Rating: 
Summary: Just a comment about one of the reviews
Review: "The first 1/3 of the book was mesmerizing, but the last 1/3 was very poorly written." Where's the other third? Maybe you should have said "1/2".
Rating: 
Summary: Decent book but not Crichton's best
Review: This book started out great but started to become predictable by the middle. A very quick read.
Rating: 
Summary: Good, until the end
Review: This book was so great, possibly the best book I had ever read...until the end. The ending was very disappointing.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down
Review: Very interesting novel. Once started, finished in less than 24 hours. Even during breathing sessions, parts came to mind. Worth ordering.
Rating:
Summary: Great start then it went nowhere
Review: I loved the 'science' and commentary on the future, but the story of running around 1357 that fills the last two-thirds of the book got really long with no real point. This must have been written with a movie deal in mind. This book read like a Hollywood thriller.
Rating:
Summary: Timeline
Review: This book was amazing. I have never been able to complete a book about medival times or a sci-fi book, so this was quite new for me. Like a good book, i was unable to put it down.
Rating:
Summary: This book is one of the best I've read. Very interesting!
Review: This novel is without a doubt one of the best I've read. I've always been fascinated by time machines, and this book involves one, which goes back to the old French circa. Chris, Marek, and Kate go through many dangers in this book, and it's interesting to see how they go through all the problems. If they hadn't studied medieval histroy, I don't think they would've survived more than five minutes!
Rating: 
Summary: Great Beginnings..........But
Review: The first 1/3 of the book was mesmerizing but the last 1/3 was very poorly written. This is an ambitious topic (one worth exploring) but the ending really is ridiculous. Was he late for an appointment when he finished the book? Could have been huge!
Rating:
Summary: Joust a few words about "Timeline."
Review: Timeline is a superb read. Taking you from a modern day period back to the days of knights and jousting matches is totally wonderful. Crichton really put a lot of time into researching this topic as you will be able to see by the in depth knowledge used in the book. It also contains humor and romance along with the technical, making Timeline the cream of the crop of Crichton's novels.
Rating:
Summary: Three and a half stars, actually...
Review: As an avid fan of Crichton since my _Jurassic Park_ childhood, I found myself with mixed feelings regarding _Timeline_. While an extremely well-thought out book, deeply immersed in academics and atmosphere, it was rather lacking in what I look for most in a novel: character development.As far as Quantum Theory is concerned, the work is top-notch --QT for the average Joe, so to speak, with enough research done to give Quantum Physics students, such as myself, something to dig into. Apparently, many of the reviewers that complain about the "paradox" regarding the Professor's and Marek's influence on La Roque and Castelgard did not even read --much less understand-- the concept of the multiverse. There is no paradox; the multiverse, a theory that is very real, explains it perfectly. Also, the idea of the quantum "foam" (which is referred to in my classes as a sort of "mesh/grid") functions as the safety net for the "time-travel" necessary for the plot. To summarize, the time-hopping and altering of events is brilliantly planned out. As for the medieval setting, I cannot give a cultured opinion, being more interested in pre-Christianity eras. However, the atmosphere drawn by _Timeline_ felt intense, rich with description and attention to detail. Moreover, the cultural and social environment was thoroughly believable, though I'm quite sure a professional historian would insist on there being mistakes in it. Nevertheless, I doubt even such a historian would be distracted from the actual plot by minor mistakes. However, despite the intensity of the intellectual nourishment given by both the Multiverse Theory and the depiction of medieval times, there is one major flaw in this book: its characters. True, there are memorable instances such as Chris and Kate, but for the most part the cast remained as a flock of faceless minions --the villains being the worst offenders. Sir Guy struck me as the most cliched of all, with little goals or motivations that could earn him sympathy or empathy. Doniger's origins had serious potential as well, but alas, he soon became the Evil Overlord (tm) of all that he sees. And, as is Crichton's wont, the introduction of "prologue-only" characters such as the rug-hunting couple and the hospital staff detracts slightly from the overall view of the cast; thankfully, this is only another instance of Crichton's method of introduction, the likes of which are even more evident in _Jurassic Park_ and _The Andromeda Strain_. Similarly, entities such as the crazed knight of the Green Chapel act more like plot devices than fully-fleshed characters, but even they serve to develop ones like Chris' and Kate's. However, despite the drawbacks regarding the growth of the characters, I found _Timeline_ quite enjoyable, if not as riveting and haunting as _Jurassic Park_, or as complex as _Rising Sun_. What _Timeline_ misses in tridimensional personalities, it makes up dearly in plot development, context and backstory. My only serious gripe is that the ending is rather sudden, and its hollow feeling lingers slightly after the book is read, but as one quote goes: "The journey itself is more important than the destination." And, in _Timeline_, this adage comes true in no small way.
|
