Rating: 
Summary: An average script for an average movie
Review: After a big excitement at the beginning of the book (time traveling idea always does this to me), I finished this book rather disappointed. This book has one of better ideas that Mr. Crichton has come up to, with the one of the sloppiest realizations. I had that feeling that he had a movie, (and probably big bucks) on his mind, writing this book. As I approached the end of the book I got sick of many forced turns, naive descriptions of knight's battles, the way Mr. Crichton turned his students-archeologists into the brave superheroes, the shallow way he has resolved the speaking archaic English problem, and so many unforgivable clumsiness's for a serious SF book. He did not explain why they were so rushing to get the time machines ready (couldn't they go back in time wherever and whenever they want, after the got them working?). This is going to be a great script for a movie that will take away breath of its 15 year old audience. We got used to better Michael Chricton.
Rating:
Summary: Pretty lame
Review: I picked this book up expecting to spend a pleasant weekend at the beach sipping cocoa and being engrossed in a gripping, pulse-pounding adventure. Instead, I endured a tedious, obvious and predictable waste of time. Mr. Crichton spends the first half of the book on Quantum Theory for Dummies, then spends the second half fleshing out the screenplay for the film for which this book was apparently written. The characters are flat, uninteresting and trite; the pacing is one speed - full throttle; and the plot is basically the same as Jurassic Park, minus the kids (thank God). Oh sure, there were some interesting descriptions of the middle ages and a (very) few surprises, but over all I would advise you invest your time elsewhere.
Rating: 
Summary: Crichton's worst!
Review: The only star left is for the idea! The novel is so unlike Chrichton that, in the process of reading it, I have often asked myself if he actually wrote it himself. Yes, I also had the impression that this is not a novel, but a script for a bad movie. The characters are completely unrealistic, they are supermen and -women, their actions are totally incredible. Imagine a 20th century scientist jousting against a medieval knight - and winning! And he is better with the sword than all his medieval adversaries that know how to fight with this weapon. Which brings us to the next flaw: violence. I have nothing against it. It is - unfortunately - part of our lives. But here it is often used to attract certain readers that otherwise would not read books. It is true, the Middle Ages were violent times. But can we be sure that people then just rode through the forest and beheaded people just for the fun of it? And is it conceivable that all knights of that time were paranoid, inhuman and stupid sadists? All of them psychopaths? This is the impression you get when you read this book. Maybe Crichton should have read those books mentioned in the bibliography more closely. I have enjoyed most of Crichton's books. But this one is bad!
Rating:
Summary: H. G. Wells or Samuel Clemens He's Not!
Review: One thing that can be said for Michael Crichton is that he's prolific. For reasons that are not entirely clear even to me, I've read most of his numerous books. Perhaps its the shear volume and diversity of his work that makes me continue to hope that one--at least--will turn out to be more than just a script waiting to be converted into yet another technothriller movie. After all, he does usually have an interesting concept at the heart of each of his science fiction novels. In this one it's time travel, and he mobilizes a considerable amount of selective science interpretation to give it at least some sense of technical plausibility. Subtlety, plot development, characterization, challenging literary structure, allegory, nuance, or even humour are not his strong suites, however. Neither is originality, since the likes of H.G. Wells ("The Time Machine") and Mark Twain ("A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court") have passed this way before, usually with greater literary (if not financial) success. Nonetheless you have to grudgingly admire the guy, if only for his advocacy in this book of historical study as an important (and even potentially remunerative) pursuit. If your looking for even a poor facsimile of literature, "Timeline" won't be for you. If you want to preview in written form what inevitably will be his next Hollywood megaproject, then this one may be worth a passing glance!
Rating: 
Summary: Entertaining
Review: Timeline is a fun book to read. It is not earth-shaking, but just entertaining and, I think, worth reading.I have heard that it is similar to Jurassic Park, but I've never read that book (only seen the movie), so I really can't say. I do plan to read Jurassic Park now. I've also read some criticism that Crichton doesn't explore the concept of time traveling to any great extent (i.e., the possible effects of changing history, etc..), which is true. He doesn't. But, who cares? What Crichton has provided us with is a swashbuckling adventure story that takes us back and forth from the techno-world of the 20th century to the sometimes dark and dangerous world of the 14th century. Timeline is probably not going to end up in your top ten, but as I've said, it is still alot of fun.
Rating: 
Summary: A midieval version of "Beat the Clock"
Review: Michael Crichton in his book Timeline reminds us that reading is for fun and entertainment. Many readers appear to be very serious about their preoccupation. Timeline is a quick easy read combining two of my very favorite subjects time travel and the medieval life. While Crichton does go into some scientific explanations about quantum physics it doesn't bog down the book or detract from the pace of the story. Crichton presents an interesting cast of characters who could easily be exchanged with a variety of Hollywood actors and actresses. These characters are involved in a form of medieval beat the clock as they race to find their way back to the present. Even with their knowledge of the time and place they find the middle ages to be a dangerous threatening time. When the adventure ends, one could easily imagine their continuing adventures in their travels through time. If you enjoy reading about the middle ages and like action and adventure this is a book for you. If you are a serious reader looking for meaning, character and plot development and enjoy dissecting a book it might be a good idea to skip it.
Rating:
Summary: Jostling the imagination
Review: I could not put this book down....the storyline was challenging to follow some of the time but well worth the effort. I agree with a previous reviewer and feel that it may be Crichton's best to date. I especially found his descriptive writing style so well done that there were moments that I felt that I was standing with the characters inside the water-wheel mill or on the parapet watching the preparation for battle. A cold rainy day,hot cup of coffee, nice cozy chair and this book would make for a wonderfully adventurous weekend.
Rating:
Summary: Good action, terrible premise
Review: This book has Crichton's trademark action. But the premise makes no sense, and if it did, the real issues raised are not pursued at all in the book. His notions of time travel use a lot of quantum bable, but have no credibility in science. If they did, nobody would want to participate in time travel as he imagines it.
Rating:
Summary: Slow Start, but Good Book
Review: It takes about 130 pages for this story gets off the ground, but once it does, it soars. Be patient. It is a very entertaining read.
Rating:
Summary: An Adventure Through Time
Review: The book Timeline, written by Michael Crichton, wraps its fingers around the reader's neck and takes the reader for a violent, action-packed ride through a small French village in a state of turmoil. Crichton packs his latest work with action, scene after scene, taking place in an interesting array of settings. The action did not occur in open fields, or on common battlefields, where it would have been as effective; it occurred in such places as secret passages, dark woods, and even within a castle's primitive septic system. The plot of Crichton's latest masterpiece was like no other i have ever read: a group of graduate students was involved in going back in time to mideival France to save their professor who was already trapped there. Crichton's ability to describe everything in detail put me inside the story with the students: the smell of the castle walls, the feel of soldiers' blood on their skin, and the scent and appearance of an old man's dirty, lice-infested beard. These details were what made all of the battle scenes so amazingly real and exciting. The description of the wounds f men who lay dying, their grunts, the clanging of metal, all so vividly detailed, made me feel as if the battle were occurring right outside of my window. Timeline kept my eyes glued to each page, searching for little details that were necessary for me to use in order to fully understand the story. Crichton added many bits of historical information which added to the story's realism and made it as interesting as it was. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is a fan of Crichton's, or who would enjoy reading a well-written, action-filled novel.
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