Rating: 
Summary: Timeline Falls Short
Review: Having read every of Crichton's works of fiction, this book ranks among the lowest of his books (aside from Lost World and Sphere.) Crichton lays the groundwork for a potential exciting story but ends up with a far-fetched and too busy of a story. Without giving away the ending, Crichton fails to deliver that jaw dropping finale and you can see how the book will get wrapped up long before reaching page 400. I will continue to buy Crichton (except any dinosaur-related stories) and believe that he is simply in a slump and will put out another good one like Disclosure in the years to come.
Rating: 
Summary: Simply wonderful
Review: As a avid Crichton fan, I found this book a little out of the ordinary. Nevertheless, it was wonderful and I would suggest it to anyone. Crichton explains Quantom physics very simply and makes every page a must-turner! Wonderful beginning and a wonderful ending! Good Job, Crichton!
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointed again......and for the last time!
Review: When I read Sphere, Crichton instantly became my favorite writer. After that sequel to Jurassic Park (whatever it was called), I became dissappointed in Crichton's obvious sell out. Why did he quickly come out with "Jurassic Park warmed over", basically the same book, with basically the same dinosaurs and characters, but stirred up in a shallower pot, so that the leftovers are full of meaningless action, easily transferable to visual media ... an embarassingly obvious movie script excuse for a book. Now he's dared do it again. IMHO, his once brilliant writing now just smells of opportunism.
Rating:
Summary: Take a ride on the wild side
Review: Michael Crichton's latest, "Timeline", starts out slowly (It takes 163 pages for the gang to get where they are going), but once it gets started, its gangbusters all the way! The basic idea is something like "Jurassic Park"--brilliant, but amoral tycoon and gang of fearless (okay somewhat fearless) young scientists and a world existing in the past. But next to "Timeline", "Jurassic Park" is a walk in the woods. The action begins as soon as our intrepid heroes reach their distination, France in the late 14th century during the 100 Year's War. Before they can say, where are we, a fiercesome bunch of medieval horsemen coming riding toward them swinging their swords. For the next 300 pages the action continues hot and heavy. Adventure, action, romance, intrigue, its all here and more. Of course, it is all written with the movie in mind. I see Sean Connerly as the professor. The toughest part to cast will be that of Kate, the young expert in architecture who has to get out of more scrapes than a Houdini. The book is premised on the idea that a quantum computer can be build and that there are parallel universes to which people can travel. Crichton admits that this part may be far-fetched, but he also claims that the historical parts are factual. One thing is for sure, when you finish this book, you will be grateful you were not living back in those times.
Rating:
Summary: Working too hard to contrive plot complications
Review: Michael Crichton has written some great books ("Andromeda Strain" and "Jurassic Park") and movies ("West World" -- one of my all time favorites). Unfortunately, this is not one of his best. I kept having the feeling that Crichton was working too hard to contrive plot complications instead of letting the plot grow out of the characters. But maybe with such wooden characters, he didn't have a choice (only the Lady Claire seemed interesting to me). For a month I read this book every night at bedtime, only advancing a few pages before it put me to sleep. Not my kind of page-turner.
Rating:
Summary: Interesting but not up to Crichton standards.
Review: It is rare that I finish reading a book and find myself conflicted on my opinion of it, but this is my dilemma with Timeline. While more of a science fiction fan than a history fan, I enjoyed the medieval time travel element quite a bit. It was engaging and had quite a lot of action to keep me interested. The jumping back and forth between past and present kept the suspense at a relatively steady pace. My disappointments were its over-reliance on technical information (which made for some dry reading at times), and its characters who, while not UNlikeable, just didn't make me care much what happened to them (except for Marek, who I really liked). Having read almost every other book Crichton has written, I just didn't feel this was up to his usual standards. However, if you are interested in the medieval period, Crichton's extensive bibliography alone would probably be worth the price of the paperback.
Rating:
Summary: Comic Book Material
Review: The book makes an interesting blend of science and history. However, the story places the main characters in one close call, after another, after another, after another, and on and on. After about the 11th near death expireince, I had the tendency to think "come on--this is getting rediculous." Nonetheless, the story was entertaining.
Rating:
Summary: A good book, but definitely not Crichton's best
Review: Timeline is a story of time travel, parallel universes, history, science fiction, and conflict. The character's are well developed, but leave a small bit lacking. The plot in itself is on the borderline of cliche and unique, and Crichton interprets it rather well. However, I found this book to be a bit too Sci-Fi and fiction for my tastes, despite Crichton's vast use of science. It's obvious that he did his research, but the outcome seems a bit too extreme. Overall, a good book with its strengths and weaknesses.
Rating: 
Summary: His second worst
Review: This is perhaps the Crichton's second worst book after Lost World. This is an insult to science fiction enthusiasts. I think he should call this a screenplay rather than a novel. Mr Crichton has been completely sold out to Hollywood...... I was extremely disappointed as I am a huge fan of his writing. My favorite being the "The Great Train Robbery" and "Jurassic Park". This book has very little scientific content and whatever little there is , is also very unconvincing.
Rating: 
Summary: Not an avid Crighton follower...
Review: But this book I couldn't put down! I would deliberately stop reading and not pick it up for a couple days to avoid finishing it! I'm not the biggest historian buff but you don't really have to be to follow it's plot. I almost felt like I knew the travelers, as with got to dislike the "bad guy" so much I felt like I knew him personally. I've always been interested in books and movies revolving around time travel, this one was definitely one of the best!
|
