," the 1969 novel that instantly infected pop culture. With little genetic decay, Daniel Wilson replicates Michael Crichton’s tone and tics, particularly his wide-stance mansplaining. Each chapter begins with a quotation by Crichton selected, apparently, for its L. Ron Hubbard-like profundity, e.g. “There is a category of event that, once it occurs, cannot be satisfactorily resolved.” And the pages — sanitized of wit — are larded with lots of Crichtonian technical explanations, weapons porn, top-secret documents and so many acronyms that I began to worry Wilson had accidentally left the caps lock on. . . .
To read the rest of this review, click here:
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November 30, 2020
Many thanks to HarperCollins for sending me a copy in exchange for an honest review
"Run."
Holy moly, this book surprised me. I did not expect to be so fascinated and thrilled.
So, what's this book about?
Years after the events of The Andromeda Strain, deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity—until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle, and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle.
With this shocking discovery, the next-generation Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat.
But the microbe is growing—evolving. And if the Wildfire team can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly, and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it.
I only slightly enjoyed The Andromeda Evolution because I felt it was slow and boring but this book... this book was the exact opposite. From page one, I was hooked and I literally couldn't stop reading. I think I paused this book once to a chore and that's it.
This book perfectly quenched my scientific curiosity which is always great when it comes to science fiction novels.
Finally, I loved the way everything came together in the end. The climax was one of those rare climaxes that had me literally on the edge of my seat, heart pounding. I cannot wait for the sequel!
Overall, this book was thrilling and fascinating and I can't recommend it enough!
Bottom Line:
4.5 Stars
Age Rating - [ R ]
Content Screening -
Positive Messages (2/5) - [Sacrifice, Generosity, Kindness]
Violence (4/5) - [Body horror, Gore, Fights, Death]
Sex (0/0)
Language (2/5) - [Mild language]
Drinking/Drugs (3/5) - [Medicinal Drugs]
Trigger and Content Warnings - Body horror, Death, Loss of a loved one
Publication Date: November 12th, 2019
Publisher: Harper Collins
Genre: Science Fiction/Thriller
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4.5 stars. so much better than book one which isn't surprising because book one was written by a different author
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book one was great so i am super excited to have this!
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January 9, 20243.5 stars
'The Andromeda Evolution' is the sequel to The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.
In The Andromeda Strain, set in 1967, the United States deploys a series of high-altitude unmanned craft to search for weaponizable microparticles in the upper atmosphere. One of the craft crashes to Earth in Piedmont, Arizona, and local residents open the capsule to have a look. The civilians inadvertently release a self-replicating, hexagonal microparticle, eventually named Andromeda Strain-1 (AS-1), that coagulates people's blood instantaneously.
Andromeda Strain-1 kills almost everyone in Piedmont, and threatens to spread far and wide before scientists contain it.
By then AS-1 has evolved into a new form, AS-2, that dissolves plastic polymers.
AS-2 wreaks havoc, since plastic polymers are part of innumerable devices, including most high-tech equipment. AS-2 escapes into the atmosphere and ravages international space programs that depend on polymers to reach orbit.
*****
As The Andromeda Evolution opens, it's 2017 and scientists have created work-arounds for polymers, so normal life has resumed and the International Space Station is up and running. Still, Project Eternal Vigilance, under the command of Air Force General Rand Stern, is on constant alert for new mischief from Andromeda microparticles.
Project Eternal Vigilance is rewarded when an alien structure appears in the Brazilian rain forest, close to where a Tiangong-1 Chinese space station slammed to Earth. Scientific analysis reveals that the rain forest structure has the same signature as Andromeda, and is rapidly growing out and up, so that a 'central tower' soon approaches a mile in height.
General Stern immediately activates Project Wildfire to study and assess the new phenomenon. Project Wildfire contains five of the smartest, best trained scientists in the world:
- Project Commander Nidhi Vedala, MD-PhD; specialization: nanotechnology; materials science.
- Lead Field Scientist Harold Odhiambo, PhD; specialization: xenogeology; geology; anthropology; biology; physical sciences.
- Field Scientist Peng Wu, People's Liberation Army Air Force Major; specialization: taikonaut; soldier; medical doctor; pathologist.
- Scientist James Stone, PhD; specialization: robotics....especially drones.
- Remote Scientist Sophie Kline, Ph.D - located on the International Space Station; specialization: nanorobotics, nanobiology, microgravity; research.
The specialists on the ground are sent into the Brazilian rain forest with native guides, while Kline observes and advises from above.
The mission experiences much danger, both from hazards in the rain forest, the alien structure, and double-dealing and secret-keeping from certain team members.
I don't want to give away surprises, so I'll just say the author describes all manner of new inventions and technologies, some of which aren't quite credible, but are fun to think about.
In addition, there's an intriguing discussion of John Samuel's 'Messenger Theory', which speculates that the most efficient way for an advanced civilization to communicate with another species would be to send a self-replicating microorganism out into space.
"In short, you devise an organism to carry your message. The organism would be self-replicating, cheap, and could be produced in fantastic numbers.....You could produce trillions of them, and send them off in all directions into space. They would be tough, hardy bugs, able to withstand the rigors of space, and they grow and duplicate and divide. Within [a short time] there would be countless numbers of these in the galaxy, speeding in all directions, waiting to contact life."
Of course, the particles might not be benign.....and could well have an agenda. 😳😡😱
In a small way, the book reminded me of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem, which is a masterpiece of science fiction (IMO). I think The Andromeda Evolution would appeal to fans of both soft and hard science fiction.
You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot....
October 10, 2020
Overall Rating : C
“It is a well established Achilles’ heel of human civilization that individuals are more motivated by immediate private reward than by long-term, collective future benefits.”
Does anybody else see a book with an interesting plot, with a captivating summery, and then you take a look at the authors name and it completely ruins any thought of enjoying said book?
That's me with Michael Crichton.
******My face through the entire book******
I've read a few of his books (Jurassic Park series, Andromeda Strain), and every time I ended up disappointed and unfulfilled.
And, personally, it's the writing. Potential characters ruined by a lack of emotion, multiple POVs scattered throughout the book with no warning, going from character's thoughts, to third person, to a dossier type writing, leaving you so confused as to how this should be read.
Mr. Crichton also has to remind us every few pages that he is an 'intellectual' writer by giving us pages on pages of technical words and thesis, which make no sense whatsoever to the story. And then reused again and again. The amount of times I've skipped sections is absurd. If I wanted to read a science textbook, I would have bought one.
*Also he used the word 'moist' in a completely serious setting, and I swear my mind ground to a halt for 5 minutes*
Even when the climactic ending of the story was happening, I felt detached from any of the characters to properly feel any sort of empathy to their plight. They were almost too emotionless to be real if that makes sense.
