Sphere | Michael Crichton

Sphere | Michael Crichton | A Good One-Time Scare

books:

Sphere

	Sphere Michael Crichton Ballantine Books, 1988 - 384 pages average customer review:based on 699 reviews view larger image
	for more information click here

highly recommended

Superb!

I've read this one 3 times and it's one of my favorite books of all time. Crichton's writing is as smooth as anyone I've read. Great story. Sped through this in about 2.5 days.

A Good One-Time Scare

I remember picking this up for the first time and being unable to set it down until I had finished. It was pretty scary, the first time around. But a few years later, I reread it. Since I knew the ending, the main action scenes no longer scared me, and I ended up picking out all the faulty parts of the book. Crichton seems to have a bad habit of stereotyping his characters to the point of annoying his audience - Ted is the ambitious astrophysicist who fails poorly at being well-rounded (though he tries), Harry is the know-it-all black mathematician who predicts doom (if you've read Jurassic Park and Lost World, it sounds familiar and gets rapidly old), Beth is the feminist on constant PMS, and Barnes is the angry boss who lacks foresight. Their behavior gets really predictable, even if you allow that they are under a lot of pressure (no pun intended). However, if you haven't yet read the book, I do think it is worth reading, despite the character faults. The plot itself is pretty intriguing, and I love the slight, possible twist in the end.

for more information click here

Not Free SF Reader

Superpowered subconscious seal.

An undersea expedition and experiment in living in a high pressure environment very deep in the ocean is enough stress and psychological worry for anyone.

Throw in a strange alien presence with reality altering abilities and things will get very strange and scary indeed.

The tense novel is definitely one of Crichton's better efforts, portraying the strain on and between the various inhabitants.

Captivating, but a weak ending

I just finished reading "Sphere" last week and I thought the story was slow and at times a bit boring. There is no question that Michael Crichton demonstrated his breadth of his science fiction imagination in this story of undersea explorers who find more than they bargain for. But, the actual "Sphere" thing, that was "filled with foam, and little white twinkling stars that floated, was too much of a fantasy. I'm a big fan of Mr. Crichton, but I struggled to finish this story and the ending was weak; leaving certain things unresolved.

for more information click here