Book: Congo

OK...just finished Congo. All in all, I give it 7 out of 10 stars. I really liked it up until the end. It's rare that you see climax-building done so well. Unfortunately, the climax wasn't nearly as good as the climax-building.

I enjoyed the level of detail that was showed. It was consistent with what must have been a mind-numbing research process. Like other great authors, Crichton knows to google what he's writing before he writes about it.

My problem started when I realized that the interaction with the gray gorillas was really not very exciting once the author established that they were the ones responsible for the deaths of the people in the expeditions before them. Also, I think that the resolution with the gorillas should have been a completely seperate event from the volcano eruption in the end. In other words, I wish that the author would have given closure to the hostility between the expedition and the gorillas (whether it be that one kills all of the other, or a common enemy is discovered, a peace is brokered, or something) instead of just having the eruption wipe out everything in the middle of the melee. Oh well. Can't have everything! :)

Good book. Great read. Definately recommended!