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hakusu's review against another edition
4.0
it felt rushed and it ended quickly. but overall the concept was entertaining.
sarah_collins's review against another edition
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
thomasr417's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
book_nerd_1's review against another edition
3.0
This is really dated but still a pretty cool Crichton technothriller.
jlfw0498's review against another edition
challenging
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
schuster_s's review against another edition
4.0
The ending is so abrupt and that makes me sad, but what a classic Crichton story. Amazing plot, terrifying accuracy, and a thrilling ending.
I really wish Ross and Anders had a thing, but Crichton doesn’t do romance :(
I really wish Ross and Anders had a thing, but Crichton doesn’t do romance :(
drprd's review against another edition
2.0
This book is now 50 years old. It hasn't aged well, because of advances with technology.
hotpothoe's review against another edition
emotional
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
This is my first Crichton novel, and it’s made me want to read more. Very fast-paced, lean and mean. The protagonist, Janet Ross, is a loveable character even though we don’t really get to dive into her too much aside from peripheral views of her personal life.
The narration is very cinematic as well, almost reading like a script at times. Every movement and every point of view is clear, making it easy to imagine the scenes.
The one glaring flaw of this novel is the amount of scientific facts it goes out of its way to present every few pages. In some instances, Crichton uses the characters to deliver these facts in such a robotic manner. “In 1965, this or that happened…” etc. While that gives you more context of what’s going on and the implications of the events, they tend to take you out of the narrative.
All in all, though, this is a good read for anyone who’s looking for a good sci-fi thriller. I used this as a palate cleanser after reading the collected short stories of Saki, and it did the job.
The narration is very cinematic as well, almost reading like a script at times. Every movement and every point of view is clear, making it easy to imagine the scenes.
The one glaring flaw of this novel is the amount of scientific facts it goes out of its way to present every few pages. In some instances, Crichton uses the characters to deliver these facts in such a robotic manner. “In 1965, this or that happened…” etc. While that gives you more context of what’s going on and the implications of the events, they tend to take you out of the narrative.
All in all, though, this is a good read for anyone who’s looking for a good sci-fi thriller. I used this as a palate cleanser after reading the collected short stories of Saki, and it did the job.