1638: The Sovereign States (36)

by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, Gorg Huff

The fate of Russia hangs in the balance as up-timers and down-timers battle for freedom!

The United Sovereign States of Russia struggles to set in place the traditions and legal precedents that will let it turn into a constitutional monarchy with freedom and opportunity for all its citizens.

At the same time, they’re trying to balance the power of the states and the federal government. And the USSR is fighting a civil war with Muscovite Russia, defending the new state of Kazakh from invasion by the Zunghars, building a tech base and an economy that will allow its money to be accepted in western Europe, establishing a more solid claim to Siberia, and, in general, keeping the wheels of civilization from coming off and dumping Russia back into the Time of Troubles. Or, possibly even worse, reinstalling the sort of repressive oligarchy that they just got rid of.

Genres: Alternate History, Time Travel, Science Fiction, Fiction, Russia, Historical Fantasy

336 pages, Hardcover

Published September 5, 2023

About the author

Eric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.

Reviews

[Daniel Shellenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A year ago, I was fairly sure that 1637: The Transylvanian Decision was going to mark the end of the road for the Ring of Fire series. Eric Flint was dead, his widow had been forced to declare bankruptcy and had shut down the Grantville Gazette e-zine, and the entire catalog of Ring of Fire Press ebooks had been pulled off the market. Well, things are looking up for the 'ol Ring of Fire. A new incarnation of the e-zine is back, at least some of the RoF ebooks are available again, and here we have a new release in the series (though, admittedly, not in the main series, a continuation of Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett's Russian Civil War side-series). It's a solid addition to the story, and seems to wrap up a lot of the Russian storylines up to this point (I'm not going to sum-up, it's too complicated) and moving towards Russia becoming involved in affairs in East/Central Europe and in China. I must say that I feel the co-authors have substantially improved in their writing over the last decade and while their first couple books in the franchise were "ok" as holdovers between main series releases, this was a fun book. My only real problem with the book is that it's packed with a bit too much plot for its length and (especially near the end) it rushes through some major events without taking the time to properly build them up or embrace the dramatic potential. It's not dry by any means, the writing is funny, and the characters are endearing, but there's so much here that I feel like it would've been better as a 450-500 page book, rather than the 330 pages we got. Also, slight stylistic critique: there's no map. I think I have a fairly good idea of the basic shape of Russia and its geography, but between the fact that the places in the book have different names than their modern-day equivalents and the fact that the events of the story universe have altered the political geography substantially, a map of 1637-1638 Russia and environs would've been a good addition. Plus, I love books with maps in them. Oh, one other thing, I haven't actually read the "Miroslava Holmes" ebooks by the two authors, which are detective mysteries set in the Ring of Fire universe in Russia, but several characters from those stories show up in this book (and references are made to events from those stories), so I'd suggest reading those first, though they aren't necessary for previous novels in the Russian series. I have to say, this book really whetted my appetite for a new mainline entry, so many things were left hanging at the end of 1637: the Polish Maelstrom, and I'd love to see what happens next even without Eric at the helm.

[Redsteve · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one was... OK. Probably my least favorite of the "Russian Thread" of the "Ring of Fire/1632" series. This book started out slow and with A LOT of POV changes (often after only 1/2 to 1 1/2 pages), making it hard to get into the story. This continued for at least half of the book, and, to he honest, If I wasn't committed to finishing all of the currently published RoF novels, I might well have dropped this one. It DID eventually pick up and I enjoyed the last 1/3 of the book, so I'll average this one out to a low three stars. Usual RoF disclaimer: this is NOT a stand alone book. At the very least, readers should read 1632, 1633 (main thread), 1636: THE KREMLIN GAMES, and 1637: THE VOLGA RULES (Russian thread). A couple of the characters appear in "A Holmes of the Czar," "Two Cases for the Czar," and "A Mission for the Czar," (same authors) but it's not necessary that you read then first (I didn't and was not inconvenienced by it).

