Book cover of Congo

Book description

The search for diamonds, a crucial scientific breakthrough and a mythical ruined city set off this adventure into the heart of the Congolese jungle.

The American expedition is led by Karen Ross, desperate to find her husband and recover the data he found before he disappeared. But there are other…

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Why read it?

1 author picked Congo as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

I flat-out love Michael Crichton’s 1980 jungle-adventure novel Congo, which uses for inspiration H. Rider Haggard’s 1885 breakout adventure King Solomon’s Mines, the protagonist of which is hunter/trader Allan Quatermain. King Solomon’s Mines was about seeking diamonds in central Africa, as is Congo.

The main character in the book is Karen Ross who is asked by her high-tech company to learn why the previous diamond-seeking expedition vanished. Beyond that, the book perfectly exemplifies the technical thriller Crichton invented in the 1960s with Andromeda Strain, written on two levels at once, the action and adventure layer meshing…

If you love Congo...

Book cover of The Rocket Scientist

The Rocket Scientist by Arthur Geis,

The Rocket Scientist is a science-driven thriller about what might happen if microbes from Mars reached Earth.

When her Mars rover detects living microbes capable of absorbing carbon dioxide, Dr. Julie McCray believes she’s found the key to reversing Earth’s climate crisis.

But within hours, the mission is mysteriously shut…

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