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The Prey
The Prey
The Prey
Audiobook9 hours

The Prey

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars

3.5/5

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About this audiobook

“A compellingly drawn dystopian future.” BCCB

The Maze Runner meets The Hunger Games in this heart-pounding trilogy.

Orphaned teens, soon to be hunted for sport, must flee their resettlement camps in their fight for survival and a better life. For in the Republic of the True America, it's always hunting season. Riveting action, intense romance, and gripping emotion make this fast-paced adventure a standout debut.

After a radiation blast burned most of the Earth to a crisp, the new government established settlement camps for the survivors. At the camp, sixteen-year-old "LTs" are eager to graduate as part of the Rite. Until they learn the dark truth: LT doesn't stand for lieutenant but for Less Thans, feared by society and raised to be hunted for sport.

They escape and join forces with the Sisters, twin girls who've suffered their own haunting fate. Together they seek the fabled New Territory, with sadistic hunters hot on their trail. Secrets are revealed, allegiances are made, and lives are at stake.

As unlikely Book and fearless Hope lead their quest for freedom, these teens must find the best in themselves to fight the worst in their enemies.

Catch the rest of the series in The Capture and The Release!

LanguageEnglish
PublisherHarperCollins
Release dateJan 20, 2015
ISBN9780062346483
Author

Tom Isbell

Tom Isbell grew up in Illinois, and graduated from the Yale School of Drama before spending ten years as a professional actor, which saw him star in episodes of shows such as Golden Girls, Kate and Allie, Murder She Wrote and many more. He is now both a teacher at the University of Minnesota Duluth and an author. His debut, The Prey was published in 2015, and was followed by The Capture in 2016.

