Timeline

Originally posted on Sept 30, '07, at slangards.multiply.com

I've been a fan of Crichton's novels for about a decade now. I'll admit I found him because of the Jurassic Park movies, but I came to like his novels for the intense research he puts into everything. If you read Jurassic, you'll find yourself immersed in Chaos theory and genetics. If you read Rising Sun, you'll learn more about Japanese business practices then you'll ever need to know. This time around he's taking on quantum mechanics.

The first half of the book is mostly the discussion of quantum theory and the multi-verse. This is the kind of thing Crichton does best. Even with a limited knowledge of the science, you can almost feel like you understand. It's right there on the tip of your brain... and if you can just try a little harder, all will become clear to you.

The problem with the book is that once the protagonists get to the past, the excitement is gone. What follows is scene after scene of the team getting captured, escaping, getting captured, escaping. It's tedious, tiresome, and unforgivable boring. If you're a history buff, you might enjoy the descriptions of medieval France, but there's little thrill once they go back.

I'm hoping this doesn't mean he's losing his touch. I'll try and get "Next" and reserve judgement till then.