What do you think?
Rate this book
Ring of Fire Main Line Novels #4
1635: The Eastern Front
Alternate history master Eric Flint returns to top form with an epic addition to the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series.
A cosmic accident sets the modern town of Grantville, West Virginia, down in war-torn 17th-century Europe, and a new nation is forged. Now after carving a place for itself among the struggling powers of Western Europe, Grantville must throw up its eastern bulwarks against Dark Age domination. But the challenge for the down-time Eastern European horde is just as great: how to crawl out of a deeper feudal shadow than any in the West - and step into the light of freedom.
A cosmic accident sets the modern town of Grantville, West Virginia, down in war-torn 17th-century Europe, and a new nation is forged. Now after carving a place for itself among the struggling powers of Western Europe, Grantville must throw up its eastern bulwarks against Dark Age domination. But the challenge for the down-time Eastern European horde is just as great: how to crawl out of a deeper feudal shadow than any in the West - and step into the light of freedom.
528 pages, Audible Audio
First published October 1, 2010
65 people are currently reading
742 people want to read
About the author
Eric Flint
250 books873 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews
October 16, 2010
The 1632 series has been suffering lately with Virginia DeMarce unwisely gaining more and more opportunities to write plotless novels within the shared universe. Thankfully, Flint has taken back control of the series's direction with this novel, and (outside of the terrible cover) it is a successful effort - if somewhat stymied and rushed and thinly-stretched across multiple character viewpoints - with a crisis threatening the health and progressive spirit of the USE coming to a head in a genuine cliff-hanger of an ending. The first half of a potentially good novel by one of the more imaginative alternate fantasy writers this side of Turtledove and Resnick.
September 22, 2023
Goodreads stole my review. So the 80% holds but I summarized the whole plot according to the characters that matter in a matter of 2 paragraphs. All the rest is battles, skirmishes, military plots and machinations, and much of it with characters that don't matter to me and too many to remember or care about. And then we are left in a cliffhanger and here is where our people are...
So not as in detail as my first but enough. And really this isn't even close to being what 1632 was all about. A modern town, with modern knowledge and sensibilities figuring how to live in the past and how to integrate families and values with just some side battle and wars. This is all battles and war and lot and lot of players and characters that I could care less about. I have to trudge through to get to the story and characters I care about and I got so little of them. I will read on to see where we get but this will be it. The wars and battles and not more of the living and learning and interesting interactions... this doesn't even come close to comparing to 1632 but at least it wasn't 1634: The Bavarian Crisis, which really had nothing for me but a bad plot. We are back to our mainline characters and we do get inched forward with a few of them. Wish there was more than battles and war to push them forward. And a cliffhanger so the storyline is two very long books long rather than complete in this one.
My 80% review below holds after reading the whole. This is part one and the second part is in 1636: The Saxon Uprising. From everything I read, this was the set up. This was a few major battles and Mike becoming more of a general, Jeff an officer (that for some reason left his extra guns somewhere else), the assassin getting away, the Polish capturing , Gretchen working in the background, King Gustav running straight into battle, the other side getting , Gustav's wife and daughter left with a 26 yo fiance to 8 yo daughter. That was the more interesting dynamic as it is totally dynastic and NOT yet strange as it probably will get if they marry by the 15-16 standard of the time. So we get very little true interaction of our main character, get a bunch of side characters and other side characters that I cannot care about or keep straight. Here is where our main characters are So not a lot of our wonderful characters from 1632 and not a lot of new wonderful addition to the era, instead only battles and using the information of uptime to complicate war on both sides and have more battles, and more spying, and battles, and NOT add a better way of life, education and living, though there is a little of it, it is NOT the main or even secondary plot and there are so so many plots on different fronts with different character, multiple on each front, city, battle, assassination, skirmish, etc... but life going on, marriages, figuring how uptime knowledge can help keep our Grantville together and thriving, nope. Jeff and Gretchen are rich, but what does that matter when we only get that they got a house and then back to war and battle and spying. Sorry this is NOT 1632 level of great, it isn't even great but maybe OK to good and not a storyline of battles that I want to read. I'll read the next book to finish up these plot lines but dread having to trudge through the military plots and machinations of characters that don't matter and half that are killed off.
