A review by alexauthorshay
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Having read "The Ritual" before this and that book now being my comparison point for how bad a book can be, this book wasn't that bad. That said, it wasn't that good either. The entire cast is cishet white men, scientists and army folk to boot, and they spend most of their time doing experiments and tests trying to figure out what kind of microbe or whatever is on a satellite. It's a bit too science heavy for the layman reader, to the point that it feels like Cooke is just showing off his science knowledge to be an asshole. But the general research environment and how they analyzed the microbe was interesting enough to my biology-intrigued brain.
Where things begin to fall apart is with the characters and plot (if you can say this book even has one). Cooke tried to write this book as if it were nonfiction, so it has a very dry/factual vibe about it. The characters themselves were interesting enough to keep reading the book for, but they were ultimately stock characters there to fulfill a purpose, not to grow and evolve as characters. They didn't change from start to finish, or ultimately learn anything of significance about themselves or the world. The worst part is the plot, though. I'm reluctant to say there even was a plot, because the only things that happened beyond examination of an alien being were human mistakes. There is no real antagonist in this book, which isn't a problem per se, but the only "tension" and "suspense" in the whole book was Cooke slipping in that someone somewhere screwed up some thing or some technology broke and caused some issue. Had none of those things happened, everything would have gone smoothly. And even despite all that, the ending is very deus ex machina, and ultimately had none of the characters done any of what they had done, the ultimate outcome of the novel would have been exactly the same, plus or minus some more people dying.
It feels more like it should have been either a short story or was just a rambling thought experiment. There isn't enough here to sustain an actual novel and many elements are missing. As a thought experiment, as something to get people considering technology, alien life, etc, it functions well. But as a story with a plot, not so much.
Where things begin to fall apart is with the characters and plot (if you can say this book even has one). Cooke tried to write this book as if it were nonfiction, so it has a very dry/factual vibe about it. The characters themselves were interesting enough to keep reading the book for, but they were ultimately stock characters there to fulfill a purpose, not to grow and evolve as characters. They didn't change from start to finish, or ultimately learn anything of significance about themselves or the world. The worst part is the plot, though. I'm reluctant to say there even was a plot, because the only things that happened beyond examination of an alien being were human mistakes. There is no real antagonist in this book, which isn't a problem per se, but the only "tension" and "suspense" in the whole book was Cooke slipping in that someone somewhere screwed up some thing or some technology broke and caused some issue. Had none of those things happened, everything would have gone smoothly. And even despite all that, the ending is very deus ex machina, and ultimately had none of the characters done any of what they had done, the ultimate outcome of the novel would have been exactly the same, plus or minus some more people dying.
It feels more like it should have been either a short story or was just a rambling thought experiment. There isn't enough here to sustain an actual novel and many elements are missing. As a thought experiment, as something to get people considering technology, alien life, etc, it functions well. But as a story with a plot, not so much.