Rating: 
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: I thought this was a great book! Does it belong in the class of "War and Peace"? Of course not! But if you want a book that will keep you up all night reading it, then this is the one. Timeline replaces Jurassic Park as my all-time Crichton favorite!
Rating: 
Summary: Superb screenplay, but a book ....
Review: You can see the book was written for Hollywood. Very promising start. The end fizzles out like a wet squib. Totally impossible situations with little or no characterizations. Very flat characters. There is no effort to bring the intrigue, ignorance and the changing Middle Ages to life - it serves merely as a background for phenomenal chases and stunts.
Rating:
Summary: Wide range appeals to every reader
Review: Micheal Crichton once again has amazed us from his diversified knowledge. His incorporation of science fiction, history, and action, provide for a very realistic experience to the reader. His ideas about quantum physics are explained in such lucidity, that even I, a thoroughly read man in Physics, fell for his explanation, which really is mere Science Fiction. But it is this ablity of Crichton, his knowlegde and depth of the subject matter, that makes each and every book of his such a masterpiece. It is truly an enjoyable book to read with an exciting story line, and a great set of characters, whom we might find parallels in real life. I recommend this book to any sci-fi, time travel, physics, history, or any avid reader for its superb content.
Rating:
Summary: I wish I could go back in time to when Crichton wrote well
Review: The book starts *exactly* as Jurassic Park. An unexplained medical emergency. A scientific mystery based around a mega-wealthy, but secretive company. Except this time, instead of bringing the past to the future, Critchon brings the future to the past.Ever since The Lost World, Crichton has sold out. He doens't write books anymore. He writes bad movies -- formula movies -- that will undoubtedly make oodles of money. In Timeline, the characters are as shallow a river in Death Valley. The villians are mindless monsters who have no motive or reason to thier madness (even the Raptors in J.P. acted more intelligently). The plot takes the same twists and turns over and over again -- until the reader knows what is going to happen before it does. The best part of the book: The 3 Page Introduction. Read that, cry for the lost potential of an old-style Crichton story about time-travel, and move on. Don't waste your time here.
Rating: 
Summary: Good adventure story, but lacks depth.
Review: First, the negatives. I like characters I can sympathize with, and the main 4 charachters here were hard to get behind. This is due to more time spent explaining how time travel is possible(but it's really trans-dimensional travel), and describing the what-for's of 14th century life. The one character I really liked was Lady Claire, and she was a secondary character. Also, the explanation of time-travel(trans-dimensional travel) is tedious and quite unbeleivable according to those in the know. And my last real beef is that in reality, if these academics went back to 14th century France, only Marek would have even the slightest chance of surviving. That being said, I'd like to finish on the positives. It's a grand adventure story involving time-travel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The detail in which 14th Century life is described is astounding and it taught me quite a lot while entertaining me immensely. Fighting, jousting, narrowly escaping death at every turn... it's a heck of a page turner. If you check your brain at the dedication page and read it strictly for entertainment value, you can't go wrong(if you like these types of stories).
Rating: 
Summary: Get out the popcorn and call 777-FILM
Review: Crichton has evolved downward from books written as works to be judged on their own merit to those written with cool sets and lighting in mind. While this is undeniably entertaining, it is a guilty pleasure - maybe if enough of us didn't buy this, MC would decide to use his gifts to put together a more challenging read. I am willing to suspend belief to enjoy a good novel, but the flimsy explanations here are laughable - no doubt because they can be glossed over in a 1 1/2 hr. movie script with 45 minutes of battle scenes. Anyway, see you at the theater.
Rating:
Summary: Typical Crichton fare
Review: I'm beginning to believe that Crichton's books are just therough drafts of movie screenplays. However, if you like a typicalCrichton--rich guy decides to exploit horribly fantastic cutting edge science to basically create a theme park storyline--you are in for a treat. I am interested in the 100 Years War, so I found the history to be typically well researched and accurate. This is one of Crichton's strong points. However, he kinda dropped the ball on the quantum mechanics end of things. He was correct in that it is called the "multiverse theory", but that's about it. Let's just say get ready to do some serious willful suspension of disbelieve here. If you can overlook that, it is quite a fast-paced joyride to the 14th century. All in all, a decent book.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeline=The Goonies
Review: As I got further and further into this book, all I could think of was Spielberg's schlocky movie, The Goonies. The entire last half of the book is one ridiculous and unbelievable action sequence after another. Crichton had such a rich subject to work with here; it could've been so much better than next year's cheesy summer action movie. Next time, write the novel before the screenplay, okay?
Rating:
Summary: Crichton's Best Work Since Jurassic Park
Review: Dr. Crichton's new book Timeline is truly an old-fashioned adventure story. Not to be overlooked, however, is the theme that underscores many of his works. To wit, we should be wary of having an unbridled faith in technology. While technology can be wondrous, it can also place in danger as a result of its unintended consequences. In Timeline, the quantum foam wormhole, i.e. time machine, transports the major characters back to medieval France. A simple rescue mission becomes a life-threatening adventure. In giving us a non-stop adventure story, Crichton seems to be reminding us that just because something is technologically feasible, should it be done? This is Crichton's best work since Jurassic Park.
Rating:
Summary: Couldn't put it down!
Review: This book was very engaging...I couldn't wait to finish. I started it one night and finished the next afternoon. Great combination historical fiction/adventure story, with some science fiction thrown in for good measure. To those who say the quantum physics aren't accurate, it's not a textbook, it's FICTION. Enjoy the story!
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