The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
*The Andromeda Strain* is a science fiction novel by Michael Crichton that explores themes of scientific inquiry, government secrecy, and the potential dangers of extraterrestrial life. The story begins with the return of a space satellite, the Scoop, which crashes in a small Arizona town, leading to mysterious deaths among the local population. Only two survivors, a newborn baby and an elderly man, are brought to a high-tech underground laboratory called Wildfire, where a team of scientists attempts to uncover the cause of the deadly outbreak.
Central to the plot is Dr. Jeremy Stone, the project leader, who grapples with both scientific challenges and personal dilemmas, including ethical concerns surrounding government motives for the space mission. As the scientists race against time to prevent a catastrophic outcome, they encounter unforeseen accidents and personal failings that complicate their efforts. The novel employs a mix of narrative styles, including scientific reports and fictional bibliographies, to create a sense of authenticity and urgency. Crichton's skillful blending of fast-paced action with complex scientific concepts engages readers while provoking thought about humanity's relationship with technology and the unknown.
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
First published: 1969
Type of plot: Scientific adventure
Time of work: 1967
Locale: Flatrock, Nevada
Principal Characters:
Dr. Jeremy Stone , a bacteriologist and leader of the Wildfire ProjectDr. Peter Leavitt , a clinical microbiologistDr. Charles Burton , a pathologistDr. Mark Hall , a surgeonMajor Arthur Manchek , a senior officer of the Scoop mission
The Novel
Michael Crichton’s enormously popular novel The Andromeda Strain generated much of its appeal first by dramatizing the anxieties of its audience—playing on the “man was never meant to know” fears about space and science—and second by laying those fears to rest by demonstrating that the American doctor is equal to any emergency. The novel was one of the first to use “secret government research projects” as a villain, a device that has been used many times since. The premise of The Andromeda Strain is that a space satellite, the Scoop, has been sent into space by the United States to search for and to bring back to Earth samples of viruses and bacteria for study. Although scientists call for the study to protect both astronauts and the Earth from contagion by an alien bacteria, the government has quite another purpose: to bring back bacteria that might be used in germ warfare.
Under the pretense that its purpose is to discover new ways to prevent disease, the project is begun. After several failures, Scoop VII is sent into orbit in February, 1967. In the space flight, the Scoop is hit by something, a meteor perhaps, and begins to wobble. When the Scoop is brought to Earth, it lands in a small, isolated Arizona town. As the novel opens, the two men sent to recover the vehicle find all but two of the townspeople dead, and within a few seconds the soldiers themselves lie dead in their van.
The survivors, Peter Jackson, a sixty-nine-year-old drinker, and a two-month-old baby, are brought to Wildfire, a five-level underground laboratory hidden in the deserts of Nevada. A crew of scientists is hastily assembled to discover what factor has protected two so dissimilar people from the mysterious disease carried by the Scoop.
The novel is arranged in the form of a scientific report on the efforts that follow and contains numerous charts, graphs, and computer printouts. The narrator, speaking as an omniscient observer, comments on the work of the scientists during the four days of feverish activity following the disaster. The plot of the novel is arranged in strict chronological form, with background information on the characters interspersed from time to time. The book even adds a fictional bibliography including articles purportedly written by the characters.
The Characters
The brilliant but contentious Dr. Jeremy Stone, the thirty-six-year-old leader of the research project to find the source of the mysterious disease and its cure, has recently won the Nobel Prize for his work on bacteria. Stone was one of the scientists responsible for the Scoop project; he is ironically chosen to solve the problems that his brainchild originated. Stone is a tireless worker and is devoted to his team members and to the project.
Dr. Peter Leavitt is a man with a secret. Even though the scientists have to pass rigorous physical examinations before beginning work, Leavitt successfully hides his epilepsy. Finally, exhaustion and the blinking lights of the computer console bring on a seizure. Leavitt is left with the guilty knowledge that his duplicity might have caused the research project to fail. This seizure, incidentally, prevents Leavitt from noticing the one way in which the bacteria are vulnerable. The incident is only one of several unfortunate coincidences on which the plot entirely depends. Had Leavitt not gone into seizure, he would have discovered the weak spot of the bacteria and the menace would have been ended.
