Next by Michael Crichton

Rating – 9 / 10 Next is another one of the techno-thriller novels written by Michael Crichton. Next focuses on the speed and the direction of genetic research going on in the world today. The government and private investors spend millions of dollars every year on genetic research. This, although increases the amount of funding for the scientists, but in effect it also makes the research more profit-oriented. Thousands of patent applications are rolling out every day. Many scientists believe that half of the genes in the human body have already been patented. It is this, about which Crichton is most concerned. More patents certainly means no more research on that front without the appropriate permissions. Science, esp. genetic research, is at the risk of getting stagnant very soon. Next has many stories involving different characters running parallel. There is a genetic firm, BioGen, who win a case against Frank Burnet to retrieve his body cells so as to find a cure to cancer. When Fra...