Next, by Michael Crichton

Next, by Michael Crichton

I have mixed feelings about Next. I have been a big fan of Michael Crichton since first reading “Jurassic Park.” I also really enjoyed “State of Fear” among other favorites. I bought “Next” with the usual anticipation I bring to most of Crichton's work. I read the first three or four chapters and then I sat on this book for several years. I remember when it came out, I had anticipated it, being the first reader, but then other book distractions came and went. I picked the book up again recently because I thoroughly enjoyed reading “Pirate Latitudes” and I was hoping for something with the same momentum in this one. I just finished it while on a military mission last month, and I can't believe this was written by the same author as my favorite books. Next did not turn out to be a coherent, linear story, but rather a series of incidents revolving around a similar topic, genetic engineering.

The reader is introduced to many bland and undefined characters. Confusion sets in quickly among their roles in the storyline. I guarantee even folks giving this novel a positive review asked themselves, "Okay, who is this guy again?" or "What was this person doing earlier in the book?" I even had to go back into the previous chapters to see if I missed a character or two. As a reader you are dropped in and out of these forgettable characters’ lives at such a rapid pace it is difficult to keep up with who is doing what, to whom and why. I was thinking that I needed a map to describe these subplots. The only "characters" that are easy to distinguish are the half monkey/half human boy named Dave, and the extremely annoying talking Parrot who can quote old movie lines and do elementary level math, and whatever was going on at the gene company or the lawsuit. The premise of the novel is taken to such an obtuse level, that any interest built up over the first hundred pages soon dissipates with the "talking" animals.

The novel's central theme is genetic manipulations and the ethical issues surrounding them. There are many subplots, all revolving around the famous philanthropist, Jack Watson who advocates scientific progress and donates money to biotech companies. The plethora of characters includes bounty hunters, lawyers, drug addicts, physicians, teachers, secretaries, security guards, and scientists of all levels. The animal-human hybrids are made in secret; the genes are patented, the genetic screens are used to the advantage of insurance companies and in numerous trials as a tool to extort money; the scientists are depicted as vicious breed, of course. The only two families who seem honest are the Burnets. The father, Frank has a precious cancer cell line. The cells become property, which become embroiled into a massive cell buying scheme, and the Kendalls, who decide to adopt Henry Kendalls’ genetic son Dave, a hybrid between human and chimpanzee. Because “Next” evoked all these reflections, I will award it two and a half stars. Michael Crichton is my favorite author, and I'd been eagerly awaiting this book. But unfortunately, I was disappointed in his final work.

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Fall 2010

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer

Mr. Krakauer writes another beautiful story unraveling the mystery of Chris McCandless, a very remarkable and conflicted young man. This is a compelling narrative about an intelligent, intense, and idealistic man, who cut off all ties to his upper middle class family to go find himself eking out a marginal existence as he wandered throughout the United States. McCandless ended his journey in 1992 in Alaska, when he walked alone into the wilderness north of Denali never to return again.

This book is an idealistic adventure of a free spirit gone wild. Chris McCandless ventures into the Alaskan Wilderness and his body is found in an abandoned bus used by moose hunters as a makeshift lodge. Krakauer skillfully retraces his steps in an effort, both to understand what went wrong, and to figure out what made McCandless give away his money, his car and head off into the Alaska bush alone.

The investigations leads the reader through the young man's short life in an attempt to explain why someone who has everything going for him would have chosen this lifestyle, only to end up dead in one of the most remote and rugged areas of the world. Whether one views McCandless as a fool or as a modern day Thoreau is a question ripe for discussion. It is clear, however, from Krakauer's writing that his investigation led him to feel a strong, connection with McCandless. It is this kindred spirit approach to his understanding of this young man that makes Krakauer's writing so moving and inspirational.

Krakauer also throws in for good measure a chapter about a similar death-defying climb that he foolishly attempted at about the same age as McCandless, providing insight into what makes a person attempt a dangerous climb or hike. He even tells several fascinating tales of other recreational hikers who were stranded in the wilderness as a comparison or as an explanation to McCandless’s misguided approach to his final months in Alaska. What I would question about McCandless’s judgment in those final months was something that most hikers do, which McCandless failed to consider in his plans and preparation. When we go backpacking, we have a route, we bring the proper provisions and gear, we set up out tents, and we go on day hikes to explore the area. If McCandless went on more (day) hiking adventures away from base-camp in Alaska, beyond the confines of the bus, he may have found several cabins that could have provided him more shelter or supplies than the bus he was sleeping in. He could have found the cable that crossed the river instead of being stranded when the river was at flood-stage in July and August. And finally, if he climbed to the top of some of the mountains nearby, adventured beyond where he stopped for the summer, he would have seen civilization in the distance, which wasn’t too far off, perhaps less than twenty miles away. And what hiker would not carry a map and a compass just in case things didn’t turn out as planned? These failures could have saved Chris when he started feeling sick in his final weeks.

By the end of the book, I thought I understood McCandless' character, and I thought Krakauer was probably right in putting his finger on exactly what caused his death. I was moved by his plight regardless of his possible foolishness in venturing into Denali, and the final scenes involving Chris' family were emotionally devastating. I believe Krakauer gave a fair assessment of Chris and attempts to salvage his good name, primarily because he saw much of his subject's characteristics in himself as a young man. The abandonment of a comfortable, secure environment for the aesthetic, austere, and the existential existence may not make sense to some. It was quite moving and alluring to me throughout the book. "Into the Wild" is one of the most unusual and powerful books I have ever read. But don’t forget to read Krakauer’s other books too. Which one is your favorite?