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

Entertaining, but not great

Some truly thrilling and imaginative moments, but limited character development, and a story arc that lacks depth.

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.

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.

Well done!

Great book, well thought out, sticks to the author's style, leaves ypu wanting to hear more.

Good book but...

It was a good listen but there were a few too many impossible situation where the heroes emerge.

Crichton's absence is felt heavily

The main plot of the story contained everything a Crichton fan loves and expects: a group of intelligent people put into a seemingly impossible situation with their niche experience and expertise as their tools of survival. Perhaps a little too similar to his other works, it still entertains and educated. Where this falls short is the trademark payoff during the last quarter of the story that we're all used to. Maybe the co-author was trying to follow the trail of bread crumbs Crichton had left, but the unexpected twists and edge-of-your seat crescendo just wasn't there. Unceremoniously knocking off likeable characters and keeping the annoying ones along for the ride made it less enjoyable. Overall, a great idea with poor execution.

It was ok

If you are a fan of MC you will probably find it worth listening to. Pick some high tech near future topic, add some sci fi and intriguing story telling and you have a reasonable story. I would put it in the vain of Prey or Jurassic park type story quality.

Entertaining World Cartoonist Characters

The premise was promising but the characters and dialogue were disappointing. Their reactions felt contrived and I really struggled to believe that anyone would act the way they did.

poor pronunciation of common hawaiian words

its a really good story, but....i was distracted by how awful the narrator mispronounced the hawaiian words. I'd like to see at least a little research done

ehhhh

the book was ok but too similar to Timeline. The plot was ok, but the survival rate was suprising.