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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
Crichton is my palette cleanser. I've had this in my collection for years and finally read it and I enjoyed it. I honestly like how unlikable all the characters are. Characterization is often secondary in Crichton books so it was refreshing to see a little depth, and having them be imperfect and selfish. There was suspense and I learned a ton about the Congo and gorillas haha.
The story follows a team as they enter the Congo rainforest, looking to secure a drilling claim before another country does for blue diamonds, the key to future tech. Their first expedition ended in destruction and the whole team being wiped out. So it's a race against the clock to get to the location first and secure it against whatever destroyed the first team. Lead by a single minded, ruthless scientest, a mercenary for hire, a doctor whose trained a gorilla to sign and said gorilla, a long with guides. They enter the Congo with other countries vying for the claim close behind, civil and political unrest in the region and a screenshot of a mysterious white gorilla on scene of the previous expeditions destruction.
Fun, interesting and read like a movie, it was true to Crichton's style.
I made the mistake of watching the movie right after, which I hadn't seen since I was a kid, and boy did they destroy everything that made this book good.
The story follows a team as they enter the Congo rainforest, looking to secure a drilling claim before another country does for blue diamonds, the key to future tech. Their first expedition ended in destruction and the whole team being wiped out. So it's a race against the clock to get to the location first and secure it against whatever destroyed the first team. Lead by a single minded, ruthless scientest, a mercenary for hire, a doctor whose trained a gorilla to sign and said gorilla, a long with guides. They enter the Congo with other countries vying for the claim close behind, civil and political unrest in the region and a screenshot of a mysterious white gorilla on scene of the previous expeditions destruction.
Fun, interesting and read like a movie, it was true to Crichton's style.
I made the mistake of watching the movie right after, which I hadn't seen since I was a kid, and boy did they destroy everything that made this book good.
This was my first Michael Crichton book and it was awesome to say the least!!!
It was definitely a page turner and now I'm hooked on his style of writing.
This story was very interesting to me. The only reason I did not give this book a 5-star rating was because at times the technology references were kind of a bore and snoozefest, but otherwise I would recommend this book to people! I also loved the fact that a lot of the technology, some of the parts that I could actually understand, incoorperated X-rays! Woo-hoo for radiology!! The use of digital imaging to sensitize the earth and find out where a secret lost city was truly amazing.
I loved the story when it focused more on Amy and the other gorillas. I wished it would have ended differently; the entire scenario was very scary and it made me mad at my own human race for trying to interfere with Mother nature.
Well, Mother nature overruled and was like "nuh uh honey you better sit your ass down!" I loved that the volcano erupted and buried the blue diamonds under a mile's worth of lava never to be found again. I hate that Amy ended up leaving, but was also happy for her at the same time.
I like how this book was based on a true story and gave me more insight on the wacky and sometimes cruel things that the government is really investing in.
It's scary to think that we were "that close" to having the ability to turn our lives, choices, brains, and actions over to computers. They would have ruled the world! It literally would have been H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.
I hate how Karen Ross tried to justify her actions by say that we have always turned our intelligence over to other things because we got bored with it, i.e. pocket calculator or an oxen plowing the field. Um,...what? That totally does NOT justify computers ruling the world or destroying natural habitats for a new species of gorillas.
Overall, this book was excellent! Unfortunately at times the tech savvy talk got to me and was the ultimate reason for it only being a 4-star. A very high 4-star, maybe even a 4.5-star in my book.
Quote I liked:
"S.D.T.A.G.W. Some Damn Thing Always Goes Wrong"
"It's hard to decide who's truly brilliant; it's easier to see who's driven, which in the long run may be more important."
"No one escapes from life alive."
"The purpose of life is to stay alive. Watch any animal in nature--all it tries to do is stay alive. It doesn't care about beliefs or philosophy. Whenever any animal's behavior puts it out of touch with the realities of its existence, it becomes exinct."
It was definitely a page turner and now I'm hooked on his style of writing.
This story was very interesting to me. The only reason I did not give this book a 5-star rating was because at times the technology references were kind of a bore and snoozefest, but otherwise I would recommend this book to people! I also loved the fact that a lot of the technology, some of the parts that I could actually understand, incoorperated X-rays! Woo-hoo for radiology!! The use of digital imaging to sensitize the earth and find out where a secret lost city was truly amazing.
I loved the story when it focused more on Amy and the other gorillas. I wished it would have ended differently; the entire scenario was very scary and it made me mad at my own human race for trying to interfere with Mother nature.
Well, Mother nature overruled and was like "nuh uh honey you better sit your ass down!" I loved that the volcano erupted and buried the blue diamonds under a mile's worth of lava never to be found again. I hate that Amy ended up leaving, but was also happy for her at the same time.
I like how this book was based on a true story and gave me more insight on the wacky and sometimes cruel things that the government is really investing in.
It's scary to think that we were "that close" to having the ability to turn our lives, choices, brains, and actions over to computers. They would have ruled the world! It literally would have been H.G. Wells' War of the Worlds.
I hate how Karen Ross tried to justify her actions by say that we have always turned our intelligence over to other things because we got bored with it, i.e. pocket calculator or an oxen plowing the field. Um,...what? That totally does NOT justify computers ruling the world or destroying natural habitats for a new species of gorillas.
Overall, this book was excellent! Unfortunately at times the tech savvy talk got to me and was the ultimate reason for it only being a 4-star. A very high 4-star, maybe even a 4.5-star in my book.
Quote I liked:
"S.D.T.A.G.W. Some Damn Thing Always Goes Wrong"
"It's hard to decide who's truly brilliant; it's easier to see who's driven, which in the long run may be more important."
"No one escapes from life alive."
"The purpose of life is to stay alive. Watch any animal in nature--all it tries to do is stay alive. It doesn't care about beliefs or philosophy. Whenever any animal's behavior puts it out of touch with the realities of its existence, it becomes exinct."
Good book! Felt a bit preachy as all books get about the amazon or other jungles the story occurs in but otherwise a nice quick read.
adventurous
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Doesn't age well in its racism but well at least the overall scientific reliability of his writing is consistent across fields of study. An engrossing, intense adventure, quick read.
The book is much better than the movie (though that’s not saying much). Reading it in 2018 is interesting because a lot of the exposition (which Crichton thoroughly researched) is likely outdated information (especially anything related to technology). The plot and story flow well and are entertaining (and I learned a lot about primates).
I love the way Crichton makes you wonder the entire book whether or not this expedition actually happened. Awesome story in an interesting part of the world.
adventurous
mysterious
tense
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:
Complicated
adventurous
hopeful
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This is an okay Crichton book. Not as good as Jurassic Park, but a decent read.