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jhouses's review against another edition
4.0
Un nave extraterrestre varada en la Selva negra durante la Peste Negra. Un libro interesante que yuxtapone la búsqueda de un arqueólogo de una explicación para la desaparición de una aldea medieval y los mitos que le acompañan y la narración del párroco de la aldea.
astrilde's review against another edition
4.0
A very interesting idea for a book which I would describe as a cross between Historical Fiction and Sci-fi. Most of the book tells the historical side of the tale; of beings from another world stranded in a small 14th century german village and seeking a way home despite being viewed as demons by many of the locals.
I have to say, my favourite parts were the visitors and the local priest trying to communicate about science using only words and concepts that would have been understood by a scholar/priest of the time.
I have to say, my favourite parts were the visitors and the local priest trying to communicate about science using only words and concepts that would have been understood by a scholar/priest of the time.
rebeccacider's review against another edition
Eifelheim has a simple premise—aliens crash-land in medieval Germany and can't get home, plot ensues. Good, yes?
At its best, this novel invites comparisons with Connie Willis's Doomsday Book, with its unique blend of genres and vivid evocation of the past. The history is honestly more compelling than the aliens, and Oberhochwald, with its cyclical seasons and frontier-like atmosphere of isolation and self-sufficiency, is as memorable a character as Dietrich, a scientifically-minded priest whose attempts to include the stranded aliens in the life of the village result in an unusual first contact story.
Like Willis's novels, Eifelheim's careful attention to detail means it's a bit slow and at times ends up in the weeds (and by "weeds," I mean "Habsburgs"). Its linguistic playfulness is almost too much, except that I pretty much enjoy every time Flynn drops in a medieval precursor to modern slang or has Dietrich use his scholar's Latin and Greek to accidentally coin words like "microphone" and "circuit." On the whole, this is a novel that's almost too clever by half, except when it surprises you by breaking your heart.
My only complaint is with the frame story, which follows two academics in our near future who accidentally uncover Dietrich's story. These chapters were originally a separate novella, and they did pretty much nothing for me, particularly as the characters are unpleasant to no end. I can't decide what I'm grumpier about, a librarian who apparently has a crush on her arrogant, boundary-challenged patron (in reality, I assure you she'd be giving him rude nicknames and laughing about him in the break room), or that the self-same patron is a historian whose discipline involves doing fancy things with big data yet begins the novel totally ignorant of where his data comes from. Happily I think you could just skip all the "Now" chapters and still enjoy the book.
At its best, this novel invites comparisons with Connie Willis's Doomsday Book, with its unique blend of genres and vivid evocation of the past. The history is honestly more compelling than the aliens, and Oberhochwald, with its cyclical seasons and frontier-like atmosphere of isolation and self-sufficiency, is as memorable a character as Dietrich, a scientifically-minded priest whose attempts to include the stranded aliens in the life of the village result in an unusual first contact story.
Like Willis's novels, Eifelheim's careful attention to detail means it's a bit slow and at times ends up in the weeds (and by "weeds," I mean "Habsburgs"). Its linguistic playfulness is almost too much, except that I pretty much enjoy every time Flynn drops in a medieval precursor to modern slang or has Dietrich use his scholar's Latin and Greek to accidentally coin words like "microphone" and "circuit." On the whole, this is a novel that's almost too clever by half, except when it surprises you by breaking your heart.
My only complaint is with the frame story, which follows two academics in our near future who accidentally uncover Dietrich's story. These chapters were originally a separate novella, and they did pretty much nothing for me, particularly as the characters are unpleasant to no end. I can't decide what I'm grumpier about, a librarian who apparently has a crush on her arrogant, boundary-challenged patron (in reality, I assure you she'd be giving him rude nicknames and laughing about him in the break room), or that the self-same patron is a historian whose discipline involves doing fancy things with big data yet begins the novel totally ignorant of where his data comes from. Happily I think you could just skip all the "Now" chapters and still enjoy the book.
williamstome's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
mleung12's review against another edition
2.5
The idea was really interesting but unfortunately the writing is very overwrought and also the author's misogyny really shows through. The author also doesn't seem to really understand how academic funding works which isn't really a major complaint but just annoyed me.
abmgw's review against another edition
2.0
Nein!
Doch!
Ohh!
Nice idea, but a boring book all after all.
Doch!
Ohh!
Nice idea, but a boring book all after all.
dialectic_dolt's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
catbooking's review against another edition
4.0
The book would go off on tangents in places, spending a lot of time explaining who got to work what strip of land and why. Or who got to own this or that property and title and why. I understand it was done to communicate the way society was structured at the time, but I kept finding my eyes glossed over and none of the text read actually comprehended.
