Prey by Michael Crichton

Have you ever thought about microorganisms you inhale day in, day out?
How about the itch at the back of your neck as you read this blog entry?
Are you really sure that the air you breath is clean? The itch is harmless?
Why don’t you reach back and scratch that itch... just do it before you continue to read this posting… :-P

Which brings us to the review of this book entitled “Prey by Michael Crichton”; because miniscule particles are not as harmless as it seems.

Published in year 2002, this novel is based on tale of misguided bunch of scientist creating nanobots based on genetically modified E.Coli bacteria for Department of Defense. Pushed into the main storyline is our protagonist, Jack Forman who used to be a top notch artificial software programmer until he was booted out for revealing his boss’ under-table dealings.

Being a house-husband and his wife (who works as VP for Xymos, a nanorobotics company) as sole breadwinner pushed him to the brink of emotional roller coaster as he suspected his wife for having an affair behind him (clues: very tight clothes, late night bath before sleep, late night phone calls and wearing those “f*ck-me-heels”).

Things started spiraling down when his kid was afflicted with severe rashes only to be cured instantly when they loaded her into MRI scan. He was then offered by his ex-boss to work with his old gang of programmers to rein in a swarm of escaped nanoparticles, which shows obvious sign of evolving, reproducing, self-sufficiency and the ability to learn and innovate.

Wait a minute... this is boring book review... what am I doing writing a formal book review!!
Crazy me… let me restart…

Ahem…!

This book is about a bunch of people trying to rein in a bunch of escaped nanoparticles originally designed for military purposes. So basically it’s about human against a swarm of nanoparticles with intelligence!

So did we (as human) wins?

Of course we win, we always win due to our ingenious; think-out-of-the-box intelligence. The team of protagonist in the novel smoked, lured, tagged (not individually-lah of course), tailed, before finally bombing the swarm’s hideout.

In the end, the swarm is not the only problem they have because some of the “smarter” swarm has found a way to co-exist symbiotically with humans!

Yes ladies and gentlemen, some of the particles decided that living inside a human host and propagates via kisses (or something else not mentioned in this book :-P) is the best way of surviving amidst the land of crazy Homo-sapiens.

But of course, our heroes in this book will not let this happen without crossing over their dead bodies. So they combat back with more particles; which is bad for the symbiotic particles but harmless for human; and after that, they bombed the place to smithereens to complete the annihilation.

What do I think about the book?
Hmmm… I think I got smarter after reading it :-D

I can now talk about the potential harm of tweaking stuff on minuscule level without considering its future consequences.
It would be like introducing vector A to kill vector B only to realize that vector A is harmful to the environment and will go on to kill vector C, D and E.

Told you I’m smarter now...hehehe…


Personal rating: 7 out of 10

Cons:
1) Sometimes long winded explanation on scientific stuff; which is essential to the progress of the storyline but drags the pace of the story itself

Pros:
1) Ingenious assimilation of family problems with technical mumbo-jumbo in one action packed storyline.
2) One of few novels I’ve read with citations to actual thesis/dissertation/white paper on actual researches done.

Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho

"Once upon a time, there was a prostitute named Maria"

Grabbed your attention didn’t I? :-D

Don’t blame yourself. It’s a perfectly normal reaction because that’s how Paulo’s novel entitled “Eleven Minutes by Paulo Coelho” grabbed mine as well :-) not one, but twice!

What a grand way to start a book about prostitution.

Why it is titled “Eleven Minutes”? Why not “Twelve Minutes” or “X Minutes”?

If the title bugs you as how it has bugged me, the explanation (as what our protagonist, Maria “discovered”) is that on average; it takes only ELEVEN minutes to complete the whole act of copulation and yet people are obsessed with it. Now you learnt something new eh? :-P so go ahead and time yourself... hehehe...

Now back to the book review :-)

Contrary to what you read in other review sites, this book is not “porn-ish” enough to be categorized as porn, nor lurid enough to be lumped together with “Snuff by Chuck Palahniuk”.

