1637: The Volga Rules

1632 Universe/Ring of Fire #19

by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, Gorg Huff

NEW ENTRY IN THE NEW YORK TIMES BEST-SELLING, GENRE-DEFINING ALTERNATE HISTORY SERIES. It’s been five years since a cosmic incident known as The Ring of Fire transported the modern day town of Grantville, West Virginia, through time and space to 17th century Europe. The course of world history has been forever altered. And Mother Russia is no exception. Inspired by the American up-timers’ radical notion that all people are created equal, Russian serfs are rebelling. The entire village of Poltz, led by blacksmith Stefan Andreevich, pulls up stakes to make a run for freedom. Meanwhile, Czar Mikhail has escaped house arrest, with the aid of up-time car mechanic Bernie Zeppi, his Russian associates—and a zeppelin. The czar makes his way to the village of Ufa. There he intends to set up a government-in-exile. It is to Ufa that the serfs of Poltz are heading, as well. The path is dangerous—for the serfs as well as the czar. They face great distances and highwaymen. But the worst threat are those in the aristocracy who seek to crush the serfs and execute the czar in a bid to drive any hope for Russian freedom under their Parisian-crafted boot heels. But the Russians of 1637 have taken inspiration from their up-timer counterparts. And it could be that a new wind of liberty is about to blow three centuries early—and change Mother Russia forever. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). About 1636: The Kremlin “…a well-constructed plot filled with satisfying measures of comedy, romance, political intrigue, and action.”—Publishers Weekly About 1635: A Parcel of "The 20th volume in this popular, fast-paced alternative history series follows close on the heels of the events in The Baltic War, picking up with the protagonists in London, including sharpshooter Julie Sims. This time the 20th-century transplants are determined to prevent the rise of Oliver Cromwell and even have the support of King Charles."—Library Journal About 1634: The Galileo "A rich, complex alternate history with great characters and vivid action. A great read and an excellent book."—David Drake "Gripping . . . depicted with power!"—Publishers Weekly About Eric Flint's Ring of Fire “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 Eric Flint is a modern master of alternate history fiction, with over three million books in print. He’s the author/creator of the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series starting with first novel 1632. With David Drake he has written six popular novels in the “Belisarius” alternate Roman history series, and with David Weber collaborated on 1633 and 1634: The Baltic War and latest Honorverse series entry Cauldron of Ghosts. Flint's latest Ring of Fire novel is 1636: The Ottoman Onslaught. Flint was for many years a labor union activist. He lives near Chicago, Illinois.

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

367 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 5, 2016

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

[Marcus Johnston · Rating 4 out of 5]

This branch in the multiverse really captured my attention and it continues to hold it in this book. The characters are fun, the civil war is good, and the plot moves at a steady pace. The concepts are really interesting and having the Russian version of the constitutional convention was amazing. I'm gonna keep with it!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty good. I hope the sequel comes out next year. :) 2018 re-read: Very enjoyable I hope the EArc of the sequel comes out soon.

[Sylvia McIvers · Rating 2 out of 5]

The series is stretching too far, getting boring. And yet, I keep reading.

[Debrac2014 · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars! I enjoyed this story in spite of the confusing Russian names! Father Yulian is quite a character!

2024 reread after finishing 1638 The Sovereign States! It's still a good read!