Not to say I didn't enjoy any of it. Political intrigue is a weakness of mine. And the plot was interesting enough to pull me through. . Twisty sections put in enough parts to keep you guessing. And Dr. Stone did provide most of the entertainment by being the only emotional character. And the villain was unique, unexpected, and a little manic(how I like my villains).
Give this try if you dare but be prepared for a frustrating time.
“It is a well established Achilles’ heel of human civilization that individuals are more motivated by immediate private reward than by long-term, collective future benefits.”
Does anybody else see a book with an interesting plot, with a captivating summery, and then you take a look at the authors name and it completely ruins any thought of enjoying said book?
That's me with Michael Crichton.
******My face through the entire book******
I've read a few of his books (Jurassic Park series, Andromeda Strain), and every time I ended up disappointed and unfulfilled.
And, personally, it's the writing. Potential characters ruined by a lack of emotion, multiple POVs scattered throughout the book with no warning, going from character's thoughts, to third person, to a dossier type writing, leaving you so confused as to how this should be read.
Mr. Crichton also has to remind us every few pages that he is an 'intellectual' writer by giving us pages on pages of technical words and thesis, which make no sense whatsoever to the story. And then reused again and again. The amount of times I've skipped sections is absurd. If I wanted to read a science textbook, I would have bought one.
*Also he used the word 'moist' in a completely serious setting, and I swear my mind ground to a halt for 5 minutes*
Even when the climactic ending of the story was happening, I felt detached from any of the characters to properly feel any sort of empathy to their plight. They were almost too emotionless to be real if that makes sense.
Not to say I didn't enjoy any of it. Political intrigue is a weakness of mine. And the plot was interesting enough to pull me through. . Twisty sections put in enough parts to keep you guessing. And Dr. Stone did provide most of the entertainment by being the only emotional character. And the villain was unique, unexpected, and a little manic(how I like my villains).
Give this try if you dare but be prepared for a frustrating time.
August 9, 2020
This is the sequel to The Andromeda Strain that was written fifty years ago. The rights were sold by Crichton's family as this is written by a different author. In this one, the world is still on the lookout for the Andromeda strain when it suddenly pops up again. Chaos ensues.
I am not a huge fan of a different author taking over a universe and this just proves my point. Maybe it is me and I am use to the original author's distinctive voice and I just don't like the change. I would liken this book to a movie that uses over the top action sequences and common tropes like a cute kid who has lost everything. They use these aspects to cover up how thin the story is and that is how I felt about this novel. Even the characters were weak. I could actually picture the antagonist twirling an imaginary moustache as she proved she is the villain. Throughout I kept on asking "Why" and "How did we get here from the original novel?". The flow just didn't seem natural to me. This was a fine sci-fi novel but not for this world. I will admit the finale was an amazing action scene and it would make a great scene in a movie.
The original book wasn't the original author's best book but it was a really enjoyable read. This is not a worthy sequel. I am done writing this review and I am still wondering how we went from the Andromeda strain to a space elevator.
I am not a huge fan of a different author taking over a universe and this just proves my point. Maybe it is me and I am use to the original author's distinctive voice and I just don't like the change. I would liken this book to a movie that uses over the top action sequences and common tropes like a cute kid who has lost everything. They use these aspects to cover up how thin the story is and that is how I felt about this novel. Even the characters were weak. I could actually picture the antagonist twirling an imaginary moustache as she proved she is the villain. Throughout I kept on asking "Why" and "How did we get here from the original novel?". The flow just didn't seem natural to me. This was a fine sci-fi novel but not for this world. I will admit the finale was an amazing action scene and it would make a great scene in a movie.
The original book wasn't the original author's best book but it was a really enjoyable read. This is not a worthy sequel. I am done writing this review and I am still wondering how we went from the Andromeda strain to a space elevator.
June 1, 2020
Well written follow up to the Andromeda Strain. Easy to follow Sci-Fi with interesting characters. 8 of 10 stars
December 19, 2019
3.5 Stars I had read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton when it was first published 50 years ago I recall liking the book a lot and read most of his subsequent techno-thrillers. We learn that in the decades since, the Andromeda Strain has evolved, mutated, and is replicating. I am glad to see that the author, Daniel Wilson, has managed to replicate the style of his predecessor to a satisfying extent.
It took some while for me to become engaged in this story. A structure deep in the Amazon jungle has been detected and appears to be growing in size. A mutated form of the Andromeda Strain seems to be spreading from this anomaly and killing isolated indigenous people and animals in its path.
Project Wildfire was set up to test and study the two known types of the strain known at the time. AS-1 caused death by inhalation and then evolved into AS-2 which destroyed plastics. Project Wildfire became Project Eternal Vigilance. Their mission was to monitor new outbreaks and any future mutations. The project was readying to shut down when new alarms were caused by what was occurring in Brazil.
A five-person team of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and with expertise in specialized fields of science and technology have been selected to go to the Amazon to study the phenomena and shut it down. Failing their mission, the military would take steps to destroy the anomaly which might result in devastating much of the world.
The characters may be stereotypes, but this is what made them interesting. I struggled with the early part of the book. Much of it came across as what I considered techno-babble, and there were numerous acronyms. This diluted tension and suspense for me, and kept me from engaging with the characters. There is no doubt that theories and future predictions of technology were well researched, but I had to suspend disbelief and take technical explanations on faith.
As the cast grew fewer due to various calamities, the survivors on the mission to contain the newly evolved Andromeda Strain became much more compelling. I deeply felt the suspense and danger as the remaining characters went to heroic lengths. There was some amazing, thrilling action that kept me riveted.
It took some while for me to become engaged in this story. A structure deep in the Amazon jungle has been detected and appears to be growing in size. A mutated form of the Andromeda Strain seems to be spreading from this anomaly and killing isolated indigenous people and animals in its path.
Project Wildfire was set up to test and study the two known types of the strain known at the time. AS-1 caused death by inhalation and then evolved into AS-2 which destroyed plastics. Project Wildfire became Project Eternal Vigilance. Their mission was to monitor new outbreaks and any future mutations. The project was readying to shut down when new alarms were caused by what was occurring in Brazil.
A five-person team of various backgrounds, ethnicities, and with expertise in specialized fields of science and technology have been selected to go to the Amazon to study the phenomena and shut it down. Failing their mission, the military would take steps to destroy the anomaly which might result in devastating much of the world.
The characters may be stereotypes, but this is what made them interesting. I struggled with the early part of the book. Much of it came across as what I considered techno-babble, and there were numerous acronyms. This diluted tension and suspense for me, and kept me from engaging with the characters. There is no doubt that theories and future predictions of technology were well researched, but I had to suspend disbelief and take technical explanations on faith.
As the cast grew fewer due to various calamities, the survivors on the mission to contain the newly evolved Andromeda Strain became much more compelling. I deeply felt the suspense and danger as the remaining characters went to heroic lengths. There was some amazing, thrilling action that kept me riveted.
