They won't hurt you if you don't fight them...
589849
I've read some of Crichton's early work like Andromeda Strain and Terminal Man as well as his recent novels like Next and Micro. In my opinion Prey was written at the peak of his career. And boy does it show...

The first part is the setup for the rest of the book. It contains the perfect amount of mystery and character development to make you feel like you are right in the story. It's amazing to me how Crichton is able to make characters so relatable and so, dare I say, human. Things move slowly in the first part but with just enough bread crumbs relating to the bigger storyline that is developing.

That storyline, and the science involved in it, are flushed out more in the second part. Part two is definitely more fast-paced but still keeps you in suspense. The science and technology explanations in this portion were a little harder to follow but you are able to still grasp the basic idea, at least enough to stay in the story. Crichton starts to present more of the ugly side of this technology, as well as the unsettling and disturbing power it holds. But that also sets up the plot even further as you can begin to see the roles that the main characters are meant to play out.

The climax of the book is appropriately in the last part of the novel. You can feel the wheels of the story spinning faster and faster here. And yet the suspense keeps building and building. The climax finally happens and won't soon be forgotten.

A great read with the trademark aspects of Crichton novels: suspense, thrills, the perfect dose of horror, and science and technology run amok by well-intended but largely flawed people.
1358450
Besides the HEA which keeps me reading the genre, this book deserves to be read as a warning to anyone finding themselves in a relationship of unequal power and threatening violence. The threat is real and fearful instincts should be enough. Find an escape, most towns/cities do have a phone line and a way to help you and children exit the house safely, and a home base to begin again. Of course its not that easy or so simple, but one point made here is that more than one woman alone, women together cause change.  Wrote this review to support a decent book which was free. It isn't preachy, it just has a storyline that resonates....
4774661
This is a team that is usually strong but nevertheless it must be protected if your job is to risk being hit or falling. This is a very good option for protection. Thank you.
430127
Anyone that nay have friend trouble. Never turn your back may not know what the have planned for you. Like they say "keep your friends close, your enemy closer!"
3528987
Interesting what people will do to bring down others.
971380
Rory Miller does NOT do a lot of things in this book. He is not a social or political scientist.  He does not posit himself as an "expert" in self-defence. He does not boast a huge MMA/boxing/kickboxing fight record. He does not blather on (as some authors have) about all of their "streetfighting experience." He does not make himself out to be some military "Commando Joe" & BS about his tours in Iraq or Afganistan.
  What he DOES DO is speak to his experience as a cop and martial artist.  He has dealt with imprisoned puss-bags on a daily basis.  If you think that imprisonment makes them less dangerous,sorry to disappoint. Prison is college & grad school for criminals.  It is where they learn to be more ruthless sociopaths than they already are.
  Miller offers a way for DTIs to think about violence and how to train for it.  He cuts a ton of crap thinking out of the equation.  He explains why what you think will work will not. He puts violence & fighting in a proper context: a million miles away from sport martial arts.  Best yet Miller tells the truth about self-defence expertise: THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS A SELF-DEFENCE EXPERT.  Disagree??  Read the book and you will not.
4680198
So if you're a good citizen our laws protect you in the U.S.A., right?  Wrong! It's not just movies made for entertainment showing the exceptions to what you think the rules are. The truth is that if you get caught up in the web of our legal system through no fault of your own, you and your family have a dim chance of getting out of that nightmare. The "system" protects itself, not you. Read and learn! Be aware of the games. Even paranoid people are followed sometimes.
4141454
I got into a fight and used them, the padding felt alright on my face and I split the other guys lip. 4 stars as the fight did not have a clear winner.
4895896
Trying to put the past behind them was not to be
Skills taught but shouldn't be used
A fight to the death
Could things ever be the same
2042866
You won't find fancy moves or sparring tips in this must-have work. Strong teaches you the critical principle of awareness, which is more important for saving your life than how many trophies you've won in competition. If you can avoid dangerous situations before they develop you won't have to fight.
3290193
Fun for 8-year old battles, no one hurt so far : )
3605291
These work, but they're a little bulky. And you can catch them on stuff. Please don't smack anyone while you're wearing one of these, I'm sure it will leave a mark. :-(
Note: You shouldn't be smacking anyone anyway. It makes Jesus cry. ;_;
2897741
Great toys for kids to be able to play with, beat each other with and no one gets really hurt. I think in the past few years we have worn out a few of these, but considering what I can get them for when the price drops on amazon, I just replace them. The kids and their friends have fun with them and my wife has no fear that anyone will get truly hurt. Now then, do not get me wrong they hurt a bit when you get whacked with them, but not like other toy swords, especially plastic ones, that we have had in the past. You get hit, you yell "OW!" and keep going.

So if you got kids that want swords to play with and/or beat each other with and you do not want to make "boffer swords" these are fantastic!
1481479
Stand up for what you believe in and more importantly understand how to overcome roadblocks to winning. Bring it on.
341015
War is senseless. There are no winners, only survivors. And those who cause them are rarely held accountable.
For the uninitiated, I'll add to this excellent summary of close infantry combat, an observation of my own, from the Nam and the middle east: war is butchery. There are no rules but to win by any useful means. And humans are capable of acts of horror beyond imagining.
There's just the living with it afterwards...
Better not to go to war in the first place, except in self-defense. There's no other reason.
2355497
Good topic, many who carry for self-defense think the trouble is over once the threat is stopped, but it can really be just the beginning...
2144351
Everyone gets hurt. Some succeed anyway. The author tells us how she did it. Her story is free of sentimentality. in explaining how she overcame being knocked down, the author suggests that the reader rely on
God, family and one's backbone to move on and to move up.

I liked it.