Reconstructing the Hidden Lives of 14th-Century France When I set out to write The Falcon and the Book, I wanted to avoid the “costume drama” version of history and tried to capture the grit, the scent of woodsmoke, and the reality of persecution and unchecked power that took by force what it wanted.  To tell […]

I just re-read Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, as I was thinking of taking in the movie version.  I first read the book when it came out in paperback in 2022. I had also read and loved The Martian and looked forward to being humbled and surprised by the Robinson-Crusoe-meets-CalTech solutions to problems.  Alas, my

I don’t envy the historians; they don’t get to make things up and fill in the gaps in what they know.  And there was a lot going on.  The Falcon built on dozens of sources to get a sense of what it was like to live in the first two decades of the 14th century. 

For those of you who have read the Falcon and the Book, you should know that it continues.  Yes, there is a sequel in the works that continues just where the first novel leaves off.  Many of the questions you may have had will be answered in the sequel as the mysterious Mother of All