December 5, 2019
50 years ago the Andromeda Strain almost destroyed all life on Earth. Now a new incursion has begun in the depths of the Amazon. A mysterious spire continues to grow killing everything as it expands outwards. A team of scientists is sent in to investigate in a last ditch effort to keep the Andromeda Strain from enveloping the Earth.
Wilson completely incorporated Crichton's voice and legacy. He was a great choice to helm a sequel to one of Crichton's first thrillers. I was completely enthralled, turning page after page to reach the end. Some of those twists and turns are doozies. I don't think you need to read the original novel to enjoy this as it's neatly recapped in the book. There are a few moments though that will mean more to you if you have read The Andromeda Strain.
Received a review copy from Harper and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
Wilson completely incorporated Crichton's voice and legacy. He was a great choice to helm a sequel to one of Crichton's first thrillers. I was completely enthralled, turning page after page to reach the end. Some of those twists and turns are doozies. I don't think you need to read the original novel to enjoy this as it's neatly recapped in the book. There are a few moments though that will mean more to you if you have read The Andromeda Strain.
Received a review copy from Harper and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.
July 9, 2022
Unfortunately, the experiment has been unsuccessful .... This sequel of Andromeda has nothing to do with the first book, that of 1969. If the first was true science fiction, but very science-oriented and not too much fantastic, in this book the balance is clearly unbalanced towards the fantastic (improbable) rather than towards the science of the possible future. In the first there was an alien microbiological strain, brought back to Earth by a satellite and which develops according to a biology of its own, which was certainly possible, although for now it never happened, but possible in the future. In that first book, a series of plausible scientists study the strain in its morphology and in its evolutions and the whole story has its own beautiful atmosphere of pathos and thrilling, until the conclusion that despite being very spectacular (Crichton was very good) however, it maintains its own verisimilitude.
In this book, instead, they want us to believe that Andromeda did not arrive on Earth on the satellite by chance, but that it was placed in our atmosphere by phantom extraterrestrials to wait for life forms on Earth and then destroy them; then there is a mad scientist who decides to destroy the SSI and all of humanity, there are tapes of Andromeda that self-replicate and reach Earth from the SSI, there are carts with humans on board that leave on this tape and from Earth they reach the SSI in orbit, until the final epilogue, where Stone, one of the protagonists, descends with a steel cart (!) from the SSI at supersonic speed along the belt, enters the atmosphere (and survives the temperatures), he blows up the tape and then lands with a parachute right on the place where he left days before, with an accuracy of 10 cm, since he is found by a native boy who had greeted him when he left in the opposite direction. Come on….
Not to mention the finale, where the two good scientists get married and adopt the little boy, who was left without a family because of Andromeda. I'm speechless: the first book is one of the most beautiful I've ever read, this one instead one of the ugliest.
In this book, instead, they want us to believe that Andromeda did not arrive on Earth on the satellite by chance, but that it was placed in our atmosphere by phantom extraterrestrials to wait for life forms on Earth and then destroy them; then there is a mad scientist who decides to destroy the SSI and all of humanity, there are tapes of Andromeda that self-replicate and reach Earth from the SSI, there are carts with humans on board that leave on this tape and from Earth they reach the SSI in orbit, until the final epilogue, where Stone, one of the protagonists, descends with a steel cart (!) from the SSI at supersonic speed along the belt, enters the atmosphere (and survives the temperatures), he blows up the tape and then lands with a parachute right on the place where he left days before, with an accuracy of 10 cm, since he is found by a native boy who had greeted him when he left in the opposite direction. Come on….
Not to mention the finale, where the two good scientists get married and adopt the little boy, who was left without a family because of Andromeda. I'm speechless: the first book is one of the most beautiful I've ever read, this one instead one of the ugliest.
August 30, 2019
DNF at page 50 or so.
I'm very sorry but this book is practically unreadable. It is one long very technical explanation full of acronyms. We do meet some characters but the story is very complicated. There is too much information without actually any action. It is more a script for a documentary than it is a novel. Pity, because I enjoyed The Andromeda Strain a lot.
Thanks to Edelweiss for this digital review copy.
I'm very sorry but this book is practically unreadable. It is one long very technical explanation full of acronyms. We do meet some characters but the story is very complicated. There is too much information without actually any action. It is more a script for a documentary than it is a novel. Pity, because I enjoyed The Andromeda Strain a lot.
Thanks to Edelweiss for this digital review copy.
November 19, 2019
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum https://bibliosanctum.com/2019/11/18/...
To start, I read The Andromeda Strain a long time ago. Admittedly, it wasn’t one of my favorites by Michael Crichton, and I can’t say I remembered much from it at all. Personally, I wouldn’t have pegged it for being sequel-worthy, but here we are, fifty years after the book was published, commemorating it with The Andromeda Evolution…and well, I’m sold! Written in its entirety by the talented Daniel H. Wilson, who is certainly deserving of honor, this novel helped put to rest my skepticism and convinced me there was a story there. Crichton’s name is on the book because Wilson worked and built upon many of the themes the man had developed, paying tribute to his ideas and doing them justice.
As I said though, I recalled very little from the original when I started this book; it’s been more than twenty years since I read The Andromeda Strain and my memory just isn’t that great. That said, I had no problems getting into The Andromeda Evolution, as the narrative does a very good job recapping everything that had happened. Decades have passed since the original team of scientists discovered Andromeda, a highly virulent microorganism of extraterrestrial origin that caused instantaneous death through blood clotting. The government attempted to contain it in a subterranean bunker, but Andromeda ultimately evolved to breach its containment and escape. Despite its highly destructive nature though, by then the microorganism’s traits had been altered to the point was no longer harmful to humans.
Still, the US military is taking no chances. A special team called Project Eternal Vigilance had been created to do exactly as its name implies—keep watch, 24/7, for any sign of Andromeda’s return. And for a while, it seemed humanity was safe. Nearly half a century has gone by, and Eternal Vigilance has found nothing. But just as the project was on the verge of being shut down, a mapping drone flying over the rainforests of Brazil sends back reports of a disturbing anomaly found in the middle of the Amazon. Unfortunately, preliminary tests of its chemical signature confirm everyone’s worst fears—Andromeda is back, and its behavior is evolving in ways no one can predict.
In some ways, the first half of this novel can be viewed a parallel to the early events of The Andromeda Strain. Once more, we start off with the dispatching of a group of scientists, a second Project Wildfire, updated to suit today’s diverse society and workforce. But after the intro, the story swiftly develops a personality of its own, while still adhering to the foundation of the original tale. The beginning is also very technical, written in a debrief report-style format and tone that is meant to be informative rather than literary. Some of it is eerily reminiscent of Crichton’s own writing when he used to do this in some of his books, and I can’t help but feel that maybe this is Wilson’s way of paying homage.
