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Commander Cantrell In the West Indies #2
1637: No Peace Beyond the Line
THE BATTLE FOR THE NEW WORLD IS A FIGHT TO THE FINISH! A NEW RING OF FIRE NOVEL BY BEST-SELLING WRITING TEAM ERIC FLINT AND CHARLES E. GANNON
A New Day in the New World
It’s 1637 in the Caribbean. Commander Eddie Cantrell and his ally and friend Admiral Martin Tromp start it off with some nasty surprises for Spain, whose centuries-long exploitation and rapine of the New World has run unchecked. Until now.
Yet life goes on in the Caribbean. Relationships among the allied Dutch, Swedes, Germans, up-timers, and even Irish mercenaries continue to evolve and deepen. New friendships must be forged with the native peoples, who will not only shape the colonists’ future in the Caribbean, but will also decide whether they will be given access to a Louisiana oilfield that could change the balance of power.
But for now, the only oil Imperial Spain knows about is the crude pouring out of the Allies’ pumps on Trinidad—which threatens its interests in both the New and the Old Worlds. So, following in the footsteps of the conquistadors, the empire’s commanders are resolved to show that they do not take threats lightly or lying down. Indeed, their historical reaction is to respond with overwhelming—and often genocidal—force.
The battle for the New World has not merely begun; it is a fight to the finish.
A New Day in the New World
It’s 1637 in the Caribbean. Commander Eddie Cantrell and his ally and friend Admiral Martin Tromp start it off with some nasty surprises for Spain, whose centuries-long exploitation and rapine of the New World has run unchecked. Until now.
Yet life goes on in the Caribbean. Relationships among the allied Dutch, Swedes, Germans, up-timers, and even Irish mercenaries continue to evolve and deepen. New friendships must be forged with the native peoples, who will not only shape the colonists’ future in the Caribbean, but will also decide whether they will be given access to a Louisiana oilfield that could change the balance of power.
But for now, the only oil Imperial Spain knows about is the crude pouring out of the Allies’ pumps on Trinidad—which threatens its interests in both the New and the Old Worlds. So, following in the footsteps of the conquistadors, the empire’s commanders are resolved to show that they do not take threats lightly or lying down. Indeed, their historical reaction is to respond with overwhelming—and often genocidal—force.
The battle for the New World has not merely begun; it is a fight to the finish.
736 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 3, 2020
102 people are currently reading
183 people want to read
About the author
Eric Flint
250 books875 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 49 reviews
November 19, 2020
First of all, kudos to the West Virginians & Christians for taking on the issue of slavery; that's one focus of this part of the series. I know that it's believed that half the folks reading this series are fascinated by the battle tactics, strategy, and implementation, and all the glorious technical details of retrofitting modern tech to that of the 1600s. I have less and less patience for those particular details, since I'm more interested in storytelling. (Does Baen's Bar no longer exist for those discussions?) I quit buying the books several years ago because of the cost-effectiveness of skipping those pages, and now I'm considering not asking the library to buy them either. I wish that weren't true. This is a great series in concept and used to be better in execution. Good editors could fix these issues.
December 22, 2020
I enjoyed it much more than the previous 1636 story with Eddie! Good story line!
October 24, 2020
A very good installment in this epic series.
January 9, 2021
If fantasy books could be a beach read :-)
February 13, 2021
Fortsättningen på västindien-grenen av 163x. Enkel och trevlig läsning utan vidare många krusiduller. Rekommenderas för de som gillar serien.
December 6, 2020
The story line continues in the 1632 series this time it is centered in the Caribbean we Eddie Cantrell is with the Dutch and Irish allies who are again confronted by the Spanish.
You will need to read this book to see how the story line of 1632 is continued.
If you want action you will find it here and if you want personal lives you will also find it here.
It is well worth the read.
You will need to read this book to see how the story line of 1632 is continued.
If you want action you will find it here and if you want personal lives you will also find it here.
It is well worth the read.
February 25, 2025
Ok, so I've been rereading the Ring of Fire, mostly main series novels and a handful of my favorite side novels, and I remembered liking the Caribbean novels, but... I hate to say it, especially since this book ticks so many boxes of things I like in a book (naval battles, airships, alternate history) and it's part of a series I love, but this just isn't a very good book. First, basic synopsis is that after the events of 1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies, the Spanish have been knocked down a peg and the French have been removed from the equation entirely and the Allied USE, Danish, Dutch, and Irish along with various orphaned English colonies and indigenous tribes have established solid control of the Lesser Antilles. However, having bought time and space to push the Spanish back, the Allies proceed to do nothing. Despite having the technological advantage, and despite starting the novel by capturing the Spanish treasure fleet, putting immense pressure on both Spain and the Spanish new world colonies, they sit in port, get obsessed with internal political issues, and focus on building up their infrastructure wasting the opportunity to target the Spanish strongholds in Hispaniola and Cuba. And why do they do this? I honestly have no idea.
