An experiment has gone wrong in a lab in the Nevada desert. A swarm of nanoparticles (micro-robots) has accidentally been released into the outside world. And they evolve into something entirely more dangerous than planned...

So far so good, it reads like a typical suspense thriller/horror book - something is out there to get us. We are outnumbered, all alone and isolated, weaker and we have to come up with a way to kill it before it gets too smart and kills us.... Nothing unexpected there. But it is really creepy, especially because it has one of those more or less open endings that you can interpret any way you wish.

Reminded me a lot of his "Andromeda Strain", although that still is my favourite Crichton novel to date.

3.5 stars

You know how there are low budget B-movies you can like far more than big budget films, even though you know they are low budget B-movies? That's how I feel about Prey - it's a damn fine B-movie.

In its essence, the story is about a big, scary monster preying on people.

It could be any monster... aliens, vampires, zombies, orks, mutant octopus, Godzilla, the Creature from the Black Lagoon...Crichton just happened to make it be military grade nanotech swarms. Doesn't change a thing about the plot nor the predictable outcome, just makes it a technological thriller not a Creature Feature.

That's not a fault, btw. The frosting is often as enjoyable as the cake and I happen to like tech thriller frosting.

I won't claim to have understood all the science, though. If it is legit or largely theoretical, I couldn't say. But it is an enjoyable ride that kept me interested, at least in the 6 CD reduced-fat version I listened to. And for that, it gets a solid 3 stars rounded up.

Another superb tale by one of the giants of suspense. This story, similar to others by Crichton, is about a disruptive technology and a possible dystopian future. The author does a fantastic job of highlighting the hubris of humans when it comes to technology. To illustrate this point, protagonist Jack Forman eloquently observes "each generation writes off earlier errors as the result of bad thinking by less able minds."

The problem, as always, is that humans are confident they can control consequences. This is especially true when people operate under the assumption that they are acting to achieve noble ends to make the world a better place. An accompanying dilemma is the accelerating nature of errors in any system after a slow start. Crichton writes "systems experience a long, slow starting period, followed by ever-increasing speed." Given recent trends across Western society, it appears this axiom is more applicable to destructive political ideologies than to disruptive technologies.

The increasing speed by which certain ideas are spreading across every segment of Western society is illustrative of how the human mind is susceptible to the same outcomes discussed in the novel. The introduction of destructive nihilism and predatory post-modernism has taken several decades to permeate the post-Enlightenment West. As is the case with unforeseen harmful side-effects of a new technology, very few noticed when academics adopted the philosophy of Nietzsche, Heidegger, Marcuse, Foucault, and Derrida to replace the rationalism of Bacon, Descartes, Spinoza, Locke, and Madison. In the post 1960s, the public rarely followed the battles between Enlightenment Rationalism and the Post-Modernist apotheosis of feelings, "value relativism", and "competing truths."

While the spread of the latter anti-rational philosophy has taken several decades to capture Western society, it's rapid and violent ascent has taken many Americans by surprise. Without context, it is difficult for the average consumer of news to understand why his/her leaders want to eradicate their history, their identity, and the legal borders of their country. The question is asked, why are millionaires in Hollywood who live in gated mansions with butlers and chauffeurs suddenly feigning concern about the plight of immigrants and minimum wage earners? Why have so many American Wall Street billionaires thrown their support behind a political party that wants to redistribute their wealth? How is it possible that the paragon of American capitalism, the lobby known as the US Chamber of Commerce, will endorse 23 freshman politicians from a political party promising to raise corporate taxes?

The above diffusion of anti-rationalism is similar to the destructive technology described by Crichton in Prey. Although very few noticed its introduction into Western society under the banner of "new-left, post-modernism, critical theory, and intersectionality" the ever increasing speed of its ascendance was unpredictable.

More importantly, the endorsement of once purely academic ideologies by Hollywood, the media, and the corporate class has had a chilling effect on anyone hoping to challenge the new dogma. The present crisis in Western society makes clear that even though the destructive technologies predicted by Crichton have not yet emerged, the dystopian future brought to you by nihilist ideas are already here!

2013-01-23 Thrilling and scary book. The subject matter is indeed worth exploring. But there were some technical flaws that were a little too glaring for my taste, and very surprising from such a gifted, experienced and often quite careful writer.

I listened to this on audio CD, read by George Wilson - very well done!

I loved this book. It was very creative and imaginative and very strange in a "good way". I think Michael Crichton is one of the best if not the best Science Fiction writers!
I highly recommend this book and give it 5 shining

Me encantó! Es muy ingenioso lo que propone y se ve que se basa en hechos científicos reales, hace tiempo que quería leer algo más del autor, sólo había leído Rescate en el tiempo que me encantó también.

I used to love Crichton. I got on a kick in high school where I read Jurassic Park, Terminal Man, Andromeda Strain, and Congo, and I liked them all. The stories and characters were overused stereotypes, but I always felt like I learned something because Crichton did such thorough research.

The last 2 I tried to read were Timeline and Prey. I couldn't even finish either one. The science was SOOO bad. I don't know if I've just gotten more sophisticated, or if he's jumped the shark, but I can't imagine trying to read another one of his books again.

It's amazing. This novel proves that Crichton was a brilliant graduate of Harvard Medical School. Of course, we can see glimpses of his talent in his earlier works such as Andromeda Strain, but his books got much fuller and better in his later years.

While Jurassic Park was about genetic engineering, this time it's about nanotechnology, genetic algorithms, and evolution. The only thing that seems to be related to the medicine he studied at university is evolution, while the first two are engineering technology and computer program theory, which are very cutting-edge topics right now. He wrote this novel by referring to books that contain details of these cutting-edge technologies, understanding the problems they have, and adding his imagination to it. This method is the same as Jurassic Park, but it is not easy to study cutting-edge technology from the basics, point out the problems, and write a novel about them. I won't go into the details of the story because I think it would be rude to those who are planning to read this novel.

It's a novel that reveals the gross and dangerous side to "advancements" in technology. It's a warning.

Very interesting story on nano technology meets intelligent human engineered life. I liked that the beginning of the book focused on their relationship and work life balance.

I read this book a long time ago. I am sort of forget what is it all about. But with Mr. Crichton, I am sure it is heart pacing that kind of plot. I think it has to do with some sort of science conspiracy.

Anyway...

3 stars

One of the most entertaining books I've ever read.

7/10 en 2011. Media de los 6 libros leídos del autor: 7/10

Ameno y tal y tal, pero sin ser nada del otro jueves. Toca el tema de la nanotecnologia, que periódicamente se pone de moda. Otro tecnothriller marca de la casa del autor.

Tampoco hay que pedirle más.