Prey CD

Rating:
Summary: Best Novel I've Heard All Year...
Review: Jack Forman, a stay-at-home dad has a problem. His wife, a scientist and psychologist appears to be cheating on him. But is she really, or are things quite what they seem at the Zymos plant?

I really enjoyed Prey- I especially found it refreshing that the main character was a stay-at-home dad. This role-reversal was fun and refreshing. I especially LOVED the first 3/4's of this novel. The ending seemed.... Rushed, and I felt that Jack didn't seem to care that much for his wife. Also, I never really understood the 'swarm's motivation.' I would've liked to have understood it better, especially in regards to Julia's involvement with it. How much control did the swarm possess?

Overall, this was a superb book that kept me on the edge of my seat! I sincerely hope there is a sequel. We never did find out why the sprinklers didn't work!



Rating:
Summary: Disapointing
Review: As a fan of Mr. Crichton since Jurassing Park, I was eagerly looking forward to this work. After reading this book, however, I have to say I don't entirely know what to make of it. The premise is certainly frightening. The idea of nanotechnology running amok is a truly frightening idea, all the more so due to the current advances in that field. However, the story bogs down in the protaganist's strange family life for the first third of the book. Only after the main character makes his way to Xymos' plant in the desert does the story begin to become interesting. The emphasis on his family life could be much more engaging if any of the characters were remotely likeable. However, they're not. Reading the story, I almost wonder if Mr. Crichton didn't intentionally strive for an unsympathetic cast for whatever reason. The first-person perspective heightens the mystery aspect of the story, but becomes irritating after a while. Such an approach is always dangerous for a writer, because whatever the central character is thinking is almost always more interesting to the writer than to the reader. The book also has a rather formulaic feel to it, with the same basic problems recurring as in all of Crichton's books. In fact, it's basically Jurassic Park with more annoying characters and a less interesting "monsters". The characters and their fates are painfully predictable, even if the plot isn't. Indeed, the plot is one of the weakest areas of the book. The bizarre idea of the machines developing intelligence and taking human form passes the point of compelling and enters into the realm of the truly bizarre at a certain point. The ending is maddeningly ambiguous, explaining virtually nothing and basically just leaving the reader with a massive question mark. When I finally put it down, all I could think was, "What?". I also found the scientific aspect of this story to be overdone in comparison to his previous works, and generally less interesting. On the whole, I'd recomend sticking with Mr. Crichton's earlier works, such as the gripping Jurassing Park, or the far more original Time Line.

Rating:
Summary: Best book I've read in years
Review: I usually take months to finish a book. This book I finished in under a month and loved every minute of it.
This was the first Michael Crichton book I have read and was surpised to find how he can go into enough detail that I a computer programmer didn't feel he was making up complete nonsense but yet felt that non-technical people would get the same level of depth and meaning from his words. He's a talented author.
I thought I would find this book a bit of nonsense, but instead I caught myself quickly wrapped up in the story. He throws hints around and lets you feel like a genius by figuring somethings out yourself which keeps you reading further.
I don't want to spoil this wonderful book for anybody, so all I will say is if you enjoy suspense or mysteries definitely check this one out.

Rating:
Summary: Cerebral action thriller with a serious message
Review: Good as it is, the movie "Terminator" is obviously science fiction. Cyborgs are way beyond today's science, and time travel may be downright impossible. But how close could a writer get to "Terminator" using only technology that is available today, or will be within a few years? The result might well look a lot like "Prey". Crichton draws on his wide knowledge of current scientific developments to paint a terrifying scenario of what could happen, very soon, when greed and commercial ambition dictate cutting a few corners to get to market first.

Take some leading-edge nanotechnology, blend with software agent algorithms, sprinkle on some fairly standard biotech, and optimise for the requirements of the military. To anyone who knows a bit about software, that is a prescription for something you don't want anywhere on the same planet with you - but the protagonist of "Prey" finds himself up close and personal with. Crichton skilfully feeds the reader just enough information to keep the tension building steadily, but holds back a few devastating surprises.

On the downside, as with so many techno-thrillers, the end seems to come rather suddenly, and one or two really intriguing aspects of the plot are never fully explained. That may be the price of writing a novel that depends so heavily on technical riddles: when the action is done, it would be out of place to go on and wind up the lecture. Still, I for one far prefer novels that teach me things I didn't know before.

Rating:
Summary: Shelby Mehans thriller reveiw of Micheal Crichton's PREY
Review: Unexpected great ideas are crammed into this book written by the author of Jurassic Park! For example, a unique strategic airborne camera could be made of nano-technology machines of molecular level, which could be formed by making it a "swarm" in the air. This swarming and unswarming will be made possible by their own free will by autonomous allocation of roles of various camera parts. In war time it is very convenient tool to use because that camera can't be shot down and could be disintegrated into molecule level parts in such cases. It is seemingly an ultimate machine, but it has a fatal weak point of being easily swept away by the wind! The responsible research company can't get the necessary fund raised from sponsors because of this fatality, and begins dangerous wrongdoings... .

Like other Crichton stories, uncontrolled swarms go out of the laboratory and start attacking people as a monster. By the strenuous efforts of mankind, the danger is finally gone. But was it really exterminated? This is the usual Crichton endings! We can expect sequels to this story and movies as well.


Rating:
Summary: Fast paced book where nanotech, biotech, and AI meet
Review: Prey is a novel about the possible consequences of nanotechnology going wrong. Crichton very cleverly describes how nanotechnology, molecular biology and computer technology (AI) will fuse in the nanotech world. He does careful research and the arguments are presented by the protagonist who is a project manager in the nanotech world.

The book describes how one application of nanotech will be based on a Predator-Prey system, which will be modeled upon animals in the real world (like a colony of ants). Such systems may not have a central intelligence (like humans or a company) but instead have collective intelligence based on simple rules. It is a largely a tightly written book, quite well paced and the characters are real. The appendix at the end provides references to seeming interesting material on nanotech - both technical and social from scientists working in the field. Every book I have read written by Crichton has been interesting and I have learned something from it. But then it is just my bias towards someone who is a Dr from Harvard and very well travelled? In any case, I enjoyed it and look forward to the next one!