Sphere - Michael Crichton

This is the first Michael Crichton book that I have read. And only the second sci-fi book for me. So as such I don’t really have a lot of frame of reference to give an opinion on the book. I mean, it’s only natural that if one has read a lot of books in one genre, then any new book will be called good or bad in comparison with the past experiences. So my review of this book is really absolute, rather than relative.

I am not quite sure if I enjoy the sci-fi kind of books. I actually thought that it would be quite obvious that I would enjoy such books, considering that I have quite a bent for anything related to technology and I do love fantasizing about futuristic technology myself. Plus, I also enjoy the sci-fi movies immensely, even if for the average Joe they are absolutely crappy. So, the odds were pretty stacked up in the book’s favour to start with. And Michael Crichton has quite a reputation for the sci-fi books.

But then, even though Sphere is extremely pacy, I found the plot a bit lame. The book is about the underwater adventures of a crew which has gone to explore a spaceship discovered in the depths of Pacific Ocean. And it is a gathering of people from diverse fields: a mathematician, a marine biologist, a psychologist… to name a few. And they are all there to solve the puzzle of the spaceship. How did it get there? What could be inside? Who did it belong to? How the hell to open it? And life gets weirder and dangerous as they start discovering the answers to these questions.

Now, let me clarify, I find the plot lame, not boring. By plot, I don’t really imply the whole story. I just mean that the defining thing, the repercussions of exploring the mysterious spaceship, around which the whole book is, is a bit stupid for me. I say lame, because I would have expected something entirely different than the scheme of things that roll out, given the underwater setting. But hey, I ain’t the author here. Still, the suspense in the book is actually quite good. And the climax is quite thrilling and fantastic, with logic totally preserved in the presence of highly unlikely science being thrown around. That for me is the most important thing for a sci-fi book (or movie). And the narration of Michael Crichton is actually quite impressive and doesn’t get overly carried away with the scientific descriptions of things. So a lot of things actually offset the lameness of the “plot” for me.
Last word… As pop-fiction “literature” the book is very readable. You will quite enjoy it. And don’t quite get nitpicky like me and you will enjoy it thoroughly.