Reviews

Sphere by Michael Crichton

kinnimomo's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.0

jeffscott's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

lauren_h's review against another edition

5.0

What a fun read! I am giving this 5 stars because it was fast paced, funny in some parts, suspenseful in others and had some plot twists I did not see coming. This book set out to entertain the reader and keep them guessing and that is exactly what it did. I especially love the different personalities of the characters. They may have been a bit exaggerated but I think that is what made this such a fun read.

oviedorose's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional hopeful mysterious sad tense

4.0

zanosgood's review against another edition

adventurous challenging mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

riorda15's review against another edition

4.0

Just so good and cool. I love "closed world" stories (bottleneck episodes for the tv fans) which makes me impartial to it. The drama and immersion (forgive my pun) Crichton brings to his underwater science fiction novel is phenomenal. Sorry to all you Dustin Hoffman fans but this is definitely another instance where the book far far better than the movie.

corbintm's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. I'm a big Michael Crichton fan and it's sort of a guilty pleasure read to pop open one of his books in between books that require a little more attention. I haven't read all that many of his works though, and most of the ones I have are the posthumous publications.

This was a lot of fun. It's probably the closest to a horror book of his aside from Jurassic Park. The premise itself is fairly simple, but engaging. Of course, this does read as a thriller, and there's plenty of twists and turns to keep you on your toes while also having some light foreshadowing that rewards you if you're reading more closely.

I hardly ever read a book in one sitting, though somehow I managed to do it with this book. I found the characters interesting, the mystery compelling and the ending satisfying. For what it's going for, it works!

kierstanryan's review against another edition

3.0

Interesting read whose ending left me wanted more. It felt like it was just over and I wanted more answers. What was the Sphere?

marlow22's review against another edition

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.75

Despite the first two thirds of this book being very intriguing, the third act is a major let down. The multiple twists and turns create a fun and wild mystery but leave the final reveal feeling lacking. Characters don’t act like themselves in the final act. I do however enjoy the final (not very) ambiguous ending.

I personally think it is very clear that Beth decided to keep her powers and I would have preferred if this was a bit more subtle. 

After Beth is revealed to hold the power the story takes a MASSIVE downgrade. Norman keeps changing his mind about stuff and Beth’s actions serve the plot instead of her character.

The second act was incredible. The fast pacing and constant twists were wildly engaging. The tense and mysterious atmosphere in acts 1 and 2 were also a highlight, however this book is by no means a horror. I’ve heard this described as a physiological thriller but it is certainly not. I think looking to deep into this book exposes it’s shallow (pun intended) nature. Chrichton has created a fun skeleton of a book; it has a wonderful concept but ultimately feels underdeveloped and could be further fleshed out.

It is also abundantly clear that Chrichton can not write female characters very well. Beth’s character is inconsistent and she is frequently undermined for her feminist ideals. The Beth hate train honestly gets boring throughout the book, everyone including the author is constantly putting her down. Also the VERY frequent comments about Beth’s body are unnecessary, bordering on creepy. These comments also create a plot-hole.

Beth wants to be seen as powerful and strong, despite this when she has the power everyone sees her as feminine and dainty. This may be her subconscious fears about people only viewing her as a desirable feminine object instead of a respectable scientist? However this is explored poorly throughout the book.

Also that rape comment was wildly unnecessary.

Despite my nitpicky review I really liked this book. It was really fun to read and I had a good time reading it. 

I read this book with no expectations going in and I was quite pleased. Don’t set your expectations too high and you’ll really enjoy this book.

thearchitect's review against another edition

mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

4.0