Their ships got repaired after the Battle of Vieques in the last book, they got reinforcements and resupply from home (not to mention all the ships and supplies they capture at the start of the book), yet they fail to take any offensive action for months even though it's made abundantly clear that time is NOT on their side. It's incredibly frustrating and the author never gives an adequate explanation why they're sitting on their heels and letting the Spanish take back the initiative and that's exactly what the Spanish do. For, despite being racist bigoted psychotic jerks without any future technology to speak of, the Spanish commanders are brimming with plans to push the Allies back, they seem to be able to pump out a ridiculous number of ships and new crews whenever they need them, and no matter how ridiculous their plans, the Allies just can't seem to stop falling headfirst into their traps making one wonder (AGAIN) why the Allies are just sitting around and doing nothing. It's almost like the author is deliberately slowing things down so the adversaries can play catch up. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what's going on here.
Now there are some good things in the story, subplot-wise, about the challenges of building up a proper naval base and the challenge of getting rid of slavery and the action (when it happens) is good, but there's also a bunch of subplots that drove me nuts like the ridiculous amount of time given to a romantic side-plot which is mostly held back because the people involved are being stupid or the ridiculous amount of this book taken up by listening to the Spaniards go on and on about how much they hate the heathens and patting each other on the back for being so clever and how if Spain's leaders ever finds out how the Spanish officers in the New World have ignored the rules, they'll all certainly die (yet these consequences are always just hot air, no Spanish characters are ever held to account for anything and there's no evidence other than their doom-saying that the Spanish government would react according to their fears, which is a clear failing of the authors: you can't just say "we're doomed so we HAVE to act this way" or "we're going behind our bosses' backs so we've GOT to all be together on this and we HAVE to succeed or we're dead" you have to SHOW someone being punished for such independent thinking and deviation from orders to prove this is a real threat, particularly as this is the excuse they give for doing unspeakable things which they claim to find personally repugnant; it makes them seem like hypocritical moral cowards). There's so many ways this could've been fixed. They could've cut back the Spanish parts and let us find out what the Spanish are up to the same way the protagonists do (and have allied spies fill in the necessary hints on Spanish schemes (and why isn't espionage more of a thing in this book, there's no lack of people in the Americas in the 17th century who would happily have devoted their lives and safety to see Spain brought low, yet only the Spaniards seem to have any sort of spy network)). They could've taken the effort to humanize the Spaniards by actually having some of them begin to question whether Spanish hegemony is sustainable or reasonable given how the world is changing. Better still, they could've had Spanish characters actually concluding that if they're ignoring Olivares's military orders, then for the sake of avoiding retribution in kind (not to mention their honor), perhaps they ought to back away from massacring Allied civilians. But no, they're just stupid arrogant pricks. By the end of the book, I just skipped any part from one of the Spanish perspectives and I don't feel like I missed much by doing so.
Then there's the murder, a secondary antagonist kills another secondary character, it's probably an accident (and thus technically manslaughter, I suppose) though still an action taken with violent intent, but they KNOW who did it, they know HOW it happened, and the victim was a noble (and the widow of the dead admiral of the USE task force, you know, the people keeping the Spanish from murdering them all). YET THEY DO NOTHING. Even though rounding up the guilty party (who ISN'T a noble and is a real jerk) and executing them would actually solve another problem (letting the big slaveholders know that they are not above the law, which for some reason, the characters keep acting like they are, letting them do things that would get anyone else hung by the neck until dead). It's insane. Even in the Ring of Fire universe, you can't just go around murdering nobility and expecting to walk away Scot-free, there would be royal decrees from above demanding retribution regardless of local political expediency. It doesn't work, it's just stupid forced drama.
