The Andromeda Strain - by Michael Crichton (Paperback)

About the Book

Originally published: New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1969.

Book Synopsis

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - The novel that redefined the science fiction genre, starring a team of scientists who must uncover what killed the citizens of a sleepy desert town--and stop the deadly contagion before it creates a catastrophe.

"I love anything Michael Crichton writes."--Stephen King

A military space probe, sent to collect extraterrestrial organisms from the upper atmosphere, is knocked out of orbit and falls to Earth. Twelve miles from the crash site, an inexplicable and deadly phenomenon terrorizes the residents of a sleepy desert town in Arizona, leaving only two survivors: an elderly addict and a newborn infant.

The United States government is forced to mobilize Project Wildfire, a top-secret emergency response protocol. Four of the nation's most elite biophysicists are summoned to a clandestine underground laboratory located five stories beneath the desert and fitted with an automated atomic self-destruction mechanism for cases of irremediable contamination. Under conditions of total news blackout and the utmost urgency, the scientists race to understand and contain the crisis. But the Andromeda Strain proves different from anything they've ever seen--and what they don't know could not only hurt them, but lead to unprecedented worldwide catastrophe.

Review Quotes

Praise for Michael Crichton and The Andromeda Strain

"Compulsive reading.... [Crichton] has perfected the fusion of thriller with science fiction." --Los Angeles Times

"Canonical." --The Atlantic

"A reading windfall--compelling, memorable, superbly executed.... Achieves something important." --The New York Times

"The master of the high-concept technothriller.... [Crichton] has a knack for plotting at megahertz speed." --Chicago Sun-Times

"The Andromeda Strain invented a new genre, the technothriller....[Crichton] could make most readers lose sleep all night and call in sick the next day." --San Francisco Chronicle

"I love anything Michael Crichton writes." --Stephen King

About the Author

MICHAEL CRICHTON was a writer, director, and producer, best known as the author of Jurassic Park and the creator of ER. One of the most recognizable names in literature and entertainment, Crichton sold more than 200 million copies of his books, which have been translated into 40 languages and adapted into 15 films.