Prey
Ratings153
Average rating3.7
Almost a little too scientisy for me, but overall a really good story and well written book!
I listened to this book and maybe that was a misstep. The narrator was not good but also the dialog was very clunky. So it's hard to pull those apart. The idea and plot point is fun but it's executed in a weird way. I love Jurassic park but I feel like I've read better nanomachine fiction.
I'm sure it made a lot of sense when Crichton first experienced this as a fever dream. Didn't translate on paper.
While I have been compared to Michael Crichton in a few big reviews, he is still the master of the science-based monster story. Jurassic Park should probably also be on this list (the movie had a profound influence on me...back when I wasn't reading novels), but for me, Prey is the most readable of his books, and the first of his I read that was in first person. That stuck with me, and over the years, I've shifted most of my writing from third person to first.
So I had to start and stop this many times and maybe that's why I am only giving it three stars. Overall, this was pretty interesting and a good introduction to this author. I really liked the concept and the mixing of the sci fi and horror genres but it's not going to make it into my absolute faves.
Looking forward to reading more from him though!
Compelling and thought provoking. As I was reading it felt like a combination of two other books I read this year: Artificial Wisdom and Jurassic Park. You could image this as a movie or a tv series. Keeps you guessing until the end.
Michael Crichton is the smartest guy in the room and he knows it. In fact, he'll tell you he's the smartest one in the room. Several times. Whereas someone like Dan Brown is of (maybe?) above average intelligence pretending to be a genius, Crichton truly was one. Keep that in mind when reading his books.
This book was kind of a mess, honestly. It starts off with a fairly intriguing hook, starts to get interesting, and then kind of hits a wall. From that wall, the novel sort of devolves into nonsense. I gotta say, though, Crichton really tied up nearly every single plot point and loose end except the ones pointed out by the protagonist. That was a welcome change.
Part sci-fi, part gov't thriller, this book was a roller coaster to say the least. Each chapter I would rate differently but all things considered I'd say maybe a 3-3.25 is fair.
This was pretty fun too, but also not one of Crichton's best. (Better than Sphere, though).