Rating: 
Summary: Great fun!
Review: Earth Resources Technology Services wants something that's hidden deep in the jungles of the Congo, at the Lost City of Zinj. Because it's a resource that can make nuclear power obsolete, others want it just as badly. When their Congo field team's satellite check-in gets interrupted by the deaths of all its members, apparently at the hands of a band of gorillas behaving in totally atypical fashion, ERTS dispatches supervisor Karen Ross to lead the next attempt. As the 24-year-old mathematics prodigy and her new team fight their way toward a goal they may never reach, her drive to succeed may be what keeps them alive. Or it may just as easily be what finally kills them, too.
Joining the ERTS team are primatologist Peter Elliot and Amy, an adolescent gorilla trained by Elliot to communicate using American Sign Language. Ross hopes Amy may make a difference if they encounter the first team's killers, while Elliot has his own agenda. Meanwhile, the Congo's chronic unrest boils over into tribal warfare - and the local volcano threatens to just plain boil over.
I picked this book up expecting a "not his best" effort by one of my favorite authors, after finding the movie version rather - well - hokey. But what came across that way on the screen works fine in Crichton's prose. A wild roller coaster ride! Great fun, and a nice tribute to H. Rider Haggard, too.
Rating:
Summary: congo
Review: I have read many books but none have stood out in my mind as well as Congo has. Michael Crichton has out done himself this book is great. Elliot, Ross, and Amy travel to the Congo in search of industrial grade blue diamonds. They run into a new species of gorilla and from there the story gets much more interesting. Overall it's a great book.
Rating: 
Summary: Well...
Review: I am giving this book three stars because, while it is entertaining, and far better than a lot of books by other authors, for Michael Crichton, it just isn't up to snuff. If I were going to rate it just based on his other work, with no comparison to other authors, I would give it only one star-- maybe even only half a star. However, compared with alot of the drek that gets published these days and even makes the best seller lists, this book is still a heck of a lot better than most.
Rating:
Summary: Average read.
Review: Michael Crichton's Congo is a rather uneven work that he wrote in his earlier days. There is less character development than in most of his novels. At some points the book is exciting, then you go into a 2 chapter discussion on medical history, ape history, or what have you. During these discussion points, there is no dialogue, no excitement, and no character interaction. Beside these points, the book can be suspenseful and very fun to read. The plot is complex and will keep you wondering about what will occur in the Lost City of Zinj.
Synopsis: An expedition to the Congo is a failure. The entire archaeologist party has been murdered by a mysterious gray apelike creature. Scientists at a laboratory in Houston have watched the video transmission of this, and plan to send in another expedition to investigate the occurance. A scientist named Elliot and his specially trained gorilla, Amy, are also involved in the new expedition plan. While on their way to the Congo, the members of the expedition encounter other hazards, including the kidnapping of Amy. What goes on when the party reaches Zinj is far more eventful and terrifying than anything that has happened in the book so far.
Readers of this very slow novel require patience, which I do not have. Only recommended for hardcore fans of Michael Crichton.
Rating:
Summary: Fits snugly in Crichton's cannon
Review: Michael Chrichton has an undeniable knack for instantly recognizing the potential of cutting edge science. This technophile sensibility is essentially what elevates his work from other members of the thriller genre.Two years ago he imagined the dangers of Nanotechnology. In 2000 he explored the possibilities of Quantum Mechanics. A decade earlier he authored a masterpiece, hinging on the then emerging field of Genetics. In 1980, though, Communications was the rage. CONGO expertly exploits this field. An expedition situated deep in the heart of Africa is able to maintain contact with its cozy, state-of-the-art headquarters, located in the United States, through the miracle of satellite signals. What is mundane to a 21st century reader, was no doubt novel and even fantastic at the dawn of the 80s. Mobile phones weren't always such a damn nuisance.
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