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Ring of Fire Main Line Novels #5
1636: The Saxon Uprising
The West Virginia town of Grantville, torn from the twentieth century and hurled back into seventeenth century Europe has allied with Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, in the United States of Europe. So, when Gustavus invades Poland, managing to unite all the squabbling Polish factions into repelling the common enemy, the time-lost Americans have to worry about getting dragged into the fight along with the Swedish forces.
But Mike Stearns has another problem. He was Prime Minister of the USE until he lost an election, and now he’s one of Gustavus’s generals; and he has demonstrated that he’s very good at being a general. And he’s about to really need all his military aptitude. Gretchen , who never saw a revolution she didn’t like, has been arrested in Saxony, and is likely to be executed. The revolutionary groups which she has been working with are not about to let that happen, and suddenly there’s rioting in the streets. Saxony’s ruthless General Baner is determined to suppress the uprising by the time-honored “kill them all and let God sort them out” method, which only adds fuel to the fire. So Gustavus orders Mike Stearns to go to Saxony and restore order. But he makes one mistake.
He didn’t tell Mike to take his troops along on the mission. But he didn’t tell him not to, either . . .
But Mike Stearns has another problem. He was Prime Minister of the USE until he lost an election, and now he’s one of Gustavus’s generals; and he has demonstrated that he’s very good at being a general. And he’s about to really need all his military aptitude. Gretchen , who never saw a revolution she didn’t like, has been arrested in Saxony, and is likely to be executed. The revolutionary groups which she has been working with are not about to let that happen, and suddenly there’s rioting in the streets. Saxony’s ruthless General Baner is determined to suppress the uprising by the time-honored “kill them all and let God sort them out” method, which only adds fuel to the fire. So Gustavus orders Mike Stearns to go to Saxony and restore order. But he makes one mistake.
He didn’t tell Mike to take his troops along on the mission. But he didn’t tell him not to, either . . .
608 pages, Audible Audio
First published March 29, 2011
84 people are currently reading
705 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 64 reviews
July 23, 2014
The second half of the huge novel started in Eastern front - this one ends very well the main thread from there and of course continues the epic saga of the different 17 century that resulted from the transplantation of Grantville, W Va 2000 in Thuringia 1631; the books breathe new life in a series that was going stale with all the tedious details hashed in the side stories that lost my interest and I hope Mr. Flint will keep delivering mainstream series books since the rest are usually fan-fic in quality and ok in small doses but not as main series carriers
all the main characters appear and as usual Mike Stearn, the 9 year old Christina, Ulrik and now the aristocratic Polish spy who finds himself a main player in the defense of Dresden by the revolutionaries take center stage whenever they appear, though there are snippets from almost everyone; other notable characters that take over the pages are the 3 year old Barry, the adopted son of Rebecca and Mike (and who supposedly would have been the famous philosopher Baruch Spinoza in our universe - and already at 3 he shows the signs, so Mike is determined to raise him a bit wilder :) ), Colonel Hand the cousin of Gustav Adolf, while from the villains Prime Minister Wettin gets a better role than i expected, though Oxiensterna is shown as much stupider than I expected also - though of course the rush of events can make anyone lose it...
Of course Mad Max is fun too in his few moments - we are promised a showdown for the next book - and there so many snippet-ed characters that play the gallery that you can pick and choose; and the Sultan Murad has one scene that promises a lot for that part of the world's action
This volume (including its first half of course) while lacking the coherence of the original books that made the series so popular (1632, 1633, 1634 Baltic War) - which is understandable considering how the series sprawled everywhere - shows why 163* is the best alt-history series around and possibly ever
all the main characters appear and as usual Mike Stearn, the 9 year old Christina, Ulrik and now the aristocratic Polish spy who finds himself a main player in the defense of Dresden by the revolutionaries take center stage whenever they appear, though there are snippets from almost everyone; other notable characters that take over the pages are the 3 year old Barry, the adopted son of Rebecca and Mike (and who supposedly would have been the famous philosopher Baruch Spinoza in our universe - and already at 3 he shows the signs, so Mike is determined to raise him a bit wilder :) ), Colonel Hand the cousin of Gustav Adolf, while from the villains Prime Minister Wettin gets a better role than i expected, though Oxiensterna is shown as much stupider than I expected also - though of course the rush of events can make anyone lose it...