Just as Leavitt is wrong in trying to hide his condition, Dr. Charles Burton is careless in his scientific method. As the narrator observes, if Burton had only thought to perform an autopsy on the brains of certain research animals being exposed to the bacteria, perhaps the answer to the puzzle would have come more rapidly.
The most clearly drawn and likable character is young Dr. Mark Hall, a surgeon chosen for the project not only for his credentials but also for the fact that he is the “odd man out”—the only one of the four who is unmarried. Crichton presents a fictional psychological study supporting the very dubious premise that single men are more likely to blow themselves up when ordered to do so. Thus, only Hall is given the ability to stop the explosion of an atomic device which will detonate automatically if the security of the laboratory is breached. Perhaps the fact that Hall is the most likable and most intelligent of the group is explained by noting that Crichton is a doctor himself. Whatever the cause of Hall’s talents, the success of the project depends on him. Indeed, it is Hall’s research and his insight into the problem that provide the answer to the puzzle. At the climax of the story, Hall makes his heroic climb through the core of the underground laboratory to save his colleagues and the building from atomic destruction.
Of all the “characters,” the reader’s attention keeps returning to the microscopic bit of life that is brought back on the Scoop. It is a character without a name and with a structure unlike that of any known Earth entity. This bacterium is made of hydrogen, oxygen, carbon, and nitrogen, but lacks amino acids. It therefore contains no proteins, the building blocks of all earthly life. By all the scientists’ reckonings, it cannot be alive, yet it divides, respires, and changes in form—all marks of life.
The science in the novel and the pace of the adventure must maintain the reader’s interest because the characters show little individuality. For example, Stone’s personality has supposedly caused four of his marriages to fail, yet in the laboratory he is even-tempered, gentle, and considerate. Despite Crichton’s effort to tailor carefully each character’s background, they behave much alike.
Critical Context
Crichton is noted for rapid pacing and a considerable amount of scientific fact in his works. Using the pseudonym Jeffrey Hudson, Crichton wrote A Case of Need (1968), which won the Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for the year’s best mystery novel. Using the pseudonym John Lange, he wrote several novels, including Drug of Choice (1970) and Binary, which was made into a movie for television. Crichton also wrote The Terminal Man (1972) and Eaters of the Dead (1976), a retelling of the Beowulf story. He ventured into another creative field in 1973, writing the script for and directing the film Westworld. He also directed Robin Cook’s Coma in 1978.
Bibliography
Crichton, Michael. Travels. New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1988. Crichton recounts his travels throughout the world. Furnishes important insights into his personality and approaches to his fiction.
Current Biography 54 (November, 1993): 10-14. Profiles Crichton’s life and career as a novelist and filmmaker. A discussion of his novels adapted to the screen is included.
Foreman, Christopher H., Jr. “Editorial Commentary: Witchcraft Science in Cinema Epidemics.” Science Communication 17 (September, 1995): 3-5. A scientific analysis of the use of epidemics as the theme in fiction and adaptations of novels. Crichton’s The Andromeda Strain is among the earliest to exploit the epidemic theme.
Heller, Zoe. “The Admirable Crichton.” Vanity Fair 57 (January, 1994): 32-38. Profiles Crichton’s accomplishments as a writer and director.
Kipen, David. “From Potboilers to Blockbusters in Thirty Years.” Variety 364 (August 26, 1996): 20-21. Focuses on Crichton’s transition from novelist to filmmaker.
Trembley, Elizabeth A. Michael Crichton: A Critical Companion. Westport, Conn.: Greenwood Press, 1996. Trembley examines Crichton’s work. Her discussions focus primarily on individual novels, including The Andromeda Strain. Students and general readers will appreciate the sections on Crichton’s life and literary heritage as well as a useful bibliography.
Winer, Rex. “Showman of the Year.” Variety 364 (August 26, 1996): 7-10. Profiles Crichton and his career as novelist, screenwriter, and film director. Background on his career, achievements, and works as well as an analysis of his approach to storytelling are included.