zosiablue's review against another edition
3.0
(3.5) IF you are a glutton for medieval France…this is a book for you! If instead you chose this book because you like time travel paradoxes like me, you’ll be disappointed that the multiverse is only a small part. The rest is a legit adventure with knights and castles and alt-history and jousting and probably a king eating a leg of turkey somewhere in there.
It was fine and probably well done, but not a topic for me! Plus, all the female characters were male-gazed to death. We had to know what every dude thought about every lady’s looks the second she appeared on the page.
I will say, though, parts of this veered into straight, terrifying horror and those parts I did enjoy. (And the ending was very sweet.)
As an aside, I can’t believe I haven’t read more Michael Crichton given I grew up in the 90s and like techno thrillers! I’ve got some catching up to do.
It was fine and probably well done, but not a topic for me! Plus, all the female characters were male-gazed to death. We had to know what every dude thought about every lady’s looks the second she appeared on the page.
I will say, though, parts of this veered into straight, terrifying horror and those parts I did enjoy. (And the ending was very sweet.)
As an aside, I can’t believe I haven’t read more Michael Crichton given I grew up in the 90s and like techno thrillers! I’ve got some catching up to do.
bloodingeyes's review against another edition
4.0
I can't stop thinking how they killed a guy spitting on him and it was cool!
mmezell's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.5
the_guinea_cat's review against another edition
5.0
One of my favorite books. I've read it several times, but since I've been researching the 14th century, I figured it was time to read it again. Still great. The movie was shit though, read the book instead (and if you watched it and didn't read the book, I'm sorry).
dtiselin's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
3.0
deaken's review against another edition
4.0
Another great Crichton novel.
Probably not his most famous novel, but definitely one of my favorites by him. I like the blending of sci-fi and history - with both being as well researched (as he always did with his books) for the time he wrote it. The film adaptation did not do the story justice, just like the adaptation for Congo. Recommend.
Probably not his most famous novel, but definitely one of my favorites by him. I like the blending of sci-fi and history - with both being as well researched (as he always did with his books) for the time he wrote it. The film adaptation did not do the story justice, just like the adaptation for Congo. Recommend.
rachel_abby_reads's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting premise that led me to an unrelated ah-ha moment. But there were some elements that left me scratching my head and feeling that the framework for the story (the Doniger head of ITC) was just a superficial way to get modern academics immersed into the world they studied in theory.
I did like that they all came to: Wow, people in the past were people, just like us. Not less, not un-evolved or undeveloped; people.
I did like that they all came to: Wow, people in the past were people, just like us. Not less, not un-evolved or undeveloped; people.
mvasconc's review against another edition
5.0
“And yet history is the most powerful intellectual tool society possesses. Let us be clear. History is not a dispassionate record of dead events. Nor is it a playground for scholars to indulge their trivial disputes.
The purpose of history is to explain the present— to say why the world around us is the way it is. History tells us what is important in our world, and how it came to be. It tells us why the things we value are the things we should value. And it tells us what it is to be ignored, or discarded. That is true power— profound power. The power to define a whole society,“ (465).
The purpose of history is to explain the present— to say why the world around us is the way it is. History tells us what is important in our world, and how it came to be. It tells us why the things we value are the things we should value. And it tells us what it is to be ignored, or discarded. That is true power— profound power. The power to define a whole society,“ (465).
gladdenangie's review against another edition
3.0
A little slow to start with, but once I hit the halfway point the story really picked up. Classic Michael Crichton, just enough factual science behind his fiction to make you think twice about what's real and what's make-believe. Also a very historically accurate book about the 100 years wars between France and England.
aiidaa's review against another edition
4.0
4.5* I loved this! Such a fun, intense and at times stressful ride and very action packed. This is my second Michael Crichton book and I absolutely love his ideas and his writing style. The way he makes you fully immersed in his worlds, in the science and the history is amazing and I really appreciated the many visual that help you visualize settings and objects. From the very beginning, I'm hooked till the end with his stories and this was no exception.