Prey
Harper Collins, London, 2002
ISBN 0-00-715379-1
Monika says:
After his trip to the Middle Ages in Timeline
Michael Crichton chose a highly explosive and modern subject for his next
book: nanotechnology and artificial intelligence. He has often been
accused of being against technology and innovation, always pointing his
finger at their inherent risks, and Prey doesn't seem to be an
exception here, dealing mostly with the incalculable dangers arising from
man playing God like in Jurassic Park. The
result is a gripping techno thriller, in my opinion Crichton's best book
since Jurassic Park.
As usual, the story begins pretty harmlessly. Jack has just lost his
job and taken on the role of homemaker and nanny for his kids, while his
wife Julia is working on a revolutionary medical project designed to
enable doctors to inject a swarm of nanorobots equipped with a camera into
their patients in order to obtain better diagnoses. One day, Jack starts
suspecting Julia of having an affair because she is acting strangely; then
his old employer wants to have him back as consultant because one of the
programs he developed allegedly causes problems. Jack isn't told that this
program has undergone further development and is now completely out of
control. Since he believes to be able to solve the problem without much
effort, he accepts the consultant job, even though a bit reluctantly.
The first thing about Prey I noticed was the unusual point of
view. The story is told in first person, and everything is shown from
Jack's perspective. Anything he doesn't know, the reader doesn't know
either, which makes the tension rise slowly but steadily. First I only
thought it was unusual for Crichton to tell a story in the first person,
then I soon came to appreciate it. I have complained more than once in the
past about the lack of character development in Crichton's books, but Prey
is a pleasant exception here. Some readers may find it too slow because of
this, I for my part thought it saved Jack from being yet another
stereotyped character; it made me care for him and wish he would still be
alive at the end of the story.
All things considered, Prey is still a typical Crichton novel
and won’t disappoint his fans. |
Any comments? Write us:
Monika
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