Timeline (Unabridged)

Rating:
Summary: page turner, but...
Review: A real page turner, but tiresome after awhile. Heroes always have a quick, convenient way out. Reader begins not to worry, since in less than a page, the obstacle is overcome, and a new one presented...again, and again, and again....

Rating:
Summary: Crichton's character flaw
Review: It's no coincidence that, according to amazon's index, the people who are reading Timeline are also reading Grisham and Clancy. All three are remarkable researchers who re-imagine technical systems -- genetic engineering or quantum physics (Crichton), the law (Grisham) and the postmodern military (Clancy)as detailed but breezy narratives that give the sense of massive complexity without ever making you seriously engage your forebrain. Key characters get the same free pass: Bright grad students, novice lawyers and rank-and-file GIs invariably end up bailing out highly trained specialists when the going gets tough in these books. That's to be expected in genre fiction, but it places constraints on such novels that can't be glossed over. Most important is the utter failure of the characters in these books to rise above predictable, one-dimensional status. Timeline's characters are a case in point. They are not representations of people; they are allegorical figures with arms and legs. It is impossible to care about them or to be surprised by them in any but the most vague and sentimental way. Timeline manages to defer such problems for much of its length by ushering us through a fascinating series of time-travel conundrums, a detailed immersion into medieval life and climactic battle scenes that borrow from both epic lore and medieval romances such as Sir Gawain and the Green Knight -- though in the latter case the references are too hamfisted to engage real students of the era. But by the last third of the book, the seams are showing badly. Key secondary characters are positioned and then forgotten; new ones are pushed onstage to take their place; main players step totally out of character. At one point a fiercely independent young feminist responds to a life-saving act by a previously weak colleague by cooing -- I kid you not -- "My hero." It's hard to imagine a real timeline that takes us from here to that silly moment -- even via the alchemy of quantum physics.

Rating:
Summary: Exciting from start to finish!
Review: Timeline kept my interest from beginning to end - I almost thought I understood quantum mechanics, but alas - I don't. Nevertheless, a fast-paced book that kept me turning pages, a very interesting premise, characters you will care about. I can't wait for the movie - I'm sure there will be one!

Rating:
Summary: The reason they separate "fiction" from "literature."
Review: By Crichton's standard's, poorly written. He must have had tons of help doing the research, and there were parts of the book that were so bad I swore he must have had help with the writing, too. No character development, far too many narrow escapes. Far too many hacked-off limbs, flaming heads and arrows in the eye. About 100 pages too long. On the plus side, very interesting popularization about how quantum theory may be applied some day, and the attention to detail about 14th century France was excellent. Too bad the writing was so shallow.

Rating:
Summary: A slow moving, fast paced story!
Review: I've only read a few Crichton books and I would'nt have bought this one, but it was given to me as a gift, so I felt obligated to read it. It's about half interesting. I think it drags on too much when the characters are in the past in Medieval France. While in the past the characters survive way too many close calls, i.e. drownings, falling off cliffs, falling out of castle windows, a close encounter with a beheading, etc. Not even cats have that many lives. Okay, it's fantasy, but its goofy fantasy. The author does have a great skill at writing and makes it easy to envision the sights and sense of the period in the past. I enjoyed the character of Doniger as CEO of a nasty mega-corporation. But is anybody really that ruthless and evil. Okay, maybe Hitler! I guess if you're a Crichton fan this book will be another good read. I thought it dragged when the story was in the past. I'm glad I stayed with it, but I'm glad to finally be done reading it!

Rating:
Summary: Rich on Detail
Review: I enjoyed the premise and the rich scientific detail describing quantum foam wormholes. I also liked the vivid descriptions of 1350s France. Lots of action. People who enjoy this topic would also like Clifford Pickover's book "Time: A Traveler's Guide," a book that is part science, part fiction. (The characters in Pickover's book use a huge rotating cylinder in space to go back to the time of Chopin.)

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunately Bland
Review: Having read a number of Chrichton's books, from Jurassic Park to Eaters of the Dead, I have to say that ,though not his worst, this was deffinetly not his best. He appeared to be rushing through many portions of the book which could have used much more detail, such as the town one of the characters runs through, the tournament he competes in and the dungeon he is imprisoned in. I hope Chrichton has not exhausted his repetoire of immaginative yarns, as this novel had much to ask for. Even with the lack of detail, it is however, a great tale with a very orriginal ending allong the lines of the original printing of JP and Hammonds demise.

Rating:
Summary: How things were back in 14th century France, now we know.
Review: Timeline is a suspense novel, and exactly like all of Mr. Crichton's other suspense novels. I often found myself thinking (sarcastically) things like...So thats how things really were in 14th century France, at long last the scholars may take a rest...and this reminds me exactly of other Crichton novels I read years ago...or when is this faux quantum physics business ever going to end. If you are interested in a light read, and are mildly interested in some of the more Hollywood aspects of the Middle Ages this is the novel for you. It has its merits, especially if you are able to imagine the rest of the character developement that the author does not provide you with. I also could not help imagining the author writing this and with each chapter writing notes in the margins of the manuscript to the future directer of the film version. My main annoyance with this book is, admittedly, rather petty, and it is that most medieval people are referred to, especially men, as though they were giants. Hasn't he ever bumped his head in Medieval doorways or seen the small size of sarcophogi!

Rating:
Summary: Interesting and Intriguing Topic
Review: I found Timeline to be an interesting read. However, there were several chapters that could have been omitted and the book still would have flowed well. For those of us who enjoy reading period pieces, Timeline does deliver.

Rating:
Summary: Needs more Character development
Review: While it took me a while to get into the book, I thought it very entertaining. The character development was sketchy, but by the end of the book, I was hoping for a sequel featuring Marek. I sometimes found the skipping from present to past a little confusing. While not the best book from this author, I would still recommend it.