Congo

Crichton is a master in making the implausible feel utterly real. The assertiveness in his writing layers the novel with scientific, technological and anthropological knowledge so convincingly that even its most far-fetched elements carry the weight of fact. Some may feel deterred by his spewing of explanations mid action but me? I find it engrossing. And the best of it all os the fact that his writing genius doesn’t stop at that. There’s tension built and the action scenes are expertly paced, with tense sequences that glue you to every page. I couldn’t believe how fresh the novel still feels: despite being written nearly 50 years ago, its themes—corporate greed, technological ambition, ethical blindness—remain sharply relevant. Congo isn’t just an adventure tecno-thriller; it’s a reminder of how informed, decisive storytelling can make imagination feel prophetic.

"Congo" is the second book that I've read by Michael Crichton. The first being "Timeline." It's been quite a few years since I first read that book and I remember enjoying it very much. I failed to see the movie for it and really don't care to, especially now. When the film version of "Congo" hit the screens a few years ago, I enjoyed it thoroughly. It reminded me of all the old jungle flicks from the golden age of cinema. However, now having read the book, I feel somewhat cheated by its celluloid counterpart. This book is so much more engaging that it really is a shame how the movie fails to do it justice. While the core of the story, a team is sent out to find diamonds key to technological advances and they use a young grad student and his signing gorilla as cover to sneak into Africa, is still there, the book contains elements not even mentioned in the film. We get to know the expedition party a lot better in the book. We also have a lot more conflicts and meetings with the locals such as Pygmies, Kigani, and General Muguru and his men. Also, the gray gorillas are given a nice and complete treatment. I felt like I knew them better in this book than most of the human characters in the film. The film added quite a few things. For one, the gorilla, Amy, doesn't wander around in a boxy sign translator. Only Peter Elliot joins the group's escapade to the Congo, not his assistant as in the movie. The grisly death of the first team is found in the movie, but the book mentions nothing of Dr. Karen Ross having any type of relationship with one of the original team's members. In fact, she comes across as very frigid and uninterested in finding a boyfriend in the jungle. Tim Curry's character, while funny in the film, is non-existent here. The book moves at a very quick pace. Even when Crichton goes off on a class lecture about gorilla behavior or the advanced (for 1980) state of communications, he still manages to hold the reader's attention. Overall, this is a wonderful jungle thriller. If you enjoy authors such as Clive Cussler, you're sure to enjoy Crichton. His writing is intelligent, fun, and easy to digest even though it's full of factual information that, in textbook form, would be wretchedly boring. Highly recommended.

I have read most of Michael's books, and have seen all the films made from them as well. I hadn't read Congo, but had seen the film, which was almost universally panned. I liked the film, but after reading this well written, researched and intense book, agree a bit with the film's critics. This story is so well written and so researched, it is a great read on many levels. I read this one pretty fast, as it kept me engaged completely. Michael is really missed by myself, as he had so much more to give us. Highly recommended!

I enjoyed the idea and just wanted more of the story. I felt book kept switching in and out of the story to explain a back story or give an in-depth explanation, especially towards the end.

Though the language is a little dated at times (eg: saying Orientals for Asians) that doesn’t diminish the narrative at all. The story revolves around a young female gorilla named Amy who’d been brought to a lab as an infant after her mother was killed in the wild. Amy was taught to use sign language by Peter, a researcher, and could “speak” fluently. An expedition was formed to locate the ruins of an ancient city in the Congo rain forest and Amy and Peter were brought along. Different members of the expedition had various agendas for participating - scientific, exploratory, political, and good old fashioned financial - and were often at odds with each other. Ultimately the group finds much more than they anticipated. It’s a gripping read with exciting elements and unexpected twists that kept me fully mesmerized.

I really like Michael Crichton as an author and have read nearly all of his works. He is one of my favorite authors. There is one spoiler here, so I will put it at the end of the review so it is easy to avoid. Like most of Crichton’s works, the science in the science fiction is very plausible and the story is interesting; it pulls the reader along and held my interest throughout. It is well plotted, suspenseful, and exciting to read. Overall this is a very good book and I recommend it. The problem with this however is the same as with several others of his works. Spoiler ahead... May stop reading now... Unless you’ve seen the movie already... Read the book before... Heard about it... Or just want to keep going... It is like Crichton sometimes can’t figure out how to tie everything together sometimes to wrap up a good novel, so he just uses an unimaginative way to destroy everything and end it that way. A volcano blows up and destroys everything, or planes bomb things, or explosions happen. He employs this device to end several of his novels including this one. So 5 stars for the story overall, minus one star for the weak ending.

Outstanding as to be expected! Twists and turns merge to create a smooth great story from several adhesive mini adventures. Difficult to put this book down!

to me it's always the same with Michael Chrichton's books: I just can't lay the book away and am always in danger of missing my train station. A few years old, the technical equipment described in the book seems a litte outdated, but the topics like finding diamonds in Afrika, African politics and the evolution of apes and men are still prevailing.

One of the best book I have read. Fast paced and gripping

Ottimo volume, tascabile e ben scritto. Per chi non mastica inglese può risultare fattibile la lettura accompagnata da una storia interessante

Crichton sait raconter des histoires, c'est indéniable. Le petit côté "document authentique", histoire vraie, est assez sympathique. On apprend des choses, sans même s'en rendre compte. L'intrigue en elle-même est assez simple, mais les scènes d'action sont vraiment appréciables, on ne s'ennuie jamais.

Not sure why it took me so long to read this novel of which I was already aware! This is easily one of my favourite books now! - Jungle... Tick! - Adventure... Tick! - Mystery... Tick! - Science and Technology and the issues with them when unrestrained... Tick! It was a very educational book as well. A bit like Jurassic Park, lots of adventure and action, but with lot of food for thought!