Rating: 
Summary: Interesting and Yet the Same
Review: Crichton once again amazes readers for his complex grasp on diverse subject matters. This book looks into the implications of nanotechonology an up and coming field in production. The story is interesting and keeps the reader guessing. The one thing that upset me the most about it is that it is exactly like Jurrasic Park. Man creates a device/creature....man looses control of aforementioned device/creature....terror ensues. Crichton has overdone his common theme of the dangers of unrestrained scientific exploration. Prey is extremely similar to Jurrasic park, only on a molecular level. A good read overall yet not new or surprising.
Rating: 
Summary: Prey for all of us
Review: Michael Crichton has assembled another solid thriller, based on latest technology, in this case, nanotechnology gone wild. Jack is a recently fired software executive whose overambitious wife ends up running a division of a nanotechnology firm where things are clearly not quite right. Ultimately, Jack is hired by his wife's firm, to resolve some minor coding issues, as his previous firm sold the code to his wife's firm. Actually, the problem is that rapidly evolving and learning swarms have been haphazardly released into the isolated environment of a Nevada test facility. The original concept was that the swarm would provide military surveillance capability without any possibility of detection or destruction. A related medical application was developed, whereby the swarm would invade one's body instead of x-rays and MRI's. Jack's wife's firm clearly has no idea how to solve the problem and in fact, makes the situation much worse. Now to my criticisms. First, the book is written in first person and the dialogue is rather tedious, with the children's petty arguments and stupid remarks for some reason playing an important role. Secondly, the latter half of the book, with Jack on location in Nevada leading the charge against the swarm, is almost a slap-stick escapade. Things really get nuts when the swarm learns to mimic humans and even infects them without Jack's knowledge. The science and technology and warnings on the use are excellent and timely, but the action sequences could be from an Abbott and Costello movie. Take this book to the beach. Light reading with a heavy message and some wacky adventures.
Rating:
Summary: Dumbing Down?
Review: I have always liked Crichton and his work, but I was disappointed in Prey. He is either churing out the books too fast just for the money, or he thinks his readers are stupid. Most people familiar with Crichton are intelligent enough to understand - in a layman's way - the science behind his work. Otherwise we wouldn't pick up his books. But in Prey he spends too much time explaining the science and technology, which isn't that new. Scientists and other writers have been talking about and writing about nanotechnology for a long time. Even old Star Trek fans will recognize the plot idea of nanos-gone-wild. I had this book figured out from about chapter two, but pushed through it to see if I were wrong - but I wasn't - very boring. However, if you have a teenager in the house who likes science fiction, then he/she should like this. I used a basic formula and found the reading level to be about grade 11-12, so a wide and novice-science audience would like this book. I hope that Mr. Crichton gets back to some serious writing in the near future and actually produces something that challenges us.
Rating:
Summary: A definite page turner!
Review: This is definitely his best! I am not a technology geek but after reading his book, I am begining to seriously think that nanotechnology can be a threat to mankind. Technology aside, the book is written in a such a way that when you thought the end was approaching, a new plot springs up! Having said that, I was kind of dissapointed with the end which to me ended quite abruptly. Nevertheless, still an excellent read!
Rating: 
Summary: Wonderful!
Review: This books was so amazingly written, that I've decided to dual major in Physics and Computer Science becuase of it!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Summer Blockbuster-style Story
Review: As with many Michael Crichton tales, when reading Prey you'd be well advised to switch the brain into neutral and simply enjoy the rollercoaster ride for the fun of it. Crichton is nothing if not an effective and entertaining storyteller. Crichton wastes no time with character development beyond a few charicature sketches (ie: family-man, company-man, rebel computer programmers, kids), but he skillfully dances his paper puppets through exciting action at break-neck speed. At times it seems as though every page ends in a cliff-hanger, which compells the reader to turn the page and find out what happens next. Thus it would be appropriate to label this novel with the well-fit cliche of "page-turner". Prey reads like a summer blockbuster movie - action, action, action, breathe, action, action, action. During the few breathers, Crichton downshifts into technical lecture mode and the transition can be quite jarring - not the technical details themselves, as he has a way of putting techie stuff into plainspeak - but the change of pace is often quite abrupt just before he launches his characters back into the middle of Pickle #109. Crichton certainly does his homework, which the 3 page bibliography bears witness to. I'm not a nanotechnology scientist or popular science junkie so I can't speak to the validity of the theories he projects. It's technical enough to be believable but written in a way that makes it easy to understand and is certainly eye-opening as to the possibilities (and fears) that the future may hold. It's a given that Prey won't give you deep character angst or reflection, terribly complicated plot lines, or finely textured multi-layered interpersonal communications, but hey, when the readin's this much fun, who cares? Prey comes highly recommended for those seeking some fun and exciting escapist reading. Crichton again proves he can spin a great yarn.
Rating:
Summary: A thrilling look into technology and our future...
