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mothreadsbookssometimes's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I reread Prey by Michael Crichton. I first read this book when I was 13, and it got me out of a major reading slump. I’ve been meaning to read it again for literal years… and unfortunately it didn’t live up to the nostalgia.
3/5 nanobots
Prey is a thriller about nano-robots and artificial intelligence. And it does that very well. The rest of the story’s plot lines… not so much.
For starters, the narrator is incredibly sexist. The first half of the book is almost entirely him speculating on his wife having an affair and using some really misogynistic language. There’s also some racism in the portrayals of a few side characters, which was very uncomfortable.
In addition, because I’ve read it once before, I knew the twist already. It didn’t affect a lot because it’s been so long that I honestly forgot most of the ending.
The first half is also just a slog. It’s the span of a week, but the narrator doesn’t do anything except get mad at his wife. He also goes on a multi-paragraph tangent about some science concept at least once a chapter, and that slows the pace down and it feels very unnecessary.
Fortunately, the second half of the book had a lot less problematic language and the pacing picked up. Once I got past the 50% mark, I flew through the book and it was far more enjoyable. But that first half dragged the rating down to 3 stars.
3/5 nanobots
Prey is a thriller about nano-robots and artificial intelligence. And it does that very well. The rest of the story’s plot lines… not so much.
For starters, the narrator is incredibly sexist. The first half of the book is almost entirely him speculating on his wife having an affair and using some really misogynistic language. There’s also some racism in the portrayals of a few side characters, which was very uncomfortable.
In addition, because I’ve read it once before, I knew the twist already. It didn’t affect a lot because it’s been so long that I honestly forgot most of the ending.
The first half is also just a slog. It’s the span of a week, but the narrator doesn’t do anything except get mad at his wife. He also goes on a multi-paragraph tangent about some science concept at least once a chapter, and that slows the pace down and it feels very unnecessary.
Fortunately, the second half of the book had a lot less problematic language and the pacing picked up. Once I got past the 50% mark, I flew through the book and it was far more enjoyable. But that first half dragged the rating down to 3 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Death, Body horror, and Violence
Moderate: Racism and Animal death
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