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alex_ellermann's review against another edition
4.0
The hardest thing about recommending the 'Ring of Fire' series, of which this title is a part, is getting someone to keep listening after hearing the premise. "Ok, so through an alien's cosmic magic trick gone wrong - just go with it - an entire West Virginia coal-mining town - not just the people, the whole town - is transported to Franconia, a German statelet roughly 150 miles northeast of Frankfurt, smack in the middle of the 30 Years' War. In 1632, in fact, which happens to be the title of the first book. No, wait, stay with me. Here's the hook: while the premise is preposterous, the writers - the series is a collective effort - take it deadly seriously. What would the ramifications really be if a bunch of modern West Virginians, modern rifles and pickup trucks and political/religious ideology and variable knowledge of European history and all, were dropped into the middle of one of Europe's most intractable conflicts? Who'd ally with them? Who'd declare war? What effect would they have on science, on the European and global economy, on philosophy and theology and the list goes on?"
"Ok. Fine. I get it. Enjoy your book club selection about unhappy rich people."
But here's the thing: I'm three volumes into this series, and it's gooood. The history is solidly researched. The speculation (again, once the reader gets past the preposterous premise) is reasonable. The characters are well-drawn, the plot engrossing, and the whole thing as good a time as you're going to find in the Preposterous section of your local historical science fiction bookstore. In other words, this stuff is right up my alley.
This particular book is a place-setter, mostly spending its time moving the pieces into position for its direct sequel, "1634: The Baltic War." Yes, there's some action near the end, but "1633" is meant for the reader who's already invested in the characters and the ongoing storylines. Still, I like the characters and I'm intrigued by the storylines. I'm in for the long haul, and I look forward to reading the next volume.
"Ok. Fine. I get it. Enjoy your book club selection about unhappy rich people."
But here's the thing: I'm three volumes into this series, and it's gooood. The history is solidly researched. The speculation (again, once the reader gets past the preposterous premise) is reasonable. The characters are well-drawn, the plot engrossing, and the whole thing as good a time as you're going to find in the Preposterous section of your local historical science fiction bookstore. In other words, this stuff is right up my alley.
This particular book is a place-setter, mostly spending its time moving the pieces into position for its direct sequel, "1634: The Baltic War." Yes, there's some action near the end, but "1633" is meant for the reader who's already invested in the characters and the ongoing storylines. Still, I like the characters and I'm intrigued by the storylines. I'm in for the long haul, and I look forward to reading the next volume.
amyiw's review against another edition
4.0
4 1/2 and then a cliffhanger, so 3 1/2 bumped up.
I actually liked this better than the first as it didn’t drag as much in the history, or at least no where for too long. The last had a 15% of the book continual, recount of a battle. This went into parts and telling of history but never too long and it always pertained to the situation.
This book is a compilation of a lot of things happening- unluckily the beginning storylines all end in cliffhangers
Spoiler
Rebecca is in the tower with Tom Simpson, son ofSpoiler
and the naval battleWe get a furthering of all our favorite characters and get a few new ones. I’ll go on to the next and hope the 2 story lines that were left up in the air get answered in the next since the book was written by the same 2 authors.
scamp1234's review against another edition
3.0
Little slower than 1632, but it builds on the cast of characters and has me eager to continue through this universe.
cj13's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
cmbohn's review against another edition
3.0
Themes: war, religion, politics, patriotism, technology, love, expansionism, free will vs. fate
Setting: Westphalia, London, Amsterdam, new West Virginia 1633
This picks up more or less where 1632 left off. The new American-Sweden alliance has won a temporary victory over the German and Spanish forces. But Cardinal Richilieu is quick to spot the new threat to his own power and figure out how to manipulate things to his own advantage. He sets up a new alliance with Spain against the Americans. Meanwhile, the Americans are trying to establish diplomatic relations with England and the Netherlands. It's not going well. So the Americans work even harder preparing for the coming war.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as 1632 and Ring of Fire. The politics and the behind the scenes maneuvering take up too much time and the personal relationships not enough time. Towards the end of the book, though, the politics finally fade into the background and we got on with things. It's a tough conclusion, but a good one. Just the reminder that war is brutal and breaks your heart. I'm giving it 3 stars. I'm glad I read it, but I don't know if I'll continue with the series.
