The Andromeda Strain
The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichtonby Michael Crichton
Shares rank 88 of 179 science fiction novels by recommenders
People recommend it as an intelligent medical thriller that still holds up and warns about unintended consequences, and they find the film adaptation a decent watch.
People recommend it as an intelligent medical thriller that still holds up and warns about unintended consequences, and they find the film adaptation a decent watch.
6 people gave an opinion
- recommend it
- 5
- criticize it
- 1
- approval share
- 83%
Recommended in 3 of 13 months
- November 2025: recommended
- December 2025: not recommended
- January 2026: not recommended
- February 2026: not recommended
- March 2026: not recommended
- April 2026: not recommended
- May 2026: recommended
- June 2026: not recommended
- July 2026: recommended
- August 2026: not recommended
- September 2026: not recommended
- October 2026: not recommended
- November 2026: not recommended (month in progress)
Why it doesn’t carry the badge
- 5 people recommend itNeeds 10 or more, not met.
- 5 recommenders for every criticNeeds 2 to 1 or better, met.
- Recommended in 3 of 13 monthsNeeds 4 or more, not met.
The same three rules apply to every product, and the badge can’t be bought. How the badge works
What people say about it
The reasons people give, with the number of comments that give each one. Open a reason to read what they said.
Why people recommend it
Each mark is one comment
Intelligent sci-fi that holds up
“The book still holds up as a medical mystery - thriller and warning of unintended consequences.”
Comment from 15 Jul 2026 in “Jurassic Park computers in excruciating detail” “"The Andromeda Strain" was "intelligent" sci-fi and we enjoyed it”
Comment from 17 May 2026 in “Colossus: The Forbin Project” Film adaptation is a decent watch
“I seem to remember it being a good watch when I last watched though”
Comment from 12 Nov 2025 in “Widespread distribution of bacteria containing PETases across global oceans” “It was pretty decent movie actually”
Comment from 24 Nov 2025 in “Moss survived outside of the International Space Station for 9 months” “Great movie, but even better book.”
Comment from 24 Nov 2025 in “Moss survived outside of the International Space Station for 9 months”
Other science fiction novels people recommend
The four most recommended other science fiction novels, with the same counts for each, so you can compare like for like. The tick on each bar marks the 2 to 1 line the badge needs.
| Product | Recommend | Criticize | Approval | Months | Owned | Badge |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Project Hail Maryby Andy Weir | 117 | 24 | 83% | 12 | — | Approved |
| There Is No Antimemetics Divisionby qntm | 98 | 34 | 74% | 9 | 1.5 yrs6 owners | Approved |
| Blindsightby Peter Watts | 96 | 27 | 78% | 12 | — | Approved |
| Duneby Frank Herbert | 82 | 25 | 77% | 12 | — | Approved |
| The Andromeda Strainby Michael CrichtonThis page | 5 | 1 | 83% | 3 | — | — |
What people said
All 6 comments that mention it, newest first. Each links to the original comment.
“The book still holds up as a medical mystery - thriller and warning of unintended consequences.”
“"The Andromeda Strain" was "intelligent" sci-fi and we enjoyed it”
“It didn’t feel like the same universe to me. More like someone was told the book flap description of the first book”
“Great movie, but even better book.”
“It was pretty decent movie actually”
“I seem to remember it being a good watch when I last watched though”
Counts come from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026. How we count. Report a mistake.