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Conrad Stargard #1
The Cross-Time Engineer
Accidentally plunged back in time to Poland in the year 1231, Conrad Schwartz is determined to build up the country before the Mongol invasion that will come ten years later.
261 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 12, 1986
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 105 reviews
July 2, 2010
Polish computer engineer Conrad Schwartz, on a mountain walking holiday, drinks too much one night at an inn which is, unknown to him, a sloppily run front for the time-travelling Historical Corps. He stumbles into the basement to sleep it off, little realizing that he's doing so within a time machine. When he wakes in the morning, everything seems . . . different. As he eventually discovers, he has been transported back to the Poland of the year 1231; his knowledge of history tells him that in a mere decade or so this country will be overrun by the Mongols, with extraordinary loss of life. Unless . . .
He ends up at a remote settlement, Okoitz, ruled by the moderately powerful Count Lambert Piast, who befriends him and allows him a lot of latitude to do all the engineering he can manage relying on memory and the local tools and materials; in his enterprises he is helped, yet again without his knowing it, by the fact that his uncle works for the Historical Corps and, having located in the distant past, has planted, for the young man to acquire, a hyperintelligent horse and a hi-tech sword.
There's a nice European feel on occasion to the use of language in the telling of this tale, as for example when Conrad is discussing with his companion Father Ignacy the latter's detestation of Germans. Comments Conrad to the reader:
I had an uncle who had survived being a partisan in the 1944 Warsaw insurrection. He hated Germans, but his hatred was like a dislike for cabbages compared with the hatred of the supremely mild man who walked beside me. (p25)
Overall, though, I was less than delighted by the book -- for two main reasons, one to do with its rationale and one to do with my own qualms. To take the first of these first: For fear of affecting the flow of causality, the Historical Corps cannot simply retrieve Conrad from the past, yet it seems there's no problem about allowing him to build up Poland's technological capabilities with extraordinary anachronicity and thereby create a new history. I'm not sure I'm prepared to buy this: it seems like a very significant plot problem to me, too significant to be glossed over with a few bits of misdirection and a general waving of hands.
My other reason for unease is also the reason I'll not be reading further books in the series. Conrad spends a lot of his time at Okoitz boffing, usually but not always singly, the "handmaidens" kept around the castle by Count Lambert for this use by himself and his guests. That it's all a bit masturbatory is forgivable. The trouble is that these wenches, who're essentially paid servants and unpaid harlots, are underage -- and not just trivially so: they're 14. On discovering, early on, quite how young his bedmates are, Conrad has a minor crisis of conscience, confesses to a priest, etc., but then tells himself that in 13th-century Poland 14 was a marriageable age, after all, ho ho, and carries on boffing. This really unsettles me. I don't think the "marriageable age" argument washes. In terms of a time traveller from the 20th century, those girls are mere adolescents -- in fact, Conrad occasionally remarks on the schoolgirlishness of his favourite underage mistress -- and those are surely the terms in which said traveller must judge his own actions. That what he's doing is accepted as just dandy by the people among whom he's arrived is not, I think, ethically relevant: had Conrad landed among a thuggee band in 18th-century India, would it have been all right for him to rob and murder innocent strangers? And the odd thing about this element of the book is the complete unnecessariness of the pedophilia: I can't imagine any reader batting an eyelid at the historical implausibility (if any) had the girls been described as 16 or 17 years old, making them safely over the age of consent in the UK and, I assume, in the 20th-century Poland Conrad came from. As I say, this aspect meant the book left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
He ends up at a remote settlement, Okoitz, ruled by the moderately powerful Count Lambert Piast, who befriends him and allows him a lot of latitude to do all the engineering he can manage relying on memory and the local tools and materials; in his enterprises he is helped, yet again without his knowing it, by the fact that his uncle works for the Historical Corps and, having located in the distant past, has planted, for the young man to acquire, a hyperintelligent horse and a hi-tech sword.
There's a nice European feel on occasion to the use of language in the telling of this tale, as for example when Conrad is discussing with his companion Father Ignacy the latter's detestation of Germans. Comments Conrad to the reader:
I had an uncle who had survived being a partisan in the 1944 Warsaw insurrection. He hated Germans, but his hatred was like a dislike for cabbages compared with the hatred of the supremely mild man who walked beside me. (p25)
Overall, though, I was less than delighted by the book -- for two main reasons, one to do with its rationale and one to do with my own qualms. To take the first of these first: For fear of affecting the flow of causality, the Historical Corps cannot simply retrieve Conrad from the past, yet it seems there's no problem about allowing him to build up Poland's technological capabilities with extraordinary anachronicity and thereby create a new history. I'm not sure I'm prepared to buy this: it seems like a very significant plot problem to me, too significant to be glossed over with a few bits of misdirection and a general waving of hands.
My other reason for unease is also the reason I'll not be reading further books in the series. Conrad spends a lot of his time at Okoitz boffing, usually but not always singly, the "handmaidens" kept around the castle by Count Lambert for this use by himself and his guests. That it's all a bit masturbatory is forgivable. The trouble is that these wenches, who're essentially paid servants and unpaid harlots, are underage -- and not just trivially so: they're 14. On discovering, early on, quite how young his bedmates are, Conrad has a minor crisis of conscience, confesses to a priest, etc., but then tells himself that in 13th-century Poland 14 was a marriageable age, after all, ho ho, and carries on boffing. This really unsettles me. I don't think the "marriageable age" argument washes. In terms of a time traveller from the 20th century, those girls are mere adolescents -- in fact, Conrad occasionally remarks on the schoolgirlishness of his favourite underage mistress -- and those are surely the terms in which said traveller must judge his own actions. That what he's doing is accepted as just dandy by the people among whom he's arrived is not, I think, ethically relevant: had Conrad landed among a thuggee band in 18th-century India, would it have been all right for him to rob and murder innocent strangers? And the odd thing about this element of the book is the complete unnecessariness of the pedophilia: I can't imagine any reader batting an eyelid at the historical implausibility (if any) had the girls been described as 16 or 17 years old, making them safely over the age of consent in the UK and, I assume, in the 20th-century Poland Conrad came from. As I say, this aspect meant the book left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 22, 2010
My brother read these in high school and enjoyed them. The plot has always sounded fun to me but I never actually read them until recently, when I decided to read them before recommending them to a friend (who likes scifi time travel stuff).
