Rating: 
Summary: HARD READ
Review: This was a very hard read. The concept was good but the story was really really hard to follow. Definately not his best work,unless you are into that era in time.
Rating: 
Summary: Terribly written
Review: Maybe this book will work as a movie script or story board for a game. It doesn't work as a book. It's BORING, full of stupid cliches and insipid characters, not hisotrically or scientifically accurate, and a real waste of time. It's not a movie I will go to (too bloody), but I'm sure it will do well at the box office. It does not deserve to do well as a book, though.
Rating:
Summary: The Dark Ages of Popular Writing
Review: I found this book particularly fascinating in that Crichton has managed to effortlessly blend breathtakingly contrived plots, painfully trite and shallow characterizations, laughably absurd pseudoscience, and stunningly artless writing resulting in an impossibly awful insipid piece of garbage that is so bad he must have endeavored to do so as a cruel and cynical joke. Just say no--watch a bad made-forTV movie instead. Then you will have only wasted two hours.
Rating:
Summary: Video Game in a book....
Review: I have to concur entirely with the first commentary on the book. I would add to points: 1) A positive- Crichton gave an interesting view of the more bizarre points in modern quantum physics. His explanation of the consequences of the mathematical equations is both simple and titlating. Furthermore, he gave his far fetched story some scientific backbone doing this. Like <Jurassic Park>'s use of the DNA and DNAr in the amber-stuck mesquito's, Crichton gives some believeability to his story with the careful use of science. 2)A negative- The actual flow of the story struck me as what you might experience in a video game. Each sub-plot had the requisite 'requirements' before completion of the level, followed by a brief lull, and another, more advanced level. Eventually this video-come-novel culminated in the destruction of the 'bad-guy' buy the video character. Nevertheless, the story is an interesting read, and for $6, where else could one get his fill of the freaky world of quantum mechanics?
Rating: 
Summary: Timeline
Review: I thought the story was average, and somewhat predictable. The classic time travel paradox was explained as not a possibility so why even worry about it. Crichton describes medieval times as very clean, and less violent and savage than modern times. I know the book obviously wasn't trying to be historically accurate. I couldn't help but think however that Crichton was trying to convince people that scholars views of the middle ages were wrong. These counter period descriptions in addition to the primary characters being muscle bound and gorgeous got irritating.
Rating: 
Summary: WOW!
Review: WOW! This book is a true page turner. I had a hard time putting this book down..I even would take it to work and read it on my lunch breaks. This book really gets you involved in the setting and the motivation of most of the characters. I definately recomend!!
Rating:
Summary: A real page turner!
Review: Timeline by Michael Crichton Ballantine Books - New York 1999A real page turner! The scientists excavating a medieval site in France are puzzled when a vice president from their sponsoring company, ITC, shows up with more information on the site than they have discovered. The founder and president of ITC is the brilliant physicist Robert Doniger whose secrecy is legendary and whose research into high speed computers and medical technology are only a cover for his time travel experiments. The team leader, Dr Edward Johnston returns to the US to try and discover what is going on and ends up lost in the past at the time when their excavation site is in the midst of the 100 year war. Chris, Kate and Andre, part of the archaeological team, go back in time to try and find Dr Johnston and bring him back. From this point on it is touch and go if they will be able to return. They find themselves embroiled in the war and are trusted by neither side. Time and time again they are captured, only to escape by the skin of their teeth only to be caught up again in the treacherous and murderous schemes of the combating knights. The story is fast paced, filled with exciting skirmishes and hundreds of minute details of a life and times of 600 years previous. I enjoyed the detail and the excitement and had difficulty putting the book down. It is one of Crichton's better books.
Rating: 
Summary: a historical masterpiece
Review: The thing to note when reading this book is that there are a lot of irrelavent charachters. you think the first half is good but wait until you get to the second....
Rating:
Summary: Awesome
Review: I've never been one to read science fiction but when my boyfriend (knowing my love for reading) reccomended it to me i decided to give it a try, for his sake. I read it in a day and then i reread it again the next day. this book has forever joined my list of favorites. with a crew of quite believable charcters and a time travel plot (not to mention knights, kings, castles and the likes) this book is put into the catgory of adventurous page turner. Take some time and read this truly AWESOME book!!!
Rating:
Summary: A Good Story Idea That Went Astray In The Execution
Review: What's happened to editorial discipline and writer restraint? Someone should have at least had the professional perspective to realize that some stories need to be heavily repaired before putting print ink to paper. Crichton and his editors obviously felt that this book would sell on name recognition alone. The problems: 1) stereotypical characters, 2) unbelievable motivations, 3) underdeveloped subplots that could have added a lot to the story but were dropped or badly handled, and, for me the biggest problem 4) the bad guy received a punishment NOT equal to the crimes committed. He didn't kill anybody and wasn't threatening to take over the world. He was just trying to make money by UNDERUTILIZING a remarkable scientific process. A more suitable judgement would have been for him to lose his company and be shamed in the eyes of his competitors. The good: Some of the scenes had good cinematic impact, but even these were overshadowed by the overall lack of cohesiveness.
| 
