#12 in Mystery & suspense action books
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Reddit mentions of Congo
Sentiment score: 3
Reddit mentions: 4
We found 4 Reddit mentions of Congo. Here are the top ones.
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Specs:
Height | 7.5 Inches |
Length | 4.1875 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | April 2009 |
Weight | 0.6 Pounds |
Width | 1.11712 Inches |
In all honesty, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are pretty tough to get into, since they are practically the ur-examples of fantasy, written back when a lot of commercial fiction methodology was still being developed.
When i read a book, I worry first and foremost if I'm entertained, if I am, I'll give it my recommendation, regardless of the flaws. These are the ones I think you'd find best for jumping in with.
YA/Middle Grade Books
Fantasy
Discworld by Terry Pratchet (I'd recommend not starting at the beginning.)
Sci-Fi
Urban Fantasy
Thrillers/Suspense
Check out Drood by Dan Simmons. I picked it up on a whim, and couldn't be happier that I gave it a chance. It's a total trip, and suspenseful in a laid-back / behind-the-scenes sort of way.
Also, I find anything by Michael Chrichton to be utterly "un-put-downable". I'd recommend starting with Congo or Prey, but definitely give Sphere a shot before you move on.
Edit: Sorry I meant Micro instead of Prey. Prey was "meh" but Micro is great. Also definitely check out Timeline! (Sorry, I'm basically obsessed with Chrichton)
Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, is another favorite of mine. But, it's been so long since I last read it that I can't really remember why. I'm going to be rereading that one again soon.
Ok, now we've got something to work with.
Have you read any of Chuck Palahniuk's books (author of Fight Club)? If not try Choke and Fight Club. Like the movie they are dark and brooding, but if you liked the movie, you should enjoy the books.
Since you are into science, you've got an excellent trove of books to dive into by Michael Crichton. A lot of films have been based off the books, but pretty much every book was better than the movie, yes even Jurassic Park. Crichton started to get lazy later on, and a bit preachy, so I'd recommend his earlier stuff. Read: Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strand, Congo, and Sphere.
If you would like to try some hard science books, you can try out either Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything, or perhaps Richard Dawkin's The Selfish Gene.
Michael Crichton; he does a lot of books like The Martian. His books are based on real scientific points that blur into fiction to make it more realistic. I like to describe them as "approachable science fiction."
He's most famous for his books-turned-movies: Jurassic Park, Timeline, Congo, and 13th Warrior.
But he also has great approachable ones like Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, and Next.