In this novel, our pretty heroine; Maria suffers from her first unrequited love and determines that she will never trust anyone with her heart again. A chance encounter on her trip to Rio promises her an opportunity to leave her Brazil homeland to an "adventurous trip" to Switzerland.
From thence onwards, our heroine was pushed into sleazy limelight; working first as dancer and then as prostitute by night and voracious book reader by day.

The difference between Maria and normal prostitutes (as depicted in the novel) is that Maria is constantly on the search for the “sacred sex” and not the “wham-bang-thank-you-maam” kind of experience.
She “endured” the job and accumulated enough money for her trip home only to defer her decision when she met 2 guys of different persona.
A painter named Ralf Hart; who lost interest in the sexual part of the relationship and on the lookout for “sacred sex” himself. And a guy simply named Terence; who drove Maria out from her usual sexual experience and embark on a dangerous ride towards pleasure of sadism and masochism.

So who does Maria chose in the end? Sacred sex or S&M? Read this review until the end if you wanna know the spoiler :-P

If I’m a naïve girl reading this book (this is only an assumption :-P), I might be convinced to try and seek out the “sexually filled self discovery journey” befitting Paulo’s theme in this book. Just joking :-D

In my opinion, plot of this novel does not deviate far from Paulo’s consistent theme derived from his hit-selling “The Alchemist”. Books by Paulo (at least the ones I’ve read) tend to favour the prospect of self discovery. In this case, "Eleven Minutes"; though packaged in the world of prostitution and sex, does not disappoint. The only plus point is that the reader gets to peek into a world rarely seen from the sexual workers’ point of view.

So after reading this book twice (as mentioned earlier), perhaps I can start to pen my own book which starts off with:

“Once upon a time, there was a gigolo named xxxx” :-P

Spoiler ahead:
So, who did Maria chose in the end?
Ralf Hart of course! Who would want to get tied up, candle wax dripped on their skin or spanked all the time :-D

P/s: Thanks to this “porn-ish” book, I went on to create a “mini-library” of my own with catalogues of books I’ve read and books I’ve reviewed. In fact, this is the only book that I read twice without realizing it (once in paperback, once in e-book).


Personal rating: 6 out of 10

Cons:
1) I think it sounded too Disney-like albeit with sexually charged promise of “living happily ever after”. So reader should be open-minded when they read this book.

Pros:
1) Insight into the world of prostitution

The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton

Excerpt from the main opening of the book entitled “The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton”.

Satan is glad – when I am bad
And hopes that I – with him shall lie
In fire and chains – and dreadful pains

- Victorian Child’s Poem, 1856

You know you’re in for a good ride… errrr… a good read when you have Michael’s book in your lap. His book is thoroughly enjoyable and is often irresistibly delicious to read. So much so that forsaking your sleep to turn the pages and read seems worthwhile.

Written in 1975 (way before I was born :-P), this book is what I would categorize as one of the most readable book despite being written mostly in Victorian Era’s speech and slang. Unlike "DBC Pierre’s Vernon God Little" which read like a choked carburetor, this book is such a joy to read that I felt somewhat smarter in Victorian slang after reading it :-)

Great example (from the book) would be:
“Pierce asks him the question, see, but he shows no interest in the matter, he plays like a flimp or a dub buzzer, or a mutcher, no interest or importance, and this because he don’t want the skipper to granny that a bone lay is afoot. Now the skipper should have done, we went to a lot of trouble on his account, and he could have put down on us to the miltonians, and for a pretty penny too, but he hasn’t the sense, otherwise why’d he be a skipper, eh?”

Catch no ball? Explanation’s in the book :-) So if you feel like knowing what’s afoot in that particular paragraph, then don’t hesitate to grab this book ASAP.

Now back to the review :-)

With Victorian era England as the backdrop, this novel is about a charismatic but enigmatic protagonist named Edward Pierce, who assembled a “crack team” in their attempt to steal the shipment of gold transported monthly from London to France in order to support the Crimean War.

Crucial foundation of this robbery is to get their hands on keys to the heavyset safes used to keep the gold shipment. This is easier said than done because each of the keys are located and safeguarded by different personnel at different locations. On top of that, multiple levels of security are added to make the shipment as safe as possible.

