Background:
Another book recommended to me, this time by my Dentist. He raves about this author and as I'm due for a check up next week I thought I better give it a go.
About the author:
Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in USA on 23rd October 1942. He was probably best known as ... Read review
InPrey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990'sJurassic Parksuch a blockbuster success. High-tech whis...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park such a blockbuster success. High-tech w...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
InPrey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990'sJurassic Parksuch a blockbuster success. High-tech whis...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park such a blockbuster success. High-tech w...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park such a blockbuster success. High-tech w...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park such a blockbuster success. High-tech w...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
InPrey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990'sJurassic Parksuch a blockbuster success. High-tech whis...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990's Jurassic Park such a blockbuster success. High-tech w...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
InPrey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be ... more
seen with the naked eye but who are no less deadly or intriguing than the runaway dinosaurs that made 1990'sJurassic Parksuch a blockbuster success. High-tech whis...
Postage & Packaging: £2.75 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Advantages: Interesting and well written book Disadvantages: Technically occasionally over my head!
Background:
Another book recommended to me, this time by my Dentist. He raves about this author and as I'm due for a check up next week I thought I better give it a go.
About the author:
Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in USA on 23rd October 1942. He was probably best known as the author of 'Jurassic Park' and the creator of 'ER'.
His first best seller 'The Andromeda Strain' was published while ... ...Novels, two screenplays and has sold over 150 million books worldwide.
About the book:
Jack Forman is an out of work scientist; he looks after his three children while his wife Julia works. She by contrast has a very successful and high powered job, while Jack struggles to even get interview in Silicon Valley.
Meanwhile in the Nevada Desert, the experiment his wife is in charge of at Xymos Technologies ... more
Background:
Another book recommended to me, this time by my Dentist. He raves about this author and as I'm due for a check up next week I thought I better give it a go.
About the author:
Michael Crichton was born in Chicago in USA on 23rd October 1942. He was probably best known as the author of 'Jurassic Park' and the creator of 'ER'. His first best seller 'The Andromeda Strain' was published while he was still a Medical Student. He has written 20 Novels, two screenplays and has sold over 150 million books worldwide.
About the book:
Jack Forman is an out of work scientist; he looks after his three children while his wife Julia works. She by contrast has a very successful and high powered job, while Jack struggles to even get interview in Silicon Valley.
Meanwhile in the Nevada Desert, the experiment his wife is in charge of at Xymos Technologies with nanoparticles and Micro robots is going badly wrong. A 'swarm' have escaped from the Laboratory and are destroying anything in their path. This cloud of particles is evolving and is threatening mankind as it becomes its prey.
Julia's involvement in its development and her irrational behaviour is upsetting both Jack and the children. He is appointed out of the blue by the company that let him go six months before to control and ultimately destroy this 'swarm'.
But can he do it, before it kills him and the rest of Xymos Technologies?
My thoughts on this book:
My overall though is this is an enjoyable, well written and fascinating read.
On the negative side, it took me a long time to feel I had got into the book and I wasn't at all sure initially where the book was headed. I also found the author's technical knowledge astounding. This at times left me confused and frustrated as I failed to understand what he was talking about. But to give him credit he usually managed to explain it in a form I could understand or at least think I could understand.
There were many positives in this book for me. The first being the storyline itself, which may sound odd as it took a while for me to truly get it, but once I did I found it quite spell bounding. Indeed I was reading it till 4:00am this morning!! With an exciting and plausible ending that explained everything and cleared up all the loose ends so it had a completed feel about the book.
I think for me if this is anything to go by Michael Crichton is an exceptional writer. His language and descriptive abilities are superb. He seems to consider all possibilities, while making the story exciting and real.
The main characters were all well described with clear well defined mannerisms. Jack the lead character I found very human and understandable, even if at times I found him very apathetic to his wife.
The chapters themselves were quite long (about 40 pages a time) something that always annoys me. But within them the author created many short and concise paragraphs that very naturally linked to the previous one, so I never lost interest.
Maybe an epilogue would have been good, as I was keen to know what happened in the longer term to Jack and his family.
Conclusion:
Excellent read. Definitely if you have never read a Michael Crichton give him a try. Certainly I will try another soon. I can now go and see my Dentist with a clear conscience at least as far as my reading is concerned anyway.
Published in Paperback 2003 by Harper. Price: Amazon £6.99 ISBN: 0-00-722973-9 About the author: www.crichton-official.com
Advantages: Page turning gripping action Disadvantages: Its not a film!
A cluster of biologically engineered nano particles are after you, they are so small they can move like air, getting into the smallest cracks, you are not safe from them. Every minute that goes past is a minute they evolve and become more intelligent which in turn makes them more dangerous. The question is with nowhere to run, how do you get away from them alive? The answer is; you don’t. Jack is a software programmer one of the best, when getting ... ...was having an affair, nobody would hire him, so he became a full time farther & husband. His wife; Julia was now bringing in the money; she is also in the same field of work. He has three kids; Nicole the eldest, Eric and a baby girl Amanda. His wife is spending more and more time at work, missing dinners more often, not spending any time with the kids. This is frustrating for Jack; they seem to be growing apart. Slowly suspicion starts to arise, ...
