1632: Ring of Fire, Book 1

1632 is the masterpiece of Eric Flint's career. Flint is best known as the collaborator. His works with David Weber and David Drake being his most popular. Flint describes himself as an idea man, who can stay focused long enough to get a book out but it takes awhile. This is the reason he prefers to use co-authors. It helps the story stay focused while getting it finished in a timely manner. Even though I don't always agree with the political and ethical ideas that Flint puts forward in his books, he does a very good job of making sure they do not become the focus. He writes Sci-Fi books about history and because of that politics do play a role, but he makes sure that many of his ideas and the ideas of his political opposites get their respective places without misrepresentation. The only political idea that he gives short shrift to is Isolationism or Fortress America. Of course most people on both sides of the aisle would agree, that is not a workable solution as WWI and WWII proved to us. The great thing about Flint's "altered history" Sci-Fi is that he tries to stay historically accurate about everything else. He does a fantastic job of sorting out the 30 years war in this work, and does it in such a way that makes it much easier for the common lay person to understand what was going on during that period without the need of historian on the shoulder pointing the way. Flint at times makes it so easy to understand how the 30 years war not only effected Europe of 400 years ago, but also how it played a part in WWI and WWII. This is not just a book of fiction, it is what I like to call "fictive non-fiction". It's core is fiction, but the meat of the book is so well researched and vetted that you can learn vast amounts of valuable information if you read carefully. This is the true measure of historical fiction and Flint's 1632 is a prime example of how to accomplish it. I am truly pleased to finally see 1632 on Audible's play list and can hardly wait for the remaining book of this series and many other Eric Flint books to find their way here.

George Guidall does a superb job in reading this book. He truly grasps the characters and the characteristics of the work. I can only hope that he is the reader for the remainder of the series, and continues to do those works as much justice as he did 1632. Overall this is one for any library, not just Sci-Fi fans.

This is the first book in a series created by Eric Flint. I have read and reread the first three books in the series many times and have checked Audible from time to time to see if they were available. I am very pleased that 1632 is now available and sincerely hope that the other books in the series will be following on.

This is an alternate history/time travel book. Basically, a chunk of Earth about 6 miles in diameter is lifted out of West Virginia in our time and is transferred intact to Germany 400 years ago. There is a small town on this chunk of land, and the book deals with the trials and troubles of that small band of Americans dealing with life during the 30 Years War.

One of the problems they have to face is how to recreate the society they came from without being able to jump on the Internet to order replacement parts when things break. Another problem is how to get along with their Medieval neighbors who have different ideas about religion, caste, etc. And they are having to solve these problems in the middle of one of the more vicious wars that ever tore Europe apart.

The author clearly did plenty of research on the way of life at that time, including the various political elements that were in play, the big political names of the day, and methods of warfare. I hope this doesn't sound dry, because this book is anything but dry. There is lots of action from the very beginning. The problems these people face are fierce, and they plow into them with enthusiasm and intelligence. They also kick a lot of butt along the way!!

The book is narrated by George Guidall, and he does his usual excellent job.

I highly recommend this book.

Eric Flint's 1632 is the first in an entire universe of books known as the "Ring of Fire". The premise is that Grantville, a West Virginia coal mining town, is plopped down in the middle of Thuringia(one of the Germanic states) in the year 1632, right in the middle of one of the bloodiest and nastiest wars in history, the 30 Years War.

This book, and the follow on books, are extremely well researched and will give you insights into a period and area most of us know nothing at all about. But forget all that, they're FUN, especially those written exclusively or primarily by Eric Flint. The protagonist from the Grantville side is Mike Stearns, the President of the United Mine Workers of America Local. How the people of Grantville, especially the UMWA miners, survive, interact with their new neighbours, and ultimately thrive in this new environment makes for an engrossing tale.

The book is very well read by George Guidall. His pace is good, his ability to distinguish voices without hamming it up is excellent, and the overall result is that I enjoy his reading without the reading overpowering the story. Highly recommended.