80% in that is disappointing and realize that this is ending in a cliffhanger. It started really good for me with a little change of POV to characters that really just loose my track of mind but then come back to my main characters that I care about. There are so, so many characters and battles that I cannot care about that I only end up liking the furthering of Mike, Jeff, the princess and prince and Melissa, Jeff's friend that gets in battle, a little Adolf Emp of Sweeden and USE, and that is about it. I'm not going to look up those names as there are so many that I get them confused. I need a list of the players if I cared to understand their parts and what they play. It takes a while to know whose head I am in as the names are meaningless at this point. The Polish assassin that flees to the city, arg, this could have been told so much better and left out in some ways. There is so much telling of the possible battle in what none interesting characters think about the battles, etc... and less about our characters. I saw a book review from some magazine that calls this characters driven but it is more about the wars and rain and problems in the war, than the main characters that we want more of. I would give this a 3 but it then has so little forward in the pages and page of slog that ends in a cliffhanger, that I will probably give it a 2. Still could surprise me with a great ending but I suspect more of the same and even a great ending won't bring the 3 up that is firmly in my mind. Heading for a 2.
On a positive, much better than the non-mainline books that splitter off to characters that have no interest for me whatsoever and continue the mind numbing battle historic tellings.
Hoopla audio
So not as in detail as my first but enough. And really this isn't even close to being what 1632 was all about. A modern town, with modern knowledge and sensibilities figuring how to live in the past and how to integrate families and values with just some side battle and wars. This is all battles and war and lot and lot of players and characters that I could care less about. I have to trudge through to get to the story and characters I care about and I got so little of them. I will read on to see where we get but this will be it. The wars and battles and not more of the living and learning and interesting interactions... this doesn't even come close to comparing to 1632 but at least it wasn't 1634: The Bavarian Crisis, which really had nothing for me but a bad plot. We are back to our mainline characters and we do get inched forward with a few of them. Wish there was more than battles and war to push them forward. And a cliffhanger so the storyline is two very long books long rather than complete in this one.
My 80% review below holds after reading the whole. This is part one and the second part is in 1636: The Saxon Uprising. From everything I read, this was the set up. This was a few major battles and Mike becoming more of a general, Jeff an officer (that for some reason left his extra guns somewhere else), the assassin getting away, the Polish capturing , Gretchen working in the background, King Gustav running straight into battle, the other side getting , Gustav's wife and daughter left with a 26 yo fiance to 8 yo daughter. That was the more interesting dynamic as it is totally dynastic and NOT yet strange as it probably will get if they marry by the 15-16 standard of the time. So we get very little true interaction of our main character, get a bunch of side characters and other side characters that I cannot care about or keep straight. Here is where our main characters are So not a lot of our wonderful characters from 1632 and not a lot of new wonderful addition to the era, instead only battles and using the information of uptime to complicate war on both sides and have more battles, and more spying, and battles, and NOT add a better way of life, education and living, though there is a little of it, it is NOT the main or even secondary plot and there are so so many plots on different fronts with different character, multiple on each front, city, battle, assassination, skirmish, etc... but life going on, marriages, figuring how uptime knowledge can help keep our Grantville together and thriving, nope. Jeff and Gretchen are rich, but what does that matter when we only get that they got a house and then back to war and battle and spying. Sorry this is NOT 1632 level of great, it isn't even great but maybe OK to good and not a storyline of battles that I want to read. I'll read the next book to finish up these plot lines but dread having to trudge through the military plots and machinations of characters that don't matter and half that are killed off.
80% in that is disappointing and realize that this is ending in a cliffhanger. It started really good for me with a little change of POV to characters that really just loose my track of mind but then come back to my main characters that I care about. There are so, so many characters and battles that I cannot care about that I only end up liking the furthering of Mike, Jeff, the princess and prince and Melissa, Jeff's friend that gets in battle, a little Adolf Emp of Sweeden and USE, and that is about it. I'm not going to look up those names as there are so many that I get them confused. I need a list of the players if I cared to understand their parts and what they play. It takes a while to know whose head I am in as the names are meaningless at this point. The Polish assassin that flees to the city, arg, this could have been told so much better and left out in some ways. There is so much telling of the possible battle in what none interesting characters think about the battles, etc... and less about our characters. I saw a book review from some magazine that calls this characters driven but it is more about the wars and rain and problems in the war, than the main characters that we want more of. I would give this a 3 but it then has so little forward in the pages and page of slog that ends in a cliffhanger, that I will probably give it a 2. Still could surprise me with a great ending but I suspect more of the same and even a great ending won't bring the 3 up that is firmly in my mind. Heading for a 2.