Of course Mad Max is fun too in his few moments - we are promised a showdown for the next book - and there so many snippet-ed characters that play the gallery that you can pick and choose; and the Sultan Murad has one scene that promises a lot for that part of the world's action
This volume (including its first half of course) while lacking the coherence of the original books that made the series so popular (1632, 1633, 1634 Baltic War) - which is understandable considering how the series sprawled everywhere - shows why 163* is the best alt-history series around and possibly ever
January 5, 2021
2018 re-read: Superb.
June 30, 2018
Good story! Ulrik and Kristina are a great match! Long live the King! Really like his cousin Erik Hand! He's good with a gun!
August 13, 2017
DELICIOUS!
What a fun read.
This is one you wait for..
"The Prince" at his best.
Really everyone is good.
Ed P., Gretchen, Jeff. Ulrich...The main line story really pays off in this one.
A little politics. A little battle.
Fun.
What a fun read.
This is one you wait for..
"The Prince" at his best.
Really everyone is good.
Ed P., Gretchen, Jeff. Ulrich...The main line story really pays off in this one.
A little politics. A little battle.
Fun.
April 15, 2011
These just keep getting better!
March 1, 2024
When the cat is away, the mice will play.
At the end of The Eastern Front, Emperor Gustav suffers a head injury in battle that leaves him, for a time, witless. This is that time.
Axel Oxenstierna gathers all of the discontented noblemen in Berlin with the goal of rolling back the clock on all these "democratic" changes that have been happening since the Ring of Fire. Since Princess Christina refuses to meet them there, it ends up being a Coup rather than a Regency. This puts the Committees of Correspondents in the unusual position of being the ones supporting and upholding the legitimacy of the crown.
Meanwhile, Baner is laying siege to Dresden where Gretchen Richter is running the vanguard of AE's opposition. Mike Stearns (now a general) waits for the perfect storm to end the threat, rescue the city, and put an end to Oxenstierna's plans.
This is one of the core books to the main plotline in the Ring of Fire Universe and it is definitely a very good read. Of course, you can't just pick up the series here, but for those who are familiar to the series, this one is a worthy addition.
At the end of The Eastern Front, Emperor Gustav suffers a head injury in battle that leaves him, for a time, witless. This is that time.
Axel Oxenstierna gathers all of the discontented noblemen in Berlin with the goal of rolling back the clock on all these "democratic" changes that have been happening since the Ring of Fire. Since Princess Christina refuses to meet them there, it ends up being a Coup rather than a Regency. This puts the Committees of Correspondents in the unusual position of being the ones supporting and upholding the legitimacy of the crown.
Meanwhile, Baner is laying siege to Dresden where Gretchen Richter is running the vanguard of AE's opposition. Mike Stearns (now a general) waits for the perfect storm to end the threat, rescue the city, and put an end to Oxenstierna's plans.
This is one of the core books to the main plotline in the Ring of Fire Universe and it is definitely a very good read. Of course, you can't just pick up the series here, but for those who are familiar to the series, this one is a worthy addition.
May 18, 2012
Fun alternative history fiction, thankfully without the whole 'Ram' episode which brings up the one drawback to this sprawling series: it's close to impossible to keep everything straight, to know which book to read in which order. Some are close to unreadable (see the 'whole Ram episode' comment in the first sentence) and some are just random tales with no contextual relationship to the main characters that attracted me to the series in the first place. I understand what the author is doing and applaud the audacity of it and am amazed at the sprawling nature and the 'completist' atmosphere. But, with that said, the Gazettes and other superfluous books/novellas/shorts/etc seem to me to be rather tedious at times.