I like sci-fi and fantasy, and can accept the initial premise that a town in modern day West Virginia has been mysteriously sent back to 1632 Germany. That is the cool part of the story. The problem is with the characters - they are mostly caricatures. And while that is fine for many entertaining novels with heavy action, this book, after the opening sequences, spends a lot of time on character "development." If you can call following the thoughts and dialogue of stock characters "development." Chunks of the book read like a romance novel, with breathless, love-at-first-site encounters and courtship. The Americans, almost without exception, are an amazingly virtuous lot, that embody the best American principals - hard work, self reliance, inclusion, democracy, tolerance, practicality, fairness, ingenuity - without fail. This is in stark contrast to the bad guys - who are truly vile. The narrator, George Guidall, is so good, that he can make this pulp seem to have substance. Yet Guidall can only cover for the author for so long. Eventually, you notice that your velveeta topped cheeseburger is missing the meat, and you only have a mouthful of cheese.

Ok, the headline may be harsh, but it explains why a good performance and a good story manage to combine into a sum that's less than the individual parts.

The writing is decent, if unremarkable. The historical research adequate. The pacing ok. What's wrong then? Well, this is a time-travel book confronting modern Americans with Enlightenment Europeans in the midst of a religious war. So, if you abstract from the lack of 1-any discussion (even in passing) of religion, 2-any serious conflict between past and present values, 3-any character (modern or past) being remotely phased by the juxtaposition of times and 4-the lack of character development or ambiguity, then you will love this book.

Since I want this review to be helpful to prospective readers, I have to reiterate that it's not bad (if it stunk there would not be several sequels), it's just that the plot description suggested (at least to me) more thoughtful entertainment than what feels like a formulaic TV script.

I did not read the book, but listened to the audible version. There are times that the performance provides an added dimension to the book that I would have supplied when I "read" a book. However, there are performances that go far beyond the story. This was neither, in that it was a good read, but not the "special", that I was alluding to earlier. The story had language differences that many reviewers complain about when they are not to their liking. Then there are vocalizations that firmly place you in the story as if you are truly present. Overall, George Guidall has never disappointed me. The book I would characterize as one of my more interesting genres, and the writing would be best characterized as easy listening, which is wonderful when I am stuck in bed and I have 1/2 of my brain to utilize. In short, it is a very pleasant read and I would definitely listen to the rest of the series, but it does not rate in the 5+ books. For those of you who want an interesting book to listen to but not one that takes over most, if not all of your cerebral cortex, then I would highly recommend this listen. In addition, I used the guided format for my review, and decided that it is the least useful of the reviews that I have read (sorry Audible).My favorite book (or among the short list), is the "Killer Angels". When it was initially written, it went nowhere, slowly. I doubt that most critics READ books that they wax so eloquently about or worse micturate on the author and book, when it is not politically correct(Bell Curve). So where is this aural manuscript in the pantheon of great and other missives? It is entertaining, but don't expect it to be resurrected in 50 years. It is to be listened to now for plain and unalloyed enjoyment.For those of you that have made it this far, I truly thank you and that you have forgiven my mistakes in typing with a 1/2 of one eye or should it be 25% of my visual abilities.

George Guidall gives a wonderful performance and the story is quick paced and keeps you entertained. Anyone who likes time travel novels will dig this one. It has everything a novel needs to entertain; Politics, war, evil and romance with the right balance. Not heavy on the war details to the point of boredom and not too sappy in the love department. Very well balanced.

The year 1632 meeting the year 2001.

Pefect performance, good match for the story!

Yes! Yes!

Bring in the series to audible, soon!

Finally here!!!

I have waited for this book to be available on Audible from the very first day I joined the site. I love this book and can’t wait for the rest of the series.

BRING ON THE REST!!!! 1633, Ring of Fire, 1634 and so on…

What really makes this book are the characters. They are well developed and you'll find yourself rooting for them as they go into action. Its really nice to see a community pull together and succeed. It is also interesting to see the influences of religions in that day: Kinda reminds me of the middle east.

I only wish the next one was ready to listen too. I couldnt stop listening

I liked them all

yes

It was like a shot of adrenalin

next please