Timeline

Michael Crichton

11/12/2000

ITC is a quantum physics company located in Arizona. Its work is highly secret. It also sponsors historical and archeological digs around the world. One of the tenants of ITC is the importance of the past as well as the future.

ITC has discovered a way to the next level of science. It has been investigating 3D electrical transfer. Through quantum physics they are investigating a technique that transports full three dimensional objects in a fashion similar to faxes and other two dimensional files.

When the Professor from their dig at an ITC sponsored site in France returns to Arizona, he then disappears. Some of the graduate students from the site fly to ITC. Next thing they know, they are preparing to travel to their same location in France only in the 1300's.

Crichton has again delivered a well researched and entertaining story. This is not only well grounded in the current theory of quantum physics, but well grounded in the current knowledge of fourteenth century Europe during the 100 years war. This is one of those novels that reminds us that people were as knowledgeable and sophiticated as we are now. Our tools are different, that is all.

I was fascinated with this novel. We are given a glimpse of where twenty-first century science and technology is going. We are also given a glimpse of the fourteenth century lifestyle and technological advances. This sounds and feels very realistic and has good character interaction as well.

The paperback version of this book was published in December, 2000, and is available at.