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Dec 16, 2009

Cpd rated it:

I saw this on Chris' list and it triggered an old, funny memory. Now, I did read this book -- back in high school I went through a Michael Crichton phase and his books being as they are, I managed to read through his -- dare I say oevure? -- in a summer (don't recall which summer, tho')

The odd memory that Chris triggered however, has to to do with the movie Congo. I had a good friend in high school, wonderful fella, still a great friend. About the time we were seniors, he started More...

5 comments like (9 people liked it)

Dec 29, 2010

Ryan rated it:

Michael Crichton's work should be considered the epitome of geek literature (AKA science fiction, genre fiction, or speculative fiction), but was somehow embraced by the mainstream -- so much so that even if the academic crowd doesn't take him very seriously, Crichton still addressed Congress. Genre fiction is such a dismissive term, so Crichton was given his own genre: it's not geek; it's a "techno thriller."

Congo, published in 1980, has all of Crichton's geekiest motifs, More...

22 comments like (11 people liked it)

Apr 08, 2008

Jason rated it:

would have given this book five stars but i've seen the movie which traumatized me with it's badness. although i literally finished the book in the parking lot of the theater the weekend it came out so it was very fresh in my mind and ready to be compared for all its shortcomings. was it fair to the movie? no. was it fair that they actually charged people to see that piece of *expletive deleted*? no. i say that makes us even. my problems with the book. not too many. it did what it wanted to do. More...

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Mar 19, 2008

Wyatt rated it:

This was a great book,
but don't read under this or it will ruin the story for you.

This book takes place in many continents starting in the USA. First with an American team of ERTS who search for important geological parts of the earth for which they can extract important minerals or deposits. They have anonymous companies hire them to retrieve these resources that they need in neutral and allied countries. In this book Congo they are searching for type 11b Diamonds with a bo More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Apr 15, 2008

Michael rated it:

Michael Crichton books all start off with this huge technological hook and are excellent at grabbing you by your ear and dragging you along, but somewhere along the way he fizzles. It's like he has this great idea, but can't figure out a way for his protagonists to create a successful ending. Andromeda Strain, the virus floats off into space--woo hoo. Sphere--the whole adventure was imaginary, woo hoo. Congo, earthquake wipes out all the lovely evidence and negates the whole adventure...boo More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Mar 11, 2008

Patrick rated it:

Honestly, the amount of research and detail that is put into this book is has to be at the top of the list. For this reason, the book deserves at least a 3/5. The originality behind the book is also unique and Michael Crichton's ideas for an animal/human species breed is amusing. However, I thought that the character development got lost in the story and the ending did not live up to my expectations. I did learn a decent amount about African history and ape behavior, but the story could have bee More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Aug 27, 2008

Amy rated it:

I would give 1/2 a star if I could. He gets that simply because he managed to get words on paper. I have never hated a book so much in my life. I was actually angry at it throughout, but kept going hoping it would get better. I thought it was ridiculous, had bad character development and a boring plot. I can't believe they even THOUGHT to make it a movie, but am not surprised that stunk as well. It is a credit to Mr. Chrichton, however, that it made me realize how good his other books have More...

0 comments like (2 people liked it)

Mar 11, 2009

Justine rated it:

Ah Congo. You are Joe's first Crichton (you never forget your first), and a god in the pantheon of semi-sciency adventures. Swashbuckling and debonair, you seamlessly blend "When Apes Attack" with "If I Could Talk With the Animals," and we are mightily entertained.

Stuck in O'Hare (again, shocker), I bought me another Crichton book to wile away the hours. I think this may become something of a tradition, as Jurassic Park was purchased in the same terminal H booksto More...

1 comment like (2 people liked it)

Jul 20, 2011

Gerald rated it:

If you've only ever seen the movie (in all of it's pure 90's awesomeness), then you haven't treated yourself to the greatness that is Michael Crichton's novel Congo. I fell in love with Crichton's writing about eight years ago upon reading Jurassic Park. Like the movie, Congo follows Peter Elliot and his sign-language speaking gorilla, Amy, as they search for an ancient lost city called Zinj. That's about as much as the book and movie have in common. Action and science meet in this techno-thrill More...

