I already have a somewhat love/hate relationship with the 1632 series. It's either really great, or deathly slow. This book is no exception. It's a collection of short stories and novellas leading up to the event in the title, The Ram Rebellion. Like any anthology, some of the stories are great and engaging, and some just last forever and a day.The one thing I do like about this series consistently is it is full of strong female characters. The women are as much a part of the wars and planning and scheming and political maneuverings as the men, so that's always a big plus for me. ( )

The Ram Rebellion can be thought of or viewed in three different ways, with different results. It is an anthology of related fiction, containing eighteen short stories and the novella which shares the book name; in which case the quality is quite mixed, for the individual pieces range from excellent to somewhat poor. A second view might be that of a continuation of the alternate history contained in other parts of the 1632 series; but this means it is one of the lesser works in that series, and does not match the quality of several others.

The third view is that of something new in fantasy or fictional universes. It is a sort of novel, created in a consistent universe by the collaboration of a number of authors who vary in skills, experience, and background knowledge. This makes it a different experiment than the ‘Grantsville Gazette’ series. Rating it as a novel, it would get only an average review due to the same inconsistencies noted above. But I’m inclined to give it higher marks since it seems to be the first work of its kind, and the genre certainly bears promise. A part of its limits can be circumvented by reading it in its place, after the first works in the series. Fans will enjoy it, but don’t read this one first or you may lose the chance to become a fan. ( )

I enjoyed the first and last thirds but not the middle third. This anthology gives details about the administrative workings of the New United Sates, but isn't essential to follow the overall Ring of Fire storyline. It explains how control is extended over the small independent knights and lords. ( )

The Thirty Years War continues to ravage 17th century Europe, but a new force is gathering power and influence: the Confederated Principalities of Europe, an alliance between 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. Inspired by the example of American freedom and justice, a movement in Franconia among the peasants, who have revolted several times even before the arrival from the future of the town of Grantville, an independent revolutionary movement has arisen, flying the banner of the head of a ram. The West Virginians fully approve of liberating the peasants from the nobility, but they are also aware of how revolutionary movements can lead to bloodbaths. And avoiding that deadly possibility will require all of their future knowledge and all their plain old American horse-trading diplomacy. . . .

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