In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A
cloud of nanoparticles -- micro-robots -- has escaped from the
laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is
intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it
is alive.
It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour.
Every attempt to destroy it has failed.
And we are the prey.
As fresh as today's headlines, Michael Crichton's most compelling novel yet tells the story of a mechanical plague and the desperate efforts of a handful of scientists to stop it. Drawing on up-to-the-minute scientific fact, Prey takes us into the emerging realms of nanotechnology and artificial distributed intelligence -- in a story of breathtaking suspense. Prey is a novel you can't put down.
Because time is running out.
Review:
Now this is classic Crichton. A scientific experiment gone horribly wrong that a team of people need to stop if they want to survive. For the premise of this one, think BZRK meets Jurassic Park. I loved it. It was super intense, fast paced, and suspenseful, with a crazy/scary/thrilling twist at the end you'll NEVER see coming. I was completely tripping out on adrenaline when I finished. SO GOOD!
I have to admit though, that said twist ending had me asking "What?", "Why?", "How?", and "When?" - it was a little shy on the explanation side which made the end a little confusing. Also, it starts a bit slow - no real action for the first quarter/third, you just see the day to day life of the protagonist. A few strange things do happen though, which keep you interested/engaged plenty well enough. This slower start is actually good in one way because it allows Crichton to properly develop the protagonist's character - if Crichton has a weakness, it's in the construction of his characters - which was good. What was a little annoying though, was how stereotypical and shallow the protagonists kids and wife seemed at times. The only other issues I have are language, which, while profane, didn't disrupt the flow of the novel and the fact that Crichton has done this type of thing before, which is something I'm actually fine with, because it's still original enough, and still very well done.
One thing I've noticed over the last couple Crichton books I've read is that Crichton is a strong believer in the ability of fathers to parent children. In Rising Sun the protagonist is a male divorcee who has been given custody of the marriage's child and the mom is irresponsible, always missing weekend visits, etc. In Prey the protagonist lost his job six months prior to the events of the novel and has become a veritable "stay at home dad" with his wife always working late and never showing up for dinner. It's a real role reversal to say the least, but not something that takes away from the novels in question at all, in fact, I think it adds to them.
All in all, a great thriller. Crichton is in fourth place on the list of my favorite suspense authors (after Robin Parrish (third place) and Steven James and Robert Liparulo (tied for first place)). Prey is now tied with Jurassic Park for the position of my favorite Crichton novel. Prey is just as, if not more suspenseful than Jurassic Park, but it doesn't have the same magic that Jurassic Park did, unfortunately, which keeps them tied. I would recommend both this and Crichton's Micro to anyone who thought the premise behind BZRK was interesting (Prey and Micro are light-years better than BZRK). I would also recommend this to anyone interested in biology, computers, or distributed intelligence (some of the subject matter discussed in Prey). Actually, no, I recommend this book to EVERYONE!(it's just that good)
5/5 starsIt has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour.
Every attempt to destroy it has failed.
And we are the prey.
As fresh as today's headlines, Michael Crichton's most compelling novel yet tells the story of a mechanical plague and the desperate efforts of a handful of scientists to stop it. Drawing on up-to-the-minute scientific fact, Prey takes us into the emerging realms of nanotechnology and artificial distributed intelligence -- in a story of breathtaking suspense. Prey is a novel you can't put down.
Because time is running out.
Review:
Now this is classic Crichton. A scientific experiment gone horribly wrong that a team of people need to stop if they want to survive. For the premise of this one, think BZRK meets Jurassic Park. I loved it. It was super intense, fast paced, and suspenseful, with a crazy/scary/thrilling twist at the end you'll NEVER see coming. I was completely tripping out on adrenaline when I finished. SO GOOD!
I have to admit though, that said twist ending had me asking "What?", "Why?", "How?", and "When?" - it was a little shy on the explanation side which made the end a little confusing. Also, it starts a bit slow - no real action for the first quarter/third, you just see the day to day life of the protagonist. A few strange things do happen though, which keep you interested/engaged plenty well enough. This slower start is actually good in one way because it allows Crichton to properly develop the protagonist's character - if Crichton has a weakness, it's in the construction of his characters - which was good. What was a little annoying though, was how stereotypical and shallow the protagonists kids and wife seemed at times. The only other issues I have are language, which, while profane, didn't disrupt the flow of the novel and the fact that Crichton has done this type of thing before, which is something I'm actually fine with, because it's still original enough, and still very well done.
One thing I've noticed over the last couple Crichton books I've read is that Crichton is a strong believer in the ability of fathers to parent children. In Rising Sun the protagonist is a male divorcee who has been given custody of the marriage's child and the mom is irresponsible, always missing weekend visits, etc. In Prey the protagonist lost his job six months prior to the events of the novel and has become a veritable "stay at home dad" with his wife always working late and never showing up for dinner. It's a real role reversal to say the least, but not something that takes away from the novels in question at all, in fact, I think it adds to them.
All in all, a great thriller. Crichton is in fourth place on the list of my favorite suspense authors (after Robin Parrish (third place) and Steven James and Robert Liparulo (tied for first place)). Prey is now tied with Jurassic Park for the position of my favorite Crichton novel. Prey is just as, if not more suspenseful than Jurassic Park, but it doesn't have the same magic that Jurassic Park did, unfortunately, which keeps them tied. I would recommend both this and Crichton's Micro to anyone who thought the premise behind BZRK was interesting (Prey and Micro are light-years better than BZRK). I would also recommend this to anyone interested in biology, computers, or distributed intelligence (some of the subject matter discussed in Prey). Actually, no, I recommend this book to EVERYONE!(it's just that good)
No comments:
Post a Comment