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jenhurst's review against another edition
3.0
The first third-half of this book was really good. I liked Amy the gorilla and the studying of their dreams, teaching them sign language. As they got into the Congo and started going through the rainforest my interest started wanning and it really should’ve made me more interested. by the end I just didn’t care anymore. It reminded me of my feelings with sphere.
fugater096's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
2.0
This is the third Crichton book that I’ve read. I went in with high hopes, because both Prey and Jurassic Park were good, tense, thought provoking reads that mixed the thriller and sci-fi genres perfectly. Sadly, Congo was not at that same level. This book never gripped me, and I really never cared about what was happening in the story. The characters did nothing for me, sci-fi elements were were weak, and the plot was kind of boring. It just wasn’t a book I loved, but I will still be reading more Michael Crichton in the future.
graciecat_mom's review against another edition
2.0
I love Crichtons books based on their unusual topics. But this was just dumb dumb dumb.
midici's review
3.0
This was an entertaining, fairly typical Crichton book. Set in 1979 Congo provides intricate meticulous details of what used to be state of the art technology, African politics and animal behavioural studies. There was a bit of plot in there too. A bit.
Once you get over the ridiculousness of the idea that anyone would try to drag a gorilla with them on a time sensitive trip involving mercenaries, corporate espionage and cannibals it's an interesting read. It was like an Indian Jones race, with everyone needing to find the lost city first and to survive the unknown guards protecting the city! I knew right from the start these guards would be some sort of gorilla but I still enjoyed the reveal. Gorillas are one of the smartest of animals. While it's less likely you could train them to attack the way police dogs do, it is true that learned behaviours get passed down in tribes from adults to humans. The attempts to communicate with these creatures were realistically frustration, especially after the characters spend the entire book signing with Amy and dealing with translating her unique perspective into useful information for humans. The idea that the species would develop its own language is also interesting, and partially based on fact. Dolphins are known to give each other "names," distinctive sounds that the entire pod knows each individual by, for example.
What I didn't quite understand why it was so important their group found the diamonds first, as they stayed in the locale once it was found for days without interruption and apparently without finishing everything they needed to do... The main problem, as with most Crichton books, is that I don't particularly care about the characters, and the plot ends without any resolution - nothing changes for the main characters, nothing about their Congo adventure has a tangible consequence.
Once you get over the ridiculousness of the idea that anyone would try to drag a gorilla with them on a time sensitive trip involving mercenaries, corporate espionage and cannibals it's an interesting read. It was like an Indian Jones race, with everyone needing to find the lost city first and to survive the unknown guards protecting the city! I knew right from the start these guards would be some sort of gorilla but I still enjoyed the reveal. Gorillas are one of the smartest of animals. While it's less likely you could train them to attack the way police dogs do, it is true that learned behaviours get passed down in tribes from adults to humans. The attempts to communicate with these creatures were realistically frustration, especially after the characters spend the entire book signing with Amy and dealing with translating her unique perspective into useful information for humans. The idea that the species would develop its own language is also interesting, and partially based on fact. Dolphins are known to give each other "names," distinctive sounds that the entire pod knows each individual by, for example.
What I didn't quite understand why it was so important their group found the diamonds first, as they stayed in the locale once it was found for days without interruption and apparently without finishing everything they needed to do... The main problem, as with most Crichton books, is that I don't particularly care about the characters, and the plot ends without any resolution - nothing changes for the main characters, nothing about their Congo adventure has a tangible consequence.
hudsone45's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
kreppen's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
marieintheraw's review against another edition
4.0
While I know that this book is really dated since it relies of the science of the past to make it work, but as someone who grew up loving Amy, I may have a stuffed version of her that, to be honest, has been my favorite stuffed animal forever, I can't get myself to give this less than four stars.
corprew's review against another edition
2.0
This is a surprisingly good book from Michael Crichton. He moves away from his typical threads of explicitly reinforcing the innate goodness of republican america and distrust of science to doing it through heavy-handed metaphor.
Note that a surprisingly good book from michael crichton only gets two stars.
Note that a surprisingly good book from michael crichton only gets two stars.
kaelarenee7's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
not_nosferatu's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5