1633

Rating:
Summary: A very pleasant read
Review: I throughly enjoyed 1633. The characters were interesting. I liked the heros, finding them to be warm, well rounded, in some cases complex and nearly always heroic. The "bad guys" were rarely evil, generally very able and frequently admirable, being "bad guys" only because they were on the side opposing from the heros. The situation the heros found themselves tended to be in complex, the heros ingenious, the story taking several unexpected turns.

However this is far from a perfect book. It suffers from being in the middle of a series and therefore does not have a really satisfying conclusion, and, as the story is a long way from being finished, there are any number of loose ends not merely left dangling but flailing in the wind. And this is even more glaring since 1632 was originally written as a stand alone novel and therefore is a tightly plotted novel with a distinct beginning middle and end. The decision to turn the story a series has meant that Eric Flint has had to go and lay the ground work for further developments. This has meant that 1633 is a slower paced novel than 1632. I have not minded the slower pace because it has given me a better opportunity to get to know the characters and there are a lots of interesting characters in this book. However, for a person who likes tightly plotted novels, which move along at a fast pace to a dramatic climax and finish with all the loose ends neatly snippet off and tucked in, 1633 would be a deeply frustrating book. I have not found 1633 to be frustrating because while I would like to know how everything turns out now, I can content myself with speculation on the situations that Eric Flint has set up and he has set up some very intriguing situations indeed.

I would recommend this book to most people and am defiantly planning on buy the next one as soon as it comes out in hardback.

Rating:
Summary: Alternate History & Time Travel in Depth
Review: Eric Flint & David Weber have followed up on 1632 with a book that creates depth to a period of time that many Americans really have no clue about. It's fine to have action in a book, and especially in alternative history it would be so easy to just put a group of soldiers armed with modern weapons ripping into locals - see The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove for an example of this. I'm not knocking Harry - I love his work. But what Eric and Dave have done is show a real world - confused, plots afoot by literally everyone to strengthen their positions - and just how Machiavellian do you want your world than one in which Nicolai Machivelli has only been dead for 100 years? You've got Cardinal Richelieu of France and all that implies - you've got Gustav Adolphus of Sweden spared death - you've got the Thirty Years War with almost half the population of Europe dying from plague and battle - the amazing thing is that the novel wasn't twice as large. If you're going to have a character, then explain the motivation of the character - especially to an audience that isn't already familiar with the real person, and Eric and Dave did this well.

It should be mentioned, with pride, that this book was also written with the assistance of the readers of 1632, and there are more books in the works.

Rating:
Summary: One small step for the series, one giant leap Weber & Flint
Review: If you've read 1632, and loved the behind the scenes politics, social ramifications, and down right dirty moves pulled by Mike Stearns and the rest of Grantville, then grab 1633 and hang on!

If the action, romance and down right hokey fun of 1632 captured your heart, then buy a highlighter with 1633, and make sure you highlight those parts, they don't appear near as often in this sequel.

I'll start with the cons and finish with the pros. There are several plot lines within the book that are advanced enough that you care about them, but left hanging at the end. One of 1632's most memorable characters: Julie Sims (Mackay, 'currently') is sent to Scotland, and essentially left there. Harry Lefferts and Gerd Fuhrmann (two characters that I'm now emotionally attached to) promise to turn some of Richelieu's minions into the whipping boys they are, but it remains a promise for another book as their mission is left hanging by the last page. There are some more examples of this in the book, and the end effect is an aborted sense of 'closure' when the reading is done.

Now for the pros: There is much that happens in 1633 that will cause you to pause, smile and just revel in its genius. (now) Admiral Simpson is, perhaps, one of the most compelling characters of the entire book. He and his wife fall into a role that only they can pull off, and is ultimately necessary for the sake of Grantville and the CPE. Additional characters are introduced that will make you stand up and cheer for them during their more challenging moments. ...and the horse trading...man, is there some horse trading going on.

Pick up 1633, keep in mind it is NOT Part 2 of 2, and enjoy. There are clear faults in the story, most of which manifest themselves when you realize you've finish. The faults won't, however, ruin what's golden in the book. Eric Flint has an extensive afterword then I highly recommend reading. Especially since it'll offer you info on how to nag him and David Weber into getting the next 16-- series book in stores...which you'll be wanting, I promise, for both the good and bad reasons I mentioned above.

