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Summary: Crichton does it again
Review: Timeline is an intense race against the clock. It is suspenseful and thilling. It is plotted well enough and the pace is blistering. What this book is not, is literature. Moreover, anyone who reads a Michael Crichton book expecting literature needs to fault themselves and not the writer.In this soon-to-be movie (one can only hope) a rag tag team of archeologists visit the 14th century in hopes of saving one of their own, who is unexpectedly trapped in the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, they only have 37 hours to locate and rescue him. If books about time travel or the Middle Ages interest you, be sure not to miss Timeline.
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Summary: Best book I have read since Jurasic Park
Review: I absolutely loved this book!!! It is a page turner from the very begginning. Michael Crichton proves he is a master story-teller. While most other authors rely on the same topic or characters (ala Grisham and Clancy), he can tell a story about bringing dinosaurs to the present or us to the past. Full of action and plot twists and turns, every reader will love this book. Just when you think you have it figured out, you turn the page and realize you don't. In the end, I had the same feeling about me that I had when I was young and Christmas had just ended. I was actually sadden by the thought that I finished this book.
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Summary: Absolute page-turner
Review: First, let me say I read this 450 page book in about 8 hours over 2 days. I could not put it down. It was a great read; at times fast-paced, at others smooth and developing more slowly, but always keeping your interest. As someone who is somewhat familiar with "Star Trek-like" science, the background about quantum physics and multi-dimensional travel did not give me pause. But I suspect that even among the sci-fi uninitiated, you will still find an engaging story with fleshed-out characters and much substance. For those who don't usually read science fiction or fantasy, don't pass this one up--this is not really a science fiction book, it is simply a good read.
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Summary: Fun to read
Review: In praise of Crichton's new book, I can say that it was fun to read, but not much else. It's very obvious from the writing that he did quite a bit of research into the Middle Ages, but there's very little that would be new information to anyone who's taken any European history course. The quantum theory he uses to justify what is essentially a form of time travel is based in fact, but fantastic descriptions littered with meaningless jargon place the process well outside the boundary of reality. The plot devices he uses are old and threadbare, and the characters are stereotypical to an absurd degree. He did keep the plot moving, however, and taken as nothing more than a typical action book, it was a decent read.
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Summary: I hate to use the cliche... but lighten up, everybody.
Review: Many of the reviewers have become quite worked up over what they perceive to be unpardonable errors of science on the part of Crichton. They should repeat this phrase a hundred times: "It's FICTION." Likewise, many got bent out of shape over various questions such as: How did the travellers get "reconstructed" at the other end? How did the professor's message cross universes? etc. A careful reading shows that most of these questions were answered by Crichton. You may consider his answers glib or unconvincing, but -- again -- it's FICTION. Like Jurassic Park, this book is really two stories: A fascinating quasi-scientific theory, well described by Crichton, and an action-adventure yarn. Of the two parts, I preferred the former. But the adventure part wasn't that bad, either. In summary, there's a lot to criticize about this book -- as there was with Jurassic Park. But both books are page-turners, pure and simple. (Now Airframe, on the other hand -- don't get me started!)
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Summary: What a ride!
Review: This was a fantastic book of travelling through time mixed with science. A must read!
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Summary: The Bibliography is great.
Review: The bibliography (a rare thing in modern fiction books!) is great. There is a wealth of historical and scientific books to research. I am not a Crichton fan, I bought and read this book because I am terribly medieval. As far as the medieval authenticity of the book, I think its very valid. Crichton writes with ease about a hisorical period that is often misunderstood. The character of Andre Marek, with his seemingly impossible knowledge of medieval times, is also the most endearing; and the end of the book will leave people wondering about him. In the acknowledgments, Crichton writes: "This is a novel: time travel rests firmly in the realm of fantasy." That being said, even fantasy science can be somewhat believable. I can wrap my mind around plausible, but only if I can follow what's being said. I couldn't follow, after awhile, the science of the novel. That led to me skipping a page here and there.
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Summary: Same old same old
Review: Boy, does Cricton frustrate me. In Timeline, I see the flat, repeated characters; The same basic plot (billionare plays God to create a richman's playground); The same dire results. Heck, substitute "knights" for "raptors" and Timeline becomes Jurassic Park. But doggone it... both books are immensely pleasurable reads. I cranked through Timeline in an all-nighter on the Amtrak AutoTrain. Simply couldn't put it down. Crichton frustrates me because he is a severely limited writer with an absolutely breathtaking gift for coming up with great ideas. And yes, I could almost envision the screenplay in my head. This is simply a perfect book for a summer blockbuster film. Shucks, I could cast the thing right now: Brendan Frasier, Jeremy Piven, Kelly Preston, Michael Ironsides, Jason Issacs, and David Clennon as the professor. Done. When do we start filming?
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Summary: Oh great - time travel. No one has ever done that before.
Review: This book is great for its readability. Crichton also is known for his brand of science, making the impossible scientifically plausible. That is what makes the first half of the book great. The second half, however, is just a formulaic middle age adventure. It's pretty boring, and full of holes. Basically, the whole plot is this: A greedy corporation makes a time travel machine, and a professor secretly goes back to the Middle Ages. Once this is found out, the corporation sends a group of graduate students back in time to rescue him. They gain the king's favor, kill a whole bunch of people, and barely make it back in time. Why did they go back to the Middle Ages, when they could have just gone back to the time right before the professor entered the time machine to stop him? I'll never figure it out. How did the graduate students each become super human killing machines? Got me guessing. How can they go back in time, kill and alter so many people, and have the present be the exact same? I wonder how. The second half of the book is an insult to common sense. Heck, time travel ruined the Star Trek movies, the Superman movies, why not ruin Crichton's series of books as well? Basically, a quick, fun read, with a darn stupid plot.
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Summary: I Should Have Skipped The Physics Lesson
Review: Crichton is well known for his attention to detail, but I think he went a little overboard in this one. I was afraid I wouldn't understand the rest of the story if I didn't pay attention to the physic lesson at the beginning of the book, so I struggled through that part. But I found out, later, that a complete understanding of these details wasn't necessary to follow the plot line. The story really gets going when the travelers arrive in the year 1357. There is plenty of action and the characters are very likeable (or, in some cases, easy to dislike). Crichton has a way of making the unbelievable absolutely believable and he does it again in this story.
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