The other part that I found distracting was how progressive the priest was. I am not talking about trying to follow the scriptures and helping a fellow 'man' but more of technological understanding and quotes that may as well have come from 1700s.
>“That a man possesses a natural right to his own life means only that his defense of that life is legitimate, not that his defense will be successful.” He spread his hands. “As for other natural rights, I number the right to freedom against tyranny, and the right to property. That last he may forego, when in so doing he pursues his own happiness.” Ockham cut into a sausage set before him by a page. “As the Spirituals do in imitation of the poverty of the Lord and His Apostles.”
Does it not feel a bit like lip service to American readers?
Then again, I might be too dismissive of people living in the 1400s. They were certainly as smart as we are today, so maybe a priest in the middle of nowhere could comprehend an idea of a microphone and a computer. And maybe similarly the discussion on “Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was already a well formed idea that just wasn't yet widely disseminated. I just found it very jarring while reading.
That said, the book as a whole is just wonderful. The reaction of the local village residents is realistic and varied. The struggle for power, both on the side of the visitors and on the side of hosts, makes sense. Equally the process of solving the mystery in the 'now' takes logical steps and develops as one would expect from a mystery. So even keeping my lengthy complaint in mind, I do like to complain about books, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to others.
The other part that I found distracting was how progressive the priest was. I am not talking about trying to follow the scriptures and helping a fellow 'man' but more of technological understanding and quotes that may as well have come from 1700s.
>“That a man possesses a natural right to his own life means only that his defense of that life is legitimate, not that his defense will be successful.” He spread his hands. “As for other natural rights, I number the right to freedom against tyranny, and the right to property. That last he may forego, when in so doing he pursues his own happiness.” Ockham cut into a sausage set before him by a page. “As the Spirituals do in imitation of the poverty of the Lord and His Apostles.”
Does it not feel a bit like lip service to American readers?
Then again, I might be too dismissive of people living in the 1400s. They were certainly as smart as we are today, so maybe a priest in the middle of nowhere could comprehend an idea of a microphone and a computer. And maybe similarly the discussion on “Life liberty and the pursuit of happiness” was already a well formed idea that just wasn't yet widely disseminated. I just found it very jarring while reading.
That said, the book as a whole is just wonderful. The reaction of the local village residents is realistic and varied. The struggle for power, both on the side of the visitors and on the side of hosts, makes sense. Equally the process of solving the mystery in the 'now' takes logical steps and develops as one would expect from a mystery. So even keeping my lengthy complaint in mind, I do like to complain about books, I wholeheartedly recommend this book to others.
megmcardle's review against another edition
4.0
This is a truly interesting blend of Historical Fiction and Science Fiction (one of the rarest of all combos)that works despite some very real flaws. In 14th century Germany, an alien ship has crashed in the forested outskirts of the village of Oberhochwald. The local villagers include a remarkable man serving as their parish priest. Father Dietrich is a student of philosophy, history, science and religion who studied in Paris and kept company with the great minds of his age. He retreated to the remote village of Oberhochwald to escape his past (hinted at but never really explained), and proves to be the ideal ambassador to the stranded aliens. As he gets to know the grasshopper-like creatures he calls "Krenken" and help them in their efforts to repair their ship, his inate curiosity and openess to new ideas prompts him to welcome the aliens and try and gain acceptance for them with his flock - to the point of offering baptism. If Dietrich sometimes strains the credulity of the reader in his sheer unflappability, his views are not shared by some in the village, nor with the powers of the Inquisition. The fear of some is in many ways more understandable than Dietrich's constant rolling with the punches when exposed to alien technology far beyond anything in existence in medieval times. His reading has made him open to all possibilities, apparently, and at each new wonder, he just slaps a greek name on it and moves on. Still, he is a genuinely likeable character who wants to apply both his love of learning and his vocation to give charity to all in need to the stranded aliens. There's quite a lot of plot to gloss over, including politics both Krenken and feudal. If Flynn fails the narrative, it might be in trying to cram in a little too much of the obviously HUGE amount of research he did on the time. This is a common misstep in historical fiction, and one I can forgive as the details of daily life that he includes make the setting and the people feel completely real. The other big flaw is the inclusion of a modern day plot, that seemed superfluous and frankly...dull. The present day historian trying to discover why the village of Oberhochwald (which became known as Eifelheim) disappeared from maps and his annoying physicist girlfriend bring nothing to the plot. The extensive discussion of polyverse physics might appeal to some hard SF fans, but I had to fight the urge to skim. But the medieval villagers dealing with something so far beyond their experience was a great, great story and so I forgive.
kappafrog's review against another edition
Thoroughly misogynistic with an overwrought writing style. Really disappointed as I loved the premise.