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Assiti Shards #18
1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies
New York Times and Wall Street Journal best-selling alternate history series. Book #14 in the Ring of Fire series created by Eric Flint.
Eddie Cantrell, now married to the king of Denmark's daughter, is sent by Admiral Simpson to the Caribbean to secure access to the most valuable commodity on that continent--not the gold and silver which the Spanish treasure, but the oil which up-time machines and industry need. The admiral has also provided Eddie's small task force with the new steam-powered frigates that have just come out of the navy's shipyards.
Even with the frigates, a giant obstacle stands in his way: the Gulf-girdling Spanish presence in the New World. So a diversion is needed, carried out by an up-time car mechanic and a down-time mercenary colonel who also happens to be the last earl of Ireland. Their mission: grab the oil fields on Trinidad, and so distract the attention of Spain's New World governors.
While the Spanish galleons and troops head for Trinidad, Commander Cantrell's smallest and fastest steam sloop will make a run to the Louisiana coast. There, her crew will wind their way up the bayous to the real New World prize: the Jennings Oil Field.
But Cantrell's plans could be wrecked in a multitude of ways. He faces often-hostile natives, rambunctious Dutch ship captains, allied colonies on the brink of starvation, and vicious social infighting that can barely be contained by his capable and passionate new wife. When the galleons finally come out in force to engage his small flotilla, Eddie will discover that the Spanish aren't the only enemies who will be coming against him in a fateful Caribbean show-down.
About Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series:
"This alternate history series is...a landmark..."--Booklist
"...[Eric] Flint's 1632 universe seems to be inspiring a whole new crop of gifted alternate historians."--Booklist
"...reads like a technothriller set in the age of the Medicis..."--Publishers Weekly
Eddie Cantrell, now married to the king of Denmark's daughter, is sent by Admiral Simpson to the Caribbean to secure access to the most valuable commodity on that continent--not the gold and silver which the Spanish treasure, but the oil which up-time machines and industry need. The admiral has also provided Eddie's small task force with the new steam-powered frigates that have just come out of the navy's shipyards.
Even with the frigates, a giant obstacle stands in his way: the Gulf-girdling Spanish presence in the New World. So a diversion is needed, carried out by an up-time car mechanic and a down-time mercenary colonel who also happens to be the last earl of Ireland. Their mission: grab the oil fields on Trinidad, and so distract the attention of Spain's New World governors.
While the Spanish galleons and troops head for Trinidad, Commander Cantrell's smallest and fastest steam sloop will make a run to the Louisiana coast. There, her crew will wind their way up the bayous to the real New World prize: the Jennings Oil Field.
But Cantrell's plans could be wrecked in a multitude of ways. He faces often-hostile natives, rambunctious Dutch ship captains, allied colonies on the brink of starvation, and vicious social infighting that can barely be contained by his capable and passionate new wife. When the galleons finally come out in force to engage his small flotilla, Eddie will discover that the Spanish aren't the only enemies who will be coming against him in a fateful Caribbean show-down.
About Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series:
"This alternate history series is...a landmark..."--Booklist
"...[Eric] Flint's 1632 universe seems to be inspiring a whole new crop of gifted alternate historians."--Booklist
"...reads like a technothriller set in the age of the Medicis..."--Publishers Weekly
624 pages, Hardcover
First published May 15, 2014
65 people are currently reading
450 people want to read
About the author
Eric Flint
250 books874 followersEric 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.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 75 reviews
October 18, 2020
A wonderful read. I have loved the 1632 series, you will too. Eric Flint & Charles Gannon have done an excellent job transporting the reader to the New World in 1635 and 1636, once there the fun begins.
April 22, 2014
1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies follows Eddie Contrell, the naval hero of the Baltic, and his king's daughter wife as they travel to the new world to secure a supply of oil for the USE and its allies. This volume is the best in the series in a long time and is evocative of C.S. Forester's Horatio Hornblower books. Highly recommended.
August 15, 2018
This isn't one of my favorites! I got lost in the middle of the story! A bit too technical for me! Too many new characters with names that look similar! I did enjoy the beginning and the ending. It was good to see Eddie coming into his own!
November 4, 2022
Jeste li igrali Sid Meyer's Pirates? Onda će vam biti poznate lokacije iz ove knjige. St. Kitts, St Eustatius, Trinidad, Eleuthera... Francuzi, Nizozemci, Bitianci, Španjolci, a sad uz njih i Up-timeri.sve je tu, kao i akcija po Karibima, baš me vratilo u doba igranja.
July 13, 2015
This is one of the stronger recent entries in the Ring of Fire series (which has become quite the sprawling shared universe, with Flint's predilection for co-authoring books and willingness to let others play in his sandbox) and Gannon and Flint make good partners.
