Reviews

Sphere: A Novel by Michael Crichton

valouche13's review against another edition

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5.0

What a fun read that was!! The pages just flew by and at every corner, I wound up wondering what was real and what wasn't.
Oh! And I absolutely LOVE the book ending. Those four or five last sentences had me say "Yes! ^_^" and gave me the ending I would've written too. Awesome!
As much as I loved the movie for its great actors and its "Wtf?!" feel, I loved the book for its characters and the questions that it asked. And the ending ^_^
A definite must-read!!

avesmaria's review against another edition

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fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

This book is the literary equivalent of pringles potato chips. 

chris_nelta's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

cha_mill26's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

cf93's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

cecile87's review against another edition

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4.0

Read this during jury duty when it came out. Loved it, especially the chilling idea of finding a spaceship from the future buried at the bottom of the ocean. I loved what they found in that ship as well, even the candy wrappers, if I'm remembering correctly. A mind-bender about the mind, to say the least.

farrington's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

chanidev's review against another edition

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3.0

I picked this book up because I had just finished Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne and heard Sphere pulls heavily from it. In this sci-fi mystery, a group of scientists is pulled together to investigate an airplane crash in the middle of the ocean. The list comes by the recommendation of psychologist Dr. Norman Johnson when the U.S. Navy asked him for a report on human responses to potential alien contact.

The story becomes claustrophobic as the scientists and Navy personnel live solely in a cramped underwater habitat. They have to don diving suits to access the underwater crash-- which they identify as American-made, but nothing they recognize. It becomes a little thriller-y when the human psyche is pushed to the limits of underwater living. Mysterious creatures show and events start happening after the discovery of a large polished sphere on board the crash site. A lot less dense than Jules Verne books, and a lot more mystery, but it does incorporate a few Vernian ideas.

I tend to love Michael Crichton books, and this one was interesting but left a lot to be desired. In my opinion, this book is for those who enjoy the fiction part more than the science part of science fiction. It has the mystery thriller part of Crichton's Andromeda Strain but fewer explanations and more focus on human interaction.

https://ucplbookchallenge.blogspot.com/2024/01/sphere.html

kmik20's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Suspenseful and a departure from the typical sea monster stories with plot revolving around psychology. The story was interesting, but lacked something and kind of let me down. 

daddyfingers's review against another edition

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adventurous dark tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0