Don't get me started on the ridiculous plan the Spaniards come up with at the end of the book which (despite being utterly insane) sort of works (because the Allies act stupid, again ("Oh no, the enemy ships are escaping into that lagoon! We have to follow!" IT'S A LAGOON, YOU CAN JUST WAIT AT THE ENTRANCE AND THEY'RE STUCK IN THERE, YOU MORONS... ahem)) until the Spanish remember that the Allies have guns that can annihilate them at ridiculous ranges and realize they have no chance (and never did). Then, somehow, despite having the slower and less powerful ships which DON'T have steam engines so they can maneuver at will, they run away and live to fight another day... again. The author has a very BIG "I don't want to kill off the antagonists" problem, and he proves this by not only letting the Spanish commander once again slip away when he should be dead to rights, but by literally bringing a presumably dead antagonist from the first book back from the dead just so he can wax malevolently about his evil plans (insert annoyed eye roll). This book is huge, something like 700 pages, and when you stand back and look at it from a distance, the plot progress is glacial, at best. Barely any changes are made, territorially or politically, the main factions are all basically the same at the beginning and the end, and none of the major antagonist characters are killed off. Worse, the book ends with a whole lot of sequel-baiting for books that probably will never be written. Sigh... All in all, this is a pair of authors I KNOW can do better than this (both alone and in combination), and the whole book just feels like they were too invested in trying to build up the stakes rather than having the various parties act intelligently, and it feels off, and given the situation the series is in post Eric Flint's death, this book feels like a wasted opportunity. The Ring of Fire series was at its best when it embraced crazy energetic dynamic events turning the world upside down not slow plodding drama and this book is two mildly interesting events sandwiching 600 pages of largely inconsequential drama at the end of which the main character leaves because there's actually important things going on and wouldn't you know it, it has nothing to do with anything that happened in this book.
Their ships got repaired after the Battle of Vieques in the last book, they got reinforcements and resupply from home (not to mention all the ships and supplies they capture at the start of the book), yet they fail to take any offensive action for months even though it's made abundantly clear that time is NOT on their side. It's incredibly frustrating and the author never gives an adequate explanation why they're sitting on their heels and letting the Spanish take back the initiative and that's exactly what the Spanish do. For, despite being racist bigoted psychotic jerks without any future technology to speak of, the Spanish commanders are brimming with plans to push the Allies back, they seem to be able to pump out a ridiculous number of ships and new crews whenever they need them, and no matter how ridiculous their plans, the Allies just can't seem to stop falling headfirst into their traps making one wonder (AGAIN) why the Allies are just sitting around and doing nothing. It's almost like the author is deliberately slowing things down so the adversaries can play catch up. In fact, I'm pretty sure that's exactly what's going on here.
Now there are some good things in the story, subplot-wise, about the challenges of building up a proper naval base and the challenge of getting rid of slavery and the action (when it happens) is good, but there's also a bunch of subplots that drove me nuts like the ridiculous amount of time given to a romantic side-plot which is mostly held back because the people involved are being stupid or the ridiculous amount of this book taken up by listening to the Spaniards go on and on about how much they hate the heathens and patting each other on the back for being so clever and how if Spain's leaders ever finds out how the Spanish officers in the New World have ignored the rules, they'll all certainly die (yet these consequences are always just hot air, no Spanish characters are ever held to account for anything and there's no evidence other than their doom-saying that the Spanish government would react according to their fears, which is a clear failing of the authors: you can't just say "we're doomed so we HAVE to act this way" or "we're going behind our bosses' backs so we've GOT to all be together on this and we HAVE to succeed or we're dead" you have to SHOW someone being punished for such independent thinking and deviation from orders to prove this is a real threat, particularly as this is the excuse they give for doing unspeakable things which they claim to find personally repugnant; it makes them seem like hypocritical moral cowards). There's so many ways this could've been fixed. They could've cut back the Spanish parts and let us find out what the Spanish are up to the same way the protagonists do (and have allied spies fill in the necessary hints on Spanish schemes (and why isn't espionage more of a thing in this book, there's no lack of people in the Americas in the 17th century who would happily have devoted their lives and safety to see Spain brought low, yet only the Spaniards seem to have any sort of spy network)). They could've taken the effort to humanize the Spaniards by actually having some of them begin to question whether Spanish hegemony is sustainable or reasonable given how the world is changing. Better still, they could've had Spanish characters actually concluding that if they're ignoring Olivares's military orders, then for the sake of avoiding retribution in kind (not to mention their honor), perhaps they ought to back away from massacring Allied civilians. But no, they're just stupid arrogant pricks. By the end of the book, I just skipped any part from one of the Spanish perspectives and I don't feel like I missed much by doing so.
