Rating: 
Summary: This is Just Fun
Review: Michael Crichton is just having fun with us now. The most believable parts of the book have to do with the nasty rich brat billionaire who causes all the problems in the first place. He kind of reminds one of a certain Mr. Gates. This book is not as terrifying as Jurassic Park, and I actually give it 4.5 stars, but it sure is fun to speculate about time travel. This is Mr. Crichton's strength: he gets us to thinking about interesting possibilities, even if the execution is sometimes a bit of a stretch. A good summer read.
Rating:
Summary: SF at its best
Review: sure - Crichton is going for big effects. But by doing this he manages to raise interest for quantum physics and medivial european history at the same time. No matter how illogical the plot is (and I KNOW how illogical real quantum physics can sound) - it catches your interest, and amazingly much of it may be close to reality!
Rating: 
Summary: Light and Enjoyable
Review: There's not a whole lot of depth to this novel. There's not even too much origality. Crichton does create a fairly successful novel though. What he does is take several different genres - time travel, swashbuckling - and he combines them. He does so with a lot of humor and some decent characterizations. The technical writing part of this about time travel is so intriguing that it doesn't make you lose any interest in the book. He employs a lot of techniques like leaving a cliffhanger at the end of a chapter and using the against-the-clock device. Crichton doesn't break any new ground here, but a reader looking for pure entertainment should definitely be pleased with this fun novel.
Rating: 
Summary: About what you'd expect
Review: Crichton writes movies. His novels are always screenplay-ready. I'm not a fan of his, for that and many other reasons. I read this book because, well, because I'm a medieval junky. My complaints about this are those I have with all Crichton novels. Predictable plot, two dimensional characters and overall shininess being chief among those. This was an amusing diversion nonetheless.The basic story is about a group of historians traveling back to the 14th century and getting into some adventures. The main flaws I can find in the portrayal of the middle ages are slight and mainly have to do with a glossing over of the medieval mindset to make it more accessible to the average modern reader. He does have a nice bibliography, though
Rating:
Summary: A book that teaches you science as well as entertain you
Review: I am beginning to fall in love with what is known as "hard" science fiction. Hard science fiction is where authors base their science fiction novels on some facts of science. The author gives you a tutor on quantom physics in this book and bases his time travel on very scientific knowledge. Some of it is made up but some of it isn't. I am beginning to enjoy science fiction writers who don't make up everything. Crichton not only aim in this novel is to entertain you but to teach you not only science but some history as well. When I read something that not only tries to entrain me but teach me a few things as well I walk away feeling like I didn't waste my time reading this novel. When a writer teaches you science and histroy in an entertaining way that keeps your interest through the whole novel it opens up a new world for you to explore that you previously abandoned due to lack of interest. I have great admiration for writers like this and want to thank them for a job well done.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent novel by Crichton
Review: Michael Crichton is quite possibly, my favorite author. Timeline is definitely one of the greatest books I've ever read. Michael Crichton RULES. Just check out the bibliography - this man did research. Extensive research. I love the blend of history and science, past and present. Timeline is one of Crichton's most well crafted well sequenced novels. I cannot recommend this book enough. 5 stars!
Rating:
Summary: A very exciting thriller
Review: I have never been much of a reader, so when my school required us to read the book over the summer, I was horrified. Although it is a little slow in the beginning, it catches up towards the middle. I like how you are introduced to the site that the workers end up going to before hand and how they have to use that knowledge to survive. This book cannot possibly be called dull. I finished reading it in four days. I didn't care to much for the cussing in it, but other than that it was just so interesting and I could not put it down. If you are a person who is interested in time travel and survival then this is the book for you. If you cannot stand cussing, then I do not recommend you reading it. This book is a quick read and has so many events happening on just a single page. You should take the time to read it.
Rating:
Summary: I LOVE this book!
Review: I've made all of my friends read this book.. I've read it so many times that my hardback copy is getting torn apart. They're finally making it into a movie that I've watched so many times over in my head while reading the book. I can't recommend this enough!
Rating:
Summary: Michael Crichton's Timeline
Review: In Timeline, Michael Crichton mixes his vast knowledge of science and technology with an incredibly detailed story, which takes place within the context of Europe's fourteenth century Hundred Years' War. Timeline is set in both twentieth century Mexico, and fourteenth century France. The ITC Research Company has created a machine that uses quantum physics to teleport people into the past. In the 1950s, the French government began restoration of the Dordogne region to create "the most accurate medieval town in France, and one of the biggest tourist attractions in the country." ITC was hired by the French to assist in coming up with the most historically accurate recreation.
One of the main characters and hero of the story, André Marek, has an obsession with Medieval Europe. He could not only read and write, but also speak Middle English, Old French, Occitan, and Latin. He knew jousting and was an expert with the longbow and broadsword. Crichton gives us Marek's view of the era: "The fourteenth century was a vanished world, and a dangerous one. It was a religious world, where invading armies killed everyone, where women and children were routinely hacked to death, where pregnant women were eviscerated for sport. It was a world that gave lip service to the ideals of chivalry while indiscriminately pillaging and murdering, where women were imagined to be powerless and delicate, yet they ruled fortunes, commanded castles, took lovers at will and plotted assassination and rebellion. It was a world of shifting boundaries and shifting allegiances, often changing from one day to the next. It was a world of death, of sweeping plagues, of disease, of constant warfare."
The story progresses with a message: "HELP ME - 4/7/1357." After determining that their professor, Edward Johnston, sent the message and it did in fact come from the fourteenth century, Marek and the twentieth century graduate students are dragged back in time to help their colleague. As if the scenario is not yet exciting enough, the complications continue to arise. In order to persuade Marek and his comrades to save Professor Johnston, (thus saving their reputation and credibility as well) ITC fails to disclose all of the information, and the time travelers find themselves amidst the perils of the fourteenth century - guideless, with no way of return.
Crichton intertwines history with science, and compares the theories of science with the studies of history through ITC's president Doniger, who states, "When we are dealing with history, theories are worthless. A theory is only valuable if it has the ability to predict future outcomes. But history is the record of human action - and no theory can predict human action."
The remainder of the novel is an incredibly exciting story of the battles between the French and the English, as well as the rescue mission Marek and his crew undertake. One remarkable aspect of this book is the tremendous amount of historical detail that Crichton weaves into the story, as well as the quantity of scientific data (both qualities consistent with Michael Crichton). After completing Timeline, the reader is left with countless inquiries regarding the possibility of time travel and Crichton's representation of it, and a vivid, detailed image of medieval life. Disguised as a suspenseful, action-packed thriller, (often too difficult to put down) Timeline is an effective medium for learning about medieval life and stimulating the mind.
Rating: 
Summary: oh man
Review: I thought this was going to be a good book, but it was boring. I don't know anything about phsyics. The few times it was good was when there was action.
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