Prey
A Novel By Michael Crichton
Copyright 2002
Review By Nathan Stoetzel
"Considering that we live in an era of evolutionary everything [. . .] it was surprising how rarely people thought in evolutionary terms. It was a human blind spot. We looked at the world around us as a snapshot when it was really a movie, constantly changing [. . .] We denied the reality of change. So change always surprised us [. . .] And I had been surprised by the change in the evolution of the swarms [. . .] I should have anticipated that. I should have looked for it, expected it. If I had, I might be better prepared to deal with the situation now." (Crichton 324-325)
"I was dying. As I closed my eyes, I fell to the ground, and the roar of the air chandlers faded into cold and total silence." (Crichton 169) "[It] kept going, kept evolving. And they let it [. . .] I'm afraid that will be on the tombstone of the human race. I hope it's not. We might get lucky." (Crichton 364) |
Prey is a fictional novel written by Michael Crichton in which a stay-at-home dad is called back to work at his original company as a lead programmer. He is given the task of solving some issues with the program's distributed intelligence which has plagued the facility for weeks. Soon, Jack will realize that the problems he meets are far past a programming error and can't be fixed. The only option left is to destroy them . . .
The book is a very well written book that involves a lot of scientific references—including both chemistry and biology—that are better understood with prior knowledge. However, this novel can be enjoyed by anyone seeking to embark within a thrilling, action-packed journey we call a "book." The book starts off slow, as any good journey does. First, you need to pack your bags, filling them up with all the information leading up to the current moment. However, once your up to speed, the story takes a sprinting start that leads you into depths you've never experienced before and changing your view on the future of science forever.
Prey is a novel that I'm most definitely willing to read again and again. Once you reach a certain point in the book, you'll never go back. It gets really interesting once you get about an eighth or a quarter of the way through. What's really cool about this book is that it's more of a journal than a novel. The main character, Jack, starts every entry with the day number and the time of day. The book only takes place in a week's span (Days 1-7). Furthermore, the book is divided into four sections, titled: Home, Desert, Nest, and Prey. As most books are, this novel is written in the past tense, but once the reader reaches the last day (Day 7), verb tense switches to present and the reader experiences the story at the same moments, it feels like, that Jack is writing in his journal.
I would personally rate this book at 5/5 stars. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone looking to extirpate their boredom.
I would personally rate this book at 5/5 stars. I loved the book and would recommend it to anyone looking to extirpate their boredom.
You can buy the book here.
Also, you should be sure to check out Kyle VanDenHeuvel's review of Prey here.
And, check out Matthew Zoet's review of Jurassic Park, also written by Michael Crichton, here.
Also, you should be sure to check out Kyle VanDenHeuvel's review of Prey here.
And, check out Matthew Zoet's review of Jurassic Park, also written by Michael Crichton, here.