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Jan 29, 2011

Elizabeth rated it:

Having never seen the movie, I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I avoided the movie, in fact, because I had heard that it was terrible. After having read the book, I think I'm glad I didn't see it. The book wasn't terrible (the two stars reflect that), but on the other hand, it wasn't great, either. Funny enough, I found this book far less believable than some of Crichton's other novels including Sphere. (Maybe because Sphere established its own set of rules from the beginning and, therefore More...

0 comments like

Nov 18, 2010

Rajius rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

0 comments like

Jul 09, 2009

Sarai rated it:

Kirkus Review: Entertainer-educator Crichton, that clever devil, has done it again - by dressing up one of the oldest book/movie scenarios around with enough capsulized science, history, and geography to keep readers happily on their toes. It's an expedition to darkest Africa, to the northeast corner of the Congo rain forest in Zaire, in search of a lost city (Zinj) full of diamonds and danger. Old hat, right? Wrong. Because this expedition, led by Karen Ross of Earth Resources Technology Servic More...

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Nov 21, 2008

Chris rated it:

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here

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Mar 31, 2011

Zach rated it:

What an excellent story! Congo was a thrilling story full of suspense. Michael Crichton did an excellent job at creating a great piece of literature. He filled this book with literary devices. The story has interesting themes, symbolism, and foreshadowing. Congo also has character development. The main character started off without much respect at work, but by the end of the story she was treated completely different.
This novel mostly takes place within Congo Rainforest. Eight Ame More...

1 comment like

Dec 14, 2011

IndianaRonaldo rated it:

It was always a mystery to me, how someone could write the Jurassic Park, which I felt was more of a movie material than a novel, with all it's action sequences, gripping chase scenes and the nail-biting suspense. My opinions seem to lose meaning after this read.
No wonder his books are best-sellers. It's not the narrative style, which is really good but nothing exceptional there. It's not the characters, they remind you of those holly-wood action flicks' characters, a bit clichéd ye More...

0 comments like

May 23, 2009

Graham rated it:

Crichton’s 1980 jungle adventure story is very similar to all of his other books: there’s an overwhelming amount of technical descriptions and jargon, which no doubt had Crichton jumping up and down on his seat with excitement but frankly it does get very boring when reading. Obviously loads of computer technology gets Crichton going, but I’m afraid it gets in the way and spoils what is otherwise a fairly entertaining jungle yarn, with some enjoyable action to recommend it.

A couple More...

0 comments like

Oct 11, 2010

Tyler rated it:

I read the novel The Congo by Michael Crichton. It is set in the Congo rainforest of Central Africa in the year of 1979. The rainforest is described as dark, dense, and quiet with very low visibility. The point of view of this book is 3rd person.
There are many characters that are followed in depth, but I would have to say the main character is a young scientist named Karen Ross. She works for Earth Resource Technology Services Inc. The ERTS is a company that specializes in field work of r More...

0 comments like

Dec 30, 2011

Jan rated it:

I was never disappointed with Michael Crichton.. well, I still am not. Congo immediately got my attention the first time I laid my eyes on the first part. BLAH BLAH BLAH, I'm out of words. Let me just tell you what I learned and what could have made this book better than it is.

I learned:

1. The B8 problem
2. Never wave your hands when there's lightning, you might get struck.
3. Gorillas are shy, territorial, and etc (End of Thinking Capacity. HAHA!)
4. There is on More...

0 comments like

Jul 18, 2010

Jesse rated it:

I thought this book was okay, but not as good as other things I've read by Crichton.

Part of the problem is that I was reading a technolgical thriller from 1980 in 2010. Obviously a satilite link from Houston to Africa only taking 5 minutes to link does not blow my mind like it might have in the age before beepers.

Also, I really wanted more about the gorillas. That was why I was reading the book in the first place. I didn't feel like I got enough. Maybe Crichton trie More...

