Outside Book Blog 5. Good vs. Evil?

Is there a protagonist vs. antagonist plot in the book Prey? Yes, as the story goes on there are two round characters that are developed into the good vs. evil. Jack is really defined as the leader, the protagonist against the swarms. The swarms to start out as just mere tools but through their evolution they become self sufficient and true adversaries to Jack and his team. The swarms become the antagonist for they pose the greatest threat to the other characters. Through most of the story there only seems to be the problem of recapturing a lost swarm. Until you learn they can reproduce, hunt and kill, and even evolve to take over some of the characters along with their personality traits. Julia and Ricky may be considered as the "bad guys" but ultimately its the swarms b/c the swarms are mimicking the looks and personalities of Julia and Ricky. Even other characters join the fray of trying to stop Jack, but only because of the influence of the nanoparticles. I believe the nanoparticle are the main evil of the plot. They are programed to do whatever it takes to achieve their goal, but use deception to take down Jack. Like many other antagonist characters they are trying to stop the "good guys" spoiling their plan. They have a mission and they are at battle with another character. Jack along with is team of researchers and programming experts are the other side trying to put a stop to the swarms. Prey has the usual "good guy vs bad guy" background but with a good twist. I found it extremely interesting and I like the concept of how the nanoparticles evolved into the antagonist from just a mere problem. They may be machines but machines can definitely play the role of evil and they do in Chrichtons "Prey". Good vs Evil, I think, is a big theme along with how technology can be dangerous through misuse.

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Outside Book Blog 6. Animoto

Outside Book Blog 4. Character Analysist: Nanobots

Yes i believe that the nanobots are the main antagonist character in the plot. They do start out as simple machines but were made to evolve at an exponential rate. The bots were meant to help advance the field of medicine but the research to a twist when the army asked for a favor. They wanted to develop an infiltration system unlike anything seen before with the nanoparticles. Due to haste and lack of good research a program is created for the swarm telling it solve problems by any means necessary. When the swarm is let loose into the environment it learns to feed and live in the desert in just a matter of days. As time goes on it learns to reproduce to help it achieve its goal faster. While Jack is stationed at the complex the swarms are learning to mimic movements and visuals of the characters stating in the lab. Near the end they have perfected an exact way to copy the characters like Ricky and Julia. The swarm even takes on their identity in an evil way to better help them achieve their goal. Julia still tries to show affection (though its fake) towards Jack when she is infected and Ricky is still an idiot when he is infected.The particles are smart and capable of knowing that they cannot be flat if they wish to infiltrate the complex where the team is hiding. I think the nanoparticles evolved from just a symbol in the book to a crucial main character, They learn to adapt and are the adversaries to Jack, Mae and the others. If the particles were not counted as a character then i think the story would some of its climax and if some of its meaning on how technology can turn on us if used wrong. The particles are the evil and are the antagonist of the the story. They are deceiving and very manipulating. They would out match Jack and his team easily if they evolved just a bit farther. The swarms pose the biggest threat and know what they are doing.

Outside Book Blog 2. We must tread lightly.

The book Prey illustrates the problem of advancing technology and research getting out of hand. Today technology has expanded greatly in a small matter of time and is used in every day life. In Prey the company Xymos is researching nanotechnology to help better medicine. However, while researching in the Nevada desert a swarm of nanoparticles get away. Due to corruption and irresponsibility chaos ensues. What was supposed to be used to advance medicine is instead used for the military. During the book you find that many consequences were not thought through and some characters lose their lives because of it. Technology is advancing to help make tomorrow better, but i believe Chrichton is trying to show that all the research must done thoroughly and correctly. It must be contained and done in a proper field. Xymos and their irresponsible research could have been a disaster and served an ill fate to many. The story may be fictional but its not just nanoparticle research that can be deadly and costly. Chernobyl was an incident where research was not conducted well and many payed with their lives. I think Chrichton is trying to give the message that technology is too big to just play around with. Neglect can leave destruction. Its mandatory that we take measures and precautions with our research and development. Chernobyl is just one of many incident where technology was used in the wrong form or fashion. If we're not careful, we can destroy our only home. Prey tells a story showing how we can neglect the outside world with technology. Chrichton is trying to reinforce that we can solve this dilemma by doing whats right and not take short cuts.

Outside Book Blog 3. Character Analysist: Jack

Jack starts the book out as a frustrated stay at home father after getting layed off. He has two children to look after while his wife Julia is off at works for hours during the day. Being the stay at home father he is always tired and run down but as also learned how to form a strong bond as a father with his children. Through out the novel he shows his leadership skills while looking for a way to destroy the swarm. He definitely plays the role as the protagonist and hero of the book. He is decisive with his planning and always seems to have a plan rolled up his sleeve in dire moments. He shows bravery when facing the swarms by trying to fight them off, but also plays it smart when he know the odds are against him. He is loyal to his team and thinks about how to save everybody other than just himself. He is very goal set in the sense that he does what he needs to do. He was sent to the facility in the desert to find a way to get the swarm(s) back and fix the problem. When he learns the problem is out of hand he knows that the only solution is to destroy the swarms before they evolve to far for anyone to destroy. The swarms are a very conniving, smart adversary but Jack does his best to out match them in every way so he can accomplish his goals before the swarms accomplish their goals. Jack is by far the leader but not the strongest of his team. He has great will power but his physical execution and timing isnt up to par with the swarms. He is very innovative and comes up with brilliant plans but without the help of some of his team he might have easily failed to the swarms. Mae plays a huge part in executing his plans. Jack is the protagonist and obvious main leader but lacks certain skills and aspects that other characters pick up for him.

OUtside Book Blog 1. Nanobots and Personality.

In Prey, the nanobots start out as simple machines with a PredPray program that allows them to solve problems. However, the program was manipulated along with how the robots were made. They learned to evolve at an extreme rate and solve any program. By the end of the book the nanobots had evolved to be able make a complete 3-D body form of the body they controlled. I believe they nanobots were not flat and that they took an evil identity of the person they were controlling. They were deceiving and very malicious with their actions. When Julia became a swarm she still had the personality of Julia but it was all fake. It was only used to achieve a greater goal but the swarm learned it could not be flat and monotone or it would fail to achieve its goal. I believe that the nanobots were not just mere opposition, but smart, conniving adversaries. The nanobots were engineered to evolve and the nanobots learned that obtaining a true human form as close to the body they controlled was the only was they could infiltrate the lab. I think if the nanobots were flat, Jack and the others would have caught on too easily and it wouldnt have gotten as severe as it did.