Timeline

by Michael Crichton

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 up 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.

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Time Travel, Thriller, Historical Fiction, Fantasy, Adventure

489 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 16, 1999

About the author

John Michael Crichton was an American author, screenwriter, and filmmaker whose prolific career left an indelible mark on popular culture and speculative fiction. Raised on Long Island, he displayed a precocious talent for writing, publishing an article in The New York Times at sixteen. Initially enrolling at Harvard as an English major, he switched to biological anthropology after discovering a preference for scientific study over literature. He graduated summa cum laude and received a fellowship to lecture in anthropology at Cambridge. Later attending Harvard Medical School, he earned his MD but chose not to practice, dedicating himself to writing instead. His medical background profoundly influenced his novels, providing authentic scientific and technical underpinnings that became a hallmark of his work. Crichton began writing under pseudonyms, producing suspenseful thrillers as John Lange, including Odds On, Scratch One, and Easy Go, and as Jeffrey Hudson with A Case of Need, earning him an Edgar Award. His first major success under his own name, The Andromeda Strain, established his signature blend of scientific authenticity, tension, and exploration of technological hazards, leading to its film adaptation. Over his career, he wrote 25 novels, including The Terminal Man, The Great Train Robbery, Congo, Sphere, Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure, The Lost World, Airframe, Timeline, Prey, State of Fear, and Next, several adapted into major films, with four additional works published posthumously. Crichton also made significant contributions to film and television. He wrote and directed Westworld, pioneering the use of 2D computer-generated imagery, and later directed Coma, The First Great Train Robbery, Looker, and Runaway. He created the influential medical drama ER, which he executive produced and developed with Steven Spielberg, achieving critical and commercial success. Many of his novels, most famously Jurassic Park and its sequel The Lost World, became cultural phenomena, combining imaginative adventure with grounded scientific speculation, often exploring humanity’s overreach in genetics, biotechnology, and complex systems. His literary style was notable for integrating meticulous scientific detail, suspense, and moral cautionary themes. His works frequently addressed the failure of complex systems—biological, technological, or organizational—demonstrating the unpredictable consequences of human hubris. Employing techniques such as first-person narratives, false documents, fictionalized scientific reports, and assembling expert teams to tackle crises, Crichton created immersive stories appealing to both popular and scholarly audiences. His exploration of genetics, paleontology, nanotechnology, and artificial intelligence revealed both fascination and caution about humanity’s technological ambitions, while his early non-fiction, such as Five Patients and Electronic Life, reflected his scientific insight and forward-thinking approach to computers and programming. Standing 6 feet 9 inches tall, Crichton experienced social isolation in adolescence and later pursued meditation and consultations with psychics, cultivating a lifelong interest in human consciousness and alternative experiences. A workaholic, he approached writing with disciplined ritualistic methodology, often retreating entirely to complete a novel in six or seven weeks. He was married five times, fathered two children, and maintained a wide-ranging collection of 20th-century American art. Crichton engaged in political and scientific discourse, particularly regarding global warming, where he was an outspoken skeptic and testified before the U.S. Senate. He contributed significantly to the discussion of intellectual property, technology, and environmental policy, coining concepts such as the Gell-Mann amnesia effect. Throughout his life, he received numerous awards, including Edgar Awards, a Peabody Award for ER, an Aca

Reviews

[Emilija]

Ši knyga man patiko LABAI didelį įspūdį, kai man buvo 12 metų. Susidomėjau viduramžiais ir istorija. Atrodė tokia timta ir gerai parašyta knyga. :D

Dabar suprantu kodėl. Daug veiksmo, lėkšti dialogai, karikatūriški personažai, paprasta minčių eiga, bet veiksmo ir dekoracijų tikrai daug. Toks jausmas, kad rašyta ekranizacijai ar tapti bestseleriu.

4 žvaigždutės, nes tikrai greitai ir lengvai suvalgoma, bet visiškai pramoginė, tokia knyga čipsai, bet man vaikystėje buvo gateway knyga į rimtesnes ir su tikresniais viduramžiais, tikresne fizika ir tikroviškesniais vidiniais pasauliais.

Ir tas archajiškas verimas: „Silikono slėnis“, „pirmoji formulė“, MRT turbūt 2001, kai vertė, atrodė sci-fi, tai išvesta MRS.

[Ligita Simonkevičiute]

Pirmus 70 puslapių nežinojau nė ką galvoti, nuoširdžiai masčiau apie padėjimą į šalį... Chaotiška, kiekvieną naują pastraipa vis naujas veikėjas. Atrodo neįsivaizduoju net apie ką skaitau, nei kas pagrindiniai veikėjai.. Bet tada pati sau pagalvojau paprastai knygose veiksmui įsibėgėti užtrunka 100 puslapių ir jei per tiek laiko nepasidaro įdomu, tada nė neverta skaityti. Ir ką gi.. ties 80 puslapiu prasidėjo šiokie tokie įdomumai kurie suintrigavo sužinoti kas nutiks toliau. O kai pagaliau išsiaiskinau kas pagrindiniai istorijos veikėjai ir veiksmas persikėlė į kitą vietą atrodo knygos padėti į šalį nesinorėjo. Nutuokiau kaip baigsis, bet vis rūpėjo pati įvykiu eiga. Ir nors pradžia buvo chaotiška, tolimesnis knygos veiksmas ir idėjos išgelbėjo šią knygą.

[Mindaugas]

Knyga nebloga, patiko galima sakyti. Bet..

Buvau pradėjęs skaityti ir gerokai paskaitęs James Rollins "Amazonia" (perskaičiau daugiau negu pusę ir supratau, kad gaila laiko, o knygų yra daug), bet tokios knygos ne man. Galima sakyti, kad Rollinsas rašo Crichtono stiliumi.

Šią knygą baigiau skaityti, nes skaičiau lietuvių kalba. Šiai siužetas gana nuspėjamas ir man patinka kitokios knygos. Na, bet veiksmo knygų gerbėjams manau tai pats tas.