This book, in the main storyline, with the main characters, is WONDERFUL. As are all the main storyline books. Well worth reading, well worth following along for the ride.
This book, in the main storyline, with the main characters, is WONDERFUL. As are all the main storyline books. Well worth reading, well worth following along for the ride.
September 5, 2016
Ok I really liked this one, the fifth star is a little border line but this was one of the more enjoyable books in the series. It felt more focused like it knew were it was going and went there wrapping up at least more of the threads than normal in this series although it laves room for more problems in the future.
Mike Sterns has just lost the position of prime minster of the USE to Wettin, a conservative who wants to roll back many of the changes made by Mikes Forth of July party. Unfortunately he has friends some who are even more aggressive about going back to the old ways, putting The aristocracy back in power and the presents back in its place. This may mean civil war.
Again the best part of the book is the politics not that theirs not fighting and not that the fighting isn't good, but this series has been excellent about making the politics worth reading.
Mike Sterns has just lost the position of prime minster of the USE to Wettin, a conservative who wants to roll back many of the changes made by Mikes Forth of July party. Unfortunately he has friends some who are even more aggressive about going back to the old ways, putting The aristocracy back in power and the presents back in its place. This may mean civil war.
Again the best part of the book is the politics not that theirs not fighting and not that the fighting isn't good, but this series has been excellent about making the politics worth reading.
February 23, 2019
The previous volume, The Eastern Front, ended with one heck of a cliffhanger. Gustavus Adolphus had gone charging into battle and received a head injury that left his mind addled. Aphasia, the technical term provided by the up-time doctor.
And that leaves a power vacuum that the Swedish prime minister, Oxensternia, decides to fill. It's time to turn back the clock on some of these ridiculous notions of freedom and equality.
Except a people who have become accustomed to working together in a civic society are not as easy to put down as bands of angry peasants in rebellion.
It's a nice, readable book about ordinary hard-working people pulling together, although here and there the author's politics do show up enough to be annoying if you don't share them.
And that leaves a power vacuum that the Swedish prime minister, Oxensternia, decides to fill. It's time to turn back the clock on some of these ridiculous notions of freedom and equality.
Except a people who have become accustomed to working together in a civic society are not as easy to put down as bands of angry peasants in rebellion.
It's a nice, readable book about ordinary hard-working people pulling together, although here and there the author's politics do show up enough to be annoying if you don't share them.
January 14, 2018
So it turned out that the book "1635: The Eastern Front" was really a book cut in half. That explains some of its strange temperament. This is the other, longer half, and story threads are actually brought to some kind of conclusion, be what it may.
For that, I'm awarding it a bonus star. The main value of this book series remain as a thought experiment. What would modern technology, history, knowledge, religion and politics, and culture, do it transplanted into 1630. Is this a plausible series of events? Maybe. You make your own decision.
For that, I'm awarding it a bonus star. The main value of this book series remain as a thought experiment. What would modern technology, history, knowledge, religion and politics, and culture, do it transplanted into 1630. Is this a plausible series of events? Maybe. You make your own decision.
September 28, 2023
3 1/2 but not a bump as the last book was really the beginning of this book. And now all the consquences though, in this book we get a lot more of our characters, less of the bit military players and their thoughts and battle plans which gets tedious. That is still present but not as much but it is why I docked the star. It is just too much and I would drift, to the point of putting the book down and reading a couple others, and I did that twice. It ended up taking a week to get through a normally 2 day read. So the drag.
