A review by catbooking
Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
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.