<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>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, takes us into the emerging realms of nanotechnology and artificial distributed intelligence -- in a story of breathtaking suspense.</p> <p>Read by Robert Sean Leonard</p> <p>Introduction read by Michael Crichton</p>