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Read by Stephen LangFive CDs, 6 HoursMichael Crichton's new novel opens on the threshold of the twenty-first century. It is a world of exploding advances on the frontiers of technology. Information moves instantly between two points, without wires or networks. Computers are built from single molecules. Any moment of the past can be actualized -- and a group of historians can enter, literally, life in fourteenth-century feudal France.Imagine the risks of such a journey.Not since Jurassic Park has Michael Crichton given us such a magnificent adventure. Here, he combines a science of the future -- the emerging field of quantum technology -- with the complex realities of the medieval past. In a heart-stopping narrative, Timeline carries us into a realm of unexpected suspense and danger, overturning our most basic ideas of what is possible.
Audio CD
Publisher: Random House Audio; Abridged edition (November 1999)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375404368
ISBN-13: 978-0375404368
Product Dimensions: 5.7 x 1 x 4.9 inches
Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2,130 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,487,569 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #14 in Books > Books on CD > Authors, A-Z > ( C ) > Crichton, Michael #2434 in Books > Mystery, Thriller & Suspense > Thrillers & Suspense > Technothrillers #2873 in Books > Books on CD > General
Like many of the other readers who have ventured to write a review of this book, I found it to be a fascinating read, one in which I literally could not put down the book until I realized it was well past my usual bed time. The subject of time travel, backed-up with just enough (if not too much) scientific reasoning to support the belief in its eventual or imagined possibility, is a thrilling concept. Add to this, the chance to visit an era in which knights roamed western Europe and people lived in and around castles, all described vividly by Crichton as if he had been there, himself.That said, once the cast of main characters arrives in the High Middle Ages of France, their interactions with the medieval citizens and the non-stop action provides for quick page-turning; however, this is also the point where it begins to get a bit too much to swallow (having swallowed so much already to get to this point). This cast of characters is like a team of superheroes, each one with individual talents, strengths and fatal flaws. One is an expert rock climber, another is nearly fluent in several medieval languages, dialects and weaponry usage, and the last one is a scholar of medieval technologies. As can be easily predicted during the introductions and characterizations of this cast, all of these strengths will certainly come into play later on in the book, and they do. Again and again and again. Sometimes, you wonder when one of them will suddenly sprout wings and say, "Hang on, I learned this cool flying trick while I was an aviation major back at Yale...before I switched to history."Still, despite the tremendous leaps in superhuman skill and a never-ending supply of luck that Crichton liberally grants his characters, I truly enjoyed the fantasy that oozes from the book and found the imaginative departure from our modern world to be refreshing. I would definitely recommend this book to friends.
Let's face it... Michael Chrichton is never going to win the Nobel prize for literature. But for pure escapist reading, he's hard to top. And who but Chrichton could make scientific and technological subjects not only interesting, but even fun, for all us technophobes out there? TIMELINE (complete with a bibliography containing 80 references on the Middle Ages and ten on parallel worlds) tells a story of a group of scientists who step into a time machine and travel back to France in the 1300's to rescue a friend who preceded them and got stuck, in a world which proves to be a far more violent and frightening place than Geoffroy or Christine de Pizan ever wrote about. They have 37 hours to find their friend and get him and themselves safely back to the present. The ensuing day and a half turns out to be a typical Chrictonian roller-coaster ride and we know pretty much how it will turn out (and, yes, the villain gets his, and a good job, too), but if you take the book for what it is, it's fun and enjoyable. And some of his references are definitely worth pursuing (check out Michio Kaku's 'Hyperspace', for one). Say what you want about Chrichton's deficits as a writer, he gets you wanting to know more about what he writes about, and that, by itself, makes him a good read.
Having taught Medieval history, I am well aware how infrequently the era is addressed in popular culture. In spite of the cult of Creative Anachronism who recreate this era, few people seldom get it right. It is obvious that Crichton has done his research well. His tale is fascinating and accurate. It has high adventure and great suspense. It is not a classic by any means but it is a highly enjoyable read. It is further amazing that Crichton combines high technology and science with Medieval lore and culture. It is a highly appealing mix and he handles them both very well. This is a perfect light read for anyone who wants to take themselves into another world. My only criticism of it is that it seems to be written towards a screenplay format...so the movie shouldn't be far behind. It would have been nice if it had more of a literary feel. But that is a minor complaint. Mount your steed and charge into this book with abandon. You won't be sorry.
I haven't read a Crichton book in a while but had seen many of the movies made from his previous novels. And reading this book I felt like I was reading a future screenplay for "Timeline" the movie. The book had incredible (actually impossible) feats of strength and daring by 20th century characters in 14th Century France. Many times I felt that if this were true to form the people would most certainly be dead...but miraculously they survive...again and again and again and again. On a more positive note, the book moves along at a good clip and the science behind the technology involved in transporting the characters back to 14th century France was intriguing. All in all I would say that this is a fun book to read but not a mind boggling novel that keeps you thinking after your done. It is pretty much mindless fun with unusual science.
The application of the Quantum Physics theories was fascinating with its contrasts of "then" and "now".The time of knighthood sounded about as raw as it probably was! The characters were larger than life but also believably vulnerable and imperfect.(I wondered who his models were?)I couldn't stop reading and when I finished I felt like I had been through a Raiders of the Lost Ark experience!
Fashion: A Timeline in Photographs: 1850 to Today The New Big Book of U.S. Presidents: Fascinating Facts about Each and Every President, Including an American History Timeline The Pocket Timeline of Ancient Mesopotamia An Illustrated Timeline of Inventions and Inventors (Visual Timelines in History) God's Great Covenant Old Testament Timeline and Map Set The Healing Timeline: God's Shalom for the Past, Present and Future Fredericksburg: A Guided Tour through History (Timeline) Endometriosis: Webster's Timeline History, 1873 - 2007 Gardner's Art through the Ages: The Western Perspective, Volume I (with Art Study & Timeline Printed Access Card) The Michael Crichton Collection: Airframe, The Lost World, and Timeline Timeline Timeline (Lib)(CD) Timeline of the Renaissance (History Highlights (Gareth Stevens Paperback))
