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A review by cmbohn
1632 by Eric Flint
4.0
Themes: war, patriotism, utopian society, immigration, gender roles, religion, technology
Setting: Westphalia 1632
This crazy story was the first real alternate reality book I read for this category, and it was exactly what I had in mind when I chose this category.
It all starts during a wedding in West Virginia in the 1990s sometime. The reception is swinging along, with all the little coal mining town at the party, when a brilliant light hits and everything gets weird. The partygoers assume there is a fire over the rise, but the phones and radios are out. So a few guys head over to check things out. When they get over the hill, they are stunned to find soldiers attacking a farmer and his wife. And the soldiers are wearing armor, wielding swords, and carrying flintlock rifles. What is going on?
They soon realize that the whole town has been transported back in time and place to Europe in the middle of the Hundred Years War. And there is no way to get back. Ever. Now the townspeople have to figure out how to settle in to this new place, who those soldiers were, and which side of this war they want to be on.
I really loved this book. It was so much fun. Yes, it is a bit much to believe - they just HAPPEN to have a coal powered power station, and a working coal mine. They have the high school, the hospital, and a first class surgeon. They have all kinds of military know-how. But who cares? It was a fun story, and I'm willing to buy all that if it works. To me, it worked, and I liked it. There was a lot of violence, some romance, and some mild history going on, but I thought it was fun. I'm glad I found this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks the description sounds interesting. It had me wondering last night what I would be doing if my family wound up back in the 1600s. Then I realized - Of course! I'd be the librarian.
Setting: Westphalia 1632
This crazy story was the first real alternate reality book I read for this category, and it was exactly what I had in mind when I chose this category.
It all starts during a wedding in West Virginia in the 1990s sometime. The reception is swinging along, with all the little coal mining town at the party, when a brilliant light hits and everything gets weird. The partygoers assume there is a fire over the rise, but the phones and radios are out. So a few guys head over to check things out. When they get over the hill, they are stunned to find soldiers attacking a farmer and his wife. And the soldiers are wearing armor, wielding swords, and carrying flintlock rifles. What is going on?
They soon realize that the whole town has been transported back in time and place to Europe in the middle of the Hundred Years War. And there is no way to get back. Ever. Now the townspeople have to figure out how to settle in to this new place, who those soldiers were, and which side of this war they want to be on.
I really loved this book. It was so much fun. Yes, it is a bit much to believe - they just HAPPEN to have a coal powered power station, and a working coal mine. They have the high school, the hospital, and a first class surgeon. They have all kinds of military know-how. But who cares? It was a fun story, and I'm willing to buy all that if it works. To me, it worked, and I liked it. There was a lot of violence, some romance, and some mild history going on, but I thought it was fun. I'm glad I found this book, and I would recommend it to anyone who thinks the description sounds interesting. It had me wondering last night what I would be doing if my family wound up back in the 1600s. Then I realized - Of course! I'd be the librarian.