Micro

A Novel

By: Michael Crichton, Richard Preston

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

Length: 13 hrs and 53 mins

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

Ambivalent

First off, I am a great fan of Michael Crichton. He came up with incredible concepts and his work was always fast paced. Yes, he demanded a lot of suspension of disbelief, but once past that, his work never failed to entertain. Same is true here, on steroids. There are gaping flaws in logic and execution, so much so that it becomes distracting at times. This applies both to the prose (how it was written) and to the plot (what was written). Like Stan Lee's comics of the 1960's, there were many instances when the description of the scene was promptly followed by a character regurgitating the same exact words. (The sky was blue. "Oh, the sky was blue," said Mary.) Distracting and pointless. Flaws in logic, again like the comics of the 1960's to present day, include a villain with technology amazing enough to make incredible profits, yet used for mundane things. (Victor Von Doom could have solved world hunger with his inventions, but decided to use them all to bother Reed Richards. A genius, indeed.)
Sorry, my inner dork digressed.
I do not want to give out spoilers, and won't. This book has several things going in its favor. It is entertaining and fast-paced. It has several jaw-dropping moments where you have to stop the tape and say "Holy $#%, did that just happen??" and you have to rewind to hear it again. So few books have this and it was a delight to get shocked like that. After those moments, the story seems to get new life.

John Bedford Lloyd was a bit wooden for my tastes, but I've heard worse.

In summary, it's like a bag of jelly beans. Some great parts, some bad parts, not nutrition by any means, but satisfying for a while.

Another Bio-fi great

I really enjoyed this story, and the narration. The micro world was an excellent setting for another sci fi great.

captivating, yet repetitive

A lot of the story could have been left out. Lots of action, hard to get your adrenaline running when every other page is another life or death situation. A good one time read, but the constant near death experiences made me want to rip my hair out. I love the author, rest in peace to him, but I don't think I'll ever re listen/ re read this one again.

it's like honey I shrunk the kids meets jurassic p

it's pretty good, not as good as say jurassic Park but still not bad, I'll read it again for sure and I sure do miss Michael crichton

Not my favorite, but still enjoyed it!

I have read Crichton's best and have enjoyed them all. This was good and I hear Amblin Entertainment bought the rights to this. If done correctly, it would be fun to watch on the big screen. Preston made it hard to tell where Michael's share ended and his began. He deserves credit for his efforts. This one is face paced and Vin Drake's character is a fantastically diabolical psychopath. Only have a few Crichton's left to enjoy. Solid B. Performance was excellent.

Classic Crichton!

Definitely one of the best Crichton books I've heard. Action, thrill, sci-fi technology, classic Crichton!

Exciting! I'll go to the movie!

What a wonderful movie this will make! I can imagine the images, but special effects could go wild. I'm tempted to say how believable this micro-world became to me.

fantastically believable!

Would you listen to Micro again? Why?

I would DEFINATELY recommend this book and will enjoy experiencing it again. Lots of science and adventure...just suspenseful enough. Felt like I was listening to a hollywood blockbuster! Hope they make a movie of this. Great narration too!! Cool concepts for story! Loved it!

What did you like best about this story?

The sheer believability of this. I was glad my biology experience was limited...because it helped for the concepts to be more believable.

What about John Bedford Lloyd’s performance did you like?

Smoothe. Not forced..not annoying. He is one I will look for again. The narrator makes or breaks and audiobook. He made this one. I really enjoyed it!

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

It made my eyes pop open!

Not nearly as bad as they say

I find the whole "Honey, shrunk the kids" idea a bit cheap and subpar to concepts from other Crichton's novels. However, the book is loaded with the usual technical background knowledge, as you'd expect from Michael Crichton - although there's a bit too much entomological and botanical details to my liking, making for an occasionally tedious read here and there. Having said that, the overall package comes in form of a first-rate action adventure verging on horror thriller, and although the initial chapters may give an impression of predictability, the narrative definitely does deliver. Still, not the best of Crichton's, but altogether decent.

New Crichton favorite? I think so!

From start to end, just fantastic! Michael has such a way of keeping your mind engaged and wildly entertained. Micro may take this to a new level. This is a wild, fascinating ride! Make sure you are comfortable, you are not going to be able to stop. I am going back for the second listening right now! ENJOY.