Eifelheim

By: Michael Flynn

Narrated by: Anthony Heald

Length: 17 hrs and 14 mins

Publisher's summary

In 1349, one small town in Germany disappeared and was never resettled. Tom, a contemporary historian, and his theoretical-physicist girlfriend, Sharon, become interested. By all logic, the town should have survived, but it didn't. Why? What was special about Eifelheim that it utterly disappeared more than 600 years ago?

In 1348, as the Black Death is gathering strength across Europe, Father Deitrich is the priest of the village that will come to be known as Eifelheim. A man educated in science and philosophy, he is astonished to become the first contact between humanity and an alien race from a distant star when their interstellar ship crashes in the nearby forest.

Tom, Sharon, and Father Deitrich have a strange and intertwined destiny of tragedy and triumph in this brilliant novel by the winner of the Robert A. Heinlein Award.

©2006 Michael Flynn (P)2007 Blackstone Audio Inc.

Critic reviews

• Hugo Award nominee, Best Novel, 2007

"Another meticulously researched, intense, mesmerizing novel...for readers seeking thoughtful science fiction of the highest order." (Kirkus Reviews)
"Flynn masterfully achieves an intricate panorama of medieval life, full of fascinatingly realized human and Krenken characters whose fates interconnect with poignant irony." (Publishers Weekly)
"Compellingly weaves past and present together in a dialog of faith and science....Highly recommended." (Library Journal)

Do Alien Insectoids Have Souls?

This is a wonder of a novel. It has many different elements that combine to make it grand. There is a bit of the First-Contact story here, of the clash of two races, and their quest to learn how to communicate with each other. A large portion of the book is set in the medieval period, and the ethical considerations of the devout Catholics encountering an alien race are insightful and respectful to the Christian faith. Michael Flynn’s familiarity with scripture is evident in the number of direst and indirect references throughout. The characters of the Middle Ages are well formed and are good examples of the lofty philosopher combined with the earthy people of that gritty and grungy time of history. People of that era took their religion seriously and the characters of this book do the same. Even when confronted with the threat of the Black Plague and the arrival of strange beings from another world they proceed according to the revelation from Holy Writ. It is refreshing that modern atheistic sensibilities are not imposed on these medieval fictional characters.

Other sections take place in the present and so we are treated to the biases and prejudices of modern Einsteinian physics. Even in these contemporary sections other scientific opinions are presented, not merely to be laughed at, as is so common in much of Science Fiction, rather they are explored as viable alternatives, as any utilization of the oft quoted but even more often maligned “scientific method” would require. The exploration of the nature of space and time, and especially the accurate portrayal of the subtle considerations on the problem of Variable Light Speed and Quantized Red-Shifts are well integrated into the story and compelling.

Eifelheim is another installment in the curiously well-populated sub-genre of Religious Science Fiction where Sci-Fi authors—who are exemplary students of the human condition despite being materialists—delve into the conspicuous human, and completely foreign, need for reverence to a higher power. Other note-worthy examples of religious-themed Sci-Fi: A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller Jr., The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell, Calculating God by Robert J. Sawyer, A Case of Conscience by James Blish, and Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the Long Sun.

Anthony Heald gives a portrayal that is well-nigh flawless, handling geeky female scientists, fourteenth-century Catholic priests, and insectoid aliens with equal aplomb.

This is another title that I acquired based solely on the recommendations of Audible reviewers. I am, once again, in their debt. Eifelheim was my first exposure to the fiction of Michael Flynn. I think his work warrants further investigation.

Fantastic story, slow but very creative

Slow to develop the story, but so creative and with great depth to the story and characters that it’s worth it. I recommend it.

Most excellent Medieval Novel, Not Science fiction

What did you like best about Eifelheim? What did you like least?

This writer can write fantastic medieval, stories, he clearly has done research on a level that is phenomenal for an historical novel. However his science is weak, I guess I take science knowledge for granted, because I am an engineer. But this book looks like the writer did a trick. He first wrote the novel as a period piece, than changed a couple of the characters to Aliens (Hans and Franz or whatever their names were). The discourse between the husband, wife team was pure fantasy, wholly lacking in factual scientific extrapolation. Hey I can make up crap too! Having been made fun of, for my science knowledge by people like this guy. It kinda makes me feel somewhat special.