Occasionally, this series gets bogged down when the focus shifts off the refugees in time from Grantville and on "down-time" characters that haven't been well established or developed for too long, or flails around on intricate details of the development of technology where a potential end result is known to work but the tech base may or may not support it. That's less of an issue here, with much of the story focused fairly tightly on Eddie Cantrell, one Flint's early characters with a couple of other Grantville folks with strong roles and a lead role for an established downtime character in the last Earl of Ireland, Hugh O'Donnell. That lets the new characters get introduced more gradually and organically, so when the focus shifts to them you don't find yourself flipping pages away.
There's a lot of naval military tactical stuff crammed in here with the new doctrines and new ship types being introduced here and serious naval conflicts between major naval powers and that may be a bit dry for some, but it's spiced up by showing the difficulties of integrating these new weapons and technologies and showing the human factors in balancing command. Eddie Cantrell knows the tech better than anyone else and the new tactics, but has less experience in command than any of the other captains and much less experience in naval warfare as well. But with the allied fleet outgunned and engaged in a high-stakes game of political and naval maneuvering for strategic assets with complicated moving parts and loads of agendas on all sides of the equation, it makes for a complex political and human puzzle that goes beyond the tactical question.
It's a very good book, perhaps a bit long (maybe a little more editing would have been wise) and it does a good job over overlapping with the other 1636 books that have come out while setting things in the New World. The changes in dealing with the colonial questions and how people will treat questions like slavery, colonialism, dealing with aboriginal peoples, and the exploitation of natural resources is an interesting one going forward with this series and so far they're looking at hard questions in interesting ways.
Occasionally, this series gets bogged down when the focus shifts off the refugees in time from Grantville and on "down-time" characters that haven't been well established or developed for too long, or flails around on intricate details of the development of technology where a potential end result is known to work but the tech base may or may not support it. That's less of an issue here, with much of the story focused fairly tightly on Eddie Cantrell, one Flint's early characters with a couple of other Grantville folks with strong roles and a lead role for an established downtime character in the last Earl of Ireland, Hugh O'Donnell. That lets the new characters get introduced more gradually and organically, so when the focus shifts to them you don't find yourself flipping pages away.
There's a lot of naval military tactical stuff crammed in here with the new doctrines and new ship types being introduced here and serious naval conflicts between major naval powers and that may be a bit dry for some, but it's spiced up by showing the difficulties of integrating these new weapons and technologies and showing the human factors in balancing command. Eddie Cantrell knows the tech better than anyone else and the new tactics, but has less experience in command than any of the other captains and much less experience in naval warfare as well. But with the allied fleet outgunned and engaged in a high-stakes game of political and naval maneuvering for strategic assets with complicated moving parts and loads of agendas on all sides of the equation, it makes for a complex political and human puzzle that goes beyond the tactical question.
It's a very good book, perhaps a bit long (maybe a little more editing would have been wise) and it does a good job over overlapping with the other 1636 books that have come out while setting things in the New World. The changes in dealing with the colonial questions and how people will treat questions like slavery, colonialism, dealing with aboriginal peoples, and the exploitation of natural resources is an interesting one going forward with this series and so far they're looking at hard questions in interesting ways.
October 5, 2014
I love the series and always look forward to the next book to come out. Eddie Cantrell is one of the original characters from book #1 and I was looking forward to seeing him again. I wasn't disappointed in the role he plays in the book but I was a little disappointed in the book itself. There was just too much time spent on technical explanations and too many characters with similar names. There were so many character that it took several pages in the index to list them all. Give me more actions, less explanations about how you dumb things down from our time to 1636 to make them work and cut the number of side characters that require a list to keep up with who is who. I do still hope for more of Eddie in a future book. There was certainly a set up for more.
January 26, 2015
Not a great book, but more self-contained than a lot of recent entries in this series. I never felt like I was missing something significant by not being an expert on 17th century history or having a perfect memory of every minor character from the earlier RoF books.
February 20, 2025
(Updated 3/7/2016 with 2nd Read thoughts)
Well, we're back in the good 'ol Ring of Fire, it's 1635 and the United States of Europe needs oil to fuel its efforts to adopt up-time technology and continue its technological dominance, and the only place that oil is both plentiful and fairly easy to get at (in terms of technology, geography, and geopolitical concerns) is the Caribbean, particularly Trinidad. Of course, the USE and its allies aren't the only one to realize this opportunity as the French also have their sights on Trinidad and believe they can get the jump on all comers with a bit of subterfuge. At the same time, there's the issue of the elephant in the corner, the massive Spanish New World fleets and armies, guardians of its massive American Empire (and the vital gold and silver shipments that it produces) which dwarf the forces any other nation (or group of nations) can bring into the theater at present, and due to their long-standing policy, they're not interested in sharing any of the Hemisphere (even the parts they don't care about) and have standing orders to literally exterminate any colony that sets up west of the Line of Demarcation. This is particularly vexing for the remnants of the Dutch fleet that fled their disastrous defeat by the League of Ostend (in the book 1633, IIRC), which are huddled in St. Eustacia with the former colonists of Dutch Brazil in a pseudo-alliance with the English colonists of St. Christopher, who have been abandoned by their King after he sold his New World Colonies to the French (again, see 1633). All in all, the Caribbean is a mess and with only limited resources at their disposal, the USE decides to employ a bit of subterfuge and a small force of powerful steam-powered warships in a bold bid to rally the Dutch, seize Trinidad before the French, and break Spanish hegemony of the Lesser Antilles (all while hiding their true objective, the oil fields of east Texas/Louisiana).
