This is a great book if you are looking for adventure, action, mystery, suspense and psychology. Odd mix, I know; but somehow it all fits together nicely. This book starts with Dr. Norman Johnson, professor of psychology, being flown out into the Pacific Ocean in a Navy helicopter. In the past the FAA has had Norman visit plane crash sites to help ease the anxiety and guilt survivors experience after the such traumatic events. At first Norman assumes that this is just another plane crash but quickly finds out otherwise. A few interesting tid-bits about Norman are that the U.S. government has commissioned him to write up a contingency plan in case of a visit or invasion by extra terrestrials (foreshadowing) and that his specialty is group dynamics and anxiety (more foreshadowing). This is a great book for teens and its fairly short, I finished it in roughly 10 hours, so I believe it would make a good book report.
After you read (Spoiler Alert):
What I loved about this book is that there were so many twists and turns and you really didn't know what to expect next. Norman is the voice of reason all the way through and though he has a few moments of doubt he stays true to himself. I hate to see a character die, lots of characters die in this book. I always hope for a happy ending, so when a story ends on a sad note it takes me a few days to get over the injury and love the book for its depth.
Now lets talk about Ted. Ted is that guy that you like but at the same time he drives you nuts. I thought he was a very full character, interesting and intricate. The references to his boyishness make you think of him as innocent and show that his intentions are good. Then he confides in Norman about how he is afraid of not making it into the history books and you finally understand his juvenile behavior. He is clinging to youth because he feels time slipping away and he hasn't really accomplished anything in the scientific world yet. You end up rooting for him even though he is obnoxious.
Harry's turn now. The twist with Jerry is misspelled Harry was awesome! Like most of this book, you didn't see it coming. When Norman was decoding the original message from Jerry I thought that there would be a secret message entirely different from the one Harry delivered. I loved how such a big clue the one wrong letter was. Crichton used the chip on Harry's shoulder wonderfully, it really brought some internal strife to the group.
Beth was another big character who rounded out the dynamics of the group. Throwing her psyche into the mix was a good touch. I felt bad that she had the credit for her work stolen from her; it made you like her in spite of her being such a big monster in the end.
Ah the end! Norman proves that humanity can triumph over our cowardly flight response and gives you hope for the human race! Then they decide to forget the whole thing! Except you never really know if Beth gave her powers up. then there is the little tid bit of the officers outside the decompression chamber becoming attentive and Beth is still beautiful. It makes you really wonder what happens next. Does the military buy their explanation? Is the sphere ever used again? Who created it? Humans or aliens? You are left with a flood of questions. Perhaps the most relevant one of all is the question as to whether the subconscious mind can ever me mastered.
I had never really heard about Michael Crichton until about a week ago; a good friend who shares a favorite author referred me. Crichton has written many famous books including The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, and The Lost World; all which have been made into motion pictures. I plan on reading many more of his books since this one was so rewarding.