Glad I did! The protagonist was a mysogynistic, amoral, racist, self-centered, arrogant person. It was horribly creepy to read about him sleeping with SEVERAL 14 year old girls every night for years. But the author has the protagonist explain that it was okay because they looked 16 and he wasn't beating them. And he was absolved of sin by a priest. Women were bitches if they used their sexuality in any way to their advantage unless of course they were sleeping with the hero. Then it was okay.
Oh the protagonist is never in any real danger. I felt a lot of sympathy for the guy set up as his nemesis since he actually seemed to have a lot of good points and wasn't getting snookered by the glib talk of this new guy, the "hero".
And the way the protagonist used up resources and treated almost everyone he met as halfwits- argh!
Such a pity since the stuff where he develops new technology through the resources of the past is actually kind of interesting from an engineering/scientific point of view.
Glad I did! The protagonist was a mysogynistic, amoral, racist, self-centered, arrogant person. It was horribly creepy to read about him sleeping with SEVERAL 14 year old girls every night for years. But the author has the protagonist explain that it was okay because they looked 16 and he wasn't beating them. And he was absolved of sin by a priest. Women were bitches if they used their sexuality in any way to their advantage unless of course they were sleeping with the hero. Then it was okay.
Oh the protagonist is never in any real danger. I felt a lot of sympathy for the guy set up as his nemesis since he actually seemed to have a lot of good points and wasn't getting snookered by the glib talk of this new guy, the "hero".
And the way the protagonist used up resources and treated almost everyone he met as halfwits- argh!
Such a pity since the stuff where he develops new technology through the resources of the past is actually kind of interesting from an engineering/scientific point of view.
January 3, 2026
The Cross-Time Engineer is the first book (though a prequel appeared some years later) in a series about a man who's swept back in time from the present to 1231, ten years before the Mongol invasion. Conrad Stargard gets drunk in a bar and passes out in their storeroom, which happens to be a time machine. It's similar to de Camp's Lest Darkness Fall and Flint's 1632 universe and, heck, Twain's Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court. Some of Conrad's plans and developments are quite clever, and the plot is well thought-out and interesting. The character himself is something of an insufferable smug pedophile, though Frankowski presents him as a charming rogue. Frankowski wasn't a great writer, but it's an interesting series for history buffs.
June 18, 2008
The whole five-part science fiction series is excellent. In fact, I'm currently re-reading them. It's a story about Conrad, a young engineer from modern-day Poland who accidentally gets sent back in time to the Middle Ages. There, he adapts to his new land (with a little help from the Time Corps), and gradually introduces modern industry to the people. The books don't have plotlines that begin and end within one book; if you start 'em, you're going to need to read all of 'em. It's a witty series and a good read.
May 6, 2015
Some call this series sexist because of the way it portrays women as well as it inclusion of "The Pink Dragon" which is a topless bar. Wikipedia states "The character of Conrad [the books protagonist] has at times been described as a Mary Sue, and some aspects of the novels can be looked at as authorial wish-fulfillment." I had to look up "Mary Sue." And I would have to say, "Yes. All of the above is correct." And because of that this book - this series - makes it to my top 10 All Time Best.
I've seen or read Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court." Something about someone from...Connecticut that when back in time to....someone's court." Ho, hum. Twain is great but I didn't recall that book until I went to write this review. And despite that, I'm still going to say, The Cross-Time Engineer is my first true experience with the genre of alternate realities - which I think going back in time and changing the world falls under.
A basic synopsis -in case you make it to my review and have learned nothing about the book. The main character Conrad Stargard gets transported back in time to Poland approximately 10 years before the Mongol Invasion of 1240. He sees it as his job to prepare Poland for the invasion and prevent the slaughter of its people.
Why I liked the book: I loved the book because I could so easily slip into the main character while reading the book. Mary Sue? Wish Fulfillment? Well yeah! Who wants to read about someone that unattractive, uninteresting, has a chance to prepare a country for a coming war but decides he'll slip off to another country and lead a boring life? Maybe some people but not me.
And sure, anyone can travel in time, but if you were to go back into the past hundreds of years ago, with all the knowledge in your head, what could you do? You know about cars....can you build one from scratch? Electricity? Where will you get all the stuff you need for a generator? What could you make with your own hands? Frankowski may not have been perfect in the way the protagonist goes about making his inventions, but they seem very plausible to me.
This book is a light read and my not be for everyone. I'm sure some people probably hate it. But this book is an enjoyable read and has a whimsical side. He goes back in time, helps his country, kills bad people, and gets all the women. What more could a reader want? It left me feeling that if I were ever to go back in time, I could do all the things that Conrad did. It left me feeling upbeat and I was able to reflect back on the book and ruminate about much of the book.
Also, if you enjoyed this book, I would recommend The Nantucket Trilogy / The Islander Trilogy. The first book being Island in the Sea of Time. Another time travel series but a more heavy and less whimsical read then this series.
I've seen or read Twain's "A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthur's Court." Something about someone from...Connecticut that when back in time to....someone's court." Ho, hum. Twain is great but I didn't recall that book until I went to write this review. And despite that, I'm still going to say, The Cross-Time Engineer is my first true experience with the genre of alternate realities - which I think going back in time and changing the world falls under.
A basic synopsis -in case you make it to my review and have learned nothing about the book. The main character Conrad Stargard gets transported back in time to Poland approximately 10 years before the Mongol Invasion of 1240. He sees it as his job to prepare Poland for the invasion and prevent the slaughter of its people.