Even that much isn't simple, the USE's force is largely crewed by Danes (allied via the Union of Kalmar) who are primarily loyal to King Christian of Denmark rather than Emperor Gustavus Adolphus or the USE, and a number of the leaders have their own reasons for coming along. For Commander Eddie Cantrell, this is particularly true, although he is the senior USE officer in the task force, he is not the senior naval officer though he is the one most familiar with the up-time technology at work in the ships (he also has very little combat experience, apart from getting his foot blown off in a suicidal attack on the Danish fleet (again, see 1633)). At the same time, he is aware that his father-in-law (King Christian) sees the mission as a loyalty test to see if Eddie can prove himself worthy of higher status in court (which Eddie might not give a rat's ass about if it weren't that it would also give his wife better standing, rather than just being the King's daughter (don't ask, it's a feudalism thing, morganatic marriage and what-not)).
Let's get this out of the way, 1636:CCitWI is not one of the best Ring of Fire books.
(well... 2 years later, it's actually starting to feel like one of the better ones, particularly after the minimal action and limited plot movement of the 3 more recent releases)
Don't get me wrong, Eric Flint is to the Thirty Years War as Tom Clancy is to the Cold War, turning that period into an alternate history sandbox with bizarre but realistic-seeming twists and turns that bring about all manner of strange (and fascinating) crises and clashes. The main difference (apart from period setting) is that Flint's techno-thrillers have the time travel element and he's more open about letting others play in his sandbox (such as Chuck Gannon, who is actually one of my favorites among his collaborators, and has released a good science fiction book of his own (Fire with Fire) this past year).
(still very true, love RoF, even if it's taking BLOODY forever to get the next real volume (1636: the Ottoman Onslaught)... 10 more months... I can make it...)
However, I had problems with this volume.
(well... not as much on the 2nd read)
Foremost, while Gannon/Flint use the same shifting perspective that is so common in the series, it actually does less of that chapter-to-chapter than usual, and often you'll go three or more chapters following the same characters and then jump to another perspective. The problem with this is that some characters drop out of the story for long periods of time during which their sub-plot is not advanced (particularly, the Louisiana/Texas expedition is a particular weak point as, after being introduced and featured in a couple early chapters, that subplot is explicitly ignored until the epilogue, which is the only part of the book actually set in 1636, ironically; likewise, after being the focus for much of the first half, the expat Irish Wild Geese mercenaries basically disappear in the second half); this is more notable largely because the story is told from less perspectives than we usually get in Ring of Fire books. There were other cases where this haphazard shifting left certain plot points only tangentially resolved .
(Honestly, I didn't really notice this as much on the re-read, I have no idea how I felt that the Wild Geese dropped out of the story; they do essentially drop from major characters to side characters, but they're still involved throughout the book as shipboard troops and amphibious raiders; on the other hand, the Texas/Louisiana story DOES go nowhere and I'm left surmising that it was something that needed to be checked off a list of things that "needed to happen" to set up a plot element in the next main volume, also the radio bit still doesn't make sense)
Another problem is the weak French storyline. Frankly, Eric Flint hasn't known what to do with the French since book 1. Over and over again, he uses the French as convenient villains but in spite of the damage they cause and Richelieu's obvious dedication to being a peer rival to the USE, the up-timers never seem to take the French seriously as an enemy (or retaliate against them) and never seem prepared to deal with them (don't get me started on how he completely fumbled the Huguenot issue; that and the lack of the promised book about Cromwell's fight against Charles are my two biggest grievances against the series so far) and again and again the French prove to be the foe that's constantly hitting where it hurts most, and the same holds true here.
