Title: Prey
Author: Michael Chrichton
Pages: 504
Paperback
Published: November 11,2003
Publisher: Avon Publishing
Synopsis: 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. (Goodreads)
Review: I adored this book. I gave it a 5/5 stars. This book was suspenseful and such a page turner. The man character Jack, a jobless computer programmer turned into a stay at home dad, suspects that there is something off with his wife, she has become hot tempered, absent from her family life and spending lots of time at work. He comes up with theories of what is going on, is she on drugs, having an affair or the long hours at work really wearing her out?
When he gets offered to go out to his wife’s lab to work on a computer code that his old company has been helping her with, he decides that maybe he could find some answers there. But, he is not prepared for what is about to be uncovered. His wife,Julia and her team of scientist have been working on a micro nano camera for the military using nano particles. All was well, until the nano particles began to evolve and think for themselves. Now, the scientist were no longer in control and the nano particles want to reproduce, going on a killing spree. Its up to Jack to figure out how to destroy them before its too late, but it won’t be as easy as he thinks. Because there are those who want to see them live.
This story was so fast- paced and intriguing that I could not put the book down. Micheal Chrichton, has a way of wrapping the reader up in the story even when he is giving background information and nothing is happening. This was a great read, the plot was something that I have never read before, and I was very involved with the characters. I was trying to figure them out and predict what will happen next. I think that was what made the book so much fun, it had a lot of hints to base predictions on but, it always took a wild turn. Just when you think, you have an idea how things are going to turn out, the novel takes you in a complete different direction. This is a must- read for fans of adult fiction/ science fiction. I defiantly think that this is a great read, for readers trying to get into adult literature as well. The book reads at a fast pace that you are never bored wondering when the action is going to start. It sucks you in, within the first few pages. After I finished reading this novel, I felt myself connecting little movie references or events that happen in my everyday life to the book. I throughly enjoyed it, it had an interesting plot that was very well developed and delivered.
The characters were hard not to either fall in love with or want to smack upside the head. Jack, was a lovable stay at home dad, which I just wanted to help out throughout the book, on the other hand his wife Julia, I couldn’t stand from the very beginning. I felt, that she was very underdeveloped as a character and could have played a bigger part in the novel if her background and what her involvement with nano particles was displayed right of the back. I felt that she was taken out of the main portion of the book way too soon, and didn’t return until the very end and I would have liked to have seen more of her.
The main antagonists were the nano particles themselves, and they were hard not to love. They were just so interesting and it kept me on the edge of my seat learning new information about them. I felt that they were tough, and the more information that was given to the reader about them, the more dangerous the entire plot turned to be and that kept me on the edge of my seat.
The plot was something that I was never exposed to and it was extremely new and exciting. I loved it. Overall, this was a fast paced novel, which kept me gripping to the edge of my seat. I would defiantly have to leave you with saying, if you have not been exposed to the masterpiece that is “Prey”, what are you doing, get up, go to the bookstore or the library and get your hands on it, you will not be disappointed.
marinainw0nderland 