Timeline is a science fiction novel by Michael Crichton that was published in November 1999. It tells the story of archaeologists who travel to the Middle Ages thanks to the work of a brilliant yet unprincipled entrepreneur who plans to use the technology to enhance historical tourist attractions. The book follows in Crichton's long history of combining technical details and action in his books, addressing quantum physics and time travel.
The novel spawned Timeline Computer Entertainment, a computer game developer that created the Timeline PC game published by Eidos in 2000. A movie called Timeline based on the book was released in 2003.
Plot
In 1999, Professor Edward Johnston heads a team of historians and archaeologists in studying a site in the Dordogne region of France where the medieval towns of Castelgard and La Roque stood. Suspicious of ITC's (their funder) detailed knowledge of the site, Johnston flies to their headquarters in New Mexico to investigate. Soon the archaeologists find modern objects — that they recognize as Johnston's — amongst untouched ruins. Researchers Chris Hughes, Kate Erickson, André Marek (a medieval re-enactor), and David Stern fly to ITC. They learn that Johnston traveled to 1357, to the site they were excavating, but did not return as expected.
Chris, Kate, and André travel to the past with two experienced ITC employees given 37 hours to return with Johnston. Within minutes of arriving in the past, the ITC employees are killed by Sir Guy de Malegant who is chasing a boy through the woods. One of the killed ITC employees returns to ITC and upon arriving drops a hand grenade that damages the return site, preventing the time travelers from coming back until it is repaired. Stern, who had stayed behind because he felt that he would not be helpful in the past, proves to be helpful to ITC in their efforts to rescue everyone. Yet throughout the story, their efforts are ignored and sometimes stalled by ITC founder Robert Doniger because he prizes good public relations over human lives.
Kate and André see Johnston being taken away by the men of Lord Oliver of Castelgard. Separated from the others, Chris follows the boy and accidentally identifies himself as a noble. The boy leads Chris to Castelgard and reveals herself as Lady Claire in disguise and running from a suitor. In the castle, Chris and André find themselves challenged to joust Sir Guy and his second. Chris, thanks to André's instruction, survives the joust and André defeats both Sir Guy and his second. Sir Oliver orders the death of André and Chris for dishonoring Sir Guy. Kate helps them escape, but from then on they are pursued by the forces of Oliver, most notably Sir Guy and Sir Robert de Kere.
Sir Oliver believes that Johnston knows a secret passageway into the otherwise impenetrable castle of La Roque. Arnaut de Cervole is approaching Castelgard to lay siege and Oliver must know this secret to successfully defend the castle. Johnston helps Oliver, despite knowing that historically he loses the siege, but he never gains Oliver's trust. Chris, André, and Kate use Johnston's clues (which they had uncovered in 1999) to find the secret passageway themselves in order to save Johnston.
Chris and company learn that someone else from 1999 is also in the past with them and has been spying on their transmissions, always staying one step ahead in their pursuit for Lord Oliver. ITC knows that Rob Deckard, an employee and former marine who went insane from too many "transcription errors" (slight mistakes in the teleportation process), went into 1357 more than a year ago and never returned. Eventually Robert de Kere reveals his identity to the researchers and tells them that he has no intention of permitting their return to 1999.
Kate, Chris, and André are captured by Arnaut's men but are saved by Lady Claire and later escape. André enters La Roque as Johnston's assistant. As Arnaut prepares his siege, Oliver decides that Johnston is hiding information and takes him to a torture device to drown him. Meanwhile Chris and Kate find the secret passageway and enter La Roque. Kate kills Sir Guy and Arnaut's men begin to enter La Roque. Arnaut and André find Oliver about to drown Johnston, but save Johnston and leave Oliver to drown instead.
ITC and Stern finally repair the landing area just in time for the returning travelers. Chris kills Robert de Kere and the team escapes the chaos of the siege to return back to 1999. André, whose dream it was to live as a knight in the Middle Ages, decides to stay in the past and marry Lady Claire. Displeased with Doniger's attitude, ITC employees transport him to Castelgard circa 1348, where he finds himself immersed in the Black Death.
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