Rating: 
Summary: He went too far
Review: Michael Crichton again writes cautionary tale about Tech (Nano-bots instead of Dinos this time) pushed too far. Predictably it lashes out and must be thwarted by the protagonist. He is writing same old plotline with the same stock cardboard characters. Still he places just enough background and science information to make it passable until the last half of the book. Then he jumps over the line of willing suspension of disbelief and is then relegated to silliness. This same book written with a more subtle hand could have been chilling. He makes nano-bots into a large visible menace. My only thought is he was trying to write the book to be a movie. It might be a great visual but it ruined the book.
Rating:
Summary: Preyed on THE THING?
Review: Books started fine & with promise.Then halfway through i started getting more & more a sense of deja-vu. Hey I know this story! I suddenly realized it had morphed into a re-write of "THE THING" - MC just totally isolated his few stranded characters in the nevada desert instead of the arctic, created a man made menace instead of an alien, but the rest are pretty much the identical. who is friend? - who is foe?
Rating:
Summary: Achieved Far Below Potential
Review: This book probably deserves a 3 star rating, but I had to penalize it one star because Michael Crichton is capable of so much better. On the positive side, I enjoy Crichton's books because I feel like I learn about cutting edge scientific information. In this respect, the book did not disappoint. The book included interesting information about both animal behavior and advanced technology. And the book was somewhat entertaining, in a "feel like I've just wasted my time" sort of way. Character development and dialogue, never strengths of the author's, became notable by their awkwardness and artificiality. As the book progressed, it read more and more like a movie script for an implausible, B-grade horror movie. I'm sure that most readers who have enjoyed Crichton's other books will feel disappointed by this effort. It is apparent that it was written with the movie potential in mind, and effort was not taken to make it into a good book first.
Rating: 
Summary: Prey for a better novel
Review: The flaws in this novel are too numerous to mention but leave you wondering why you wasted your money. Crichton develops a story that draws on the subjects of nanotechnology, bioengineering, and family relationships. In the end he completely fails to engage the reader in any one of these areas. There are a few snippets of interesting facts regarding the science involved in these technologies. However, as the novel wears on there is less and less effort placed on transitioning between the fact and the fiction. The time spent describing the mundane details of the day to day life of a father was completely wasted. Crichton can't be a husband or a father in the real sense because his anicdotes are so far off it is rediculous. I got the distinct impression that Crichton got bored writing this novel about a third of the way into it. He seemed to be heading in a very intigueing direction, then he slapped together the rest of the book using little imagination or effort. I was looking for a great Crichton novel, and got far less. I feel duped, because I bought into the marketing and the hype. Stay away from this one if you want to maintain your passion for Crichton's greater works.
Rating:
Summary: Bug Problem Solved
Review: Couldn't the whole "problem" have been solved if the people had worn HazMat body suits? It seems totally improbable even to the layman that you would work with potentially dangerous organisms without protection! Maybe the characters in the novel should have read Crichton's ANDROMEDA STRAIN for tips.
Rating: 
Summary: Beware, o ye, of the future
Review: Once again, Michael Crichton issues a foreboding caveat of our damnable future in his latest offering, Prey. This time around, his premonition originates from the burgeoning science of nanotechnology. Of course, as in all of Crichton's books, man's selfish pursuit for power, money, and fame consume his antagonists into an all-encompassing quest of self-indulgence. This undoubtedly leads to chaos and man's loss of control of this powerful, yet arcane, technology. Crichton being one of the few modern authors that I enjoy reading, I have enjoyed virtually all of his books. Prey, although a little less substantive than some of his other books, nonetheless proves to be a fun, entertaining, and thought-provoking book worth a look. Prey, if nothing else, is a page-turner that you will fly through enjoyably in a couple of days.
Rating:
Summary: Fun
Review: Others have spoken to the quality of the plot, so I'll just add a note about the science. Evolutionary computation, multi-agent systems, and evolutionary biology are all real fields. They've had nothing like the success Crichton grants them, but they are useful, interesting techniques, with a lot of future potential. Crichton did his homework pretty well, and the end result never says anything that's really, utterly wrong. A real accomplishment, that. I can't really speak to the quality of the nanotech in the book, but as far as I know, that's a bit farther in the future than the software side of things he references. FYI, I liked the book, but then, it's not every day I get to read a novel about my area of research, and find that it's not entirely wrong!
Rating:
Summary: just too implausible
Review: nice idea, but I was not able to suspend my disbelief. there were too many opportunities to call for help, and the reasons they did not, even though they (the characters) seemed to comprehend the nature of the problem, were just too stupid. I could not get beyond that, unfortunately. Crichton may need a new editor unafraid of pointing out boogers in his writing.
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining plot and non-stop action
Review: I think this is one of the best Crichton's books yet. The plot is very entertaining and original. The action is non-stop, and the writing is good. I couldn't stop reading the book once I started. I am extemely surprised some reviewers found the book slow. Possibly they lack some technical skills necessary to understand what is going on. The book does get a little technical at times, almost a la Heinlein in some his books. But it made only more interesting to me. Anyway, I personally enjoyed the book and would recommend it to anyone.
Rating:
Summary: Don't Waste Your Time
Review: This book stunk. I always finish books I start; but, this one was torture to get through. Crichton has to stop the "action" during almost every chapter to explain some non-sensical and ultimately irrelevant scientific concept. The main character alternates between monumentally stupid, then genius, then stupid again. It was very frustrating. Don't believe the good reviews of this book. They must have been written by the Publisher or one of Crichton's relatives. Trust me and skip this one.
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