Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction--is it worse than the disease?

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What's coming Next? Get a hint of what Michael Crichton sees on the horizon in this short video clip: high bandwidth or low bandwidth</td></tr> </table>

We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps, a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars and to test our spouses for genetic maladies.

We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes...

Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn.

Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and the bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.

The future is closer than you think.

Book Description

Welcome to our genetic world. Fast, furious, and out of control. This is not the world of the future--it's the world right now. Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why an adult human being resembles a chimp fetus? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction--is it worse than the disease? We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps; a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars; test our spouses for genetic maladies and even frame someone for a genetic crime. We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes. . . . Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems, and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn. Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions, and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect. The future is closer than you think. Get used to it.

Customer Reviews:

A confusing collection of things taken to the extreme edges.......2007-06-10

I picked this book up for an eight hour flight. This was an awful collection of 15 - 20 subplots that were lamely attempted to be woveen together into one big convoluted mess.

Smattered amongst the plot lines were ridiculous tangents that were not cohesive at all. It was like reading a collection of press clippings in hopes to finding a plot.

Suspension of belief.......2007-06-04

As usual, Crichton takes interesting, insightful looks at what his subject - this time genetic engineering - can provoke. "Next" is no exception. However, this seems to be a broad case study of what "could" happen rather than being an actual novel. There are too many characters - I had a great deal of trouble remembering who was who - and the coincidence of all of these incidents being connected, especially Alex Burnett knowing the Kendalls, seems too far-fetched for the reader to even consider. The result of panning such a broad portrait in a book is making most of the characters extremely flat and frustrating. Crichton also leaves many mysteries and loose ends at the end of the book.

"Next" is engaging in its perceptions, and the suspense created keeps the plot, such as it is, moving. But artistically, it lacks the polish of Crichton's earlier novels - which were focused on a single situation, and better explored the resulting shock waves of technology.

Excellent novel in a relatively fresh area.......2007-06-03

Keeping up with the many parallel adventures played out here may make you concentrate a bit, but the stories are intriguing and offer a look at a science, or perhaps it's mostly an art, that hasn't yet become hackneyed novel material. Genetic research and medicine are new and frightening and therein lies their attraction. Aside from their scientific interest, the stories are sufficiently suspenseful and even humorous to make for a good read. Especially clever are the episodes featuring a mixed-species chimpanzee and parrot who use their intelligence and verbal skills to negotiate a world that isn't ready for their kind just yet.

The best part of the book may come at the end, where the author sets out his own views regarding genetic engineering. This is followed by an extensive bibliography on the topic.

Michael Crichton's worst.......2007-06-03

I'm a huge Michael Crichton fan. I've read nearly all his books, and a couple of them rank among my all-time favorites. I bought "Next" sight unseen, and now I regret it. I'm about halfway through, and I just can't bring myself to finish it. There are several reasons: I can't keep track of all the characters; in fact, I'm not even sure who the main characters might be. Halfway through the book I don't have any sympathy (or even scant interest) in the characters' lives or conflicts. I'm also not sure what the main subject is--genetic engineering, maybe? There are too many subplots going on that I'm having a hard time knowing what this book is about. Mr. Crichton, please write us another book like Jurassic Park or Timeline--something that goes from point A to point B with a few fun thrills along the way!

Terrible at best.......2007-06-02

Let me start by saying I loved Time Line, Jurassic Park, and Terminal Man. Indeed, they may be among the best books I have ever read.

This one is TERRRRRRRIBLE. Don't waste one cent. I'm on page 240 right now and only plan to finish it because I received this book as a gift and I'd feel guilty if I didn't. It really is that bad.

There does not appear to be a main character. Worse is that there appears to be no plot. None! Every chapter seems like it was written by a different author who each tried to develop his own plot and set of characters, leading me to believe that maybe Crichton had several ghost writers writing this thing (at least I hope so. Otherwise, Crichton may want to go see one of his Harvard doctor friends to check on a potential brain tumor).

I encourage and challenge Crichton to do better "next" time or he will lose a lot of his loyal readers. Write a plot, not a topic. And a hero would be nice.

Electronics:

Electronics

Electronics