Then there's the murder, a secondary antagonist kills another secondary character, it's probably an accident (and thus technically manslaughter, I suppose) though still an action taken with violent intent, but they KNOW who did it, they know HOW it happened, and the victim was a noble (and the widow of the dead admiral of the USE task force, you know, the people keeping the Spanish from murdering them all). YET THEY DO NOTHING. Even though rounding up the guilty party (who ISN'T a noble and is a real jerk) and executing them would actually solve another problem (letting the big slaveholders know that they are not above the law, which for some reason, the characters keep acting like they are, letting them do things that would get anyone else hung by the neck until dead). It's insane. Even in the Ring of Fire universe, you can't just go around murdering nobility and expecting to walk away Scot-free, there would be royal decrees from above demanding retribution regardless of local political expediency. It doesn't work, it's just stupid forced drama.
Don't get me started on the ridiculous plan the Spaniards come up with at the end of the book which (despite being utterly insane) sort of works (because the Allies act stupid, again ("Oh no, the enemy ships are escaping into that lagoon! We have to follow!" IT'S A LAGOON, YOU CAN JUST WAIT AT THE ENTRANCE AND THEY'RE STUCK IN THERE, YOU MORONS... ahem)) until the Spanish remember that the Allies have guns that can annihilate them at ridiculous ranges and realize they have no chance (and never did). Then, somehow, despite having the slower and less powerful ships which DON'T have steam engines so they can maneuver at will, they run away and live to fight another day... again. The author has a very BIG "I don't want to kill off the antagonists" problem, and he proves this by not only letting the Spanish commander once again slip away when he should be dead to rights, but by literally bringing a presumably dead antagonist from the first book back from the dead just so he can wax malevolently about his evil plans (insert annoyed eye roll). This book is huge, something like 700 pages, and when you stand back and look at it from a distance, the plot progress is glacial, at best. Barely any changes are made, territorially or politically, the main factions are all basically the same at the beginning and the end, and none of the major antagonist characters are killed off. Worse, the book ends with a whole lot of sequel-baiting for books that probably will never be written. Sigh... All in all, this is a pair of authors I KNOW can do better than this (both alone and in combination), and the whole book just feels like they were too invested in trying to build up the stakes rather than having the various parties act intelligently, and it feels off, and given the situation the series is in post Eric Flint's death, this book feels like a wasted opportunity. The Ring of Fire series was at its best when it embraced crazy energetic dynamic events turning the world upside down not slow plodding drama and this book is two mildly interesting events sandwiching 600 pages of largely inconsequential drama at the end of which the main character leaves because there's actually important things going on and wouldn't you know it, it has nothing to do with anything that happened in this book.
June 22, 2022
A continuation of the Captain Cantrell series within the 163x tales of 20th Century Americans transported back to the Europe of the 1630s and how their ideas change history.
This is truly an enjoyable addition to the series, one of the best ones to read. It had me turning pages incessantly, not wanting to stop. Once again, the story offers interesting takes on historical figures, action and technically interesting improvisations, and, best of all, an exploration of what impact new ideas might have had if introduced 150 years earlier.
It is a true joy to see how the 'up-timers' are approaching their need for resources from the New World with a commitment to not allowing the slavery and genocide of our history. Flint and his writing team are doing a very good job of showing us that it could have been different, that the horrible treatment of the native Americans was an unavoidable side effect of contact with the Europeans. Of course, having rough steamships to constrain the Spanish is a real help.
Roughly 40 books into this series, and, surprisingly, I keep looking forward to the next one.
This is truly an enjoyable addition to the series, one of the best ones to read. It had me turning pages incessantly, not wanting to stop. Once again, the story offers interesting takes on historical figures, action and technically interesting improvisations, and, best of all, an exploration of what impact new ideas might have had if introduced 150 years earlier.
It is a true joy to see how the 'up-timers' are approaching their need for resources from the New World with a commitment to not allowing the slavery and genocide of our history. Flint and his writing team are doing a very good job of showing us that it could have been different, that the horrible treatment of the native Americans was an unavoidable side effect of contact with the Europeans. Of course, having rough steamships to constrain the Spanish is a real help.
Roughly 40 books into this series, and, surprisingly, I keep looking forward to the next one.
January 7, 2021
The story continues to based on solid historical facts making it much more enjoyable read for me.
In case you did not know, "the Line" is based on nter caetera ('Among other [works]') was a papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on the 4 May (quarto nonas maii) 1493, which granted to the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella (as sovereigns of Castile) all lands to the "west and south" of a pole-to-pole line 100 leagues west and south of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde islands. (Wikipedia). Pretty arrogant if you ask me.
I like the way that Eric Flint has a UMWA president reshape the Western hemisphere and continue to support this story in its' various aspects.