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Aug 18, 2011

Mark rated it:

The opening chapter is completely action packed and the rest of the book just gets better and better from then on. The characters were all given such unique personalities that the are completely belivable and even Amy whom I thought at first would be just a shoe in character had just as much depth as the human characters. I would have liked a bit more about the new species of gorilla as I saw the film years ago and although I can't really remember it I seem to recall the grey gorillas featuring More...

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Nov 27, 2009

Carolyn rated it:

Attention grabbing story right from the beginning...it was quite a bit of fact with fiction mixed in - or was it the other way around?? Wow...the author was so convincing that I don't know for sure!!

Michael Crichton did a lot of research on his subject...and I got a bit buried in the technical descriptions. However, I did LOVE his portrayal of the Congo along with the plants and animals which have existed there unchanged for centuries...and the "evolutional" changes that More...

0 comments like

Jul 17, 2010

Slayermel rated it:

I read this a long time ago and I remember not being able to put it down. There where parts where I was sitting on the edge of my seat worried about what was going to happen next.

Unfortunately this was made into a horrible horrible movie. I would advise everyone to stay clear of the movie, and give the book a chance.

2 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 24, 2009

Heasoo rated it:

This book Congo is written by A well known writer Michael Crichton, and Crichton is famous for the best seller "Jurasic Park".
The first page of this book explian how much we do not know about Africa, and the auther expresses a wrong our sight about Africa. Africa is bigger than North America, also the biggest continent in the world, but many people have bias against Africa. This novel's background Congo is a country of Africa.

The U.S., Europe, and Japant try to More...

1 comment like

Aug 29, 2011

Peyton rated it:

When the most sympathetic character in your book is a gorilla, you've got a problem.

With Congo, Crichton tries to pay homage to H. Rider Haggard and update the African exploration genre. All he does, however, is string together a series of scientific theories with some unlikable characters, an poorly established plot, and the occasional interesting set piece. Crichton's dedication to scientific discovery is his downfall in this overly cerebral adventure. While the technology featured More...

0 comments like

Dec 16, 2009

Adamevex rated it:

A very engaging story. The subject matter is... mundane, but Michael Cricthon weaves a very entertaining tale that involves interesting characters. He brings almost every chapter to an end with a cliffhanger and the way he does this is what i enjoy about his style of writing.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Oct 09, 2007

Kathleen rated it:

I was completely okay with the science in this story until the ape started talking and they met those shadowy missing link creatures. I actually snorted in disbelief--I can't suspend mine that far, I guess. Or perhaps I could, if the writing were better.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Apr 30, 2010

True rated it:

I really enjoyed reading this book. It was about a team sent into the Congo jungle to mine for diamonds important for creating electronic devices, especially computers. The only problem is that weeks earlier, another team was sent in and mysteriously murdered by what could possibly be a strange type of gorilla. so the team is sent in with not only armed escorts but also a gorilla trained in sign language to help them if the need arises. But when they arrive in the Congo, the team discovers thing More...

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Aug 17, 2007

Mike rated it:

This book isn't horrible so much as it it's just so very not good. I didn't hate it, but didn't really enjoy. For extra credit: watch the movie and totally destroy the memory of what little goodness is in the book to start with.

0 comments like (1 person liked it)

Jul 23, 2009

Travis rated it:

About a corporation hired to extract blue diamonds out of the jungle of the Congo rain forest. Their first expedition ends in a mysterious disaster. The reader follows the team on their 2nd expedition. Also with them is Amy, a young gorilla taught sign language and her trainer. They enter the mystical rain forest competing against other expeditions trying to reach the diamonds as well. Once they arrive at their destination they face an unknown enemy. A very good read, finished it in about 2 days More...

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Jun 16, 2009

John rated it:

The movie sucks, but the novel stands out as high quality pulp fiction. Mysterious white apes who are perhaps as intelligent as man make war on humans in a remote corner of the jungle. Carnage ensues. This isn't literature, but it is kind of a cool idea that if we encountered intelligent life among a species as close to us as primates it would lead to all out violence. I read somewhere that they discovered Neandrathal bones that looked like they had been cooked and eaten by primitive Man, so More...

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