Rating: 
Summary: Good Attempt but not the best
Review: I found Timeline, although an interesting read, a little disappointing. Unusually for Michael Chricton novels it takes a while to get started, partly because he has to desribe the whole new concept of timetravel through parallel universes and the Medieval setting in which the main characters are transported back to. The opening chapters I found were promising but once the young scientists, Marek, Chris and Kate are informed about what is going on and are tranported back the story becomes a little muddled. Not enough suspense is built up before the initial, inevitable, fatalities. Proffesser Johnston has a wooden character and Andre Marek is instantly unlikable. Obsessive about the Middle Ages, acting out his fantasies and a pedantic, he has none of the appealing nature of, say, an Ian Malcolm (Jurassic Park, The Lost World).
The story line becomes muddled and confusing (you soon forget why they have to find the secret passage to La Roque) and there are several chapters which I found uneccessary, with little relevance to the story. I found the part where the main characters kept being captured particularly pointless and repetitive. The knight at the Green Chapel seems a rather 'convenient' sideshow.It seemed well researched if a un-original in places. ITC is like Ingen, Doniger like Hammond from Jurassic Park. The end of Doniger seems far too cold blooded and out of character with the guilty parties.
I especially liked, however, the language barrier problems, finding out who was already there and about 'Transcription errors'.
Overall, I liked the book but it is not one of Chrichton's best or in the same league as, say, The Lost World. However, I still recommend it, particularly for Chricton fans.
Rating: 
Summary: What a wonderfully, delightful premise. . .
Review: . . .and how well that premise was carried through! I'll admit, certain aspects of the ending were predictable. But then again, the same can be said, not only for Crichton's other novels but for other authors in similar genres -- and for me, at least, that is not a feature worth panning the book for. The premise and development of the novel is what impressed me -- the ideas surrounding the concept of a quantum computer, parallel universes, the concept of the multiverse (borrowed from Heinlein?)etc., and set in a medieval world -- a world which our own time finds quite fascinating. I also found the characters believable. They were real people with real problems and flaws -- and were able to overcome those flaws in a satisfactory manner. One reviewer complained about the violence and brutality in the depictions of medieval society. Unfortunately, however, as any historian can attest, such depictions were all too accurate -- and not necessarily reflective of medieval society, but rather of human nature. I heartily recommend this book.
Rating:
Summary: It's good, but...
Review: This book has a very interesting premise. Time travel is possible via parallel universes. Crichton explains this very well. He even gives us a dozen interesting characters to play with in this rescue tale. Then he drops it. The end is a bit predictable in my mind, and Crichton throws just enough mind candy out there to keep you hooked and interested. This is a great book, and as far as bringing interesting questions to my mind, he did a great job. His plot line and characters need to be better developed. He could have done better in my mind.
Rating:
Summary: Rich in Science and History but Predictable
Review: This book had a lot of potential and is indeed rich in history. What hurt this book a lot was that Crichton decided to emphasize and amount of time available for the characters to complete their mission and return. Without completing the book you could easily guess that it would go down to the last second (at least in the movie "Goldfinger" the clock wound down to 007). Quantum physics is the focus of the book and its many possibilities. These include parallel universes, time travel and subatomic computers. Crichton indicates that several companies are already involved in a great deal of R&D in these fields. The story focuses on a group of archeologists being sent back in time to rescue a colleague in 14th century England. He had gone back there to the same site at which he was digging at in the present and not returned. He had then left a message in a bunch of parchments that he knew his colleagues would find in the present. The group of rescuers includes Professor Mare, who always thought himself to be a knight. Mare seems quite at home in the past and one can easily predict what his fate will be. There is Chris, who is a wimpy professor who becomes a "man" but going back and being forced to live in a cruel and menacing era. Kate is the mandatory lady that needs rescuing in this tale though at various points she seems to hold her own. Two "security" types get bumped off rapidly (a la Star Trek) round out the cast. Back in the lab in the present is Stern the scientist who comes up with the idea a "band-aid" approach to repair the technology that failed in the nick of time. Donniger the head of the project who is similar to some of the project heads in other Crichton books (Jurassic Park). The book did have its suspenseful moments (the inept Chris having to face a knight in a jousting match) but as one reads you can many times guess the outcome. The cruelty and complete disregard for human life took all the glamour out of what we expect knight tales to be. This book is definitely not a page-turner but there is enough history and science to make it worth a read.
Rating:
Summary: An exciting ride, but a bit cynical
Review: There are some things I loved about this book and some things that disappoint me. I loved the presentation of the medieval world, the clash and adventure produced when modern archaeologist are thrust into it, and the intriguing insight into the possibilities that may result from quantum mechanics research. This book led me to seek out research papers for this research field, and I found some things regarding teleportation and quantum computing that I was very glad and excited to find. I was tempted to give this book four stars for these; however, I believe that my negative comments below will illustrate my reason for giving the book only three stars. I realize there are technical problems with this story, but I am willing to suspend my disbelief for the sake of the good adventure. I was disappointed by Mr. Crichton's use, again, of his worn-out theme park failure scenario - West World, Jurassic Park, and now Timeline. I also have a distaste for Mr. Crichton's repeated cynical portrayal of business leaders. As excited as Mr. Crichton seems to be about advances in technology, it seems that he would be more friendly toward the practitioners of capitalism and entrepreneurship who are willing to take the risks necessary to create applications of technology that (can) benefit all. This story, like some other Crichton works, seems hypocritical in that it displays great optimism with regard to new technology and the adventurous human spirit, while at the same time displaying extreme pessimism and cynicism with regard to the human spirit that will bring about exciting uses of the technology. I think that, if only he had left out the cynical portrayal of the company head in this story, Mr. Crichton's story Timeline would have been a much greater work. The negatives aside, I truly enjoyed the adventures of the protaganists in the medieval world and the peek into the world of quantum mechanics and medieval archaeology.
