Congo

Rating:
Summary: The Lost World
Review: This book definitely deserves an applaud for many reasons. Michael Crichton did a real great job in changing of how the reader thinks of the book. Before people read, many think of how Congo is a book with a very childish plot, very far-fetched. However, the readers of this book really find out that this book is very far from being far-fetched. It has very informative details on everything that makes it seem very real.

Congo is generally about an expedition team who searches for unknown gorilla-alike creatures in the lost city of Zinj. The plot of this story takes place in the 1980s in the middle of nowhere, in the lost world of Congo. Therefore, Crichton really gets the readers attention describing the 1980 atmosphere. He shows how the computers and other technology worked back then. This book also has many imagery scenes where a lot of killing is done. The unknown gorilla-alike creatures turn out to be pretty violent. This book is very action-packed and its suspense is non-stop from the prologue to the end.

I give this book a star rating of 4 out 5. That's only one star less than from perfection. I really recommend this book to everyone. Congo should not only be read by people who like science-fiction, but anyone who has the littlest interest in a book filled with mystery, suspense, and action.

Rating:
Summary: Classic Crichton
Review: Having previously read all of Crichton's published fiction (as well as some non-fiction) I approached this novel with some disdain, knowing that it will be the last MC I'll get to read until he puts a new one out. The high quality of the book however, helped to erase these feelings somewhat. This is one of his better books. The suspense is absolutely non-stop; I was glued to my chair. I lost count of how many times I said "I'm just gonna read one more page..." and then ended up reading for another hour during the course of this book. It's that hard to put down, just like Michael's other books, and it's hard not to be thinking about the book and it's characters and wanting to pick it up whenever you're not reading it. As with most MC works, the plot relies heavily on technology and technical discussions, and since this book was published 20 years ago, it is a little outdated in some respects (256K memory modules!). On the other hand, I learned a LOT about gorillas and the Congo and other things from this book. The weird thing is, I've seen this novel bashed a lot of places, even by Crichton fans. I don't understand this. This book is not his best, but it still has all the elements that make up a classic Crichton book (suspense, technical babble, realistic plot) so I don't see why anybody would not like it if they like other books of Michael's. If you are a Crichton fan, I suggest you pick this one up.

Rating:
Summary: Congo!!
Review: Crichton provides us a compelling thriller,with clever action even the characters are average.It can be compared with other novels of Crichton but is not his best work. Those who are interested in Africa will find it an excellent book,with also many details of the technology of 80s.It is a recommended book definitely and too bad that the movie was so bad despite her great special effects.

Rating:
Summary: Thrilling if a Bit Overly Technical
Review: This Michael Cricton novel is quite gripping. Crichton paints a vivid picture of the many adventurous scenes this group encounters. Whether its the attack of the man eating gorillas, the escape the savages in the congo, the moments when Amy the signing gorilla gets kidnapped, escapes and finds her way back, there is much interesting dialogue. Some of the computer /technical parts are a bit distracting but overall this will keep most audiences interested.

Rating:
Summary: My third Crichton Hit!
Review: After reading The Lost World, Jurrasic Park, and The Andromeda Strain, I had thought that Crichton had no other great works for me to read...was I ever wrong!! In my opinion, this book is definately for you if you love adventure, thrill-seeking action, you've got to check it out!! It's the kind of book that'll keep you so tense you just might read it from start to finish in one sitting!! If you loved Crichton's other reality/fiction books, as I like to call them, you'll CRAVE Congo!!!

Rating:
Summary: MONKEYS
Review: This book had a lot of compelling action. It was sometimes interupted by alot of unrelated topics that were just there to show that michael knew what he was talking about. It was still a good book that held my interest untill the end. I would reccomend this book to anyone who enjoys the thrill of a jungle adventure.

