Sphere | Michael Crichton | Slow to start, but intense at the end

Sphere | Michael Crichton | turn off your brain and enjoy!

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

Slow to start, but intense at the end

Here is yet another novel made into a movie and my first from Michael Crichton. I become more and more surprised at how Hollywood takes extreme artistic licensing in transforming the book to the movie. Situations are similar, most of the cast are the same, but there are distinct differences between the movie and the book that greatly make a difference in interpreting.

Plot:
Norman Johnson, a psychologist, is hauled to the middle of the Pacific Ocean to preside over a supposed plane crash. What he learns is that he is actually a part of a mission to explore a crashed spaceship hiding underwater for around 300 years and this mission is based on a report he gave to the secretary of the United States on contacting Unknown Life Forms.
Norman, along with Ted Fielding, astrophysicist, Beth Halpern, zoologist, Harry Adams, mathematician, Harold Barnes, USN Captain, and four other Navy personal travel down to a deepsea underwater habitat to investigate this spaceship. Inside the ship resides a sphere. Quickly things turn downhill as the sphere unleashes its alien power.

Good:
I think the book is much clearer about what is happening than the movie was. There are not as many confusing, unexplained occurences. Of course, this is in part due to the inability to show as much in a movie as in a book, but part of it is the fault of the movie.
Further, Michael Crichton is great at his characters. It is nice that Norman is a normal human being, scared out of his wits, making stupid mistakes, and not some young, hunky, smart aleky guy. The people in this book are just that: people. Not supermodels or fakes. Real live people.
Also, the whole idea is absolutely original. Instead of meeting aliens who may or may not be friendly, the team meets an empty spaceship with an alien object in it.
Crichton steadily builds the tempo of this novel. He starts out somewhat slow almost lazy, but it gets more and more intriguing the further you get into the book. By the last 100 pages, I had a hard time putting it down.

Bad:
While not as confusing as the movie, it is difficult to tell which manifestations originated from which person. Did Norman manifest the jellyfish or Harry? Was Beth's seduction Norman's or Beth's? Other than this, there is not much to lament about (other than one of my favorite characters dies...)

Dialogue/Sexual Situations/Violence:
There is quite a bit of foul language, mostly da**, he**, bi***, and God's name. Beth acts seductive to Norman at one point. Over the course of the novel, six people die. Their deaths are somewhat graphic but not overly. Several people try or talk about killing each other.

Overall:
An immensely intriguing book and an enjoyable ride to the bottom of the sea. Well worth the money I spent for it. After reading this book, I definitely want to check out more of Michael Crichton's.

for more information click here

turn off your brain and enjoy!

As with most Michael Crichton novels, 'Sphere' is a whole lot of fun provided it is not taken too seriously. Crichton is quick into getting the premise of the story out of the way and diving into action and suspense. Yes, much of the story is based on very dodgy science ... by all means speed read through the rubbish. His characterizations are two-dimensional. But 'Sphere' really moves at a rapid pace. This story about finding what appears to be a long sunken alien spaceship is really an imaginative page-turner.

Bottom line: a perfect antidote for a rainy day. Enjoy!

for more information click here

A hauntingly beautiful vision, as only Crichton could pen...

The one thing that remains the same about any and every book I've ever had the pleasure of reading from this man is the pure elegance and fluidity with which he paints a picture. With every thoughtfully placed word he takes us to worlds we've never had the privilege to visit and does so with such accurate beauty that we are left wanting more. Even when the novel as a whole or the execution as a whole is waning, visually there is no comparison. Michael Crichton is a masterful storyteller and an even more qualified artist, painting brilliant imagery and classic experiences all his own.

That said, `Sphere' is no different. In fact, `Sphere' may be one of his finest works, for not only does it deliver with grandeur and visual satisfaction but it delivers it plot and purpose as well. Forget all you know and or remember from that mess we call a film adaptation and pick up Crichton's novel with bite and brains. Its miles ahead of what Hollywood served up to the unsuspecting population, and thank the Almighty God in heaven for that.

Delving once again into alien territory, here Michael Crichton serves up a story with plenty of scientific babble and technological discoveries, but it's at the heart of this novel that we find a truly eerie reality. I find myself writing this and yet not wanting to say much more because there is so much for the reader to experience and perceive all on his own. Unlike some of Crichton's more popular novels like `Jurassic Park' and or even `Congo' `Sphere' itself has a lot of meat. It's not just a glossed over adventure novel but it has depth in reasoning that Crichton delivers brilliantly. Let's just say that this novel will make you think. I won't say much with regard to the plot since all you need to know has already been said or appears on the back cover. Just know that all will be uncovered in due time.

While it may have some similarities to Crichton's clear masterpiece and ultimately finest work of art `The Andromeda Strain', Sphere' still deserves to stand apart as a sure-fire page turner, a brilliant piece of literature that should excite and entertain the very best of us. So, take a load off and treat yourself to a lavish read by one of the greatest science fiction writers of our time.

for more information click here

Highly Enjoyable

SPHERE is considered by many to be one of Michael Crichton's best books. Now that I have read it, I can see why: this novel is a highly enjoyable read with a lot of action and suspense. Like most of his books, Crichton does a fine job integrating a lot of scientific information into the story. So this novel is not just fun to read, it is also educational.

This novel does suffer from relatively two-dimensional characterization, but that's a common flaw with Crichton. Overall, I found the characterization in SPHERE to be stronger than some of his other books. The ending is the type you'll either love or hate, but I thought it was appropriate to the story.

Overall, this is a very fine novel, and not a bad place to start if you're interested in trying Michael Crichton's work.

for more information click here

Not Crichton's best

"Sphere" is similar to "The Andromeda Strain" in topic (i.e. aliens), but its premise differs widely from any other Crichton novel I've ever read (and that's quite a few). Whereas Crichton's other novels deal with technology and the caution humans should have with its ramifications, "Sphere" ventures deeper, into the power of the human subconscious. I should have, after reading of Crichton's adventures with alternative medicine in "Travels," expected something of this sort to crop up eventually. Given that it probes more psychic ("deeper"?) questions than the other books, the plot and setting are much more restricted. However, the explanation of "Sphere"'s phenomena is much less satisfying than those of Crichton's other books, and overall I found "Sphere" much less satisfying.

for more information click here