Congo

If you are going to be at the beach , then Congo is clearly the book for you. Congo is a good old-fashioned jungle adventure yarn. The author, Michael Crichton, was clearly inspired by the adventure stories of H. Rider Haggard but with a slight dose of Conrad. And since this is a Crichton novel, the reader will read about technological ruminations, which provoke Crichton's favorite theme - man meddling with nature when he probably shouldn't.A rescue team, funded (and partially staffed) by a U.S. based technology corporation, is sent to the middle of the Congo area of Africa to determine the mysterious disappearance of a prior team. On their extraordinary journey, they encounter rebellious armed forces of central African nations, fabulous cities with lost treasures, strange tribes tucked away in the forest, cannibalistic groups and some unknown force that appears to kill. Crichton keeps the pace swift so you will keep the pages turning.This book is a delightful read because Crichton delivers on his trademarks. He blends well-researched topics from diverse sciences - Congo covers biology, anthropology, archaeology, as well as descriptions of high-tech equipment (for 1979). Crichton effectively increases the suspense by giving the locations scale and a powerful perspective. The mountains, "unending virginal forest", and "thousands of miles of unexplored territory" dwarf his human characters. Finally, Crichton's storytelling gift of framing the story as a true account (along with an extensive bibliography) lends the verisimilitude that so often elevates Crichton's work.You will not be disappointed with this quick read.

This was the first Crichton book that I read. It's very cool. The explainations of the technology used are so believable and plausible. As with Jurassic Park, the movie only tells part of the story. This book definitely needs to be read.....

This was probably one of my favorites of Crichton. I've read many of his books and this one, in my opinion, is one of the tops. The reason I say that is because the setting is in an uncontrolled environment where nature calls the shots. There is the usual advanced technology added to help our daring charters but it's really all about going native and staying alive. There are may turns and twists that kept me going but I don't want to give away any of the surprises. I'll just say this: it's like Indiana Jones meets the Planet of the Apes on a bad batch of acid. Check it out, it's worth the read.

Personally I found this book to be intriquing. The characters and the setting are not a typical science fiction read. Although the books facts about the rainforest and the people are off, I found the story to be plausable. Crichton uses a setting for this novel which sets it apart from other works in the same genre. The characters are believable and some are even likeable in this story. Personally I would recommend this book to begining science fiction readers and casual fans as it is not steeped in science fiction lore. Great book and should be on every Crichton fan's bookshelf.

Congo his a story that takes us on a journey to the darkest forests, where you thing and feel that you are a parte of it. I'm Portuguese from the land of the Luís de Camões, who wrote "Os Lusíadas" the best adventure chronical after the Homero`s "Iliade", "Congo" deserves the third place in this scale. I read it 3 times.