[Stan Morris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Decent Read

I am giving this book 2 stars for the aeronautics info dumps and 4 stars for the rest of the book. That averages out to 3 stars.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed visiting Russia again! Large cast of characters! Czar Mikhail has found his footing.

[Ronald Spitzer · Rating 4 out of 5]

The latest book on the Russian front is an enjoyable update on what is happing there in the Ring of Fire World. It is nice that progress on a number of wonderings and plot lines happens in this volume. Good characterization as usual. This book has appropriate drama and events and interesting characters who are making progress in their lives. Read the other Russian related volumes first before this one. I just hope that the Ringer of Fire World books keep being published. Please!

[Ron Montgomery · Rating 5 out of 5]

As with all books in the 1632 series I am always impressed; but, the combination of these authors Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, Paula Goodlett you always have a 5 star reading experience. I sincerely hope that Huff and Goodlett continue this story. I am extremely sad that Eric Flint is no longer with us. I share his books with all my friends. PS I am in love with Brandy Bates. Mr. Huff and Ms. Goodlett are on my read there stuff before all others list.

[Julia · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the side story of Russia in the 1632 Universe and appreciated the politics of how things developed. But this has way too much info-dumping about the technical things, especially regarding how the airplanes worked. I took away a star because of this. I also had difficulty with character names - there were several characters named Ivan and it took a while to figure out which one was being referred to.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

A commercial and civil war between Old Russia and the modern USSR using steam turbine powered aircraft with ground effect landing devices. I like the strange tech combined with the politics. An excellent read, though not the book that you should start with.

Also found out that Eric Flint has passed :(

[Michael Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tsar Mikhail and his uncle in Moscow are still at war. But the new United Sovereign States of Russia with the new tech from Grantville and old Russian skills is moving ahead of the old establishment. As the civil war moves into winter one side will either win or lose as their armies are stretched to the breaking point.

[Phyllis Griffiths · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book is another enjoyable romp through Russia after the Ring of Fire. The war between the two Russias rages on, both sides fighting for their ideals for their futures.

I very much enjoyed reading this book. I just wish it was longer.

[LinHigley · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ring of fire is trying to complete the circle.

Great read! I like the idea of steam aircraft. The running battles and their logistics details are great to visualize. The coming conflict to gain a seaport is expected to be extra good.

[Kevin K · Rating 4 out of 5]

The final (or near to final) book in the 1632 series was generally pretty good. Wrapped up the Russia thread nicely, with a new normal defined.

My only real quibble is that a map would have been real helpful.

[Paul Squire · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Good Read

Somehow, the distilled essence of Russo-Slavic character has ended up in a well-told tale of an improbable future past.
Couldn’t put it down & will follow the thread as far as it goes!

[Barry Teller · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Great Russian story

Easy read. Good character development and a complex story that stays together. The explanation of the evolution of a new technology is quite good.

[Bonny Fuller-Fells · Rating 4 out of 5]

Interesting

Russia under Czar Michael is having a civil war. Michael 's side is winning. The other side wants to keep the serfs. Czar Michael has freed them.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Getting up-to-date on the 'Russian Front' of the Ring of Fire.

[Craig Beyers · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book expands on the original Ring of Fire books into Russia and is an interesting digression from the Europe stories.

[Randy Pursley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good story that partially wraps up the Russian story arc. Sad to think that this may be the last book of this series. I have enjoyed so many of them.

[JC Hagen]

Great addition to the universe. A lot more political, I very much enjoyed the political maneuvers. Looking forward to seeing what will become of the USSR.

[Dennis · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting exploration to the east, and I was forced to learn more about Russian geography than I previously had under my belt.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Delightful account of the effects of the Ring of Fire on Russia, and their new love of airplanes. Another excellent addition to the series.

[James R. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating

I read most of this book until 5 a.m., read its predecessor in the next two days. Then I read this book again. Am I through?

