Rating: 
Summary: The best by this author
Review: This is his masterpiece! I loved his characters they seem to come alive! Great excitement!
Rating: 
Summary: Crightonesque: predictable page-turning action
Review: What an interesting subject ot write about, but about two hundred pages into the book, I knew exactly what was going to happen: the man enthralled by these times wants to -and does- stay behind; everybody past the first one hundred pages survives throughout the rest of the book; all but the enthralled man make it back safe. Maybe Mr. Chrichton should have just written a physics journal or something, because these incredibly thin plots became stale some time ago. He has so much promise (Sphere, in my opinion, ranking in the upper echelon of fiction)! But I just do not see why the story in this case must be so damn simple. It would have been so nice for the complexity of the story to match that of the subject. Sorry, Mr. Crichton; with all due respect, I disliked this novel. But I will say that he attempts to innovate subjectwise with every book he writes, and this is beyond commendable.
Rating: 
Summary: a cartoon
Review: Judged on its own terms this is okay, but there is so much of this sort of thing churned out regularly that I am not satisfied with these terms. Its prose is plodding, its dialogue crude. Characters are introduced gratuitously and never return. A great effort seems to have been made never to use a word or expression (except for the "science") that the lowest of lowbrow readers might not be familiar with. (I suppose this is a savvy commercial move, but I often felt I was watching "Sesame Street".) Its depiction of the fourteenth century is fun for a while, but completely ridiculous. Its "scientific" (not) explanation of time-travel is lifted whole from David Deutsch's "The Fabric of Reality" (which, though it purports to be popular science, is really science fiction itself--not very good science fiction either). Although I didn't care for Connie Willis's "The Doomsday Book" (published several years earlier), I am uncomfortable with "Timeline"'s rather remarkable resemblances to it. It is difficult for me to believe these resemblances are fortuitous.
Rating:
Summary: Michael Chricton's Best!!!
Review: If you are a Michael Chricton fan, you will love this book! It is his most suspenseful ever (except maybe Sphere). I couldn't put it down. Although some of the technological jargon is somewhat confusing, this is one of the best fiction books I have ever read.
Rating:
Summary: More quantum foam please
Review: I am going to have to disagree with the majority of the reviewers and rate this book 5 stars. I loved it! I have enjoyed most of Crichton's novels and they are all similar in some way. I love his writing style and this book is a great example of when Crichton writes well. I am kind of a geek and I liked all the quantum foam, time machine jargon. Read it and enjoy it because it your classic time machine story with a new twist.
Rating:
Summary: Another Great One from the Master
Review: I think this is one of the best books written by Crichton, along with Airframe, Andromeda Strain and The Sphere. With every book he writes, I learn new things. It is as though I am getting an education on the subject. The subject of the book may seem very ordinary at the very beginning: time-travel. But the plot is very delicately designed and keeps you alert and actually time-travels you between the two worlds. Great action, superb scientific knowledge.
Rating:
Summary: non-stop action and little else
Review: This book succeeds at what it tries to do. It keeps us turning pages and implicitly critiques Connie Willis's poorly executed THE DOOMSDAY BOOK. For my money, it ought to have tried to do at least a little more, though. Even the incessant action-adventure eventually becomes wearying. This is the first novel I've read that comes with a bibliography. I would have given it an extra star for this circumstance--it charmed and amused me--except that on this bibliography's recommendation I read the book from which TIMELINE took its (pseudo-scientific) explanation of time travel, THE FABRIC OF REALITY. Let's just say it ought to have occurred to me that a book that calls itself "The Fabric of Reality" is likely to be only loosely connected to it.
Rating:
Summary: Highly Entertaining, Historical Thriller
Review: I'm an avid reader but I somehow missed out on the Michael Crichton phenomenon until I picked up a paperback copy of "Jurassic Park" in an airport one day (this was pre-movie, so I had no idea). I was hooked by the fast pace and unusual subject matter and quickly started reading more of Crichton's work. I've now read all of his novels and have to say that "Timeline" is by far my favorite. A history buff, the time travel to the middle ages theme drew me in and the action and suspense kept me up all night reading. This is an entertaining, highly-engrossing and well-written novel that just happens to also be a whole lot of fun. I'm sure "Timeline" will soon be made into a "major motion picture" but don't wait for the Hollywood hype, read it now.
Rating: 
Summary: Exciting, well-plotted ... but is that all there is?
Review: There were many things I enjoyed about the book. First of all, it's a page-turner. Second, the research really shows. I thought the piece on quantum mechanics was wonderful, and I hope to show it to some friends of mine who know more about the subject in order to ask their opinion. Crichton also has a good idea about the layout of the place, and his details regarding the lifestyle at that point in the time were convincing. I also really enjoyed the puzzles and all the clues. But, in the end, I had the feeling I was watching an action-adventure movie rather than experiencing with a novel. The goal for our characters was to get back, and they had to fight their way to do it. It was practically like any other action-adventure movie, where the characters are fighting for survival. Yet it could have been so much more! What did these characters learn by going back in time? How did their personalities change? Chris became a "better guy" through hardship -- but that was hardship that could have been learned through any other difficult situation. Why was it Andre's time? What made the bad guy so bad -- other than the fact that he went nuts? The scenes are beautifully painted, there's plenty of excitement, but there wasn't as much depth as I could have hoped.
Rating:
Summary: The Best Book Ever
Review: I am a big fan of John Gisham's and James Patterson's work and I was told to read Michael Crichton's Timeline. His book absolutely amazed me. His exquisite details are fascinating. I read a few of his earlier books (The Great Train Robbery and Rising Sun), and this one by far soars above the rest. I can't say enough about his plot, and I hope there is a movie about this book. A sure reader for anyone, and a non-stop page turner once you begin.
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