What was the most interesting aspect of this story? The least interesting?

Well I had to have a dictionary to read the first chapter, I read this book before, I listened to it. I think, I read up to chapter 8, than said is this thing going to get any better! So much hype, I decided to get it from audio and suffer through it. I did learn new words like Sussuration's which I use frequently now to confuse people! ( It means to whisper) heh, heh. Their is so much of this medieval language in the book, and the authors use of it is fantastic. But like I said, I like Science Fiction, and to compare this guy to HEINLEIN, is PURE INSULT of the highest order! How dare you! My lower lip is trembling, like Al Picino in the

Which character – as performed by Anthony Heald – was your favorite?

Well, To see his fantastic level of expertise as a writer, yet at the same time having no facility for Science Fiction, is truly a curiosity! Oh the Narrator, yeah he was okey.

Did Eifelheim inspire you to do anything?

Yes to become a science fiction writer! It is clear after reading this guy that I must truly have a gift! Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha.

Any additional comments?

Well being of some Irish decent, I like to support my country men, so I may try another of his books, but we will see!

science fiction set in 14th century with aliens!

This is a remarkable story of a Christian philosopher in 14th century Germany facilitating first contact with aliens, with the foibles and strengths in each worldview on display. The weakest part of the story is the modern. I appreciated the spoken reading - just the right balance of narration and performance. Well done.

Thoroughly enjoyable

Although I can see that others didn't get this book, I found it a very enjoyable read, and I returned to see what else Michael Flynn has written. I think if you enjoy science fiction and history, particularly the middle ages, you'll find lots to enjoy. Having recently read "World Without End," which is about the same time period, I enjoyed hearing about life in Germany during this period. It worked for me, and I would recommend it highly, with the caveat that obviously some didn't have the patience for the details of life in the middle ages.

Mostly good

Eifelheim has the virtue of being an intriguing character study, with both human and alien characters at hand. It is clearly based on a prodigious amount of research, and the medieval sequences are very well rendered. I very much appreciated the nuanced nature of all the characters of Oberhochwald - all of the primary ones are complex in interesting ways.

That said, I think it would have been a better book without most or all of the modern sequences. Tom is very possibly the most grating character I've ever encountered in an audio book and Sharon wasn't that much better. I don't think that readers would miss much by forwarding through the modern sequences (until the last couple).

That said, I did very much like the book - entirely for the medieval sequences. Flynn deserves credit for his painstaking reconstruction of an obscure era and Heald does a very nice job bringing Father Deitrich to life.

Excellent Sci-Fi

Successfully combines the near future with 1347 (black plague onset) Medieval. Fascinating and compelling.

Interesting medieval story

The concept of this book is interesting. An race from another system crashes into a forest in medieval germany. It is told from two sides - the 1340s religious side and the 20xx side of scientists trying to figure out why a particular part of Germany never repopulated after the plague.

The reading is very good. the story seems to get stuck in the what is my point mode. It carries well, but fails to end in a way that brings closure. But still worth the read.

A good book

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Unlike Melissa, above, I thought that the most attractive part of the story was the exposition concerning the differences between medieval and modern manners of thought.

I think that the least attractive was the almost-anthropomorphism of the aliens, and as noted above, the seemingly crass modern characters (perhaps due to the way the reader read them).

I finished this book...

Which was absolutely thought-provoking and entertaining. The conceit of alien contact with a human race even more primitive than modern day creates a fascinating narrative landscape, in which the reader is twice a foreigner: we are the aliens, looking at both medieval society and its insectoid visitors with similar distance, and requiring the perspective of humans and extraterrestrials alike to understand the drama of the situation and the motivation of the characters.

While exact knowledge is not required to appreciate the story, being interested in Latin, German, theology of the Middle Ages and scholastic epistemology made this story an intriguing read. The author clearly did loving research to bring this complex story to life. I liked it a lot.