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Reviews for The Prey

Rating: 3.6464646464646466 out of 5 stars
3.5/5

99 ratings80 reviews

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  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Overall I liked the book, I wasn't a fan of the moments of death and the gruesome descriptions. I would recommend for 14+.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    This was a action filled story. The dystopian world of cruelty that Tom Isbell has uncertainty behind every corner. These kids in this book are strong, resiliant and braver than I ever was at their age. It is an up all night gotta finish the chapter, kinda book.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    An experiment has gone wrong in a lab in the Nevada desert. A swarm of nanoparticles (micro-robots) has accidentally been released into the outside world. And they evolve into something entirely more dangerous than planned...So far so good, it reads like a typical suspense thriller/horror book - something is out there to get us. We are outnumbered, all alone, isolated, weaker and we have to come up with a way to kill it before it gets too smart and kills us.... Nothing unexpected there. But it is really creepy, especially because it has one of those more or less open endings that you can interpret any way you wish. Reminded me alot of his "Andromeda Strain", although that still is my favourite Crichton novel to date.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Prey follows Michael Chrichton's cookie cutter template to a T. It opens with a mysterious death, progresses through events that the characters think should be impossible but ought not to be, and ultimately concludes with the scientists-shouldn't-play-God lesson that's typical of his other books. Additionally, the characters are all flat and fairly one dimensional, certainly none are memorable. It's a straight up thriller absent of any literary depth.But where Chrichton succeeds here are the same places he succeeds with his other books. The novel's science fiction elements are grounded in enough fact that you get the feeling of this-could-be-going-on-right-now. And indeed, the premise and concepts are interesting, which primarily deal with evolutionary artificial intelligence.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This was most probably my least favourite of Michael Crichton's books to date. While it had the usual well researched background (and acompanying bibliography) the story itself was not engaging on a "wow, this could really happen" level as is the case with most of Crichton's other novels. The sinister motivations of the antagonist (a swarm of nano-machines) also seemed a bit far fetched in a cheesey 70's sci-fi kind of way. The story itself takes place over a couple of days which the author took as a que to number the chapters by date and time - a technique I'm not that fond of because who really remembers that the chapter you are currently reading takes place on Tuesday 23 April at 14h35?From the back cover: In the Nevada desert, a handful of scientists are battling to retrieve a swarm of rogue micro-robots that has escaped from the lab. The swarm is self-sustaining, self-reproducing and capable of learning from experience. It is, to all intents and purposes, alive. And very, very deadly. Because it has been programmed as a ruthless predator, a predator that becomes more dangerous with every passing hour.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Michael Crichton would occasionally write books forewarning the general populace of new technology gone bad. For example, with Jurassic Park, it was dinosaur cloning.With Prey, the technology to fear is nanotechnology. Granted, it's mixed a bit with swarm technology, evolutionary algorithms, and genetic modification. But the root is nanotechnology: tiny little robots that can replicate themselves, and do stuff on a tiny level.The story is told through the point of view of the protagonist, an out-of-work computer programmer. He's eager to get a job before he reaches his "shelf-life."His wife, he's noticed, has been aloof with respect to the family. He fears the worse: she's having an affair. After she gets into an automobile accident, he gets a job offer from her company. He jumps right on it, part to have a job, and part to uncover the root of her mysterious behavior.So, at the lab, in the middle of the desert, he learns that a rogue swarm built for the DOD has escaped and is replicating in the desert. The odd thing is, though, nobody seems to want to take care of it.The book is a thriller, so there are plenty of twists, turns, explosions, and deaths at the hands of these fearful micro-automata. And in the end we learn a valuable lesson: stop messing with nature!The book itself was quite entertaining. Crichton was one of those authors with "universal appeal" that actually appeals to me. If you've liked other Crichton books about technology, you'll most likely enjoy this one as well.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Kinda weird and far-fetched... Interesting and easy to engage in. I wish he'd stop writing with so much "agenda" pushed in... sigh.
  • Rating: 1 out of 5 stars
    1/5
    Although the book is ostensibly about nanotechnology gone wrong, and includes a decent amount of info on nanotech (including a reading list at the back of the book), it really progresses more like a horror novel... As always with Crichton's books, the writing is very straightforward but eminently readable.... but too much of Crichton's extremly ill-informed and annoying personal opinions come through in the book.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    I thought it was so cool to be able to say "Oh I'm just doing some recommended reading for my CS class" when reading this sort of book. Yes, it's recommended reading for a class on Evolutionary Computation. The book itself wasn't amazing.. the writing was a little weird in places, almost as if he had the beginning and the end written and he was struggling to fill in the middle. But definitely an entertaining read for me, given my recent entry into the field of phage evolution. Is the science sound? Well.. he's got a nice reading list at the end of the book. That's about where the science ends. The rest I felt was just cool, science-y name dropping. Worth a read though :)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Interesting and exciting. A little farfetched but 5 years from now this treatise on nanotechnology is going to make him look like Jules Verne. Good mix of action and technology.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Very interesting book. Story keeps moving along with ease even through the technical information. It still makes the hair on my arms stand up with a think of how easily we could screw up and threaten so many people.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Prey by Tom Isbell is a post-apocalyptic story about a group of boys and girls who are being raised in settlement camps. It’s twenty years after the war that changed American forever. The boys find out that when they turn sixteen they will be used as prey for the amusement of hunters while the girls, all sets of twins, are being forced to take part in medical experiments. By the time they escape, the girls have all lost their twin. These kids with only a slim chance of survival search for a rumored territory where they could be free. As they are tracked by government soldiers called brownshirts and sadistic hunters, they only have themselves and each other to rely upon.I have seen a lot of really bad reviews for this book, many write it off as a cheap Hunger Games/Maze Runner rip off and I would say that is a fair assessment. But I really enjoyed both those books so I guess it’s no surprise that I actually found this a fun read. I do love my “survivor” books and this one, although stretching credibility a great deal, was satisfactory in that aspect. Unfortunately, the world-building and many characters lacked development which made it difficult to understand the whys and wherefores behind the premise of the book.So although I won’t recommend this book as a “must-read”, I do intend to follow up with the next book in the trilogy at some point.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The science in this book sounds farfetched and contrived. The author used out of control technology to create the thrill and suspense. Parts of the plot sort of played out like a TV movie. Not a bad read though.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This is the first book I read by Michael Crichton and it remains one of my favorite reads. Fast paced technological thriller that keeps you on edge until the very end. Despite the fact that it's been shown that the situation in this book is not actually realistic, Crichton builds a solid theoretical situation that feels completely plausible and draws you in.