I also thought perhaps it was a good thing that I did not recall much from the original novel. Of course, bits and pieces came rushing back as I was reading, but for the most part, I felt like I was experiencing something completely new. A few elements struck me as familiar, like the story structure or the technology and the diagrams, but on the whole I was thrilled with the freshness and surprises of The Andromeda Evolution. Wilson was working heavily off many of Crichton’s ideas, but he’s something of a dab hand himself when it comes to the techno-thriller genre. For one thing, he knows how to get technical without overwhelming the reader, and he’s also good at balancing all that hard science with the storytelling aspects, which is how you get epistolary chapters and embedded scientific reports that are as riveting to read as the survivalist scenes of our characters trying to make it out of the jungle.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this one a lot, and to be honest, I didn’t think I would. Sure, going into the book blind and not knowing what to expect might have helped a little, but it didn’t take long for me to become genuinely impressed. The Andromeda Evolution perfectly encapsulates everything I love about a Michael Crichton novel while still sporting its own unique flair and special energy, so my hat’s off to Daniel H. Wilson for pulling it off!
To start, I read The Andromeda Strain a long time ago. Admittedly, it wasn’t one of my favorites by Michael Crichton, and I can’t say I remembered much from it at all. Personally, I wouldn’t have pegged it for being sequel-worthy, but here we are, fifty years after the book was published, commemorating it with The Andromeda Evolution…and well, I’m sold! Written in its entirety by the talented Daniel H. Wilson, who is certainly deserving of honor, this novel helped put to rest my skepticism and convinced me there was a story there. Crichton’s name is on the book because Wilson worked and built upon many of the themes the man had developed, paying tribute to his ideas and doing them justice.
As I said though, I recalled very little from the original when I started this book; it’s been more than twenty years since I read The Andromeda Strain and my memory just isn’t that great. That said, I had no problems getting into The Andromeda Evolution, as the narrative does a very good job recapping everything that had happened. Decades have passed since the original team of scientists discovered Andromeda, a highly virulent microorganism of extraterrestrial origin that caused instantaneous death through blood clotting. The government attempted to contain it in a subterranean bunker, but Andromeda ultimately evolved to breach its containment and escape. Despite its highly destructive nature though, by then the microorganism’s traits had been altered to the point was no longer harmful to humans.
Still, the US military is taking no chances. A special team called Project Eternal Vigilance had been created to do exactly as its name implies—keep watch, 24/7, for any sign of Andromeda’s return. And for a while, it seemed humanity was safe. Nearly half a century has gone by, and Eternal Vigilance has found nothing. But just as the project was on the verge of being shut down, a mapping drone flying over the rainforests of Brazil sends back reports of a disturbing anomaly found in the middle of the Amazon. Unfortunately, preliminary tests of its chemical signature confirm everyone’s worst fears—Andromeda is back, and its behavior is evolving in ways no one can predict.
In some ways, the first half of this novel can be viewed a parallel to the early events of The Andromeda Strain. Once more, we start off with the dispatching of a group of scientists, a second Project Wildfire, updated to suit today’s diverse society and workforce. But after the intro, the story swiftly develops a personality of its own, while still adhering to the foundation of the original tale. The beginning is also very technical, written in a debrief report-style format and tone that is meant to be informative rather than literary. Some of it is eerily reminiscent of Crichton’s own writing when he used to do this in some of his books, and I can’t help but feel that maybe this is Wilson’s way of paying homage.
I also thought perhaps it was a good thing that I did not recall much from the original novel. Of course, bits and pieces came rushing back as I was reading, but for the most part, I felt like I was experiencing something completely new. A few elements struck me as familiar, like the story structure or the technology and the diagrams, but on the whole I was thrilled with the freshness and surprises of The Andromeda Evolution. Wilson was working heavily off many of Crichton’s ideas, but he’s something of a dab hand himself when it comes to the techno-thriller genre. For one thing, he knows how to get technical without overwhelming the reader, and he’s also good at balancing all that hard science with the storytelling aspects, which is how you get epistolary chapters and embedded scientific reports that are as riveting to read as the survivalist scenes of our characters trying to make it out of the jungle.
Ultimately, I enjoyed this one a lot, and to be honest, I didn’t think I would. Sure, going into the book blind and not knowing what to expect might have helped a little, but it didn’t take long for me to become genuinely impressed. The Andromeda Evolution perfectly encapsulates everything I love about a Michael Crichton novel while still sporting its own unique flair and special energy, so my hat’s off to Daniel H. Wilson for pulling it off!
May 24, 2025
4,5/ 5 stars
February 27, 2020
In these pages you will find the meticulous reconstruction of a five-day scientific crisis that culminated in the near extinction of our species.
It is important to recognize up front that the advanced technology that is the hallmark of our modern world was not itself the cause of this crisis—though it exacerbated it. The response to the Andromeda Evolution was unprecedented in its coordination and scientific sophistication. Yet it was this same scientific mastery that enabled tragic errors resulting in terrible destruction and loss of life.
The Andromeda Evolution is the sequel to The Andromeda Strain, building on an interesting idea posed in the original book that the Andromeda strain was an extraterrestrial, deliberate creation designed to keep humanity earthbound. There is a diverse cast of characters, in contrast to the parade of white dudes in the original 1969 book. And there is a greater emphasis on actually fleshing out those characters. Those are definite improvements.
But the original book was a medical thriller written in the style of a rather dry procedural. It explored the minutiae of the scientific investigation into the mysterious particle. The discoveries about how the particle worked was what drove the drama.
The Andromeda Evolution, on the other hand, is more a jungle/space adventure than a medical story. The reader is actually told very little about the “evolution.” We are simply told that it happened, that it’s presumed to be threatening, and that the scientists have to race to the infection site to stop it, but stopping the new strain doesn’t really involve investigating it or understanding it. In fact, this book seems far more interested in the technology being used than the strain itself. When we get to things like drones and other tech I don’t want to spoil, let’s just say you can tell this book was written by the guy who wrote Robopocalypse and Robogenesis. The author clearly reveres Michael Crichton, but he’s written a different type of story.
So The Andromeda Evolution will not be as groundbreaking or influential as the original, but that’s not to say it wasn’t a fun, entertaining read. It’s really a reboot as much as a sequel, with different strengths and weaknesses. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4 stars.
January 8, 2021
This is the second instalment in the Andromeda series. It was continued fifty years after Crichton's original novel and penned by Daniel H. Wilson.
An extra-terrestrial microbe almost ended the human race once before and now, decades later, the threat has returned. Project Wildfire is the codename for a team of disparate individuals who are tasked with ending it and saving our species.
Some of the aspects I greatly appreciated about this novel were how the expedition was broken down into daily sections, which intensified the tension and suspense. Crichton's own quotes preluded each and gave an insight to what the reader could expect to occur next. I also liked how each day concluded with the omniscient narrator breaking their usual focus on the present events to hint at future tragedy to come. Both of these aspects might have been minor ones but they heightened my intrigue at each convenient stopping place and ensured I did not pause this story until it had concluded.