This is a continuation of some of my favorite characters from 1632, which was one of my favorite scifi books. 1635: Eastern Front and 1636: The Saxon Uprising are really one story with cliffhangers in the first that make that book "part 1", also the first book dragged more than the second to get the people in place. Part 2 was really quite a good read for our characters but could have been 100 pages less in military drone. More succinct would've been nice to get our characters stories along with the battles that they've excelled at and why. So I am only giving 3 though it is a close call, "part 1" actually pulls this one down as it had probably 200 pages of military drone that could have been 30. I think an good editor could cut this by 300 and make one 500 page book. It was worth the read but I'm not sure if I'll read on and definitely not any that are not the mainline.
This was on Hoopla
50% update review- This starts right where the Eastern Front leaves off, except that it involves more of the uptimers from our beloved 1632 and has much more of them figuring out and deciding things. David Bartley, one of Jeff's uptime friends and finance genius, has the notion of creating their own money, back by Sterns, we get to see them discuss and try to pass it off to merchants. We have Rebecca as a head to the the 4th of July party, along with Ed Piazza, discussing the possibility of civil was and the signs that it was already happening. Then later the caring of her baby and Jenny who is the nanny that spends more time than she does, yet she nurses because it has stopped her fertility. (Many nursing mothers cease having periods and are not fertile until they stop nursing but unluckily doesn't always occur) So birth control is limited to newly made condoms. I would think that they would have figured out diaphragms, sponges, too along with possible IUDs. And when finish with the number of kids wanted a quick snip to the man is quite easy and could be taught as outpatient and even at home with trained doctor's surgery. I would have liked more in this but I'm sure we are going to the civil war and battle after battle, but luckily that has not started yet.
Here's the people that matter
This is a continuation of some of my favorite characters from 1632, which was one of my favorite scifi books. 1635: Eastern Front and 1636: The Saxon Uprising are really one story with cliffhangers in the first that make that book "part 1", also the first book dragged more than the second to get the people in place. Part 2 was really quite a good read for our characters but could have been 100 pages less in military drone. More succinct would've been nice to get our characters stories along with the battles that they've excelled at and why. So I am only giving 3 though it is a close call, "part 1" actually pulls this one down as it had probably 200 pages of military drone that could have been 30. I think an good editor could cut this by 300 and make one 500 page book. It was worth the read but I'm not sure if I'll read on and definitely not any that are not the mainline.
This was on Hoopla
50% update review- This starts right where the Eastern Front leaves off, except that it involves more of the uptimers from our beloved 1632 and has much more of them figuring out and deciding things. David Bartley, one of Jeff's uptime friends and finance genius, has the notion of creating their own money, back by Sterns, we get to see them discuss and try to pass it off to merchants. We have Rebecca as a head to the the 4th of July party, along with Ed Piazza, discussing the possibility of civil was and the signs that it was already happening. Then later the caring of her baby and Jenny who is the nanny that spends more time than she does, yet she nurses because it has stopped her fertility. (Many nursing mothers cease having periods and are not fertile until they stop nursing but unluckily doesn't always occur) So birth control is limited to newly made condoms. I would think that they would have figured out diaphragms, sponges, too along with possible IUDs. And when finish with the number of kids wanted a quick snip to the man is quite easy and could be taught as outpatient and even at home with trained doctor's surgery. I would have liked more in this but I'm sure we are going to the civil war and battle after battle, but luckily that has not started yet.
Here's the people that matter
March 26, 2018
This should be read in concert with The Eastern Front as it is the denouement of many of the threads set into motion in the former book. The resolution of the almost-civil war is satsifying. The trope of stating what happens in various places at key milestones of the story wore a little. But the characters shown and we're getting an interesting take on Ulric and Kristina that will play out later as well as the deaths of various minor and not so minor characters. I thoroughly enjoyed these two books and look forward to more of Michael Sterns exploits and what Rebecca and Gretchen get themselves up to.
April 21, 2021
Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, orders his general, former local UMWA president Mike Stearns of West Virginia, to go to Saxony and restore order. Gretchen Richter of the Committees of Correspondence has been arrested there and is likely to be executed. The revolutionary groups with which she has been working are not about to let that happen, so suddenly there's rioting in the streets. Saxony's ruthless General Baner is determined to suppress the uprising, so Mike and his army of transported 20th century West Virginians set off to protect Gretchen and her revolutionaries.
