Michael Crichton started his career as a writer after graduating from Harvard Medical School in 1965. His career took off in 1969 with the publishing of "The Andromeda Strain," a novel about a mysterious virus from space. Since then, Crichton has published over a dozen books, written, directed, and produced several films, and is the recipient of numerous awards. Living in the information age, most of Crichton's work involves Science Fiction.

During a majority of the story, the setting is 14th century France, during the Hundred Years war. This is the time of feudalism, chivalry, and knights in shining armor. While the book does not focus on any major historical events, it provides a wealth of insight into everyday medieval life.

"Timeline" begins with a dazed man wandering in the desert. He is found and brought to a hospital where he later dies. The mysterious circumstances behind his death are investigated by a local police officer. Before any significant advances can be made, the body is cremated at the order of his employer, ITC. It is here that we are introduced to Robert Doniger, CEO of ITC.

The story then shifts to an archeological dig in southern France. We are introduced to most of the main characters: Professor Edward Johnston, André Marek, Chris Hughes and Kate Erikson. Soon after, these archeological students find a message from Professor Johnston in a bundle of 700 year-old documents. André calls Doniger of ITC, who sponsors the dig, with this information. Our main characters are immediately flown to ITC headquarters in Black Rock, New Mexico. Upon arrival, John Gordon, vice-president of ITC, explains the situation to the students. ITC has developed a technology that basically allows time travel. Professor Johnston was allowed to use the device, a quantum teleporter, to travel back to the Middle Ages. Unfortunately, the professor did not return. Doniger wants the archeological students to go back to medieval France to retrieve Johnston. After extensive technological explanation and preparation, André, Kate and Chris go back in time with two guides from ITC, Susan Gomez and Victor Baretto. They have exactly thirty-seven hours to retrieve the professor and return.

Just hours after arriving, they are ambushed by a group of black knights. Gomez is immediately killed. Baretto pulls a grenade but is stabbed with an arrow before he can throw it. He recalls the transport machine with his ceramic marker. In a blinding flash of light, Baretto disappears. The bright lights scare off the Knights. Baretto's body then returns to the ITC labs. The grenade he pulled explodes destroying the transit pad. They are trapped in the past.

The team gets separated. Chris follows a local boy to Castelgard, a castle and small community in the Dordogne river valley. Chris ends up in an odd predicament as he told the boy he was a squire. André and Kate also make their way to Castelgard. They soon find themselves in a gallant hall where Chris appears richly dressed. After an odd confrontation with Sir Guy de Malegant, Chris mistakenly accepts a challenge to a joust. André also gets involved with the competition. After much circumstance, André humiliates Sir Guy by defeating him in a sword fight. I think this was my favorite part of the book as I found it rather amusing that a novice defeats an expert both in a joust and sword fight.

For humiliating his man, Lord Oliver, a warlord in charge of Castelgard, throws André and Chris in a dungeon. The professor is also being held there. Soon after, Kate helps them all escape. There is not enough space there to recall the machines to return to the present so they try to get out of the castle. Throughout these events, there is a subplot back at ITC where they are franticly rebuilding the transit pad so the team can return.

The adventure continues for two hundred more pages as the group tries to return home. The group makes their way to a monastery so they can find a secret passage to La Roque, another castle in the area. In the climax, the team manages to return home in the midst of a great battle waged to capture La Roque. André Marek stays behind in order help the others escape. At the end of the book, he is found in historical records.

For the most part, specific historical events are not discussed in detail in this book. However, the book goes into impressive detail describing particular aspects of medieval life. The story occurs during the hundred years war in Europe, but no particular circumstances of the war are cited. There is also very little reference to the Black Death which is ravishing Europe at this time.

Everyday medieval life is very well documented and Crichton takes full advantage of it. The book discusses several customs and activities of the middle ages. The first historical references carefully describe the clothing of the period. In the story, our main characters wear status neutral clothing to appear neither rich nor poor. They consist of undershorts, hose, tunic, doublet (a belt worn under clothing), and an outershirt that functions like a wind breaker. Soon after, the students describe the structures they see on arrival. They are correct in describing them as stone and wood structures with either thatched or lauzes roofs. Later a large chamber in a castle is described. Apparently, there is no record of how castle interiors were decorated in this period so Crichton improvises, speaking of how lavishly decorated the great hall is.

Midway though "Timeline," a medieval tournament is depicted. Unlike most sequences in the book, the tournament itself and the environment are not described in the usual detail, as most of the attention is placed on the joust involving André and Chris. Only the basics are described. Brightly colored banners and tents all fit the pageantry of the event. In this part, the joust is described in detail. There a few types of jousts but this tournament featured several rounds of individual jousts, defined as an encounter with lances between two knights. Two mounted knights charge at each other while holding a long wooden shaft with a pointed tip. The objective was to strike the opponent square in the chest knocking him from his horse.

In the third chapter, André and Kate go to visit the abbot at the monastery. A thorough description and illustration are provided. The Cistercian Monastery has all the structures you would expect including a chapel, scriptorium, living quarters and courtyard. Contradictory to historical record, a group of monks play a game in the courtyard, "Tenez," an early form of tennis. Other monks are seen gambling on the match. History records that the Cistercian order of monks was one of the strictest. Their lifestyle was quite Spartan. Even their manuscripts were written plainly, although in the novel they are seen drawing elaborate illustrations. Aside from these two discrepancies, the other facts seem correct. At the evening meal, there is no speech. Crichton even includes the Latin prayer chanted before the meal begins.

The next sequence puts André and Kate at fortified mill that spans the Dordogne River. This particular mill is rather elaborate with four water wheels, but not inaccurate for the period. One was used for grinding flour, another for grinding grain, and a metal forge. The fourth is unmentioned, but it could be any number of things including a water-powered saw. The story correctly mentions that the dust from the ground grain is explosive; hence there are no candles or flames in that room. This is later exploited by Kate when she destroys the mill by exploding the dust.

Several other small examples exist in the book but I will not bother to describe them all. I will say that all the historical references are quite accurate except for one glaring error at the beginning of the adventure. When the black knights attack the team, the knights shoot Baretto with arrows. Simply put, mounted knights do not use bows and arrows, only broadswords. Crichton does this so Baretto will not die instantly when attacked which allows him to pull his grenade but not throw it. That allows for the subplot of having the transit pad destroyed and adding that much more complication to returning our heroes.

Overall, I thought this was a fantastic book. Crichton does an excellent job portraying the middle ages. The thorough explanations of the multiverse and quantum physics make this science-fiction novel much more believable. As is the norm for Crichton, his in-depth research is admirable. Contained within the bibliography are dozens of books on the middle ages and quantum physics. The historical accuracy and believable science made "Timeline" that much more enjoyable. While the book has a firm foundation in science in history, character development is neglected. Most of the characters are rather shallow and we don't learn a whole lot about any of the students or the professor. Luckily, the action and pacing of the plot make up for this. The book also has qualities of a movie script which make reading confusing at times. Incidentally, this book is being made into a movie which will be released next year. If you are patient and have an interest in either the Middle Ages or quantum physics, this should be an interesting read.