It seems to me that as Michael Crichton ages, he feels more and more compelled to not only toy around with plausible scenarios based on modern technologies, but to contribute to the world by educating and encouraging critical thought in his readers. The trouble for me is that I view Michael Crichton novels as entertainment and, therefore, find the lack of transparency in his causes distracting.

State of Fear was, in my opinion, the poster-child for Crichton novels-with-a-cause. They story was not up to his usual standards and his message was blatant. I happened to identify with the cause and wound up appreciating that work more for its message/arguments than for the story. Still, a warning label would have been appropriate to set the mood.

The message/story balance in Next is much closer to a proportion that would succeed at subtle altruism. I do hope he finds a more successful balance in his next novel after this Next novel.

If you appreciate Crichton’s style and can relate to his ethics, I totally recommend Next. The guy can write a hell of a story.