I have admired most of Crichton’s earlier works but I found Prey to be simplistic in writing style and too predictable. His writing style seemed that of a ’younger’ Crichton, or perhaps a first novel.
His characters lacked true emotion and compassion. I would have liked to feel something for these characters, some emotion that would grip me, make me care whether they lived or died. As an avid reader, if you don’t give a damned about the people in the story then you certainly don’t give a damn whether you finish the book or not. So when I say ’’Prey for the end’’, I mean it.
Prey was predictable and formulaic--so much so that it diminishes any ’terror’ a reader might have felt.
On the good side, Prey is an easy read, because of its simple dialogue.
I’m looking forward to reading a Crichton novel that really delves into the ’meat’ of both charater and plot. Stories should be told ’through’ the characters, by their thoughts and feelings.
As for preferred Crichton reading, I’d recommend Timeline, Eaters of the Dead or Congo.