Whilst I remained hooked throughout by the pacing and the plot's progression, and whilst I did find much to admire surrounding the construction of the storyline, I found few similar feelings for the characters that peppered it. One, Sophie, was a stand-out creation but I could garner no strong emotion, in either direction, for the others.
An extra-terrestrial microbe almost ended the human race once before and now, decades later, the threat has returned. Project Wildfire is the codename for a team of disparate individuals who are tasked with ending it and saving our species.
Some of the aspects I greatly appreciated about this novel were how the expedition was broken down into daily sections, which intensified the tension and suspense. Crichton's own quotes preluded each and gave an insight to what the reader could expect to occur next. I also liked how each day concluded with the omniscient narrator breaking their usual focus on the present events to hint at future tragedy to come. Both of these aspects might have been minor ones but they heightened my intrigue at each convenient stopping place and ensured I did not pause this story until it had concluded.
Whilst I remained hooked throughout by the pacing and the plot's progression, and whilst I did find much to admire surrounding the construction of the storyline, I found few similar feelings for the characters that peppered it. One, Sophie, was a stand-out creation but I could garner no strong emotion, in either direction, for the others.
March 9, 2020
Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain is a hard act to follow and I think Daniel Wilson has done a credible job in this exciting sequel. He weaves in his expertise in science and robotics and ups the terror level with the wild, intensely-frightening Amazon jungle setting. There are the edge-of-your-seat action and ticking-clock-to-imminent-death scenes one comes to expect in these kinds of thrillers: boy, would this make a terrific adventure movie with scenes that travel from the jungle to outer space! But there's also an unexpected element of humanity and kindness that sets the story apart from others. Fantastic ending that ties it all together nicely but leaves a crack in the door that just may lead to more to come...
September 16, 2019
R E V I E W The Andromeda Evolution by Daniel H. Wilson and Michael Crichton 4.5/5
Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the digital ARC of this book. Much appreciated and enjoyed!
I will preface my review with this...I read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton in 1972...I was nine. A schoolmate (thanks Mac Q) loaned me his paperback copy. I devoured it. It was new territory for me...my first grown up book...science fiction...thriller. Set me up for a lifetime of thrilling, mind blowing reading. Crichton remained one of my go to authors, and I passed that love on to my grown son, who has taken it to a whole other level. But I digress. When I learned that there was a sequel to Strain...I knew I had to read it. I might have begged for an ARC...just a little. I was beyond thrilled when it wound up in my inbox.
Unfortunately, time...free time to really deep dive into the book did not present itself until this weekend. I woke up this morning to finish it...at 1 AM. I couldn't wait for a reasonable hour.
At first, oddly, I was a little reluctant to read...would it hold up to my memories of the multiple times I had read the original? Or would this be the book version of "New Coke"? I even wondered if I should go back and re-read Strain again. All my fears fell away when I started to read. Evolution felt so...familiar. The style. The tech. The graphics. The characters. It was like coming home.
The book...Wilson, as did Crichton in the original, writes this as a post-incident report, in which someone somewhere has gathered records of audio communication, video footage, electronic documents, personal accounts, etc., interspersed with a traditional narrator style, to document the five day incident that had it's genesis 50 years ago in the little town of Piedmont, Arizona. Two people survived that event, a baby and an elderly man. Andromeda was contained, but not for long. It was just waiting. In this iteration, we are taken from the rain forests of South America to the International Space Station. 50 years have passed. Andromeda has evolved. It is loose. And growing. After the original outbreak a Wildfire team was formed and maintained for 50 years, tasked with the job of finding and notifying officials of any trace of Andromeda in our world. The alert finally comes. Five scientists are given the seemingly impossible task of containing Andromeda, stopping it's growth and preventing the extinction of mankind.
The characters are well drawn, each has their own personality and expertise that they bring to the table. I liked that one of the characters is a robotist, an area in which Wilson shines, as he is the author of Robopocalypse (after reading his work in Andromeda Evolution, I will be adding Robopocalypse and Robogenesis to my to read list. No higher praise than that.) The canary drones become a vital character themselves. He also pulls in events that have happened since Andromeda's first appearance, and explains why Andromeda made them happen the way they did. (For example, the necessity of the Apollo astronauts being in quarantine after their return to earth.) The science, I will admit, sometimes is over my head, but not nearly enough to make me put down the book. It is at it's heart a thriller, and as such, pulled me along...what was going to happen next? Would earth survive? Or would Andromeda win the war?
This is one of those books I need in my permanent library, so I will be purchasing a copy when it goes on sale November 12, as well as adding a new copy of The Andromeda Strain. Michael Crichton may be gone, but his legacy lives on in The Andromeda Evolution and Daniel Wilson.
Thank you to Edelweiss and HarperCollins for the digital ARC of this book. Much appreciated and enjoyed!
I will preface my review with this...I read The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton in 1972...I was nine. A schoolmate (thanks Mac Q) loaned me his paperback copy. I devoured it. It was new territory for me...my first grown up book...science fiction...thriller. Set me up for a lifetime of thrilling, mind blowing reading. Crichton remained one of my go to authors, and I passed that love on to my grown son, who has taken it to a whole other level. But I digress. When I learned that there was a sequel to Strain...I knew I had to read it. I might have begged for an ARC...just a little. I was beyond thrilled when it wound up in my inbox.
Unfortunately, time...free time to really deep dive into the book did not present itself until this weekend. I woke up this morning to finish it...at 1 AM. I couldn't wait for a reasonable hour.
At first, oddly, I was a little reluctant to read...would it hold up to my memories of the multiple times I had read the original? Or would this be the book version of "New Coke"? I even wondered if I should go back and re-read Strain again. All my fears fell away when I started to read. Evolution felt so...familiar. The style. The tech. The graphics. The characters. It was like coming home.
The book...Wilson, as did Crichton in the original, writes this as a post-incident report, in which someone somewhere has gathered records of audio communication, video footage, electronic documents, personal accounts, etc., interspersed with a traditional narrator style, to document the five day incident that had it's genesis 50 years ago in the little town of Piedmont, Arizona. Two people survived that event, a baby and an elderly man. Andromeda was contained, but not for long. It was just waiting. In this iteration, we are taken from the rain forests of South America to the International Space Station. 50 years have passed. Andromeda has evolved. It is loose. And growing. After the original outbreak a Wildfire team was formed and maintained for 50 years, tasked with the job of finding and notifying officials of any trace of Andromeda in our world. The alert finally comes. Five scientists are given the seemingly impossible task of containing Andromeda, stopping it's growth and preventing the extinction of mankind.
