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3.43 AVERAGE
3.43 AVERAGE
adventurous
informative
mysterious
fast-paced
adventurous
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Fun ride! Critchon knows how to write some thrills!
Spoilers...
The ending really disappointed me. Not in its abruptness, but in the complete futility of the entire adventure. Nothing was gained, everything was lost. Except maybe a little wisdom. But I guess that does speak to real life.
Spoilers...
The ending really disappointed me. Not in its abruptness, but in the complete futility of the entire adventure. Nothing was gained, everything was lost. Except maybe a little wisdom. But I guess that does speak to real life.
adventurous
challenging
dark
informative
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I had already seen the movie and I just couldn’t bring myself to retread the material.
3 sturdy stars. Audiobook. Overall, the research was good, the story slow and the ending expected. I have seen the movie and it truly is loosely based on this book. There are some similarities, but not many. The journey to the city of Zinj is over half of the book, but the journey is sometimes more important than the destination. In this case, both were equally important. It was a good introduction to Michael Crichton for me and I plan to read a couple of other books written by him.
adventurous
informative
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
medium-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
Congo was an okay book. The overall story of the book was pretty fun. I just never connected with any of the characters and the only relationship I cared about was Elliot and Amy. I definitely wanna read more of Crichton’s books.
adventurous
tense
fast-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
It was not what I was expecting. A lot of scientific writing. It was good though
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Murder, War
adventurous
informative
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:
No
This is not Michael Crichton's best novel but it is a fun fast paced romp through the jungle. I had watched the movie when it came out so I had a faint idea as to what this novel was about. I found the story to be good but the story telling to be mediocre. It felt a bit choppy and rushed at parts. Major plot points and breakthroughs were told in a single sentence. The writing style will not hold me back from reading other novels of his so despite this not being great it didn't ruin his other books for me.
I rate it a begrudging reddit upvote (spoilers dead ahead!). This book could easily have been two or three times the current length and registered a more gripping tale. While all the futuristic man-made tech was eyeroll-worthy at best, it is sci-fi. Crichton did his homework, though, poring over natural and social sciences of the Congo region in great depth. Many important and reliable works therein cited, it was still only a tease at the possible meat and potatoes this story could have served. This environment, and the human and animal lives populating it, are infinitely fascinating and needed to be more consequential. Anyway: Amy signs, but there’s no speak-n-spell power glove... which, in spite of my previous criticism, was a mild disappointment. Ross was cold and bratty, but, like, there was an entire chapter devoted to the breakdown of her terribleness and how her employers knew she would react, the confines of which she acted in 100% accordance. The gray kakundakari apes serve as a great jaws/xenomorph esque hidden threat, only to be swiped aside between the pages. The ending was a rush job like the freeze frames at the end of teen comedies that flash character future bios, but at least it was absent the crowding and flimsy peripheral characters the screen adaptation slathered on for no apparent reason beyond sullying Crichton’s rep (sorry, Tim Curry). #readingrainbow