In case you did not know, "the Line" is based on nter caetera ('Among other [works]') was a papal bull issued by Pope Alexander VI on the 4 May (quarto nonas maii) 1493, which granted to the Catholic Monarchs Ferdinand and Isabella (as sovereigns of Castile) all lands to the "west and south" of a pole-to-pole line 100 leagues west and south of any of the islands of the Azores or the Cape Verde islands. (Wikipedia). Pretty arrogant if you ask me.
I like the way that Eric Flint has a UMWA president reshape the Western hemisphere and continue to support this story in its' various aspects.
December 8, 2020
Another fine addition
Another fine addition to the 1632 series this time meshing the further adventures of Lord Hugh O'Donnell chief of the Irish Wild Geese and Eddie Cantrell uptime spouse of the Danish Kings Daughter.
Another fine addition to the 1632 series this time meshing the further adventures of Lord Hugh O'Donnell chief of the Irish Wild Geese and Eddie Cantrell uptime spouse of the Danish Kings Daughter.
May 18, 2022
This book deals with the fight with Spain in the New World. It also deals with slavery and does both admirably without beating the reader senseless over it.
This book is part of the Ring of Fire/1632 series so while jumping into the series at this point is possible, it is not recommended. You will lose too much context such as why this is a time travel book at all, why it is an alternative history book, and why Eddie Cantrell is having sex with his wife every chance he gets. Also why he has a missing leg. Why he is called "Lord Cantrell" and so forth. The assumption is that the reader is somewhat familiar with the main events in the series, and goes on from there.
I suggest reading, "1632", "1633," "1634 The Baltic War," and possibly "1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies".
I want to read the series again and have being doing it piecemeal.
This book is part of the Ring of Fire/1632 series so while jumping into the series at this point is possible, it is not recommended. You will lose too much context such as why this is a time travel book at all, why it is an alternative history book, and why Eddie Cantrell is having sex with his wife every chance he gets. Also why he has a missing leg. Why he is called "Lord Cantrell" and so forth. The assumption is that the reader is somewhat familiar with the main events in the series, and goes on from there.
I suggest reading, "1632", "1633," "1634 The Baltic War," and possibly "1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies".
I want to read the series again and have being doing it piecemeal.
November 18, 2020
I liked the attempts at character development in some of the traditionally supporting cast. The "bad guys" got a chance to be clever and innovative. (Not, of course, innovative enough to win. But still.) There were the usual collection of battles, which generally were kept interesting by not being excessively stretched out.
Although this was a reasonably thick book, the fact that there are now several story threads going on in the Caribbean means that at the end of the book I felt like not as much got resolved as I would have liked. If only Flint and Gannon could focus on this story line for a bit longer and churn out a couple more books it would really be satisfying. (Particularly since we're left with our primary protagonist in the region setting out on a new adventure in the last couple of pages.) Unfortunately, I suspect I won't see a sequel from either of these authors for some time.
Anyway, if you're a fan of the series, I think you'll like this book.
Although this was a reasonably thick book, the fact that there are now several story threads going on in the Caribbean means that at the end of the book I felt like not as much got resolved as I would have liked. If only Flint and Gannon could focus on this story line for a bit longer and churn out a couple more books it would really be satisfying. (Particularly since we're left with our primary protagonist in the region setting out on a new adventure in the last couple of pages.) Unfortunately, I suspect I won't see a sequel from either of these authors for some time.
Anyway, if you're a fan of the series, I think you'll like this book.
November 26, 2020
Naval warfare
This was a great book, lots of naval warfare and good projections of how future information could be used. Ends with a cliff hanger. Some timing issues here and there but overall a good read.
This was a great book, lots of naval warfare and good projections of how future information could be used. Ends with a cliff hanger. Some timing issues here and there but overall a good read.
November 25, 2020
Another well crafted story in the series. This one is almost two books in length and it keeps your interest. Good battle scenes and human interactions. The good guys take some losses, so it is not all one sided. CMac
September 29, 2021
Nautical terminology & navigation calculations are a bit overwhelming, but it is an action-packed narrative of the USE/Danish/Dutch/Wild Geese forces battling the Spanish for control of the Caribbean. Dragon Award for Best Alternate History Novel, 2021.
August 9, 2020
Fun E-ARC. But it's an E-ARC, and part of a series, and by now it's expected that you're reading at least the main books of that series. Start from the beginning if you're interested, in other words.
October 24, 2023
In the 1632 series concocted originally by Eric Flint and shared with numerous other authors, some well-known (like David Weber) and others perhaps new to the genre has spawned multiple story lines from the original transplanted modern West Virginia town of Grantville into 17th century Europe.
