Rating: 
Summary: Starts OK, fades fast
Review: The book starts off well and hooks you for awhile. But then Crichton loses control. The story contradicts itself in many places -- its almost as if Crichton took many breaks in writing the book and forgot what he had written in previous chapters.About half way through the book you'll will want to toss this one in the garbage. No doubt, this will be a movie. I'd skip the book and just wait for the movie.
Rating: 
Summary: Disappointing
Review: Not one of his better books, by far. Slow paced and a lot of characters who have no real meaning to the plot.
Rating:
Summary: Timeline at a Loss
Review: I have read everything this author has written and this falls way under his normal talent. I guess every author has a book that is not up to his talent this is it for him. The story is a good idea, but it fails without the little touches he has in all his books. The main thing that is different is it doesn't make you think. Where is the real interaction between the characters, They are friends, so what else are they to each other.
Rating: 
Summary: Rollicking Adventure of Science Fiction and Days of Knights
Review: This book moves. I was surprised that the characters never paused to catch their breath -- they are on the run for thrity some odd hours and amazingly have enough stamina to make it through a Michael Crichton novel without keeling over from exhaustion. Timeline entertains if not quite enthralls. Although the author's character's are weakly drawn, they are easy to distinguish and are always doing something. The science is interesting -- as it is in all of his efforts. Crichton makes time travel (really travel between parrallel universes) interesting and even believable. The story is the tale of scientists and adventurers who travel back to the 1300's and get stuck in the middle of a battle of the Hundred Year's War. The site happens to be the one the team is excavating at the turn of the 21st century. Needless to say they face the usual perils one would expect of the Middle Ages as they struggle to gather themselves and catch the window back to the present. An evil corporation that controls the technology and wants to make Disneyland look like a broken down church carnival by offering time travel as the "new" entertainment provides the moral delimma one expects in Chrichton's works. This book will entertain you --- the writing is crisp, the science well researched and plausible, the history pretty good. All in all, not a bad adventure.
Rating: 
Summary: His Best Since Sphere
Review: Timeline is one of the greatest books I've read in years. Crichton is my favorite author and his Timeline gave me great pleasure in reading. This is an extremely complex book and only an intelligent writer like Crichton can pull it off. Timeline takes you from the modern sciences of today's world to the past of the 1300's. He did his research and explained it well. My only complaints is that at times, it seemed I was watching a cartoon. Every five pages or so, there would be a new problem with sword fighting, fires, or diseases, and the characters would always make it out OK. All the conflicts in the book add to the excitment but it is just way too much and hard to believe. But on the other hand, Crichton knows what he is talking about. His bibliograpy is three pages longs. He explains complex quantum physics simply to where one would not be hung up, and continue on the story. He also shows his intelligence about the 14th century; including swordfighting techniques, castle architecture, and the languages. I hated for this book to be over. I wish it was twice as thick, and now we have to wait for the movie (I'm sure it will be a movie).
Rating:
Summary: SLIGHTLY UNDER-RATED
Review: I give this book a solid 4 stars. Here's why. First of all, the pacing I felt was really good throughout. As with most of Crichton's stories, it is very original. Time travel isn't, I know, but the Quantum theory aspect of it is. Let's face it, technology is advancing so rapidly who's to say what we can do in a couple dozen years. For those of you who think time travel is impossible, remember that to a cave man reaching the moon would have been impossible. But we did it, didn't we? Also, Timeline deals with PARALLEL UNIVERSES. Or MULTIVERSES, as some call it. That is how you can go back in time and change stuff. Enough of the time travel stuff. This book has some really neat scenes in it and some really interesting characters. It's a modern-medieval fantasy with a strange twist to it. It's definitely not better than Jurassic Park, though, but it is one of Crichton's better books.
Rating:
Summary: Literary cheese
Review: The title of this book should have been "Timeline: The Movie", because that's what it is. In fact, according to Crichton's official site, the movie rights have already been secured and it's a go for 2002! Don't expect "The Andromeda Strain" or even "Jurassic Park". This is a mildly enjoyable page-turner featuring cardboard cutout characters and shaky science (that isn't explained well, even if it is plausible). Will be forgotten the day after you finish it.
Rating:
Summary: Great book
Review: What I really like of Chrichton is the fact that his books are not only great in the entertainment area, but you also learn a lot about facts. It seems he prepares himself really good before he writes the book.
Rating: 
Summary: Good Hangover Material, Poor Otherwise
Review: OK, I have to admit for me it was 'good hangover material' - lying down on a sofa with a hot cuppa tea and some chocolate, maybe some good music (Coldplay in my case) playing in the background. Ah, but I am getting ahead of myself, let me go back and tell you the whole story! There seemed to be perfect synergy between the state of my mind and the book Timeline: Having started to read the book on Saturday (and believe me the beginning of the book was fairly promising), this was rudely interrupted by a night out seeing a football game (soccer to our American cousins) and thereafter, drinking a few beers. For some reason (must have been something I ate . . .), next day seemed to be a good reading day. And read is what I did. I finished the next 300 pages or so. It was a good way to pass such a day: with a book that required about as much intelligence as the average goldfish. I won't write what was lacking in this book as its been written about in much detail. All I want to say is: 1. Buy it, only if you're planning to go out for a few beers or 10 and want to slightly stimulate your mind the next day. 2. If this does not apply, then don't bother because Timeline is highly disappointing, epecially for a man who brought to us Disclosure.
Rating:
Summary: Mind-bending Science
Review: I'm giving this 4 stars simply because of the way it brought mind-bending quantum physics into the mainstream. I may even read a couple of the books Crichton referenced in the bibliography. If this light treatment of quantum science causes a good number of people to read serious scientific works, then it has accomplished something. I have only a few criticisms. I would have liked even more science , and the constant, and I mean constant, cliffhangers for the main characters became very frustrating. He could have used this time for more paradoxical science or medieval history. I do applaud his lengthy research, however. Also, the female lead was the typical tough heroine with no personality, which is getting wearisome. I took one star off for swearing. Just because every other author does doesn't mean you have to. I didn't sense this book was a screenplay, but I did feel that it sort of set up a sequel for the life of Marek or maybe the ITC founder. I never did understand why Traub ended up in the desert, though. I felt like the first part of the book was better constructed than the second half, almost as if Crichton got tired out or hired a ghost writer. I think an editor should have caught that Traub wasn't explained or that the answering machine Stern sent back wasn't mentioned my the main characters.
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