On a positive, much better than the non-mainline books that splitter off to characters that have no interest for me whatsoever and continue the mind numbing battle historic tellings.
Hoopla audio
November 21, 2021
After the first three books in the “mainline” story stream, this is a ....huge....disappointment.
Clearly, the intent is to stretch out the storyline without “using up” major characters.
Worse.... for those who have paid attention inthe earlier books to the characters - their likes, background, ways of acting at decision or action points — the author has chosen to warp some of these characters to provide him a path forward.
An example....at a crucial point in a battle....Jeff Higgens is almost killed because....he ran out of ammunition for his pistol! Grotesquely unbelievable! Having just left Gretchen... he would be loaded down with spare weapons and ammo. And, he would NEVER have left behind the pump shotgun from which....in the first three books he was NEVER separated.
There are other instances in which the author deliberately deformed major characters to use cheap plot devices...rather than investing in the work.
Not an entirely honest book.
Clearly, the intent is to stretch out the storyline without “using up” major characters.
Worse.... for those who have paid attention inthe earlier books to the characters - their likes, background, ways of acting at decision or action points — the author has chosen to warp some of these characters to provide him a path forward.
An example....at a crucial point in a battle....Jeff Higgens is almost killed because....he ran out of ammunition for his pistol! Grotesquely unbelievable! Having just left Gretchen... he would be loaded down with spare weapons and ammo. And, he would NEVER have left behind the pump shotgun from which....in the first three books he was NEVER separated.
There are other instances in which the author deliberately deformed major characters to use cheap plot devices...rather than investing in the work.
Not an entirely honest book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 24, 2011
Another good contribution to the 1632 oeuvre. The play had strong action elements and good coverage of events across the European front.
The main disappointment for me was the poor character development. Furthermore, some of the jumps in the story took a moment to understand since they were not in a clear continuum with the story flow.
Still, this appears to set up some pretty interesting follow on plots in the next book.
The main disappointment for me was the poor character development. Furthermore, some of the jumps in the story took a moment to understand since they were not in a clear continuum with the story flow.
Still, this appears to set up some pretty interesting follow on plots in the next book.
February 10, 2025
We're back in the good 'ol Ring of Fire, it's 1635, and the war with the league of Ostend is all but over: France is defeated and falling towards Civil War, Denmark has switched sides as part of a new Union of Kalmar, and England was never really that interested anyway, which just leaves Spain, who, for all their military power and animosity, has no way of directly fighting the United States of Europe and is more focused on the fact that their tactical victory in the Netherlands has turned to a massive strategic defeat as the new Hapsburg King in the Netherlands has largely turned his back on his Spanish family in favor of securing a stable and thriving nation tentatively allied to the self-same USE. With the USE's borders secure, all that remains is for Gustav Adolphus to repay the back-stabbing Saxon and Brandenburg traitors who refused to stand by him in his hour of need; of course, if he can carve some Polish territory off for good measure, well... his up-timer American allies are just going to have to accept that Emperors will be Emperors. At the same time, not everyone is happy with the way history is turning out, a band of Huguenot assassins are plotting to rekindle the war with France and now that up-timer Mike Sterns has been ousted as PM in USE elections, revanchist elements within the USE are gathering behind the new PM, Wilhelm Wettin, eager to stop the spread of democracy and restore the privileges of nobility while the army is away in the east. Likewise, in the wake of the victory over the Saxons, pro-democracy elements are gathering in Dresden in hopes of bringing Saxony into the USE as a republican province.
Reading the main series Ring of Fire books is always so... breathtaking, so much big history happens in each volume as people make choices and nations rise and fall from their outcomes (which is what makes reading the side-books such a frustrating experience, since the stakes are never as high and important things just don't seem to happen all that much). In this case, we have a number of people making really bad choices. The electors of Saxony and Brandenburg stupidly refuse to bend the knee after betraying their oaths during the war with the League of Ostend and lose everything as a result, the Poles are stupidly prodding the USE when they ought to be making concessions to avoid a fight, Gustavus Adolphus is trying to settle some old scores by fighting a largely unnecessary war with Poland, the Huguenot assassins are once again setting things in motion that they can't control, Wilhelm Wettin is selling his good sense to maintain political power, and Axel Oxenstierna is letting his sense of feudal privilege supersede his responsibility to his King and his King's wishes. The result of all these bad choices is an unholy mess of conflict and political chaos: in other words, it's a lot like real history but with more humor and more likable characters.
