Timeline by Michael Crichton | Book Review

The key to understand our history is by literally going back to the past. However, such venture is still impossible without the so-called “Time Machine.”

In one of his undeniably well-researched science-fiction novels Timeline, Michael Crichton finds his way to brilliantly exhibit the process of creating a mechanism, an instrument that hypothetically enable an individual to travel from one time to another. The concept this extraordinary tool had used the related ideas published by renowned Theoretical Physicists of the modern like Michio Kaku, David Deutsch and Gerald J. Milburn. Their ideas were injected by Crichton in his book to bring his readers back to the time when one of the important events in the history of Europe transpired.

Through the characters of his published work, Crichton was able to re-enact the private warfare occurred between the two well-known frontrunners during their times, Sir Oliver De Vannes and Archpriest Arnaut de Cervole  on 1357. These also include Andre Marek, a History professor in Yale who has absolute knowledge in customs and traditions during Medieval Period; Chris Hughes, a graduate scholar and; Katherine Erickson, a former architecture student who shifted her interest in studying history.  

Those people embarked to a dangerous mission to save their project leader Edward Johnston, a Regius Professor of History in Yale who is strayed in the past after being subjected to a beta test of the time machine.

 Johnston and his fellows are group of scientists, who dig historical evidences in Dordogne, a place in France, which is planned to be rebuilt by the their funding company, International Technology Corporation (ITC) owned by Robert Doniger, a Physicist who became billionaire in his early years because of his one-of-a-kind inventions he made in the Physics industry. Doniger possesses the traits of a usual greedy, business-minded individual who only thinks of his company’s interest and who is willing to stake other people’s lives to attain the realization of his aspirations which he thinks it will fulfill the unlimited wants of people.

There comes the time when Johnston detected Doniger’s selfish plan to make profit of their project, and he decided to confront him in the main office of ITC in New Mexico. In there, the History professor witnessed the true fascination of the company that supports their research project.

Meanwhile, on the time when Edward’s comrades are digging on the Dordogne and worrying about the result of his appointment with Robert Doniger, they unearthed a mysterious letter with an inscription of “Help Me!” together with the name of their research leader, Edward Johnston, and the date when it was written---1357.

Believing it was just left by their leader and it is just a site contamination, they ran a date analysis to determine the real age of the letter and all of them were shocked when the result showed it was really penned during 1357. Confusion rose on their mind.To make things clear for them, they contacted the main office of ITC and they have talked to the Senor Vice President of the company, John Gordon.

Gordon confirmed that Professor Johnston was presently on the year 1357. All of them were denial at first. But when Gordon explained how did Johnston go back to that year using the ITC technology--- a machine that sends them to other universe in other time--- the group of Malek, Chris, Kate and David Stern, a Physicist who serves as the technical expert of their group, decided to travel back in the year 1357 and bring Professor Johnston back.

In spite of withdrawal of David on their rescue operation because of his thought that such action is risky, Chris, Malek and Katherine had still valiantly agreed to be projected in the past joined by the experienced time traveler, Baretto and Gomez to be their guide.

In just a blink of their eye as they stepped on the time machine, they saw themselves standing on the soil of the past when there was no car noise, no towering buildings and the air still clean to breathe. Along with that, they have also had a glimpse on the horrifying events happened during those years. Murders. Children hacked to death. Women rampantly raped. As the proof of the perilous state of that period of time, Baretto and Gomez were mercilessly killed upon their arrival.

Carrying only with them their knowledge of the history of the place where they landed, Malek led his group to find Edward Johnston and bring him back to the future. Before they had able to complete their mission, they were stocked in the war between Sir Oliver and Archpriest Arnaut, and in there, they saw the discrepancy of their knowledge as historians and the actual things happened in the past.

In the end, their group had successfully rescued Edward. But as they pressed the button for them to return, one had to stay and prevent the knights in interrupting the process of their coming back.

This Crichton’s novel clearly illustrates that our knowledge of the past is not yet sufficient. This only signifies that we still have to dig deeper for us to understand fully the vital occurrences that had happened during the ancient days which greatly affected the present world where we live in and also for us to use this awareness about the past to make our future better for living.