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)

Stop the mouth noises

Story was OK, but narrator consistently swallowed to the point you could hear it. It drove me up the wall.

Starts slow but picks up lots of momentum

A great "read" overall. It starts slow thanks to TONS of background on the characters -- far too much, I thought -- but once Jack gets into the meat of the plot it is thrilling. I'd also reiterate what's been said earlier: The sample clip is largely of Michael Crichton himself narrating the foreward to the book - very dry. The actual narrator, George Wilson, picks it up at Chapter 1 and is SUPERB in his reading. He expertly acts all the parts in the book, convincingly giving you men, women, and children characters. His performance really elevated this audiobook a notch.

Good Thriller

If you are a fan of Creighton's other works, especially his earlier titles, this is a very enjoyable listen. I did find that I was able to deduce the plot after about 2 chapters maximum, but the elegant way the story unfolds makes up for a degree of this transparency. The last few chapters were very exciting and I found myself truly doubting whether the hero would be able to come out on top, which in my mind is the sign of a good thriller.

The only other problem I had was the heavy use of technical asides that really didn't add very much to the story. In most cases, the information presented is mildly interesting at best and could be left out with no real difference. It seems almost as though Creighton can't decide if he should explain everything or nothing, and the technical details fall into the middle range, where the scientific minded will find them superficial and cumbersome, and the average reader will find an excessive amount of jargon and trivia.

Still, it was a good story and worth your time.

Good Thriller, But I Have A Gripe!!

I enjoyed the book, but I agree with "Bring Your Hair Dryer". I can hear when the narrator swallows and it's just so annoying. I can't believe more people haven't commented on it. Instead of following the story, I found myself listening for the next swallow. Other than that, I found the story to be interesting, thrilling, and fast-paced.

PRAY for the end.

This book drones on and on. The main man is really slow minded but he is ahead of the pace of the book. The narrator slips up in voice changes, the 'time line' of events is not reasonable and the tech facts are slightly a skewed. It seems to be written as a screenplay, too many background (useless) details. I cannot recommend this book.

I hate the narrator's voices

The narrator had about 5 slightly different voices that he used for different characters, and all of the voices were annoying. The main character always seemed to be sighing, his wife was really annoying, it was distracting. I am normaly a fan of Michael Crichton, I think this book would have been a lot better if I had read the print version. But, it was slightly entertaining, I managed to finish it. If this story seems interesting to you, buy it in print.

Too much unnecessary profanity

What did you like best about Prey? What did you like least?

It has an interesting story line.

Has Prey turned you off from other books in this genre?

Yes. The story would have been much better if the profanity had been toned down or eliminated all together.

Do you think Prey needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No

Suspenseful science fiction story

If you like science fiction, this story will satisfy you. The science behind the story is logical and almost believable. Characters are well defined, and the conflict is suspenseful. I personally do not care for even one bad word, but to most people this story would seem only moderately laced with vulgar language. I found myself identifying with the characters and believing in their motivation and their actions. While I do not believe that this tale could come true, the action was so real, and the science so well explained, that I was left with the feeling that something like this COULD happen in a year or so! It was a creepy feeling. The story begins slowly as the author attempts to help us understand and to bond with the characters, but once the story action begins, there is little letup in the suspense. You will probably not want to put this one down until it ends. The male narrator is easily understood with clear diction and a deep, growly voice; I liked the narrator's expressive reading as he portrayed different characters.

My Fav Author and a great Narrator

loved reading this book and loved listening to it. Michael Crichton was truly a master and one of my all time favs.

good story

good but not great book. not really innovative,, not badly written but not particularly well wriyten either. worth listen to at a sale price.