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Eifelheim  By  cover art

Eifelheim

By: Michael Flynn
Narrated by: Anthony Heald
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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)

What listeners say about Eifelheim

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    4 out of 5 stars

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.

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  • Overall
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great book.

super good science fiction with a pretty great narrator. nice and philosophical like science fiction should be.

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    5 out of 5 stars
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    5 out of 5 stars

One of the most splendid books I've ever read

If you want to book that brilliant in presentation, is honest to science, religion and politics both medieval and current, all while telling an excellent tail, this is your book.

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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.

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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.

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generally good

would have loved some more details, and dietrik seems a bit too naive or unwilling to learn at times, and the aliens a bit too narrow in their knowledge of other fields than their own; that is, for earth astronauts at least, but they don't seem rigid enough either in their power structure for that to explain why they don't know much more beyond their field, although I can make a guess at attrition, if they are sending thousand of these groups out there, then I see how this particular group could be so terrible at their job..

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a wonderful reading of quality story

I enjoyed reading this book several years ago, and have since read most of Michael Flynn's science fiction. Anthony Heald narrates the story in a pleasantly amazing way. High Quality

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Superb!

Compelling, imaginative, erudite & masterfully narrated. From the opening quote to the historical & physics end-notes, I thoroughly enjoyed this audio book!

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    5 out of 5 stars
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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.

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  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
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    3 out of 5 stars

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.

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