Commenced by the brilliant late Michael Crichton and completed by the visionary Science Writer Richard Preston, “Micro” is a high strung concept science thriller involving an explosive intersection between nano technology and microbiology. Nanigen, a company housed in an unobtrusive expanse of acreage in quiet Honolulu is on the cusp of making path breaking discoveries in pharmacy and healthcare by harnessing the untapped potential of various minute and minuscule species of fungi, insects and other micro organisms. For aiding and abetting Nanigen in its endeavours, its team of brilliant scientists invent an incredibly tiny prototype of robots known as micobots. A micro bot standing a mere half a millimeter tall is equipped with sophisticated technology enabling it to mine the earth for collecting hitherto unseen species. The creation of the micro bots is carried out at the incredibly complex tensor generator. The tensor generator powered by an immense magnetic force is used to shrink elements and substances to ultimately form the microbots.
However when 3 people who are closely associated with Nanigen are found dead, with inumerable razor sharp, fine and almost invisible cuts all over their bodies, and when 7 brilliant graduate students (ethnobotanists, arachnologists, herpetologists etc) arrive at Nanigen for a prospective recruitment, only to promptly go missing, alarms are raised about both the nature and purpose of Nanigen’s existence. Meanwhile the high flying venture capitalist and CEO of Nanigen Vin Drake seems to be unruffled by the unfortunate turn of events. Does Vin Drake hold within the entomed vaults of Nanigen secrets too very dangerous to be let out? What has befallen the fates of the 7 innocuous graduates whose only aspiration was to further their research prospects at Nanigen?
“Micro” is a racy, frenzied one sitting read which at its end will have the reader wondering about the ethical dilemmas plaguing the field of Science during a time where technological developments sky rocket at a blinding speed – often at the cost of moral values and principles.