[Daniel Shellenbarger · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Volga Rules is the sequel to 1636: Kremlin Games, itself a side-novel in the Ring of Fire alternate history series. In the former book, the Russian government hired a frequently drunk and depressed up-time Grantville resident Bernie Zeppi (whose mother died following Grantville's relocation to 17th century Europe due to the lack of modern medicines) to come east and help bring the wonders of modernity to mother Russia. Thanks to his experiences with the horrors of medieval serfdom and downtime seasonal plagues, Bernie snaps out of his depression and helps the Russians achieve some impressive advancements; however, even as he helps to introduce 17th Czarist Russia to 20th century American sanitation, road-building, radio, and weaponry, the ideas that he brings with him become the basis of a political crisis within Russia, one that (at the end of Kremlin Games) boils over into a civil war between the powerful director of the Bureaus, Shremetev, who is opposed to democratic reforms and emancipation of the serfs and the moderate Czar Mikhail, who ends up emancipating the serfs. Now the Czar and his followers have fled to the foot of the Ural mountains to build up a new Russian government in exile while Director Shremetev enacts Stalinist purges to ensure his control of the state and root out Czarist loyalists and radicals. Shremetev has most of the advantages as the majority of the army and the technological infrastructure created by Bernie and his compatriots are under his control, but due to the fact that he has built his entire course of action on the claim that the up-timers have used witchcraft to force the Czar to support their vile reforms he must attack in a circuitous manner to maintain that illusion and prevent the Army (many of whom still loyal to the czar in concept though believing he is bewitched) from turning on him. Meanwhile as Shremetev's playing Stalin and the Czar is holed up in the back of beyond, Russia is coming apart at the seams as all the various disparate groups that have been held together by the Czar's might are clamoring for independence and many others are fearful of supporting the Czar or the Director and have sought to strike out on their own. All in all, Russia is a mess and if the forces of reform and liberty are to succeed then not only will they need to use all their industry, political acumen, and ingenuity but they're going to have to compromise.

I really liked what the team of authors did with this one. I don't know if it's because this has been a long-gestating novel, but I was impressed with the level of thought that they put into the political complexities of the Russian Civil War (and of a Russian Constitutional Convention) and how the various compromises compare to the experiences of the United States of Europe (in the Ring of Fire universe), whose own formation was a strange series of starts, mis-starts, compromises, and fait accomplit reforms. Likewise, they do a lot of thinking about the complexity of throwing semi-modern weaponry into what is otherwise a highly feudal-medieval system of warfare. The Russians on both sides have repeating rifles at their disposal that are essentially World War 1 level tech, but their artillery and other areas lag far behind. Whereas in the main-line books, the USE has a sufficiently robust industrial and technological base that it has been advancing on just about every technological concept conceivable, the Russians just don't have the base of educated personnel or industry and thus they have to pick and choose and it makes things... unusual and means that this book has a lot more technological innovation going on than most of the recent novels. I also liked the new characters (particularly the ex-serf villagers) and the authors' decision to fade Bernie (who was an okay but not great character) into more of a background role. The writing is also less silly (the first book had an extended Rocky and Bullwinkle-related series of jokes that I appreciated as a fan of the old cartoon but ultimately felt kind of forced) and that helps with the challenging situations our protagonists face. All in all, this is a really solid addition to the Ring of Fire series (particularly compared to the French and English side novels) and pushes the Russia storyline forward significantly (and with certain plot events near the end, it may end up merging with the main storyline as Russia East potentially allies with Sweden and the USE against Russia West and Polish-Lithuania), even getting into 1637 (and if you're wondering, no, the story doesn't even mention the Ottoman War (though the ongoing USE-PLC war is mentioned without details repeatedly), which is... strange, particularly since the Russians get a loan from the Bank of Austria at one point; I suspect that because the early drafts of this book were done long before 1636: The Ottoman Onslaught they chose to do their best to avoid the issue entirely and prevent any sort of retcon problems) for the first time in the series to date (OMG! That is one monster of a parenthetical phrase, sorry, but not sorry enough to fix it). Finally, just want to note that it's got a map with Swedish Livonia on it; earlier maps, particularly the one from 1636: Kremlin Games (which also appears here), show Swedish Ingria (in modern day terms: northern Estonia and the portion of Russia around St. Petersburg, which was founded by Peter the Great in the 18th century on the site of the Swedish fortress of Nyenskans, which appears several times in this story) but PLC Livonia (that is, modern day southern Estonia and northern Latvia), which makes no sense since Sweden conquered Livonia in 1629, 2 years before the RoF, while it's conceivable the PLC might've retaken the territory, none of the stories to date have mentioned it and such an attack would undoubtedly have opened a second front in the Polish War and probably forced the Danes to enter the war as it would be an attack on Union of Kalmar territory, so good work to whoever realized that they'd made a mistake and fixed it.

