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Description edit see section history

Five prominent biophysicists give the United States government an urgent warning by: sterilization procedures for returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee uncontaminated re-entry to the atmosphere.

Two years later, Project Scoop sends seventeen satellites into the fringes... read more

Characters/People edit see section history

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Quotes edit see section history

  • “Most of them died instantly. A few had time to go quietly nuts.”
  • “The fact of the matter is that you are the Odd Man. You are the key to all this. Quite literally.”
    Dr. Stone
  • “If that's a meteor, it's damn funny-looking.”
    Dr. Stone
  • “And to the rock, for its part, is not even aware of our existence because we are alive for only a brief instant of its lifespan. To it, we are like flashes in the dark.”
    Leavitt

Organizations edit see section history

  • Jet Propulsion Lab (JPL): One of the various research centers in the novel.
  • Wildfire: The team responsible for the study of the mysterious capsule and disease.

First Sentence edit see section history

A man with binoculars.

Table of Contents edit see section history

Acknowledgements

I. Day One: Contact
1. The Country of Lost Borders
2. Vandenberg
3. Crisis
4. Alert

II. Day Two: Piedmont
5. The Early Hours
6. Piedmont

7. "An Unusual Process"
8. Directive 7-12
9. Flatrock
10. Stage I
11. Decontamination

III. Day Three: Wildfire
12. The Conference
13. Level V
14. Miscellaneous
15. Main Control
16. Autopsy
17. Recovery
18. The Noon Conference
19. Crash
20. Routine
21. The Midnight Conference

IV. Day Four: Spread
22. The Analysis
23. Topeka
24. Evaluation
25. Willis
26. The Seal
27. Scared To Death
28. The Test
29. Three Minutes

V. Day Five: Resolution
30. The Last Day
31. Epilogue

References

Series & Lists edit see section history

This book is in Guardian 1000 Novels Everyone Must Read. (authoritative list)
This is book 17 of 99 in NPR's Top 100 Killer Thriller. (community list)

Preceded by A Time to Kill, and followed by Mystic River.

This is book 5 of 10 in Publishers Weekly Bestselling Novels In 1969. (authoritative list)

Preceded by The Inheritors, and followed by The Seven Minutes.

Authors & Contributors edit see section history

  1. Michael Crichton (Author)

First Edition edit see section history

Original Language: English
Publisher: Jonathan Cape
Country: United Kingdom
Publication Date: 1969
ISBN: 0 7089 8937 3
Page Count: 358

Awards edit see section history

Classification edit see section history

  • Library of Congress: PS3553.R48 1969
  • Dewey: 818'.54

Movie Connections edit see section history

More Books Like This edit see section history

   
  • The Cobra Event

Books That Cite This Book edit see section history

   
  • The Inquisition of Climate Science

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