Timeline: A Novel
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Timeline: A Novel Audible Audiobook – Unabridged

4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 10,455 ratings
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An old man wearing a brown robe is found wandering disoriented in the Arizona desert. He is miles from any human habitation and has no memory of how he got to be there, or who he is. The only clue to his identity is the plan of a medieval monastery in his pocket. So begins the mystery of Timeline, a story that will catapult a group of young scientists back to the Middle Ages and into the heart of the Hundred Years' War. Timeline cements Michael Crichton's place as the king of the high-concept thriller, and a master storyteller to boot.
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  1. Listening Length
    15 hours and 4 minutes
  2. Author
    Michael Crichton
  3. Narrator
    John Bedford Lloyd
  4. Audible release date
    January 30, 2001
  5. Language
    English
  6. Publisher
    Random House Audio
  7. ASIN
    B00005AAPV
  8. Version
    Unabridged
  9. Program Type
    Audiobook
  10. See all details
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Product details

Listening Length 15 hours and 4 minutes
Author Michael Crichton
Narrator John Bedford Lloyd
Whispersync for Voice Ready
Audible.com Release Date January 30, 2001
Publisher Random House Audio
Program Type Audiobook
Version Unabridged
Language English
ASIN B00005AAPV
Best Sellers Rank #5,892 in Audible Books & Originals (See Top 100 in Audible Books & Originals)
#260 in Adventure Science Fiction
#382 in Supernatural Thrillers (Books)
#620 in Suspense (Audible Books & Originals)

Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
10,455 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent novel!
Reviewed in the United States on March 13, 2024
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Another excellent novel by a master story teller! A story full of adventure, humor, suspense and emotion. I would recommend this novel to anyone who enjoys a rousing adventure. A enjoyable and memorable reading experience.
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4.0 out of 5 stars Great historical adventure!
Reviewed in the United States on September 20, 2023
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Although an obvious work of fiction, Crichton has written an almost believable tale of every history buffs dream of going back to the middle ages and experiencing the past in person. Along with a harrowing adventure including knights, jousting, sword play, and the thrill of good versus evil.
Then he teases the reader with the possibility of the main characters nearly being stuck in the past with no chance of returning to the present.
This is a fast read written in the wonderful style Crichton is famous for mixing scientific truth with fantasy to create a delightful tale that will have you unable to stop reading until you reach the end!
2 people found this helpful
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Jack French
5.0 out of 5 stars Great fun reading this journey amongst the medieval backdrop into the past,
Reviewed in the United States on February 27, 2024
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Great characters as usual per Crichton. Drop them in a fast moving war with knights, fellow travelers and a deadline to return,. Perfect Premise and the quest to get home was indiana Jones meets !4th century high jinx. Well Done,
One person found this helpful
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captainbars
3.0 out of 5 stars it's all just hypothetical
Reviewed in the United States on September 11, 2016
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The movie came on the other night, and I watched it for the 2nd time. My son mentioned that the book was totally different. So, I got the Kindle version to see how different. I've read a few of Crichton's books, and liked them. But, this time, I couldn't help comparing his writing style to Jules Vern. He wrote a backstory for nearly each character, and there were pages of explanations for the time period they were in. Not once, but several times. Ditto with the worm hole machine, that was thick with tech jargon. I did some speed reading over those parts. He did a lot of research for those subjects, and wanted the readers to know it. The plot was good, but I felt as though I was reading a book written in the 19th century. It got off to a very slow start, but just as I thought things would pick up, it slogged down with the stuff going on at ITC. I didn't like the swearing; I got the point that Doniger was a jerk, but it can be done without swearing. (Doniger reminded me of a former boss who had screwed over so many people, he kept a handgun in his desk drawer.) The reader isn't told how the employees explained away the boss' disappearance. Johnston was one dimensional, and it wasn't revealed how the French found their way onto the castle grounds, the night of the battle. I think it was mentioned once, that they were looking for a tunnel, or passageway there, but none of the characters actually told them about it. In the movie, Claire was every bit a lady; in the book, a whore. When she's caught having sex with a man in a position of power, she straightens her shoulders, lifts her head, and falls back on the poor, helpless female excuse. Marek seems to admire her for that. Near the end, there's a thin hint he may like/love/lust for her, but we're not given a clue how she may feel towards Marek. She kissed Marek, Chris, manipulated another man she was intimate with, had sex with a man of the cloth, flirted with others, what's not to like? The movie explored their relationship, but the book is told from Chris and Kate's point of view, so discovering at the end that they married, was more of an afterthought. And Claire was a woman of title with property; why would she marry a man with nothing, when she made it plain she needed security? She was in danger of losing her late husbands holdings, and Marek had nothing to bring to the table. Marek must have known, by marrying her, that he would alter the future. Since he wasn't born into that time, ANYONE he married would change things. Also...if someone were to be left behind in the past, the odds would be too high of ever finding what they did with their life. That part wasn't believable. There are countless numbers of lords and ladies, names unknown, who never left a mark on history. In the end, Johnston, dour as ever, was thinking that Marek really wasn't happy in his chosen life. He doesn't know, yet he's looking at the stone carvings that say otherwise. The crease on the side of Marek's face is creepy, cause de Kere had one. Since he came through the machine that once, we can only hope it was a battle scar. Anyway, it's all just hypothetical.
13 people found this helpful
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Kindle
5.0 out of 5 stars Made history come to life
Reviewed in the United States on February 22, 2024
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At first I had trouble with the discussions about quantum but the book kept picking up pace and I could not put it down!
One person found this helpful
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Trisha
4.0 out of 5 stars Four stars,
Reviewed in the United States on December 16, 2023
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Maybe 4 1/2 stars. Good book but I can never wrap my mind around how a person can die before he was born. As much as I love sci-fi, that trips me up. Even so, this is a good story, very entertaining.
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john purcell
5.0 out of 5 stars She's a 14th century fox. No tears, no fears. No ruined years, no clocks. Got the world locked up Inside a plastic box
Reviewed in the United States on July 18, 2015
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Another incredible Michael Crichton page-turner. We have a high-tech billionaire intent on creating a new entertainment industry enabling authentic tourism through a version of time travel. His company makes some progress in developing quantum mechanics to allow short trips to any time or place through quantum foam. The book opens with the unfortunate tale of earlier travelers when the technology was not quite perfected. Actually this is more like being faxed so a few transcription errors will cause later problems, if your veins and arteries are slightly misaligned for example. I tried several times to understand the physics that are presented to show why many believe in multiple universes based on simple experiments with light but my brain is too small.

