Book review: Sphere

Originally appeared on thebookpub.com

When I first read Jurassic park, it blew my mind. Since then I have been a fan of the author Michael Crichton. I liked how he takes a sci-fi premise and makes it about something more profound and human. I liked how Jurassic park dealt with themes like man playing God, power, nature and life finding a way. So after that, I was looking for something similar from him to both excite and intellectually stimulate me. I then picked Timeline which though is a great book doesn’t have a lot of commentary about the human condition and such. And this is where Sphere by Michael Crichton comes in.

Sphere is the book that I wanted to read, that I wanted to exist, that I wished someone had written.This is sort of my dream book.

A mysterious object is found deep below the oceans and team of diverse individuals are sent in to investigate and explore. What transpires next is something you would not expect from a story typical to this genre. Crichton immediately takes the story into a brave new original direction that keeps weaving in and out of the expected and unexpected.

I loved how it starts as a sic-fi mystery but slowly turns into a psychological drama and even psychological horror at times. This is what I expect from Crichton and with Sphere he delivers perfectly.

The pacing is perfect and gripping. The book doesn’t let up even for a moment and I couldn’t guess what would happen right till the last page. It stays true to its quirky and wonderfully weird roots right till the end.

The Book was adapted into a movie in 1988 by Barry Levinson which will make for an interesting watch for those who are fans of Crichton. Regardless of what you think about the movie, don’t let it stop you from picking up this book.

Crichton’s writing style may put off certain readers at times but there is no denying the genius of his ideas and his ability to seamlessly fuse different genres. Numerous adaptations of his books into other media will remain as testament to the potency of his ideas.

Recommended For :

Sphere by Michael Crichton is recommended for fans of good sci-fi and original storytelling. Also to those who enjoy a good thriller.

My new book ‘Sinners : The dawn of kalki’ is a post apocalyptic trilogy set in India.