Jaye's Musings

I've been doing quite well at getting through books this year. I'll review some of the others at some point, but I just finished a reread of Michael Crichton's "Timeline" last night and wanted to jot down some thoughts while it's still fresh.

I first read this around 2000, about three years before the movie starring, yes, Gerard Butler was released. I really liked the novel, a blend of two of my favourite genres, historical fiction and sci-fi. And I admit, I was so happy when I first heard that Gerry had been cast as my favourite character Andre Marek. But this is not a review on the movie or a comparison between the two as it's been a long time since I've watched it.

Generally speaking, I still really enjoyed the story with its blend of science and history, and well I am a sucker for a good time-travel yarn. Still, while it is still very enjoyable, and a book I will probably reread again at some point in the future, this time round I couldn't help but notice some of its problems. Of course, Crichton was one of the most popular authors and many of his books were blockbuster films ("Timeline" ironically was not one of these, and he apparently hated the film).

( The Bad )
( The Good )

Overall, like I said it is still a very enjoyable story with lots of excitement, tension, and set-action pieces, but I did realize a lot more of its faults this time around.


I give it 7/10