A group of medieval scholars and grad students is employed by the quants in archaeological restoration of a French mill, town, chapel, and chateau which was the site of a 14th century battle between locals and English knights. The group believes this is a cultural and charitable project of their benefactor who also owns the Guttenberg bible. When they find out it is part of a plan to make money through time tourism, the Professor goes to the 14th century to check it out. His short trip does not go as planned and the others decide to go back to finds him.

The 14th century is a difficult time. The quiet (no background noise) is appealing but the violence, fighting, political intrigue, and lack of gender equality is a concern to 21st century visitors. Crichton has crafted an exciting back-and-forth between the 14th and 21st century teams as both deal with violence, tech issues, political infighting, and lack of honesty and transparency with their colleagues.

I did not see the 2003 film which failed miserably at the box office. I don't know if the story was too complex for the big screen or if the casting of the aged Scottish comedian-singer Billy Connolly caused the demise.
5 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

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chaz
5.0 out of 5 stars Typical Chrichton...just great!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on April 10, 2024
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A really good read....from start to finish...keeps you hooked with peaks and troughs throughout! Chrichton excels with his book writing
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lovetoread
1.0 out of 5 stars Repetitive and boring
Reviewed in Brazil on June 6, 2021
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It goes on and on in the same way and utterly predictable. As nothing new comes up and having filled the required number of words to call it a novel, it ends abruptly.
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Cliente Amazon
5.0 out of 5 stars Avvincente
Reviewed in Italy on December 9, 2023
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Un libro avvincente dall'inizio alla fine!!
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Supriyo Sarkar
5.0 out of 5 stars Epic. Simply epic. Timeline proves again that Crichton is a genius.
Reviewed in India on September 10, 2020
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Again Michael Crichton takes us to a beautifully adventurous story. Through the book we not only get enjoyment but learn various things which are important in our life. We learn our foundations. Our roots.

And nothing like this book. Many people think this book is bad and overrated one and they comment something discouraging about it, though in my opinion this book is not even a whit overrated, if at all it is underatted. Just go ahead, and enjoy yourself in the violence and love of old France combined with the brilliant science of 21st century.

(P.S : Only one part left me baffled. Michael Crichton himself claimed in the book time travel is not possible as time doesn't flow, what flows is our persepectives and the way we see the world. So the book is on space travel. They space travel and go to a different dimension, then how come a note from there come to this world. This left me a bit baffled, although probably it was my own ignorance, nevertheless except this part the book was great.)

Relating to delivery and a those I do not have complains. Only the book was a bit dirty, otherwise fine.
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Amazon Kunde
5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing book
Reviewed in Germany on January 25, 2019
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Magistral !! One of the best books I've read in my life. The science part is not done in a cheap way.
2 people found this helpful
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