Staff Book and Media Recommendations

Patrick Douglas is a Library Technician at the University of Central Oklahoma.

The Andromeda Strain

Michael Crichton

Originally published in 1969, Michael Crichton's The Andromeda Strain is an excellent example of the hard-science sub-genre of science fiction. The danger posed by man's advancing technology - or his quest for knowledge - outweighing his wisdom is at the heart of the earliest and many of the greatest sci-fi stories. So begins Crichton's novel.

When a satellite sent to explore the Earth's atmosphere to collect dust and organisms falls from the sky, it lands in the desolate town of Piedmont, Arizona. The soldiers sent to recover the lost satellite barely have time to radio in the horrifying discovery in Piedmont - that the entire population is dead - before they die themselves, positioned almost as though they had been frozen in place.

The threat level is such that the United States government executes the "Wildfire Protocol," immediately drafting scientists from a pre-determined list to stop the spread of an assumed pathogen. The team is taken with the downed satellite to a top-secret, one-of-a-kind, high-tech laboratory built several floors below ground in the Nevada desert, complete with a nuclear bomb as a last-resort containment method.

Exploring Piedmont remotely, the scientists discover something they thought impossible - a survivor! While investigating in person (in hazmat suits, of course) they find a second survivor, a colicky baby. Mostly through trial and error, the team attempts to discern the origin of, and find a way to stop this unique organism. They are racing against the clock, as the disease spreads beyond Piedmont via wind, wildlife, and even a passing plane, causing unusual and deadly effects to intruders and to the military presence keeping the quarantine.

Because this book was written thirty years ago, some of the scientific advances, particularly those of the secret laboratory, may seem a bit unrealistic, but this in no way takes away from the story. Crichton also give us some very sound scientific principles, explained at level that most readers will understand, and even some well-rationalized speculative concepts. Ultimately, the tale is one of unheeded warnings, unrestrained exploration, and the nature of success and failure in the investigative and scientific processes.

The Andromeda Strain is the story of analysis and discovery much more than action and adventure. The characters spend more time with conversation, conjecture, and theory-testing than any kind of conflict, making it more a combination sci-fi and mystery novel. Michael Crichton rarely misses, and here he has created a work worthy not only of his audience's time, but also a major motion picture and a recent mini-series, as well. For the reader who is impressed more with awe and wonder and theoretical science more than mile-a-minute action this is a very entertaining book.

Reviewed April 2009