Why I liked the book: I loved the book because I could so easily slip into the main character while reading the book. Mary Sue? Wish Fulfillment? Well yeah! Who wants to read about someone that unattractive, uninteresting, has a chance to prepare a country for a coming war but decides he'll slip off to another country and lead a boring life? Maybe some people but not me.
And sure, anyone can travel in time, but if you were to go back into the past hundreds of years ago, with all the knowledge in your head, what could you do? You know about cars....can you build one from scratch? Electricity? Where will you get all the stuff you need for a generator? What could you make with your own hands? Frankowski may not have been perfect in the way the protagonist goes about making his inventions, but they seem very plausible to me.
This book is a light read and my not be for everyone. I'm sure some people probably hate it. But this book is an enjoyable read and has a whimsical side. He goes back in time, helps his country, kills bad people, and gets all the women. What more could a reader want? It left me feeling that if I were ever to go back in time, I could do all the things that Conrad did. It left me feeling upbeat and I was able to reflect back on the book and ruminate about much of the book.
Also, if you enjoyed this book, I would recommend The Nantucket Trilogy / The Islander Trilogy. The first book being Island in the Sea of Time. Another time travel series but a more heavy and less whimsical read then this series.
February 1, 2008
This is a great time-travel book, well worth the read. An engineer from modern Poland gets drunk and slips into an obscure time-travelling device which shunts him into the past of europe. After trying to come to terms with the situation, he realized that the Huns are coming in a mere 10 year.
So he begins to re-invent in his own style.
I heartily recommend it, not only for the time-travelling aspect but also the exploration of the specific cultural aspects of that period.
So he begins to re-invent in his own style.
I heartily recommend it, not only for the time-travelling aspect but also the exploration of the specific cultural aspects of that period.
December 29, 2022
This remake of a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthurs Court is set in Poland. So the knights this engineer must out think are culturally different than Arthurian knights. A well imagined time travel story.
March 8, 2008
I have no idea when I started reading these. There is a series of about 8 now I think. I enjoy the idea of alternate reality/change in history and the ways the "hero" accomplishes this as well as his inventive use of the few bits of modern things he brings back to the past with him. An escape type read.
May 21, 2010
I love books that take a character and move him out of his time and place such as A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, or The Chronicles of Narnia. This is one of my favorites. I love the world building. I could do without all the sex with nubile young women, but I'm not offended by it.
June 16, 2008
A great series. What happens when you stick a 20th century engineer in 13th century Poland 11 years before the mongols invade? Why "invent" such modern miracles like concrete, the Marine Corps, siege cannons, hot air balloons. A great story!
February 24, 2025
Step 1: Get sent back in time. Step 2: open a strip club Step 3: profit
May 14, 2013
Originally posted at Bibliophilia, Please.
This review covers the first four books in the series, as they’re kind of fast moving and these cover the first arc.
Move over Marty McFly! Here comes Conrad Stargard, and he will make out with your mother.
It’s semi-modern day Poland, and Conrad got massively drunk, stumbled into a storeroom in an inn and passed out. He woke up in 1231 A.D., lost, penniless and without even knowing he was stranded in time. And then things got bad. He had a massive hangover.
Conrad’s an engineer and a communist. The book does get into politics and religion a bit, but it’s not a theological or philosophical book. It’s about timetravel, action, and plenty of naked women. Sex scenes are not very graphic, but sex is pretty much ever-present. I don’t know if it’s a reflection of the times, or if the author just liked the idea of his main character having sex with tons of eager young ladies.
I like Conrad. He’s a bit too stupidly moral and honorable, but he’s a good main character for the times. Smart, resourceful, determined and on a mission. Thanks to a good education in history, Conrad knows just how much trouble Poland, and him and everyone in it, are in. The Mongols are coming in 10 years and will kill and ravage everything and everyone in sight. Well, not if Conrad has anything to say about it!
The first four books cover these 10 years and Conrad’s attempt to prepare Poland to survive the Mongol Horde. It’s a fun ride to watch him attempt the Industrial Revolution a couple hundred years before its time. Teaching blacksmiths how to make proper steel, introducing the loom for faster and better cloth, steam engines, a proper army, you name it. All to prepare to repel, or even defeat, the invading army coming.
The thing I enjoyed the most were the technological advances. Moving from the Middle Ages to steam power to armor, machines guns, airplanes, steamboats. It was pretty fun. By book two, I realized that he rarely didn’t accomplish his goals, which relieved the tension of Poland being trampled by the Mongols, or Conrad dying, so I just went along for the ride and watched him change time. Not having the threat of failure may sound boring, but it actually made it more enjoyable for me. Go figure.
Don’t forget time travel! Every now and then there’s an interlude and we get a glimpse of people watching a “documentary” about Conrad’s life. But as the books move on, time seems to split. Things are appear to be different between memories and recorded fact and alternate timelines pop up. Then things start to get all wibbly wobbly.
But enough spoilers. This was a pretty fun read. I read at the rate of about one book a day and enjoyed the ride. It’s fast-paced, fun, sciency, action, and male centric. This series is not for everyone, but if you can move past the whole male-centric society without a really strong female character, then you’ll have some fun.
This review covers the first four books in the series, as they’re kind of fast moving and these cover the first arc.
Move over Marty McFly! Here comes Conrad Stargard, and he will make out with your mother.
It’s semi-modern day Poland, and Conrad got massively drunk, stumbled into a storeroom in an inn and passed out. He woke up in 1231 A.D., lost, penniless and without even knowing he was stranded in time. And then things got bad. He had a massive hangover.
Conrad’s an engineer and a communist. The book does get into politics and religion a bit, but it’s not a theological or philosophical book. It’s about timetravel, action, and plenty of naked women. Sex scenes are not very graphic, but sex is pretty much ever-present. I don’t know if it’s a reflection of the times, or if the author just liked the idea of his main character having sex with tons of eager young ladies.