This one regards expansion to the "New World" quite different from our own history as the newly minted USE like so many other European powers joins the scramble for resources (in this case oil) while trying to undo the mistakes of their own past (i.e. slavery, mistreatment of indigenous peoples) while battling with Spain for control of the Carribean alongside allies from Holland and Irish Mercenaries (the Wild Geese).
This thread I found engaging though I sense Flint yielded much of the writing to co-author Charles Gannon. The naval battles are exciting including the finale where the Spanish contrive a very clever trap to counter the technological advantages of the uptimers.
Also true to the series this story is how it weaves the interactions between the main uptimer characters (such as Eddie Cantrell, Larry Quinn and Ann Koudsi) with real historical characters (such as the Dutch Admiral Tromp, Anne Catherine the illegitimate daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and Eddie's devoted wife, and Hugh O'Donnell Earl of Tyrone and Irish exile).
On the down side the story tends to drag in spots with too many side stories that try to do too much. The book runs very long as a result.
My biggest disappointment however isn't the writing at all but the sense that this engaging storyline will be left hanging with the sad passing of its originator and guiding hand, Eric Flint. At the end of the tale most of the Carribean fleet has been dispatched to the Mediterranean to deal with an ominous Ottoman threat which could mean many things (more than any other nation the Ottoman Empire eagerly adapted uptime technology and have far greater resources than the USE). With the whole series now on what might be permanent hiatus we may never know what will happen in the Mediterranean (will Spain join the USE against a common enemy?), or the diminished presence in the Carribean. As crazy and unlikely as this series is I'm hopelessly addicted to it and want to see how it turns out.
This one regards expansion to the "New World" quite different from our own history as the newly minted USE like so many other European powers joins the scramble for resources (in this case oil) while trying to undo the mistakes of their own past (i.e. slavery, mistreatment of indigenous peoples) while battling with Spain for control of the Carribean alongside allies from Holland and Irish Mercenaries (the Wild Geese).
This thread I found engaging though I sense Flint yielded much of the writing to co-author Charles Gannon. The naval battles are exciting including the finale where the Spanish contrive a very clever trap to counter the technological advantages of the uptimers.
Also true to the series this story is how it weaves the interactions between the main uptimer characters (such as Eddie Cantrell, Larry Quinn and Ann Koudsi) with real historical characters (such as the Dutch Admiral Tromp, Anne Catherine the illegitimate daughter of King Christian IV of Denmark and Eddie's devoted wife, and Hugh O'Donnell Earl of Tyrone and Irish exile).
On the down side the story tends to drag in spots with too many side stories that try to do too much. The book runs very long as a result.
My biggest disappointment however isn't the writing at all but the sense that this engaging storyline will be left hanging with the sad passing of its originator and guiding hand, Eric Flint. At the end of the tale most of the Carribean fleet has been dispatched to the Mediterranean to deal with an ominous Ottoman threat which could mean many things (more than any other nation the Ottoman Empire eagerly adapted uptime technology and have far greater resources than the USE). With the whole series now on what might be permanent hiatus we may never know what will happen in the Mediterranean (will Spain join the USE against a common enemy?), or the diminished presence in the Carribean. As crazy and unlikely as this series is I'm hopelessly addicted to it and want to see how it turns out.
May 17, 2021
Always happy for another Eddie Cantrell story!
Eddie has been a Grantville uptimer since the Ring of Fire itself, which occurred on a day he was visiting nearby town Grantville to play Dungeons & Dragons with his best friends Jeff Higgins, Larry Wild, & Jimmy Anderson.
By now, he is the son-in-law of Danish king Christian IV (having married the king's daughter Anne Cathrine). He is also a Commander in the USE Navy and a Commodore in the Danish Navy. We last saw Eddie in the book 1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies.
In 1637: No Peace Beyond the Line, Eddie has joined the allied Dutch and Danish fleet with Dutch admiral Maarten Tromp (among others). The USE, Swedes, Germans, Dutch, and Danish want to mess with Spanish domination of the Caribbean. The USE needs oil and Trinidad is one place that has already begun pumping oil.
In the old timeline, the New World did not fare very well at all. Most of the indigenous people died and African slavery was rampant. The USE is determined that things will be different for the New World this time around, if at all possible.
The USE sends steamships (both cruisers & destroyers) plus long-distance radios to the Caribbean. Both of these are game-changing advantages. But will they be enough to turn the tide in the USE's favor?
