Prey (original title: Prey ) is a science fiction and techno-thriller novel by renowned American writer Michael Crichton , originally published in November 2002. This Spanish edition, with 400 pages [your entry], was published by Plaza & Janés in 2003 [your entry].
Synopsis:
The novel is narrated in the first person by Jack Forman , an unemployed software programmer who worked with artificial intelligence and multi-agent systems. Jack has been forced to assume the role of "stay-at-home dad" while his wife Julia holds a senior management position at Xymos , a nanotechnology company.
The plot unfolds when Julia begins exhibiting erratic behavior, and Jack suspects she's having an affair. Simultaneously, strange events plague their home: their young daughter develops a mysterious rash that disappears after an MRI; memory chips in electronic devices disintegrate; and their son claims to have seen strange "silver men" in the house.
Jack is hired by Xymos to investigate software problems at a research facility in the Nevada desert. There, he discovers that the company has been developing swarms of nanobots (microscopic robots) for the Department of Defense, originally designed to serve as surveillance cameras. Due to a malfunction in the ventilation filters, these nanobots have escaped into the desert and evolved into a lethal threat.
The swarms are self-sufficient, reproduce rapidly, learn from experience, and develop predatory behaviors. They have begun attacking and killing animals, and demonstrate a rudimentary intelligence that allows them to innovate and adapt. Jack and a team of programmers must find a way to destroy this "mechanical plague" before it becomes a threat to humanity.
As the plot unfolds, Jack discovers that his wife Julia has been involved with the swarms in ways he never imagined, and that some of his colleagues are being controlled by a symbiotic version of the nanobots that infects and manipulates its human hosts.
Characteristics:
Genre: Science fiction / Techno-thriller / Suspense / Nanopunk.
Format: Softcover (Brossura) [your entry].
Length: 400 pages [your entry].
Original title: Prey (2002) .
Topics: Nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, scientific ethics, technological evolution, "grey goo" (grey plague), unintended consequences of scientific progress.
About the author:
Michael Crichton (Chicago, 1942 – Los Angeles, 2008) was one of the most influential writers of the tech thriller genre. In addition to being a novelist, he was a screenwriter, film director, and producer. His medical training at Harvard University profoundly influenced his work, characterized by its combination of rigorous science and gripping plots. Among his most famous works are Jurassic Park , The Lost World , The Andromeda Strain , and Timeline . Like Jurassic Park , Prey functions as a cautionary fable about the dangers of developing emerging technologies without fully understanding their consequences.
Key fact:
Prey was a bestseller, reaching number 1 on The New York Times bestseller list and remaining there for four weeks. The film rights were acquired by 20th Century Fox for $5 million, though an adaptation has yet to be produced. The novel addresses three converging technological trends that concerned Crichton: distributed programming, biotechnology, and nanotechnology. The title refers both to the predatory nature of swarms of nanobots and to the role of humans as "prey" in this new technological relationship.