The characters are well drawn, each has their own personality and expertise that they bring to the table. I liked that one of the characters is a robotist, an area in which Wilson shines, as he is the author of Robopocalypse (after reading his work in Andromeda Evolution, I will be adding Robopocalypse and Robogenesis to my to read list. No higher praise than that.) The canary drones become a vital character themselves. He also pulls in events that have happened since Andromeda's first appearance, and explains why Andromeda made them happen the way they did. (For example, the necessity of the Apollo astronauts being in quarantine after their return to earth.) The science, I will admit, sometimes is over my head, but not nearly enough to make me put down the book. It is at it's heart a thriller, and as such, pulled me along...what was going to happen next? Would earth survive? Or would Andromeda win the war?
This is one of those books I need in my permanent library, so I will be purchasing a copy when it goes on sale November 12, as well as adding a new copy of The Andromeda Strain. Michael Crichton may be gone, but his legacy lives on in The Andromeda Evolution and Daniel Wilson.
November 22, 2019
I didn't get the perfection I expected
March 23, 2024
The title of this 2019 novel immediately evokes a trip down memory lane. Childhood memories of a devious virus from outer space that threatens our world. There are fully suited up scientists, muffled voices and fearful eyes behind shiny glass visors, and despite the benefit of a secure facility in full biological lockdown the scientists are outwitted by the virus time and again. Andromeda Strain, the title of the 1969 book / 1971 film made us look up at the stars and as if their indifferent twinkles and the coldness of space was not terrible enough, all of a sudden we understood there was, in addition, a merciless unfeeling evil out there.
Obviously, Andromeda Evolution, the long overdue continuation of Crichton’s Andromeda Strain, was not written by the master himself for Crichton had passed away in 2008. Nevertheless, I would call this a worthy successor to the iconic thriller Andromeda Strain of 1969, all the while wondering if Crichton would agree. Sadly the master himself is not with us anymore and we shall never know. Perhaps he would like the way the author pays him well-deserved homage by commenting on key events in the book with quotes by Crichton. Andromeda Strain ended with a cliffhanger and Andromeda Evolution’s plot dovetails nicely into where it was left off so many years ago. Even the fifty year technology gap was bridged seamlessly - a feat not easily accomplished. Heartily Recommended
Obviously, Andromeda Evolution, the long overdue continuation of Crichton’s Andromeda Strain, was not written by the master himself for Crichton had passed away in 2008. Nevertheless, I would call this a worthy successor to the iconic thriller Andromeda Strain of 1969, all the while wondering if Crichton would agree. Sadly the master himself is not with us anymore and we shall never know. Perhaps he would like the way the author pays him well-deserved homage by commenting on key events in the book with quotes by Crichton. Andromeda Strain ended with a cliffhanger and Andromeda Evolution’s plot dovetails nicely into where it was left off so many years ago. Even the fifty year technology gap was bridged seamlessly - a feat not easily accomplished. Heartily Recommended
August 13, 2019
The beginning of this (a novel wholly by Daniel H Wilson and I rather loathe this idea of presenting it as a Michael Crichton ~novel~ seeing as he's been dead for like a decade) reminded me of being 12 years old and reading books like THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN for the first time. I was riveted, joyfully so. Wilson builds upon Crichton's original idea and puts together a plausible, equally terrifying reality around the Andromeda Strain's... abilities and purpose, let's say. The novel then combines some of the best traits of Crichton novels (I got the vibe of SPHERE, a little JURASSIC PARK, a little CONGO...) and then races forward to be its own thing. The ending veers a bit too close to the general plot of THE EXPANSE for me and gets a little too crazy, although I suppose faxing people between dimensions in TIMELINE was also pretty crazy -- anyway, I found it faltered a bit on the landing, but good god I loved the adventure getting there.
August 29, 2024
Ehhhh…it was OK? This is exactly the kind of book that I’m sure would be better as a movie.
I read The Andromeda Strain forever ago and the 1971 movie was one of those that I loved as a kid, so of course I wanted to read this. It was not uninteresting, but kind of plodding. Plus, there’s already a way better version of the proto-molecule story out there: Leviathan Wakes. So no extra points for originality.
3 stars because it wasn’t terrible and I didn’t hate it. It was extremely easy to follow half listening to while I walked my dogs.
I read The Andromeda Strain forever ago and the 1971 movie was one of those that I loved as a kid, so of course I wanted to read this. It was not uninteresting, but kind of plodding. Plus, there’s already a way better version of the proto-molecule story out there: Leviathan Wakes. So no extra points for originality.
3 stars because it wasn’t terrible and I didn’t hate it. It was extremely easy to follow half listening to while I walked my dogs.
December 1, 2019
Having loved Michael Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain, I was fairly excited to read this sequel. I wasn’t sure about another author writing it, but I’ve read Daniel H Wilson before and recently met him. In my mind, if anyone could carry on with this series, I thought he’d do well. And I was right!
But... those first few chapters were completely bogged down in science. I love the science, but to be honest, my brain was overwhelmed. Once we got into the meet and greet of the characters, I settled in and took quite a ride!
The Andromeda Evolution takes place 50 years later in the Amazon jungle and on the International Space Station (as one of the team members is an astronaut on the ISS).
The action was continuous, and the last chapters had me on the edge of my seat! You can see the author’s robotic background come into the picture throughout the entire book which was fun.
For me, the ending was very satisfying! I can see where there could be more sequels and I’d love to read them.
But... those first few chapters were completely bogged down in science. I love the science, but to be honest, my brain was overwhelmed. Once we got into the meet and greet of the characters, I settled in and took quite a ride!
The Andromeda Evolution takes place 50 years later in the Amazon jungle and on the International Space Station (as one of the team members is an astronaut on the ISS).
The action was continuous, and the last chapters had me on the edge of my seat! You can see the author’s robotic background come into the picture throughout the entire book which was fun.
For me, the ending was very satisfying! I can see where there could be more sequels and I’d love to read them.
September 7, 2020
Well, I'm not even sure what the rating is supposed to be. On one hand, it is a really fast paced, quite scientific, but at the same time engaging and very pleasant to read book. On the other hand, it is nauseatingly leftist and the ending is definitely not of the strongest ones I've read.
Probably I'll stick with 4*, though it probably is a bit too much, to be fair. So I'm really glad that I never promised to be fair.
Speaking of the book itself, I'll be brief - it is a perfect read a this, covid-19 impacted moment, and, despite those drawbacks I mentioned earlier, the idea is executed really well. And most importantly, it is fun to read - not a bad achievement for a book about a deadly virus.
Probably I'll stick with 4*, though it probably is a bit too much, to be fair. So I'm really glad that I never promised to be fair.
Speaking of the book itself, I'll be brief - it is a perfect read a this, covid-19 impacted moment, and, despite those drawbacks I mentioned earlier, the idea is executed really well. And most importantly, it is fun to read - not a bad achievement for a book about a deadly virus.
