Prey by Michael Crichton

Pete — Wed, 09 Nov 2005 20:58:00 +0000

They say:

“This is Crichton on top form.” - The Times

“Classic Crichton. You’ll love it.” - The Mirror

“Like taking a speed-reading course, your eyes flying across the page because you’re completely gripped and desperate to know what’s going to happen.” - Time Out

I say:

“This is pap” - *Me*

“Classic pap.” - Me again

“Like taking a speed-reading course, your eyes fly across the page because it’s written to the reading level of a 12 year-old.” - Guess who?

Well, that’s a bit unfair. I genuinely liked the first half of the book. The premise is this: a secret research lab (is there any other kind?) has developed a super-intelligent, self-replicating swarm of tiny robots that are capable of adaptation and evolution. Sounds like a recipe for disaster, right? Well, you can guess what happens next. No, really - there are no surprises in this book.

My main problem is this: it reads like the plot of a mediocre B-movie from start to finish. Crichton has produced a great premise for a modern day sci-fi horror. But then he doesn’t really take it anywhere - it’s like he ran out of special-effects budget halfway through writing it. Imagine the horrifying consequences of a constantly evolving swarm of nanobots spreading across the US, destroying everything in its path. Well, you’ll have to imagine it because you don’t get it here. Crichton limits the action to the research lab, as if he were personally responsible for financing the inevitable Hollywood adaptation.

It reminds me of the film “Hollow Man” in this respect. Again, a great premise (a scientist discovers how to turn living creatures invisible), but it just descends into a sub-Alien run-away-from-the-scary-monster-in-a-confined-space-fest in the last third. In both of these stories the potential’s there, but the conclusion is sorely lacking.

Prey is acceptable as a forgettable, trashy read, but it’s nothing like as thought-provoking - or as good - as Crichton thinks it is. If you liked Jurassic Park the book, you’ll love this.

(In the unlikely event I’ve persuaded you to get this book, why not buy it from Amazon?)

KimandPete.co.uk: Prey by Michael Crichton

Prey by Michael Crichton