Unlike previous main series books, the majority of the book follows down-time characters rather than up-time characters. This reflects that the story has moved to a point where the Americans' initial technical knowledge and superior education are being matched by other characters who have been soaking up everything brought down-time. Thus, apart from Mike Sterns (now General) and Jeff Higgins (nowLieutenant/Captain/Colonel, poor guy), who are at the sharp point of the stick leading the USE's forces in Saxony and then Poland, almost all the story is from down-timer perspectives. It's an interesting shift and it works really well. As a result, this book is far more streamlined than previous volumes since it feels no obligation to catch us up on everyone we've followed to date, and comes in at a trimmer 400 pages rather than the 500-600 pages of its predecessors. However, it gains this streamlining by cutting off a lot of side-stories. As many RoF readers have bemoaned for years, it is at this point that we lost track of the England storyline, which was such a focus of 1633 and 1634: the Baltic War, a storyline that wasn't pushed forward for a decade until the release of the recent 1635: A Parcel of Rogues (which is mostly set BEFORE this book), which brings up a troubling issue. Having just read that book last month, and since both involve the Huguenot assassins, it is disturbing to see how they are portrayed as a largely urbane political movement, seeking to push the USE into war with France in this book but are portrayed as some sort of crazy religious zealots in the more recent book, eager to murder anybody allying with uptimers and their ideas of freedom of religion (acting like some sort of Protestant Hezbollah). This strikes me as a fairly major continuity problem since the assassins in this book have no problem with the USE's religious attitudes even though months earlier they seem to have considered them to be the devil's own (can't remember what their attitude was in the Galileo Affair and I haven't read Dreeson Incident so I can't comment on that). Problematic: not this book's fault but still.
I will say that this book isn't a complete story, this and 1636: the Saxon Uprising were pretty obviously originally written as one story but were split up because it would've been as long as a Brandon Sanderson epic. Even so, with Eastern Front, Eric Flint pushed the story in some interesting and organic new tangents that make for fascinating and entertaining reading.
Reading the main series Ring of Fire books is always so... breathtaking, so much big history happens in each volume as people make choices and nations rise and fall from their outcomes (which is what makes reading the side-books such a frustrating experience, since the stakes are never as high and important things just don't seem to happen all that much). In this case, we have a number of people making really bad choices. The electors of Saxony and Brandenburg stupidly refuse to bend the knee after betraying their oaths during the war with the League of Ostend and lose everything as a result, the Poles are stupidly prodding the USE when they ought to be making concessions to avoid a fight, Gustavus Adolphus is trying to settle some old scores by fighting a largely unnecessary war with Poland, the Huguenot assassins are once again setting things in motion that they can't control, Wilhelm Wettin is selling his good sense to maintain political power, and Axel Oxenstierna is letting his sense of feudal privilege supersede his responsibility to his King and his King's wishes. The result of all these bad choices is an unholy mess of conflict and political chaos: in other words, it's a lot like real history but with more humor and more likable characters.
Unlike previous main series books, the majority of the book follows down-time characters rather than up-time characters. This reflects that the story has moved to a point where the Americans' initial technical knowledge and superior education are being matched by other characters who have been soaking up everything brought down-time. Thus, apart from Mike Sterns (now General) and Jeff Higgins (now
I will say that this book isn't a complete story, this and 1636: the Saxon Uprising were pretty obviously originally written as one story but were split up because it would've been as long as a Brandon Sanderson epic. Even so, with Eastern Front, Eric Flint pushed the story in some interesting and organic new tangents that make for fascinating and entertaining reading.
June 14, 2018
Good story! Gustav had a grudge match with a worthy opponent!
January 12, 2018
I skipped the Dreeson Incident book since its reviews were not good and I think it worked out. You do get that book spoiled by learning about the big events though I can not see how they could have taken as many pages as that book is.