Rating:
Summary: My favorite fiction title
Review: This is actually my favorite fiction title, and to be fair, I read it before computers really took off so the technical details interested me quite a bit and didn't seem contrasting to current technology. Anyway, I loved this book, with it's intriguing plotline that really keeps you guessing until the very end. Heck, if you figured out the whole story without finishing the book, bravo to you because you must be really damned sharp.

It might be a little difficult to understand some of the passages especially when Crichton decides to truncate all the words in the satallite transmissions for the sake of what would now be "bandwidth", but with a little thinking it can be accomplished.

Overall it's still one sweet book and definitely worth a read. I found this much more riveting than Jurassic Park or The Lost World.

Rating:
Summary: Yet ANOTHER winner by Chrichton!
Review: If you saw the incredible embarassment that was the theatrical version of 'Congo' you MAY be UN-interested in reading the book version...but let me tell you that the movie was a joke by comparison. I had high hopes that they might actually get this one right, but once again I was disappointed (I can't remember the last time I was impressed with the movie-version of ANY novel).

Chrichton KNOWS how to write a thriller...IF you have treated yourself to any of his other books you know what I'm talking about. 'Congo' is no exception. From a lost city in Africa to a gorilla who understands sign-language and paints remarkable representations of this lost city... Sure it's totally unrealistic, but what Chrichton does BEST is give us a scenario wherein we begin to wonder whether or not it actually COULD happen. A city populated by gorillas that KNOW how to kill, and DO. It's not as unbelievable as you might think. Once again, when this novel came out, Chrichton was at the head of the class as far as technology goes, and even though it seems dated in that particular sense, remember 'Congo' was printed in 1980. When I first read 'Disclosure' I recall his talking about this new way of communicating over computers called, 'e-mail' and it seemed totally foreign to me THEN, but I certainly am aware of it today. NOBODY mixes technology into a fast-moving almost plausible thriller as well as Chrichton does, and if you'll excuse the references to things which we might consider hopelessly outdated today, this book is going to offer you a fantastic ride...TRUST me.

Rating:
Summary: Ug, me not like!
Review: I seem to be in the minority in not liking this book at all, I was highly impressed by the likes of Jurassic Park and The Lost World, but this book seems to have all the same pitfalls of those with non of the pluses. The technological detail was highly boring (as with JP), I do love imaginative technology in sci-fi, like 2001 for instance, but that is seemlessly coupled with a thrilling story, this is like a textbook in places. As with all Michael Chriton books I have read, the characterisation is weak to non-existant, and unfortunately the storyline isn't elaborated enough to make it interesting. The huge potential of these apes, a relic of a brutal past civilisation is squandered in favour of a cheap horror thrill. I would not recommend this book

Rating:
Summary: Congo by Michael Crichton
Review: This novel is set deep into the contintent of Africa, in many different areas. There are many different characters in this novel. The most important character i have focused on is a zoologist named Peter Elliot. He lives in California and is head of a study called Project Amy. Project Amy is a study devoted to a single female gorilla named (ironically) Amy. Amy is a gorilla who is learning sign language. Her vocabulary is over 600 words. After about 4 years of being studied, Amy starts having dreams. She refers to them as her "sleep box". She was using the word "box", referring to the television. She started to have bad dreams and Peter could not get through to her. Finally he decided to let her try finger painting. She responded to that idea immediatly, and started to draw pictures of the jungle. She referred to her pictures as "old houses" and "bad houses". Another character in the story is Karen Ross, a young and beautiful scientist. A research team from Karen's company stationed in the Congo was killed. The video footage sent back revealed what looked like to be a gorilla attack. Karen calls for Elliot, and together, with Amy, they go to the Congo to find out not only what killed the researchers, but to bring Amy home. In the Congo, they face many problems such as killer hippoes, a new species of violent gorilla, and a huge erupting volcano. The final chapter is amazing, you'll have to read it for yourself. I would recommend this book to anybody who likes adventure novels, and to animal lovers. Congo is a great story, and is one of those books that once you start reading it' you don't put it down until it's done. It is a definete plus on Michael Crichton's already amazing career.