Steven Wu's Book Reviews: Andromeda Strain, The (Michael Crichton)

I really liked Crichton's Jurassic Park, and I loved Sphere, so I was looking forward to this earlier book. Unfortunately, The Andromeda Strain is disappointing. The science--always a strong point in Crichton's novels--is interesting, the secret government facility where the scientists work has the appeal of most super-spy installations, and Crichton does slowly build up a low level of suspense in the first half of the book. Sadly, the scientists' characters are paper thin, and the ending falls flat; when I closed the book I thought, "All of that buildup...for what?" With the possible exception of Eaters of the Dead, this is the weakest of Crichton's novels.