Rating:
Summary: Opening up the possibilities
Review: 1633, the second in the series that began with 1632, starts to open up its world to issues that affect the whole world rather than just Grantville (the West Virginia town that popped through a hole in time and space) and the people they immediately associate with. In other words, this books opens a lot of questions that will be answered later in the series, rather than in the same book.

That being said, there is an important question that gets wrapped up in 1633. Will the culture, political know-how, ingenuity, and other traits of the rednecks from Virginia be powerful enough to take on the rest of the world not just for one or two books but for an entire series, or will the authors have to prop up their straw man with fancy footwork and gifts from heaven? I have to say the answer is the characters are strong enough! They don't need a company of Marines, some F-15s, a newly-discovered genius, or any other rescuers : they can take on the 17th century all by themselves, thank you very much.

There are three groups of protagonists in 1633 out trying to change the world. Rita, Mike's sister and a minor character in 1632, leads a small embassy to London. Rebecca, Mike's wife, leads another embassy through a stop in France and on to Holland. Mike himself, the new president of the tiny United States nestled inside Gustav's Confederated Principalities of Europe, is dealing with priorities of his own nation and the political problems of the CPE. (I am counting the aviation and naval subplots and the experiences of Julie in Scotland as background exposition on how the new U.S. is learning to deal with the world.)

Unfortunately for those who don't like things tied up neatly, two of the three subplots aren't resolved - though each continues to a point where the people involved have made progress. I wouldn't have told the authors to leave these stories out until they could be finished, though. 1633, and in fact the whole series, is a story about a nation establishing its mark on the world - and that doesn't happen without episodes that start way back when and proceed onwards past the first wrapping up.

To go into what the book does have : It has grand ideas. People working together to defend their community. Clever stratagems, and foolish mistakes. Misunderstandings, denial of reality, and people willing to admit they were wrong. Tragedy, heroism, and triumphs both heart-warming and human. Hobnobbing among the hoi polloi and getting down and dirty with the unwashed masses. And these things all happen to both the 'good guys' and the 'bad guys' - in other words, it has real things, happening to realistic people, in interesting ways. I can't wait to see what comes next.

Rating:
Summary: Good story, solid foundation for a long, enjoyable series
Review: Right off the bat, I'll warn you that, if you're looking for action-adventure fluff, it's not here. Unlike its predecessor, 1632, this book is a solid foundation for what I hope will be a long, long series.

1632 was a stand-alone, but when it proved popular, Eric Flint did the smart thing and, with David Weber (no mean series writer himself), used this to A: tell a solid, interesting story and B: lay a lot of the groundwork for future books, short stories and a whole "1632verse" alternate history.

Fine by me. This book isn't as fast-paced as 1632, since it's a "foundation stone" type novel, but it gives a lot of the "surround", political background, TONS of new villainy, and the feel of the massively confused game of "musical chairs played with a death penalty" that is pretty much a hallmark of human history wherever and whenever.

The necessary downside in the writing is more exposition, slower pace, and less character development. The upside is that we end up with, waiting in the wings, the Dutch insurrection, the Scottish revolt, Cromwell's Revenge, "1634: The Baltic War"(next book), The French and Indian War, and my personal favorite, "The Spanish Inquisition doesn't know WHAT to expect."

All told, this book was a solid investment of my money and even more, my precious time. I trust Eric Flint and David Weber, and even if we do spend a fair amount of time in this book watching them stuff dynamite into a lot of holes in the rock, I am certain that, sooner or later, we will get our reward: an earth-shattering "KABOOM!" The added benefit from this book is, we'll know WHY the rubble is bouncing.

Rating:
Summary: Gripping look into the details of a transition of power
Review: While not everyone cares for political novels, (especially some of the previous reviewers) it is not nessesary that alternate history be consumed solely with battle scenes and romance. The concept of the Loyal Opposition, and Mike Sterns work at developing the New US into a real nation and not just an emergency committee was a tale which bodes well for this franchise.

I think that Flint/Weber and the other authors with forthcoming works in this shared universe have done a good job of not falling into the pulp fiction error of having a tech fix to every problem. This is a novel of ideas. That's not to say that there isn't gripping action, sea battles, air adventures, imprisonment, chases and shooting, heck, it _is_ a David Weber novel after all, but like Honor Harrington, this book has moved beyond action/adventure into the meat of alternate history.

Rick Boatright
(Fair warning. I'm the Rick Boatright mentioned as one of the tech consultants in that long afterword, so I admit to being a little prejudiced in favor of this book.)