Eddie has been a Grantville uptimer since the Ring of Fire itself, which occurred on a day he was visiting nearby town Grantville to play Dungeons & Dragons with his best friends Jeff Higgins, Larry Wild, & Jimmy Anderson.
By now, he is the son-in-law of Danish king Christian IV (having married the king's daughter Anne Cathrine). He is also a Commander in the USE Navy and a Commodore in the Danish Navy. We last saw Eddie in the book 1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies.
In 1637: No Peace Beyond the Line, Eddie has joined the allied Dutch and Danish fleet with Dutch admiral Maarten Tromp (among others). The USE, Swedes, Germans, Dutch, and Danish want to mess with Spanish domination of the Caribbean. The USE needs oil and Trinidad is one place that has already begun pumping oil.
In the old timeline, the New World did not fare very well at all. Most of the indigenous people died and African slavery was rampant. The USE is determined that things will be different for the New World this time around, if at all possible.
The USE sends steamships (both cruisers & destroyers) plus long-distance radios to the Caribbean. Both of these are game-changing advantages. But will they be enough to turn the tide in the USE's favor?
October 6, 2021
Ok. Other than some things I'm going to (slightly) rant out, this book mostly deserves a 4, and was as good as the prior Cantrell book, also by Gannon.
So rant starting. The three Danish women, the two King's daughters, and the other one who is their companion... Why oh why did we have so many details about them, and two of their budding romances. It so totally slowed down the pacing and plot and was utterly unnecessary. In order of most annoying: Why do we give a crap about the youngest King's daughter and her budding romance with a mostly (at least for now) unimportant naval lieutenant? Who gives a flying you know what. Next the companion romance with Hugh. Ok Hugh is an important character in these two books. If the romance/problems with the companion were pared down I might have not loathed it so much, but my GOD. Ugh. The last one is the only one that I thought at least made sense. The personal and relationship problems with the eldest King's daughter. At least she's with the main character of these two books. She still had too much screen time over things we mostly didn't care about.
Ok, enough ranting. All that said, I still liked this book a lot. It just could have been so much better.
So rant starting. The three Danish women, the two King's daughters, and the other one who is their companion... Why oh why did we have so many details about them, and two of their budding romances. It so totally slowed down the pacing and plot and was utterly unnecessary. In order of most annoying: Why do we give a crap about the youngest King's daughter and her budding romance with a mostly (at least for now) unimportant naval lieutenant? Who gives a flying you know what. Next the companion romance with Hugh. Ok Hugh is an important character in these two books. If the romance/problems with the companion were pared down I might have not loathed it so much, but my GOD. Ugh. The last one is the only one that I thought at least made sense. The personal and relationship problems with the eldest King's daughter. At least she's with the main character of these two books. She still had too much screen time over things we mostly didn't care about.
Ok, enough ranting. All that said, I still liked this book a lot. It just could have been so much better.
May 21, 2024
I many ways this is a classic 1632/Ring of Fire novel, it's got alternate history, big and little battles, technology of 20th and 17th Centuries (as well as 17th Century technology using 20th Century ideas - or visa versa), espionage, romance, politics, and religion. As with the other books of the "New World" storyline, race and colonialism have a major place here. The main villains are the Spanish, the pirates of Tortuga, and Dutch slaveholders. There is so much happening that it's almost like a "Main Line" book of the series, except it takes place in the Caribbean rather than in Europe. Warning to the reader: if you felt that 1636: COMMANDER CANTRELL IN THE WEST INDIES had too many naval details, you may not be a fan of this story. Also, this novel is quite long (over 900 pages), and seems to drag a bit in places. I'd like to say that it should have been split into two books, but there doesn't seem to be a convenient place for the break. I'll average out my rating to a 3.5 stars.
June 19, 2024
This book is a sequel to 1636 Commander Cantrell in the West Indies. In that book, the Dutch with their USE allies along with the Irish under Hugh O'Donnell managed to establish a foothold in the West Indies by beating back the Spanish attempts to force them out. In this one, the move from the defensive to the offensive and establish their dominance in the Caribbean while crippling the Spanish ability to continue making war against them.
As far as the non-mainland books go, this is probably the best one I have read in a long while (if not the best all time). That gives me hope for other subsidiary plotlines like the China Venture, and the Japan and Brazil lines established in Seas of Fortune. The Indian subplot I have given up hope of enjoying and the Russian subplot is interwoven enough with the primary European books that it is hard to call it a separate thread.
As far as the non-mainland books go, this is probably the best one I have read in a long while (if not the best all time). That gives me hope for other subsidiary plotlines like the China Venture, and the Japan and Brazil lines established in Seas of Fortune. The Indian subplot I have given up hope of enjoying and the Russian subplot is interwoven enough with the primary European books that it is hard to call it a separate thread.
