Below Average Crichton

I like monkeys just as much as the next guy but I was disappointed with the number of pages it took to get to the good part. Usually Crichton writes a great first chapter then he goes into explanation then the last 50 pages are awesome. In ''Congo" only the middle was almost no explanation it was just boring.

On the positive side monkeys are cool.

On the negative side it was kind of boring.

Not one of his best

From almost the very begining you know the main characters are going to survive. You keeping reading things like "Ross later stated that..." and "When asked about it later, Elliot said..." so you know they live to tell about it. Where's the suspense in that? Half of the story was technical stuff or historical stuff, which was only slightly relevant to the story. And you didn't really get into any action until the last quarter of the book (the rest talks about the journey there, which is only mildly suspenseful). And even then the action doesn't last for more than maybe 1 page. The gorillas attack a couple of times, the volcano errupts and some natives attack.
One thing I did like was the parts with the signing gorilla.

Michael's Best Book

Having read all of Michael Crighton's work, Congo in my opinion is his best. Please do not compare Congo the book with Congo the movie - which was a hideous interpretation at best. I'm still scratching my head over Mr. Crighton's approval on that particular screenplay. The book is simply wonderful.