Setting: Westphalia, London, Amsterdam, new West Virginia 1633
This picks up more or less where 1632 left off. The new American-Sweden alliance has won a temporary victory over the German and Spanish forces. But Cardinal Richilieu is quick to spot the new threat to his own power and figure out how to manipulate things to his own advantage. He sets up a new alliance with Spain against the Americans. Meanwhile, the Americans are trying to establish diplomatic relations with England and the Netherlands. It's not going well. So the Americans work even harder preparing for the coming war.
I enjoyed this book, but not as much as 1632 and Ring of Fire. The politics and the behind the scenes maneuvering take up too much time and the personal relationships not enough time. Towards the end of the book, though, the politics finally fade into the background and we got on with things. It's a tough conclusion, but a good one. Just the reminder that war is brutal and breaks your heart. I'm giving it 3 stars. I'm glad I read it, but I don't know if I'll continue with the series.
absentminded_reader's review against another edition
2.0
This book missed the mark for me. Certainly, it had strengths. There were more concrete details in the story than you could find in a parking garage, but the characters lacked heart. Perhaps if I had cared more for the characters, I wouldn't have minded the history dump truck that barreled its way through the story.
And that's really the key issue. If I felt that way about the constant references to history, I was the wrong reader for this story. It is an alternate history fiction where the history is being altered throughout the entire novel. True, I enjoyed 1632 more, and considering that Flint and Weber swapped chapters, I suspect that that would account for why I cycled through liking or disliking the story depending on the plotline and characters. But the characters in 1632 helped move the story along. The characters in 1633 just kept coming and coming like a sea of immigrants on the shores of the plot. The story ended up moving the characters along. It felt more distant and less engaging for me at times. Even overwhelming.
Judging by the wide range of ratings for this book here on GoodReads, I suspect that those who loved the geeky history bits rated this book highly. Everybody else accounts for the the 2-3 star ratings. Therefore, if you dislike milieu books where the setting is the main character, you probably won't like this book very much. But if you do like milieu books enriched with hundreds of pages of concrete details, especially as they work out how to recreate technologies, you will likely thrill to read every page of 1633.
And that's really the key issue. If I felt that way about the constant references to history, I was the wrong reader for this story. It is an alternate history fiction where the history is being altered throughout the entire novel. True, I enjoyed 1632 more, and considering that Flint and Weber swapped chapters, I suspect that that would account for why I cycled through liking or disliking the story depending on the plotline and characters. But the characters in 1632 helped move the story along. The characters in 1633 just kept coming and coming like a sea of immigrants on the shores of the plot. The story ended up moving the characters along. It felt more distant and less engaging for me at times. Even overwhelming.
Judging by the wide range of ratings for this book here on GoodReads, I suspect that those who loved the geeky history bits rated this book highly. Everybody else accounts for the the 2-3 star ratings. Therefore, if you dislike milieu books where the setting is the main character, you probably won't like this book very much. But if you do like milieu books enriched with hundreds of pages of concrete details, especially as they work out how to recreate technologies, you will likely thrill to read every page of 1633.
tasadion's review against another edition
2.0
Whatever your opinion of 1632, the same will be true of 1633. I was expecting a large battle at the end, as is often the case with these David Weber novels, and the lack of it left the book a bit weaker. Too many info dumps for my taste, and the characters often are really just stereotypes. The writing style (apart from the info dumps) is easy enough and there are some fun moments, but it is all just a little bit too didactical for me.
crafalsk264's review against another edition
challenging
informative
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
This book extends the story of the Sci-fi novel 1632. In this earlier book, a section of West Virginia from the year of 2000 is broken away from the earth and set down in 1632. The small town of Grantville WV and the adjacent farms, mountains, and suburbs becomes known as the United States of Europe. In this sequel, the leaders of the USE are beginning to reach out to the kings, emperors, princes and other leaders of the adjacent European countries. These contacts result in the residents of those countries observe the citizens of USE using advanced technology. With the citizens beginning to interact with the local population, close relationships, including marriages, begin to form. The leaders of USE have to determine what knowledge can and, more importantly, can’t be shared with the nearby countries and population without endangering themselves and matters of history.
This book focuses much more on the political and diplomatic climates in 17th century Europe and the USE may fit in. I hope that the next in the series will go back to the relationships of the “Americans”.