Sphere
Sphere book cover

Sphere

Paperback – Big Book, July 12, 1988

by
Price
$13.95
Format
Paperback
Pages
384
Publisher
Ballantine Books
Publication Date
ISBN-13
978-0345353146
Dimensions
4.75 x 1 x 7.25 inches
Weight
6.4 ounces

Description

Jurassic Park author Michael Crichton is possibly the best science teacher for the masses since H.G. Wells, and Sphere , his thriller about a mysterious spherical spaceship at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean, is classic Crichton. A group of not-very-complex characters (portrayed in the film by Sharon Stone, Dustin Hoffman, Samuel L. Jackson, and Queen Latifah) assemble to solve a cleverly designed roller coaster of a mystery while attempting (with mixed success) to avoid sudden death and expounding (much more successfully) on the latest, coolest scientific ideas, including the existence of black holes. Somehow, Crichton manages to convey the complicated stuff in utterly simplistic prose, making him, as his old pal Steven Spielberg puts it, "the high priest of high concept." Yet there is more to Crichton than science and big-ticket show biz. He is also, as any reader of his startling memoir Travels knows, a bit of a mystic--he is entirely open to notions spouted by spoon-bending psychics that most science writers would scorn. Sphere is not only a gratifying sci-fi suspense tale; it also reflects Crichton's keen interest in the unexplained powers of the human mind. When something passes through a black hole in Crichton's fiction, a lesson is learned. The book also contains another profound lesson: when you're staring down a giant squid with an eyeball the size of a dinner plate, don't blink first. It turns out that the downed flying machine, resting 1,000 feet under the sea, is a huge spaceship that crashed at least 300 years ago.... A satisfactory degree of "Hmm?" and a judicious measure of "Eek!" are involved when the hero and several dispensable colleagues submerge to investigate. -- Time, R.Z. Sheppard From the Inside Flap "A page-turner...Chichton's writing is cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action. This book should come with hot buttered popcorn."NEWSWEEKA group of American scientists are rushed to a huge vessel that has been discovered resting on the ocean floor in the middle of the South Pacific. What they find defines their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation. It is a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently, undamaged by its fall from the sky. And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old...."The suspense is real."THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW Read more

Features & Highlights

  • "A page-turner...Chichton's writing is cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action. This book should come with hot buttered popcorn."NEWSWEEKA group of American scientists are rushed to a huge vessel that has been discovered resting on the ocean floor in the middle of the South Pacific. What they find defines their imaginations and mocks their attempts at logical explanation. It is a spaceship of phenomenal dimensions, apparently, undamaged by its fall from the sky. And, most startling, it appears to be at least three hundred years old...."The suspense is real."THE NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

Customer Reviews

Rating Breakdown

★★★★★
30%
(2K)
★★★★
25%
(1.6K)
★★★
15%
(975)
★★
7%
(455)
★
23%
(1.5K)

Most Helpful Reviews

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Extremely Enjoyable Popcorn

You've got to give it to Michael Crichton: he writes one heck of a page-turner. Open one of his books with the idea that you'll just read a chapter or two before bedtime and you'll suddenly be bleary-eyed at three in the morning. And although this particular title, which is somewhat less well known than such Crichton novels as THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN and JURASSIC PARK, it still packs a bestseller wallop.

The premise is classic Crichton. In his younger days, psychologist Norman Johnson was approached by the United States government to write a report on the psychological impact of an encounter with extra-terrestrials--and now, on the basis of his rather flippant recommendations, he finds himself en route to a possible UFO crash sight on the floor of the Pacific ocean. Once established with his colleges in an underwater habitat, the government team encounters a mysterious space craft that contains a still-more mysterious sphere, and those who come into contact with it undergo an unexpected change.

The writing is crisp and clean, the hard science is handled quite skillfully, and Crichton plays out his story at a breathless pace: yes, a page-turner if ever there was one. Still, it is worth noting that SPHERE displays Crichton's weaknesses as clearly as it does his strengths. Strictly speaking, Crichton hasn't had an original concept in some thirty years, and just as he rehashed his screenplay for WESTWORLD into the novel JURASSIC PARK, so does he rehash THE ANDROMEDA STRAIN into SPHERE. The novel also contains both the foundational sexism and ambiguous conclusion so typical of Crichton's work.

Ultimately, SPHERE is popcorn: we've all had it before and you can't make a truly satisfying meal of it. But it is tremendously enjoyable all the same, and where is SPHERE is concerned... well, you'll eat every kernel in the bowl.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer
36 people found this helpful
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Good Crichton, not his best

Intriguing as always, exciting from the first page, strong for the first 2/3rds and less "editorializing" than usual, but it's just not as good as his higher concept novels. But it's still very enjoyable all the way through, and as always makes you think. It feels a little dated now, but I re-read it last week and enjoyed it just as much as the first time. Sphere should definitely be a part of any Crichton fan's library. Skip the movie, though. Here, the science is less "convincing" than in Jurrassic Park (which is mostly convincing, but stretched) and Prey (which is better writing and fun, but not convincing). But that doesn't matter, because Crichton can write an adventure like few others (as long as character isn't important--character's here take backseat to concept and science). Pace, as always is good. More a rollicking adventure than "something to think about" (typical of later novels) and quite enjoyable on that level. It's the kind of novel you'll tear through in a weekend at most. And that's a good thing.
20 people found this helpful
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Fantastic book

