Book #73 - Micro

I have loved reading Michael Crighton’s books. They are amazing in their concepts, ideas, and execution. He’s a great writer and has quite a mind. I was surprised to see this book as a new book since I knew Mr. Crighton passed away, but there’s a co-author, who I am guessing finished, or worked with, part of a novel.

Micro is the story of micro-sized organisms and technology, but not what you might expect. It starts with a PI in Hawaii investigating a Nanigen technologies. He appears to be mysteriously attacked, with cuts on his body and flees to his employer. When he and two others are found dead, apparently stabbed in a locked room, it’s a mystery.

Meanwhile we have a group of post-grad research students working in Cambridge at Harvard. They are approached by a venture capitalist who funded Nanigen with the offer of employment, and exciting work in Hawaii. One of the student’s brother is high up in the company, and they decide to go on the trip. As they prepare, the brother is apparently killed in a boating accident in Hawaii.

I was expecting nano-technology, or micro robots, but that’s not what the movie is about. It’s a much different story, and I don’t want to give it away, but it’s rather exciting. Not really plausible or believable, but if you accept the premise, it becomes an amazing look at the micro-sized world of a rain forest in Hawaii mixed with action, adventure, and biology.

I enjoyed it, and while I kept thinking of snags in the technology, I ignored them an enjoyed the story and was surprised at the almost horror movie rate at which people were killed. The ending was a bit cliché, though the route to get there wasn’t. An enjoyable read.