Point of View

The book is written in first person and is limited to Jack's point of view. This works well because the twist near the end of the book - that Julia and Ricky are serving as hosts to the swarms - could not otherwise be kept from the reader. Jack tells the story as he sees it unfolding over a seven-day period, while inserting memories and thoughts as a way to present historical facts. Explanations are offered by simply adding informational passages. These passages aren't clearly introduced, and some readers may find it distracting that the storyline is occasionally interrupted for these points. For example, Jack explains that the PREDPREY program was written using animal behavior as a model, describes the behavior being modeled, and tells the situation for which the program was designed. The information is vital to the full understanding of the story and presenting...