Timeline: A Novel

As always the book is a tinsy bit flat and not 100% convincing on theory but the base ideas are fantastic and the characters are great. Thus leading to an even better movie :)

Awesome premise!

i wish i were a character in this book

As one of the dedicated Michael Crichton fans, I think it would be biased of me to review a book of his. Nevertheless, I am putting forward my recommendation. This book epitomizes time travel in a way never imagined before. Take any book or movie and time travel is presented: it is always a flawless technique somewhere in the future, the nitty-gritty details of which is buried in time...more

As one of the dedicated Michael Crichton fans, I think it would be biased of me to review a book of his. Nevertheless, I am putting forward my recommendation. This book epitomizes time travel in a way never imagined before. Take any book or movie and time travel is presented: it is always a flawless technique somewhere in the future, the nitty-gritty details of which is buried in time preceding the movie's 'timeline'. The beauty of Crichton's writing is that he does not ignore these details. Every complicated scientific discovery is backed by painstaking repetitions and sleepless nights, and Crichton acknowledges this in his novel. This is what I like about him the most, as it solidifies the reality for a scientifically biased mind. He describes a technology taking shape. He peels off our assumptions of impossibility of time travel, one by one, leaving us no inhibition to divulge into the fictional reality he has created through his book. Beautiful. Must read fiction. The movie is watchable too, although a little boring. They have tried everything for it not to be, including a Bourne series type soundtrack and storytelling pace. But it does get a bit slack at parts.   hide

A good book to read

I liked Timeline well enough; I was intrigued by the quantum physics of the novel, and challenged by the understanding of the multiuniverse theory. My only reason for docking this book an extra star was that I thought that Crichton lacked his usual "enthusiasm" for the medieval parts of this novel. There were less near death experiences, and I thought the coolness of being in 13 century...more

I liked Timeline well enough; I was intrigued by the quantum physics of the novel, and challenged by the understanding of the multiuniverse theory. My only reason for docking this book an extra star was that I thought that Crichton lacked his usual "enthusiasm" for the medieval parts of this novel. There were less near death experiences, and I thought the coolness of being in 13 century France was downplayed. While the reader is supposed to understand and comprehend that that time period was a time of chaos and danger, the awesomeness of being in medieval time, as well as the landscape and details of the world itself fell short. Most of the characters were well laid out, but in comparison to Crichton's creative brilliance for Jurassic Park, Timeline appeared a little washed out. Overall a good read and a fantastic adventure into the endless possibilities of physics.   hide

Michael Crichton wrote science fiction well. Fact. He researched it well, and this always comes out in his novels. This one revolves around quantum mechanics, and time travel (or to be correct switching into different universes at times in the past - yes, it is difficult to understand!), and he has managed to blend his unique scientific style into a medieval swashbuckler, and...more

Michael Crichton wrote science fiction well. Fact. He researched it well, and this always comes out in his novels. This one revolves around quantum mechanics, and time travel (or to be correct switching into different universes at times in the past - yes, it is difficult to understand!), and he has managed to blend his unique scientific style into a medieval swashbuckler, and actually done it very well. I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if the science of it was actually very unlikely. I think this is one of his best stories   hide

one of my favorites from Crichton.just far enough ahead of technology to be science fiction

Excellent storyline.. but still expected.