Sometimes, it seems like you can reach out and touch the past...

An old man wearing a brown robe is found wandering disoriented in the Arizona desert. He is miles from any human habitation and has no memory of how he got to be there, or who he is. The only clue to his identity is the plan of a medieval monastery in his pocket.

In France, Professor Edward Johnston and his students are studying the ruins of a medieval town. Suspicious of the knowledge of the site shown by their mysterious financier, he returns to the US to investigate. But in his absence, the students make a disturbing discovery in the ruins: the long-decayed remains of Johnston's glasses - and a message in modern English.

The implications are staggering. The consequences are earth-shaking. And the distant past isn't so distant any more.

Increasingly considered an underappreciated classic that stands proudly alongside his more famous works like Jurassic Park and Westworld, Timeline confirms Michael Crichton as the king of the high-concept thriller, and a master storyteller to boot.

• His novels Timeline, Jurassic Park and Disclosure have all been made into major Hollywood films. Crichton's other film credits include Twister and Congo.
• Arrow sales of Crichton's novels have exceeded 5 million