July 16, 2020
"And yes, ladies and gentlemen, it does appear to be transmitting radio signals. But not to us"
Uh oh! Earth we have a problem.
Soon to be a summer block buster movie 2021. This was less Michael Crichton and more Michael Bay.
An anomaly is growing in the heart of the Amazon, the forest not the company, and a group of scientist are sent to find the answer, what is it?
Written by Daniel H. Wilson of Robopocalypse fame this was a well told fast paced movie script. Some suspension of disbelief required and the characters lack depth but it's the summer so relax grab a $20 bucket of popcorn a $10 coke and have fun.
Uh oh! Earth we have a problem.
Soon to be a summer block buster movie 2021. This was less Michael Crichton and more Michael Bay.
An anomaly is growing in the heart of the Amazon, the forest not the company, and a group of scientist are sent to find the answer, what is it?
Written by Daniel H. Wilson of Robopocalypse fame this was a well told fast paced movie script. Some suspension of disbelief required and the characters lack depth but it's the summer so relax grab a $20 bucket of popcorn a $10 coke and have fun.
September 4, 2019
Originally published at BORG.com Sept. 4, 2019.
It's as good as it gets for Michael Crichton fans. Not only is The Andromeda Evolution a new thriller being released more than a decade after the author's passing, it's a sequel to a Crichton classic novel--his original science fiction cautionary tale The Andromeda Strain. Created by writer Daniel H. Wilson (Robopocalypse) in collaboration with Crichton's estate (CrichtonSun LLC), The Andromeda Evolution is nicely timed to arrive 50 years after The Andromeda Strain was first published, the book that launched Crichton's fame as master of the technothriller. The Andromeda Evolution has all the components of Crichton's best works--the trademark structure of a team of unique experts colliding to prevent catastrophe, the integration of cutting edge science to both inform the reader and carry the plot forward, and the surprising juxtaposition of the improbable and the unimaginable. And the ripped-from-the-headlines timeliness is eerily creepy--it all begins with a disaster in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, complete with government clashes and misinformation campaigns, and ends with a surprise that will stop you in your tracks.
Nothing defines Crichton's storytelling as much as his interaction of characters, always an unlikely grouping of personalities that some far-off puppetmaster thinks is the right team to solve problems. A mix of the wise, the pragmatic, the cerebral, the sensitive, and the reactionary, common to the Crichton elite team are individuals who must struggle to get along like any group trying to complete a project in the real world. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, but can everyone survive long enough to contribute their piece? In The Andromeda Evolution that first means introducing us to Dr. James Stone, son of The Andromeda Strain bacteriologist Dr. Jeremy Stone. The son is a late addition to a core unit assigned to investigate and prevent the spread of what appears to be that dreaded, fast-moving viral strain his father faced so many decades ago that almost destroyed Earth. Haunted by a lifetime of living with the threat of the virus's return, Stone has acquired expertise under his father's wing. With the alert of a new threat, on a moment's notice he's dropped at Ground Zero with only hours to collect data with other similar elite minds to try to save the world again.
In The Andromeda Evolution, everything you think you know about the constructs of modern science and technology was a lie, dating back to the original Andromeda Strain virus, documented in Dr. Michael Crichton's original account (recall Crichton was in medical school when he began his career as author). Hidden by world governments, never losing ground as the world's primary threat to security and survival, the Andromeda Strain was real. NASA, the Center for Disease Control, all the framework for technological initiatives we think about every day from the 1970s forward have been preparing humanity for the return of the dreaded AS-1 and AS-2. And the biggest secret is staring us all in the face.
In fact you'll probably want to read the novel as soon as it's available in November and dodge social media, because some "spoiler types" on social media lesser and mainstream coverage will no doubt post even introductory photographs in their coverage that will spoil some of the secrets for you.
Many times new authors will take over the reins for long-time storytellers, as done with Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Ian Fleming's James Bond stories (even back to the beginnings of the genre novel with authors like Doyle and Shelley). Rarely do they assimilate the style of the author. For The Andromeda Evolution to be successful, Wilson needed to emulate Crichton's style. And he's done it. How does it compare to past Crichton universe stories? For me, Jurassic Park was Crichton's masterpiece, but The Andromeda Evolution is comparable to the best of the rest.
The influences and familiarity for readers in this tale may come from all over the spectrum. The pandemic and sci-fi themes may conjure callbacks to Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor, Isaac Asimov's Fantastic Voyage II, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Philadelphia Experiment, The Cloverfield Paradox, 2017's Life, or Crichton's own novels Sphere and Congo. What it is not is simply a modern, mainstream pandemic thriller, like Outbreak, Contagion, etc. It's in the Crichton universe, so the unexpected lies ahead. This time the tale is also peppered with callbacks to storytelling beats from earlier Crichton novels. Wilson even sneaks in--as an aside--a humorous direct homage to Crichton himself, a memorable image from Jurassic Park. And Crichton's science, ideas, method, research, and characters are all over this book.
The dynamic of the Crichton story approach is easy to grasp. Using experts in areas readers may not be experts on, the characters become accessible because they can't help but exhibit the human frailties and quirks that everyone shares, so readers understand why it's difficult to solve each new impossible task, and why they must overcome these barriers so the human spirit may live on, to fight another day. It also allows educated readers plenty of opportunity to have their own inner-arguments along the way, and no doubt some readers may be able to stay ahead of the science from time to time as not only scientific principles collide, but entire disciplines (and maybe even fiction genres).
The advance review copy from HarperCollins of The Andromeda Evolution echoes the marketing done for the Coma television series (discussed long ago at borg), complete with warning labels (this kind of touch is in good company and a nice coincidence considering Coma, the film, was written and directed by Crichton). If you missed them, check out my previous reviews of Michael Crichton fiction at borg: From Crichton's "lost" novels there's Odds On, Scratch One, Zero Cool, and Grave Descend, and from his posthumously published novels check out Micro and Dragon's Teeth.
The Andromeda Evolution is not available to the public until its launch date November 14, 2019. But it's available from HarperCollins for pre-order now (audio version read by Julia Whelan). Consider it the year's must-read for science fiction fans. And if you missed it, don't forget the original novel The Andromeda Strain, now in a 50th anniversary edition, also available in audio, read by David Morse.
It's as good as it gets for Michael Crichton fans. Not only is The Andromeda Evolution a new thriller being released more than a decade after the author's passing, it's a sequel to a Crichton classic novel--his original science fiction cautionary tale The Andromeda Strain. Created by writer Daniel H. Wilson (Robopocalypse) in collaboration with Crichton's estate (CrichtonSun LLC), The Andromeda Evolution is nicely timed to arrive 50 years after The Andromeda Strain was first published, the book that launched Crichton's fame as master of the technothriller. The Andromeda Evolution has all the components of Crichton's best works--the trademark structure of a team of unique experts colliding to prevent catastrophe, the integration of cutting edge science to both inform the reader and carry the plot forward, and the surprising juxtaposition of the improbable and the unimaginable. And the ripped-from-the-headlines timeliness is eerily creepy--it all begins with a disaster in the heart of the Amazon rainforest, complete with government clashes and misinformation campaigns, and ends with a surprise that will stop you in your tracks.
