1635

The Papal Stakes

By: Charles E. Gannon, Eric Flint

Narrated by: George Guidall

Length: 23 hrs and 47 mins

Publisher's summary

New York Times best-selling author Eric Flint continues his Ring of Fire series with esteemed sci-fi author Charles E. Gannon.

Rome in the year 1635 finds Frank Stone and his pregnant wife Giovanna in the clutches of Cardinal Borgia, whose political machinations and papal assassins may soon elevate him to Pope Borgia. Now Frank, along with Harry Lefferts and his infamous Wrecking Crew, must protect Pope Urban VII from all manner of treachery.

©2012 Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon (P)2013 Recorded Books

Your Plan Will Always Change When It Meets Reality

We are back in Italy the Pope is on the run, Frank Stone and his wife are being held. This story has action with lots of deep meanings. Highly recommended.

A world lit only by imagination

Where does 1635 rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?

This book is in the top 10 of my 155 audiobooks.

What other book might you compare 1635 to and why?

It is part of a series so one could compare it to the others on audio. But, I like to compare it to other time travel books like All Clear or other sci-fi Books like Hunger Games. This series is very much better than the others. Check out this series, but start with 1632 so you really get to know the situation before you try to skip around. This is a fun way to look at history. And you will probably want to see how it happened in the world we live in. These books are great for high school readers and should be on to curriculum.

Which scene was your favorite?

My favorite scene was the conclave to discuss the nature of the Up-timers and the world they came from. The questions and topics posed by the priests seem to mirror some of the questions we are pondering today.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Of cource you will want to read it all at once:but you must put it down and attend to the mundane tasks like eating, sleeping, and smelling the roses of our world.

Unfortunate

Do you think 1635 needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?

No, The book it follows is not available from audible. There are four 1634 books and only one is here. Vastly disappointing since this volume references and follows closely one of the volumes not available the same thing is going to happen with the 1636 as there are multiple 1635 booksand again this is the only 1635 that does not coincide with this story.
highly disappointing.

Satisfaction

I really enjoyed Papal Stakes. In the Ring of Fire series it is a wonderful addition and key story. Finally getting a good story with the Wrecking Crew is something every afficionado has been waiting for and we have gotten a very good answer to our wish.

George Guidall took a very difficult read and pulled it off with absolute aplomb. Though I was critical of his earlier performances, he took this story and made it his own. I suspended all disbelief and rode his reading of this tale like it was a magic carpet.

I hope that more books in the series and the Grantville Gazette come out. I am willing to pay for every bit of this series that comes to light.

A Weak Point in the Series

If you could sum up 1635 in three words, what would they be?

Very action focused.

What could Charles E. Gannon and Eric Flint have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

This book was a disappointment, delving far too much into religious politics for my tastes. Instead of focusing on the changes that the Uptimers were making, technologically and socially, it focused on the action of rescuing hostages and protecting the Pope. I don't really care about sectarian squabbling. I want to read about the revolution. If this book was about the Secret Jews of Spain deciding to assist the Pope or something to that effect, then this book would have been interesting.

What does George Guidall bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

George Guidall did a lot to bring otherwise uninteresting events to live by using different voices and tones for each subject, perspective, and character. I almost felt that I was listening to an audio drama. He did an excellent job.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

When Ascher, Giovanna's Jewish doctor, is introduced, I couldn't help but try to piece together every bit of espionage that he and his assistants were undertaking.

Any additional comments?

Without having read later installments in the series, I would recommend skipping this one.

Audible read order is wrong!

This is a good book, but it is NOT the sequel to The Baltic War (book 3 of the main 1632 series). As of the writing of this review, Audible does not have 1635: The Eastern Front or 1636: The Saxon Uprising, which are the ACTUAL direct sequels to The Baltic War. Unfortunately, you will have to read it via text, like me.

Audible - If you do a series do the whole series!!

I read many of the Ring of Fire series in hardcopy years ago and I was thrilled that it came out in audio form.

The problem with this book (which I had not read before) is that is you need the other 1634 and 1635 books to make sense of the story line here. But Audible is missing several of those books.

Here is Eric Flints Recommended order for the series:
1632
Ring of Fire
1633
1634: The Baltic War

(Somewhere along the way, after you’ve finished 1632, read the stories and articles in the first three paper edition volumes of the Gazette.)

1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Galileo Affair
1634: The Bavarian Crisis

(Somewhere along the way, read the stories and articles in the fourth paper edition volume of the Gazette.)

Ring of Fire II
1635: The Cannon Law
1635: The Dreeson Incident
1635: The Tangled Web

(Somewhere along the way, read the stories in Gazette V.)

1635: The Papal Stakes
1635: The Eastern Front
1636: The Saxon Uprising
Ring of Fire III
1636: The Kremlin Games

Basically the entire middle part of the story line (from after Baltic War through The Grantville Gazette V) is not available.

I understand the Gazettes not being there but the others are critical to understanding all the back story.
For example, Sharron Nichols getting married (last seen crying over her loss of Hans Richter). And the Stone boy and his wife in prison when and how did they get there.

Please audible fill in the gaps!!!

The Cost of True Freedom

It always amazes me how Flint and his cohorts of authors in this series keep everyone straight. The one thing you will find in every book however, is the main tenants of the American Philosophy. This book more than most takes those ideals and shows that it's not always easy to stand up for what you believe. The two major tenants of American freedom are looked at under a microscope in this book, freedom of speech and freedom of religion. Although Flint's background might make one wonder just how he will cover these topics, he does a superb job showing the difficulties in achieving both. I would recommend that anyone that is interested in listening to this book first go back and read the books before this one. If you don't, you will literally be picking up the story in the middle.

George Guidall does a fantastic job reading this book. His vocal performance is second to none.

Thanks for the read!

I know that Eric has a recommended sequence for reading this series. I however find it amusing to read them as I find them and the mood moves me. It's almost like hitching a ride on a time bubble which orbits the planet giving me random access to the normal timeline.

The fact that I'm getting non-sequential insights into a world being shaped by unwitting time travelers is just delicious!

Not up to previous efforts

This book wasn’t for you, but who do you think might enjoy it more?

Uncritical readers without much knowledge of history

What could Charles E. Gannon and Eric Flint have done to make this a more enjoyable book for you?

The manuscript attempted to build up the skill and threat of a primary adversary by having him soundly defeat an established character. Unfortunately, the means by which this was done is so improbable as to break the suspension of disbelief.

Which scene was your favorite?

None, really.

What reaction did this book spark in you? Anger, sadness, disappointment?

Irritation and disappointment

Any additional comments?

Rather than relying on improbably, unrealistic devices, put more thought and development into the adversaries.