Mike's Books

Congo By Michael Crichton 4 Stars Michael Crichton is my favorite author.   Congo is one of his earlier works (it was first published in 1980) and is somewhat of a departure from his frequent theme of disaster caused by the abuse of science and technology introduced in his first major work The Andromeda Strain and most famously exemplified by Jurassic Park .   The writing here may not be quite as good as some of his later work, but the story telling is still first rate.   Congo is the story of an expedition into the depths of the Congo rain forest in search of rare, industrial diamonds.   It features the book’s star, a gorilla named Amy who can communicate in sign-language, a lost city buried deep in the jungle, blood-thirsty cannibals, an active volcano, and a previously unknown species of deadly apes intent on keeping the mysteries of the jungle city hidden.   Highly recommended.

Uber Alles: A Novel of Love, Loyalty, and Political Intrigue in World War II by   Robert Arthur Neff 5 Stars Robert Arthur Neff describes Uber Alles as “either a history lesson wrapped in a love story, or the reverse of that.”   I’d say it’s clearly both.   Beginning shortly before the start of World War II and continuing through the dark days of the war, Uber Alles is the story of Dieter Meister, a German musician who is both part Jewish and a homosexual, and the woman he falls in love with, Sofie von Seigler, the daughter of a high ranking Wehrmacht officer who is also part Jewish. The story is captivating, the characters relatable and identifiable, and the writing excellent.   I am so happy to have found this remarkable work on NetGalley, and I thank that website, the publisher, and the author for the opportunity to read and review the book.   I can’t wait to move on the sequel.

Round the Moon (Baltimore Gun Club #2) by   Jules Verne 3 Stars Round the Moon continues the story begun in the much better known From the Earth to the Moon .   I found this to be the more entertaining of the two.   The first book tells the story of building a giant gun to launch a projectile to the moon.   This volume continues the story with the trip itself, and the adventures of the three daring passengers in the capsule.   Like most of Verne’s work there are painstakingly detailed descriptions of almost everything that make the reading tiresome at times.   It’s still incredible to think, however, that Verne imagined this fantastic voyage shortly after the end of the American Civil War.   That makes it well worth reading in my opinion.

From the Earth to the Moon (Baltimore Gun Club #1) by   Jules Verne 3 Stars I'm ashamed to admit that I've never read Verne before. I've listened to an audio book copy of Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea but this is my first experience actually reading a Jules Verne work.   I guess the audio book experience should have prepared me, but I'm still surprised by how much scientific detail there is and how little real story.   The book was enjoyable and brilliant in its own way (let’s face it, Verne was a visionary genius), but it’s still very dry in many places.