<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>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, <i>Prey</i> 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>