Prey - Hardcover

Crichton, Michael

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0732281202 ISBN 13: 9780732281205

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd, 2004

Synopsis

From the Number One international bestselling author of Jurassic Park comes this classic Crichton page-turner, weaving together heart-pounding thrills with cutting-edge technology.

Deep in the Nevada desert, the Xymos Corporation has built a state-of-the-art fabrication plant, surrounded by nothing but cactus and coyotes for miles and miles. Inside, eight people are trapped – because outside, waiting for them, looking for them, is a predatory swarm of micro-particles that they themselves created. The swarm is getting bigger and more powerful by the hour, and they must find a way to stop it before it gets inside – unless it’s already too late...

Once again, Michael Crichton combines up-to-the-minute science with relentless pacing to create an electrifying techno-thriller.

About this title

Review

In Prey, bestselling author Michael Crichton introduces bad guys that are too small to be 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 whistle-blower Jack Forman used to specialise in programming computers to solve problems by mimicking the behaviour of efficient wild animals--swarming bees or hunting hyena packs, for example. Now he's unemployed and is finally starting to enjoy his new role as stay-at-home dad. All would be domestic bliss if it were not for Jack's suspicions that his wife, who's been behaving strangely and working long hours at the top-secret research labs of Xymos Technology, is having an affair.

When he's called in to help with her hush-hush project, it seems like the perfect opportunity to see what she's been doing, but Jack quickly finds there's a lot more going on in the lab than an illicit affair. Within hours of his arrival at the remote testing centre, Jack discovers his wife's firm has created self-replicating nanotechnology--a literal swarm of microscopic machines. Originally meant to serve as a military eye in the sky, the swarm has now escaped into the environment and is seemingly intent on killing the scientists trapped in the facility. The reader realises early, however, that Jack, his wife and their fellow scientists have more to fear from the hidden dangers within the lab than from the predators without.

The monsters may be smaller in this book, but Crichton's skill for suspense has grown, making Prey a scary read that's hard to set aside. It's not without minor flaws: the science in this novel requires more explanation than did the cloning of dinosaurs, leading to lengthy and sometimes dry academic lessons. And while the coincidence of Xymos's new technology running on the same program that Jack created keeps the plot moving, it may be more than some readers can swallow. But thanks in part to a sobering foreword in which Crichton warns of the real dangers of technology that continues to evolve more quickly than common sense, Prey succeeds in gripping readers with a tense and frightening tale of scientific suspense. --Benjamin Reese

Review

Praise for Michael Crichton:

‘One of the most ingenious, inventive thriller writers around... Another high-concept treat... written in consummate page-turning style’ Observer

‘This is Crichton on top form, preying on our fears about new technology and convincing us that we aren’t half as afraid as we should be’ The Times

‘Mixing cutting-edge science with thrills and spills, this is classic Crichton’ Daily Mirror

‘Crichton masterfully maintains the suspense throughout the fast-paced story ... Prey will invade your nightmares for a long time to come’ Time Out

‘A satirical black-comedy thriller... Crichton writes likes Tom Wolfe on speed... completely brilliant...’ Daily Mail

‘Crichton pulls off a slick thriller at a cracking pace’ Daily Telegraph

‘Exciting ... a master storyteller’ Sunday Telegraph

‘Terrific fun. The pages whip by’ Independent

‘A gripping, impeccably researched thriller’ Evening Standard

Edition details

• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers (Australia) Pty Ltd
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 0732281202
• ISBN 13: 9780732281205
• Binding: Hardcover