There is one observation I have about this book. The series has
. I don't think I'm a fan of that.
The main events in this book centers around Mike Stearns, General in the USE Army, and conflicts between states as well as between groups inside states. This is a more action packed book than some of the others and I like that, but I don't like the writing technique of making a character into an imbecile to allow a certain mistake to be made, followed by the same character being a genius the next chapter. Or paragraph. It seems way to contrived.
So grading. I will give it three for the action and ease of read despite the characters' strange behaviour.
There is one observation I have about this book. The series has
. I don't think I'm a fan of that.
The main events in this book centers around Mike Stearns, General in the USE Army, and conflicts between states as well as between groups inside states. This is a more action packed book than some of the others and I like that, but I don't like the writing technique of making a character into an imbecile to allow a certain mistake to be made, followed by the same character being a genius the next chapter. Or paragraph. It seems way to contrived.
So grading. I will give it three for the action and ease of read despite the characters' strange behaviour.
October 4, 2020
I'm glad I decided to reread this series. I'm also glad I read some article by the author that talked about the main-line series, that he recommended reading first. The problem I had with the series before was all the side-stories quite utterly lost my interest in the main thing. So many side characters doing so many things that weren't as interesting as this main line series has been.
When I'm done with the main line stuff, I'll probably still try reading some of the various side stories and see what I think.
When I'm done with the main line stuff, I'll probably still try reading some of the various side stories and see what I think.
November 9, 2021
I enjoyed the read, numerous sub plots. However the book ended almost mid sentence. In the previous book in the series England featured but no mention of Cromwell in this one. I thought that the main series would include all the main events, however Dreeson was killed between the last book and this one; or did I forget? Perhaps I should have read them all? Unfortunately I think I will have to give up.
March 16, 2018
2018re-read: excellent.
February 17, 2024
The League of Ostend has been thoroughly whipped. France is in chaos as Richelieu is losing his grip on power after the nation has been so thoroughly defeated once again on the battlefield. Spain is still reeling as the Spanish Netherlands have joined with Amsterdam to become a new country allied with the United States of Europe. After being whipped on the Baltic Sea, Denmark left the League to join Sweden and the USE in a new Union of Kalmar (this time with Adolph as the senior partner). And England has a lame-duck king who is too concerned at home with staving off the upcoming English Revolution to be of any real value to the league.
So what is an ambitious Emporer to do who keeps moving from victory to victory? Look east, of course. The rebellious states of Brandenburg and Saxony need to be punished. And, while we are at it, why not snap up Poland as a new conquest while we are at it? Well, perhaps because they are led by one of the greatest generals on the continent, your forces are spread too thin, and enough time has passed that great minds are starting to devise ways to counter the uptimers technological advantages? Perhaps Gustav has bit off more than he can chew?
Mike Stearns wants nothing to do with the war, but since he was voted out of office and appointed a general in the army, he must do his part to remain politically relevant and to continue to be a driving force among the changes that are sweeping the world since the late 20th-century city of Grantville was planted right into the middle of Germany during the 30 years war.
So what is an ambitious Emporer to do who keeps moving from victory to victory? Look east, of course. The rebellious states of Brandenburg and Saxony need to be punished. And, while we are at it, why not snap up Poland as a new conquest while we are at it? Well, perhaps because they are led by one of the greatest generals on the continent, your forces are spread too thin, and enough time has passed that great minds are starting to devise ways to counter the uptimers technological advantages? Perhaps Gustav has bit off more than he can chew?
Mike Stearns wants nothing to do with the war, but since he was voted out of office and appointed a general in the army, he must do his part to remain politically relevant and to continue to be a driving force among the changes that are sweeping the world since the late 20th-century city of Grantville was planted right into the middle of Germany during the 30 years war.
April 21, 2021
Three years ago the West Virginia town of Grantville was hurled into the 17th century by alien technology. The United States of Europe, formed by their alliance with the progressive King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, continues to expand eastward. Former UMWA president/Prime Minister Mike Stearns is appointed a general and ordered to carry the Thirty Years War into Brandenburg and Saxony.
June 16, 2017
I loved much more of this story than not, even if it was a bit disjointed in spots.
Thankfully, I have the next book already, and don't have to wait to see what happens when Stearns and company (along with the CoC groups) do when faced with the nobles who want to turn back the clock.
