Congo / Sphere / Eaters of the Dead

by Michael Crichton

One great omnibus of three of Crichton's most popular adventures (Congo, Sphere, & Eaters of the Dead), with his trademark blend of breathtaking suspense & cutting-edge technology.

Genres: Fiction, Science Fiction, Thriller, Adventure, Horror, Fantasy, Science Fiction Fantasy

711 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

John Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scientific and technical underpinnings that became a hallmark of his work. Crichton began writing under pseudonyms, producing suspenseful thrillers as John Lange, including Odds On, Scratch One, and Easy Go, and as Jeffrey Hudson with A Case of Need, earning him an Edgar Award. His first major success under his own name, The Andromeda Strain, established his signature blend of scientific authenticity, tension, and exploration of technological hazards, leading to its film adaptation. Over his career, he wrote 25 novels, including The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next, several adapted into major films, with four additional works published posthumously. Crichton also made significant contributions to film and television. He wrote and directed Westworld, pioneering the use of 2D computer-generated imagery, and later directed Coma, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, and Runaway. He created the influential medical drama ER, which he executive produced and developed with Steven Spielberg, achieving critical and commercial success. Many of his novels, most famously Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, became cultural phenomena, combining imaginative adventure with grounded scientific speculation, often exploring humanity’s overreach in genetics, biotechnology, and complex systems. His literary style was notable for integrating meticulous scientific detail, suspense, and moral cautionary themes. His works frequently addressed the failure of complex systems—biological, technological, or organizational—demonstrating the unpredictable consequences of human hubris. Employing techniques such as first-person narratives, false documents, fictionalized scientific reports, and assembling expert teams to tackle crises, Crichton created immersive stories appealing to both popular and scholarly audiences. His exploration of genetics, paleontology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence revealed both fascination and caution about humanity’s technological ambitions, while his early non-fiction, such as Five Patients and Electronic Life, reflected his scientific insight and forward-thinking approach to computers and programming. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Crichton experienced social isolation in adolescence and later pursued meditation and consultations with psychics, cultivating a lifelong interest in human consciousness and alternative experiences. A workaholic, he approached writing with disciplined ritualistic methodology, often retreating entirely to complete a novel in six or seven weeks. He was married five times, fathered two children, and maintained a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century American art. Crichton engaged in political and scientific discourse, particularly regarding global warming, where he was an outspoken skeptic and testified before the U.S. Senate. He contributed significantly to the discussion of intellectual property, technology, and environmental policy, coining concepts such as the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including Edgar Awards, a Peabody Award for ER, an Aca

Reviews

[Stephanie · Rating 3 out of 5]

After Jurassic Park I had to binge some Crichton. These are fun but not as good as JP. Congo would get 4 stars, the other two stories in this collection would be two or three star stories. Congo's blend of science and adventure is fun though dated. Had me stress-binging and swearing from chapter 1

[Nicole Issel · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read Eaters of the dead first, in one evening. It left me a bit put off the human race with thoughts on it running through my head for most of the next day (if you've read it you might have experienced the same need to ponder the realities of the human condition, and perhaps also want something a bit lighter). Despite its grittiness I liked the matter of fact journal style writing and happy that I read this.

So Congo came next, and I felt it was not for me so I DNF'd it. It just didn't sit right for me in areas and I did not feel for a dumbed version of a Jurassic Park type story. I thought I might have been feeling a bit over Crichton, again, from too much too soon in a row but given there's 3 books in this volume I started Sphere anyway and found I was wrong.

I really enjoyed Sphere. It had its mystery factor and areas where you were "left in the dark" and didn't know what was really likely going on or going to happen next. So it held the attention. It got me thinking. I liked that. While it might have been a bit slow for me in the start, once things got into the meat of the story and a bit "out there" I thoroughly enjoyed Crichton's experimentation to the very end.

[Nick J Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

A useful, surprisingly light bumper collection of three classic Crichtons. I must admit I bought it for Sphere and have yet to dip into the other two. I've read this science fiction psychological thriller before and will again. I love the way the theme of perception is embedded in an unreliable narrative perspective based on the Psychology mode of enquiry. It leaves it to reader to work out for themselves the significance of events, freeing up plenty of wordage for compelling characterisation that can at times be tear-jerkingly funny, as the three over-achieving prodigy scientists and over-weight psychologist interact with the can-do marines who facilitate their sojourn in the depths of the Pacific ocean. The knowing nods to genre classics add to the nerd-appeal and the science is beautifully demonstrated instead of explained. It doesn't get much better than this. Really must get onto reading the other two... Meh!

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

There are three novels in this group. Crichton bases many of his works on science. Congo is a geological expedition for diamonds that goes very wrong. Crichton reminds us that even today much of Africa is uninhabited. They discover an unknown species of ape in a lost city. The apes are not friendly but bred for a specific purpose. Dood action. Sphere is semi-science fiction where a spaceship from our future is found and aboard the craft is a strange shere. The entire search party is affected. People start to die. In the end it is really about the subconscious mind and facing our individual dark side. I liked this novel least of the three included. Eaters of the Dead is based on an Arabic account of the Vikings in 900 AD. He bases most of the book on fact. It was made into a movie called the 13th Warrior. I was suprised how much I liked this travelogue from the deep past.