(I'm in two minds about this one, many of the French characters in this book ARE the worst sort of self-serving short-sighted idiots, but frankly a lot of European colonial struggles in the New World were shaped by just that sort of behavior (see the War of Jenkin's Ear for one example) and the real disparity between what these fools think is of national importance and what's REALLY of importance to Richelieu is actually fairly interesting, but the characters themselves are lame)
I actually didn't mind as much as others that the book is very VERY talk-y, as the political situation in the Caribbean at that time was VERY complex and it provided useful background. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the book is completely incomplete (more so than the books set in Italy), with nothing resolved at the end (hell, the Texas/Louisiana story didn't even get started really), obviously setting the stage for the next book in this sub-series.
(Still as true today as the day I first wrote it, but something I missed the first read-through is that much of the first half of this book is essentially a spy novel and well, spy novels ARE talk-y, but on the completeness issue I have to say that at 600+ pages, this one is plenty long as it is and while I would've like to see certain elements fleshed out a bit more, this is a big meaty volume and I'm just being greedy)
All in all, I'll complain about some of the way the story was put together,
(well, I did, now I feel kind of silly about the whole thing)
but it was still enjoyable
(definitely)
and while it wasn't the best Ring of Fire book (say, any of the mainline ones solely authored by Flint or co-authored with Weber), it certainly was nowhere near any of the worst ones (say, 1636: Seas of Fortune, though at least it did end up serving as set up for a number of this book's story lines),
(With reconsideration and time I'd now say this is one of the better side stories in the RoF universe; in a side note, I still find it bizarre that the USE colony in Guyana (from 1636: Seas of Fortune) is only barely mentioned, admittedly it wasn't a roaring success, but they DID find bauxite and it would provide the USE fleet with another base of support)
and while it could've used a more definitive ending (giving the book a sense of closure while leaving stuff to do in the sequels; taking St. Martin from the Spaniards would've done it),
(I still kind of wish that plot point had been handled but I'm also willing to admit that the book didn't need another hundred pages)
I thought that it did provide a nice beginning for this new sub-series
(I find it increasingly likely that this book isn't going to get a straight sequel and instead will lead in to events in 1636: the Ottoman Onslaught with Eddie returning to the main series character fold given that Eric Flint hasn't mentioned anything about a sequel to this)
Also, if Eric Flint or Chuck Gannon ever reads this, first off, Hi! I love your books! but also, if you're going to do more naval stories, please include battle maps, they're a great way of conveying the complex movement of forces that are so vital to naval battles, which can be baffling to us land-lubbers.
(I stand by my statements (both), the book could use a couple maps of the Battle of Viesques to give things a sense of scale and position)
Well, we're back in the good 'ol Ring of Fire, it's 1635 and the United States of Europe needs oil to fuel its efforts to adopt up-time technology and continue its technological dominance, and the only place that oil is both plentiful and fairly easy to get at (in terms of technology, geography, and geopolitical concerns) is the Caribbean, particularly Trinidad. Of course, the USE and its allies aren't the only one to realize this opportunity as the French also have their sights on Trinidad and believe they can get the jump on all comers with a bit of subterfuge. At the same time, there's the issue of the elephant in the corner, the massive Spanish New World fleets and armies, guardians of its massive American Empire (and the vital gold and silver shipments that it produces) which dwarf the forces any other nation (or group of nations) can bring into the theater at present, and due to their long-standing policy, they're not interested in sharing any of the Hemisphere (even the parts they don't care about) and have standing orders to literally exterminate any colony that sets up west of the Line of Demarcation. This is particularly vexing for the remnants of the Dutch fleet that fled their disastrous defeat by the League of Ostend (in the book 1633, IIRC), which are huddled in St. Eustacia with the former colonists of Dutch Brazil in a pseudo-alliance with the English colonists of St. Christopher, who have been abandoned by their King after he sold his New World Colonies to the French (again, see 1633). All in all, the Caribbean is a mess and with only limited resources at their disposal, the USE decides to employ a bit of subterfuge and a small force of powerful steam-powered warships in a bold bid to rally the Dutch, seize Trinidad before the French, and break Spanish hegemony of the Lesser Antilles (all while hiding their true objective, the oil fields of east Texas/Louisiana).
Even that much isn't simple, the USE's force is largely crewed by Danes (allied via the Union of Kalmar) who are primarily loyal to King Christian of Denmark rather than Emperor Gustavus Adolphus or the USE, and a number of the leaders have their own reasons for coming along. For Commander Eddie Cantrell, this is particularly true, although he is the senior USE officer in the task force, he is not the senior naval officer though he is the one most familiar with the up-time technology at work in the ships (he also has very little combat experience, apart from getting his foot blown off in a suicidal attack on the Danish fleet (again, see 1633)). At the same time, he is aware that his father-in-law (King Christian) sees the mission as a loyalty test to see if Eddie can prove himself worthy of higher status in court (which Eddie might not give a rat's ass about if it weren't that it would also give his wife better standing, rather than just being the King's daughter (don't ask, it's a feudalism thing, morganatic marriage and what-not)).