Thankfully, I have the next book already, and don't have to wait to see what happens when Stearns and company (along with the CoC groups) do when faced with the nobles who want to turn back the clock.
October 21, 2017
Even though I am not a huge military fiction fan, this book was really fun for me. It advanced the main storyline in a new and interesting way and had a lot of character development. This was definitely one of the more dynamic books in the series.
June 28, 2018
Excellent read
This is really more of a four and a half star book then simply a four star. Well written an researched. Well paced for the most part though it bogs down a little on the descriptions of battle. Very readable.
This is really more of a four and a half star book then simply a four star. Well written an researched. Well paced for the most part though it bogs down a little on the descriptions of battle. Very readable.
October 15, 2020
Another good read in the series with end-loaded fast action that leads you right into the following book with a hearty, swear worthy cliffhanger. Good thing I have the following book on hand or it would be a tough wait.
October 8, 2023
It has been a while since I read any books from this series, so it took a while to reorient myself. The first part was a lot of political intrigue that I had trouble following. But once I got back into the storyline, I was hooked. I am looking forward to the next one.
August 15, 2024
Back to the main-line story. Enjoyed this quite a bit but felt very much like a “part 1” book with 1636 Saxon Uprising being part 2. I think they coulda just been combined and it woulda been about the length of the 1636 papal stakes.
January 4, 2018
strong storyline makes up for the jumping narration point, but points to the next book where earth shattering things will happen.
March 8, 2018
A much better book than the last one in this series. More of the big picture and interesting looks at history and the clash of ideas. Less romance though.
July 1, 2022
Riveting Book.
Another in the continuing saga of Granville and Europe in the 17fh century. Lots of action, and it left me eagerly anticipating the next book.
Another in the continuing saga of Granville and Europe in the 17fh century. Lots of action, and it left me eagerly anticipating the next book.
August 5, 2022
This is the first alternate history that I have read.
It was very confusing.
I will not be reading another one.
It was very confusing.
I will not be reading another one.
March 17, 2023
Good story.
October 5, 2023
Winged hussars!!
January 5, 2024
Lots more fighting. And lots more stupidity. The Swedish royal family's guards were useless!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 4, 2024
The action and politics are nonstop. It's hard to put this book down. War is coming.
August 25, 2024
This book has an innocuous title which kept me from reading it. I realize now that it is a lead up to 1636: The Saxon Uprising, so the books must be read as a pair. I had read the Saxon Uprising long before, and while I enjoyed it immensely, it became even better with the context provided by 1635: The Eastern Front. FYI, the Eastern Front ends in a cliffhanger.
The Story: Mike Stearns, the former prime minister of the United States of Europe, is now a major general. He is part of the army that will take Brandenburg and Saxony. Although he opposes invading Poland, King Gustav insists, so Mike has no choice but to obey. Mike worries that he doesn't have experience with large armies even though he has won several major battles defending Grantville and surrounding territories. When his men get out of hand he establishes the Hangman Regiment to enforce law and order rather have his army raping and looting as was the case with most armies of the day... even with the "good guys". Along with all of this, the French Huguenots continue their assassination campaign trying to fire up another war between France and King Gustov.
Any problems with this story? It starts off a little weird with a discussion on what makes money work. The army must be paid, so Mike Sterns uses his printing press to create army script. There is an explanation as to how this would work. After all, it's only paper, no more than an IOU, but it is backed by Mike Stearn's reputation. These are called "Beckys". I would call them Becky Bucks. The explanation for how it would all work was correct, but not adequate for those not familiar with how money works. For an economist's explanation I suggest reading "Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell. For a fun way to learn it, I suggest reading "Debt of Honor" by Tom Clancy where a war is sparked by an attack on the USA economic system. (FYI, this is also the book that predicted a 9/11 attack on the USA.)
Any modesty issues? Well... the same modesty issues as throughout the series. The F-word is used quite a bit. There is also an arranged marriage between 8 year old and a full grown man. The story made it seem normal because it was at that time. Such things were common amongst the aristocracy in order to make certain the line of succession was arranged for, but at age 8 no sex was contemplated for the couple. Be serious. For example, I recall in history that a king of England had a 10 year old wife. He commented that this was ideal since he could raise her just as he wanted her to be (for him). Again, no sex was involved at that age. Parents arranging marriages for their children have been going on for centuries, and they are still going on today. It doesn't mean that the kids are having sex.
