Bit of a potboiler, but held my attention for a day or two. Easy Read. Facinating story in places and a bit far fetched in others. Generally a great read for holidays.

I've just finished reading "Next" and I actually thought it was a really good read. It does take a slightly different approach to Crichton's previous novels, and perhaps that's why others haven't found it as good. "Next" covers many controversial subjects that some might find difficult to get their heads around with but I found the novel informative and his academic writing style rather enjoyableThe book illustrates through it's narrative, science's perpetual desire to discover and learn more about human genetics. It refreshingly moves beyond the ethics concerned with genetic modification and tries to build a holistic picture about the current state and future of genetic research.I think the main question that "Next" raises, with every successful genetic modification or breakthrough, is what will scientists do "Next"? It also highlights the fact that there is no black and white when it comes to the moral and ethical issues surrounding genetic engineering, and so there are often many grey areas.Definitely a though provoking read.

Okay not Crichton's best book but still enjoyable, the storylines were a little bit confusing to begin with but once you get into the book it starts making sense. Wasn't a fan of all the newspaper clipping styles he had in there though, I found they kind of broke the story up too much although I can see why they were included. Overall not a bad story with fairly believable plots and convincing science.

Good all rounder, as with all Crichton books, it makes you think about the general state of society, and brings the issue of genetics and the repocussionsof medling to with nature to your attention, but in parts, the story telling has problems with continuity.

Although i found this an interesting read in the sense that it made me think about the future possibilities of genetics and gene therapy, the actual story was rather jumpy and the chapters didn't seem to flow together. I found it quite confusing, not because of the scientific language or genetic theories but i think because there were so many characters popping in and out, by the time i figured out where they fit into the story they were gone again. I'm normally a big Michael Crichton fan but i'm afraid 'Next' just didn't do it for me.Jules Griffiths