Shadow of Earth

by Phyllis Eisenstein

Celia, a Midwest graduate student who tutors Spanish, has a new boyfriend, Larry- who came to her for language lessons and has now become her lover. Larry has found the gate to a parallel Earth. On this Earth, however, the Spanish Armada was not defeated by the British Navy, the Protestant Church never gained a foothold, the steam engine (nor any technological advance since then) was never invented, and North America is a Spanish-speaking wilderness. Enslavement of any commoner without a protector abounds in this parallel America.And Celia finds herself trapped there...

Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction

329 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Phyllis Eisenstein was an American author of science fiction and fantasy short stories as well as novels. Her work was nominated for both the Hugo Award and Nebula Award.

Reviews

[Jim · Rating 4 out of 5]

What if the Spanish Armada had defeated the English Navy in 1588? What if, then, the Spanish Army conquered England? Celia, a young woman living in Evanston, Illinois ( home of Northwestern--Go Wildcats!), is about to find out... She finds herself in an alternate Twentieth Century, in which there is no Evanston--and no Chicago, either, for that matter. It's all a wilderness, as a result of the victory of the Spanish Armada. Fortunately, the American woman is fluent in Spanish, as she discovers that the Spanish language is dominant among the settlers in her New World. She also becomes the slave of a Spanish nobleman. How can a modern woman survive in a medieval world??
A good alternate history story about survival in an alternate reality... This is a reread, as I first read the book in 1981, not long after it was published in 1979 ( I can remember, as I read the book while on a trip to Minnesota, parts of which are still wilderness in this reality!).
I give this story by Phyllis Eisenstein (1946-2020) 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.