1634: The Bavarian Crisis

The world created by the 1632 book keeps expanding in time and space. With the ambition this project has I think it was inevitable, but maybe it also becomes less entertaining.

A firm interest in European history is a good base though nobody will be prepared for everything in this universe.

This book is a lot about the collision of catholicism and protestantism, illustrated by the conflicts surrounding Bavaria, though happening all the way between Amsterdam and Vienna, with a sprinkle of Basel.

It's interesting but the time line moves very slowly.

This is another saga from the 1632/Ring of Fire or Assiti Shards series. If you are a fan of Flint's series you willl enjoy this; if you are not already a fan, I'd suggest you start with another tale, preferaby the 1632 book itself.

The reason for the hesitant recommendation is that this volume in the alternate history brings the American time-switched moderns directly up against the Hapsburgs. Even if you're somewhat familiar with that set of dynasties, there is a long (several hundred pages) narrative that only introduces the characters and the geography/politics of the setting. You must slog through this rambling and disconnected set of pieces before getting to the real plot. Once you reach that point, this is a fairly good story. show more But only a true fan is likely to make it through the first 200 pages. show less

I was not as much of a fan of this one. There are some interesting aspects - moving further into Eastern Europe and away from the areas where I know the history fairly well is fascinating in its own way - but none of the major characters really grabbed me and the plot felt a little railroaded.

The technical development in this series is fascinating. They come from our time, but have to work with the materials and manufacturing available in the early 1600s, the few resources they took with them and most importantly the skills and information they have. If you've ever asked yourself, "How would I survive if...?", then this is the series for you. It's also a key series for history buffs, re-enacters and people who simply love a good story.

Most of the books in this series are hard to get into, and that is both because there seems to be a cast of thousands over many different countries (not all of which are familiar), and the books are not written by the same authors. Other than the short story books, none of the stories (books) can be definitely linked to any sole author other than Eric Flint. The hope every time I crack open a book in this series, is that Flint actually was involved, and that the book has a similar enough "feel" to the prior works. That is very hard to do when you have many different co-authors, and many different characters. Really doesn't help if the book opens up before prior books. And then you notice that they are referring to events that might show more happen that have already occurred in previous books (this is a 1634 book, there already is a 1635 book).

With all that said, this specific book in the series finally picked up after many unknown number of pages and actually became rather enjoyable. Hard to put down even. Even so, I did end up reading another book at the very beginning as the early stages of this book were frustrating to get through. show less

Ok...this is a REALLY complicated book with way to many characters to follow. Although once it settles into the primary storyline it is enjoyable.

Continuation of the timeslip saga that has a 21st century West Virginia coal mining town slap bang in the middle of Thirty Years' War Germany.