[Jo · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another Ring of Fire story that just quit without any conclusion. That is enough to make my unhappy but there was more that was a disappointment. This series was character driven but that was not true in this book. There was more about how to change uptime to downtime with the story jumping between scenes that could have been left out and not damaged the book. I also felt that the authors missed the opportunity to add scenes that would have added more emotion to the story. A disappoint. Hope better for other stories by other authors.

[Redsteve · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent sequel to 1636: The Kremlin Games, and a worthy addition to the Ring of Fire series. Like the best RoF novels it has history/alternate history, politics (especially a Russian constitutional convention organized by exiled Czar Mikhail Romanov), warfare on both small scale (escaping villagers vs. bandits) and large (Russian civil war), technology (airships, icebreakers, guns and rockets, radio, metallurgy, etc.) and a cast of interesting characters. Unlike Kremlin Games, this novel focuses more on the downtime Russians rather than the uptimers - Bernie Zeppi and Brandy Gorchkov (nee Bates) still figure in the story, just less prominently. With luck, there won't be as long a break until the next book of the Russian Thread.

[Audra · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've enjoyed most of the books in the Ring of Fire series but this is the first one that left me feeling unsatisfied. The series has always had a cast of thousands but there was no one in this book that I really felt invested with. The books that are co-authored deal with side characters which isn't an issue save for the fact that there's so much else going on. The ability of the Russians to go from zero to 100 technologically left me feeling ... meh. It's not a bad book but it's not a great book and the characters just didn't draw me into their story. I think I'll stick to the main books from now on and leave the sidebars to others.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been eagerly anticipating this novel for years and could no longer resist having it when Baen.com offered it in eARC format for kindle. Read it cover to cover in two days and enjoyed every minute of it. This novel picks up where The Kremlin Games left off so I highly recommend you read that novel first so you understand the characters and background in depth. You can read this as a stand alone volume because the basics are covered well enough, but you might miss out on some of the more rich flavor and depth of development if you skip the first novel.

[Leigh Kimmel · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this one, because I'd enjoyed the previous book in this sequence, even if it wasn't one of the strongest volumes in the Ring of Fire 'verse. But this one simply wasn't as interesting or enjoyable as the previous ones. Part of the problem was Bernie Zeppi no longer being the principal protagonist. His romance with Natasha was very much a minor thread, and a lot of it was internal politics and social dynamics of the pre-Petrine Russian state, which I found tedious, when I wasn't wincing at the gross errors of usage.

It may just be another example of the expert being unable to enjoy popular fiction in their area of expertise. And there is the simple problem that yes, monolingual speakers of English often complain that the proper usage of the Russian name is *too hard* to deal with, too taxing on their memory. They may put up with it (albeit grudgingly) if it's clearly a translated work by a Russian author, but if the author is clearly an Anglophone writing in English, they want the names anglicized for their convenience.

And then there was the problem of characters who seemed to be present-day people in period costumes. It may be difficult for the average writer (or reader) to appreciate just how seriously seventeenth-century Russians took their faith. They genuinely viewed it as a matter of eternal life and death, not just something you did to fit in and gain the approval of your peers or your superiors.

Maybe someone who has only a basic interest in Russia, but hasn't studied it extensively, would enjoy it much more than I did.

[Margaret · Rating 5 out of 5]

The 1632 series is, by far, my favorite alternate history series. Especially since they have now covered areas FAR from Central Europe (where Grantville, W.Va. found itself displaced both in time and space).

1637: The Volga Rules is the direct sequel to 1636: The Kremlin Games. Czar Mikhail has escaped Moscow with his family (and his life) to Ufa (to the East near the Ural Mountains, but not as far as Siberia).

Fedor Ivanovich Sheremetev, as Director-General supposedly ruling in Mikhail’s name, had taken charge in Moscow and fervently hoped Czar Mikhail would fall in battle when his troops got to Ufa.

The country is now on the verge of civil war. Both Sheremetev and Mikhail, of course, maintain that only he is the rightful leader of Russia.