Rating:
Summary: Alternative History for people who actually like history
Review: Some of the people who have reviewed the book sound like people who want a quick roller coaster ride. They should use "Austin Powers" as an example of Alternaive History!

This book, far broader in scope than the earlier 1632, delves into a far, broader historical context. Unlike the history that many of us study in school, in which nation creation deals with the Reformation and 30 years war in Germany, then Richelieu, then Louis XIV, followed by the development of British democracy, this novel demonstrates how all of the above were actually happening at the more or less the same time.

Richelieu steals a copy of history texts from the future (Americans from the present wind up in Germany in 1632, the name of the preceding novel)and decides to change history. He makes sure that Charles I knows about the upcoming revolution in England, leading to the arrest of Cromwell, years before he has done anything against the king. He arranges to buy all British colonies in America. Other forces are set in motion against the Americans, Gustavus Adolphus and allies.

If you love history, this book is for you. Lots of details, lots of fun looks at byways of history, an awful lot of ifs. It is part of a series. There will be at least three or four more books dealing with different areas of conflict. A lot of characters from the first book play small roles in this one, but are likely to reappear.

Again, if you like history, you will love the book! Flint and Weber obviously do, as well. This may be the best alternative history series ever!

Rating:
Summary: Alternate History, Reality Strikes Again
Review: One of the problems I have always had with alternate histories is the "deus ex machina" solutions to real technical problems. In 1633, as in the previous volume 1632, Eric Flint and collaborator David Weber provide a slice of reality in an alternate universe. People aren't cardboard, there are no achingly evil villains. There are stupid people, people with warts, smart people, normal people...in short, all the people that make up 1633 in Europe. Archvillains Richelieu and Simpson are revealed as men with passions, flaws and virtues. Good guys are shown to be short-sighted and venal. What we have here is a fine continuation of Eric Flint's experiment in "reality alternative history." Nobody pulls 2001 technology out of the bag...in fact, the climax leaves you with a clear (and foreboding) picture of the limits of Grantville's technology.

We are not reading Grantville uber alles here, nor are we reading a romp through the 17th century by those vastly superior persons, the Americans. We are reading a well thought out dramatic essay on what happens when cultures collide.

The subtext of 1633 doesn't get in the way, but it is every bit as powerful subtext as any "literary" SF novel of the past 30 years. We are seeing through a kaleidoscopic lens what happens when people are faced with massive change, and when people are forced to achieve beyond their station in life. We are seeing what happens when a society comes into contact with another society with more toys and fancier philosophy. Apply the lens of 1633 to the issue of the Native American, or the Australian Aborigine, and the philosophical subtext remains the same.

Flint and Weber do a masterful job of provoking thought from readers of space opera and action-adventure novels. We are fed enough complex political analysis under the guise of character introspection that we can see exactly what is happening, and where things are going.

Finally, Flint and Weber pull off something extremely critical, and they do it well: they make the indigenous population of the era, not the interlopers from Grantville, the heroes of the piece.

And that's the point. Or one of them.

Walt Boyes
(the Bananaslug at Baen's Bar)

Rating:
Summary: Weak sequel
Review: Taken on it's own, a very weak sequal to 1632.

Taken as the first 580 pages of a very large book (where the other volumes will continue the huge number of story lines and characters introduced in 1633), it's just slow and disappointing.

There were so many times when reading 1633 where I would be BEGGING the author to continue a thread (like the tower of london and conversations between Cromwell and Melissa we NEVER get to hear, or the wonderfully fresh perspective of King's daughter), only to have that thread promptly ignored for more deadly dull detail about German princes and the political structure of 17th century Germany.

Yes, the parts with Simpson are well handled, and yes, there is some splendid action near the end. But this is a far less sunny book than 1632, and no where near the action packed moving page turner.

Unfortunately, we don't have the rest of this giant book in the making yet. So, I'm going to recommend to friends that they wait for the sequels to be released before diving into 1633.

Rating:
Summary: a nice book. but
Review: This is a fairly good book. It is well written with several exciting scenes. But it is a let down sequel compared to 1632 which is a totally superior book. 1633 simply doesn't have the energy intensity or pace of 1632. 1633 is a nice leisurely drive in a minivan compared to a wild rollercoaster ride by 1632. If you liked 1632 try 1633 but don't expect the same read this is a much tamer book. If you haven't read 1632 get it instead of 1633.