USA TODAY International Edition
‘ Andromeda Evolution’ is an infectious sequel
If you’re not already convinced that survival of life on Earth is a tenuous high- wire act, read this novel, then press reset. “The Andromeda Evolution” ( Harper, 384 pp., ★★★1/2) is as much the long- awaited sequel to the best- selling “The Andromeda Strain,” published 50 years ago, as it is an infectious evolution of the Michael Crichton literary legacy.
Arguably the most successful science fiction writer of the late- 20th century, Crichton, who died in 2008 ( though his credit joins Daniel H. Wilson’s on this cover), was a master at creating contemporary cautionary tales using plausible speculation based on dead- serious science. Think “Jurassic Park,” “Westworld” and “The Terminal Man” – all techno- thrillers that combine topshelf science, tedious technical details and a probability of dire consequences to create intense drama and edge- ofyour- seat suspense.
Not a bad formula for convincing readers this actually could occur – or has. ( Wait, wasn’t the original “The Andromeda Strain” based on a top- secret, nearly disastrous 1967 incident in Arizona?) While Crichton’s methodwriting imprint is all over this book, Wilson, author of the best- selling novels “Robopocalypse” and “Robogenesis,” adapts his own tricks to the “Crichton voice” to create another compelling chronicle of imminent existential catastrophe.
“The Andromeda Evolution” begins with the true- to- Crichton explanation that this is a top- secret, post- incident report about a five- day scientific crisis “that culminated in the near extinction of our species.” Throughout, scientific documents, top- secret government files, official interviews and diagrams are provided as verification.
A Brazilian security outpost awakens to an image of something terrifying, “not built by any human hands.”
A Brazilian security outpost in the remote Amazon awakens to an image on a computer screen of something terrifying, “not built by any human hands.” Enter the watchdog group Project Eternal Vigilance, launched after the original Andromeda incident to monitor for new outbreaks. For over 50 years, nothing’s happened… until now.
A new team of four Project Wildfire scientists is sent to the Amazon to investigate how to stop the unexplainable anomaly. A fifth scientist is tracking the crisis from the International Space Station ( ISS) orbiting Earth. Meanwhile, a deadly, self- replicating, microparticle structure grows exponentially, eating the jungle and killing nearby habitants.
The novel’s characters are intriguing if not deep personas, including odd robotics genius James Stone, son of Andromeda Strain hero Dr. Jeremy Stone, and astronaut Sophie Kline, who’s paralyzed waist- down but whose brain implants are hot- linked into an experimental onboard humanoid robot. But, as the story gains momentum, Wilson’s cast of diverse characters engage the head and heart as they struggle to save humanity, yet remain quite human – for better and for worse.
Too many skimworthy scientific details and documents are meant not to entertain or inform, but to build a veneer of authenticity, which occasionally detracts from the intensifying narrative. Two- thirds of the way into the book, readers know who the villain is and what the anomaly is. What remains is the how and why.
In the end, “The Andromeda Evolution” explodes with an unexpected, gripping, cinematic finale, ready- made. Crichton and techno- thriller fans will be entertained, if not awed.