Cliff Notes for Michael Crichton's "Congo"?

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: Beau
Congo is the worst Crichton book, but it's still better than 90% of the other Sci-Fi books out there.

You haven't read good sci-fi then. I'd put up a list of 10 stories/books that are most likely better in every way than Congo.

 

[austin316]

The biggest difference I can remember is that in the book the gorillas used large paddles to crush the heads of the humans. In the movie, this was non-existent.

 

[Encryptic]

Congo isn't Crichton's best book, but its a good read. Just sit your ass down and read it. It's not that long and is pretty entertaining. That said, WTF is your school doing assigning THAT for an American Literature class? I guess it does beat some of the stuff I had to read in high school, like Lord of the Flies (that book bored the crap out of me, classic or not).

 

[Maverick]

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Gee, I listed a perfect synopsis of the book back in MAY...like six responses down from the top.

yeah for the wrong book. Crichton's Congo involves a lost city, diamonds, and grey gorillas that smash people's skulls with stone paddles. No guy ever joins the Southern Liberation army and eats his own foot.

 

[Thump553]

I don't know which is more pathetic, a slacker looking for Cliff Notes for this book or the teacher that assigned it to a reading list. It's a classic alright, it's classic beach vacation reading-all puff, moderately entertaining (but definately one of Chricton's worst) but of zero substance. The only rationale I can see for assigning it would be to include a book that even the most clueless could get through and might enjoy.

Fifteen minutes a day should easily get it done by the end of a month-and you have all summer. If you absolutely can't read it, multitask-have someone read it to you during your incredibly busy schedule. Or check for an audiobook version at your library. I suspect you will spend more time and effort avoiding the task than just reading the book would require.

Hint-Cliffnotes should always be your last choice. Your teacher is fully aware of what's in the Cliffnotes and will most likely stomp on any effort to parrot them back.

 

[MegaloManiaK]

Heh, funny digging up an old post like that causing people to respond months after the issue is over.

I missed the date for awhile there, until i started thinking, WTH its july, what are you doing in HS???


Edit: Just read the book

 

[PatboyX]

Originally posted by: Beau
Congo is the worst Crichton book, but it's still better than 90% of the other Sci-Fi books out there.

yeah, everyone and their brother writes sci-fi but he's one of the few that still do research (or, at least, has interns that do research)

 

[n0cmonkey]

Originally posted by: PatboyX

Originally posted by: Beau
Congo is the worst Crichton book, but it's still better than 90% of the other Sci-Fi books out there.

yeah, everyone and their brother writes sci-fi but he's one of the few that still do research (or, at least, has interns that do research)

I'm at work, so I don't have Chapterhouse Dune with me, but in the indroduction (I think) it mentions that Frank Herbert researched various topics for something like 6 years for those books.

 

[Ameesh]

you could read it in a day, its a quick read.

 

[PatboyX]

Originally posted by: n0cmonkey

Originally posted by: PatboyX

Originally posted by: Beau
Congo is the worst Crichton book, but it's still better than 90% of the other Sci-Fi books out there.

yeah, everyone and their brother writes sci-fi but he's one of the few that still do research (or, at least, has interns that do research)

I'm at work, so I don't have Chapterhouse Dune with me, but in the indroduction (I think) it mentions that Frank Herbert researched various topics for something like 6 years for those books.

well, yes. but we can name the best sci-fi writers on our fingers (and toes, if we are being generous). i consider herbert one of the best. those that not only did his own research but demanded that the reader do some as well.

 

[JeffreyLebowski]

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Guy searching for a meaning to his humdrum life joins the Southern Front Liberation Army. They go on a mission in the Congo. They get lost. They encounter snakes/spiders/dead people. Guy gets trapped in Pungi Stick pit. Eats his own foot to stay alive. Guy is rescued by Black Ops US Army unit.

Next time, read the book. You're welcome.

wtf are you talking about?

Monkey learns sign language. Monkeys goes to Africa to get in tune with nature. Monkey finds lost zity of Zinj. Lots of people die in the process.

You're right, that's Chrichton's other jungle-book, MONGO.

Telegram for Mongo, telegram for Mongo.

 

[NogginBoink]

Originally posted by: Beau
Congo is the worst Crichton book, but it's still better than 90% of the other Sci-Fi books out there.

No, Andromeda Strain is the worst.

Crichton has this habit of writing horrible endings. It's like he decides he's written enough, so slaps on this ridiculous "and then a bunch of magic happens to clean up this mess that I've written" ending on there and sends it to the publisher.

 

[Encryptic]

Originally posted by: JeffreyLebowski

Originally posted by: MichaelD

Originally posted by: Mwilding

Originally posted by: MichaelD
Guy searching for a meaning to his humdrum life joins the Southern Front Liberation Army. They go on a mission in the Congo. They get lost. They encounter snakes/spiders/dead people. Guy gets trapped in Pungi Stick pit. Eats his own foot to stay alive. Guy is rescued by Black Ops US Army unit.

Next time, read the book. You're welcome.

wtf are you talking about?

Monkey learns sign language. Monkeys goes to Africa to get in tune with nature. Monkey finds lost zity of Zinj. Lots of people die in the process.

You're right, that's Chrichton's other jungle-book, MONGO.

Telegram for Mongo, telegram for Mongo.

"Candy? Mongo love candy."

*BOOM*

 

[amcdonald]

Read the book man... crichton writes the EASIEST books to read. I read jurassic park in like 2 hours on a road trip. All of his books are the same way. I'd hate to see you try to read the grapes of wrath or some other huge crappy book. By the way, crichton sucks.

 

[Whisper]

Crichton has this habit of writing horrible endings. It's like he decides he's written enough, so slaps on this ridiculous "and then a bunch of magic happens to clean up this mess that I've written" ending on there and sends it to the publisher.

Deus Ex Machina, baby. The writer's block-having author's best friend.

"I wrote my main character into an unsolvable situation, but don't want to kill him off? Umm...well...ok, aliens from the future that haven't yet been even hinted at in the previous 500 pages come down, vaporize the evil corporate bad guys, restore the ozone layer, and give the protagonist's daughter a pony."

Crichton is entertaining, but it's fluff literature...candy for your brian. I try to balance out my reading; if I go for something like Congo, I'll break out The Complete Works of Shakespeare or Atlas Shrugged afterwards to make up for it.

 

[dquan97]

Originally posted by: amcdonald
Read the book man... crichton writes the EASIEST books to read. I read jurassic park in like 2 hours on a road trip. All of his books are the same way. I'd hate to see you try to read the grapes of wrath or some other huge crappy book. By the way, crichton sucks.

That's pretty good to be able to read 400pages in 120mins!

 

[austin316]

yeah for the wrong book. Crichton's Congo involves a lost city, diamonds, and grey gorillas that smash people's skulls with stone paddles. No guy ever joins the Southern Liberation army and eats his own foot.

Didn't the sarcasm hit you upside the head like two stones paddles?


ps. is there a button so they I can have the quote say who said it, and have it in bold, with the other part being italicized? or do people just manually do that themselves? IE> see the fourth post from the top, by Mwilding.