to be part of the team. When the science behind the ability to transmit people to o her universes is discussed, Stern probably understands it better than anyone else and, therefore, is also the only one who recognizes that it is dangerous and chooses not to go. However, by not going, Stern becomes a key part of the team by assuring their survival via his innovations to rebuild the water walls that provide buffer for the re-building team. Stern saves their lives. Reception Cahners Business Information says the book will "grab teens' attention from the very first page", and Entertainment Weekly calls Timeline "exhilarating entertainment." The novel has also grasped the attention of scholars of medievalism, since Crichton praises Norman Cantor's Inventing the Middle Ages (1989) as a central influence on his characterization of academic research on the medieval past. Crichton's narrative seems to support Cantor's notion that the work of academic medievalists amounts to little more than subjective reinventions of the medieval era. Film adaptation Paramount Pictures produced a feature film adaptation, with a budget of $80 million, released on November 26, 2003. The adaptation was written by Jeff Maguire and George Nolfi, and directed by Richard Donner, and stars Paul Walker as Chris, Gerard Butler as Marek, Billy Connolly as Professor Johnston, and Frances O'Connor as Kate. The film was poorly received by critics and audiences. See also Hundred Years War References External links Official Site Novels about time travel 1999 American novels 1999 science fiction novels American novels adapted into films American science fiction novels Novels by Michael Crichton Alfred A. Knopf books Books with cover art by Chip Kidd Novels about multiple time paths Quantum fiction novels Novels set in the 14th century Hundred Years' War literature Fictional knights Third-person narrative novels