Rating:
Summary: When's the Movie Coming Out?
Review: Crichton knows Hollywood. He also knows marketing. When reading this book, one can see the obvious: This will be his next blockbuster movie script. Crichton's story follows a very typical Hollywood plot progression, and it will convert very nicely into a screenplay. The story is predictable at times, like all of Crichton's work. The characters have little depth beyond what is absolutely necessary to move the plot along. The role of the historian leading the trapped rescue team, unfortunately, seemed like it was written specifically for Arnold Schwarzeneggar. However, the story keeps the reader engaged. It is a nice weekend diversion.
Rating:
Summary: Just got 4 stars. Just...
Review: Just like Crichton did with Jurrasic Park, in this novel he takes an idea which seems totally unbelieveable and crafts it so that by the end of the book you believe that some day it might just happen. With JP, it was the recreation dinosaurs (as if you didn't know). With Timeline, it's time travel. Like most of his novels the technology is heavily laden down but in such a way that it never gets boring and makes the novel seem even better and all the more realistic. There's a few plot turns, a characteristic of his novels. Although it could be argued that he isn't trying anything that he hasn't done before in terms of style and structure, history and time travel is something that he han't touched on. So you think its gonna be a great book? No. Good, but not great. In many ways this is Jurrasic Park re-visited. Other reviews have said this as well. A bunch of people on an archeological dig meet the head of a company who invented something that will change their career for-ever. Oddly enough this is exactly the same thing that happened in Jurrasic Park, except they were on a pre-historic dig and the technology was different. The basic situation is the same. The beginning is even similar - somebody has died and the doctor wonders what is going on. The difference is that Jurrasic Park is much deeper, has more suspense and a much better ending. The comparison's to Jurrasic Park make me feel that Crichton has slacked off a bit and he hasn't really come up with something particularly original. The structure is (as we've established) a copy of Jurrasic Park, time travel has been done before by many others. In all fairness, the others haven't made it so beleiveable - certainly a strength of this novel. The characters are a little thin as well. You warm to them little, but not to the extent of Peter and Conner in Rising Sun. Don't let that put you off though. This is still a great read, even if it is a bit thin in places. If you enjoyed Congo, Rising Sun and Jurrasic Park (all of which are excellent novels) then you'll like this book. But don't expect it to blow your socks off. It's fast and fun and you'll read it to the end but ultimately its more of an entertaining thrill rather than a rich, fulfiling experience. Although its actually a longer novel than Jurrasic Park (as you've guessed JP is my favourite book) it feels much shorter. The whole build up is missing. Things just tend to happen quickly and they all happen at once. The character's Kate, Chris, Stern and Marek don't seem too surprised at the idea that time travel is possible. It's hard to do this in a novel though, I do recognise that. Uppers:(1) Genuine page-turner. (2) Very beleiveable. (3) Great technology. (4) Fast paced and good fun. Downers:(1) Simple plot. (2) Poor ending. (3) Jurrasic Park is better in almost every respect.
Rating:
Summary: Timeline
Review: Very entertaining audio book. It starts a little slow, but hits high gear in a hurry. Lloyd does a good job of narrirating. Buy it, enjoy it, I am sure it will be a movie some day, so read the book or listen to audio first. Crichton does adventure again with this one.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeline: A Book for any Taste
Review: Quantum foam, time travel, a dead man in the desert, a missing professor, and a note from the past are all incorporated into Michael Crichton's book Timeline. In 1999, a corporation, ITC, has developed a method of traveling through time, "faxing" one through quantum foam. They have sent a professor to France in 1357, but with no way to get back. Meanwhile, a group of historians find a suspicious note at an excavation site. Now Doniger, the head of ITC, enlists the three historians, Chris, Kate, and André Marek, to save the trapped professor. They do not know the dangers they will face, or why such a company would fancy time travel. They soon will find that medieval France is not a safe time period, with the plague, war, and knights who killed for sport. They must get the professor while staying alive themselves, and with only 37 hours until they are trapped, time is of the essence. Crichton incorporates detailed imagery to make Timeline a realistic work of fiction. He makes a valiant attempt to explain quantum physics, and how time travel is possible. He also adds historical facts to the novel that make it realistic. Crichton utilizes a detailed description of the archaeological site, the ITC laboratory, and medieval France. He also details each character's personality, allowing the reader to discover the connection between the characters and the medieval time. In addition, he describes the events in both times, 1999 and 1357, alternating between chapters. Although the book begins at a somewhat slow pace, Crichton's Timeline follows through with a fast-paced action novel with science fiction and history integrated into a cohesive and interesting plot. With a continuous plot, Michael Crichton is able to captivate the reader. In the end, Crichton is able to fulfill the reader with an ending that is creative and masterful. Crichton offers action, science fiction, history, adventure, and even romance in his novel that will please almost any taste.
Rating:
Summary: A TRUE MASTERPIECE OF AMERICAN LITERATURE
Review: I have always been an avid reader, enjoying many great novels from many diffrent fields, and from page one, timeline by michael crichton had me hooked, from the advances of technology, back to the medieval age, webbed with a string of mystery, suspense and just perfect storytelling, makes this a book for the ages. I highly recommended, this is just one of those books where you can't wait to pick it up and read.............
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