I like Conrad. He’s a bit too stupidly moral and honorable, but he’s a good main character for the times. Smart, resourceful, determined and on a mission. Thanks to a good education in history, Conrad knows just how much trouble Poland, and him and everyone in it, are in. The Mongols are coming in 10 years and will kill and ravage everything and everyone in sight. Well, not if Conrad has anything to say about it!
The first four books cover these 10 years and Conrad’s attempt to prepare Poland to survive the Mongol Horde. It’s a fun ride to watch him attempt the Industrial Revolution a couple hundred years before its time. Teaching blacksmiths how to make proper steel, introducing the loom for faster and better cloth, steam engines, a proper army, you name it. All to prepare to repel, or even defeat, the invading army coming.
The thing I enjoyed the most were the technological advances. Moving from the Middle Ages to steam power to armor, machines guns, airplanes, steamboats. It was pretty fun. By book two, I realized that he rarely didn’t accomplish his goals, which relieved the tension of Poland being trampled by the Mongols, or Conrad dying, so I just went along for the ride and watched him change time. Not having the threat of failure may sound boring, but it actually made it more enjoyable for me. Go figure.
Don’t forget time travel! Every now and then there’s an interlude and we get a glimpse of people watching a “documentary” about Conrad’s life. But as the books move on, time seems to split. Things are appear to be different between memories and recorded fact and alternate timelines pop up. Then things start to get all wibbly wobbly.
But enough spoilers. This was a pretty fun read. I read at the rate of about one book a day and enjoyed the ride. It’s fast-paced, fun, sciency, action, and male centric. This series is not for everyone, but if you can move past the whole male-centric society without a really strong female character, then you’ll have some fun.
November 23, 2011
I have to say I really struggled with putting a rank on this one. The books are like candy, they only last a moment, are probably bad for you overall, and are quite enjoyable.
The story revolves around Conrad Schwartz, aka Contrad Stargard (his given name sounded to German) being sent back to thirteenth-century Poland. After the shock of realizing when he was, he makes several friends. One of my favorite scenes in the early chapters is when he hire an underage girl who has been forced to sell herself to earn money for food, and then presses her on an inkeeper as a serving girl/cleaning lady. The innkeeper ends up marrying the girl.
That same theme from Ecclesiastes 11:1 of throwing bread on the water, is carried through many of Conrad's actions. Something seemingly small done for the right reason turns into something larger and better.
I read the first book in the series when I was in highschool, and needless to say I am well past those years now. One of the things that didn't strike me then was the way the young ladies in Count Lambert's court are used, and at what age. I know a lot of people got really upset over this. Now that I am older I can see how it is a little bit creepy - but, at the same time it was never done in a creepy way. It might be every male's dream to have partners, and maybe Leo took it a bit far, but at the same time, it is not overly graphic, it just is.
Anyway, Conrad makes several friends and ends up as a guard for a merchant, but only for a few days. After killing several brigands he ends up at the Count's to weather out a snowstorm. The bread on water theme replays itself here, as the baby he refused to let die of exposure he found at the brigand camp ends up endearing all the keep fold to him.
Needless to say, Conrad's knowledge and skills appeal greatly to the count, and he ends up hiring him away from Boris Novacek. Using his technical and military knowledge Conrad starts to build for his future goal, which is to be ready when the mongal hoard invades in nine and half years.
The book ends with the Duke granding Conrad the lands that Count Lambert assigns, willing to take the bet that Conrad's overall goals are for the good of Poland.
The story revolves around Conrad Schwartz, aka Contrad Stargard (his given name sounded to German) being sent back to thirteenth-century Poland. After the shock of realizing when he was, he makes several friends. One of my favorite scenes in the early chapters is when he hire an underage girl who has been forced to sell herself to earn money for food, and then presses her on an inkeeper as a serving girl/cleaning lady. The innkeeper ends up marrying the girl.
That same theme from Ecclesiastes 11:1 of throwing bread on the water, is carried through many of Conrad's actions. Something seemingly small done for the right reason turns into something larger and better.
I read the first book in the series when I was in highschool, and needless to say I am well past those years now. One of the things that didn't strike me then was the way the young ladies in Count Lambert's court are used, and at what age. I know a lot of people got really upset over this. Now that I am older I can see how it is a little bit creepy - but, at the same time it was never done in a creepy way. It might be every male's dream to have partners, and maybe Leo took it a bit far, but at the same time, it is not overly graphic, it just is.
Anyway, Conrad makes several friends and ends up as a guard for a merchant, but only for a few days. After killing several brigands he ends up at the Count's to weather out a snowstorm. The bread on water theme replays itself here, as the baby he refused to let die of exposure he found at the brigand camp ends up endearing all the keep fold to him.
Needless to say, Conrad's knowledge and skills appeal greatly to the count, and he ends up hiring him away from Boris Novacek. Using his technical and military knowledge Conrad starts to build for his future goal, which is to be ready when the mongal hoard invades in nine and half years.
The book ends with the Duke granding Conrad the lands that Count Lambert assigns, willing to take the bet that Conrad's overall goals are for the good of Poland.
May 27, 2012
I thoroughly enjoy this time travel adventure series. I love that the character is not afraid to change things and goes forth and changes everything. The engineering is rather good and a unique focus you do not find in time travel. The cultural accounts are also very good and Interesting. I have never finished the series so, I have decided to start over. I enjoyed in this time as much as I did the first time I read it.
September 5, 2012
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Conrad_S...
While I wouldn't recommend Frankowski's books normally, to too many people, this one snagged my interest enough for a re-read ... time travel to prior historical settings
While I wouldn't recommend Frankowski's books normally, to too many people, this one snagged my interest enough for a re-read ... time travel to prior historical settings
March 2, 2024
This was a delightful and fun read! Conrad stargard is the most ridiculous character of all time. He is the most Mary Sue and I love it. He seems to have a conveniently extensive knowledge on how to perfectly thrive and survive in 1200 Poland.
