Sphere

By: Michael Crichton

Narrated by: Scott Brick

Length: 13 hrs

Publisher's summary

“Ingenious and beguiling.” - Time

“Crichton keeps us guessing at every turn in his best work since The Andromeda Strain.” - Los Angeles Times

“Sphere may be Crichton’s best novel, but even if it ranked only second or third, it would be a must for suspense fans.” - Miami Herald

A classic thriller from #1 New York Times bestselling author Michael Crichton, Sphere is a bravura demonstration of what he does better than anyone: riveting storytelling that combines frighteningly plausible, cutting-edge science and technology with pulse-pounding action and serious chills. The gripping story of a group of American scientists sent to the ocean floor to investigate an alien ship, only to confront a terrifying discovery that defies imagination, Sphere is Crichton prime - truly masterful fiction from the ingenious mind that brought us Prey, State of Fear, and Jurassic Park.

Sphere was made into a film directed by Barry Levinson, which starred Dustin Hoffman, Sharon Stone, and Samuel L. Jackson.

©1987 by CrichtonSun LLC. (P)2015 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

Critic reviews

"A page-turner with oomph.... Crichton's writing is cinematic, with powerful visual images and nonstop action." --Newsweek

One of my favorite books ever!

What did you love best about Sphere?

Never a boring moment. Scott of course is impeccable. A change from the ordinary.

Have you listened to any of Scott Brick’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

I've listened to many of Scott Brick's reads. This is a ten for sure.

Any additional comments?

This is like a move. I hope to see one.
Off now to look for another Chricton book!

Leagues Better Than The Movie

What did you love best about Sphere?

Everything. The story is fantastic, though much different than the movie - which is a good thing. Although the movie is good, the book goes deeper (pun intended) and presents many, many more scenes/struggles.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Probably Norman, since he is pretty much that main character of the story. Not being a 'hard science' man, Norman has a bit of an inferiority complex, though he would be hard pressed to admit it. How Norman over comes that and ends up saving the day, is wonderful.

What does Scott Brick bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Soul. Scott's performance was so spot on, that I got lost in the story. Excellent talent.

Any additional comments?

Scott Brick is one of the audiobook industry's best, and for a reason. He is not only awesome in Sphere, he proves, beyond any doubt, why he's the Big Kahuna.

makes you really think

love this story so well written with so much mystery and questions unanswered gives you a lot to consider and contemplate one of my favorites

It is a long book. Think twice if you want to start it

I agree with many three-star reviews: There are a lot of problems in this book. Are the main ideas interesting? Yes. Do they get delivered? Not really.
The writing suffers from “said, said, said” (it becomes rather sad)
The characters are undeveloped and not greatly believable.The ending feels weirdly truncated.
Would I listen to it again like I do with so many of good books? Nope.

it's been a while

one of my all time favorite reads revisited. I loved it and it brought me back to when I had first read it.

Another Great Book & Narration

While Sphere isn't Michael Crichton's best work, it is still definitely worth a read/listen. Once again Scott Brick really brings the story to life and offers a superb narration. Together Crichton and Brick make a great team!

If you like Crichton...

I hadn’t read Sphere in a long time, and I enjoyed revisiting it. Scott Brick is always a solid narrator. Solid sci-fi book with an interesting plot and characters, though some of the ideas are understandably dated.

Almost Captivating

I wish I could give this five stars, but I just couldn't. I like a book to draw me in and forget that it's just a story. This one did not do that for me.

The whole time I couldn't forget that this was a story because something about it seemed fake. Forced. Near the end of the book, I felt like the storyline was there only to introduce some psychology theories. Theories I don't necessarily disagree with anyway, but it seemed as if that was the whole or main purpose behind the book. I don't like feeling manipulated like that.

On the other hand, the premise of the story was good. The characters were interesting. I can't entirely discount this book.

one of the best!

this book is one of my all time favorite books. the fact that the audio presentation is spot on makes this one of my all time favorite audio books without a doubt.

Great story, but plenty of uncomfortable flaws

What did you like best about Sphere? What did you like least?

I love the way this story plays on archetypal fears. The imagery of the sphere, the way that each character's flaws are made bare by their interaction with it, and the universal fear of deep water.

Would you recommend Sphere to your friends? Why or why not?

I'm not sure I would, mainly because there are a lot of uncomfortable moments in how Crichton describes the black character and the female character. His attitudes about both are incredibly outdated, even for the time this was written. In addition, I've noticed an obnoxious trend for Crichton to work in opportunities for off-topic lectures about his personal views on everything from depression, man-made climate change (denying it's existence), sexual assault (women should dress more conservatively), race, psychology, and more. It comes off as very arrogant and condescending to readers. His books would be amazing if he left out these ham-fisted attempts to work his personal thoughts and feelings on unrelated topics into the story.

What about Scott Brick’s performance did you like?

Scott Brick is overall a great narrator, but he has this wistful cadence to his narration that starts to feel melodramatic. Even when he's talking about something super mundane, his cadence is exactly the same as when he's talking about something dangerous, emotional, or exciting. It can become too much at times.