“Timeline”

“Timeline” by Michael Crichton

“Timeline” is a science fiction novel by Michael Crichton that was published in November 1999. It tells the story of historians who travel to the Middle Ages thanks to the work of a brilliant yet unprincipled entrepreneur who plans to use the technology to enhance historical tourist attractions. The book follows in Crichton’s long history of combining technical details and action in his books, addressing quantum physics and time travel. – Description from wikipedia

This is number two on my top ten favorites. About every two years I pull this one out and read it. Some who say just watch the movie; but that thing is a mockery of this book. The only thing that I can say any good about that movie is that it gives me real life faces and voices to put to the characters. That’s not to say that Michael Crichton did a bad job at describing them. I just find it more entertaining to have real life faces and voice to the characters.

This is my sci-fi fantasy come true. It’s has time travel and is told from a truly intelligent perspective. He gives the reader questions and dialogue that came to my mind when I thought on the subject. He gave me another side of the argument of who would be dominant: could someone dominant in the past with their future knowledge.

Its entertaining and easy to follow. Crichton jumps from one character which is patented in his story telling but its easy to follow. Although the science is sometimes confusing it clearly has rule that are followed even if you don’t understand them. It’s about going on the journey with these characters and seeing where the chips land.

He gives you the information that you need and he lets you infer some things. The characters are fleshed out even though you may not understand their motivations. It’s a completely fulfilling story. Ever character gets Crichton’s inventive cuppance.

As you are reading you figure out some of the fates of characters but its still a pleasant surprise when they happen. If you have never read the book, I implore you to read the book. The filmmakers truly hacked up one of my favorite books and it disappoints me every time I pass it in the video store.