Next, by Michael Crichton

Michael Crichton’s latest novel Next visits the dangers of genetic engineering. Genetic engineering and cloning are subjects he examined previously in the Jurassic Park novels. Crichton’s typical approach in a novel is to take a group of unrelated characters and to trace, chapter by chapter, their gradual involvement in whatever subject it is he happens to be investigating. That is his approach in Next, though it is not until close to the end of the novel that the plotlines of various characters finally conjoin.

There is not really a plot in Next. Rather there are a number of inter-related subplots—some more prominent than others. They involve a cursing orangutan in Borneo, a human-chimpanzee hybrid named Dave, a talking parrot named Gerard, a woman and her son pursued by a bounty hunter who wants to take a sample of her organs, a pederast, corporate sabotage, several ruthless CEOs, and so on. Some of these subplots never amount to anything. Some are present merely to afford Crichton the opportunity to sermonize about the dangerous course that genetic engineering has taken. Others come together, finally.

The interest of Crichton’s novels has always lain in his fairly deep knowledge of science and his ability to write about it in a convincing way. He knows enough science to convince his readers that he knows what he is talking about, though scientists whom I know are quick to point out his shortcomings. He offers intriguing topics—space-borne plagues, cloned dinosaurs, time travel, nanotechnology, international conspiracy, sexual harassment, and so on. He footnotes his novels and includes a list of sources at the end. All of this gives him and his work a certain gravitas. He writes from an assumed position of knowing authority which most of his readers lack. They therefore do not recognize the flaws in his use of science, his frequent manipulation of information and theories and data in support of his particular attitude towards a topic. Of course, Michael Crichton is writing fiction, after all--not science--and is free to invent, distort, and manipulate at will. As a fiction writer he falls short. His characters are shallow and formulaic stick figures, his plots (stripped of the trappings of science) conventional.

This is certainly the case in Next, the least satisfying book by Crichton that I have read. The subject of genetic engineering is interesting. The examples Crichton cites of how it has gone wrong—some of which he seems to have based on actual cases—are compelling. He has clearly thought through and identified many of the ethical, moral, and political issues that surround genetic research. His knowledge of corporate and legal issues that complicate and influence scientific research is impressive—at least, his ability to write persuasively about the issues, whether or not he is inventing or writing fact. But there is no real tension or energy in the narrative. It plods and meanders on and seems to be going nowhere.

In a sense, what we really have here is a prolonged editorial criticizing how genetic engineering is being handled. In his “Author’s Note” at the end of the book, he sums up his attitudes in a series of conclusions. He doesn’t for instance, believe that it should be possible to patent genes, he doesn’t believe that research of any kind should be banned, he believes there should be careful laws passed governing genetic research, and he believes that information about genetic research should be widely shared, and so on. In effect, the various plot lines in the novel illustrate and embody these conclusions.

What we also have here is what may be Crichton’s attempt at a satiric comedy of errors. The talking parrot, an African grey parrot who possesses human speech genes, is easily the best character in the book—a multi-lingual creature who sings and talks and torments whoever happens to be in his presence, and who has a key role in the working out of the plot once the plot actually does become apparent. He is truly comic. The talking parrot reminded me of some of the talking animals in Thomas Pynchon’s novels, such as the talking dog in Mason & Dixon. The human-chimp hybrid Dave is also an effective character through which Crichton illustrates the ethical dilemmas inherent in the creation of such a creature.

Crichton is especially concerned (with good reason) over the involvement of corporations in scientific research and seems to believe that this more than anything else has led to a dangerous situation where perspective has been lost. His low opinion of the media, politicians, federal agencies, corporate moguls, and the higher education science establishment is frequently evident in Next. The book is full of cynicism, skepticism, and attacks on the various elements of our culture that irritate him. Next is an especially curmudgeonly and cranky book.

Crichton’s career-long concern has been with the place of the sciences in the human world—how they affect and determine the nature and quality of the lives we lead. He raises crucial and central questions about ethics, morality, the scientific process, and the involvement of government and business in research. These are questions that need asking. But the right-wing slant that has become increasingly evident in Crichton's work, especially in the 2004 novel State of Fear, which sought to discount the reality of global warming, detracts from his credibility.