Nothing defines Crichton's storytelling as much as his interaction of characters, always an unlikely grouping of personalities that some far-off puppetmaster thinks is the right team to solve problems. A mix of the wise, the pragmatic, the cerebral, the sensitive, and the reactionary, common to the Crichton elite team are individuals who must struggle to get along like any group trying to complete a project in the real world. Everyone has a piece of the puzzle, but can everyone survive long enough to contribute their piece? In The Andromeda Evolution that first means introducing us to Dr. James Stone, son of The Andromeda Strain bacteriologist Dr. Jeremy Stone. The son is a late addition to a core unit assigned to investigate and prevent the spread of what appears to be that dreaded, fast-moving viral strain his father faced so many decades ago that almost destroyed Earth. Haunted by a lifetime of living with the threat of the virus's return, Stone has acquired expertise under his father's wing. With the alert of a new threat, on a moment's notice he's dropped at Ground Zero with only hours to collect data with other similar elite minds to try to save the world again.
In The Andromeda Evolution, everything you think you know about the constructs of modern science and technology was a lie, dating back to the original Andromeda Strain virus, documented in Dr. Michael Crichton's original account (recall Crichton was in medical school when he began his career as author). Hidden by world governments, never losing ground as the world's primary threat to security and survival, the Andromeda Strain was real. NASA, the Center for Disease Control, all the framework for technological initiatives we think about every day from the 1970s forward have been preparing humanity for the return of the dreaded AS-1 and AS-2. And the biggest secret is staring us all in the face.
In fact you'll probably want to read the novel as soon as it's available in November and dodge social media, because some "spoiler types" on social media lesser and mainstream coverage will no doubt post even introductory photographs in their coverage that will spoil some of the secrets for you.
Many times new authors will take over the reins for long-time storytellers, as done with Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan and Ian Fleming's James Bond stories (even back to the beginnings of the genre novel with authors like Doyle and Shelley). Rarely do they assimilate the style of the author. For The Andromeda Evolution to be successful, Wilson needed to emulate Crichton's style. And he's done it. How does it compare to past Crichton universe stories? For me, Jurassic Park was Crichton's masterpiece, but The Andromeda Evolution is comparable to the best of the rest.
The influences and familiarity for readers in this tale may come from all over the spectrum. The pandemic and sci-fi themes may conjure callbacks to Tom Clancy's Debt of Honor, Isaac Asimov's Fantastic Voyage II, 2001: A Space Odyssey, The Philadelphia Experiment, The Cloverfield Paradox, 2017's Life, or Crichton's own novels Sphere and Congo. What it is not is simply a modern, mainstream pandemic thriller, like Outbreak, Contagion, etc. It's in the Crichton universe, so the unexpected lies ahead. This time the tale is also peppered with callbacks to storytelling beats from earlier Crichton novels. Wilson even sneaks in--as an aside--a humorous direct homage to Crichton himself, a memorable image from Jurassic Park. And Crichton's science, ideas, method, research, and characters are all over this book.
The dynamic of the Crichton story approach is easy to grasp. Using experts in areas readers may not be experts on, the characters become accessible because they can't help but exhibit the human frailties and quirks that everyone shares, so readers understand why it's difficult to solve each new impossible task, and why they must overcome these barriers so the human spirit may live on, to fight another day. It also allows educated readers plenty of opportunity to have their own inner-arguments along the way, and no doubt some readers may be able to stay ahead of the science from time to time as not only scientific principles collide, but entire disciplines (and maybe even fiction genres).
The advance review copy from HarperCollins of The Andromeda Evolution echoes the marketing done for the Coma television series (discussed long ago at borg), complete with warning labels (this kind of touch is in good company and a nice coincidence considering Coma, the film, was written and directed by Crichton). If you missed them, check out my previous reviews of Michael Crichton fiction at borg: From Crichton's "lost" novels there's Odds On, Scratch One, Zero Cool, and Grave Descend, and from his posthumously published novels check out Micro and Dragon's Teeth.
The Andromeda Evolution is not available to the public until its launch date November 14, 2019. But it's available from HarperCollins for pre-order now (audio version read by Julia Whelan). Consider it the year's must-read for science fiction fans. And if you missed it, don't forget the original novel The Andromeda Strain, now in a 50th anniversary edition, also available in audio, read by David Morse.
December 19, 2019
Surprisingly well-plotted sequel to Crichton's original; some pretty neat ideas here and a few nice surprises.
That said, the last few chapters got a little too "Moonraker" (movie not book), with a way-too action movie conclusion. Plus - and MINOR SPOILERS here- many (if not most) of the characters here are pretty lazy (if not offensive) stereotypes: the handsome white boy hero; the physically-handicapped (and therefore psychologically-damaged) villain; the disposable ethnic team members (suspicious Chinese scientist and wise old black man, who gets dangerously close to playing the Magical Negro role).
Still, overall I'd rate this a worthy successor that was better than I expected, and took the original story in some new and unexpected directions. Plus, a very nice narration by Julia Whelan.
That said, the last few chapters got a little too "Moonraker" (movie not book), with a way-too action movie conclusion. Plus - and MINOR SPOILERS here- many (if not most) of the characters here are pretty lazy (if not offensive) stereotypes: the handsome white boy hero; the physically-handicapped (and therefore psychologically-damaged) villain; the disposable ethnic team members (suspicious Chinese scientist and wise old black man, who gets dangerously close to playing the Magical Negro role).
Still, overall I'd rate this a worthy successor that was better than I expected, and took the original story in some new and unexpected directions. Plus, a very nice narration by Julia Whelan.
January 11, 2020
I'm not disappointed with this read. I didn't think it would better than the first, but just wanted to know where it would take us from book one.
What I didn't like was they way new author tried to emulate Crichton's writing style. I'm guessing it's required, but just did not work. Storytelling was dry. At about 50%, I was excited that the Wildfire crew finally found something! Something was moving...an ALIEN?! Suddenly, the author went on to describe the word intuition for about 10 pages (it was part of the team's conversation) because, well, intuition in Chinese mainland vs western intuition doesn't translate to the same thing...I don't care! Any how, I got bored again.
What I didn't like was they way new author tried to emulate Crichton's writing style. I'm guessing it's required, but just did not work. Storytelling was dry. At about 50%, I was excited that the Wildfire crew finally found something! Something was moving...an ALIEN?! Suddenly, the author went on to describe the word intuition for about 10 pages (it was part of the team's conversation) because, well, intuition in Chinese mainland vs western intuition doesn't translate to the same thing...I don't care! Any how, I got bored again.
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