Horrible movie. I was practically crying after I saw it. I knew it wouldn't live up to the book, but still . . . Sphere is a very taut and thrilling novel that blends suspense with scientific fact - like all of Michael Crichton's books. I think this is by far his best book, better than Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, etc. It is at the same time filled with scientific fact and psychological elements and suspension.
The basic story (if you've seen the movie, you should still read the book, it's far superior as I said before, although it's too bad because you already know what happens) is that an alien spacecraft crashes into the Pacific (I think, haven't read it in a while) Ocean and a group of scientists at the head of their respective fields are sent in to investigate. They discover, well, a sphere, and that's when things start going bad. I won't say anymore so I won't spoil it for anyone.
The book is definitely a page-turner. You won't be able to put it down, and the writing conveys the scientific elements very clearly without becoming confusing. To close, Sphere is a great book you really should read.
15 people found this helpful
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Fantastic book

Horrible movie. I was practically crying after I saw it. I knew it wouldn't live up to the book, but still . . . Sphere is a very taut and thrilling novel that blends suspense with scientific fact - like all of Michael Crichton's books. I think this is by far his best book, better than Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, etc. It is at the same time filled with scientific fact and psychological elements and suspension.
The basic story (if you've seen the movie, you should still read the book, it's far superior as I said before, although it's too bad because you already know what happens) is that an alien spacecraft crashes into the Pacific (I think, haven't read it in a while) Ocean and a group of scientists at the head of their respective fields are sent in to investigate. They discover, well, a sphere, and that's when things start going bad. I won't say anymore so I won't spoil it for anyone.
The book is definitely a page-turner. You won't be able to put it down, and the writing conveys the scientific elements very clearly without becoming confusing. To close, Sphere is a great book you really should read.
15 people found this helpful
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It was really great until...

I was enthralled by this book from the very beginning. Imagine, scientists discover an ancient spaceship at the bottom of the ocean only to discover it's true origin is a little closer to home.
I have loved every Chrichton novel and this one was no different, at first. The story was tense, thrilling and the very last chapter killed the entire book for me. I won't give it away but the conclusion felt like a huge rip-off. I know I wasn't the only one who felt this way.
13 people found this helpful
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Good read, but...

I'm definitely in the minority here. While I love Michael Crichton's books, this was my least favorite.
A team of experts from various fields are pulled together and assembled to investigate what appears to be an alien spacecraft on the bottom of the ocean. The plot thickens as several crew members mysteriously die, one at a time, before those who are left figure out that they are responsible. It is a suspenseful and riveting read.
I just felt that sometimes it is a little too cerebral and far fetched, at the same time.
10 people found this helpful
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CRICHTON'S BEST YET

I read this book this summer and I think it is his best to this day. A team of scientists set out to the bottom of the Pacific Ocean to examine a spaceship that crashed to the bottom three hundred years ago. There is the calm and wise Norman Johnson, the attractive and determined Beth Halperin, the brilliant and befuddling Harry Adams, and the smart yet annoying Ted Fielding, all under the command of Harold Barnes, a Captain in the U.S. Navy. They quickly gain access and discover the ship operational, and they discover a metallic sphere. But when they are cut off in a storm, they must discover the power of the sphere and confront its great powers. lest everyone get killed. I was genuinely sad when it ended. This book is Crichton's best and it is the best I have ever read, and I have read a lot of books. If you are looking for a white-knuckle ride to terror on the bottom of the ocean, this book is your ticket, and this review is your boarding call. Buy it today, because I guarantee you, you will want to re-read this one. Even if you aren't a fan of Crichton, pick this book up today and start reading. You won't be sorry.
9 people found this helpful
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Intense and introspective

While on the surface this book offers suspense, underneath its skin it is a carefully-constructed Jungian analysis of the idealistic philosophies common to highly intelligent people. Crichton both criticizes our emotional nature and our attempts to hold it in check. While there are some parts of this book that seemed to make no sense, such as how people many feet below the ocean's surface survive the pressure of the water above without special gear, there are many delightful scientific explanations and natural laws carefully used as metaphor here. It's as if Thomas Pynchon decided to write a thriller with his knowledge of physics, and although the text is somewhat pulpy, it is rich and descriptive enough to both tantalize the senses and provoke the mind.
7 people found this helpful
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Don't waste your time.

With so many good books written, don't bother with this one. Weak plot, page filling words and obvious situations with an obvious ending leaves this book as very ho-hum. Michael must have been under pressure from the publisher to pump this out. Read Timeline or Jurassic Park instead.
7 people found this helpful
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Enter the Unknown

I have recently read Sphere by Michael Crichton. I found this book to be filled with adventure and intrigue. It follows a very intelligent psychologist, Norman Johnson. He is sent to what he thinks is a plane crash site. He normally goes to them to help the families cope with the loss of loved ones. He thought it was just a routine job and that he would be home shortly, he was wrong. The government called him in to research an underwater spacecraft with a team of experienced scientists. He set up the team and went underwater into a habitat to study the craft. He gets more and more involved as the team enters the craft. The suspense starts to build up when they enter the ship and terrible things happen to the crew. As they venture further into the craft they find a shiny silver ball about the size of a large merchant ship. They enter the ship and that's when everything goes wrong. The sphere seems to be able to look into their minds and know what they are thinking. It will carry out the task that that person is thinking about. As the story develops more, each team member gets scared for their lives and starts to distrust one another. The sphere begins to carry out terrible tasks and many team members lose their sense of sanity. Norman has to take complete control of the team and make sure that the rest stays sane and in a working manner. As the sphere gets more and more violent, the team has to make a choice between leaving and forgetting about a scientific breakthrough or continue on with their important investigation.
7 people found this helpful

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