Prey

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.