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

[Nozdereli]

Yeni yıla başlamak için mükemmel bir kitaptı. İçerdiği fizik teorileriyle, ortaya koyduğu Orta Çağ tarihi ile aktarılan konusu muhteşemdi. Karakterlerin tamamı ve kitap boyunca süren aksiyon gerçekten kitabı hızla okuyup bitirmemi sağladı. Yazarın sunduğu kaynakçayı da bir o kadar takdir ettim ve kitap benim başucu kitaplarım arasında yerini aldı.

Bundan sonra yazacaklarım küçük bir sürpriz bozan içeriyor olabilir.

Özellikle de aktarılan MR Makinesi fikri ve faks çekme teorisini çok hoş bulduğumu yazmalıyım. Hikaye de tek eksik kalan Dr. Tsosie ve polis memurunun kitabın finaline dahil edilmemesi oldu. Onlara da bir kaç ekstra sayfa yazılmış olsa çok hoş olabilirdi.

Keşke devamı da olsa 🙈

[Aydın Tezcan]

Okuduğum iyi bilim kurgu kitaplarından bir tanesi. Geçmişte geçen konular ve akış, kitabı kısa sürede okumamı sağladı. Bazı bölümlerinde fazla vahşet sahneleri ve detay açıklamaları olması dışında böyle bir romandan bekleneni verdi.
Tavsiye ederim.

[Emre]

Micheal Crichton'dan harika bir bilgim kurgu daha. Jurrasic Park'ta olduğu zamanla oynamanın ve sürekli eğlence peşinde koşmanın başımıza ne çoraplar örebileceği keyifli bir şekilde anlatılmış. Açıkçası geçmişte insanların nasıl yaşadığını bilmediğim için anlatılanların doğruluk derecesini bilemiyorum ama kurgu olarak ikna edici seviyede.

[Kitap_Kurdu35]

Bir başka harika Michael Crichton romanı. Castelgard ve La Roque kaleleri arasında geçen güzel bir ortaçağ macerası. Elbette bilimkurgu yanını, zaman yolculuğu kavramını, kuantum fiziğini vs. unutmamak gerekir.