Genre: Science Fiction
Author: Micheal Crichton
Psychologist Norman Johnson specializes in treating disaster mental trauma. At the top of his field, it is not surprising when he is requested to assist at a military aircraft crash site. Boarding a helicopter, he soon senses something is amiss- no details are given about the crash, and furthermore, the helicopter is flying out to sea- what kind of a crash site could he assist at in the open ocean?
Landing on a U.S. carrier, Norman is joined by three other equally confused and shanghaied scientists: mathematician Henry Adams, biologist Beth Halpern, and astrophysicist Ted Fielding. Together they learn the military has discovered a massive spacecraft at the bottom of the sea- dating to 300 years past!
Along with a few military officers, the group go deep, taking refuge in an underwater habitat anchored to the ocean floor, and built so the scientists could study the mysterious vessel.
What begins as a straight forward scientific investigation slowly takes a turn for the strange. Inside the vessel they find a giant sphere, indescribably alien in every way.
And it is talking.
Its name is Jerry.
Jerry is happy.
Trapped in the tiny habitat, deep at the bottom of the sea, it soon become clear everyone is out of their depth as they must confront an alien mind capable of inflicting its wanton will on their minds and the very fabric of reality.
Alex's Opinion:
This is another of Crichton's patented "group of scientists is trapped far from civilization and must confront some terrifying scientific discovery" story lines, but Crichton is an amazing writer and pulls it off yet again. This book is a mind bender, and it will keep you guessing right to the end. It is fun to read about what seems like a realistic portrayal of the scenario- "How would the government attempt to conduct interactions with an alien life form?" I've read this one twice now, and enjoyed it both times.
Brian's Opinion:
Well, Alex has been telling me to read Sphere for a while now, so I finally picked up a copy this week. I plopped down last night around, oh, 9 pm to start. Then...I couldn't...stop...it was one of those books. In other words, excellent. My favorite quote? "What happens if Jerry gets mad?"
Who would like it?
This is science fiction, mystery, and a psychological thriller all rolled into one. If you enjoy one of these genres, read it and maybe you'll discover a new love for the others. If you like hypothetical scenarios, this is a well researched and thought out portrayal of human/alien first contact, and well written.
Read it!
Amazon Kindle
Amazon Paperback
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