Let's get this out of the way, 1636:CCitWI is not one of the best Ring of Fire books.
(well... 2 years later, it's actually starting to feel like one of the better ones, particularly after the minimal action and limited plot movement of the 3 more recent releases)
Don't get me wrong, Eric Flint is to the Thirty Years War as Tom Clancy is to the Cold War, turning that period into an alternate history sandbox with bizarre but realistic-seeming twists and turns that bring about all manner of strange (and fascinating) crises and clashes. The main difference (apart from period setting) is that Flint's techno-thrillers have the time travel element and he's more open about letting others play in his sandbox (such as Chuck Gannon, who is actually one of my favorites among his collaborators, and has released a good science fiction book of his own (Fire with Fire) this past year).
(still very true, love RoF, even if it's taking BLOODY forever to get the next real volume (1636: the Ottoman Onslaught)... 10 more months... I can make it...)
However, I had problems with this volume.
(well... not as much on the 2nd read)
Foremost, while Gannon/Flint use the same shifting perspective that is so common in the series, it actually does less of that chapter-to-chapter than usual, and often you'll go three or more chapters following the same characters and then jump to another perspective. The problem with this is that some characters drop out of the story for long periods of time during which their sub-plot is not advanced (particularly, the Louisiana/Texas expedition is a particular weak point as, after being introduced and featured in a couple early chapters, that subplot is explicitly ignored until the epilogue, which is the only part of the book actually set in 1636, ironically; likewise, after being the focus for much of the first half, the expat Irish Wild Geese mercenaries basically disappear in the second half); this is more notable largely because the story is told from less perspectives than we usually get in Ring of Fire books. There were other cases where this haphazard shifting left certain plot points only tangentially resolved .
(Honestly, I didn't really notice this as much on the re-read, I have no idea how I felt that the Wild Geese dropped out of the story; they do essentially drop from major characters to side characters, but they're still involved throughout the book as shipboard troops and amphibious raiders; on the other hand, the Texas/Louisiana story DOES go nowhere and I'm left surmising that it was something that needed to be checked off a list of things that "needed to happen" to set up a plot element in the next main volume, also the radio bit still doesn't make sense)
Another problem is the weak French storyline. Frankly, Eric Flint hasn't known what to do with the French since book 1. Over and over again, he uses the French as convenient villains but in spite of the damage they cause and Richelieu's obvious dedication to being a peer rival to the USE, the up-timers never seem to take the French seriously as an enemy (or retaliate against them) and never seem prepared to deal with them (don't get me started on how he completely fumbled the Huguenot issue; that and the lack of the promised book about Cromwell's fight against Charles are my two biggest grievances against the series so far) and again and again the French prove to be the foe that's constantly hitting where it hurts most, and the same holds true here.
(I'm in two minds about this one, many of the French characters in this book ARE the worst sort of self-serving short-sighted idiots, but frankly a lot of European colonial struggles in the New World were shaped by just that sort of behavior (see the War of Jenkin's Ear for one example) and the real disparity between what these fools think is of national importance and what's REALLY of importance to Richelieu is actually fairly interesting, but the characters themselves are lame)
I actually didn't mind as much as others that the book is very VERY talk-y, as the political situation in the Caribbean at that time was VERY complex and it provided useful background. Perhaps the biggest problem is that the book is completely incomplete (more so than the books set in Italy), with nothing resolved at the end (hell, the Texas/Louisiana story didn't even get started really), obviously setting the stage for the next book in this sub-series.
(Still as true today as the day I first wrote it, but something I missed the first read-through is that much of the first half of this book is essentially a spy novel and well, spy novels ARE talk-y, but on the completeness issue I have to say that at 600+ pages, this one is plenty long as it is and while I would've like to see certain elements fleshed out a bit more, this is a big meaty volume and I'm just being greedy)
All in all, I'll complain about some of the way the story was put together,
(well, I did, now I feel kind of silly about the whole thing)
but it was still enjoyable
(definitely)
and while it wasn't the best Ring of Fire book (say, any of the mainline ones solely authored by Flint or co-authored with Weber), it certainly was nowhere near any of the worst ones (say, 1636: Seas of Fortune, though at least it did end up serving as set up for a number of this book's story lines),
(With reconsideration and time I'd now say this is one of the better side stories in the RoF universe; in a side note, I still find it bizarre that the USE colony in Guyana (from 1636: Seas of Fortune) is only barely mentioned, admittedly it wasn't a roaring success, but they DID find bauxite and it would provide the USE fleet with another base of support)
and while it could've used a more definitive ending (giving the book a sense of closure while leaving stuff to do in the sequels; taking St. Martin from the Spaniards would've done it),
(I still kind of wish that plot point had been handled but I'm also willing to admit that the book didn't need another hundred pages)
I thought that it did provide a nice beginning for this new sub-series
(I find it increasingly likely that this book isn't going to get a straight sequel and instead will lead in to events in 1636: the Ottoman Onslaught with Eddie returning to the main series character fold given that Eric Flint hasn't mentioned anything about a sequel to this)
Also, if Eric Flint or Chuck Gannon ever reads this, first off, Hi! I love your books! but also, if you're going to do more naval stories, please include battle maps, they're a great way of conveying the complex movement of forces that are so vital to naval battles, which can be baffling to us land-lubbers.
