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?

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

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.

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?

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.

Hey, some of us like layers and complexity. And Crichton delivers in Next. Yes there are lots of characters to keep track of. So make some notes on the blank pages as you go and enjoy an entertaining introduction to some of the ethical issues we face in the field of biotechnology.

I have been a fan of Michael Crichton since the splendid 'The Andromeda Strain' and followed his career all along these years. His latest books were much closer to science and politics of science than to good fiction and 'Next', the last book published during his lifetime is no exception. Crichton was picking hot issues, like global warming in 'State of Fear' or micro-technology in 'Prey' and looked at the implications of misusing them. He was not afraid of being controversial, with 'State of Fear' one of the most anti-global warming anti-PC books I read.

'Next' is no exception to this routine in his latest writing. The scientific theme is genetics engineering and humans play again the apprentice wizard roles risking personal fate and the fate of the whole mankind because of their ignorance and thirst of profit and power. More than in other novels Crichton does not hesitate in exaggerating the effects of man's evil actions, and we have at some moment in time four, five or maybe six parallel stories running together in a race of self-destruction generated by the same triggering point - new discoveries in genetics changing human behavior and crossing between reigns and races. Unfortunately, these parallel story lines do not seem to have a very coherent direction and none of the too many characters enjoys enough text pages, or enough good writing to catch the interest and sympathy of the reader. these and more smaller flaws (like a prologue that connects to nothing in the book, or at least I could not make sense of it) limit this book to the enjoyable reader category level despite its so interesting premises. We'll all miss Crichton, his spirit and his ideas, bit 'Next' does not remain as one of his best books.

This novel is disappointing by Michael Crichton's lofty standards. It bears the Crichton trademark in being well-researched, intellectually substantial and provocative. Otherwise, it fares poorly on all other accounts.

The book highlights the moral hazard surrounding current bio-technological developments, especially in the area of genetic engineering. These issues are brought into sharp relief against the lives of real people grappling with real day-to-day problems. Human tissues are stolen for research purposes without proper recompense to the victims. Unscrupulous biotech firms vie with one another to control the increasingly lucrative market for new `wonder drugs'. New research frontiers are broken with scant regard for existing regulations. Strange new phenomena like human-animal hybrids emerge, two of which (an ape-man and a talking parrot) are central to the plot.

Then again, it would be difficult to consider anything as being central to the plot. The narrative skips between multiple storylines at a relentless pace that leaves the reader playing catch-up for most of the book. And where the plot is comprehensible, it still fails to really engage. Perhaps the 3-4 page snapshots of each story thread leave too little room for character and plot development. Or the threads fail converge in a manner that is sufficiently climatic. In any case, the book is let down by its dialogue (making up most of the narrative) which resembles lines from a B-grade movie. Indeed, one is left with the lingering sense that the book was written in anticipation of being converted into a motion picture - what with the myriad converging storylines, short punchy chapters and expletive-filled dialogue.

As a whole, the book succeeds in pushing an agenda but ultimately fails as a novel.

The last work of Michael Crichton.
He has a kind of arrogant attitude towards his readers, but I generally agree with him.

This book was a big disappointment. Crichton tries to present several interesting concepts regarding genetic engineering, but chooses to deliver them in a convoluted multi-threaded plot that was hard to follow. It was the first time I almost considered not finishing one of his books. I hate to say it, but I recommend passing on this one.