'Congo' by Michael Crichton
'Congo' by Michael Crichton

The good

  • Some exciting / thrilling action in the jungle, looking for lost cities and hidden treasure, while trying to avoid killer gorillas.

  • It’s hard to believe the book was written in the 80’s. The technology involved—portable computers, GPS, satellites, lasers, machine learning algorithms, automated gun turrets, motion detection—feels advanced today, 30 years later!

  • The questions about whether animals can learn language, or whether that’s unique to humans, is really interesting. After reading this book, I became curious to see if we had managed to teach primates sign language and if those primates, in turn, were able to either translate what their brethren in the wild were saying for us, or even pass on sign language to those other primates.

The not so good

  • The plot is a bit silly

  • Most of the characters are flat

  • The ending is abrupt and unsatisfying

Rating: 3 stars