Rating: 
Summary: Decent Story - Strange Narrator
Review: Listening to the audio book (unabridged) by John Bedford Lloyd was a bit frustrating. While he is a good narrator, he was incapable of pronouncing the word "room" which he pronounced as "rum." For some reason, this bothered me to the point that every time he said "rum" instead of "room," which happened every few minutes, I was ready to pull out the tape and chuck it! Also, the voice he used for one of the main characters (Merrick) sounded exactly like Arnold Schwarzegger! I'm not kidding about this. Back to the story - it was no "Jurassic Park," but it certainly was head and tails above "Airframe." If you like mysteries set in medieval times, you will enjoy this book. There is just enough computer-geek technology to keep it exciting and enough historical background to make you feel like you've learned something when you finish.
Rating: 
Summary: DEFINITELY NOT !
Review: THis is definitely not the adventure masterpiece wsome people are saying it is ! It's a good Crichton novel, but a little below his own standards of quality. It's not boring at all, but is not so involving and "impossible to stop reading" as some people said. A good book to fulffill his editorial contracts.
Rating: 
Summary: A superb piece of work
Review: I could not believe how fast I finished reading this book. It's not short, but once you start you're hooked. The introduction of the novel is a brief explanation of the quantum theory upon which the story is based. In short, the novel is about a low profile technology company which happened to come upon a way to send people through time... though not exactly. A team of archaeologists working for the company in France are sent to 14th century France on a rescue mission. They have a limited time to perform their mission or they're stuck there. Naturally, many complications face them and not everyone makes it back, but the ending is very satisfying. Lots of action, lots of tense moments. The descriptions are so well written, it's as if you're seeing it happen in front of you. Michael Crichton also explains the quantum theory through the story in a simple way for the reader. This is done in a way to add the "wow" effect in the story. I never thought that anything like that was possible. It's amazing what science is coming to. In closing, this is a novel that is well worth your time. It would make a perfect movie as long as they don't change or delete some of the plot...
Rating: 
Summary: A paint-by-the-numbers effort
Review: Crichton is intelligent and well educated, qualities that are manifest in his story lines and in the technical details of his books. But he has a long way to go as a writer, a fact that is painfully evident here. The premise is interesting, but there is not a character real enough to care about and the writing is pedestrian. I simply lost interest half way through the book.
Rating:
Summary: Boring
Review: I'm a crichton fan. Bought this book after all the hype I read in the magazines and bcos I love crichton's writings. However, it was a big letdown. It was plain simple boring. Was very hard to read and finish this book.
Rating: 
Summary: Timeline a Fine Time
Review: Are you able to suspend disbelief? This book's fanciful and compelling (albeit scientifically impossible) story takes readers on a thoroughly enjoyable journey. Crichton, much like Anne Rice, spends A LOT of time researching the historical facts that paint his fiction...it shows and it's well worth it. Fun. No, Very Fun.
Rating:
Summary: Paths Across Time
Review: Michael Crichton may not be Hemmingway, but he does tell a good tale and he does his homework. In "Timeline", he tells of a creature of the late 20th century, a scientist/businessman who discovers something rather like, but not quite the same as time travel. Several experts on the medieval past get caught up in a roller coaster ride to 13th century France during the battles between the French who conquered England and became english and the French who stayed home. The river, the castles, the towns, the monestary and even a fortified mill at issue actually existed and their ruins still exist in the Dordogn valley. Indeed, there is a picture book of this valley currently in print that has amazing photos of these precise castles and that precise strech of river on the cover. There, in full color, are the principal locations of that part of "Timeline" located in the 13th century as they appear today and as Michael Crichton must have seen them! Good book! It will make a hell of a movie if hollywood doesn't screw it up. Darryl Turner Ph.D.
Rating:
Summary: Escape from the real world for a while
Review: It seems to me that Michael Crichton writes two different kinds of books. On one hand, you have books like Rising Sun, Disclosure, and Airframe. On the other, you have the Jurassic books, Sphere, and Congo. I think he does a great job on both kinds, but I always have more fun reading the more adventure orientated ones and that's where Timeline fits in. Expect the usual Crichton scientific explanations here, the cliche characters (Marek was the best of the lot), and all the fun. I didn't enjoy it as much as Jurassic Park of Sphere, but that sure enough doesn't make it bad. MC writes a classic adventure story of a group of college type archeologists lost in France in the fuedal past looking for their professor then a way home. On the way we have sword fights, jousts, damsels that aren't exactly as they seem and my personal favorite, an insane hermit like Knight, looking to cut off one of our heroine's head. If you love a good adventurous romp and nothing more, then you should find something you enjoy here.
Rating:
Summary: Was this a novel or a script?
Review: Despite the other negative reviews, I thought Timeline was definately an entertaining read, but had its' flaws:
1. yes, cliche ridden at times, but didn't detract from the larger plot & story.
2. charecter decisions seemed a little unrealistic at times -- I think Chriton did fumble here & there -- but taken with a grain of salt, I was able to read-on.
3. climatic moments, especially near the end seemed a little overdone. I felt that Chriton was originally trying to sell this as an action-packed "blockbuster" script instead of a novel. so the book could have used some more editorial work before release. it was easy to envision the BIG Hollywood explosions here and the BIG Hollywood battle scene there, etc., instead of catering to just the mere reader. But again, the plot was interesting -- in the Sci-fi vein. Timeline had the flavor of that fun-to-read story.
Rating:
Summary: not the worst, but not the best either.
Review: if he had not written 'Jurassic Park', 'Timeline' would have been his best book. unfortunately, it isn't. would it be my fault if i expected a 'techno-thriller' like JP? 'Timeline' seems more like a historical novel. if i had known that this book has more pages about medieval ages, i wouldn't pick it up easily. i'm a fan of Mike cause of JP and 'Travels', so this book isn't my taste.
| 
