Reviews

Sphere: A Novel by Michael Crichton

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jennakay09's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? N/A
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

mcloonejack's review against another edition

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3.0

Rating this a three is maybe a little unfair if only because this was the kind of mildly thrilling pulpy read I expected, but here we are.

There are some truly stunning moments and this, and the twists and turns toward the end are pretty fun, if predictable. The characters were in many ways annoying plus often stereotypical, but Crichton played with it enough to keep it from being too untenable.

If you like Crichton, you’ll probably at least find something to enjoy here. Good low-effort subway read.

frasersimons's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

I always thought that the movie was underrated. As flawed as it was, it’s still an interesting question at the heart of it about humankind, which is what the best science fiction does. Underwater thrillers are usually more interesting as space too, since it’s as foreign, but teeming with life, and feels somehow more pertinent.

The book is simultaneously better and worse than the movie. The ending is more complicated and the characters more fleshed out, less Hollywoodized. The best parts of the film are mostly from the book. But because it does try to do more, the incredulity of some of the outcomes come into play. The movie fixes this by having everything occur at a subliminal level. Without this luxury, a few of the plot beats become really questionable, and feel really indulgent toward the characters and their specific arcs, and final outcome. An ending much better fleshed out and here, and far less cheesy.

unexplainabl's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious slow-paced

5.0

LOVED this book. Such a great author. The writing is fantastic and the last ''chapter'' really pulls everything together well.

jaiden_es's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

carliethompsonwriting's review against another edition

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medium-paced

2.5

valouche13's review against another edition

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5.0

What a fun read that was!! The pages just flew by and at every corner, I wound up wondering what was real and what wasn't.
Oh! And I absolutely LOVE the book ending. Those four or five last sentences had me say "Yes! ^_^" and gave me the ending I would've written too. Awesome!
As much as I loved the movie for its great actors and its "Wtf?!" feel, I loved the book for its characters and the questions that it asked. And the ending ^_^
A definite must-read!!