Sphere by Michael Crichton – Audiobook

[Samyann]

Written by Michael Crichton way back in the mid 1980s, this unabridged audiobook edition was released in 2015 and is narrated by Scott Brick – about thirteen hours of listening.

If you’re looking for a written duplication of the movie, this is not gonna work for you! Although trite, I’ll say “The book is better.”… and Hollywood’s twist completely messes with the story.

In a plot similar to Crichton’s Andromeda Strain, written in 1969, a diverse group of scientific people are brought together to what they all believe to be a plane crash in the mid-Pacific. A biologist, mathematician, astrophysicist, etc., in addition to Norman – the group psychologist and the lead character of Sphere, are tasked with determining what happened – and they are soon to understand, determining what exactly rests 1000 feet below the surface, since it is not an airplane. Crichton even repeats the physical examinations required to handle the sea habitats of Sphere as apposed to the bio-habitat of the Andromeda Strain. Albeit completely different stories, these initial fundamentals are virtually identical.

Sphere is a decent SciFi, written with the somewhat pedestrian style of Crichton. Not earth shattering prose, just good storytelling that will hold your attention. If you like SciFi or if you like Michael Crichton, you’ll enjoy. Author of such mega-hits as Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton died in 2008. His books are slowly moving into the SciFi classic category and are must reads for anyone interested in the genre. SciFi nerds will approve of considerable techno-babble detail and Crichton’s attempt at credibility.

Scott Brick does a terrific job, nice reading.

[Silvermoon]

I do enjoy Michael Crichton's books and appreciate a well written review. As a rule I prefer the books over the movies as artistic license usually overrides common sense. Thank you for posting!

[Abigail R]

I have read a handful of Michael Crichton's books, Jurassic Park is one of my favorite books of all time. He writes amazing female characters. The women in his novels are far different from the "strong females" being written today. In his books, women are realistic. They are intelligent and opinionated and often respected by their male counterparts. This makes his writing all the more fun to read.

[edztan15]

This is my favorite Crichton book. It is mindblowing. I loved the tense atmosphere he created, and that first contact they made with Jerry sends chills down my spine.