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    This started out excellent, I raced through the first couple of hundred pages, and pretty much decided I'd go on to read all his books if they were this good.Unfortunately this book is a bit like one of those suitcases in spy films which have a false bottom. After a sort of mini conclusion four hundred pages in, it then limps along for angnother hundred pages and blows itself out like an overambitious firework.All in all, this read like a Stephen King plot (very much like 'Cell' in fact), but whereas King would have spent ages building up personality, Crichton spends an equivalent amount of time describing the technology in excruciating detail. I think I prefer King's style - he can (and does) get away with simply saying OK there's this killer virus out there, or whatever it happens to be, and then describing the consequences. I have no problem believing that it exists. Michael Crichton seems to think we have to hear chapter and verse about the underlying technology, and I don't know about anyone else, most of it went right over my head.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Prey is a techno-thriller where Michael Crichton takes us deep into the world of nanotechnology. In this science space, millions of nanoparticles act as a swarm to achieve a common goal. However, what happens when the swarm evolves faster than the humans that design it? Crichton has authored a suspenseful story in which nanomachines are used to develop innovative medical diagnostic images by essentially creating a nano-eye that can traverse the blood stream, but all is not as it seems as the true reason for the technology comes to light.Michael Crichton spends a great deal of time on the scientific details of nanotechnology and distributed computer processing, which are essential in understanding the plot. Each nanoparticle is given a very simple program to run and a very small brain (CPU/Memory) to achieve its objective. As more and more particles are introduced into the system each particle communicates with nearby particles, in essence increasing the brain power of the machine. Crichton takes this a step further by allowing the swarm to learn and evolve at a rate much higher than expected. The result: Prey. A fun and suspenseful read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    Crichton starting to get a little silly with this story. Since he's come out of the "right wing" closet, this will be the last of his books that I buy or read.
  • Rating: 2 out of 5 stars
    2/5
    On of the'can't put down' variety for geeks & tech heads. It's all about nanobots blah blah.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    The paperback cover quotes the New York Times Book review in part "Terrifying . . .irresistibly suspenseful." Indeed, the story Michael Crichton spins has elements of terror and at times the suspense grabs hold of the reader and does not let go.A tale of science run amuck on the tracks of greed and stupidity. Crichton mixes an old formula with new science.The finish is written as if the Crichton has a deadline to meet. Definitely, unsatisfying for a Michael Crichton read.Fortunately, for the reader, a bad Crichton book is better than most other authors seem able to generate on a good day.Reduce your expectations and the book will be satisfying.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I really enjoyed this book once I got into it. It may not be the books fault, I was in Paris for the first time. I don't know why I haven't read more Michael Crichton. I always enjoy each book.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    The work on nanotechnology started innocently enough. But something's gone terribly wrong. A group of scientists have unwittingly created a monster. Microscopic robots that are programmed to hunt and can somehow evolve. When Jack gets a call from his wife's company, he has no idea what's going on. They need him to come and fix some bugs with the code he developed. The code that was used to create these robots. What Jack finds in the desert is more terrifying than he could have ever imagined. And there may be no way to stop it.Michael Crichton certainly knows how to build suspense. Right from the very beginning this book was compelling and the twists and turns kept it really interesting. Also, it was pretty darn scary. If you're looking for a well-researched thriller, pick this one up. I really enjoyed it and couldn't put it down.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    Kind of a standard mutant killer disease story, except that this one's caused by bacterial/nanobot hybrids. Standard Crichton writing--lots of scientific details (whether they're realistic I don't know, nor do I much care--I read his books as fictional thrillers, not as cautionary tales), and written with an eye to the eventual (inevitable?) movie.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Creighton takes us into the world of nano-technology and how the little things simply get away from you, and breed faster than a yardful of rabbits. (The "prey" is us, you know.)
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    I liked this one; fast-paced and exciting, even if it was a little unrealistic.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    Wow. I loved this. While providing a good tale, Chriton weaves in disaster prep, weighs in with a bit of information on bioengineering, and asks us to think these issues through.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Okay, I usually don't write reviews but I just had to this time. It kept my interest till the last 5 chapters.
    Spoiler Alert!!!!
    It was too unrealistic and ridicules that after they defeated the last group of hunters that they didn't bother to take the guns to protect themselves. They took their bows and arrows instead. Really? You're running for you life and you leave the guns?
    Also at the end, the LT's decide to go back for the others they left behind without food and supplies. Ruined the entire ending for me. If they were smart enough to get to the new territory why were they so stupid to return without food, water, clothes?
    So disappointing.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    A decent thriller style science fiction story. It presents some really interesting ideas about Artificial Intelligence melded with biology in a totally engrossing plot. Has detailed notes at the end about his sources and where the ideas came from. A must for science fiction fans.
  • Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
    5/5
    This book is among the best thriller books I have ever read. It is scary and at the same time full of suspense. You simply cannot put it down. The ability to create a bridge between fiction and non-fiction is something few authors could do and in this case Michael Crichton is a master.
  • Rating: 3 out of 5 stars
    3/5
    Definitely one of Crichton's weaker entries. A lot of this novel, especially the ending unfortunately, was predictable. The usual punch in the face that Crichton provides when it comes to issues of science and ethics is also missing. Beyond the obvious Nanotechnology=bad, there's no deeper argument. Readable, but not a must read.
  • Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
    4/5
    The Michael Crichton technology play-book is pretty set. It goes like this: (a) find some type of technology that is scary, (b) have a reckless company dabble in this technology without any kind of safety protocol, and (c) have a virtuous hero who vainly warned of the potential troubles ahead of time save everyone's bacon in the end.Prey follows this script pretty closely. The scary technology is nanotechnology. The reckless corporation is Xymos. The virtuous hero is Jack Forman, and although he doesn't warn of the dangers of this technology ahead of time, he makes up for it by realizing how dangerous it is right away, even though no one else seems to be able to without his help. He is also made to seem even more virtuous because his wife works at Xymos and was the one who authorized the reckless experiments. She is also cheating on him, just in case you didn't figure out that she was a bad person.The nanotechnology story itself is fairly well-done, and the protagonist's efforts to control the rapidly evolving swarm makes for an interesting and exciting plot. However, Crichton's heavy-handed moralizing about evil corporate greed and the obviously reckless and foolish behavior of the corporate officers detracts from the impact of the book. If the story had a little less of that, it would have been a lot better. As it is, it is only a modestly entertaining diversion.