(I stand by my statements (both), the book could use a couple maps of the Battle of Viesques to give things a sense of scale and position)
September 23, 2024
"1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies" is a rip roaring good time. I loved it. It is mostly sea battles so if you like Horatio Hornblower (or Honor Harrington) then this is the book for you.
The Story: This is a time-traveler story as you should now by now. The "West Indies" is the original name for the Caribbean Islands. There is a secret project to drill for oil and in the process drag the 1600s into something resembling ethical behavior. In the meanwhile, a lot of people die.
Any problems with the story? Some of it is a little too complex. It has too many moving marts, if you know what I mean. I got a little upset when toward the end, a lot of the plan is revealed. While I understand why they were doing it, it seemed like the long way around the barn to get there.
Nevertheless, the action is exciting. I enjoy descriptions of sea battles and exactly how it all goes is described in detail here.
"Commander Cantrell" is that knucklehead who fell in love with the daughter of the King of Denmark and was caught alone with her. That was a death sentence and he just barely managed to keep his life. Now he is married to that same girl who actually is a girl. I think she is all of 16 years old now.
You could probably read this book as a stand alone novel but knowing the background is helpful, so read 1632 and 1633. That ought to do it.
I'd read this book again.
The Story: This is a time-traveler story as you should now by now. The "West Indies" is the original name for the Caribbean Islands. There is a secret project to drill for oil and in the process drag the 1600s into something resembling ethical behavior. In the meanwhile, a lot of people die.
Any problems with the story? Some of it is a little too complex. It has too many moving marts, if you know what I mean. I got a little upset when toward the end, a lot of the plan is revealed. While I understand why they were doing it, it seemed like the long way around the barn to get there.
Nevertheless, the action is exciting. I enjoy descriptions of sea battles and exactly how it all goes is described in detail here.
"Commander Cantrell" is that knucklehead who fell in love with the daughter of the King of Denmark and was caught alone with her. That was a death sentence and he just barely managed to keep his life. Now he is married to that same girl who actually is a girl. I think she is all of 16 years old now.
You could probably read this book as a stand alone novel but knowing the background is helpful, so read 1632 and 1633. That ought to do it.
I'd read this book again.
February 10, 2018
Too long. The book is a bit too long, but has a good share of action still. In this book Flint has taken us away from Europe in a Hornblower themed novel. As other books in the series, it's the story, the world building that is interesting, and to a small degree the action. The characters are pretty boring most of them, and even if they are not initially boring, they are not fleshed out enough to keep your interest. Not that I mind, because too much "character development" is also boring.
Half way through the book I was set on giving the book a 2 star grade but the ending, as in many of Flint's books, is better than the way there.
Half way through the book I was set on giving the book a 2 star grade but the ending, as in many of Flint's books, is better than the way there.
October 15, 2017
A rollicking good sea adventure!
Picture in your mind the tales of Horatio Hornblower or the movie Master and Commander. Now add in a dash of 20th century knowledge and some late 19th century technology in the form of radiotelegraphy and steam engines. Put that all into Pirates of the Caribbean and what do you get? You get this novel, which s a lot of fun and a quick read if you like any f the above settings. Highly recommended reading!
Picture in your mind the tales of Horatio Hornblower or the movie Master and Commander. Now add in a dash of 20th century knowledge and some late 19th century technology in the form of radiotelegraphy and steam engines. Put that all into Pirates of the Caribbean and what do you get? You get this novel, which s a lot of fun and a quick read if you like any f the above settings. Highly recommended reading!
August 5, 2015
Love this series love Eddie too. Start at the beginning with 1632.
This installment takes us to the new world and is primarily a naval adventure. Action, romance, military stuff, and of course history and how it changed. Great stuff.
This installment takes us to the new world and is primarily a naval adventure. Action, romance, military stuff, and of course history and how it changed. Great stuff.
April 2, 2019
Eric Flint and co-author Charles Gannon produce another well-researched historic novel in the Ring of Fire series. This time the uptimers, people from a West Virginia town transported to 1632, have created steam sailing ships. Combined with radios and breech-loading cannon they are the scourge of the seas.
