'The Andromeda Evolution' is the sequel to The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton.
In The Andromeda Strain, set in 1967, the United States deploys a series of high-altitude unmanned craft to search for weaponizable microparticles in the upper atmosphere. One of the craft crashes to Earth in Piedmont, Arizona, and local residents open the capsule to have a look. The civilians inadvertently release a self-replicating, hexagonal microparticle, eventually named Andromeda Strain-1 (AS-1), that coagulates people's blood instantaneously.
Andromeda Strain-1 kills almost everyone in Piedmont, and threatens to spread far and wide before scientists contain it.
By then AS-1 has evolved into a new form, AS-2, that dissolves plastic polymers.
AS-2 wreaks havoc, since plastic polymers are part of innumerable devices, including most high-tech equipment. AS-2 escapes into the atmosphere and ravages international space programs that depend on polymers to reach orbit.
*****
As The Andromeda Evolution opens, it's 2017 and scientists have created work-arounds for polymers, so normal life has resumed and the International Space Station is up and running. Still, Project Eternal Vigilance, under the command of Air Force General Rand Stern, is on constant alert for new mischief from Andromeda microparticles.
Project Eternal Vigilance is rewarded when an alien structure appears in the Brazilian rain forest, close to where a Tiangong-1 Chinese space station slammed to Earth. Scientific analysis reveals that the rain forest structure has the same signature as Andromeda, and is rapidly growing out and up, so that a 'central tower' soon approaches a mile in height.
General Stern immediately activates Project Wildfire to study and assess the new phenomenon. Project Wildfire contains five of the smartest, best trained scientists in the world:
- Project Commander Nidhi Vedala, MD-PhD; specialization: nanotechnology; materials science.
- Lead Field Scientist Harold Odhiambo, PhD; specialization: xenogeology; geology; anthropology; biology; physical sciences.
- Field Scientist Peng Wu, People's Liberation Army Air Force Major; specialization: taikonaut; soldier; medical doctor; pathologist.
- Scientist James Stone, PhD; specialization: robotics....especially drones.
- Remote Scientist Sophie Kline, Ph.D - located on the International Space Station; specialization: nanorobotics, nanobiology, microgravity; research.
The specialists on the ground are sent into the Brazilian rain forest with native guides, while Kline observes and advises from above.
The mission experiences much danger, both from hazards in the rain forest, the alien structure, and double-dealing and secret-keeping from certain team members.
I don't want to give away surprises, so I'll just say the author describes all manner of new inventions and technologies, some of which aren't quite credible, but are fun to think about.
In addition, there's an intriguing discussion of John Samuel's 'Messenger Theory', which speculates that the most efficient way for an advanced civilization to communicate with another species would be to send a self-replicating microorganism out into space.
"In short, you devise an organism to carry your message. The organism would be self-replicating, cheap, and could be produced in fantastic numbers.....You could produce trillions of them, and send them off in all directions into space. They would be tough, hardy bugs, able to withstand the rigors of space, and they grow and duplicate and divide. Within [a short time] there would be countless numbers of these in the galaxy, speeding in all directions, waiting to contact life."
Of course, the particles might not be benign.....and could well have an agenda. 😳😡😱
In a small way, the book reminded me of Cixin Liu's The Three-Body Problem, which is a masterpiece of science fiction (IMO). I think The Andromeda Evolution would appeal to fans of both soft and hard science fiction.
Rating: 3.5 stars
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