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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
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:
No
Scimmie parlanti e agguati nella giungla.
Non ai livelli del cult "Jurassic park", ma ugualmente capace di avvincere il lettore con il solito, felice, bilanciamento fra la parte di intrattenimento e quella meramente scientifica.
Ben riuscita l'interazione fra lo scienziato Peter e la gorillessa Amy; meno interessanti gli altri personaggi, chiaramente asserviti alle esigenze di trama e mai realmente approfonditi.
Eccetto questa "freddezza" di fondo, l'opera risulta onesta e scorrevole.
Non ai livelli del cult "Jurassic park", ma ugualmente capace di avvincere il lettore con il solito, felice, bilanciamento fra la parte di intrattenimento e quella meramente scientifica.
Ben riuscita l'interazione fra lo scienziato Peter e la gorillessa Amy; meno interessanti gli altri personaggi, chiaramente asserviti alle esigenze di trama e mai realmente approfonditi.
Eccetto questa "freddezza" di fondo, l'opera risulta onesta e scorrevole.
What I really hate most about Michael Crichton is that there is always a very thinly masked character that subs in for himself, and that character as well as the narration is almost always either 'bitchy,' or conceited. I grow very weary of having to read Crichton's mourning for how society has lost its way whether that be through laws regulating animal research, or how environmentalists have conspired to invent global warming. Quite frankly I don't particularly care about what Michael Crichton personally has to say about either issue, and so I hated State of Fear, and I hated this book as well.
A low 3.
The best part of this book was when it talks about animals and human relations. When the group finally gets to the lost city it's great, but it's almost a slog taking the journey to get there. This book has an interesting formula where it would talk about something significant in the present and then have chapters of information to talk about the scientific and historical context of that small bit of information. In a way, the story felt like one step forward three steps back. It also doesn't help that the human characters in this book were portrayed with some racist descriptions.
I'm not sure if I would whole heartily recommend this to someone, but I also feel that I would re-read it for the lost city part itself.
The best part of this book was when it talks about animals and human relations. When the group finally gets to the lost city it's great, but it's almost a slog taking the journey to get there. This book has an interesting formula where it would talk about something significant in the present and then have chapters of information to talk about the scientific and historical context of that small bit of information. In a way, the story felt like one step forward three steps back. It also doesn't help that the human characters in this book were portrayed with some racist descriptions.
I'm not sure if I would whole heartily recommend this to someone, but I also feel that I would re-read it for the lost city part itself.
I was disappointed with this book; it seemed to flounder around for ages, with no real sense of a plot. It was interesting from a technology point of view, though; 30 years is a long time in tech eras, but even so, it didn't feel that much out of date!
adventurous
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I started off with a very different opinion than I finished this book with. I think the tech jargon in the first bit was so mind numbing and i literally could’ve skipped pages but the gorilla and animal jargon was so good and now I want to read a book actually by a congolese author on the congo. The casual racism at the beginning knocked it down many pegs like mike really? so it doesn’t reach 4 stars
I have a love/hate relationship with Crichton’s books.
On the one hand: I would argue that he has some of the strongest premises for books/thrillers to this day, and they can be captivating think pieces about mankind and our relationship with technology. Crichton often fills his books with thorough research and insightful commentary, which does heighten a lot of the thrills and tension throughout.
On the other hand: more often than not, Crichton can lose himself in his ‘research’ and leave plot/structure to the wayside. This issue has pervaded every one of his novels that I’ve read, which often leads to very long passages of exposition on subjects or situations that can halt the plot to a near standstill.
I was very excited to read Congo because it seemed like a tightly plotted book that Crichton could sprinkle his insightful technological predictions throughout, but I was wrong. Often we were sidetracked from the plot to discuss (in depth) hippos and their nature as animals, only to lead to a brief, half page confrontation with the creatures. This was just one example, but there were many more.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and was thrilled at some points, but even for a 300 page book, this was a very long, padded, and slow affair.
On the one hand: I would argue that he has some of the strongest premises for books/thrillers to this day, and they can be captivating think pieces about mankind and our relationship with technology. Crichton often fills his books with thorough research and insightful commentary, which does heighten a lot of the thrills and tension throughout.
On the other hand: more often than not, Crichton can lose himself in his ‘research’ and leave plot/structure to the wayside. This issue has pervaded every one of his novels that I’ve read, which often leads to very long passages of exposition on subjects or situations that can halt the plot to a near standstill.
I was very excited to read Congo because it seemed like a tightly plotted book that Crichton could sprinkle his insightful technological predictions throughout, but I was wrong. Often we were sidetracked from the plot to discuss (in depth) hippos and their nature as animals, only to lead to a brief, half page confrontation with the creatures. This was just one example, but there were many more.
Overall, I enjoyed the story and was thrilled at some points, but even for a 300 page book, this was a very long, padded, and slow affair.