June 4, 2018
A great one. This is the return to the big political picture of the world as it's changed by the ring of fire. Lots of good ideas about how the world of politics works (if a bit rose coloured) and lots of fun. Also a set piece battle idea and some siege tech and more of the interesting effects of know-how without the tech to back it up (yet).
May 24, 2022
Gustavus Adolphus the Emperor of the "United States of Europe" has received a head wound in battle. His Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna has filled the power vacuum. This makes it very complicated for the citizens of Grantville and its leader Mike Stearns, who is in the field leading an army from Bavaria.
December 26, 2017
I didn't realize this was the 12th book in the series.
The story dragged on because the author continually went off on seemingly random tangents and then jumped back into the original train of thought.
The story dragged on because the author continually went off on seemingly random tangents and then jumped back into the original train of thought.
October 27, 2024
Reads well, but odd segues and humor
I enjoyed the continuation of the story lines for the key characters. No new weaponry is introduced. Seems disjointed at times with excursions into humor more tongue in cheek than funny.
I enjoyed the continuation of the story lines for the key characters. No new weaponry is introduced. Seems disjointed at times with excursions into humor more tongue in cheek than funny.
November 3, 2017
This one was a ton of fun and threw in some really fun curveballs. It was very fast paced and had a lot of humor thrown in. It’s books like this that revitalize the series after some duds.
Read
October 21, 2019Was a really good read. Enjoyed the pace and action.
January 1, 2021
at least i finished it.
June 15, 2022
Saxony sundered
Too many principalities and political factions to count. Dense in history. I like the characterization s. Lots of strong thoughtful personalities.
Too many principalities and political factions to count. Dense in history. I like the characterization s. Lots of strong thoughtful personalities.
October 17, 2023
Baner, dead! Oxensternia, dead! Democracy, alive!
November 6, 2023
This was great. There were some very amusing moments in how it was written. I loved the snapshots depicting how events were received by different parties.
May 5, 2020
++This is a super alternate history series. Gustav II Adolf Vasa King of Sweden, Emperor of the USE, High King of the Union of Kalmar Has suffered an injury rendering him comatose and the Swedish Chancellor Axel Oxenstierna has spirited him off to Berlin, Brandenburg, United States of Europe ostensibly to recover, but he allows no visitors or doctors that he does not personally approve. And he begins to consolidate his power sending Saxony into revolt and other political entities into a state of flux. Since Lennart Torstensson and the larger portion of the USE Army are set to defend a distant area, only General Mike Stearns and the 3rd Brigade are left to try to put down the uprising since the Air Force and the Navy must remain neutral except peripherally.++
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 11, 2020
In this book, Gustav Adolph’s cousin quietly investigates the circumstances around Chancellor Oxenstierna’s power grab and the ensuing succession crisis, Gretchen, the Committees of Correspondence defend Dresden, and various other groups, rise in opposition to Oxenstierna’s attempt to take over the government. (And are able to play it quite convincingly that they’re on the side of the angels–because they are–since Oxenstierna is deliberately trying to change the entire system that had already been decided upon by everyone, and everyone else are continuing to play by the rules already deciding on and more or less fighting back to maintain those rules.)
Oxenstierna’s power grab begins to crumble under the forces of Gretchen’s CoC organization and direct opposition from the rest of the USE. Another big blow is that Ulrik and Kristina (actually, it was more Ulrik since Kristina while very intelligent, is only eight) are supporting the opposition. They flee to Magdeburg and engage in a war of publicity with Oxenstierna, who can’t do very much about it. (I again, I feel the need to point out that while Kristina and Ulrik are in fact betrothed this is a political arrangement and historically noble marriages on occasion had really, disparate ages between husband and wife. Kristina and Ulrik’s situation is unusual in that they are in each other’s company a great deal. In most cases, they most likely would have finally met on the day of the actual wedding, when Kristina came of age.)
