Timeline, while interesting, was nothing but a screenplay. I felt like I was "reading" a movie the whole time.
It's just gotten worse since Jurassic Park!
However, after saying all this I still like Crichton and my favorite was/is Rising Sun. The way the walls start to close in was disturbing.
Most author's sell(sell-out) when turning their book into a movie. They let the producers screw with the books however they please.
Clancy's are some of the worst regarding the original text. It's not just that they screw up some plot or subplot, but the overall tone as well. They turn Conservative>Liberal. Clear and Present Danger was pathetic in turning everyone into a bad guy. They even had Ryan testify before Congress. What P.C. B.S.!
Now they change Arabs into Neo-Nazis, granted this was before 9-11. But the plot is to try and get Russia and the US into a war which leaves the Neo-Nazis with what exactly? A Nuked E.U?
More PC B.S. which leaves the producers with huge egg on their face. Clancy cashed the check, sadly that's all that matters to him.
That's why Crichton even directed a few of his own books.
Bottom Line: It's just about the $$$.