Micro: A Novel

As a political scientist who got his PhD in Hawaii, l just could not put it down. The mystery was spell binding and the lesson is so multifaceted that we can all find something to lose sleep over

I went into 'Micro' knowing full well that Michael Crichton left a draft manuscript on his computer, and that it was Richard Preston who filled in the story. If you go in knowing that, you can set your expectations properly.— STORY —The story of Micro is high-concept: a Rated-R version of 'Honey, I Shrunk The Kids.' What would happen if you took that old movie, kept the adventure, but had very serious consequences? That's Micro. After a mysterious introduction to hook you in, Micro follows the story of seven scientists with various specialties relating to the fields of biology. They are recruited as potential job candidates by a big corporation when something happens, and they are stuck as shrunken people. Using their brains, they have to work together with their specialized knowledge to escape the harrowing real world of Mother Nature.The concept of shrunken people is a big stretch but go with it. This book explores that concept as realistically as possible, with Michael Crichton bringing some real world science to help sell it.— DRAFT —Knowing that this was still in draft mode, I'm sure Crichton still had a lot of research to do to explain and convince us of certain plot elements. Because of this, the story is not as fully detailed as a typical Crichton book. I think Richard Preston did his best to translate and get across what I can only assume were ideas that were still in development.The writing and dialogue seemed... simplistic. I think I'm not the only one with this opinion. It reads very high school. I'm not sure if this was because it was rushed, or because they wanted the writing at a level that would reach a larger audience. In any case, I'm just glad that we got one more Michael Crichton book.— SUMMARY —If you want a fun adventure story, Micro is for you. The book reads almost like a screenplay, and I could already imagine the soon-to-be-released DreamWorks film. Recommended.

Knowing this novel wasn’t entirely authored by Crichton, may he Rest In Peace, made me skeptical going in, though I have enjoyed the bit of Preston I’ve read over the years. MC certainly had a knack for weaving complicated scientific subjects with fiction - just enough explanation without being boring or overwhelming to those unfamiliar. Here, the overall pace of the novel just felt off.Upfront, most of this review dwells on the negatives, however, I did read through until the end. It was -just- interesting enough to keep the page-turning happening.Spoilers to follow:-The Shrinking. For some reason, this took me by surprise, which in itself is a rarity - not enough coffee when I read the beginning is my guess. I almost put the book down, visions of the horrible ‘Honey, I Shrunk the Kids’ film crowding my head. I decided to continue for another 50 pages, and ended up reading through to the end, so...-There’s a few characters that provide so little to the book, it’s a wonder they didn’t get cut in editing, or at the very least combined with others to make for a smoother read, such as with the shrunken group. I never found that MC wrote hugely fleshed out characters, but here, calling most of them one-dimensional might be too kind. I found no attachment to anyone in the group whatsoever; not that I wanted them to be hurt or die, but when they succeeded at something, or lost someone, the feeling evoked was, ‘ok, next page’, as opposed to actively rooting for them, being relieved, upset, angry, happy, -emotional-!-A couple characters exist simply as expositional vehicles, rather than having such information be delivered via narration; after the third or fourth time this happened, all I could do was shake my head. It felt unnatural...people don’t often speak this way. One or two others were used only for their research specialty, period, which was convenient for convenience’s sake.Furthermore, their acceptance of what had happened, their adjustment to it, as well as many of the dangerous issues they encountered, the deaths of their fellow lab acquaintances, they all pretty much rolled with, even the whiny/pessimistic characters.-The setting itself, within the forest, was the best character for me, and despite how some of the information was related (unnatural character-speak), I really enjoyed the science and technological aspects! Though the book was over 500 pages (per my Kindle), it felt as though it needed to be longer, as so much page-time was action-oriented. I wanted to know more about the processes involved with the shrinking, the environment they were in, the robot and other tech created. It’s this that kept me turning the page, not the characters. The one exception was Rourke...he could’ve been a novella on his own. Instead, he was introduced very, very late, and (it seems) died soon after.-There were a number of times I wondered about the logical thought processes of the characters. For example, at the beginning, I felt Peter was really, really jumping the gun with the evidence he had...but the shrinking had to get started somehow, I suppose. Good thing for the plot that Drake quickly turned into a “mwah-ha-ha” villain! And then Danny, at the end...I don’t understand why they just let him stay like that in Rourke’s home, what with his arm, not even in the magnet room...but here again, the story had to start its conclusion somehow, no?In the end, Micro did provide some interesting action, and a couple of surprises within its pages. For sure, it brings a load of nightmare fuel, depending on your personal fears. The science, the tech, and the setting were all fantastic, and I wanted more. The characters were nearly translucent, the plot roller-coastered from believable to plausible to ridiculous several times, and the overall writing simply wasn’t as smooth as you’d expect from either Crichton or Preston. Worth a read if you buy it on sale or borrow it from a friend or library.

Wow, a riveting read, I have always liked Michael Crichton and Richard Preston. I could not put this one down. Fascinating, gripping, amazingly descriptive.

Crichton always provides a good story with the scientific facts and details. I learned all about the world of insects and the science of robots. The book is never ending in what might and will go wrong. However it was a little too fantastic for me.

Crichton nailed it again. Micro made me think more about how our God can breathe out stars but also made things so incredibly small, complex and wonderfully (and fearfully) made! I wonder if the miniturization in this book will happen someday.

I can't over stress just how much I loved this book. The descriptions of the micro-world are fascinating, and, in one of the ways I so love the late Chrichton's works, and with a major contribution by my favorite non-fiction author Richard Preston, the book is, in a word: exceptional. Do yourself a favor and read Micro, it will challenge how you perceive the world around you, in the best way possible. 5/5stars, though Micro probably deserves 6!!!

Definitivamente não é um Crichton. Depois de ter revisitado os livros do Jurassic Park, quis continuar na esteira do Crichton e esse não tinha lido. Realmente, o Richard Preston partiu de uma ideia inacabada e montou uma estrutura em volta dela. Embora muito mais implausível do que os outros romances do Crichton, o que faz mais diferença é a grosseria das cenas, muitas vezes extrapolando na violência e acaba distraindo da trama e jogando na cara que você não está lendo o Crichton.Serve como um passatempo, mas não tem nem um décimo do charme do nosso querido autor.Na verdade, se a propaganda desse livro fosse honesta, deveria ser um livro do Richard Preston, baseada num esboço de Michael Crichton, e não colocar o nome desse último como autor.

una volta iniziato a leggere non ci si può più staccare dal libro. le descrizioni minuziose fanno sì che ci si immerga completamente nell'ambientazione! Lo consiglio vivamente

Me llegó enseguida y está perfecto.No me gusta casi nada leer y este libro lo compré casi por obligación de la escuela de idiomas, y ha sido ESTUPENDO!!! Un libro MUY recomendable

This guy has an amazing imagination. Hopefuly this could never happen.I really enjoyed the book & battled to put it down

I enjoyed myself tremendously with this book of adventure! Its fast-paced narrative will take you from first page to last in no time at all and you'll be sorry it's already over...