Jack Forman is a computer expert, but he's currently out of work. Thus, he finds himself in the role of househusband and primary parent to his three kids while his wife works. Moreover, Jack's wife is spending more and more time at the office and less and less time at home. Fearing that she's having an affair with a co-worker, Jack takes a temporary consultant position with his wife's company in hopes of finding out where he stands. The job involves dealing with a programming problem that has arisen at the company's high-security lab located out in the Nevada desert, which just happens to be where Mae Forman has been spending most of her time lately. What Jack finds when he gets to the lab is a far cry from what he anticipated.

PREY finds Michael Crichton at the top of his game. His game, of course, is the techno-thriller, and he's one of its top proponents. Predictably, PREY is long on action, suspense, and plot, and rather short on depth and character development. That's what you expect from Crichton, and that's just what you get here. It's a great read and I, for one, found it hard to put down. More than that, though, there's a scariness to this book that goes beyond the parameters of the story. This isn't like JURASSIC PARK or TIMELINE, with their far-fetched technological premises. PREY is about nanotechnology, and nanotechnology is real. There's an immediacy to this story that makes more compelling than most thrillers.

I don't claim to be knowledgeble about nanotech, so I'm not prepared to comment on the plausiblity of the events depicted in PREY. It may well be that PREY is totally fantastic. Nevertheless, there are companies currently engaged in the development of this technology. You can't help but wonder... Check out the comments from industry experts in Crichton's brief introduction.

PREY is Michael Crichton at his best. The tech is current and compelling. Characters lack depth, but the story is fast-paced and will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. If you enjoy this type of book, PREY definitely won't let you down.
Jack Forman is a computer expert, but he's currently out of work. Thus, he finds himself in the role of househusband and primary parent to his three kids while his wife works. Moreover, Jack's wife is spending more and more time at the office and less and less time at home. Fearing that she's having an affair with a co-worker, Jack takes a temporary consultant position with his wife's company in hopes of finding out where he stands. The job involves dealing with a programming problem that has arisen at the company's high-security lab located out in the Nevada desert, which just happens to be where Mae Forman has been spending most of her time lately. What Jack finds when he gets to the lab is a far cry from what he anticipated. PREY finds Michael Crichton at the top of his game. His game, of course, is the techno-thriller, and he's one of its top proponents. Predictably, PREY is long on action, suspense, and plot, and rather short on depth and character development. That's what you expect from Crichton, and that's just what you get here. It's a great read and I, for one, found it hard to put down. More than that, though, there's a scariness to this book that goes beyond the parameters of the story. This isn't like JURASSIC PARK or TIMELINE, with their far-fetched technological premises. PREY is about nanotechnology, and nanotechnology is real. There's an immediacy to this story that makes more compelling than most thrillers. I don't claim to be knowledgeble about nanotech, so I'm not prepared to comment on the plausiblity of the events depicted in PREY. It may well be that PREY is totally fantastic. Nevertheless, there are companies currently engaged in the development of this technology. You can't help but wonder... Check out the comments from industry experts in Crichton's brief introduction. PREY is Michael Crichton at his best. The tech is current and compelling. Characters lack depth, but the story is fast-paced and will keep you turning the pages to find out what happens next. If you enjoy this type of book, PREY definitely won't let you down.