While all of this is going on, Gustav Adolph, the Emperor of the USE is not getting the medical attention he needs, and a head injury has left him with aphasia, leaving him unable to communicate coherently. (One of the big issues is that Oxenstierna wouldn’t let Dr. Nichol’s treat Gustav Adolph, choosing to interpret “not much can be done” as “nothing at all can be done” and making him leave. From there he decided to do a power grab because he didn’t like the changes that the “downtimers” were bringing.) Fortunately, Gustav does begin to recover, though he now suffers from convulsions because of the head injury.
In addition to all of this, there is a hint that there is about to be a conflict of some kind coming from the direction of the Ottoman Empire.
While I did like this book, I have the same problem with it that I did with the previous one: there is a jump in the chronology of the series and certain events that we know happened haven’t actually been written about yet. I find this to be kind of frustrating in general. (For instance, as much as I love Brust’s Vlad Taltos books, the chronology drives me insane because it’s not very linear. The Ring of Fire series is about a hundred times worse because it’s not a single-author series, it’s a massive collaboration between many authors and Eric Flint. It is a very big complicated mess.) I feel that in some ways, this book is split up between too many different points of view for a book of this length, and a lot of the situations go by in a blur. This will be a difficult book to get into if you aren’t already familiar with the series.
Oxenstierna’s power grab begins to crumble under the forces of Gretchen’s CoC organization and direct opposition from the rest of the USE. Another big blow is that Ulrik and Kristina (actually, it was more Ulrik since Kristina while very intelligent, is only eight) are supporting the opposition. They flee to Magdeburg and engage in a war of publicity with Oxenstierna, who can’t do very much about it. (I again, I feel the need to point out that while Kristina and Ulrik are in fact betrothed this is a political arrangement and historically noble marriages on occasion had really, disparate ages between husband and wife. Kristina and Ulrik’s situation is unusual in that they are in each other’s company a great deal. In most cases, they most likely would have finally met on the day of the actual wedding, when Kristina came of age.)
While all of this is going on, Gustav Adolph, the Emperor of the USE is not getting the medical attention he needs, and a head injury has left him with aphasia, leaving him unable to communicate coherently. (One of the big issues is that Oxenstierna wouldn’t let Dr. Nichol’s treat Gustav Adolph, choosing to interpret “not much can be done” as “nothing at all can be done” and making him leave. From there he decided to do a power grab because he didn’t like the changes that the “downtimers” were bringing.) Fortunately, Gustav does begin to recover, though he now suffers from convulsions because of the head injury.
In addition to all of this, there is a hint that there is about to be a conflict of some kind coming from the direction of the Ottoman Empire.
While I did like this book, I have the same problem with it that I did with the previous one: there is a jump in the chronology of the series and certain events that we know happened haven’t actually been written about yet. I find this to be kind of frustrating in general. (For instance, as much as I love Brust’s Vlad Taltos books, the chronology drives me insane because it’s not very linear. The Ring of Fire series is about a hundred times worse because it’s not a single-author series, it’s a massive collaboration between many authors and Eric Flint. It is a very big complicated mess.) I feel that in some ways, this book is split up between too many different points of view for a book of this length, and a lot of the situations go by in a blur. This will be a difficult book to get into if you aren’t already familiar with the series.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 4, 2012
Another strong entry in the sprawling "Ring of Fire" universe.
This one picks up directly from the end of 1635: The Eastern Front and pushes the narrative even further into 1636. It's a fascinating series, premised on the idea of what would happen if you took an entire West Virginia mining town and dropped it into the middle of Europe during the 30 Years War.
I particularly enjoy when Flint (and whomever his co-writer is) focus on the overarching political narrative embodied by some of the most prominent actors in this universe (Mike Stearns, Gustave II Adolph, etc.) and what the implications are for Europe and how things are shaking up with the political and national structures. The interjection of Democracy and Republicanism (in the political system sense, not the US political party) into a feudal society, the competing interests of stability and empire, and so forth has been really fun and well-handled.
