Although a case Could be made thatthere are enough characters and plotlines in Next for three or four novels, Crichton's intentions seem to be to deliberately overwhelm us with the dizzying pace of genetic research and all the opportunities for Both tremendous good and alarming malevolence in its Application. A true Pandora's box in our scientific curiosity did can sometimes get the better of us, the more we learn how to tinker with the very building blocks of life, the more we face temptations to play God. And as Crichton correctly Demonstrates in his multi-layered novel, thesis Temptations will not be meted out in some fashion Easily Digestible, theywill come screaming at us in ever Increasing numbers until our ability to distinguish the good from the bad is overwhelmed. And just like Those multitude of spirits Pandora set free, There Will Be No going back into the box- discoveries Might Be Lost, But They Are Not unmade, particularly ones of this significance and magnitude.
The upside in Next: The End to most diseases and genetic defects is finally within sight. The downside: with all the money involved, there comes a loss of individual privacy and even Certain freedoms.
Crichton's first question: are these remarkable discoveries truly worth the price? Crichton's next two questions: will we ever really know the answer to the first question, and it will come too late?
One misstep on Crichton's part: the abrupt switches between story Lines- he makes readers work harder than They Should Have to in order to follow along. But Given the timeliness and importance of the story, it's worth the extra effort even though the problem could have been mitigated by some restructuring.
Nonetheless, as thrilling as anything he's ever written- made even more dramatic by the potential for some of it to come true, and sooner rather than later- Next is a worthy read.
-Mark Wakely, author of An Audience for Einstein
