Prime logo Prime members: New to Audible?
Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Pick 1 audiobook a month from our unmatched collection.
Listen all you want to thousands of included audiobooks, Originals, and podcasts.
Access exclusive sales and deals.
Premium Plus auto-renews for $14.95/mo after 30 days. Cancel anytime.
Micro  By  cover art

Micro

By: Michael Crichton, Richard Preston
Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd
Try for $0.00

$14.95/month after 30 days. Cancel anytime.

Buy for $28.79

Buy for $28.79

Pay using card ending in
By confirming your purchase, you agree to Audible's Conditions of Use and Amazon's Privacy Notice. Taxes where applicable.

Publisher's summary

In Jurassic Park, he created a terrifying new world. Now, in Micro, Michael Crichton reveals a universe too small to see and too dangerous to ignore.

In a locked Honolulu office building, three men are found dead with no sign of struggle except for the ultrafine, razor-sharp cuts covering their bodies. The only clue left behind is a tiny bladed robot, nearly invisible to the human eye.

In the lush forests of Oahu, groundbreaking technology has ushered in a revolutionary era of biological prospecting. Trillions of microorganisms, tens of thousands of bacteria species, are being discovered; they are feeding a search for priceless drugs and applications on a scale beyond anything previously imagined.

In Cambridge, Massachusetts, seven graduate students at the forefront of their fields are recruited by a pioneering microbiology start-up. Nanigen MicroTechnologies dispatches the group to a mysterious lab in Hawaii, where they are promised access to tools that will open a whole new scientific frontier.

But once in the Oahu rain forest, the scientists are thrust into a hostile wilderness that reveals profound and surprising dangers at every turn. Armed only with their knowledge of the natural world, they find themselves prey to a technology of radical and unbridled power. To survive, they must harness the inherent forces of nature itself.

An instant classic, Micro pits nature against technology in vintage Crichton fashion. Completed by visionary science writer Richard Preston, this boundary-pushing thriller melds scientific fact with pulse-pounding fiction to create yet another masterpiece of sophisticated, cutting-edge entertainment.

©2011 John Michael Crichton Trust (P)2011 HarperCollinsPublishers

What listeners say about Micro

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    1,022
  • 4 Stars
    590
  • 3 Stars
    381
  • 2 Stars
    165
  • 1 Stars
    102
Performance
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    985
  • 4 Stars
    584
  • 3 Stars
    244
  • 2 Stars
    103
  • 1 Stars
    70
Story
  • 4 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    892
  • 4 Stars
    476
  • 3 Stars
    344
  • 2 Stars
    162
  • 1 Stars
    127

Reviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.

Sort by:
Filter by:
  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Honey, I Shrunk Your I.Q.

I'm a huge fan of previous Crichton books. Of course I was a little nervous if this one would work out, since it was only a partial manuscript found after his death, and the majority of the book was written by someone else (Richard Preston). Since Mr. Preston wrote far more of the book than Crichton did, it seems disingenuous for Crichton to be "Headlining" the cover.

While I know this is a cliche to say... I really wanted to like this book. The first scene was appropriately creepy, and I got excited for what was to come. Then it devolved into what was (for me) the audiobook equivalent of nails on a chalkboard.

There is a way for a good author to get his readers to a place where they are willing to accept the fantastical, and are able to go along on what would otherwise be an unbelievable adventure - it's done all the time. This book either forgets to take us along or is unable to to do so, which leaves the reader looking at a ridiculous scenario that can do nothing but make you think back to the old "Honey I Shrunk.." movies from the 80's.

The way we're introduced to all the characters and their scientific specialties is so clumsy and awkward it's painful to sit through. The writing style seemed oddly dated; with on character flipping another person off while saying "Sit on it", and another character explaining "She plays for the other team". All the dialogue in the book seemed juvenile, forced, and amateurish. It was something a high school student could be genuinely proud of writing... but not something I want to pay for.

The narrator was not good. There are so many great ones out there, and I think perhaps I've become spoiled; but this was only a small step up for some sort of automated computer voice, in my opinion.

If you've read my other reviews, you know I'm not hard to please - I love all kinds of books and just want to hear a decent story. This book couldn't deliver on that most basic of levels for me, and I was very disappointed.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

119 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Train wreck

This book is just plain horrible. The characters are unbelievable and boring going on long tirades about nature. The sci-fi technology aspects of the book are quickly glossed over almost like they were just getting in the way of the nature tirades.

It was so bad I gave up. I listened for 6 annoying hours and had to stop. I don't know how much Crichton had to do with this book but it is by far the worst thing with his name on it.