December 17, 2021
Four and a half stars. This is the best 1632 book I've read in a while. I have not been following this series for some time. I was underwhelmed by several recent books and the first book of this sub-series "Commander Cantrell" but liked it enough to follow the story. I am very glad I did. The characters where well developed in the previous book (or before) but they really meshed together in this one. They felt more like a family group working together then a bunch of individuals all occupying the same space. The story had successes and failures, victories and defeats, a bit of romance and some naval action. All of it very balanced among characters that we can begin to really care about. This has restored my interest in the 1632 series.
December 17, 2021
Eric Flint and co-author Charles Gannon continue the saga started in 1632, when a year 2000 West Virginian town of Grantville was transported to 1632 Germany.
Five years and 25 books later, the few 'uptimers' from the 21st century are scattered around the world vying for New World supremacy with Spain. The United States of Europe has allies in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands as they fight the Spanish in the Caribbean.
I love the blend of technologies in this book. The historical archives of Grantville allow them to implement Civil War techniques in the 17th century, with devastating effects.
The whole series is highly recommended, but this book was better than most.
Five years and 25 books later, the few 'uptimers' from the 21st century are scattered around the world vying for New World supremacy with Spain. The United States of Europe has allies in Sweden, Denmark, and the Netherlands as they fight the Spanish in the Caribbean.
I love the blend of technologies in this book. The historical archives of Grantville allow them to implement Civil War techniques in the 17th century, with devastating effects.
The whole series is highly recommended, but this book was better than most.
June 14, 2022
The fight for control of the Caribbean Sea is heating up. The good guys are being too cautious in some of their actions. They are spread out and have limited resources. So if somethings go wrong it is not easy to fix. While they have some major success capturing the yearly Spanish fleet from Spain to her colonies, it is costly. And some of the Spanish leaders are making their own decisions outside of the crown orders. They hurt the Dutch and USE forces badly in several engagements as they finally have paid attention to the situation and have put their might to work. While the outcome is still in question for many non Spanish colonies, the fight is ever expanding.
November 5, 2024
Ping-ponging across the oceans seems to suit Commander, now Commodore Eddie, and this 1632 segment quite well. In the name of their God, the Spanish, even sans the Inquisition, were brutal conquerors. Matched in brutality by local slaveholders, there are some really ugly scenes in this series episode.
All the action and there is quite a bit takes place in the Caribbean which despite some fairly good maps can be quite confusing. The politics and sailing quirks are equally so. Among the extant nations, are the local residents including several native tribes, pirates, and mercenaries.
All the action and there is quite a bit takes place in the Caribbean which despite some fairly good maps can be quite confusing. The politics and sailing quirks are equally so. Among the extant nations, are the local residents including several native tribes, pirates, and mercenaries.
June 27, 2021
Freaking Awesome
None of the stuff people whinge about bothers me: too many names, too many relationships, it like reading a genealogy! But it's great when you get main characters you care about, stirring battles, emotional impact and uptime science being translated into downtime improvisation. This one has it all!
None of the stuff people whinge about bothers me: too many names, too many relationships, it like reading a genealogy! But it's great when you get main characters you care about, stirring battles, emotional impact and uptime science being translated into downtime improvisation. This one has it all!
August 4, 2021
A decent enough read but it's reverting a bit to old school Military SF with women in supporting roles only. Considering half of the book is political, no good reason for that from what I can see. The interaction with native Americans and the slavery issue is interesting.
Not a good place to start reading this series.
Not a good place to start reading this series.
December 26, 2021
I'm not sure why, but I just can't get enough of this series. No Peace Beyond the Line does not disappoint! As the follow-up to Commander Cantrell in the West Indies, this realistic alternative version of the future represented in the ever expanding Ring of Fire universe is captivating. The end of the book sets the stage for book #3, and I just cannot wait!
January 29, 2021
Not only is the battle for the Caribbean in full swing but relations with American natives and ending slavery are at the forefront of Allied (USE, Denmark, and Netherlands) policy concerns. Another great installment in the Ring of Fire series.
February 18, 2021
A tour de force, once again.
I hate to say it.......... no, I don’t, I LOVE to say it, this whole series knocks my socks off. If you give it a chance, you too will be walking with baked tootsies.
I hate to say it.......... no, I don’t, I LOVE to say it, this whole series knocks my socks off. If you give it a chance, you too will be walking with baked tootsies.
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