Czar Mikhail issues a proclamation freeing Russian serfs (similar to the Emancipation Proclamation in the U.S.) and then later says he wants to be a constitutional monarch (like, for instance, Gustav Adolph of Sweden).

I enjoyed both the political maneuvering and the introduction of advanced 20th century technology to 1637 Russia.

Yes, they have radios transmitting Morse Code but the stations can only send/receive within 20 miles so you set up a station every 20 miles!

The roads in Russia are horrible so, if you can, you go by river. Both sides also have dirigibles, as well!

Another highly satisfying read and highly recommended for alternate history fans!

[BJ Richardson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Russian Patriarch has been assassinated. Czar Mikhail was kidnapped, but now he is on the run with the "uptimer" Bernie and those in favor of freeing the serfs and modernizing Russia. But the Aristocracy and traditionalists hold Moscow and most of the country. Their puppet new Patriarch is claiming that the Emperor us "under a spell" by these evil uptimers, needs to be rescued, and any dictates coming from him should be ignored until he is.

Russia is in a civil War with a Boyar named Shremetev leading the traditionalists (and looking more and more like Stalin or Ivan the Terrible as time goes on) and Czar Mikhail is calling for a Constitutional Congress from his new, temporary capital of Ufa. It seems only a matter of time before he gets steamrolled into nonexistence.

While this book is a good action/political alt history book, it is clear that Flint doesn't know much about 17th century Russia. You simply have to expand your credulity beyond any reasonable limit to buy into the actions and motivations of the various players here. That is why I can say with confidence that no Russians (or Cossacks or Khazars) were harmed (or consulted) in the making of this novel.

[Kay · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally finished this one. Part of the delay was that I read it in hardcover format and my lifestyle precludes doing that except when I am at home and can devote time to sitting down and holding a physical book to the exclusion of all other activities. Also, this is not a book that can be read just a few pages at a time. The setting sprawls over Russia and its environs and the characters are many, most of whom are referred to by their full Russian names.

While I enjoyed this storyline's predecessor 1636: The Kremlin Games, the scope here was much harder to follow and the ending seemed quite rushed after all the setup and detail given in the beginning.

I'm glad I read this entry in the ROF series for completeness' sake if nothing else, but it is one of my least favorite stories. That said, I look forward to what will happen next in the history of post-Grantville Russia since a few of the subplots have intriguing elements to them.

[hCharles Obert · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like historical fiction that is heavily seasoned with the names and places of our actual history, many of them showing response in character with the way they acted in our history...
Let me recommend the entire Ring of Fire series...
Not to be confused with the Johnny Cash of the same name (and for those who don't know) This story line begins when highly advanced alien race is dabbling in their favorite form of art work and swap a West Virginia town from about 1999 with the same size piece of real estate in central Germany and leave these hillbillies in 1632.
This book picks up the story line five years later when the Russian Czar and his rivals in Moscow find that push came to shove...

[Ken Kugler · Rating 4 out of 5]

1637: The Volga Rules, by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett and Gorge Huff, is a take on what is happening in other parts of Europe with the “Grantville Effect” changing the world. Here we are seeing the aligning of different political sections, royalty, serfs and religious groups vying to remake or keep in place POWER in Russia.
This is too complex to get into with all the new names and groups but, with a bit of a struggle to keep everything in place, it was a satisfying addition to the pantheon of this ever expanding alternative universe.YEAH!!

[Andy Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

Once more, the collaboration of Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, and Gorg Huff create a satisfying alternative history in '1637: The Volga Rules.'

Mixing blood-thirsty action with wry humor the authors lead the reader around 17th century Russia geographically and politically. Throw in 'up-time', 21st-century technology from Grantville, the West Virginian town teleported from the future, and you have an endlessly fascinating mix.

I recommend this book to fans of Russian history, alternative history, military sci-fi, and Eric Flint.

[Gail · Rating 4 out of 5]

The czar in exile. There are only a few Americans in Russia, and when the czar escapes the hunting lodge where he's been sequestered, they go with them. Czar Mikhail is trying to set up a new Russia where serfs are free, and many of them are fleeing the lands where they've been bound to join him. Then the Mongols show up.

