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A review by amyiw
1632 by Eric Flint
5.0
4 1/2
I loved this on my first read.
This is a reread for me more than 10 years after the first read. I have it marked as Jan 2011 but since I really didn't keep track with GR until Sept of the same year, it could be anywhere within 2 years of September 2011.
So on second read, I really liked it a lot but felt the drag of the history less in the middle that took about 15% of the book, it was the battle in 1631 of Gustav on on of the battle fields against Tilli. Well it droned and wasn't needed for the information we get. I think the temperament of both the King of Sweden and of Tillie could have been conveyed in about 10-20 pages instead we get 90-100 and it is a history lesson, boring. I think Flint was trying to get the feel of battle as well but it reads more like a history book retelling. Since we get tidbits of info dumping history points here and there, I would have appreciated it much more in the same way and less of the battle scene, especially since it didn't involved any of our Grantville characters. So if I were rating this now, I would give it a 4 1/2 and for the great characters and storyline but bump down for the low angst and trauma to the people dealing with being cut off from 21st century luxuries. They just take it like that is the new way and move on. Doubt that it would be that easy but it was a good story anyway.
So a WV town gets thrown back in time to 1632 and immediately starts to encounter the people and soldiers of the 30 year war. Well the town has way superior fire power but numbers are against them. They have to quickly decide, are they going to be insular in this new world and get only what they need from the outside or try to forge a new way of life on to the new world and their little slice located in the middle of old Germany. Well they decide on the former and now need a leaders to get them the resources they need to welcome refugees and make the foods and material to live a new way of life.
Immediately, Grantville finds itself saviors and in the middle of skirmishes. Its new leader finds a woman and father traveling to help the King of Sweden. The woman is well educated in the politics and languages of the time. Along with her looks, Mike, the new leader of Grantville is smitten and will take all the help from the new people that he can get. The new constitution is being written and the new bill of rights taught to the new members of Grantville. We have the Scotsman mercenary sworn to the Swedish King, who falls for the cheerleader sharp shooter, Julie, who was hoping to be a biathlon contender with skiing and shooting in the olympics. Then there is the High School graduate nerds, one being Jeff, who ride their dirt bike and also know how to shoot. He is taken with a woman, Gretchen, who saves her family during one battle with a marauding army. She has been traveling with the army as the concubine of its heavy handed rapist leader and is happy and unbelieving of the new world she finds herself in. She and Jeff are thrown together and Jeff strikes his advantage. This was one of the best storylines. Then there was the doc and the teacher, and older couple. The doctor was only in Grantville for a wedding and ended up a resident. They definitely can use all the medical expertise they can get.
Then finally there is Mike and Rebecca, she finally comes into her own as an intelligent and well educated woman and Mike as the leaders gets a lot of time to press his suit, something she does not mind in the least, with maybe only a little worry about the thoughts for how her family will react.
So reread was fun and I'll now go on to the next to see if I'll read on in the series or not. 2021
I loved this on my first read.
This is a reread for me more than 10 years after the first read. I have it marked as Jan 2011 but since I really didn't keep track with GR until Sept of the same year, it could be anywhere within 2 years of September 2011.
So on second read, I really liked it a lot but felt the drag of the history less in the middle that took about 15% of the book, it was the battle in 1631 of Gustav on on of the battle fields against Tilli. Well it droned and wasn't needed for the information we get. I think the temperament of both the King of Sweden and of Tillie could have been conveyed in about 10-20 pages instead we get 90-100 and it is a history lesson, boring. I think Flint was trying to get the feel of battle as well but it reads more like a history book retelling. Since we get tidbits of info dumping history points here and there, I would have appreciated it much more in the same way and less of the battle scene, especially since it didn't involved any of our Grantville characters. So if I were rating this now, I would give it a 4 1/2 and for the great characters and storyline but bump down for the low angst and trauma to the people dealing with being cut off from 21st century luxuries. They just take it like that is the new way and move on. Doubt that it would be that easy but it was a good story anyway.
So a WV town gets thrown back in time to 1632 and immediately starts to encounter the people and soldiers of the 30 year war. Well the town has way superior fire power but numbers are against them. They have to quickly decide, are they going to be insular in this new world and get only what they need from the outside or try to forge a new way of life on to the new world and their little slice located in the middle of old Germany. Well they decide on the former and now need a leaders to get them the resources they need to welcome refugees and make the foods and material to live a new way of life.
Immediately, Grantville finds itself saviors and in the middle of skirmishes. Its new leader finds a woman and father traveling to help the King of Sweden. The woman is well educated in the politics and languages of the time. Along with her looks, Mike, the new leader of Grantville is smitten and will take all the help from the new people that he can get. The new constitution is being written and the new bill of rights taught to the new members of Grantville. We have the Scotsman mercenary sworn to the Swedish King, who falls for the cheerleader sharp shooter, Julie, who was hoping to be a biathlon contender with skiing and shooting in the olympics. Then there is the High School graduate nerds, one being Jeff, who ride their dirt bike and also know how to shoot. He is taken with a woman, Gretchen, who saves her family during one battle with a marauding army. She has been traveling with the army as the concubine of its heavy handed rapist leader and is happy and unbelieving of the new world she finds herself in. She and Jeff are thrown together and Jeff strikes his advantage. This was one of the best storylines. Then there was the doc and the teacher, and older couple. The doctor was only in Grantville for a wedding and ended up a resident. They definitely can use all the medical expertise they can get.
Then finally there is Mike and Rebecca, she finally comes into her own as an intelligent and well educated woman and Mike as the leaders gets a lot of time to press his suit, something she does not mind in the least, with maybe only a little worry about the thoughts for how her family will react.
So reread was fun and I'll now go on to the next to see if I'll read on in the series or not. 2021