A mathematical parrot. A Dutch-speaking orangutan. A chimp that can pass for a boy, albeit a singularly stocky, fuzzy one. These are the otherworldly characters–and provocative thought experiments–that anchor best-selling author Michael Crichton’s most recent novel, Next . Trained as a physician, Crichton has made a career out of futuristic fiction that takes scientific possibilities to their logical and often terrifying extremes. The Andromeda Strain (1969) tells the story of a plague caused by an extraterrestrial pathogen. Jurassic Park (1990) explores the ethics of cloning by way of a theme park populated by genetically engineered dinosaurs. State of Fear (2004) entertains the possibility that global warming is a manufactured crisis crafted for political gain. In Next , published in November 2006, Crichton takes up genetic engineering again, this time from the vantage point of the law.…