Here, there's really interesting in the inevitable reaction to the hard push of Stearns and most of the Americans against the nobility and the privileges of citizenship, as well as the military demands of imperial ambitions.
Flint has done a good job of not making the "up-timers" too perfect (they still have the personal flaws that most people do); Stearns is the closest, but he really only dominates to a particularly high degree in the arena that his background and experience make him expert in. Otherwise, his greatest skill is ability to set aside ego enough, delegate out tasks beyond him, and inspire sufficient loyalty (well-earned through the course of the books and prior) to maintain trust and dedication to accomplish the goal. Several times Flint does make a note about why all the "up-timers" we run across in the book seem to be doing so well that makes sense: even the most basic education and familiarity with modern technology that any of them have make them amongst the best educated in Europe and give them skills that will be in demand almost anywhere.
It's a well-done book: the politics make sense and the personalities are fascinating to read, the military tactics are intriguing but not overdone, and the conclusion sets in order the next stage in evolution.
This one picks up directly from the end of 1635: The Eastern Front and pushes the narrative even further into 1636. It's a fascinating series, premised on the idea of what would happen if you took an entire West Virginia mining town and dropped it into the middle of Europe during the 30 Years War.
I particularly enjoy when Flint (and whomever his co-writer is) focus on the overarching political narrative embodied by some of the most prominent actors in this universe (Mike Stearns, Gustave II Adolph, etc.) and what the implications are for Europe and how things are shaking up with the political and national structures. The interjection of Democracy and Republicanism (in the political system sense, not the US political party) into a feudal society, the competing interests of stability and empire, and so forth has been really fun and well-handled.
Here, there's really interesting in the inevitable reaction to the hard push of Stearns and most of the Americans against the nobility and the privileges of citizenship, as well as the military demands of imperial ambitions.
Flint has done a good job of not making the "up-timers" too perfect (they still have the personal flaws that most people do); Stearns is the closest, but he really only dominates to a particularly high degree in the arena that his background and experience make him expert in. Otherwise, his greatest skill is ability to set aside ego enough, delegate out tasks beyond him, and inspire sufficient loyalty (well-earned through the course of the books and prior) to maintain trust and dedication to accomplish the goal. Several times Flint does make a note about why all the "up-timers" we run across in the book seem to be doing so well that makes sense: even the most basic education and familiarity with modern technology that any of them have make them amongst the best educated in Europe and give them skills that will be in demand almost anywhere.
It's a well-done book: the politics make sense and the personalities are fascinating to read, the military tactics are intriguing but not overdone, and the conclusion sets in order the next stage in evolution.
August 26, 2024
I've read "1636: The Saxon Uprising" earlier in the year (2015) and loved it. I'm not sure how I missed reviewing it. It features Gretchen Richter (Jeff Higgins' wife) as the main character, and she does her best to beat the living snot out of... well.. she gets her way a lot.
The story: Well... without giving away too much... it looks like a civil war is looming in the United States of Europe while Mike Sterns is stuck in Poland with his army and too far away to help. The key to stopping the civil war is in Dresden, so Gretchen Richter manages to enter the city, and before the siege has begun she is in charge of the city in all but name. She is the goddess of freedom that the Committees of Correspondence worship, and they are in awe of her husband, Jeff Higgins, who they suspect must be made of steel to handle the heat when she is displeased. (Lucky for Jeff that Gretchen loves him so much. Very lucky.)
FYI, the cover shows Gretchen standing on the tallest tower of Dresden while she holds a radio. This suggests that she is directing the battle, but this is false. Eric Flint has commented before that the cover doesn't always match what is in the book. It is the publisher who determines what goes on the cover.
