Book Review – Michael Crichton’s “Congo”
Set deep in the heart of Africa, Michael Crichton’s Congo takes readers on a thrill ride on a race for rare diamonds.
The only problems are that not only is the team of explorers racing rival teams from other countries, but none of the previous expeditions to that part of the Congo have made it back alive. But when it comes to accessing a mineral so rare and beneficial that your corporation will make billions of dollars in profits, those are accepted risks that go along with the mission.
That’s basically the premise for Michael Crichton’s thriller, Congo.
Congo begins as an expedition is hunting a remote part of the African rain forest for exclusive minerals known as Type IIb diamonds.
The expedition from Earth Resource Technology Services, Inc. (ERTS) out of Houston, Texas. The company specializes in sending expeditions to the toughest places on the planet, all while using satellites and the most advanced technology to assist with the missions.
One of the expedition’s members sets up the video camera and begins the process of achieving a satellite lock with the headquarters in Houston. Halfway around the world, Dr. Karen Ross is at ERTS and monitoring the current expedition in the Congo region of Africa. The workers note the satellite lock from the expedition’s camera, but when the company responds, nobody on the expedition acknowledges the transmission. Dr. Ross is able to active the camera remotely, and what she and the other technicians at ERTS witness is something out of a nightmare.
The video feed shows the expedition’s camp in a state of disaster. The tents are destroyed. There’s a body of one of the expedition members lying on the ground, his head smashed in a gruesome manner. Perhaps the most disturbing sight of all is what appears to be a gorilla walking around the campsite. It knocks over the camera and ends the video transmission.
Dr. Ross alerts ERTS CEO R. B. Travis of the disaster in the Congo. Travis makes a decision to withhold news of the disaster for thirty days and to send another expedition into the Congo. Those Type IIb diamonds are worth to much to simply withdraw and allow other companies access to the area. They MUST be the first team to locate and make a claim for the land containing the diamonds.
Travis reluctantly agrees to let Karen Ross lead the next expedition. Despite her youth, Karen is one of the most skilled people in the company and an expert with the electronics and communication equipment. The only problem for the next expedition is that they need a cover to sneak into the Congo. The government is bound to ask questions why ERTS is sending a second expedition when they already have one in the country.
The answer lies with Dr. Peter Elliot and his American sign language “talking” gorilla, Amy. Dr. Elliot’s university project is one of several organizations that receive funding from ERTS. When Karen Ross stops by to ask Dr. Elliot about making a trip to Africa with his gorilla, he’s all for it. It turns out that Dr. Elliot has been harassed by the media about his research with gorillas, and he’s eager to escape and take Amy into the rain forest. He’s eager to test his theory that Amy can communicate with gorillas in the wild and translate them, bridging the gap between humans and wildlife.
The new expedition leaves for Africa with Dr. Karen Ross, Dr. Peter Elliot, and his gorilla, Amy. Their ultimate destination is the Lost City of Zinj somewhere near the Congo River. But first they need to make a stop in Tangier, Morocco, to recruit Charles Munro, a legendary white African mercenary who specializes in the jungle environment.
There are a number of problems awaiting the expedition starting with a rival expedition, a consortium made of members from Japan, Germany and Holland. The race to the diamonds is one where literally every second counts. It’s up to Dr. Ross and her technology along with Munro’s knowledge of the area to plot the absolute fastest path to the diamonds.
Unfortunately for the expedition, it’s that very path that will take them right past dangers starting with the politics of central Africa. After parachuting into the rain forest, their path will take them past cannibals, down a dangerous river complete with rapids and aggressive hippos, and then terrifying encounters with the killer gorillas themselves. On top of that there’s the threat of the local volcano erupting and wiping out everything from the expedition to the Lost City of Zinj.
Michael Crichton’s Congo is a technological thriller and action-packed ride deep into the darkest realm of the Congo River and central Africa. Considering that the novel was first published back in 1980, the technology from that time period is still pretty impressive.
In addition to the technology and adventure through central Africa, you have the gorilla capable of understanding human speech and responding with American sign language. Primates being taught sign language was making major headlines back in 1979 with Koko the gorilla. Considering that Congo was first published in 1980, it’s easy to see Koko’s influence on the Amy character and it being a secondary part of the novel’s plot.
Congo itself is a fairly short read. The story stays on track and there aren’t that many characters, making this a rather speedy book to read. The premise of the diamond hunt keeps driving the plot, and the horror of the killer gorillas keeps Congo interesting. And yes, like many people have stated, the book Congo is much better than the 1995 movie of the same name.
If you’re looking for fun, adventure, combat, and even some gorillas, then you can’t go wrong with Michael Crichton’s Congo.
