Prey

By: Michael Crichton

Narrated by: George Wilson

Length: 12 hrs and 50 mins

Publisher's summary

In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles (micro-robots) has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive.

It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour.

Every attempt to destroy it has failed.

And we are the prey.

As fresh as today's headlines, Michael Crichton's most compelling novel yet tells the story of a mechanical plague and the desperate efforts of a handful of scientists to stop it. Drawing on up-to-the-minute scientific fact, Prey takes us into the emerging realms of nanotechnology and artificial distributed intelligence in a story of breathtaking suspense.

Prey is a novel you can't pause.

Because time is running out.

©2002 Michael Crichton (P)2002 HarperCollinsPublishers, Inc.; 16 9; 2002 Recorded Books, Inc.

Critic reviews

"Crichton is the master of the sci-tech thriller, and nowhere is that more evident than in his latest page-turner, a scary, wild ride that is, without a doubt, his best in years." (Booklist)

"From the opening pages of Crichton's electrifying new thriller...readers will know they are in the hands of a master storyteller." (Publishers Weekly)

Starts slow, ends flat

The story really hits its stride about halfway through, but doesn't follow through on it.

A science book with a story thrown in

This book spent so much time explaining the “science” behind the story. The scientific reason things were happening the way they were. There was actually very little story. This book was definitely not as good as Jurassic Park. Not even close.

So-so by Crichton standards

Not mind boggling, but, if you're a Crichton fan, probably worth it.

Imo - the narrator seemed a poor fit for this book. His style and accent seem more appropriate for... a western maybe? The story was told in the first person and, it's hard to believe that the protagonist--a high-speed, Silicon Valley software stud-- would talk in that drawn out, easy patter. Plus, the narrator read at such a slow rate that even though the plot moves along, the book seemed to crawl at points.

The story itself, while a bit fantastical, was interesting.

Narration a little rough

If you're a Crichton fan you'll love this story, there is no doubt in my mind. The only gripe I have is that the narrator has apparently never heard a teen girl whine and argue. There are some particularly tedious moments where he reads dialogue between the main character and his daughter that are just ridiculous. All in all, though, it is certainly worth your money.

so so, easy reading but could have been better

Interesting concept but fails to deliver in the end, could have been much better. All the characters are cardboard, and easily identifiable. Falls back to a standard good guy versus villains action sequence at the end, and the final "prey" idea (which I will not spell out) is ridiculous. Why these nanobots would decide to mimic this form is never satisfactorily explained. The book would have been better if it had finished with the conclusion at the end of the preceding chapter, rather than the final junk ending. On a final note, the prologue (where the principle is nervously at home waiting on his wife stopping something) did not seem to match the ending either.

Couldn't put it down

After a slow start, the book captured my imagination and wouldn't let go. The descriptions were so graphic that I easily saw everything in my mind. The idea is fresh and beautifully presented. This will be a gangbuster on the big screen.

Prey

Not my sort of book. A lot of it went over my head. It’s very technical. However I still liked it!!! It would make a great horror movie!!!

Random book from a shelf: what a a gem

I grabbed this book off of a shelf after judging it purely off its cover. Who says you can’t judge a book by its cover.

Famed for his having written Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton hit this out of the park for me. I’ve never been much of a reader at all. So my expectations were low at even finishing this much less liking it. It was a hit.

Again, not being a reader, I don’t have a lot to compare this to nor how to dissect literature well. So, bearing that in mind, in my opinion, the writing is very compelling. The slow unravel of this whole tale kept me guessing and continuing on even when I knew I had other tasks to perform.

The subject matter of nanotechnology was also highly intriguing because of how close it feels to reality.

The reading is enjoyable. The narrator changes voices for characters but only slightly enough to keep them distinguishable; somehow managing to avoid making it sound forced. Emotions are conveyed both subtly but with intention.

Great listen over all!

Excellent

Another Crichton masterpiece with a good story, great characters and fun twists! I only wish he’d been able to write even more.

Really enjoyed it, slightly predictable

Would recommend. I'm going through a Michael Crichton phase, and really enjoyed this audiobook. Narration was great. -1 star for performance because at times between clips you can hear the narrator's mouth making wet noises when the audio should've been cleaned up. It didn't take away from the experience.

-1 star for story because it was slightly predictable at times, but overall a great thriller. Plot points may seem predictable to me at this time because I've just gone through his other audiobooks Jurassic Park, Lost World, Timeline, Andromeda Strain, Micro, Sphere. On to the next ones!