Two of them go to the Carribean to secure oil supplies for the growing United States of Europe. Led by Captain Eddie Cantrell who's better at technology than the complex political maneuvers of his downtime captains and admirals, he leans on his gorgeous wife Anne Catherine. As the daughter of the King of Denmark she knows all about politics.
One of the delightful aspects of the book is there are multiple sides and they change alliances quickly and confusingly. You have the Spanish and the Dutch, at war. You have the English and the French and the Irish. You have various Caribbean natives, trying to hold their islands. You have slaves and bondsmen. And you have the USE, led by the uptimers, staunchly anti-slavery. It makes a fine potpourri of politics, punctuated by scenes of great violence.
Anyone who likes historic military fiction mixed with alternate history and time travel will love this one.
Two of them go to the Carribean to secure oil supplies for the growing United States of Europe. Led by Captain Eddie Cantrell who's better at technology than the complex political maneuvers of his downtime captains and admirals, he leans on his gorgeous wife Anne Catherine. As the daughter of the King of Denmark she knows all about politics.
One of the delightful aspects of the book is there are multiple sides and they change alliances quickly and confusingly. You have the Spanish and the Dutch, at war. You have the English and the French and the Irish. You have various Caribbean natives, trying to hold their islands. You have slaves and bondsmen. And you have the USE, led by the uptimers, staunchly anti-slavery. It makes a fine potpourri of politics, punctuated by scenes of great violence.
Anyone who likes historic military fiction mixed with alternate history and time travel will love this one.
March 14, 2024
This is an excellent addition to the 1632 Ring of Fire series.
Eddie Cantrell, the "uptimer" who is seen as the primary right hand man of Admiral John Simpson and one of the key figures in the creation of the USE's navy is now part of a joint expedition between the Lowlands, Denmark and the USE. There is oil to be had in the Caribbean but in order to get it, the allied group will have to kick Spain out of Trinidad and then fend off pirates, French, and a Spaniard retaliation force. What is more, this first "expeditionary" force is now the only force since any reinforcements will be so long in coming and so far away.
This is the first book of the series to take place almost entirely in the "New World" and reading it after two excellent books that took place in Russia just demonstrates just how wide and diverse the Ring of Fire alternate history universe is growing. It is definitely a worthy addition to the series.
Eddie Cantrell, the "uptimer" who is seen as the primary right hand man of Admiral John Simpson and one of the key figures in the creation of the USE's navy is now part of a joint expedition between the Lowlands, Denmark and the USE. There is oil to be had in the Caribbean but in order to get it, the allied group will have to kick Spain out of Trinidad and then fend off pirates, French, and a Spaniard retaliation force. What is more, this first "expeditionary" force is now the only force since any reinforcements will be so long in coming and so far away.
This is the first book of the series to take place almost entirely in the "New World" and reading it after two excellent books that took place in Russia just demonstrates just how wide and diverse the Ring of Fire alternate history universe is growing. It is definitely a worthy addition to the series.
October 6, 2021
I liked this book a heck of a lot. I'm a fan of Eddie Cantrell in general.
I'm always a bit wary about the non main-line books. The ones that don't focus directly on the 4 main characters. I had some very early hit or miss books, when I didn't realize early on that there WERE main-line novels. So many of the misc ones (I thought) sucked and were boring.
I only tried out this (and the next Cantrell book) because I read that the next main-line book was also going to be with Charles Gannon. I basically figured that this and the next Cantrell book might tie in with that upcoming main-line book. Also I figured I'd trust Gannon if he was co-authoring a main-line book with Eric Flint. I'm glad I tried this and the next one out.
I'm always a bit wary about the non main-line books. The ones that don't focus directly on the 4 main characters. I had some very early hit or miss books, when I didn't realize early on that there WERE main-line novels. So many of the misc ones (I thought) sucked and were boring.
I only tried out this (and the next Cantrell book) because I read that the next main-line book was also going to be with Charles Gannon. I basically figured that this and the next Cantrell book might tie in with that upcoming main-line book. Also I figured I'd trust Gannon if he was co-authoring a main-line book with Eric Flint. I'm glad I tried this and the next one out.
August 22, 2019
I wish I could give it a 4.5! -- If you are a sailing buff, a naval war buff, or a fan of David Weber and Eric Flint - this is a great book. Eddie Cantrell is one of the original characters from the original book ("1632") and he's now a Commander helping lead a sailing mission to find oil in the West Indies. The Irish, Dutch, Spaniards, French, and folks from the good old "uptime" USA are all brought together in a variety of coalitions and oppositions as they all pursue Pitch Lake on Trinidad, or are they?
Pirates, a mix of technologies, shifting loyalties, and some independent women in attendance on Eddie's wife, "a King's daughter", but not a Princess, who are not afraid to reload weapons for the men under their Lady's lead and instruction, and a cast of rogues, sailors, and masters of misdirection lead to a good old fashioned romp in the seas around, and on, the Caribbean Islands.