My one complaint is that the female characters could all have been handled better, as well as Conrads thoughts regarding women. I get the need for historical accuracy at times, but at the same time Conrad teaches himself to knit by taking apart a sweater so accuracy and logic don't really apply. Also Conrad, you would think with the impending doom of the arrival of the Mongols in ten years you would create more important inventions than Playboy esque bars. Also absolutely wild that this book literally ends mid sentence.
Regardless still fun and I'll probably read the rest of the series.
My one complaint is that the female characters could all have been handled better, as well as Conrads thoughts regarding women. I get the need for historical accuracy at times, but at the same time Conrad teaches himself to knit by taking apart a sweater so accuracy and logic don't really apply. Also Conrad, you would think with the impending doom of the arrival of the Mongols in ten years you would create more important inventions than Playboy esque bars. Also absolutely wild that this book literally ends mid sentence.
Regardless still fun and I'll probably read the rest of the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 3, 2021
What a pleasant find! I've read and enjoyed H. Beam Piper's "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen", and recently found that others are carrying on the series -- well, but somehow without quite the same flavor. Here is a novel with very much the same flavor of Lord Kalvan, but set in historical Poland and with an engineer as protagonist. I found it a delight and look forward to later books in the series.
February 18, 2012
This is one of those books in which a modern man is suddenly transported into the past, and manages to make something of himself by exploiting all the things he knows that the people around him don’t. There’s a whole family of such books, going back to A Yankee at the Court of King Arthur, and in general I like them if they’re done well.
The hero, Conrad, is a Polish engineer unexpectedly transported back to Poland in the year 1231 AD. The Polish language has been stable for a long time, so he doesn’t need to relearn it; and, being an engineer, he knows some useful things. But he also knows that the Mongols are going to invade in ten years and kill everyone; so he has a strong motivation to try to do something about that.
It’s a good scenario, and Frankowski depicts Poland in 1231 quite plausibly. Initially Conrad spends most of his time and energy trying to industrialize Poland, which involves a variety of engineering projects but also social and business innovations. He gains some initial capital in various ways, and builds up a profit from his innovative activities. He’s fortunate to gain the support of a few members of the aristocracy (although others are suspicious or hostile).
In his spare time, he likes to have sex daily, and preferably with a variety of different women (marriage doesn’t attract him). He finds that the age of consent in that time and place seems to be 14, and takes full advantage of that. He has only consensual sex, and in his own way he treats women kindly and considerately; but he’s promiscuous by inclination, and women seem to find him attractive.
The whole story seems to be the author’s wish-fulfillment fantasy, fully worked out and written down in detail. Although Conrad does encounter problems and setbacks now and then.
Overall, I find the story mildly entertaining in places and mildly tedious in other places. I’m no engineer, so the engineering projects are much more interesting to the author than to me. Conrad’s sexual activities (which are not described in intimate detail) are presumably enjoyable for him, but do nothing for me. The social interactions and his project of gradually upgrading the whole country are of some interest.
This book is the first part of a series (there are sequels), so it ends at an intermission point rather than a true dramatic finish. You can decide whether you want more; some will, some won’t.
It’s probably suitable only for people who normally read sf, and not for a general audience.
The hero, Conrad, is a Polish engineer unexpectedly transported back to Poland in the year 1231 AD. The Polish language has been stable for a long time, so he doesn’t need to relearn it; and, being an engineer, he knows some useful things. But he also knows that the Mongols are going to invade in ten years and kill everyone; so he has a strong motivation to try to do something about that.
It’s a good scenario, and Frankowski depicts Poland in 1231 quite plausibly. Initially Conrad spends most of his time and energy trying to industrialize Poland, which involves a variety of engineering projects but also social and business innovations. He gains some initial capital in various ways, and builds up a profit from his innovative activities. He’s fortunate to gain the support of a few members of the aristocracy (although others are suspicious or hostile).
In his spare time, he likes to have sex daily, and preferably with a variety of different women (marriage doesn’t attract him). He finds that the age of consent in that time and place seems to be 14, and takes full advantage of that. He has only consensual sex, and in his own way he treats women kindly and considerately; but he’s promiscuous by inclination, and women seem to find him attractive.
The whole story seems to be the author’s wish-fulfillment fantasy, fully worked out and written down in detail. Although Conrad does encounter problems and setbacks now and then.
Overall, I find the story mildly entertaining in places and mildly tedious in other places. I’m no engineer, so the engineering projects are much more interesting to the author than to me. Conrad’s sexual activities (which are not described in intimate detail) are presumably enjoyable for him, but do nothing for me. The social interactions and his project of gradually upgrading the whole country are of some interest.
This book is the first part of a series (there are sequels), so it ends at an intermission point rather than a true dramatic finish. You can decide whether you want more; some will, some won’t.
It’s probably suitable only for people who normally read sf, and not for a general audience.
June 25, 2012
The start of a great series about a "typical" 20th century engineer who accidentally goes back in time to Poland in the 13th century. While that premise alone would be interesting, it's intensified by the fact that it's only about 10 years before the region gets overrun by the Mongol Horde. The writing style is interesting and the story is well-paced. The main character is interesting and has some real depth to him. His reactions to events, while mostly typical to a westernized 20th century educated male, are still sometimes surprising and show that he also has his own personality.
I loved reading about how he applies 20th century engineering techniques to solving technical problems AND social problems (all while being a typical engineer and preferring to IGNORE the social side of things). I also loved how he wasn't (always) a genius, he forgot things, had (occasional) temper tantrums (and then calmed down and regretted them later), and generally acted like a man. But I also loved how he truly believed in his religion and put his belief into action when possible. I think my favorite part of the book was when he decided to give essentially a random stranger his only money and income when he had no idea if he himself would really need it. He trusted God and put his principles into action. I'm not Catholic (or even religious) and I don't think the author was either, but Conrad (the main character) was and the way he was written made me really FEEL like the character had conviction in his beliefs. That's powerful writing, to me.