[bookwisemom Laura Sherrill · Rating 3 out of 5]

Just finished The Spear by Michael Crichton (written under his John Lange pen name), and it was such a gripping, adrenaline-filled read! 🛡️🌊

If you love action, ancient secrets, and a good mix of myth and science, this one delivers in classic Crichton fashion. The pacing is tight, the stakes are high, and the premise? Totally fascinating.

That said, I wouldn’t recommend it to everyone—there’s a fair bit of profanity and some language I personally found unnecessary, including the use of the Lord’s name in vain. But as an adventure story, it’s one of the more intense and compelling reads I’ve picked up lately.

#MichaelCrichton #TheSpear #ThrillerReads #AdventurousReads #BooksWithCaveats

[LambchoP · Rating 5 out of 5]

Michael Crichton is one of the best science fiction writers of all time! He single handedly coined the genre "techno thriller", and while there have been authors who have written these kinds of books since, no one has done it better than Mr. Crichton. One of my top three authors of all time and this collection has some of his best books in his bibliography.

[Max Dercum · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO MUCH FUN.

[Stephan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I've wanted to read these novels for a while, so when I found this one book that contained all three, I had to check it out. Awesome read.

[Jahnn Alexis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Okay this is three different stories in one thick-ass book, so I'll talk about them one at a time (BEWARE OF SPOILERS):

CONGO
This was about a newly discovered species of gorilla attacking a research team stuck in the depths of the Congo in Africa (animal enthusiasts, here's your lovechild). They have their own gorilla with them: a tame yet extremely intelligent female animal that has been in captivity most of her life. The team also has an office tech who has never been in the field in her life (oh boy, right?) and a bunch of African guides. The female gorilla and her trainer will mean the difference between life and death for the team and their employers' only chance of retrieving priceless diamonds wanted by every government and black market boss in the world. This story is unlike anything you've ever read, I guarantee it, but it's such a simple synopsis that it makes you think, "Why didn't I think of writing that?" Answer: You can't because you're not Michael Crichton, that's why. Now sit down, shut up, and read the damn thing.

SPHERE
And just when you thought he was done with unbelievably original plots, Crichton gives you Sphere - a story about an alien sphere that has trapped a team of geniuses (we're talking a marine biologist, a mathematician, a physicist, a psychologist, etc.) in a high-tech underwater science station. This is an scientific exploration gone terribly wrong. You'll be constantly asking yourself if the thing is really extraterrestrial and who's already under its "spell". Moreover, I don't know how he managed to develop characters so smoothly in the middle of an action-packed, downright frightening story like this....but he did. Sphere will have science geeks bookgasming all over the place and everyone else thinking twice before touching any strange-looking rock. This was my favorite of the three stories.

EATERS OF THE DEAD
This is the story least likely to appeal to most people, but it's still really good. History buffs, this is the one you want. It's a different take on Ahmed Ibn Fahdlan's journey with the Norsemen to bring a sacred document to his superior. It's part supernatural, part superstition, and part spiritual journey marred by war. And there is a LOT of war. People die like flies. An aspect that may be hard to deal with is the footnotes to let you know what's historically accurate and what's not, but reading them will help. Crichton is speaking through Ibn Fahdlan, so he had to imitate Ibn's straightforwardness in relaying what he experienced. So get used to the lack of emotional deviation at the deaths of other characters. That's just how it is. Something about how the book progressed made me NEED to finish reading it. I just had to see if Ibn would actually get to accomplish his mission, or at least make it out alive. You want a perk? There are monsters. Boom.

S/O to my brother for giving me this book. Best going-away present ever.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sphere
By Michael Crichton
Review By Alex Kohl

How typical is a day when a navy helicopter picks you up and drops you onto a ship in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? Well, such a day was just the beginning for Norman is Sphere by Michael Crichton.
Norman, along with 4 other crew members, Ted, Beth, Harry and Captain Barnes are brought 1,000 feet deep to explore the crash of a 300 year old space shuttle. The thing is, NASA hadn’t existed 300 years ago. That’s what makes this Supernatural Mystery so interesting. So the crew of 5 and 3 navy members, Tina, Edmunds and Levy, are to live in DH-8, an underwater habitat, and explore the sight.
Even though Crichton doesn’t pull you in very well, his middle is very exciting and is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat. But be prepared to be disappointed by Crichton’s ending.
While in DH-8, weird things start to happen. A storm is predicted at the surface so the crew can’t go up for a visit. But will climate and activities jeopardize life in DH-8?

[Bryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Congo: I read Congo. It is a great book. It has an excelant writing technique. The storyline is terrific. It is pact with intense action filled parts. Even though it was fiction it seemed as if it could really happen. I couldn't quit reading until I was finished. When I was finished reading I wanted to go back and read the good parts over again, because they were so good. The things that I didn't like however is that it seemed to drag on from part to part and it had some swear words. The book is about a team of people that went into the Congo Jungle, to get diomonds, the whole team of people was killed in less than three minutes. In Houston they watched, and saw everybody dead. So what do they do they send in another team. This book is very adventurous during the good parts I didn't want to put it down. It was kind of scarry how everybody was killed so fast and how it might be able to really happen. The intended audience for this book would be for adults. It is not a childrens book. Because it goes into detail during some parts of the book.

[Thomas Scholtes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Three exceptional books, all with great qualities and a lot of suspense.

Congo - Really loved all the characters here. It was a very fun adventure book, although the ending felt like a cop-out to me. But still a great book.

Sphere - Wonderful. Really exciting environment and a lot of mystery trying to figure out exactly what was going on. I wish there was more to this book - meaning sequels - because there was a ton of stuff to still be explored and expanded on.

Eaters of the Dead - As I started reading, I believed this was a true story based on ancient writings (it is not). But Crichton always sucks me in so deep that I believe everything he says. A supremely crafted story that was a very quick read, but had me turning the pages fast to see what happened next.

As for the movies based on these three books...well let's save those reviews for a different website.

[Don · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection of two full novels (and a boring mini-novel) quenched my re-reading pleasure as I did previously read Congo and Sphere quite a number of years ago. When I stumbled upon this at a used book store I figured to read once again...

Again, I think Congo is better out of the two that were made into films (and as was the novels had more depth). Yes, as it usually is the Books are better than the film in most cases and that held true here.

As for the last added piece, Eaters of the Dead... Couldn't get into it. Dragged out too much to hold my interest and didn't finish because of a major sleep inducing effect.

So, two out of three ain't bad.

3 Star for the collection. 4 for Congo (and movie), 2.5 for Sphere (and movie), and for that awful ending tale (truly not worth mentioning) a lowly 0.25

[Christie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Allow me to clarify: I finished reading Sphere from this book, read Congo previously, and don't particularly count Eaters of the Dead because its so short. That being said, Sphere is an alright book as Crichton goes, although it was certainly not my favourite Crichton by any means. I appreciate his uber-scientific knowledge of what seems to be everything, but I found this story a little too far fetched (not to mention somewhat anticlimatic).

In short, its probably best to read The Andromeda Strain instead.

[Callie R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely wouldn't qualify as a compilation of Crichton's best; I found Eaters of the Dead completely lacking, and Congo made a much better film (probably the worst possible insult for a novelist, HOWEVER it's hard to compete when the great John Patrick Shanley adapts your work for screenplay). That being said, Sphere is one of my favorite Crichton novels. My advice, read each work separately and ignore this grouping.

[T.D. Bauer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Manged to read this and "Eaters of the Dead" over a mini vacation. Both great books. This one was a quick read and I enjoyed it, though not as much as "Eaters". Chichton has many great reviews on his books, so not much I can add to the already numerous 4 and 5 star reviewers. Worth reading if you like adventure/thrillers with some mystery.

[Marten Hoyle · Rating 2 out of 5]

Jurassic Park seems to be the only Crichton book that I enjoyed all the way through. This book wasn't exactly horrible. It kept my interest all the way through but it wasn't what I was expecting. I'm sure that faithful Crichton fans will take great pleasure in it, but I don't recommend it as an introduction to the author.

[Justin Cole · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once gain the third book in this compilation is the least Crichton-esque but still enjoyable.
Both Eaters of the Dead and Congo are better than the movies made from them and Sphere is so much better than the movie that the movie might as well be based on something else entirely.

[Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I've read Congo and Sphere before but it was good to reread and pick up on things that I had missed. Eaters of the dead was different. I like the historical aspect but the narrative seemed to drag. Overall a good book.

[Man Solo]

Good book so far.

[Nichole ~Bookaholic~ · Rating 4 out of 5]

All three stories are very good but my favorite is Eaters of Dead

[Micheal · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great collection. Three novels from Michael Crichton, all of them excellent.

[Kali]

I remember reading Congo (I tend to read books that are turned into movies) and liking it better than the movie. I don't recall finishing, I should dig up this book and finish it :)

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read several summers ago. These may not be Crichton's best, but they are fascinating windows into his always inventive mind.

[Derek · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good story, and again, the movie wasn't even close!

[Simon Stevens · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fine, but a bit dull without any detail at any of the key points (I know he justifies this, but it's nonsense) and the ending is rushed and thoroughly uninteresting.

[Stratos · Rating 2 out of 5]

Περίμενα κάτι καλύτερο από Μάικλ Κράιτον. Με απογοήτευσε οικτρά. Μια κακή στιγμή του συγγραφέα

[Liam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a great collection. Three fantastic works of science fiction in one collection... this provided a full summer of reading for me in high school.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fun and though better than the movies I feel compelled to watch them all again.

[Kayla Blanchard · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I loved Congo, I didn't care for Sphere or Eaters of the Dead. Sphere was confusing for the most part and EOTD was too boring to me. 3/5 stars because I didn't care for two of the books.