I don’t think I’m spoiling too much when I say that Leo Frankowski’s The Adventures of Conrad Stargard series is unlike Twain’s A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court in more ways than one. Specifically, however, Twain’s cynicism left his protagonist unable to effect change in the past, whereas Frankowski’s hero effects so much change [...]
The previous book in the series ended on a low note, pounding home a bitter note of chauvinism that presaged some of Frankowski’s work on the late 1990s. It also ended on the cusp of Poland’s fight against the Mongols in 1241, except in this alternate timeline, Conrad has industrialized Poland, starting a flight school, [...]
Conrad Schwartz, humble Polish engineer, was stranded in the 13th century. Ever the resourceful technician, he put his considerable skills to use attempting to bring modern technology and engineering to bear on the dirty and backwards Poland of the dark ages. By the end of book two, Conrad had not only stayed alive despite the [...]
When we last left our intrepid time-traveling engineer, Conrad Schwartz (now Conrad Stargard, in order to avoid suspicions of being German), he had made the best of his accidental transportation to 13th century Poland, just before the Mongol invasion: he had killed bandits, rescued (and ravished) young maidens, and started some light industry despite the [...]
I’ve read Leo Frankowski’s The Cross-Time Engineer series (later dubbed The Adventures of Conrad Stargard) more times than I’d care to admit, having fallen in love with the series after finding my father’s first edition of the first (eponymous) book when I was about twelve or so. I’ve written my share of criticism of some [...]
¶ Germania
My heritage is about 40% German on my mother’s side; 50% is Dutch on my father’s, and the remaining 10% is a touch of Swedish. All in all, I’m a pale, solidly Northern European sort neatly lumped under a Proto-Germanic umbrella. Generally speaking, however, I don’t put too much stock in such things from a [...]
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