Prey
Book description
In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles—micro-robots—has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self-reproducing. It is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive.
It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming…
Why read it?
2 authors picked Prey as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?
Highly relatable domestic strife sucked me into the stay-at-home dad’s plight before ratcheting up into world-shattering stakes.
I love how grounded in reality the suspense is. First, in the characterization, then in the technology, which never became too technical. This all confirmed for me why Michael Crichton is the master of the techno-thriller.
The chilling premise is just as big as Jurassic Park, but given this year’s advances in artificial intelligence, much more credible to me and all the more worrisome.
To me, Crichton’s strength was taking scientific knowledge/achievements and crafting stories that showed how they could impact us.
Yes, he took those to extremes (DNA sequencing to create dinosaurs, robots that revolt against their human masters, and so), but that’s the job of a writer. Prey is not his best-known work but is mesmerizing in terms of the type of future that could exist. His story uses a mix of swarm technology, biology, and AI to craft a cautionary tale, with a main character who has to fight to save his loved one.
Crichton uses biology as part of his…
From Michael's list on a future we probably want to avoid.
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