The Andromeda Strain to the upper atmosphere, where the oxygen content is lower, better suiting its growth. The novel's epilogue reveals that a manned spacecraft, "Andros V", was incinerated during atmospheric re-entry, presumably because Andromeda had eaten its tungsten/plastic laminate heat shield and caused it to burn up. Crichton was inspired to write the novel after reading "The IPCRESS File" by Len Deighton while studying in England. Crichton says he was "terrifically impressed" by the book - "a lot of "Andromeda" is traceable to "Ipcress" in terms of trying to create an imaginary world using recogniseable techniques and real people." He wrote the
James Meek (author) James Meek (author) James Meek (born 1962) is a British novelist and journalist, author of "The People's Act of Love". He was born in London, England, and grew up in Dundee, Scotland. Meek attended school at Grove Academy in Broughty Ferry, Dundee, and studied at Edinburgh University. His first short stories were published in the New Edinburgh Review and he collaborated with Duncan McLean on a play, "Faculty of Rats", which starred Angus Macfadyen. After a few years in England Meek returned to Edinburgh in 1988, where he worked for The Scotsman. The following year, his first novel, "McFarlane Boils