1633 (Ring of Fire) [Englisch] [Taschenbuch]

1632, and now 1633, are FUN books. "Island" hammered away at you with the tough details, but Eric Flint instead gives us a more engaging cast of characters overall and less vicious villains.
In fact, even the villains are painted in such a way as to give one sympathy for them on occasion.

One major complaint about 1632 was the character Simpson, a former CEO, who was a foil for the main character and appeared only in two chapters. Eric Flint has told me (and others) that Simpson was a convenience to get things moving, nothing more, and that's why he ended up looking like cardboard. The book was not intended to be a series originally, but it did so well that it would have been foolish to NOT make it a series.

Simpson-the-foil is gone, replaced by a still-obstreperous and uptight, but no-longer-cardboard character who has invaluable skills to the new "United States" that's trying to survive in the war-riddled Europe of 1633. Simpson can still be more annoying than many of the villains, which I actually count as a good thing; it's nice to make the point that someone can be on your side and still not be as nice a PERSON as some of the people who oppose you.

The characterization of Richelieu, the Cardinal who was the true Power in France at the time, is frightening. He is that (thankfully) rare sort, a man of great intellect and wide education who has charisma, empathy, warmth... and an unswervable, Machiavellian determination to achieve his goals. He regrets the loss, yet will order an execution in a heartbeat. While there are certainly other opponents, Richelieu is by far the most formidable single enemy the Americans of Grantville and their allies face.

It's true that a great deal of time is spent with the various factions' reaction to the "other" histories, but I find this more interesting than boring, overall. What's interesting about it is that the various people are reacting TO the histories as PROPHECY -- "Lo, and this shall come to pass if..." -- and trying to "fight the future" (to borrow a quote) by taking preemptive action against it. One has to wonder, though, when they'll realize that the very EXISTENCE of Grantville already changed dynamics sufficiently that their history books were pretty much useless. After this book, they might as well chuck the history books except for whatever strategic and so on material they contain -- there won't be much left to worry about in them.

I won't give many spoilers here -- this is a brand-new book -- but I will say that I find the writing easy and engaging, the main characters fun to follow, and the action enjoyable, while the logic of the reconstruction doesn't overly strain my suspension of disbelief. Buy this one, it's well worth the price.

If the action, romance and down right hokey fun of 1632 captured your heart, then buy a highlighter with 1633, and make sure you highlight those parts, they don't appear near as often in this sequel.

I'll start with the cons and finish with the pros. There are several plot lines within the book that are advanced enough that you care about them, but left hanging at the end. One of 1632's most memorable characters: Julie Sims (Mackay, 'currently') is sent to Scotland, and essentially left there. Harry Lefferts and Gerd Fuhrmann (two characters that I'm now emotionally attached to) promise to turn some of Richelieu's minions into the whipping boys they are, but it remains a promise for another book as their mission is left hanging by the last page. There are some more examples of this in the book, and the end effect is an aborted sense of 'closure' when the reading is done.

Now for the pros: There is much that happens in 1633 that will cause you to pause, smile and just revel in its genius. (now) Admiral Simpson is, perhaps, one of the most compelling characters of the entire book. He and his wife fall into a role that only they can pull off, and is ultimately necessary for the sake of Grantville and the CPE. Additional characters are introduced that will make you stand up and cheer for them during their more challenging moments. ...and the horse trading...man, is there some horse trading going on.

Pick up 1633, keep in mind it is NOT Part 2 of 2, and enjoy. There are clear faults in the story, most of which manifest themselves when you realize you've finish. The faults won't, however, ruin what's golden in the book. Eric Flint has an extensive afterword then I highly recommend reading. Especially since it'll offer you info on how to nag him and David Weber into getting the next 16-- series book in stores...which you'll be wanting, I promise, for both the good and bad reasons I mentioned above.