Rating: 
Summary: Bayeaux Tapestry it's not!
Review: Michael Crichton would have been better served if he had sent his time travelers back in time to interview more capable authors, in the hope that they might bring back some tips that might add a second and third dimension to his writing. This book is cartoonish at best. Reading this book is like watching Vic Morrow in TV's Combat. We know who is going to get whacked by book's end - just as soon as we meet all the characters. How these fish-out-of-water characters survived their adventure is explainable only by the fact that the big stars who play them in the movie have to stick around long enough to justify their paychecks. Is there any cliche not touched on in this writing-by-the-numbers exercise? Crichton phoned this one in. Let's see... if I replace the dinosaurs with knights, and I replace the island with a castle.... Ka-ching goes the cash register!
Rating: 
Summary: Lighten up people!
Review: Is it "scientifically accurate?" Probably not.Is it "realistic?" No. Is it full of suspense? No. But, is it FUN? YES! Give the guy a break. He's not writing for M.I.T. students; nor is he trying to win a Nobel Prize for Literature. He simply wrote an entertaining book mixing together some deep scientific theories with history. I found it interesting and a fun read. ps: There were quite a few editing errors that were obviously missed in the rush to get the book out for Christmas.
Rating:
Summary: Weak
Review: TIMELINE starts out interestingly, and I had hopes for it, but it disintegrates into every time- machine-B-movie you've ever had to endure on the late late show that you were only watching because you had insomnia. And Crichton is ripping himself off here. JURASSIC PARK and THE LOST WORLD were fish-out-of-water-in-another-time (so to speak) books. Crichton directed the movie "West World" and THAT was a fish-out-of-water.... movie (suburbanites in the old west). And here it is again. I wouldn't mind Crichton mining the same vein, if he did it successfully. But since he's failing at it ("Westworld" was his only successful attempt at that plot, I think), he should try a different plot on for size.
Rating: 
Summary: More of the Same
Review: Now, before I start the review let's get a few things straight... Michael Crichton, is not, nor will be, a great literary wordsmith. The plots in his books never really have any major unforeseen twists, and frankly the characters are built more on social and cultural stereotypes than Mr. Crichton's development (with the possible exception of Ian Malcolm)... 'Timeline' has more of these, including the Professor (that's actually how he is referred to) and the evil bad guy tycoon. Furthermore (and this becomes icreasingly irritating), instead of describing some of the 14th century surroundings to a greater extent, Mr. Crichton includes pictures (!) of them. All this aside, 'Timeline' is still a damn entertaining read. It doesn't have the eery feel of Jurassic Park, but it is as much a pageturner as 'Airframe,' 'Disclosure,' and 'Sphere.' Sadly, Mr. Chrichton seems to skimp more and more on the substance of the action, much like in 'The Lost World.' Now, each book seems like a light mixture of two screenplays (one of an action film, one of a 'Mr. Wizard' episode) put into narrative form. Furthermore, (and this is as irritating as the pictures) Mr. Chrichton in the last half of the book seems to think that good suspense is built like the 110-m hurdles. One adversity (or adversary) is followed by another, and in the last 100 pages you feel like you are reading a description of someone playing a videogame. The result, is of course, that after all the trials and tribulations the end is anti-climactic. (Although a bit better than the endings of 'Congo' and 'Jurassic Park' and 'Sphere' where "everything blows up.") The real star of this horse-and-pony show is of course, science, which in this book also mixes with history... and that's what propels this book past failures like 'Eaters of the Dead'... While it's not his best book ever, Crichton still delivers, and my faults are largely with the author (still my favorite mainstream writer) rather than with the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Crichton triumphs again!
Review: This is another superb novel written by the king of novels. I could not put this book down for a second. Crichton did an excellent job researching medievil customs and warfare, and the result was an action packed mixture of history and science. I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in science fiction or anybody that is a history buff. Last book that was this hard to let go was Jurassic Park. Three words "READ THIS BOOK"
Rating:
Summary: Superb Book
Review: This book is fast-paced, gripping, and kept me reading straight through the end. Vintage Crichton!
Rating:
Summary: Crichton gives an excellent history lesson
Review: Crichton produces a very interesting story about war torn France. Historically, he does an excellent job of capturing the attitude of the people and of the countries. However, some of the mystery in previous Crichton novels is lacking. In fact there is hardly any suspense or mystery in this plot. Crichton attempts to make the character of de Kere more mysterious and abstract but fails miserably. I would have liked Crichton to withhold more of the plot from the reader. Nevertheless I enjoyed the historical aspects of this book. It was a quick book; I easily finished it in three days. Not his best, but one of Crichton's better novels.
Rating:
Summary: Writing by the numbers
Review: I love a good time-travel yarn, but this one seems pretty formulaic. Once you get through the cursory but interesting discussion of quantum technology, you're left with a fairly mundane adventure yarn that's full of action but desperately thin on character. I guess the thing that's most disappointing about "Timeline" is that it never really gets beyond the stereotypes we all have of medieval times - it's all swordplay and jousting and castle intrigue. I would have enjoyed a little more insight into the time itself. Surely not everyone in the Middle Ages was brandishing a broadsword every second. Surely there are some interesting contrasts and parallels between that time and this one. "Timeline" reads like a screenplay, and I suppose that's what it really is: opening next summer in a theater near you. Tarted up with special effects, the movie might actually be more interesting than the book. But I think I'll pass anyway.
Rating:
Summary: Another Engaging, Well-Researched Read from Old Reliable
Review: If you've enjoyed any of his prior works, and especially if you're intrigued by medieval times, you're likely to enjoy Chrichton's latest. It's inventive and acceptably, though not particularly well, paced. But what Chrichton did most notably in this novel is combine three elements - science fiction (time travel), ancient history (middle ages), and modern technology (quantum mechanics and quantum theory) - in a truly interesting way that had me thinking: While this couldn't possibly happen today, I can hold open the possibility that it might in twenty-five, fifty or a hundred years. In short, a very enjoyable and entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: Crichton Rocks!
Review: Timeline is a page turner! You don't need to understand anything about space travel to enjoy this ride through time. Crichton has well researched Middle Ages customs, practices, warfare, and other areas to make this journey fun. For those with an eye for detail, you will relish in the description of events. Especially noteworthy are the battles and scenerary. All of this puts you 'on location' in Timeline. Enjoy this read! Share it with a friend!
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