It's really too bad that the rest of the characters in the book didn't feel as realistic. While by no means "cardboard", for the most part it felt like there was something "missing" from their personalities. In this book, though, unlike later ones (esp. after book 4), the other characters were at least interesting and many times mildly amusing.
In addition, things felt ... too easy. It's hard to explain, really, because it's not like there was any lack of problems or obstacles, but it just felt like there should have been more opposition. These are the Middle Ages, after all - if people didn't understand something or found it at all strange, they shunned it, ran away, or killed it. Tolerance and understanding were rare. It didn't feel like the reactions of the people matched the time period...at all.
Despite those problems, however, I still enjoyed the book and was able to ignore the parts that I felt unrealistic, and just enjoy the story for what it was...a fun thought experiment.
I loved reading about how he applies 20th century engineering techniques to solving technical problems AND social problems (all while being a typical engineer and preferring to IGNORE the social side of things). I also loved how he wasn't (always) a genius, he forgot things, had (occasional) temper tantrums (and then calmed down and regretted them later), and generally acted like a man. But I also loved how he truly believed in his religion and put his belief into action when possible. I think my favorite part of the book was when he decided to give essentially a random stranger his only money and income when he had no idea if he himself would really need it. He trusted God and put his principles into action. I'm not Catholic (or even religious) and I don't think the author was either, but Conrad (the main character) was and the way he was written made me really FEEL like the character had conviction in his beliefs. That's powerful writing, to me.
It's really too bad that the rest of the characters in the book didn't feel as realistic. While by no means "cardboard", for the most part it felt like there was something "missing" from their personalities. In this book, though, unlike later ones (esp. after book 4), the other characters were at least interesting and many times mildly amusing.
In addition, things felt ... too easy. It's hard to explain, really, because it's not like there was any lack of problems or obstacles, but it just felt like there should have been more opposition. These are the Middle Ages, after all - if people didn't understand something or found it at all strange, they shunned it, ran away, or killed it. Tolerance and understanding were rare. It didn't feel like the reactions of the people matched the time period...at all.
Despite those problems, however, I still enjoyed the book and was able to ignore the parts that I felt unrealistic, and just enjoy the story for what it was...a fun thought experiment.
August 6, 2012
This series dates from about 1986. I read the first four books at that time (there are seven in the series), and always remembered them fondly. Awhile back, I was browsing a used book store and stumbled across the first four volumes in pristine condition. I just finished this first book.
Really, I'd like to give it 3.5 stars, but they don't do half-stars here. It's a quick, fun read, and the author is clever enough to have set up a situation where any deus ex machina he writes into the plot is explained by the time-travel framework. The time paradox is still screwed up, but you have to just blow it off and run with it.
The premise is that a modern (as of 1986) engineer from Poland is whisked by accident back into 13th century Poland. he realizes that in 10 years, current time, the Mongols are going to come and overrun the country, so he decides to implement that kind of technological and social changes necessary to producing an army capable of holding off the invaders. with the exception of a few interludes, it's a 1st-person narrative, which I'm always a sucker for, and it's interesting not only for the juxtaposition of modern vs. medieval technology and social attitudes, but also the conflict the protagonist feels between his strong socialist leanings and the inevitability of him needing to make money by the fistful in capitalist fashion to pursue his vision.
Female readers may be offended by the protagonist's sexism, which feels like it's really coming from the author. But all in all, it's fast and fun, and the technological explanations are seldom long-winded or boring.
Really, I'd like to give it 3.5 stars, but they don't do half-stars here. It's a quick, fun read, and the author is clever enough to have set up a situation where any deus ex machina he writes into the plot is explained by the time-travel framework. The time paradox is still screwed up, but you have to just blow it off and run with it.
The premise is that a modern (as of 1986) engineer from Poland is whisked by accident back into 13th century Poland. he realizes that in 10 years, current time, the Mongols are going to come and overrun the country, so he decides to implement that kind of technological and social changes necessary to producing an army capable of holding off the invaders. with the exception of a few interludes, it's a 1st-person narrative, which I'm always a sucker for, and it's interesting not only for the juxtaposition of modern vs. medieval technology and social attitudes, but also the conflict the protagonist feels between his strong socialist leanings and the inevitability of him needing to make money by the fistful in capitalist fashion to pursue his vision.
Female readers may be offended by the protagonist's sexism, which feels like it's really coming from the author. But all in all, it's fast and fun, and the technological explanations are seldom long-winded or boring.
November 12, 2016
I read this story in my youth, and it hasn't held up quite as well.
Conrad is a chauvinist engineer, adrift in 1200s Poland after a time machine accident. He knows his history and the Mongols are coming.
The story combines three main threads: the Polish stuff, which is interesting and flavorful, the engineering stuff, which is the best but might bore some readers, and the lascivious stuff, which is a drag.
Conrad is a Gary Stu. He is a fighter, a builder, a lover, a progressive, and a savior. He is occasionally opposed, but his enemies rarely last long. Women fall over themselves to be with him. He falls backward into money. His plans succeed left and right. He is always right. His major problems arise from 20th century culture clashes with the middle ages. His emotional life is an odd mix of piety and promiscuity. Traumas and sorrows don't seem to change him for long.
If you're going to read it, read it for the interesting setting, as well as Conrad's modernization program. But another title about modern people in unmodern times, like Island in the Sea of Time, would be better all around.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep on through the series again. Book 6 was not good. However, I just became aware of a prequel and a Book 7 that I might read for completeness.
Conrad is a chauvinist engineer, adrift in 1200s Poland after a time machine accident. He knows his history and the Mongols are coming.
The story combines three main threads: the Polish stuff, which is interesting and flavorful, the engineering stuff, which is the best but might bore some readers, and the lascivious stuff, which is a drag.
