From his medieval characters using ten dollar words for no apparent reason as a five or two dollar word would have worked just as well, I got the feeling that the writer was running to his thesaurus so he could use the biggest word he could find, to both of his modern characters being unlikable know-it-alls who can't seem to have a conversation without it turning into a dissertation on scientific theory. The main problem with the book, in my opinion is the authors overwhelming need to prove his intelligence. I need to be highly annoyed by a book to write a bad review but this book deserves it. I may buy a print copy and read it, without the aggravation. It ruined my enjoyment of the book, which otherwise might have had me turning handsprings. (The "H" in German is pronounced, as in English.) I found the constant, egregious mistakes to be literally eye-rolling. This actor reads every German word as though it were written in American English, including the simple "ja" (which means "yes," and is pronounced "yah," not "jaw.") He does, however, pronounce "Herr," which in this case means "lord," close to correctly. I don't expect perfect pronunciation of foreign languages in audiobooks, but actors and directors in professional productions at least should find out how the consonants are pronounced.
Worse, he makes no effort to find out until the very last sections of the book, when he marginally, sporadically improves. Although the narrator actually is quite good on a general level, he has no concept whatever of how to pronounce German. If you speak even an elementary level of German, though, I suggest reading this in print instead of listening to this production. Although they're well done, they won't be to the taste of those looking for escapist fare.
The intellectual discussions in the novel are extensive and dense, however. It has depth, intelligence, a nice measure of pathos, and is well researched. It's an intriguing idea: what would happen if scientifically advanced space aliens landed in a 14th century German village and encountered there a highly educated priest who tries to convert them to Christianity? How would the superstitious peasants respond? This really is an interesting story.
Those who enjoy Umberto Eco's novels might like this combination of historical novel with science fiction.
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