Beware The Swarm ...

Prey is another solid story from Michael Crichton. Probably most famous for his Jurassic Park series, Crichton is a capable author who has penned several other novels all of which that I have read, have been good. This book, although written almost two decades ago at time of this review, remains perhaps more relevant today than when it was written. We are forging ahead with both genetic engineering as well as artificial intelligence and the latter, in particular, is something to keep a very close reign on as we progress in this field. Prey is of a similar ilk to the classic Andromeda Strain also made into a cult movie of the same name back in the 70's. After reading the synopsis to this book and now having read it, it did seem to me that the spread of the threat was going to be very much farther reaching than dealt with in Prey. For the most part, the action takes place in and around the fabrication facility the nasty bugs were created in out in the remote Nevada desert. The end of the story does leave the reader with the possibility of a sequel. Alas, if there isn't one, there will likely never be one unless someone else takes up the reigns of this such as Crichton's unfinished "Micro" which was completed after the authors death by another writer. I liked Prey. Perhaps a bit slow to really get into the thick of things but once the real story starts the pace and action will keep you interested. My only real question about the story was why the scientists trying to kill the escaped bugs that kept close to the facility didn't have access to a hazmat suit. Given what I understood about these nasties, a simple hazmat suit would have protected the wearer against the swarms of deadly critters. Throw in a flame thrower and you have the means to eradicate them fairly quickly I would think without loss of human life. This is really the only area the story falls down a bit in my view. Crichton usually writes tighter stories than that so not sure what was going on there. The story has a satisfying final battle and we get to see how the infestation developed in their lair. An all around decent read.