<p> In the Nevada desert, an experiment has gone horribly wrong. A cloud of nanoparticles -- micro-robots -- has escaped from the laboratory. This cloud is self-sustaining and self -reproducing. It Is intelligent and learns from experience. For all practical purposes, it is alive. </p> <p> It has been programmed as a predator. It is evolving swiftly, becoming more deadly with each passing hour. </p> <p> Every attempt to destroy it has failed. </p> <p> And we are the prey. </p> <p> As fresh as today's headlines, Michael Crichton's most compelling novel yet tells the story of a mechanical plague and the desperate efforts of a handful of scientists to stop it. Drawing on up-to-the-minute scientific fact, Prey takes us into the emerging realms of nanotechnology and artificial distributed intelligence -- in a story of breathtaking suspense. <i>Prey </i>is a novel you can't put down. </p> <p> Because time is running out. </p>