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tamarant4's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I need a medievalist. Right away. [loc. 230]
An account of a, primarily Australian, research trip to medieval Languedoc, told mostly from the viewpoint of historian Artemisia Wormwood. Artemisia (who chose her own surname after divorcing her family, for reasons which are explained late in the novel) is out of work -- and in urgent need of funds -- when she's approached by an old friend who has a proposition for her. The project is a time-travel expedition: the team will spend nine months in 1305, establishing a base in a cave system near the little town of St-Guilhem-le-Desert in Languedoc. Their aim is to study meteorology, biodoversity, astronomy and climate change. They will, of course, stay concealed and not affect the lives of the locals. 'History will be fine,' team leader Luke reassures Artemisia. But Artemisia, who understands that 'it's about how people describe their realities', is not convinced.
It turns out that none of the team (except Artemisia) can communicate with the locals; that none of them (except Artemisia) understand the culture of the time into which they've been deposited; that none of them (except Artemisia) are especially concerned about interacting with the people of St-Guilhem-le-Desert. She is regarded as an irritation by the others, described as 'support staff' and not allowed to participate in planning sessions. But it's Artemisia who has to intercede with the locals when another member of the team, the dislikeable Sylvia, steals a valuable book. In the process, she becomes friendly with a local knight, Guilhem -- though he is not sanguine about 'the people who live under the hill', and he is not wholly honest with Artemisia.
Langue[dot]doc 1305 is often hilarious, but quietly so. Artemisia's conflicts with her colleagues (especially Sylvia, and team-leader Luke, whose area of expertise seems to be drawing things on whiteboards) are horribly recognisable to anyone who has worked in academia, or in a dysfunctional team. Luckily they're not all awful, and Artemisia is pretty self-sufficient. I laughed at the Connie Willis jokes, and shared Artemisia's appalled amusement at Sylvia's behaviour. Which is not to say that the novel is light-hearted and cheerful: some pretty grim things happen towards the end of the story, and it becomes clear (at least to anyone with a working knowledge of medieval history) that ... well, that things have changed.
I enjoyed this a lot. I like Polack's prose, and the Australian inflections, and her wry ironic humour. And I note that I've also greatly enjoyed The Time of the Ghosts and The Year of the Fruitcake. I should certainly read more of her work...
Fulfils the ‘title starting with the letter 'L'’ rubric of the 52 books in 2024 challenge.
Fulfils the ‘A Book With A Number(s) In The Title’ rubric of the Something Bookish Reading Challenge.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape
nessa_arandur's review against another edition
1.0
The blurb makes this sound like a cool concept. I’m not sure how the author managed to make the execution so boring. I kept hoping it would get interesting, but it was just telling, telling, telling, and somehow not even telling anything interesting. It didn’t get better. I abandoned this at chapter 18. The audiobook narrator was also rather uninflected despite a nice accent.
tasmanian_bibliophile's review against another edition
4.0
‘Time for Botty to beam you down into the Middle Ages!’
The plan: to send a team of Australian scientists, together with an historian, back to St-Guilhem-le-Désert in 1305. The scientists will take scientific measurements of the atmosphere, environment and ecology, and study the skies for nine months. They will live in a cave, and they will have no impact on the people or the history.
Dr Artemisia Wormwood is the historian. She’s a late inclusion to the team, and she’s and expert in Anglo-Norman and Norman hagiography, rather than medieval history. Still, Artemisia is willing to go for personal reasons.
So, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, the only thing that the scientists seem able to agree on is that their own work is important and should be given precedence. The importance of history hardly seems worth considering. And as for keeping away from the people in the local town - why should they?
The local townsfolk soon notice the people living ‘under the hill’ and can’t decide whether they are fairies or demons. Are they simply annoying, or actually dangerous? Time passes, individuals become frustrated, and things go wrong. How will it end? Especially as no-one seems to be taking Artemisia seriously. Artemisia is the only one who can communicate with the locals, and her contact with Guilhem, the local knight, leads to a new set of problems.
‘Why did they bother bringing an historian if they assumed that historian’s stupidity?’
The novel is a series of (usually) short anecdotes, usually from the perspective of Artemisia or Guilhem. These anecdotes demonstrate all too clearly some of the things that can go wrong when people are separated by 700 (or so) years. This, for me, is a novel about difference, about the perceptions that people bring to their experience and expectation of the world in which they live. Each group (the time travellers and the townsfolk) has their leaders, each group has its outsiders. The time travel provides an opportunity to explore some of those differences.
This is a novel to read slowly and reflect on: it is interesting and enjoyable. While few of the characters appealed to me (most were either too argumentative or egotistical, or too passive), the challenges thrown up by the situation had me thinking. And for that, I can almost accept a Timebot known as ‘Botty’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
The plan: to send a team of Australian scientists, together with an historian, back to St-Guilhem-le-Désert in 1305. The scientists will take scientific measurements of the atmosphere, environment and ecology, and study the skies for nine months. They will live in a cave, and they will have no impact on the people or the history.
Dr Artemisia Wormwood is the historian. She’s a late inclusion to the team, and she’s and expert in Anglo-Norman and Norman hagiography, rather than medieval history. Still, Artemisia is willing to go for personal reasons.