Conrad is a Gary Stu. He is a fighter, a builder, a lover, a progressive, and a savior. He is occasionally opposed, but his enemies rarely last long. Women fall over themselves to be with him. He falls backward into money. His plans succeed left and right. He is always right. His major problems arise from 20th century culture clashes with the middle ages. His emotional life is an odd mix of piety and promiscuity. Traumas and sorrows don't seem to change him for long.
If you're going to read it, read it for the interesting setting, as well as Conrad's modernization program. But another title about modern people in unmodern times, like Island in the Sea of Time, would be better all around.
I'm not sure if I'm going to keep on through the series again. Book 6 was not good. However, I just became aware of a prequel and a Book 7 that I might read for completeness.
August 13, 2012
First of all - does anyone know why this series isn't on the Kindle? I found the book in a box of stuff my dad was cleaning out of the attic and grabbed it, thinking I'd find it on amazon and download it to my Kindle. I'm so glad I grabbed it, even if the pages were yellow and falling out of the spine.
This book is relatively short, but it is just an easy, fun read. Conrad, a polish engineer gets accidentally transported back in time. There is a group of historians writing the comprehensive history using their time machines. Conrad goes through after getting drunk and stumbling into the basement of the bar waiting for the barmaid that told him she'd meet him, but never showed up.
This mistake goes unnoticed until Conrad has already made changes, so they just can't pull him back. It all done quiet well.
The mixture of detailed engineering and how to deal with ancient manufacturing problems made the books very enjoyable for me.
I googled Leo Frankowski as I wrote this review, and was quite sad to see he passed away. Which might explain why the books aren't on the Kindle. I wonder who owns the writes to the series?
Anyway, a quick, easy read that is well worth it.
This book is relatively short, but it is just an easy, fun read. Conrad, a polish engineer gets accidentally transported back in time. There is a group of historians writing the comprehensive history using their time machines. Conrad goes through after getting drunk and stumbling into the basement of the bar waiting for the barmaid that told him she'd meet him, but never showed up.
This mistake goes unnoticed until Conrad has already made changes, so they just can't pull him back. It all done quiet well.
The mixture of detailed engineering and how to deal with ancient manufacturing problems made the books very enjoyable for me.
I googled Leo Frankowski as I wrote this review, and was quite sad to see he passed away. Which might explain why the books aren't on the Kindle. I wonder who owns the writes to the series?
Anyway, a quick, easy read that is well worth it.
February 17, 2010
According to the author, most of his fans consist of "males with military and technical backgrounds," while he likewise claimed his detractors consist of "feminists, liberals, and homosexuals." Frankowski admits that anyone who self-identifies with the latter categories would be unlikely to enjoy his fiction.
Even though I'm a feminist and a liberal I liked the Stargard series well enough. It is misogynistic, most definitely, but I liked it for the history and the detail (info dump) that Frankowski went into in regards to how Conrad built everything, much the same way that Clancy did with his early novels. I suppose that's why "males with military and technical backgrounds" are his main fans.
Even though I'm a feminist and a liberal I liked the Stargard series well enough. It is misogynistic, most definitely, but I liked it for the history and the detail (info dump) that Frankowski went into in regards to how Conrad built everything, much the same way that Clancy did with his early novels. I suppose that's why "males with military and technical backgrounds" are his main fans.
October 16, 2022
Worryingly, I have had this book on my to-read shelf since I was 16 years old. I had no idea of anything other than its name, and of course have read plenty of similar works in the interim.
I still managed to totally enjoy myself and kept reading until about 2:15 in the morning. I seriously considered getting out of bed and buying the next one, but sense prevailed and I went to sleep instead. Somehow, Conrad is just fascinating and I want to read moooore!
I still managed to totally enjoy myself and kept reading until about 2:15 in the morning. I seriously considered getting out of bed and buying the next one, but sense prevailed and I went to sleep instead. Somehow, Conrad is just fascinating and I want to read moooore!
September 18, 2017
I really liked the engineering part with Conrad innovating and bringing technology to the Middle Ages. It's well-written at least, compared to Flint's similar 1632 series.
But the sad middle-aged man masturbation fantasy parts just drag the whole thing down. None of it is necessary, none of it is interesting and it's just skeevy.
But the sad middle-aged man masturbation fantasy parts just drag the whole thing down. None of it is necessary, none of it is interesting and it's just skeevy.
September 10, 2009
My favorite time travel series.
A polish engineer goes back in time and screws the time line up.
And he does it the Polish way, which makes sense after he explains it. 8) I love the base 12 money system he comes up with.
A polish engineer goes back in time and screws the time line up.
And he does it the Polish way, which makes sense after he explains it. 8) I love the base 12 money system he comes up with.
December 31, 2008
I loved the world-building aspect of the books but the author's treatment of women made me cringe. As a previous review stated, he is a serious sexist.
May 3, 2010
An interesting store about what would happen if a modern engineer found himself stranded in Poland 9 years before the Mongols invaded. and in interesting argument for the base 12 system
January 16, 2016
Incredibly good series. The baisc man-out-of-time story line but very involved. Excellent characters and story. Highly recommended.
November 27, 2023
Without meaning to offend, The Cross-Time Engineer reads like the book version of some kid's teenage dream. Specifically a history nerd, probably antisocial, and destined to study engineering later.
Meet Conrad, a young engineer on a hike through Poland. After a wrong step, he accidentally ends up in a time machine to medival Poland. In just 10 years time, the Mongols will invade and kill everyone here. He cannot go back (why he can't is beyond me, the book doesn't even go into it; i.e. teenage dream, the author loves it). So instead, he uses his 20th century knowledge to transform Poland into an industrial society. And this book explains his first years doing so.
