Prey

Rating:
Summary: One of the best science fiction novels of all time
Review: This book was awesome. I read it in only 2 sittings. I could not put it down.

Rating:
Summary: THEY'RE HERE...
Review: This is another fast-paced, bio-tech thriller by this author. Expertly weaving his narrative, the author grips the reader with his tale of nanotechnology gone wrong. While the book is wholly plot driven, with little attention paid to any character development. this lack does not unduly detract from the enjoyment of the book, as the plot is so gripping.

The plot revolves around stay at home dad, Jack Forman, who was a whistle-blower about some high-tech espionage going on in the company for which he worked. Unfortunately, he revealed what he had discovered it to the wrong person and, consequently, was fired for his pains. While at home, he notices that his wife, who is a mover and a shaker for a bio-tech firm, has been acting a little odd and suspects her of an illicit affair.

When her company wants to hire him to check out some programming problems at their Nevada facility, Jack jumps at the opportunity. He then discovers that the firm has engaged in an experiment that has gone out of control. A swarm of nanoparticles, designed as micro-robots and programmed to act as one mind, has escaped from the environs of the firm's desert laboratory. Programmed to be predatory, the swarm is deadly and evolving into something even more sinister with every passing moment.

Moreover, he notices that it isn't only his wife that is acting a little odd. Others at the facility with the swarm problem are also acting a little strange. All is definitely not what it seems. The only question is whether Jack, with the help of the scientists at the facility, can take control of the swarm before the swarm overwhelms and controls them.

This book keeps the reader riveted, despite the fairly predictable, formulaic plot. As do many of the author's other books, it also presents some serious ethical and moral issues for consideration by the reader, and the author himself gives a fairly detailed, cautionary foreword on the dangers of nanotechnology.

I unwittingly bought the abridged, rather than the unabridged, audio book version for a road trip but was not disappointed. Narrated by Broadway and silver screen veteran Robert Sean Leonard, he keeps the story flowing in a nice, easy way, leaving the listener wanting to hear more. Quite frankly, when I arrived at my destination, I could barely tear myself away from the car, so engrossed was I by the story and its telling. It is a highly enjoyable, plot driven book.

Rating:
Summary: Not one of Crichton's Best
Review: I bought the hardback of this because I was looking so forward to a new Crichton novel. I had read Airframe, Timeline, Jurassic Park, Andromeda Strain, and Sphere and I loved them all. Prey is a mediocre novel, that just doesn't hold up to Crichton's past works. The subject of nanotechnology sounded like it could be interesting, but I found myself fairly bored with it the whole time. Crichton didn't "sell" the story to me like he did with his past ideas. I didn't feel as if it was plausible at all, possibly because the concept of nanotechnology is so new that no one really knows much ab out it. Looking at all of the works he cited, it looks like he did a LOT of research into his subject. So why are there so many problems with the logic in it?

It seems like Crichton has become somewhat formulaic in this book. The book clearly mimics many of the themes, plots, and cliffhangers from Jurassic Park, but lacks the overall threat of 60 foot tall T-Rex ready to rip your throat out. It's hard to develop suspense in a novel where the main threat is microscopic (although it was done in 'Strain effectively, so why not here?)

If you're a fast reader and want something for the weekend, it's not a bad read, but I wouldn't suggest spending any time or money on Prey.

Rating:
Summary: Fun, but fluff
Review: Crichton shows us the dangers of nanotechnology in his latest novel. In this case, a swarm of nanomachines escapes a military sponsored lab and go beserk as they evolve an even greater intelligence. It's a really fun read, as Crichton novels tend to be, but I can't give this book full marks. As usual, Crichton falls into his usual patern--a group of scientists or professionals, who by chance are also beautiful supermodels, face the current scientific hot topic, except it has gone terribly out of control. In the process, half of the members die, and those who survive face an ambiguously happy ending which gives Crichton the option to make a sequel. This describes about 90% of Crichton's novels, and it describes this one pretty well.

Another weak point of this particular novel is that the solution to the problem is presented fairly early in the story, and you have to read through hundreds of pages and witness several pointless deaths before the hero figures it out. Usually Crichton is good at giving you some twists at the end, but in this book, it plods straight ahead to the ending you expect.

In the end, I can't say this is a great book, but it is an entertaining book. If you have enjoyed Crichton's formulamatic books before, you'll probably enjoy reading this one. If you got bored to death reading one of his other books, be warned, this is more of the same.