As this IS Book #18 in the series, it is helpful if you have at least read #1, 2 & 3, but might be understandable as a stand alone book as there is some brief reference to to odd manner in which a few folks from 20th century West Virginia end up in Germany in 1636.
Pirates, a mix of technologies, shifting loyalties, and some independent women in attendance on Eddie's wife, "a King's daughter", but not a Princess, who are not afraid to reload weapons for the men under their Lady's lead and instruction, and a cast of rogues, sailors, and masters of misdirection lead to a good old fashioned romp in the seas around, and on, the Caribbean Islands.
As this IS Book #18 in the series, it is helpful if you have at least read #1, 2 & 3, but might be understandable as a stand alone book as there is some brief reference to to odd manner in which a few folks from 20th century West Virginia end up in Germany in 1636.
June 26, 2021
Working on whittling down my Ring of Fire to-read pile. Luckily, my local library had this tile as an audio book on Hoopla, so I spent about the last month in its company as I drove to and from work.
Eddie Cantrell is helping lead an expedition to the Caribbean to scout out the remaining Dutch forces, help secure the oil fields at Trinidad, and disrupt Spanish control in the Caribbean waters. What was supposed to be a recon mission turned into a fight to the death on several fronts when unexpected enemies came out of the woodwork. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
Eddie Cantrell is helping lead an expedition to the Caribbean to scout out the remaining Dutch forces, help secure the oil fields at Trinidad, and disrupt Spanish control in the Caribbean waters. What was supposed to be a recon mission turned into a fight to the death on several fronts when unexpected enemies came out of the woodwork. It will be interesting to see what happens next.
June 28, 2017
I'm still catching up with the Assiti Shards/Ring of Fire 1632 series. However, I highly recommend it for those of you who are willing to read complex plots. The first couple of books are simpler. However, it's 1636 now and the Grantville influence is spreading throughout the world. Eddie Cantrell takes his fleet to secure oil in the "New World".
December 27, 2018
This is another entry in the enormous 1632 series and it’s rather like all the others in that series in that it’s large and complicated and shenanigans happen. If you like the others, you’ll probably like this one and if you don’t, you probably won’t. It kept me going for an entire day on the train, though, so it has that going for it.
April 16, 2021
Liked it, but felt a bit bogged down in my lack of understanding about how the ships were structured or set up. An added explanation of descriptive terms or the common use naval terminology in the book along with the character list and ship type explanations at the back of the book would have been helpful for better comprehension.
January 23, 2018
The title was kind of lame but the book was very good. It is a talky book but a lot goes on and there are a lot of good naval battles. It’s fun that the up-timers are going further afield and it seems like this was a transitional book as well.
September 7, 2018
Not a great one in the series. It has lots of swash, but not lots of clever. Too many coincidences and too much of great people doing mighty deeds and making history. Still, I love the series so I'll keep on reading.
May 20, 2019
Eddie Cantrell: The Man of His Times
The plotlines complimented each other rather than clashed. High seas action, land skirmishes, pirates, oh my! And the scions of G Grantville doing their bloody best to do as well by the New World as they have for Europe and elsewhere.
The plotlines complimented each other rather than clashed. High seas action, land skirmishes, pirates, oh my! And the scions of G Grantville doing their bloody best to do as well by the New World as they have for Europe and elsewhere.
February 21, 2020
Running in the Caribbean
A good yarn, continuing the character development of one Eddie Cantrell, as he grows from a time-displaced teenager to mature, albeit young, naval officer and gentleman.
A good yarn, continuing the character development of one Eddie Cantrell, as he grows from a time-displaced teenager to mature, albeit young, naval officer and gentleman.
August 30, 2024
Age of sail battle sequences always get me 🥴. At this rate I’m gonna end up either rereading the Honor Harrington books again for the fifth time or take the plunge and read the og Horatio Hornblower books.
April 1, 2021
Excellent details and so crazy fun. Loving the evolution of characters and places.
December 11, 2021
great book!
I really enjoyed COMMANDER CANTRELL IN THE WEST INDIES. Just enough plot line, with lots of action. On to the next title!
I really enjoyed COMMANDER CANTRELL IN THE WEST INDIES. Just enough plot line, with lots of action. On to the next title!
October 18, 2023
A lot of fun
I really enjoyed this story. I would like to read more about Eddie and the others in the West Indies.
I really enjoyed this story. I would like to read more about Eddie and the others in the West Indies.
December 10, 2023
Getting tired of all the combat. It's quite repetitive.
December 13, 2023
This was a bit harder to follow and keep track of all the political dealings than the other books in the series. Still an exciting adventure nonetheless.
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