I just finished reading "Prey" (2002) by Michael Chrichton, and I just had to say something about what a complete waste of time it is. It's about nanotechnology, so I was hopeful because of the wide range of possibilities he could explore. Instead, it was a poorly concieved rehash of his brilliant Andromea Strain, without a shred of the story-telling ability of the original film. It just didn't make sense, in terms of either technology or character motivation.

The worst part for me was that the story was so obviously pandering to the current computer rendering capabilities of hollywood. I could easily picture all the gee-whiz graphics that would be installed in the flick to cover the absurd, slow-pitched storyline. Were you impressed with the sandstorms in "The Mummy Returns" (2001)? Well, so was Crichton, because right after he saw it, he undoubtedly rushed home, took the technology buzz de jour, nanotech, layered both over the plot of his first film success, and popped out this looser during a long weekend.

Perhaps, after the phenominal success of the Jurrasic Park series, he's just gotten lazy. Too bad, because there was a time when the guy could really put a yarn together. I'm just thankful I didn't pay for the book.