[Francisco De Borja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reseña en Ingles y después en Español:
Good book... I liked... continues the story where the previous delivery was "1637: The Volga Rules", we observe the consolidation of the "Sovereign States of Russia" (USSR in English, which is a wink to our reality as the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics is written in English alike) and as the Russian civil war nears an end. On the other hand, the characters we already know are developed a few more, making them more mature and credible while presenting new and interesting characters, being perhaps the most interesting the one of Miroslava Holmes, the first detective from Russia, which has a slight autism disorder that gives it an excellent memory (without being photographic or eidetic), great power of observation and logic. The Tsar bestowed upon him the surname Holmes as a tribute to the renowned fictional detective.
I highly recommend it, pity that Mr Flint died in 2022, it is not clear if the editorial will continue the saga of the Ring of Fire, and to do so who will take the baton as the main manager in giving coherence to this saga so complex that involves several simultaneous storylines and for the same reason, several writers working almost in parallel and that, until the death of the creator of this saga, seemed to have very clear where he was heading. We’re gonna miss you, Mr. Flint.
Español:
Buen libro... me gusto... continua la historia donde se quedó la entrega previa "1637: The Volga Rules", observamos la consolidación de los "Estados Soberanos de Rusia" (USSR en inglés, lo cual es un guiño a nuestra realidad pues la Unión de Repúblicas Socialistas Soviéticas se escribe en ingles igual) y como la guerra civil rusa se acerca a un final. Por otro lado, los personajes que ya conocemos son desarrollados un pocos más, haciéndolos más maduros y creíbles a la vez que se presenta nuevos e interesantes personajes, siendo quizás el más interesante el de Miroslava Holmes, la primera detective de Rusia, la cual tiene un ligero trastorno de autismo que le confiere una excelente memoria (sin ser fotográfica o eidética), gran poder de observación y de lógica. Por ello el propio Zar le otorgó el apellido Holmes en honor al famoso detective de ficción.
Lo recomiendo, lástima que el señor Flint haya fallecido en el 2022, no queda claro si la editorial continuara la saga del Anillo de Fuego, y de hacerlo quien tomara la batuta como principal encargado en darle coherencia a esta saga tan compleja que involucra varias líneas argumentales simultaneas y por lo mismo, varios escritores trabajando de forma casi paralelamente y que, hasta antes de la muerte del creador de esta saga, parecía tener muy en claro hacia donde se estaba dirigiendo. Lo vamos a extrañar Sr. Flint.

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett combine for a fast-moving novel in the 1632 alternate history series. In this book, the Sovereign States are a democratic union within Russia, vying for power with traditional dictatorships in other parts of Russia.

Even for devoted fans of the series, keeping track of dozens of Russian names can be daunting. But after about halfway through the book it clicked for me and I knew pretty well who everyone was.

The uptimer characters from the 21st century town of Grantville, Bernie and Brandy exert their influence, but their just part of the cast.

Military logistics are a key part of this novel as various armies maneuver in the vast expanse of Russian territory. Czar Mikhail of the Sovereigns cleverly keeps expanding his network of communication, airfields, and railroads to keep one step ahead of his enemies.

The reader gets a good sense of the fragmentary nature of the Russian territory and the vast distances involved.

Military buffs, historians, Russian devotees and lovers of steampunk should all enjoy this novel.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Third Novel starring Bernie Zeppie

Bernie while the key character in the first two books takes more of a supporting role in this novel. He still has important things to do, don't get me wrong, but there is much more of an ensemble cast feel to this novel. It has action, adventure and exploration and introduces readers to features of the old USSR especially the Asian part. I had never heard of the big lake in this novel so I looked it up online and learned quite a bit of information that was all new to me.
Tsar Mikhail has gained the upper hand in the Russian civil war, but can he keep it and win at last? Read it and see for yourself, I doubt you will regret it!