This is a fast-moving story with little time for emoting. It's virtually all plot, which is not unusual for these stories. It's a fun read, ranging all over the place... mostly in Russia, but there's a lot of space in Russia. I liked it.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

It has been a while since I read about the characters and events continued in this book, so it took me a while to figure out what was going on in this part of the 1637 universe. It is also possible that I missed part of the story. Once I got up to speed, I was still a little bit lost. This story might better be enjoyed with a map to refer to instead of listening to an audiobook and trying to remember the geography of Seventeenth century Russia. However, I still enjoy all the worldbuilding and the what ifs that this series presents.

[Jim Purcell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of moving parts in this episode, all with Russian surnames including a smith AKA Stefan Andreevich. The balls are juggled nicely as this story of class and technology differences evolves to add the vastness of eastern Europe to the Assitti Shards Epic. The slow pace of action required by the inadequacies of transport option is adroitly handled by a vignette style of writing that changes locals and casts frequently. This book is a solid addition to the outstanding "Ring of Fire" world created by Eric Flint

[William H · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great Book But..

I'm glad I reread 1636 The Kremlin Games. A good read. 1637: The Volga Rules was another good read. It did slide eventually into a bit of political nation building. But not to much and was well offset by many well written adventures, a few good battle scenes and just rollicking good fun. Considering the number of years between the two books(6?), I hope I live to the read the conclusion.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Exploring how the 1632 Grantville folks are changing the world even when the tech is far away. I enjoyed how they are exploring where the American ideas fit and don't fit into the Russian world. Some changes here are not as simple as they were in Germany. Several sets of characters that are fun to follow. Recommend reading 1636: The Kremlin Games shortly before this book because the characters in the Kremlin Games get a very short introduction in the Volga rules.

[Beau · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very entertaining. Cool characters. Lots of drama in Russia. A civil war simmers, and while we do have some battles, and we do have some dirigibles, and some steamboats, and even an icebreaker. But what we don't have is resolution of the central conflict.

Cool. That means we'll be getting 1638: Back in the USSR sooner or later. I'll read it!

[Valerie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book very much though I did get confused a few times due to the Russian names & had to refer to the previous novel to remember who was who. The characters are very interesting & mostly likeable. I enjoy the world created by Eric Flint & enhanced by his many collaborators, I am looking forward to more about the USSR.

[James · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is possibly middle of the Russian arc started in 1636: The Kremlin Games, assuming there will be three books. Reading about the writing of a Russian constitution was fun and at least one of the rulers of the 'states' signed on to assure that his son would succeed him, a big and hairy problem in monarchies and empires. A decent read, but it shouldn't be your first in this series.

[Cindy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Need to have read earlier books

Unlike some Ring of Fire books, Volga Rules needs the basis of earlier books in the series. The characters grow, but you need to know too many terms in order to understand fully what is happening. That said, it is a well planned and executed mid-series title.

[MAB LongBeach · Rating 3 out of 5]

Five years after the Ring of Fire, Russia is in the middle of a civil war. The tsar has fled to the east and is gathering loyalists and runaway serfs. The usurper's forces are sending armies to oppose him.

A reasonable entry in this long-running series, but nothing special.

[charles a leonard · Rating 4 out of 5]

the 1632 Ring of Fire series continues in this well-written story. We travel back to Russia to see how the event that brought Grantville has affected all of those living there....politically, economically, technology wise...all aspects of life. A hard to put down read that I highly recommend.

[David · Rating 4 out of 5]

A book that moves along at a brisk pace except for one point that drags for about 20 pages being overly technical. Some might even say that the book moves along to quickly but I think this pace works. Not nearly as convoluted as some of the previous volumes have been. I’d like more like this.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second book in the Russian branch of the 1632 series. If you've generally liked the previous books in the series, you'll probably like this. The characters aren't especially memorable and the plot moves along sedately, but in a pleasant enough way.

[Annarella · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and had quite high expectations for this book.
All my expectations were met: the book is a real page turner and you must keep on reading to see what is going to happen.
Cannot wait for the next instalment.
Many thanks to Baen and Edelweiss