Modesty issues? The same as in the previous book, "1635: The Eastern Front". The F-word is used. The pending marriage of Princess Christine (8 years old) and Prince Ulric (full grown man) is prominent within the story. There is no sex between them. (Be serious.) He acts mostly as an advisor to Princess Christine.
I'd read this book again... and I already have.
The story: Well... without giving away too much... it looks like a civil war is looming in the United States of Europe while Mike Sterns is stuck in Poland with his army and too far away to help. The key to stopping the civil war is in Dresden, so Gretchen Richter manages to enter the city, and before the siege has begun she is in charge of the city in all but name. She is the goddess of freedom that the Committees of Correspondence worship, and they are in awe of her husband, Jeff Higgins, who they suspect must be made of steel to handle the heat when she is displeased. (Lucky for Jeff that Gretchen loves him so much. Very lucky.)
FYI, the cover shows Gretchen standing on the tallest tower of Dresden while she holds a radio. This suggests that she is directing the battle, but this is false. Eric Flint has commented before that the cover doesn't always match what is in the book. It is the publisher who determines what goes on the cover.
Modesty issues? The same as in the previous book, "1635: The Eastern Front". The F-word is used. The pending marriage of Princess Christine (8 years old) and Prince Ulric (full grown man) is prominent within the story. There is no sex between them. (Be serious.) He acts mostly as an advisor to Princess Christine.
I'd read this book again... and I already have.
May 23, 2013
I think I need to start reading these books closer together to keep better track of all the story threads going on. I know that there are several different threads going on with both uptime and downtime characters and that the same general group of characters may or may not be featured in books and also that the books aren't being released in true chronological order sometimes makes it difficult to keep the overall story straigh in my head.
I still enjoyed the interplay between uptimers and downtimers and enjoy the technology/espionage/military aspects of these books. However, there is also a lot of politics in these stories that (for me) takes away from the overall story.
I'll keep reading these books because I do enjoy the premise and because I'm almost caught up (not counting all the Grantville Gazettes) and the characters are interesting.
I still enjoyed the interplay between uptimers and downtimers and enjoy the technology/espionage/military aspects of these books. However, there is also a lot of politics in these stories that (for me) takes away from the overall story.
I'll keep reading these books because I do enjoy the premise and because I'm almost caught up (not counting all the Grantville Gazettes) and the characters are interesting.
February 1, 2011
Flint has successfully revitalized the 1632 series with this installment, building off the adroitly hinged cliffhanger of 1635: The Eastern Front. The limitless nature of this exhaustive alternate fantasy world can be intimidating, even confounding - a feeling of dislocation is no stranger while navigating this behemoth - but the main-line thread following Stearns and Richter always bring a sense of engagement and focus often lacking in most of the secondary, off-shoot threads. That could have something to do with Flint's amount of involvement, no?
And he certainly left me wanting more - whether learning the outcome of Stearns's Bavarian adventure or seeing the result of Sultan Murad's onrushing surge.
And he certainly left me wanting more - whether learning the outcome of Stearns's Bavarian adventure or seeing the result of Sultan Murad's onrushing surge.
April 8, 2012
With Gustavus Adolphus gravely injured, Europe is on the verge of civil war. The "rebels" must contain themselves and let the new Prime Minister and the Swedish Chancellor blow their chances at achieving a takeover. Mike Stearns, known as the Prince, first as a derisive term and later as one of endearment, must navigate a world with many different factions. His ability to navigate he political waters at a dangerous time will sink or save the U.S.E. as it seems headed to the a hard war across Europe.
The plot is a carefully thought out what if/will happen sequences of events as the history/timeline get thrown more out of sorts. The story does wind up a little too pat for me at the ending but it was still a satisfying addition to the 1632 world of alt history.
The plot is a carefully thought out what if/will happen sequences of events as the history/timeline get thrown more out of sorts. The story does wind up a little too pat for me at the ending but it was still a satisfying addition to the 1632 world of alt history.
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