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Timeline by Michael Crichton

B

BCYL

Diamond Member
Anyone read it? It has an interesting theory about time travel in there...

Basically it said time is not fluid, but each point in time is a different universe... So when you travel back in time, you are actually jumping to a parallel universe

Just thought it's an interesting view I haven't heard about before
 
Yep, I read it. Typical Crichton book: Lots of clever ideas and very exciting about halfway through, but falls apart at the end.
 
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Yep, I read it. Typical Crichton book: Lots of clever ideas and very exciting about halfway through, but falls apart at the end.
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I'm about 3/4 through, and can't put it down!
 
Originally posted by: BCYL
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Yep, I read it. Typical Crichton book: Lots of clever ideas and very exciting about halfway through, but falls apart at the end.
Click to expand...

I'm about 3/4 through, and can't put it down!
Click to expand...

Again, typical Crichton. He has great ideas and really sucks you into the story. Endings are not his forte, however.
 
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Yep, I read it. Typical Crichton book: Lots of clever ideas and very exciting about halfway through, but falls apart at the end.
Click to expand...

LOL!

So true.

Did they find a hot air balloon at the end to sweep them out of harm's way?
 
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
 
Originally posted by: Spike
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
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I didn't like the ending of Andromeda Strain though, when the virus just suddenly mutated and causes no more harm...

The book overall, is my favorite from Michael Crichton
 
Originally posted by: Spike
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
Click to expand...


Funny, I thought the ending to both Sphere and Andromeda Strain were Crichton at his worst. Together with the non-ending of Prey they're perfect examples of him being unable to come up with reasonably believable endings. So he cops out and does something simple just to wrap things up. C'mon, The Andromeda Strain was the all-time great non-commital ending. He can't come up with a clever way for mankind to beat the virus and he can't bring himself to do the dismal "virus wipes out the earth" ending, so he just lets it mutate itself to harmlessness? That's more pathetic than the dream season on Dallas.
 
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Originally posted by: Spike
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
Click to expand...


Funny, I thought the ending to both Sphere and Andromeda Strain were Crichton at his worst. Together with the non-ending of Prey they're perfect examples of him being unable to come up with reasonably believable endings. So he cops out and does something simple just to wrap things up. C'mon, The Andromeda Strain was the all-time great non-commital ending. He can't come up with a clever way for mankind to beat the virus and he can't bring himself to do the dismal "virus wipes out the earth" ending, so he just lets it mutate itself to harmlessness? That's more pathetic than the dream season on Dallas.
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How's Prey overall? That was going to be my next reading...
 
How did you get the parallel universe idea when the name of one of the scientists who chose to stay behind appeared on a head stone in present day?

And about the parallel universe idea? Hello Sliders.
 
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Yep, I read it. Typical Crichton book: Lots of clever ideas and very exciting about halfway through, but falls apart at the end.
Click to expand...

bezzactly
 
Originally posted by: BCYL


How's Prey overall? That was going to be my next reading...
Click to expand...

It was pretty interesting right up to the last couple of pages. In typical Crichton fashion he couldn't figure out how to end it, so he took the easy way out and didn't end it at all.
 
Originally posted by: BCYL
Originally posted by: Spike
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
Click to expand...


I didn't like the ending of Andromeda Strain though, when the virus just suddenly mutated and causes no more harm...

The book overall, is my favorite from Michael Crichton
Click to expand...

I used to agree with both thoughts until I read "The Hot Zone." It was in that book (non-fiction and highly recommended) that showed that Crichton's idea was a plausable ending.

 
Originally posted by: jalaram
Originally posted by: BCYL
Originally posted by: Spike
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
Click to expand...


I didn't like the ending of Andromeda Strain though, when the virus just suddenly mutated and causes no more harm...

The book overall, is my favorite from Michael Crichton
Click to expand...

I used to agree with both thoughts until I read "The Hot Zone." It was in that book (non-fiction and highly recommended) that showed that Crichton's idea was a plausable ending.
Click to expand...


The Hot Zone is another one of my favorites books as well! I must have read that books 3 tiimes at least... every now and then I take it out and read it again... amazing (but scary) stuff
 
Originally posted by: jalaram
Originally posted by: BCYL
Originally posted by: Spike
Some of his books have crappy endings but I thought Jurassic Park, Sphere, Andromeda Strain, and Timeline all had decent endings. JP was the best though, loved the twist where you thought all the fences were on but the entire time they were actually running on backup power... so cool...

-spike
Click to expand...


I didn't like the ending of Andromeda Strain though, when the virus just suddenly mutated and causes no more harm...

The book overall, is my favorite from Michael Crichton
Click to expand...

I used to agree with both thoughts until I read "The Hot Zone." It was in that book (non-fiction and highly recommended) that showed that Crichton's idea was a plausable ending.
Click to expand...

Except that in The Hot Zone the virus was NEVER dangerous. It killed not a single person and the panic was over what it could have been, not over what it really was. Crichton's book the thing was a killer, it was about to wipe out mankind and scientists were scrambling to figure out the cure before it was too late, then poof, a miracle occurs and saves them the trouble. Not even close to being the same ending as The Hot Zone. Has an ending like the Andromeda Strain ever occured in the real world? Has mankind ever been spared by a freakish last-minute mutation? Nope, didn't think so. So nothing has shown that Crichton's idea was plausable.

 
Originally posted by: GagHalfrunt
Except that in The Hot Zone the virus was NEVER dangerous. It killed not a single person and the panic was over what it could have been, not over what it really was. Crichton's book the thing was a killer, it was about to wipe out mankind and scientists were scrambling to figure out the cure before it was too late, then poof, a miracle occurs and saves them the trouble. Not even close to being the same ending as The Hot Zone. Has an ending like the Andromeda Strain ever occured in the real world? Has mankind ever been spared by a freakish last-minute mutation? Nope, didn't think so. So nothing has shown that Crichton's idea was plausable.
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Maybe my memory's going, but I thought that it was a mutation that allowed the virus to escape the rubber seals in the Andromeda Strain. Similarly, the Reston virus became safe for humans when it mutated so that it could become airborn. Also, that virus was a killer, albeit for monkeys (which worried the humans).

 
its alright. but its one of the ones where the movie was horribly bungled lol🙂 and well its not hard to see why ni guess..kinda hard to explain everything in the movie.
 
Originally posted by: ThePresence
I'm a huge Crichton fan, I have all his books. This is a great book and a terrible, terrible movie.
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Same here, well I read most of his books but I usually give them away to friends and family so they can read it after I'm done, I loved this book, couldn't put it down and do agree with others that his endings can suck pretty hard core, even his new one State of Fear, once I was done with that all I could think of was how shiity of an ending it was, but same goes for a lot of popular authors, haven done some writing myself in the past I do understand though how hard it can be to take a story and fit it into an exceptable length and then have to just end it somehow, can be harder than one would think.

Over all though there hasn't yet been a book of his that I haven't enjoyed.
 
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