Save your money, save your credit, pass on this book.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

72 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

Really poor (poorly researched, Boring)

This book may damage Micheal crichton's legacy. So much potential. Sort of sad.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

39 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

NOT nearly as bad as others report

I have listened to ALL of crichton's books and many from preston. No, its not as great as say Prey, or his masterwork State of Fear, BUT its better than some others. Some sections and scenes are far fetched regardless of the technology. Example, at a tiny state the people and objects mass is reduced to the point where a breeze can blow them away but other natural and man made effects are substantially less so. The characters are a little light weight (no pun intended), true enough. I just hope that this is the LAST "crichton" book, so that he doesn't end up like the dead robert ludlum

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

22 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

McGyver meets "Land of the Giants"

Parts of this were good, but the starting hours were abysmal. There are editing issues, with too many sentences saying repeatedly "he said" or "she said." It's like Dick and Jane writing a novel. At the least, throw in some variety, with the occasional "he stated," or opined or something.

The characters in the micro world were the most interesting part, and I will certainly look differently at insects now.

The plot device of a group of grad students having an expert of every conceivable application on this trip, all of whom were carrying samples of their particular product or project, ahhhhh, that's a stretch. It's like me carrying a chocolate chip cookie in case I meet Martha Stewart. Granted, they did anticipate an interview with the CEO during their tour, but it's still tugging very hard on my logic cells.

The reader was okay. There are many other readers I find to be far better, but this one slogged through the story in an adequate manner. Nobody could have salvaged this turkey.

Both authors were and are capable of writing excellent books, but this wasn't one of them. Perhaps this one would have been substantially different if Crichton had been able to complete it prior to his death.

I wish it were possible to returh audio books that were complete dogs.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

15 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Very cool, intriguing and neat concept.

Would you consider the audio edition of Micro to be better than the print version?

I enjoyed this book and the narrator. I have been a Michael Crichton fan for years and I really miss his writing. This was a very nice unexpected find since I did not realize that he has been published posthumously. Thank you to Richard Preston for finishing the work.

Did the plot keep you on the edge of your seat? How?

very much so it was a great listen and I did not realize that I was sucked in until it was almost over!

Have you listened to any of John Bedford Lloyd’s other performances before? How does this one compare?

yes and he is a very good narrator. I enjoy his style and voice!

Any additional comments?

Thank you to the Michael Crichton foundation/trust for keeping his legacy going!

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

McGyver meets "Land of the Giants"

Parts of this were good, but the starting hours were abysmal. There are editing issues, with too many sentences saying repeatedly "he said" or "she said." It's like Dick and Jane writing a novel. At the least, throw in some variety, with the occasional "he stated," or opined or something.

The characters in the micro world were the most interesting part, and I will certainly look differently at insects now.

The plot device of a group of grad students having an expert of every conceivable application on this trip, all of whom were carrying samples of their particular product or project, ahhhhh, that's a stretch. It's like me carrying a chocolate chip cookie in case I meet Martha Stewart. Granted, they did anticipate an interview with the CEO during their tour, but it's still tugging very hard on my logic cells.

The reader was okay. There are many other readers I find to be far better, but this one slogged through the story in an adequate manner. Nobody could have salvaged this turkey.

Both authors were and are capable of writing excellent books, but this wasn't one of them. Perhaps this one would have been substantially different if Crichton had been able to complete it prior to his death.

I wish it were possible to returh audio books that were complete dogs.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

3 stars is being very generous!

Micro was published almost three years after after Michael Chricton's death and was completed by Richard Preston. The genre is medical thriller. The book falls into the"barely worth one credit" category. My advice is skip Micro in favor of another novel. Nevertheless, for serious Chrichton fans it is likely worth listening to.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    2 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    2 out of 5 stars

Tough one to finish

I've always enjoyed Crichton's work. He generally winds a web that's easy to get caught up in, and hard to put down. In this book, however, I'm finding it elementary in its sentence and structure, stumbling in its plot line and generally not as professional as his other works.

I can only assume this was a first draft novel that he wrote before his death and it hasn't gone through the editorial rigours that his other books have before publication. Perhaps I should be thinking of this as getting closer to the author's original work, but I'm just finding it distracting from the story itself, and I'm having trouble finishing it.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    4 out of 5 stars

good storyline

This story started out a little reminding me of "Honey I Shrunk the Kids" but it developed a lot better. Overall a good storyline and character development and it does keep you going with sudden changes, plot twists and surprises.

Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.

You voted on this review!

You reported this review!

5 people found this helpful