So, what could possibly go wrong?
Well, the only thing that the scientists seem able to agree on is that their own work is important and should be given precedence. The importance of history hardly seems worth considering. And as for keeping away from the people in the local town - why should they?
The local townsfolk soon notice the people living ‘under the hill’ and can’t decide whether they are fairies or demons. Are they simply annoying, or actually dangerous? Time passes, individuals become frustrated, and things go wrong. How will it end? Especially as no-one seems to be taking Artemisia seriously. Artemisia is the only one who can communicate with the locals, and her contact with Guilhem, the local knight, leads to a new set of problems.
‘Why did they bother bringing an historian if they assumed that historian’s stupidity?’
The novel is a series of (usually) short anecdotes, usually from the perspective of Artemisia or Guilhem. These anecdotes demonstrate all too clearly some of the things that can go wrong when people are separated by 700 (or so) years. This, for me, is a novel about difference, about the perceptions that people bring to their experience and expectation of the world in which they live. Each group (the time travellers and the townsfolk) has their leaders, each group has its outsiders. The time travel provides an opportunity to explore some of those differences.
This is a novel to read slowly and reflect on: it is interesting and enjoyable. While few of the characters appealed to me (most were either too argumentative or egotistical, or too passive), the challenges thrown up by the situation had me thinking. And for that, I can almost accept a Timebot known as ‘Botty’.
Jennifer Cameron-Smith
tsana's review against another edition
4.0
Langue[dot]doc 1305 by Gillian Polack is a time-travel novel set mostly in 1305. It basically documents the expedition's stay in 1305 and the contemporaneous goings-on in the town of Languedoc. It is the second novel I've read by the author, the other was Ms Cellophane, which is unconnected.
Langue[dot]doc 1305 is an unusual book. It's told in a series of short scenes, switching between characters from the present (or, I suppose, near future, since they can time travel) and townsfolk in 1305. Commonly such short scenes would be an indication of a fast-paced, action-heavy plot, but that is not the case here. It is not a long book, coming in at just under 300 pages, but it is a slow, languorous read. The short scenes (and I should note, not all of them a super-short, but many are) give snapshots of minor events both in the lives of the expedition and the locals. Although seemingly unconnected at first, these do tend to lay down context for later happenings.
The characters are not at all what I expected. Artemisia, the only historian on the mission, is positioned very much as the main character, even as she is isolated from the rest of the expedition due to a clash of personalities and (research) culture. The scientists, quite frankly, often acted very pettily and put me in mind of the public servants in Ms Cellophane (in particular, I found similarities between the two antagonist characters). I felt like I should be on the side of the scientists (because I am one) but they were mostly such annoying people that I was very much on Artemisia's side throughout.
Gillian Polack is a historian, specialising in Medieval France, so I have no doubt that all the history included was as accurate as possible. I am also quite sure that there were jokes that I didn't pick up on because I am not a historian, but that did not make it an unenjoyable read. Instead, I suspect others with a stronger medieval background will get more out of it than I did.
I recommend Langue[dot]doc 1305 to anyone with a passing interest in history (especially Medieval France), speculative fiction reader or not. On the other hand, those looking for action and adventure would be better off looking elsewhere.
4 / 5 stars
There are people involved. That's the first mistake.
Scientists were never meant to be part of history. Anything in the past is better studied from the present. It's safer.
When a team of Australian scientists — and a lone historian — travel back to St-Guilhem-le-Désert in 1305 they discover being impartial, distant and objective just doesn't work when you're surrounded by the smells, dust and heat of a foreign land. They're only human after all.
But by the time Artemisia is able to convince other that it's time to worry, it's already too late.
Langue[dot]doc 1305 is an unusual book. It's told in a series of short scenes, switching between characters from the present (or, I suppose, near future, since they can time travel) and townsfolk in 1305. Commonly such short scenes would be an indication of a fast-paced, action-heavy plot, but that is not the case here. It is not a long book, coming in at just under 300 pages, but it is a slow, languorous read. The short scenes (and I should note, not all of them a super-short, but many are) give snapshots of minor events both in the lives of the expedition and the locals. Although seemingly unconnected at first, these do tend to lay down context for later happenings.
The characters are not at all what I expected. Artemisia, the only historian on the mission, is positioned very much as the main character, even as she is isolated from the rest of the expedition due to a clash of personalities and (research) culture. The scientists, quite frankly, often acted very pettily and put me in mind of the public servants in Ms Cellophane (in particular, I found similarities between the two antagonist characters). I felt like I should be on the side of the scientists (because I am one) but they were mostly such annoying people that I was very much on Artemisia's side throughout.
Gillian Polack is a historian, specialising in Medieval France, so I have no doubt that all the history included was as accurate as possible. I am also quite sure that there were jokes that I didn't pick up on because I am not a historian, but that did not make it an unenjoyable read. Instead, I suspect others with a stronger medieval background will get more out of it than I did.
I recommend Langue[dot]doc 1305 to anyone with a passing interest in history (especially Medieval France), speculative fiction reader or not. On the other hand, those looking for action and adventure would be better off looking elsewhere.
4 / 5 stars
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