Read in March 2010
I thoroughly enjoyed all the 14th century scenes and plot. I didn’t care for the ‘now’ (i.e. present day) interludes. The peasants, priests, lords and aliens proved more believable than a modern-day female quantum physicist cohabitating with a male cliologist (described as a ‘big picture’ statistical history theorist or something along those lines).
A very good first contact story juxtaposed with historical fiction set during some of the darkest days endured by Europeans. Yet, as mentioned by another reviewer, I feel Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book creates a more believable scenario and sympathetic characters. Flynn’s research yielded superior science and vivid images and glimpses into the lives of 14th century people, but he stretched my suspension of belief that these same people would so willingly accept the aliens among them.