Prey

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Summary: Nano-Wordprocessors
Review: I think Michael Crichton would like to have swarms of Nano-Wordprocessors churn out his books for him. They could search the world's encyclopedia's and randomly pick subjects for books, much the way he does now, except faster. Note to aspiring writers - before you sit down and write that novel you've dreamed of, check with the Crichton Book Factory, he's probably beat you to it.

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Summary: Big Fan, Big Disappointment
Review: I absolutely love Michael Crichton books, and have read almost all of them. He is smart and technical and creative; what's not to like?? While Prey was very entertaining, its premise has such a severe disconnect that it took some of the fun out of it for me. We are taught in Prey, that a man-made molecule (1 single molecule!) would take the brightest scientists in the world 3 trillion years to assemble, assuming they could assemble 1 million nanoparticles per second. Statistically impossible. Then we have a parallel story telling us that these nanoparticles themselves have figured out a way to do this, to assemble, reproduce, learn and develop. Not just to do it, but to do it at alarmingly quick rates, like a few hours. So the nanoparticle is smarter than the human. No wait, they are WAY smarter than humans. And we are supposed to not only accept this but to be amazed and terrified by the possibilities of nanoparticles evolving and taking over. This is simply the logical conclusion to a faulty premise, the premise of evolution. Evolution as a description of why we are on this planet, or as a world view, is scientifically bankrupt. Primarily due to the fact Crichton mentions above, the time it would take the best scientists to build one molecule. With the theory of evolution, we are supposed to believe this molecule generation has happened on an infinitely larger scale (the earth and universe), and in a very imperfect non-lab environment with no intelligent direction. Just by chance out in the dirt and water. Science itself proves that evolution is not science, but a belief system. A belief system that with today's technology requires absolutely blind faith to believe, in spite of the laws of science. It still was a fun read. Just not as fun as it could have been if it was remotely possible.

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Summary: Gripping Thriller
Review: I could not put this book down (As much as I hate saying that hackney phrase). It was a thriller from beginning to end. Much like Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, Crichton's Prey details the problems associated with man myopically creating a technology with reckless abandon for its current or future consequences. When man finally does realize what he has created it is unfortunately too late, and he cannot bring it back under control. In this case, the technology has to do with nano-technology and the protagonist is Jack Forman.

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Summary: Can't wait for the movie to come out on this one!
Review: This was a good book... and I read it fast. It has some technical stuff but nothing the average reader can't get through. I'm wondering about the sequel??? Hope it comes out soon.

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Summary: Crichton teaches you & keeps you on the edge of your seat!
Review: Being an avid Michael Crichton fan, I must say I am quite pleased with his latest work, "Prey." Although it starts a little slow as Crichton lays the groundwork and explains the basics behind nanotechnology. After 100 pages though, it TAKES OFF! A very exciting read which teaches us a lot about animals & organisms: How they hunt, live, organize, adapt and SURVIVE. Mr. Crichton is always able to teach you something... all the while keeping you on the EDGE OF YOUR SEAT!

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Summary: Jurassic Revisited
Review: What you get with Mr. Crichton is fascinating science/ technology and a fast, thrilling pace. What you do not get is character development or pristine prose. Every year or so I willingly accept that trade off.
Prey deals with the cross section of biological evolution and the computer age. Crichton does a great job of feeding the reader hard to digest scientific/ technical facts in format that is easy to understand (I think?). As always, the plot is futuristic and told in a "this could happen " style. It is a page turner and a compelling read. There is a real JURASSIC PARK feel to the structure of the novel, the character quality and behavior. It's only missing the dinosaurs.
I do not rate this amoung Mr. Crichton's best but it was a good read for a cold winter's night.

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Summary: Prey Tell
Review: Another in the Jurassic line of pulp fiction. If you want very light (air headed) beach reading that has the potential to make you wonder where we may be headed this book is for you.

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Summary: Enjoyable and Interesting - but a rehashed plot device
Review: The story goes as follows: Jack, a computer programmer who worked on grouped processing is out of a job. His wife Julia has an executive position with a company that is using Jack's programs to develop nanotechnology spy tools for the government. The technology comes to life, goes berserk, and Jack is called in to figure it out because he understands the program. With a few interesting but highly implausible twists (as if the whole thing isn't somewhat implausible) Jack ends up saving the day, but in doing so kills his wife who has in part caused the mess.
I enjoy reading Michael Crichton novels because he usually teaches you something about science. What I find more interesting about Crichton is that he seems stuck on certain notions, namely Chaos Theory. Perhaps it is true that nature is uncontrollable (to a degree at least) and that, try as we might, we cannot predict what life will do, but how many times can you use this as a plot device? This was the entire story to Jurassic Park I, and II, and III. He does make an interesting point about psychology and how individuals may be very insightful of the problems facing other people but are usually pretty bad at understanding their own psychological problems. Overall the book was interesting to read but not my favorite Crichton novel.

Rating:
Summary: Same old stuff
Review: There's an element of Crichton's writing style I find incredibly annoying. It happens all the times in his book, and it gets overused to the point of making his book unbelievable\not credible. I find it so very aggrivating, and it makes me want to never read another one of his books. It's... **SUDDENLY THE PHONE RINGS**

Rating:
Summary: LIKE PAINTING BY NUMBERS
Review: Crichton's premise of nanotechnology gone awry is interesting but not necessarily new and his characters are shallow and one dimensional. I found the first hundred pages tolerable but the remainder of the book to be formalistic.
The science of the "black cloud swarm" requires way too much information and takes away from what could have been a good sci fi horror story.
Much of the book reads as if it was originally written as a screenplay. Skip the book and wait for the movie that will, no doubt, be coming to a theatre near you in the future.