The book is deeply flawed. Other reviews point out its obvious sexism, which when read with a 2023 perspective is obviously terrible. And it isn't even limited to age-appropriate sexism (since the middle ages weren't exactly emancipated times): the first woman Conrad meets, at the start of the book in the 20th century, is called a wench, and the first thing Frankowski describes is her breasts, followed by her figure, and then her face. Talk about a flat character? Except Frankowski hardly describes her so. In any case, this language continues after the time travel, but by then it could be excused since the times have (literally) changed, right? Unfortunately the 20th century Conrad perfectly adapts to Medieval times in his view of women: he sleeps with plenty young women (14 and above), he sleeps with many, and agrees that they should not do any work. How can this character writing be justified when his entire arc is him bringing 20th century concepts (engineering, accounting, hell even socialism and justice) to the world of the 13th century? Yes, I am the main character who can make hardened steel, windmills, looms, but I conveniently forgot my view on social injustice?
Yes, my rant is not entirely fair as I understand that the book gets more immersive when ignoring basic principles on equality and instead reading the book as a "first hand account" of a successful man living his life in the middle ages. I just don't think writing every woman off as a dumb whore adds any immersion at all, and instead just reads like, to put it coarsely, cringe from the past.
In any case, the rest of the book is great for any reader who can read past what I just rant on about. As said, it is an engineer-with-a-geek-for-Medieval-history's wet dream. Conrad is the definition of a Mary Sue: he knows fencing and unarmed combat. So he can kill knights. He is a master engineer, so he can build anything. He saw his mother sew, so he builds looms. Welcome to the Conrad show, expect a one-man show tonight.
Why do I still give it 3 stars? The book that's shown if you move the aforementioned shitshow curtains away is well written. With my limited knowledge, I like to think this gives a great perspective on society in the Middle Ages. The role of the Church, the feudal system of vassals and nights, living conditions of the poor etc. It especially shines in its portrayal of people's mindset and the effect of the church on it all. Hardly anyone is open to the innovations of Conrad, even though the blacksmith is left with harder steel, the women with an easier and faster job than weaving, and everyone with more wealth. Church doctrine makes everyone look at Conrad as a witch, and even when that hurdle is jumped over, guilds prohibit Conrad from implementing meaningful changes that create competition.
And what's left is a story that, despite it's horrible worldview, just really did tickle me in its unique niche. One man, building up a civilization through his creativity, ingenuity, and sheer technical knowledge. Add to that some tense action scenes, I like that too. Then through the sheer pace of the book it almost feels as if you are reading a game of Civilization, i.e. you can really feel the towns developing and becoming more advanced. As if you are reading a city builder. This recipe is one I love, I even want to read the sequels, but I can not overstate how terrible some of the writing is. Any reader who cannot overlook this (I praise you for it), steer away: you're missing a unique book that's definitely not for everyone.
Meet Conrad, a young engineer on a hike through Poland. After a wrong step, he accidentally ends up in a time machine to medival Poland. In just 10 years time, the Mongols will invade and kill everyone here. He cannot go back (why he can't is beyond me, the book doesn't even go into it; i.e. teenage dream, the author loves it). So instead, he uses his 20th century knowledge to transform Poland into an industrial society. And this book explains his first years doing so.
The book is deeply flawed. Other reviews point out its obvious sexism, which when read with a 2023 perspective is obviously terrible. And it isn't even limited to age-appropriate sexism (since the middle ages weren't exactly emancipated times): the first woman Conrad meets, at the start of the book in the 20th century, is called a wench, and the first thing Frankowski describes is her breasts, followed by her figure, and then her face. Talk about a flat character? Except Frankowski hardly describes her so. In any case, this language continues after the time travel, but by then it could be excused since the times have (literally) changed, right? Unfortunately the 20th century Conrad perfectly adapts to Medieval times in his view of women: he sleeps with plenty young women (14 and above), he sleeps with many, and agrees that they should not do any work. How can this character writing be justified when his entire arc is him bringing 20th century concepts (engineering, accounting, hell even socialism and justice) to the world of the 13th century? Yes, I am the main character who can make hardened steel, windmills, looms, but I conveniently forgot my view on social injustice?
Yes, my rant is not entirely fair as I understand that the book gets more immersive when ignoring basic principles on equality and instead reading the book as a "first hand account" of a successful man living his life in the middle ages. I just don't think writing every woman off as a dumb whore adds any immersion at all, and instead just reads like, to put it coarsely, cringe from the past.
In any case, the rest of the book is great for any reader who can read past what I just rant on about. As said, it is an engineer-with-a-geek-for-Medieval-history's wet dream. Conrad is the definition of a Mary Sue: he knows fencing and unarmed combat. So he can kill knights. He is a master engineer, so he can build anything. He saw his mother sew, so he builds looms. Welcome to the Conrad show, expect a one-man show tonight.
Why do I still give it 3 stars? The book that's shown if you move the aforementioned shitshow curtains away is well written. With my limited knowledge, I like to think this gives a great perspective on society in the Middle Ages. The role of the Church, the feudal system of vassals and nights, living conditions of the poor etc. It especially shines in its portrayal of people's mindset and the effect of the church on it all. Hardly anyone is open to the innovations of Conrad, even though the blacksmith is left with harder steel, the women with an easier and faster job than weaving, and everyone with more wealth. Church doctrine makes everyone look at Conrad as a witch, and even when that hurdle is jumped over, guilds prohibit Conrad from implementing meaningful changes that create competition.
And what's left is a story that, despite it's horrible worldview, just really did tickle me in its unique niche. One man, building up a civilization through his creativity, ingenuity, and sheer technical knowledge. Add to that some tense action scenes, I like that too. Then through the sheer pace of the book it almost feels as if you are reading a game of Civilization, i.e. you can really feel the towns developing and becoming more advanced. As if you are reading a city builder. This recipe is one I love, I even want to read the sequels, but I can not overstate how terrible some of the writing is. Any reader who cannot overlook this (I praise you for it), steer away: you're missing a unique book that's definitely not for everyone.
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