Estimated reading time: 8 minutes
Short Summary
Michael Crichton has entrenched himself in the science-fiction genre as well as any author could hope to, and while he has gifted us with many enthralling and thought-provoking works over the years, few have stayed with me the way Prey has. In this story published back in 2002, he follows a small group of scientists desperately attempting to reign a plague in… a plague which consists of nanobot swarms, evolving more and more rapidly with each passing hour.
Table of contents
Michael Crichton’s Cautionary Tale
Within the genre of science-fiction works can be classified into a whole host of sub-categories, and as fascinating as they all might be, few relate to us as much as the stories which extrapolate the technologies we currently have and are working on. More often than not, these books end up serving as cautionary tales of how we might harm ourselves should we take things too far without adequate contingencies in place, and in my opinion, few show it as well as Michael Crichton‘s Prey.
Though it may have been published back in 2002, there is nothing naive about this book, and as a matter of fact, I would say the lessons we ought to draw from it are more current than ever, but more on that later. The novel begins by introducing us to Jack Forman, stay-at-home-dad, and currently unemployed software engineer due to a whistle-blowing attempt gone wrong.
Though it’s not exactly ideal, his existence is manageable, largely thanks to the fact his wife Julia is an executive for Xymos, a company focusing on nanotechnology, and is apparently working on some revolutionary new imaging techniques more advanced than anything ever seen before. Her behaviour becomes strange, even borderline abusive, all culminating in a car wreck leaving her injured and out of commission.
As a result, Xymos turns to Jack and wants to hire him as a consultant for the project Julia was spearheading, a sensical move since he wrote much of the code for the nanobots they are seemingly having trouble with. Seeing the opportunity to kill two birds with one stone – get himself back in the work market and find out what Julia was working on – he accepts their offer, and is soon flown out into the Nevada desert.
Upon his arrival things appear strange, with the few engineers and scientists there seeming extremely tense and on-edge. The revelation can only delayed from him for so long: they have managed to create clouds of nanobots, programmed to act like swarms together, which were then blown out into a vent which the contractor failed to install a proper filter on.
They seem harmless enough, barely visible and lacking any predatory instincts, but they are roaming the desert around the building, and have stopped responding to the radio signals which usually control them. Jack thinks this will be an easy fix… Jack has no idea the world’s fastest-growing nightmare is only beginning for him.
Fighting an Intelligent Cloud in Prey
To begin with, I would like to note that yes, it is true the novel takes a little bit to get started, delving into Jack’s personal home life to a greater degree than most authors would find appropriate. However, thanks to Crichton‘s impeccable writing style and the way in which he subtly relates the content of the earlier passages to the rest of the story, I would say this work’s to Prey‘s benefit. Knowing the main character’s state of mind and the context in which he exists helps us care for him, helps us wish him to succeed.
In any case, once the story begins to touch on Julia’s research it starts to pick up some steam, slowly ramping up the suspense and mystery surrounding her project, as well as her odd behaviour, creating a general sense of unease even before Jack gets to the main location. I think the early part of the book is worthy of its own accolades, with Crichton masterfully creeping up on the meat of the plot, not unlike a predator would creep up on its prey.
Once Jack finally does set foot on the research site and acquaints himself with the problem at hand, the book adopts the pace of a high-stakes thriller, while still preserving its hard science-fiction soul. Our protagonist explains how he believes the nanobots function, and even though he’s often discussing some high-level concepts, they are always diluted into more digestible solutions and perfectly-explained through metaphors and analogies.
Soon, it becomes apparent that Jack and his team are facing an enemy unlike any other, virtually invisible and undetectable, capable of changing its behaviour, of adapting, and most disturbingly, of evolving and learning from previous experiences… all while self-replicating. The only thing working to the advantage of the few humans standing between it and its release into the world is the fact that they still obey their programming, the “PREDPREY” software Jack himself once wrote.
Watching this battle of wits is nothing short of totally absorbing, with genius ideas being piled one on top of the other, achieving creative solutions to seemingly impossible problems. Watching our characters wrestle against an enemy they barely understand, studying its every move and exploiting its weaknesses in unlikely ways is, in my opinion, the peak of entertainment science-fiction can offer.
Increasingly Relevant Every Year
When this novel was published back in 2002, the topics of genetic engineering, agent-based computing algorithms, artificial intelligence, emergent behaviour and nanotechnology were still discussed on largely theoretical levels. For many, they were little more than intellectual exercises, trying to peer into a future and discern which fantasies might be possible.
Fast forward to today, and unlike some ideas which show their non-viability over time, the ones I just mentioned stuck around. Not only that, but they’re becoming increasingly realized, with each passing year bringing new breakthroughs which expand the horizon of endless possibilities before us. We might not yet be capable of achieving what was described in Prey, but from what I understand, we’re moving in a direction which makes it possible.
As much as it is a hard science-fiction thriller, Prey is also a cautionary tales for all of mankind, especially the scientists at the forefront of our greatest technological revolutions. Many inventions have been turned into means of then-unimaginable destruction, and nanotechnology coupled with artificial intelligence might truly spell doom for us all.
Micheal Crichton isn’t just giving himself into good old-fashioned fear-mongering here either. He explains and demonstrates in great detail exactly why our foray into the fields around which the novel revolves could prove unimaginably disastrous. He shows the models according to which things spin out of control, and then convincingly makes them play out through his story. While his heroes have the benefit of plot armour, we can make no such claim for ourselves.
It’s always strange to see the reality of our world inching closer and closer to the fantasy of yesterday’s science-fiction stories, but perhaps this shouldn’t be too surprising. After all, as Crichton explains it, evolution seems to be ever-accelerating for all beings, and perhaps within our lifetimes we will see humanity catch up with the nightmares it once had for its own future.
All we can hope for is that when the time comes, we will know better than to destroy ourselves… although, given our track record, maybe we ought to find something else to hope for.
| PAGES | PUBLISHER | PUB. DATE | ISBN |
|---|---|---|---|
| 384 | Harper Paperbacks | Feb. 5 2013 | 978-0062227201 |
The Final Verdict
Prey by Michael Crichton is, in my opinion, one of the best hard science-fiction novels I’ve had the pleasure of reading. It has the pacing of a thriller, a small but strong and diverse cast of characters we get to know quite well, a unique enemy for them to intellectually contend with, and broaches on numerous fascinating and unnervingly-relevant topics relating to modern technology. Additionally, Crichton has obviously not only done a large amount of research when it comes to the “science” aspect of the novel, but went above and beyond to make it accessible to the average person.
Whether you’re interested by the topic of nanotechnology and are keen on seeing a few bright minds wrestling against while also learning a good deal on the topic, are searching for a hard sci-fi novel equal parts riveting and enlightening, or are simply in search of a new Crichton novel to dig into, I highly recommend you give Prey the attention it sorely deserves.
John Michael Crichton
(October 23rd, 1942 – November 4th, 2008)
John Michael Crichton was an American author and filmmaker whose books sold for over 200 million copies and been adapted into films on over a dozen occasions. The awards and accolades he received are too numerous to list in their entirety, but among them are the 1969 Mystery Writers of America’s Edgar Allan Poe Award for Best Novel for A Case of Need, not to mention he wrote some timeless classics such as The Great Train Robbery and Jurassic Park.
