Rating: 
Summary: the best book i have ever read in my life
Review: this is the best book that i have ever read in my life, and believe me, i've read my share of awesome books. every page has a new surprise even more thrilling than the last. since i especially love history and science, this book was so incredibly fascinating!!!! i recommend that everyone read this book because it has something different for everyone. This is the type of book that you cannot put down. I was sooooo commited to this book and I want to read it again!!
Rating: 
Summary: Timeline/a thrilling piece making time machines real
Review: This book was about a group of scientists, both physicists and historians, trying to relive history. They are trying to rebuild the Medievil Times and with the right technology, go back to them. The company, ITC, used quantam energy to recreate genetics and DNA to transfer humans to the past. It doesn't always work, though, and people don't always come back the same, or at come back at all. A team of scientists are trying to bring back their professor who is lost in Medievil Time. They have 36 hours, but that time might not be enough. If they don't get back before that, they will be lost in time forever. They struggle through many endless, lifethreatening battles. The question is, can they survive? The thrill in this story was incredible. It was constantly changing from good to bad. I was always wondering what was going to happen to them. Just when things took a turn for the better, they took a sharper turn for the worse. If you like action and suspense, this is definately the book for you!
Rating:
Summary: The best!
Review: Clearly The best Michael Crichton book ever! The combination of science and suspence is thilling in this book. Everytime he come out with a new novel, it is just better than the last.
I am a long time fan of his work and was still deeply impressed by how he states his thesis of "Let laying things lie" so clearly in this novel.
In fact, I was so delighted with the book that I had recomended it to my mother, an avid fantasy reader. She read it and said herself that it was a great novel.
Rating:
Summary: What more can you ask for in a novel?Simply awesome!
Review: My very 1st Crichton novel--I picked it up as the cover looked appealing. After reading the storyline , I was intrigued by the whole medieval time travel theme so I started reading. Little did I know that I was about to be thrown into probably the best book I had ever read in the recent years. Most popular fiction books bore me & after a few chapters I just put them down & never finish it. But this book made it hard for me to turn the night light off(much to my husband's chagrin!)--I couldn't wait to find out what happens next. I skipped some pages towards the end as it got too lengthy & wordy with how he described the chase scenes & fight scenes. But I thought it ended with a great twist & left me a little breathless in the end. I won't reveal the ending but I thought that how it ended & what had happened to one of the characters (Marek)in the end had a cool "romantic" twist to it without being mushy & leaves you thinking about whatyou would have done if you were in their shoes.
He's my now my new favorite author & am on a quest to find all his books & start reading them. I just wonder if the new movie about to be released will be as good as the book. Well, have fun reading! Its definitely worth the every penny buying this book! You'll enjoy this book if you like action--adventure & suspense with some sci fi elements in it.
Rating: 
Summary: Falls short
Review: Crichton must have gotten tired of writing this one and published it in draft form. It starts with a tremendous SF premise-- time travel back to the Middle Ages to track down a person who got "lost" back there-- but never fully delivers. Still worth reading (and still better than most stuff that gets published), but not Crichton at his best.
Rating:
Summary: A+ For Suspension of Disbelief
Review: On the technical points of science and parallel universes I am not an expert. But I know when I can't put a book down, it's pretty impressive. Crichton's ability to paint the perfect picture with mere words amazes me. Throughout the book, be it a murky & mossy forest or annoying yuppies, my mind filled with visuals that made me feel like I was right up on the action. Yes, at one point I actually jumped while I was reading. I wasn't prepared for someone to have their head lopped off without warning... Yes, it is violently graphic for a bit, but nobody ever said you have to keep reading it if you don't like it.
Rating: 
Summary: Not Crichton's best.
Review: This novel benefits from what may well be Crichton's greatest strength- his ability to create a fantastic premise that is grounded in enough real science to seem plausible. In this case, the story centers largely on a company that has secretly perfected technologies ranging from quantum computing to time travel. It is apparent that the author spent quite some time studying up on both quantum physics and the middle ages before penning this novel, and it largely paid off even if some chapters feel more like university lectures than story development.Unfortunately, in this case Crichton's attention to science doesn't make up for his lack of attention to story development. Characters feel too flat to inspire much empathy, and many of their motivations are difficult to understand. One plothole that I couldn't get past: the company in the center of the story has exclusive patents on quantum computers, universal translators, and a host of other high-tech trinkets (not to mention time machines) but somehow has managed to find itself in dire financial straits. Why not put one of their less secretive gadgets on the market and make a few billion more to spend on their more covert operations? Arguably the weakest plot point is when we learn that the "villain" who runs the company has some kind of diabolical plan for getting rich with the time travel technology. What could it be? Going back to the 1920's and investing in the stock market? Murdering the parents of rivals before they are born? The answer will make you groan with disappointment. I don't want to ruin the ending, but I'll say this much- it's not exactly a new concept for a Crichton novel.
Rating:
Summary: Timeline
Review: The story was a little ... blah. But anything with talk of quantum foam gets my utmost immediate attention, so there you have it, another guilty pleasure. I liked that the author was fictional where he needed to be and valid where he could be. Education as entertainment or vice versa, I think is true. I enjoyed the talk of authenticity even though it was coming from the bad guy. And I deeply appreciate the notion that we are not superior just because we're modern. I enjoyed talk of the castle, as green and gray are highly enjoyable. Also, the underground river intrigued me. Stalactites, I think, are quite awesome. Wicked cool even, if I may say so and yes, I think I just did.
Rating:
Summary: Wonderfully imaginative, but rough going in parts.
Review: Michael Crichton is a polymath--one who is apparently able to master many fields of knowledge. In this book, Crichton successfully writes a plausible story of time travel--into medieval France. Crichton's imagination, knowledge of history and knowledge of science makes this believable and realistic. Most time travel stories fail in both regards. This one does not. Crichton's explanation of quantum theory and how it might relate to time travel is utterly fascinating. His preface to the novel puts the notion of time travel in perspective, by comparing this possibility with already-present and wondrous 20th Century technological achievements. Don't skip this part. The story itself is interesting, but it does get bogged down in the middle and latter portions. I found the ending to be unsatisfying, although I don't know what Crichton could have done to improve it. Once one believes time travel is possible, it's pretty tough to explain where this leaves everything. This novel convinces the reader that mankind has, already, walked far. And that there is no reason to believe that we are not just beginning to be on our way.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Crichton
Review: 'Timeline' is a novel about time travel to medieval France. A group of historian/scientists are recruited to test time travel out. Sound familiar? Like 'Jurassic Park' possibly? Just like 'Jurassic Park', things don't go exactly as planned. If you enjoy other Michael Crichton books, or other technology/science/adventure type novels, this is a great read. Crichton has a knack for intertwining technology, history, and interesting characters. The twist with 'Timeline' is that the technology isn't based on computers or genetics or anything modern. It's based on the technology of 700 years ago. 'Timeline' is a perfect example of his masterty of the genre.
|
