The Andromeda Evolution

By: Michael Crichton, Daniel H. Wilson

Narrated by: Julia Whelan

Length: 10 hrs and 4 mins

Publisher's summary

Fifty years after The Andromeda Strain made Michael Crichton a household name - and spawned a new genre, the technothriller - the threat returns, in a gripping sequel that is terrifyingly realistic and resonant.

The evolution is coming.

In 1967, an extraterrestrial microbe came crashing down to Earth and nearly ended the human race. Accidental exposure to the particle - designated the Andromeda Strain - killed every resident of the town of Piedmont, Arizona, save for an elderly man and an infant boy. Over the next five days, a team of top scientists assigned to Project Wildfire worked valiantly to save the world from an epidemic of unimaginable proportions. In the moments before a catastrophic nuclear detonation, they succeeded.

In the ensuing decades, research on the microparticle continued. And the world thought it was safe....

Deep inside Fairchild Air Force Base, Project Eternal Vigilance has continued to watch and wait for the Andromeda Strain to reappear. On the verge of being shut down, the project has registered no activity - until now. A Brazilian terrain-mapping drone has detected a bizarre anomaly of otherworldly matter in the middle of the jungle, and, worse yet, the tell-tale chemical signature of the deadly microparticle.

With this shocking discovery, the next-generation Project Wildfire is activated, and a diverse team of experts hailing from all over the world is dispatched to investigate the potentially apocalyptic threat.

But the microbe is growing - evolving. And if the Wildfire team can’t reach the quarantine zone, enter the anomaly, and figure out how to stop it, this new Andromeda Evolution will annihilate all life as we know it.

©2019 Michael Crichton and Daniel H. Wilson (P)2019 HarperCollins Publishers

Need More!!!

So the first few chapters started a bit slow for me. It had a different feel than book 1 so I was wondering how much of it was actually written by Michael Crichton and how much of it was Daniel H. Wilson. After the first few chapters it really picked up and I had a hard time putting it down! The Andromeda Evolution takes place after the events of book 1 and this takes it to a whole new level! The ending!!! OMG, the ending! I won't ruin it but I'll just say it was left open for a 3rd book that has the potential to be even better than this one. I hope we get a book 3 in this series soon! Great narration by Julia Whelan.

A worthy successor to the original

The original Andromeda Strain was a classic of apocalyptic action stories, well ahead of it's time.

Now Daniel Wilson builds on that foundation. The book retains the tone and"feel" of the original but sets it in today's world, fifty years after the original. The pace is quick but not rushed. Characters are well defined. All in all an enjoyable read/listen.

Noteworthy is the fact that Michael Critchton quotes pepper the novel with good effect. A nice tribute.

I only marked the story as four stars rather than five because of a couple minor personal feelings.
1) The final action segment (which I will not go into for fear of spoilers) seemed, to me, to be so outlandishly crazy that a Hollywood scriptwriter might blush.
2) A personal preference toward closed storylines. This book leaves us open to more iterations of the Andromeda Strain. This in itself is not a bad thing, just my personal bias.

In the end, I strongly recommend this book, with the caveat that the reader must read the original first to fully understand and appreciate the many plot points.

nowhere near as good as the original

the performance was good, but the book wasnt great. far less interesting than the original

not Crichton

ok book, but hard for me to ignore the impossible physics of the space stuff

great listen

what a great way to extend an amazing original. was a little lost within characters early but it all worked out over a few chapters. really like how it left room for an additional, even though the great Michael Crichton has passed...

Sooooooo good!!!!

Amazing! I listened to the whole thing in a couple of days (& I have a 3 yr old and 5 yr old so that's saying something) and it was everything I hoped for!!! I cannot wait for the the next one! Plllllllease hurry and write it!!! If you liked the first book- Do yourself a favor and listen/read this one NOW!

A favorite for 2019

I am a big fan of the Andromeda Strain and was excited to see this follow-up after so many years. I was not disappointed. It extremely well written, and the narrator was excellent. At first I found the presentation of facts a bit cold and wanted more character development, but I kept listening and quickly began thoroughly enjoying the book. And again, the narrator is wonderful.

Better Tha the OG novel by M. Crichton

Moch more action-packed and fast-paced than the original, which seemed to be written more like a report than a novel. On the other hand, the original featured much more technical details and descriptions, in the typical Crichton-esque fashion. Would definitely make a great feature-length action movie. Great narrator - female - handed both male and female parts perfectly. A highly recommended listen!

Great sequel to Andromeda Strain

Completely worth the cost, especially if you enjoyed Andromeda Strain. Great story and amazing twists.

Great sequel!

Well written, excellent performance! The story fits well with the original story and is a great second verse!! Well done!!