Timeline

A Novel

By: Michael Crichton

Narrated by: John Bedford Lloyd

In an Arizona desert a man wanders in a daze, speaking words that make no sense. Within twenty-four hours he is dead, his body swiftly cremated by his only known associates. Halfway around the world archaeologists make a shocking discovery at a medieval site. Suddenly they are swept off to the headquarters of a secretive multinational corporation that has developed an astounding technology. Now this group is about to get a chance not to study the past but to enter it. And with history opened to the present, the dead awakened to the living, these men and women will soon find themselves fighting for their very survival--six hundred years ago. . . .©1999 by Michael Crichton; (P)1999 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio Publishing, A Division of Random House Inc.

Critic reviews

"COMPULSIVE READING . . . BRILLIANTLY IMAGINED."
--Los Angeles Times

"EXCITING . . . CLASSIC ADVENTURE . . . [A] SWASHBUCKLING NOVEL . . . CRICHTON DELIVERS."
--USA Today

"MORE SCREAMS PER PAGE . . . THAN JURASSIC PARK AND THE LOST WORLD COMBINED. . . . THE PACE WILL LEAVE MANY BREATHLESSLY GRASPING FOR OXYGEN MASKS."
--San Diego Union-Tribune

I was HOOKED immediately!!

Loved this book. Crichton does such a great job at explaining quantum theory. I was on the internet for hours trying to find out if he was really telling the truth. What an idea! I listen to Audible while sewing and I HATE to sew. Let me tell you, the time flew by spending it in 14th century France and I got a LOT of sewing done.
Okay, so Michael is no Charles Dickens, but he is damn entertaining. If you want escape, he's the guy for you. I saw the movie the day it was released. It was a fast track of the book, following it more or less loosely. But it was just as enjoyable; maybe a little more so, because I knew something of the characters' backgrounds. Now when I listen to the book again, I can put faces and places in my mind's eye and have a great time all over again.

Entertaining Book

In Michael Crichton's Timeline, he uses the principles of quantum physics to take characters back in time to key points in human history. Robert Doniger has created a technology that can travel between multiple, almost identical dimensions to bring people to other times in history. His goal is to create theme parks, and he's invested billions in the technology and in archaeological investigations at sites that will become tourist destinations in his grand scheme. Everything begins to fall apart when some of his scientists travel back in time too many times, leaving clues that are found by the modern-day archaeologists. Professor Edward Johnston pays a visit to Doniger to find out what's going on. He's sent back in time to 13th century France so that he can see for himself, but something goes wrong and he's trapped there. His team is recruited by Doniger to go back and rescue him, and they have 37 hours to do so. Of course, everything goes wrong once they travel back in time and it comes down to the last few seconds before we find out if they get back out.

Like many of Mr. Crichton's other books, Timeline takes a topic of contemporary research and creates an alarmist premise around it. Similar to other books about time travel, this one creates situations that just can't be explained away; no amount of logic applied to it makes sense. In spite of that weakness, Timeline is an exciting romp through history that kept me turning the pages to find out how everything was resolved.

John Bedford Lloyd did a good job with the delivery of the story

Great Fun

More than half way through this and find it a rollicking good trip. I visualize the settings and characters and get totally immersed as I plod away on the treadmill. I only allow myself to listen when working out and I have doubled my time on occasion because I "can't put the book down". I might get skinny reading books this good!

GREAT GREAT

MORE FASINATING LISTENING TO IT THAN IS WAS READING IT. THE READER IS GREAT. THE STORY SO SPELLBINDING.

Glad it was my first!

I'm very happy this was my first audiobook. I enjoyed every minute and it was better than watching a movie. This book has Technology, Science, and History all in one book with a nice fictional twist.