As I said before, the story ends in a cliffhanger. The sequel, 1636: The Saxon Uprising, resolves the cliffhanger. I'd read both books again.
The Story: Mike Stearns, the former prime minister of the United States of Europe, is now a major general. He is part of the army that will take Brandenburg and Saxony. Although he opposes invading Poland, King Gustav insists, so Mike has no choice but to obey. Mike worries that he doesn't have experience with large armies even though he has won several major battles defending Grantville and surrounding territories. When his men get out of hand he establishes the Hangman Regiment to enforce law and order rather have his army raping and looting as was the case with most armies of the day... even with the "good guys". Along with all of this, the French Huguenots continue their assassination campaign trying to fire up another war between France and King Gustov.
Any problems with this story? It starts off a little weird with a discussion on what makes money work. The army must be paid, so Mike Sterns uses his printing press to create army script. There is an explanation as to how this would work. After all, it's only paper, no more than an IOU, but it is backed by Mike Stearn's reputation. These are called "Beckys". I would call them Becky Bucks. The explanation for how it would all work was correct, but not adequate for those not familiar with how money works. For an economist's explanation I suggest reading "Basic Economics: A Citizen's Guide to the Economy" by Thomas Sowell. For a fun way to learn it, I suggest reading "Debt of Honor" by Tom Clancy where a war is sparked by an attack on the USA economic system. (FYI, this is also the book that predicted a 9/11 attack on the USA.)
Any modesty issues? Well... the same modesty issues as throughout the series. The F-word is used quite a bit. There is also an arranged marriage between 8 year old and a full grown man. The story made it seem normal because it was at that time. Such things were common amongst the aristocracy in order to make certain the line of succession was arranged for, but at age 8 no sex was contemplated for the couple. Be serious. For example, I recall in history that a king of England had a 10 year old wife. He commented that this was ideal since he could raise her just as he wanted her to be (for him). Again, no sex was involved at that age. Parents arranging marriages for their children have been going on for centuries, and they are still going on today. It doesn't mean that the kids are having sex.
As I said before, the story ends in a cliffhanger. The sequel, 1636: The Saxon Uprising, resolves the cliffhanger. I'd read both books again.
August 29, 2020
I have mixed feelings about the Ring of Fire series. On one hand, I loved the first few books, especially the first book in the series, 1632. On the other hand, I began to lose interest due to a combination of not liking the collaborative author, and problems with the way the stories and other novels jumping around within a three year period of time, and showing the results of a situation, without showing out the results came about. (This in particular was deeply annoying to me, and ended up making me reluctant to read the series duet o the confusion.)
In1635: The Eastern Front Mike is no longer the prime minister of the USE; he has been given a position as a general,and eventually heading off to invade Poland. (Which is something he disagrees with, though he’s going to see it through because all of his agreements with Gustav Adolph, the Emperor of the USE pretty much rely on following along with Gustav’s position as “commander in chief”) Accompanying Mike is Jeff Higgens,who is understandably annoyed that Mike Stearns has decided putting a captain with no real, formal military experience in charge of a battalion is a great idea.
Neither Gretchen nor Rebecca are happy about this situation, but both have their own agendas.Rebecca is writing a book about the political situation in the USE while taking care of her children. Gretchen meanwhile has chosen to move to Magdeburg, and work on CoC missions and projects, and taking under her wing a young member of the CoC who has a rather interesting, inspiring history that is 25% pure fable.
Various problems that come up in the course of the story is a very unhappy princess and her not quite sane mother, assassins, and a succession crisis in the making. (A“succession crisis” occurs when the monarch has no heir, or if the heir is underage. There is also a back lash concerning “upsider” reforms that are being backed up by Axel Oxenstierna and the Crown Loyalist Party. The succession crisis is instigated when Gustav Adolph falls in battle, and sustains brain injuries.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book. A lot of humor and character interaction, and exciting battle scenes. I liked the developing relationship between Ulrik and Kristina, and felt it was handled fairly well. (It might be slightly disturbing to some people however. Ulrik and Kristina are betrothed–Ulrikis an adult and Kristina is still a child.) It may or may not help the reader that Kristina’s governess is an uptime social worker.