Though faced with various impossibilities, our anti-hero managed to plan and execute it flawlessly until his main accomplice “turn nose” on him.

The story was told from various point-of-views; in which, primary “voice” is uttered evidence during court proceedings (when they were finally caught but Pierce managed to escape in the end and Agar was sent to Australia in exile). As the story progresses, Michael managed to infuse additional information and clarification on customs, slang and bits and pieces related to Victorian era England, which made the overall read an enjoyable one.

If I were to imagine the book as an ice-cream, then the taste would be rum raisin... my personal favourite... :-) tasty and you’ll definitely feel sated long after you’ve finished the book.
Frankly I don’t know what I am trying to say here... hehehe... aiya... cincai la... :-P


Personal rating: 9 out of 10

Cons:
1) I couldn’t find any flaw with this novel. No wonder it was adapted into movie starred by the good looking old man :-) Sean Connery (I haven’t watched the movie yet though)

Pros:
1) An enjoyable read. So much so that I have “panda eyes” as I read right till late night :-D

Vernon God Little by DBC Pierre

What a f*cken sh*tcase book. The problem with this f*cken book is that it is filled with so many f*cking words in its f*cking paragraphs that I think it should be renamed as “The Greatest F*cken Book” ever.
This book is so thoroughly laced with profanities that it should be placed behind bars lest the minors read it.

Despite these f*cken profanities (pardon me but I’m getting hooked by the sound of it now :-P), it emerged as a surprise winner for the Man Booker Award 2003. Surprise surprise indeed :-)

After such an interesting opening, let us move on to the boring part of the book review; which is the book review itself. Hey, I didn’t say book review is cool & fun... in fact, it is hard to do you know... sob sob sob (Drama King took over again :-P)

What can I say about this book? Hmmm… let me think… ummm… (Give me some time here, I’m trying to sound intelligent now :-D)

Told from Vernon’s point of view, this book is about his misadventure starting from the small town of Martirio (where he lives with his widowed mother). Vernon’s friend, Jesus Navarro killed his schoolmates before turning the gun on himself. As for Vernon, he is the unfortunate soul to shoulder the dishonorable title of a scapegoat in a town lusting for revenge and retribution. Fearing for his life, he goes on a run to Mexico only to be caught by the police.

With this fact, his “fate” as a fugitive and accessory to murder is sealed and his lifestyle came under intense public scrutiny often with hilarious effects and anecdotes.

After an intense and highly charged court prosecution; when it seems that all hope is lost (here’s the spoiler :-P); he is saved by none other than the sh*t he shat when the murder happened. Yes, you heard that right, they found the class paper he used to wipe his a$$ and prove without reasonable doubt that he has a solid alibi, thus ending the speculation that he’s the accessory for the killings.

So what do I think about this book? Truthfully? Please read on then :-)

Besides being filled to the brim with profanities (as mentioned earlier), this book is laced with even more Texas jargons and slang that reading without stumbling (or re-read) seems impossible.
The flow of the story is not “flow-y” enough to be enjoyed. Think of it like driving a car with chocked carburetor or clogged fuel injectors.
In fact, I have difficulties finishing this book despite it getting great reviews (not to mention accolades by being crowned the Man Booker Winner for 2003).

So without mincing my words, I HATE this book!

It is supposed to be a satire about everything and anything American but the joke about killing your classmate touches on raw nerves.
In my opinion, the satire falls flat and depiction of the dumb-dumb Vernon who supposedly represents the angst ridden youth of America is so out of tune and thoroughly misguided.
As I read this book, I could feel my hatred growing for such an obnoxious and downright stupid character of Vernon.
If these facts did not deter you from reading this f*ucken book, I don’t know what else would. However, if you insist on buying this f*ucken book, please read thru the front, mid and end section before you part with your hard earned money.


Personal rating: 4 out of 10

Cons:
1)I thought the review is filled with negativity? Still not enough to deter you from buying it? :-P


Pros:
1) What is good about the book? Hmmm… perhaps the boldness of DBC Pierre of taking such a topic and satirised it to his whims and fancies.