The Andromeda Evolution

The late Michael Crichton's technothriller The Andromeda Strain turns 50 in 2019. To mark that anniversary, a sequel, something long hoped-for by Crichton's fans, is being published, and who better to write it than a modern-day master of the technothriller, author and roboticist Daniel H. Wilson (Robogenesis, 2014)? Wilson takes one of Crichton's most durable story structures a group of specialists ventures into the unknown and works numerous variations, some small, some devastatingly large, on the theme. The story's premise (the justification for the existence of this sequel) is rigorously developed, and the story deftly blends science, suspense, and character interaction in a way that will be familiar to Crichton's fans. Fifty years after the events of The Andromeda Strain, something never before seen, something somehow alien, has appeared deep in the Amazon rain forest. A team of scientists is hastily assembled, based on secret protocols established decades ago, to determine what it is. As the story progresses, Wilson reveals the hidden history of the past 50 years and the truth about the international space program. Oh, and the glorious final-sentence cliff-hanger is just beautiful. In every way, this is a wonderful sequel to a classic novel, written in the spirit of Crichton but in Wilson's own powerful voice. Terrific.--David Pitt Copyright 2010 Booklist

Wilson confidently captures the voice of the late Crichton (1942--2008) in this chilling sequel to the 1969 blockbuster The Andromeda Strain. Over 50 years ago, the deadly, alien Andromeda Strain nearly wiped out a small Arizona town. When Project Eternal Vigilance, put in place in the wake of the first breakout, detects an anomaly in the Amazon, a team of five scientists is sent to investigate. The scientists--among them astronaut Sophie Kline, who has paraplegia, and roboticist James Stone, whose famous father was involved in the first Andromeda incident--trek into the Brazilian jungle to study the outbreak and contain it as quickly as possible, only to discover that the Andromeda Strain has evolved into something even more deadly. The investigation, told partially via reconstructed transcripts, interviews, and descriptions of video footage, unfurls over the course of five action-packed days. Wilson, a roboticist himself, employs his expertise to add depth and credibility to the advanced technology the scientists use, trusting the reader to keep up with his technical terminology. Fans of the original techno-thriller won't be disappointed. Agent: Jay Mandel and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, WME. (Nov.)

It's been 50 years since Michael Crichton remade our sf expectations with The Andromeda Strain. Now Wilson, the New York Times best-selling author of Robopocalypse and Robogenesis, offers a sequel. With a 750,000-copy first printing.

Over 50 years after an extraterrestrial microbe wiped out a small Arizona town, something very strange has appeared in the Amazon jungle in Wilson's follow-up to Crichton's The Andromeda Strain.The microparticle's introduction to Earth in 1967 was the disastrous result of an American weapons research program. Before it could be contained, Andromeda killed all but two people in tiny Piedmont, Arizona; during testing after the disaster, AS-1 evolved and escaped into the atmosphere. Project Eternal Vigilance was quickly set up to scan for any possible new outbreaks of Andromeda. Now, an anomaly with "signature peaks" closely resembling the original Andromeda Strain has been spotted in the heart of the Amazon, and a Wildfire Alert is issued. A diverse team is assembled: Nidhi Vedala, an MIT nanotechnology expert born in a Mumbai slum; Harold Odhiambo, a Kenyan xenogeologist; Peng Wu, a Chinese doctor and taikonaut; Sophie Kline, a paraplegic astronaut and nanorobotics expert based on the International Space Station; and, a last-minute addition, roboticist James Stone, son of Dr. Jeremy Stone from The Andromeda Strain. They must journey into the deepest part of the jungle to study and hopefully contain the dire threat that the anomaly seemingly poses to humanity. But the jungle has its own dangers, and it's not long before distrust and suspicion grip the team. They'll need to come together to take on what waits for them inside a mysterious structure that may not be of this world. Setting the story over the course of five days, Wilson (Robopocalypse, 2011, etc.) combines the best elements of hard SF novels and techno-thrillers, using recovered video, audio, and interview transcripts to shape the narrative, with his own robotics expertise adding flavor and heft. Despite a bit of acronym overload, this is an atmospheric and often terrifying roller-coaster ride with (literally) sky-high stakes that pays plenty of homage to The Andromeda Strain while also echoing the spirit and mood of Crichton's other works, such as Jurassic Park and Congo. Add more than a few twists and exciting set pieces (especially in the finale) to the mix, and you've got a winner.A thrilling and satisfying sequel to the 1969 classic. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

*Starred Review* The late Michael Crichton's technothriller The Andromeda Strain turns 50 in 2019. To mark that anniversary, a sequel, something long hoped-for by Crichton's fans, is being published, and who better to write it than a modern-day master of the technothriller, author and roboticist Daniel H. Wilson (Robogenesis, 2014)? Wilson takes one of Crichton's most durable story structures—a group of specialists ventures into the unknown—and works numerous variations, some small, some devastatingly large, on the theme. The story's premise (the justification for the existence of this sequel) is rigorously developed, and the story deftly blends science, suspense, and character interaction in a way that will be familiar to Crichton's fans. Fifty years after the events of The Andromeda Strain, something never before seen, something somehow alien, has appeared deep in the Amazon rain forest. A team of scientists is hastily assembled, based on secret protocols established decades ago, to determine what it is. As the story progresses, Wilson reveals the hidden history of the past 50 years and the truth about the international space program. Oh, and the glorious final-sentence cliff-hanger is just beautiful. In every way, this is a wonderful sequel to a classic novel, written in the spirit of Crichton but in Wilson's own powerful voice. Terrific. Copyright 2019 Booklist Reviews.

It's been 50 years since Michael Crichton remade our sf expectations with The Andromeda Strain. Now Wilson, the New York Times best-selling author of Robopocalypse and Robogenesis, offers a sequel. With a 750,000-copy first printing.

Wilson confidently captures the voice of the late Crichton (1942–2008) in this chilling sequel to the 1969 blockbuster The Andromeda Strain. Over 50 years ago, the deadly, alien Andromeda Strain nearly wiped out a small Arizona town. When Project Eternal Vigilance, put in place in the wake of the first breakout, detects an anomaly in the Amazon, a team of five scientists is sent to investigate. The scientists—among them astronaut Sophie Kline, who has paraplegia, and roboticist James Stone, whose famous father was involved in the first Andromeda incident—trek into the Brazilian jungle to study the outbreak and contain it as quickly as possible, only to discover that the Andromeda Strain has evolved into something even more deadly. The investigation, told partially via reconstructed transcripts, interviews, and descriptions of video footage, unfurls over the course of five action-packed days. Wilson, a roboticist himself, employs his expertise to add depth and credibility to the advanced technology the scientists use, trusting the reader to keep up with his technical terminology. Fans of the original techno-thriller won't be disappointed. Agent: Jay Mandel and Jennifer Rudolph Walsh, WME.(Nov.)