In1635: The Eastern Front Mike is no longer the prime minister of the USE; he has been given a position as a general,and eventually heading off to invade Poland. (Which is something he disagrees with, though he’s going to see it through because all of his agreements with Gustav Adolph, the Emperor of the USE pretty much rely on following along with Gustav’s position as “commander in chief”) Accompanying Mike is Jeff Higgens,who is understandably annoyed that Mike Stearns has decided putting a captain with no real, formal military experience in charge of a battalion is a great idea.
Neither Gretchen nor Rebecca are happy about this situation, but both have their own agendas.Rebecca is writing a book about the political situation in the USE while taking care of her children. Gretchen meanwhile has chosen to move to Magdeburg, and work on CoC missions and projects, and taking under her wing a young member of the CoC who has a rather interesting, inspiring history that is 25% pure fable.
Various problems that come up in the course of the story is a very unhappy princess and her not quite sane mother, assassins, and a succession crisis in the making. (A“succession crisis” occurs when the monarch has no heir, or if the heir is underage. There is also a back lash concerning “upsider” reforms that are being backed up by Axel Oxenstierna and the Crown Loyalist Party. The succession crisis is instigated when Gustav Adolph falls in battle, and sustains brain injuries.
There were a lot of things I liked about this book. A lot of humor and character interaction, and exciting battle scenes. I liked the developing relationship between Ulrik and Kristina, and felt it was handled fairly well. (It might be slightly disturbing to some people however. Ulrik and Kristina are betrothed–Ulrikis an adult and Kristina is still a child.) It may or may not help the reader that Kristina’s governess is an uptime social worker.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2014
The Thirty Years War continues to ravage 17th century Europe, but a new force is gathering power and influence: the United States of Europe, a new nation led by Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the West Virginians from the 20th century led by Mike Stearns who were hurled centuries into the past by a mysterious cosmic accident. While the old entrenched rulers and manipulators continue to plot against this new upstart nation, everyday life goes on in Grantville, even under the shadow of war, as this lost outpost of American freedom and justice must play David against a 17th century Goliath of oppressive feudalism. Praise for the New York Times Best-Selling Series:“. . . gripping and expertly detailed . . . a treat for lovers of action-SF or alternate history . . . battle scenes depicted with power . . . distinguishes Flint as an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure.” —Publishers Weekly (in a starred review) “[This] alternate-history saga . . . is certainly a landmark in that subgenre. . . . A splendid example of character-centered alternate-history, this is a must read for its series' growing fandom.” —Booklist (Starred Review) “. . . takes historic speculation to a new level in a tale that combines accurate historical research with bold leaps of the imagination. Fans of alternate history and military sf should enjoy this rousing tale of adventure and intrigue.” —Library Journal “This alternate history series is already one of the best around and each new entry appears better than the previous one, a seemingly impossible feat . . . terrific. . . .” —The Midwest Book Review
June 24, 2012
For the record, this book has only 369 pages (including the cast of characters at the end), not 400 as the book description and other online sources I've seen indicate. I know this may not make a difference to anyone other than me, but it's a little odd that this book would have incorrect info like that everywhere.
As for the book itself, it was exactly what I expected. It continued the "main" storyline from the original 1632 novel, following the main characters and their exploits as the fighting in Europe continues on a new front.
I was satisfied with the book and (as others have indicated) am anxiously waiting to see what happens in the next book, as things are left in disorder as this book comes to a close. As I keep reading this "series", I start to wonder when (if ever) the story will end, as the writers in the world created by the books is one that doesn't necessarily have any ending.
It continues to be interesting to me to find out how history would come out differently with a disruption like the "Ring of Fire".
As for the book itself, it was exactly what I expected. It continued the "main" storyline from the original 1632 novel, following the main characters and their exploits as the fighting in Europe continues on a new front.
I was satisfied with the book and (as others have indicated) am anxiously waiting to see what happens in the next book, as things are left in disorder as this book comes to a close. As I keep reading this "series", I start to wonder when (if ever) the story will end, as the writers in the world created by the books is one that doesn't necessarily have any ending.
It continues to be interesting to me to find out how history would come out differently with a disruption like the "Ring of Fire".
Displaying 1 - 30 of 66 reviews