The Andromeda Strain is the archetypal modern technological thriller, the ancestor of Tom Clancy, William Gibson, Robin Cook, and a host of others. As such, it makes for a good subject for discussion. Can we identify those elements in the novel that resonated so well with its audience that it sold millions of copies and still sells well? Why do these elements touch so many people? The novel is an excellent example of Crichton's ability to identify a latent fear in modern culture and nurture it into full blown terror. How does he do this? Does The Andromeda Strain offer any clues?

The novel is also good for discussion because of the elements of our culture that Crichton chooses for setting, theme, and characterization. It may be significant that Kirke, the Church, is excluded from the new source of religious faith—science—which works...