Rating:
Summary: Painfully slow and boring
Review: The first one hundred pages of this book focused primarily on the protagonist's suspicion that his wife was having an affair. Incredibly, he shrugs off his son's claim that his wife had men in the house while he was at the hospital having his desperately ill child treated for a suspicious illness. The book is unbelievably slow and boring. I gave up after the first one hundred pages. Pass on this one.

Rating:
Summary: Great Book
Review: I picked up this book, and started reading it and i just seriously could not stop. It kept my attention the whole time, there were no dull parts to me, if you end up buying this book, the minute you pick it up you will find yourself not wanting to put it down until you hear what happens.

Great book
highly recomended

Rating:
Summary: fascinating science, formulaic story
Review: The terrors and pitfalls of nanotechnology are endless and far-reaching, and Crichton uses this to good advantage. The frequent explanations along the way, which some have said are dry and academic, to me added to the suspense, making the swarms of nanobots all the more frightening. These nanobots are so real, in fact, that they threaten to overshadow the cardboard characters and formulaic plot (this science-run-amok template goes all the way back to FRANKENSTEIN). The characters are uninteresting and, in order for the plot to move along, they make some stupid mistakes so that the 'bots can get the upper hand (the main character, in fact, is so passive in the face of deception that he could just as well be sleep-walking). Then, at the end, the 'bots make some stupid mistakes for the plot to come to its conclusion. Read it for the science, not the story.

This novel brought to mind similar, better, novels: A. A. Merritt's THE METAL MONSTER, Poul Anderson's BRAIN WAVE, Dean Koontz's PHANTOMS, and the novel MUTANT 59: THE PLASTIC EATERS.

Rating:
Summary: A fast, enjoyable page-turner, but not a classic.
Review: I've just finished reading "Prey". As I often do after seeing a movie (via "Rottentomatoes.com"), I came in here and got online to read and compare opinions on the book while it was still fresh in my mind, too. Well, the general consensus here seems to be like mine.

I enjoyed the book on the whole --- and I like Crichton (I, too, can't wait for each new novel). It kept me up late into the night, I couldn't put it down, and I learned things I never knew along the way, which I enjoy. All hallmarks and standard Crichton praises, because they're usually true.

I suppose, though, with "Prey", I have a few gripes, ones that are becoming more and more recurrent with his newer works.

Once again the novel reads like a screenplay / video game ("Timeline", anyone?). I miss the "style" of his earlier works, like "Andromeda" and "Train Robbery" --- incredibly detailed novels that seamlessly segued between suspense and imparting his trademark research. Crichton's current novels (I'd say starting with "Rising Sun") tend to come to a complete stop in order to lecture the reader --- as in: "Oh, you don't know about THAT?? WELL...", followed by several paragraphs of dry explanation. I like the info, but of late it comes across as preachy and condescending. I was also surprised how alot of the dialogue (like between the children and co-workers) was very unrealistic... often just plain BAD.

And lastly, was I the only one who was curious how much of Crichton's real-life marital situations found their way into the main couple's problems and tensions?? I'm recalling his own recent highly publicized divorce. Sometimes I felt Michael was venting on his own ex-wife --- via Jacks voice! :-)

Minor nit-picks, of course. All in all, a good book. Glad I got it, and I enjoyed it alot (it's just not quite a classic).

Rating:
Summary: Not his best work
Review: I wasn't terribly impressed with Crichton's latest offering. While I read the Andromeda Strain cover to cover in one setting, I found Prey to be a whole lot of hype with very little payoff.

Rating:
Summary: Good - But Not the Best
Review: Overall, Prey was a good read. I found the first half of the book slow, as I am not a computer programmer, nor do I want to be, but I know enough about computers that some of the stuff is exagerated. I also did not care for the endless evolution theories, as even as Crichton points out, 150 years in evolution proved us to be mostly wrong. So why would modern theories be any better? He just bases a large portion of his book on something I find very controversial and still unproven.

The second half of the book, when the swarms are finally introduced, is much better. Still plagued by evolution and distributred processing theories, but non-the-less gripping. A bit predictable, the 'clues' about what will happen are very obvious.

I thought it was worth my time, as I am a huge Crichton fan. His other works, however, are much better in my opinion. But the circumstances were very original! Whooda thunk - killer nano-bots!