Michael Crichton: Next (Spanish language, 2008, Random House Mondadori, S.A.)
Hardcover, 507 pages
Spanish language
Published Aug. 19, 2008 by Random House Mondadori, S.A..
Un inquietante thriller sobre el lado oscuro de la ingeniería genética. El autor de Estado de miedo nos sumerge en los aspectos más sombríos de la investigación genética, la especulación farmacéutica y las consecuencias morales de esta nueva realidad. El investigador Henry Kendall mezcla ADN humano y de chimpancé y produce un híbrido extraordinariamente evolucionado al que rescatará del laboratorio y hará pasar como un humano. Tráfico de genes, animales "de diseño", encarnizadas guerras de patentes: un futuro turbador que ya está aquí. Un tema apasionante en el que la realidad supera la ficción. Las consecuencias de la manipulación genética indiscriminada son impredecibles y plantean un debate moral que, sin duda, determinará nuestro futuro inmediato.
Un inquietante thriller sobre el lado oscuro de la ingeniería genética. El autor de Estado de miedo nos sumerge en los aspectos más sombríos de la investigación genética, la especulación farmacéutica y las consecuencias morales de esta nueva realidad. El investigador Henry Kendall mezcla ADN humano y de chimpancé y produce un híbrido extraordinariamente evolucionado al que rescatará del laboratorio y hará pasar como un humano. Tráfico de genes, animales "de diseño", encarnizadas guerras de patentes: un futuro turbador que ya está aquí. Un tema apasionante en el que la realidad supera la ficción. Las consecuencias de la manipulación genética indiscriminada son impredecibles y plantean un debate moral que, sin duda, determinará nuestro futuro inmediato.
Leider kein übergeordneter Handlungsstrang. Wirkt wie die Zusammenfassung der Publikation zum Zeitpunkt des erscheinens. Nicht wirklich ein Thriller.
вислухав аудіоверсію перекладу французькою. сам роман не вразив: сюжет сшито з кількох ліній, жодна з котрих не витягує до рівня технотрилера, якого ми чекаємо від крайтона. деякі перебільшення, до яких автор вдається, аби надати гостроти перспективі генетично-заклопотаного майбутнього, особливо в галузі юриспуденції, викликають лише посмішку. коротше, не вразило.
In true Crichton-esque style, this is one part education in genetic research and practices, and one part warning about the things that have gone or may go wrong. As usually, it all ends with the author's note which summarize his fears and points out how much wrong has already been done by gene patenting practice.
In a court case in the book, a judge rules that the genetic research company which bought cell tissue from a cancer survivor, OWNS the cells. That leads to the absurd situation in which the genetic company loses the sample cells, then pursues the donor to replace what's loss, since the cells are ruled their property. Even more bizarre, when they can't find the original patient, they pursue his daughter and grandson, who are "in possession of stolen property", i.e. they inherited grandfather's cells. Spooky.
Sadly, such unexpected twists are few and far between. Mostly …
In true Crichton-esque style, this is one part education in genetic research and practices, and one part warning about the things that have gone or may go wrong. As usually, it all ends with the author's note which summarize his fears and points out how much wrong has already been done by gene patenting practice.
In a court case in the book, a judge rules that the genetic research company which bought cell tissue from a cancer survivor, OWNS the cells. That leads to the absurd situation in which the genetic company loses the sample cells, then pursues the donor to replace what's loss, since the cells are ruled their property. Even more bizarre, when they can't find the original patient, they pursue his daughter and grandson, who are "in possession of stolen property", i.e. they inherited grandfather's cells. Spooky.
Sadly, such unexpected twists are few and far between. Mostly we are bombarded with weird cases of genetic research, patenting and scandalous experiments on wildlife. There are too many storylines, few of which never come to conclusion, and few others never intersect. The main characters, human and animal, are so numerous, they are hard to follow. There are hybrids - and I'm not talking about cars, but rather products of crosses between human and animal DNAs. The ones I can't quite swallow are the talking orangutan and chimp. A shorter, more focused and more action-packed story would, to my opinion, better emphasize the author's concerns.
