The Andromeda Strain, Week 3

Welcome to Week 3 of the Online Book Club discussion of the The Andromeda Strain.

Did you enjoy this section more than you enjoyed the first? I felt like I had a better handle on the plot of the book, so I was able to understand and appreciate this section more than the very beginning of the book. 

I think one of the problems I have with the book is that it is so foreign and so technical/medical, so I can't really get my bearings. I had such a hard time trying to imagine what the lab looked like. Could you believe all of the descriptions of the decontamination process? It was so incredible that they were able to keep the scientists so safe in that environment. 

What did you think of the medical tests the scientists were running? Do you feel like they are making good headway to understanding the virus? It seems like they are being very methodical, and I feel like they are making great strides. I can't believe how much they are able to figure out in such a short period of time. I think I would be so stressed to move quickly that I wouldn't be able to do anything. 

At one point in this section, the old man from the town wakes up and tells a bit of his story. I was so confused and surprised when he explained how he had been treating his ulcer with Sterno. That was wild. I don't know how that wouldn't immediately kill him! It seems like the way the Sterno affected his body and made him more acidic was the thing that ended up saving him, but I'm still not sure what's going on with the baby. The baby certainly hadn't been drinking anything with methanol, so that couldn't be the thing that saved him. I don't think the baby would have been eating anything, so there must be something else going on. 

Near the end of the section, a plane crashes over where the satellite came back to Earth. What do you think happened to the plane? It seems really weird that the rubber parts of the plane dissolved. Do you think it's all related to the virus? Do you think they should have destroyed the site to help protect against the spread of the virus? Do you think the virus is already spreading by the end of this section? Do you think the scientists are going to come to any final conclusions by the end of the book? 

Do you think movies live up to the books they're based on? Check out Michael Crichton's take on the subject in the video below. Do you agree with his thoughts? 

Make sure to leave a comment to let me know what you thought of this section! I hope you enjoy finishing the book for next week!