WierdAlien 12.07.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Prey - Michael Crichton
Advantages: It's a page turner Disadvantages: some academic patches slow the story
The best win I've had with a short story competition involved the tale of a man who was treated with nanobots - tiny machines that could fix his brain at a microscopic level. Here it is if you fancy a quick read:
http://www.orangelabyrinth.co.uk/web.php?id=749
Michael Crichton also writes about nanotechnology in his novel 'Prey' but in a fuller and much better developed story. It is common in SF novels that the reader is invited to look at the ... ...in terms of its pitfalls. That’s what I did in my story, ‘Has the Moon lost her Memory?’ and that’s exactly what happens in this book.
Many years ago I used to debate with a friend who was an engineer the possibility of AI leading to intelligent, self-acting robots and he dismissed the idea. Also at that time a computer programmer friend assured me that only mainframes were real computers and the PC would only ever be a toy. Of course, technology ...
FlameDruid 15.10.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Prey - Michael Crichton
Advantages: Good research as always Disadvantages: Typical Cricthon
...stop over the edge action. Prey is no different from others. Essentially, it’s the same story – A bunch of idiots in a huge research company manage to screw up their most advanced technology by not paying enough attention to smaller details, and all hell breaks loose!
<-- The Book -->
As I said above the story can be summed up in just one line I wrote above. However, the settings change for Crichton change. This time around Crichton introduces ... ...lines is actually a BOOK, Prey is more like a SCREENPLAY. And this is easily noticed, when proceedings in the book get more complex and thrilling. <-- Over all -->
Overall, its simply a un-put-down-able book. I finished the entire book in one sitting, and believe me, given Crichton’s characteristic; this one can hold you on till the last page. At the end of the book, I was left thinking about the possibilities about stuff mentioned in the book. ...
suyog 03.12.2002
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Prey - Michael Crichton
Michael Critchon’s novel ‘Prey’ is advertised as an international best seller – I just can’t see why!
I picked this book up for £6.99 in WH Smiths a few weeks back. The only other book I have read from this other is Jurassic Park and being a big fan of the book and having watched the film I promised myself I would read another one of his works!
I have to say I was a little disappointed by ‘Prey’, it was very one dimensional and I found myself guessing ... ...slowed to halt towards the end and predictably the book finished with a happily ever after ending.
Maybe I have been spoilt by the likes of King and Koontz but this book just did make the grade for me!
Based in the Nevada Dessert the book is very well researched and centres on nanotechnology. (Basically, engineering small machines this size of dust particles) It dips into evolution and animal psychology.
The book starts well and it’s a good hundred ...
kungfuclown 18.03.2004
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Prey - Michael Crichton
Advantages: Very educational and awe striking Disadvantages: Written in the Crichton school of book publishing
...but in the end it didn't come together in a totally great novel, to the extent of his other works such as Timeline or Sphere.
I would keep Prey so i can go back and learn again about the interesting technologies, but use his other books for fulfilling reads. ...
daily_sleaze 20.06.2003
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: helpful Review of Prey - Michael Crichton
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Advantages: Interesting, Unusual Disadvantages: Too Fast in Parts
MichaelCrichton, the author of Prey and the director of Jurassic Park, writes about his life from his early days as a medical student, to the time he spent working with actors such as Sean Connery while directing "The Great Train Robbery".
Travels, one of Crichtons more tame novels, tells the tale of his life. Many facts in here were not previously known to the public, and his feelings and emotions while going through his different occupations make the reader realise that the books he has written and films he has directed have been fuelled by his thirst for adventure.
This book is quite outstanding actually. While many other authors do their research, and learn from others, Crichton has actually been there, and learnt from what he has witnessed.
However, Travels does not only document the amount of expiriences he has been part ...
Advantages: Great writing and story. Disadvantages: Slow and hard initially to get into
Background:
I recently read my first MichaelCrichton novel 'Prey' to appease my Dentist. And as I am due back to see him next week I thought I would try another so we don't spend all the time talking about my receding gums and my lack of flossing.
About this author:
MichaelCrichton is not only a great writer of both fiction and non-fiction; he has also directed films such as 'The Great Train Robbery' in 1980. Always best know for his novel 'Jurassic Park' he has written 20 novels, 2 screenplays and been involved in 13 in the Production of 13 major films.
Storyline of the book:
An old scientist working for International Technology Corporation is discovered in the middle of the Arizona Desert, is found bewildered and in a confused state. Questions are asked by the Police and Journalists when this man dies and all ...
Advantages: Captivating read Disadvantages: Its not a film
I don?t read books very often, as I don?t get a lot of time (although I always seem to have time for a movie). But I usually end up reading a good book in the summer. I have a few favourite authors whose books I know will turn out well and prefer reading. MichaelCrichton (Jurassic Park, E.R, Prey) & John Grisham (Runaway Jury, A Time to Kill, The Firm) are two of the best authors around at the moment. And I would recommend their books to anyone.
Today I am focusing on John Grisham?s ? ?The Partner?.
One thing John & Michael have in common is the fact that a lot of their books have been turned into movies. And earlier this year Grisham?s ?Runaway Jury? hit the big screen. I went to watch this film and it reminded me of how great Grisham?s books are, and how intriguing they become. So as soon as I went home (or a few months later ...
