1633 by Eric Flint, David Weber
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Book Reviews of 1633
Book Review: So much talk but where's the story?
Summary: 2 Stars
While 1632 had a real story and a heavy dose of history, 1633 was one chapter after another about nothing. Flint spends entire chapters of this 600 + page book of characters hashing out why they should use wood and not steel, going East and not West, and on and on.
Europe is gripped in wars as empires battle each other and Flint spends page after page after page with how a radio works.
The characters don't develop or grow and have as much depth as the paper they're printed on.
I gave up on the book and Eric Flint.
If you want to read alternate history, go somewhere else. If you want a soap opera on paper where you can fast forward two or three chapters and not miss anything, this is the book for you.
Book Review: Picks up where 1632 left off
Summary: 5 Stars
An excellent sequel... having won breathing space in Germany the New United States must now face new enemies organized by Richelieu. This one has seemingly everything left out of 1632: naval battles, diplomacy, flying machines, the Tower of London and even a touch of cloak and dagger. As an alternate history 1633 is first rate.Book Review: A great continuation of the story; gets somewhat bogged down in detail.
Summary: 4 Stars
1633 lacks some of what made me love 1632 so much. Mainly, there is much less action and much more politics than in the previous book. The first ~500 pages are spent setting up for a dramatic clash between the forces of Cardinal Richelieu and Emporer Gustavus that only begins to develop at the end of this book (and will be concluded in 1634: the Baltic War). Actually, throughout almost the entire book, none of the characters seem to be in very much danger, instead just pondering and planning for future dangers.
The majority of 1633 is spent detailing the "up-time" American's efforts to influence the fate of Europe. Diplomatic missions to England, Scotland, and the Netherlands take up much of the book but don't contribute much in the way of action. The beginings of a navy and air force are interesting to read about but don't really influence the story much until the very end (but when they do its excellently intense).
1633 is very well-researched and you'll actually learn a lot about 17th century European politics and living conditions. The characters are great and the whole idea of a small American town changing the course of history retains its appeal.
Overall, while the story is well-writen, fun and interesting, you're left with a very incomplete feeling after finishing. A lot of build-up for very little action and a lot of story still to tell.
Book Review: Good Continuation...Keem Em' Coming!
Summary: 3 Stars
Suffice it to say that if you read the very good novel "1632" you'd have wanted to make a beeline right for the sequel "1633". And I can't blame you for it...I had to special order this book because neither the library or the local bookstores carried it. This is a very good read, make no mistake, but coming off of the much easier to read and faster paced 1632 one may be surprised by the changes contained within.
For starters where 1632 covered the citizens of Grantville's sudden appearance in central Germany of the 17th century, and the related effects of it's possession of advanced weapons, medicine, science, and knowledge of future events, here we have a book focusing more on the diplomatic and political angle, interspersed with the story of Grantville's struggle with the possibility of oncoming plague and the development of a working Air Force and Navy. There's much more plot depth and characters that were overly stereotypical in the first novel (ie; Simpson) are given actual personalities, and on this latter account the story gains much.
I need to go ahead and get it out of the way though. You see, I'm one of those charlatans who thinks there's entirely too much politics and not enough action in the book. Before the public stoning begins allow me to illucidate. Politics is an interesting subject, no doubt, but there are so many different threads of it running rampant through the book that it's difficult to keep track of all of it. So much in fact that I was almost forced to grab a pen and paper to write character's names down and their ultimate goals for power grabs in the New Europe...ordinarily this is something I only do for the Russian literature of the late 19th century (just for keepin track of all the names), but I was almost forced to it here. I found myself laboring through entire chapters of the book forced to read what I considered some rather dull, pages long descriptions of constitutional banter, interlaced with the plottings of German nobles and assorted power plays by foreign dignataries. And don't even get me started on the almost Mafia-like "Committees of Correspondance", whom, for whatever reason, I just have a tendency to really dislike for their thug-like behavior. And while I understand the CoC's reasons for hatred of nobles I find myself befuddled as to their motives and overall disposition against Gustav, whom I consider a good and noble man. Bottom line...I just don't get it. Much of the book is like this, and borders on needing accompanying Cliff's Notes.
Several plots have broken off from the main book as well. A diplomatic mission to Cardinal Richelieu, primary foil for the new European republic, results in my appreciation of this character (who it appears is maligned far too much on various "Three Musketeers" movies), a man who is honorable, cunning, kind, and dangerous in equal parts. A separate diplomatic mission takes place to England, largely dealing with the group's incarceration in the infamous Tower of London, as well as the introduction of later historical figure Oliver Cromwell. I very much look forward to that plot development as the portions of history I've read on the man tend to impress me.
As to the action portion those parts of the book are wonderful. I thoroughly enjoyed the formation of Grantville's Air Force, and being a US Air Force veteran myself, felt pulled in and filled with wonder. Likewise, I really enjoyed the improved character of Simpson, whom I think a perfect fit for the job of Admiral of the US Navy's two Grantville-Class ironclads and I cannot wait to see them in action. The book culminates in a large sea battle which had me turning pages furiously and results in the death of a much loved character from the first book.
I very much enjoyed the book, but found it tedious in many places. If you were rooting for more high-technology cause/effect events to unfold you may be disappointed, but certainly not enough to dissuade you from finishing. The 1632 universe is fascinating and I look forward to the continuing saga of Grantville!
Book Review: Introduction to the thirty years war
Summary: 4 Stars
1633 is a worthy sequel to 1632. The plot and character development are good and the time period is interesting, to say the least. Until reading this fictional treatment, I never really understood all of what was happening in Europe during the thirty years war. The cast of major historical characters is fascinating and seems to accord pretty well with what I had learned about them in reading history. A lot of important figures are turning up in the story also such as: Otto Von Guericke, Harvey, and etc. A satisfying read!