Congo: You Damn Dirty Ape

A sort of King Solomon's Mines for the modern day. Does it succeed in that regard? I don't know, I'll have to reread that one first.

Continuing on the subject of things I finished over the break, I finished Michael Crichton's Congo. The author himself really needs no introduction as even more than a decade after his death he remains a pillar of popular culture, especially science fiction. He also wrote Westworld, much to my surprise, though that's neither here nor there, this is about Congo. Congo was published in 1980, and seemed to be one of his less widely acclaimed books judging from the little information I could find on Wikipedia. Personally, I found Congo to be a rather fun book to read, though I also found it to be somewhat unimpactful. It's a largely grounded story that felt taken out of the computing frenzy of the eighties (apart from things like lasers and automated turrets), while likewise maintaining a brisk narrative pace with few pauses. Let's get into it then.

Similar to most of Crichton's novels, Congo is a strange breed of science fiction, given that unless you have prior knowledge of the subjects he's describing (and barring things like laser guns), it would seem like his stories very much could happen. It can be a good thought and speculative exercise, but on the other hand it most certainly could lead people astray. That's just something to keep in mind, but now let's talk about the plot of Congo. Congo, surprisingly, spends little time in the actual Congo jungle in Africa, being more of a destination than the setting. After the brutal massacre of a diamond-hunting party (goal: find a mine of blue diamonds for next-gen processors) by vaguely gorilla shapes (virtually unheard of since gorillas are shy), the company behind the slaughtered expedition without the slightest hesitation forms a new expedition. The expedition is composed of researcher Karen Ross, a few porters, a mercenary, this dude Elliott, and his gorilla, Amy, who he's raised as part of testing primate intelligence. It's not a particularly memorable crew, but Amy's frequent simplistic banter in ASL is entertaining. But the plot thickens, like a meaty stew left out in the sun. They're not the only group in search of these diamonds, also on the trail is a multinational consortium of businesses also in search of a way to gain the lead in a tech development race. There's also a lost city thrown in for good measure, but to be honest it feels like the least consequential part of the plot. It's really my biggest issue with Congo as a whole, that the whole thing doesn't feel truly compelling. I mean credit where credit is due, territorial apes inhabiting a lost city of diamonds in the jungle is up there in terms of creativity in professional-based fiction and/or adventure, but it just doesn't coalesce into a memorable story aside from the premise. It also feels inconsequential, because once the party reaches the city, does some exploring, face down with some of the apes a few times, they escape and each gets a single sentence of epilogue, none of which feels like a payoff of any sort.

Though it may seem like I was ambivalent to Congo, and while that is my attitude towards the sum of its parts, it's a book that in the moment I enjoyed reading. Despite the frequent references to primate studies and data analysis it's not too difficult to read even with its jargon. I'd say that Congo is going to be a pass from me, but if you're looking for something unique or a change of pace then it might be up your alley.