Review: The Andromeda Strain had terrifying insights into what space exploration could hold. Jurassic Park gave common readers new light into the thrills and mishaps of genetic engineering. Timeline allowed us to see into the past and develope an understanding of quantum physics and mechanics. Through all of this, Crichton has shown the readers his goal to learn new advances, and explain them to usin terms we can understand. In Prey, he does not disappoint.
As with all of his novels, Crichton gives us the human side, and the technological side of his story. This book even further advances the former, as it is written in first person. This tends to lead more mystery to the readings as, unlike other works, we are confined to what the main character knows.
Now, this book gives us much the presence of Sphere as through the majority, we are focused on a small group of people in a confined area where, pretty much, all hell breaks lose. The book focuses on a span of seven days. The action of the novel takes place on the sixth day, where the revelations are revealed and we learn what he has been leading up to.
The only flaw with this book is the dialogue, where Crichton tneds to rush it and make it seem as if, despite their intelligence, the characters talk almost as if they were children in arguments.
The descriptions of the events and surroundings are astounding, and the reader can see everything in their minds clearly. The story-telling is smooth and even, never missing a beat. The reader may not enjoy the interruptions for the explanations of the technical jargon, but the way the novel is paced out, these can be passed over without missing much in the way of story.
The best part, however, of the book, in my opinion, is the fact that these nanocreatures are based on programs written off of animal behaviorisms, and Crcihton does not forget this when he describes the actions of the nanoparticles.
Above all else, buy this book for he ending. if you are like me, you will pick up on the "big surprise," but the ending will still surprise you, and will even go to demonstrate how human behavios can show up in human creations.
This book is full of twists, deception, surprises, and revelations. It will make the readers wonder how far our technology will go and what the consequences will be. in my case, in made me interested in nanotechnology. Once again, this book lost a star for the dialogue, but that makes up so little of the real story.
I hope this review was useful, and I hope that if you buy this book, you enjoy it. I know I did.
Rating:
Summary: Of utility closets and helicopters
Review: I enjoyed this book. It's classic Chrichton: salvation in a utility closet; science in the service of profit; last minute deus ex machina from a helicopter; and pragmatic protagonists. You can almost see the characters' hair blowing in backlit Spielberg way. Cue John Williams music score.... What surprised me was the slice-of-life beginning of the main character: a whistle-blowing, down-sized, computer-geek, stay-at-home dad. Then we get what Chrichton does best - explain science and technology in a compelling way. In a nutshell, it was good storytelling.
Rating: 
Summary: Poor prey!
Review: Frankly, I think this is the worst of all his books, I read it twice over two weeks then gave it to Oxfam bookshop! I was so disappointed after Timeline, I shall be more circumspect about buying his books in future. One thought comes to mind - was it really written by MC? What a waste of £10.
Rating: 
Summary: A Hollywood Blockbuster Screenplay
Review: "Prey" has some interesting things to say about the subject of artificial intelligence and nanotechnologies. Unfortunately, Crichton has decided to do his story telling inside a made for Hollywood screenplay rather than a serious novel dealing with serious issues such as the fate of humanity and the life threat that science poses to us. There was a point about three quarters though this screenplay where I got angry and found myself almost talking to the book as I began to think back to what had occurred as what I found myself reading did not in any way jive with what had come before. Crichton does explain these things at the end, but by then I no longer cared enough to think through whether his explanation was really valid or not. By then I was angry that what had attempted to be a serious examination of the cross currents of profit incentives and science producing the end of the world had instead mutated into a Hollywood blockbuster starring computer programmer Brad Pitt who sees that he no longer loves his wife and bonds with Chinese-American virologist Lucy Lieu and defeats the now highly evolved and absolutely unstoppable (in the real world) "swarm", which suddenly begins to make one stupid move after the other during much action that leads to the clichéd big fiery explosion that vaporizes the danger forever and leaves us all safe from harm. Even Jack-the-programmer's kids survive after much vomiting even though by the rules laid down in this screenplay/novel they had no hope. How concerned do we need to be if all the terror leads to another happy ending where we don't need to be concerned? This novel/screenplay ends with this: "But then it kept going, kept evolving. And they let it. *They didn't understand what they were doing*. I'm afraid that will be on the tombstone of the human race. I hope it's not. We might get lucky." We didn't even get lucky enough to get a real novel with the required end of the world finish that this material demands. Instead we got a novelist with a medical degree who gave into the very same forces that drive the scientists in "Prey" and the company they work for to produce a "nanoswarm" that would in reality destroy all life on this planet. The driving force in both cases is greed. Greed drives those at the fictional company Xymos to produce a nanoswarm that the Pentagon will pay for (actually you and I would pay for it), and greed drove Michael Crichton to turn this novel into a Hollywood screenplay. *Greed will destroy mankind*. I don't think the artificial life forms created by greedy scientists with the approval of greedy university presidents will bother to write us a tombstone. If you want to understand "Why the Future Doesn't Need Us", then read the article by that name from the April 2000 issue of Wired Magazine by Bill Joy, who just happens to be a computer programmer, the creator of the Unix operating system. You can find it with a search engine. I warn you though; it does not have a happy ending.
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