Rating: 
Summary: HORRIBLE-I could have written better!
Review: What a horrible disappointment. I find it hard to believe the same author who wrote the the books first 20 or so pages wrote the remainder of the book. My mouth watered when hearing of a modern day tale of time travel to the medievel era by Crichton. What incredible poor character development.... De Kere left behind ? The professor? The Green Chapel Knight? After figuring out the ending early in the book ( we know how many die), I was awaiting some plot twist but this never came. It will be a long time before I read another of his books again.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeline is Crichton's Best!
Review: I do NOT understand what the other less rated reviewers read, but it most surely was not Timeline. I have read all of his books starting with Andromeda Strain in the early 1970's, and I think this book has more depth and thought. He did a lot of research to produce this book and from the physics to the time period, my imagination left the room. The characters were very well described as well as the terrain involved in each setting. This will be a movie as sure as Jurrasic Park was.I am not a casual book reader as I read all the time. I am also considered a very picky reader not easily entertained. This is one of the best books I have ever read.
Rating: 
Summary: An acquired taste
Review: After reading a handful the other reviews for this book, I began to realize that "Timeline" may not be for everyone. In my opinion, Michael Crichton brilliantly weaves the intricasies of today's technological advancements with the intriguing elements of an unfamiliar historical culture to captivate the minds of imaginative readers. Genius descriptions of physical and chemical phemnomena make this fiction novel at times seem all too real. The development of the characters seem to cater to a smooth transition to the movie screen, but I feel that this is what makes this book such a smooth, captivating read. If you love physics and history, the time spent reading this book is a small price to pay for the entertainment it brings. A ten-hour movie in your head without the budget restraints on special effects (of course reading time may vary)! Happy Reading...
Rating:
Summary: IT's Good EXcept For.....
Review: The Book Timeline is very good except for his explanation of the quatom technology. It is hard to understand the technology but will not ruin the book with that small problem. The other sections of the book of which take place in the past seem very written and researched on. The ending is also very good and you will not expect what happens except all that all the main characters survive.
Rating: 
Summary: Missing Pages!
Review: I think I would have been able to enjoy this book more had I been able to read it straight through, instead of having to look for missing pages! My pages 275-306 were duplicated from other pages in the book. To my dismay, the missing pages were nowhere to be found. What kind of publishing goof-up do you call this!
Rating:
Summary: Brain Orgasm
Review: I simply enjoy Chrichton's writing, after reading all his fictional books, I can say that this was a treat, as were the others. I like his way of explaining difficult scientific material to where a simple person like I, can honestly understand it. He makes me feel intelectual and his writing is an orgasm for the brain.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent!
Review: My first Crichton book and I thought it was excellent, I was absorbed from the first to the last page. His descriptions allowed me to paint wonderful images in my mind of how "I" pictured 14h century France.
Rating:
Summary: Very Entertaining!
Review: I had trouble putting this book down. Very interesting plot and wonderfully exciting story. The author has an excellent grasp of the time period he's writing about. I'm certain this book will end up a major motion picture. Highly recommended reading.
Rating:
Summary: An entertaining joy ride!
Review: I thought that this book was a non-stop page turner! I didn't want it to end - I can't wait for the movie! My only complaint is that it was too short!
Rating: 
Summary: A setup for a movie
Review: I'll admit it - I was a little disappointed with this book. I was hoping for a story at the level of Jurassic Park, and ended up with something obvious and contrived like Sphere. I really feel like this was a book written with the express intention of going directly to the big screen. Don't get me wrong - I did enjoy the book (and will probably see the movie), but I certainly wouldn't call it one of the author's best stories. I did find the quantum physics aspect of the book fascinating - prompting me to dig out some old books and do a little online research, even though understanding it certainly wasn't critical to the overall story. I also felt that the story had been kind of slapped together without any real thought to flow or cohesion. Maybe the rewriting and editing will take place with the screenplay. So many of the cliffhanger moments and situations were contrived, and the characters lacked any real depth or convincing interaction. They spent almost no time doing 'mundane' things like eating or going to market. I think it would have been more realistic to have the characters need a knife, say, and have to go to market to get one. Or to find an inn to eat at. Or, dare I say it, have to relieve themselves. I also would have liked to have had more involvement from the police officer and doctor from the beginning of the story, but that would have led to a very different ending I think. Overall an enjoyable read. I received this as a Christmas gift, and it will get passed around to at least 6 or 7 family members, so the cover price will have been worth it in the end. If I had paid full cover price and no one else would read it beside me, I'd be annoyed at how much I'd spent.
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