The Andromeda Strain

Title: The Andromeda Strain
Author: Michael Crichton
Publisher: Random House
Year: 1993
Genre: Science Fiction, Thriller
Rating: 2.5 stars

"Five prominent biophysicists give the United States government an urgent warning: sterilisation procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere.
Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes of space in order to 'collect organisms and dust for study.'
Then a probe satellite falls to the earth, landing in a desolate area of northeastern Arizona. In the nearby town of Piedmont, bodies lie heaped and flung across the ground, faces locked in frozen surprise.
The terror has begun..."

Michael Crichton is one of Mr D's favourite authors, and I must say I have quite enjoyed the few other books I've read of his (especially Timeline, Prey, and Next). The Andromeda Strain has been on my TBR pile for a long time, at Mr D's recommendation, and now with a sequel coming out in November (written by Daniel H. Wilson) I thought it was about time I got round to reading it.

This book is all about the plot. What has caused the deaths of all these people in the town of Piedmont? A task-force called Wildfire are brought together urgently in a secure, purpose-built lab to investigate. The results of their research will affect the safety of the rest of the world. Crichton's fast-paced writing style keeps you guessing and trying to predict what has happened and why.

But despite this, I have to say this book is my least favourite Crichton read. There is absolutely no character development, the text is very heavy on the science (which will appeal to some readers, but unfortunately not to me), and I found the ending utterly frustrating.