Eifelheim (2006) by Michael Flynn

 

Michael Flynn's decision in 2006 to turn his 1986 novella, Eifelheim, into a full-fledged novel turned out to be a brilliant decision. The novel, which tells the story of a starship crash near a Black Forest village in 1348 - during the Black Death plague - was so well received that it won a nomination for the 2007 Hugo Award for best novel. The novel was fully embraced by the science fiction world, and it should have been, but what makes it truly special for me is how seamlessly Eifelheim blends first rate historical fiction with a story of grasshopper-like aliens crashing into the lives of an old world village that still very much believes in demons and evil spirits.  

The basic premise of the novel is this: in 1348, a spaceship carrying a few dozen aliens crashes into the Black Forest within walking distance of a typically isolated village of the time. It would have been terribly easy for this encounter to have gone bad for both sides except for the efforts of Father Dietrich, a kindly scholar of a priest, and the Krenken leader's willingness to listen to the counsel of one of his youngest crew members. The already isolated village becomes even more isolated than it was before the plague began to take its toll on the surrounding villages, ensuring that Father Dietrich was able to keep his visitors a secret for many months. 

Eventually the two groups began to get to know - and appreciate - each other in ways that surprised all of them.

Adding to the fun, Flynn tells his story in alternating timelines: one in which the villagers and the aliens are learning to live with each other, and a second in which a modern day couple (he is a historian, she is a physicist) try to figure out why the village of Eifelheim, despite its advantageous geographical location, is never resettled after the Black Death. What they discover has the potential to change human history.

Author Michael Flynn uses this premise to turn the novel into one of the smartest science fiction novels I've read in a while. His presentation of medieval life has a genuine feel about it, and Father Dietrich is just one of several memorable characters playing key roles in the story. But the most intriguing thing about Eifelheim is how two such devise cultures, one well beyond Einstein's level of scientific thinking, the other limited by a strict interpretation of medieval Christian theology, end up impacting each other so greatly. Flynn's main characters are sympathetic and believable, and that allows Flynn to explore questions like the conflict between faith and reason, along with the all too often unforeseen consequences of good intentions leading to devastating tragedy for all concerned. 

I came into 2026 with the intention of reading more science fiction, both the classics and the latest scifi novels, and discovering a book like Eifelheim makes me happy that I did.