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calbowen's review against another edition
1.0
Characters- Plenty of descriptions and dialog as well as emotions from characters
Setting- A ton of setting with history and alternate history throughout
Plot- Nary a sign of it in the first 15% of the book.
There is absolutely no plot. Everyone talks to someone else about what is happening but not a single person does anything. The people that are doing something are talked about by the people doing nothing. She is spying for us. Wonder how that is going? Well, you won't find it here, because we would rather have the non movement characters talk about someone else actions. This is a yawn fest from beginning to seven chapters in. The concept was what drew me in, but the book is just retched. Basically this is a war-gamer's fantasy about changing history without having characters do a single flipping thing.
Setting- A ton of setting with history and alternate history throughout
Plot- Nary a sign of it in the first 15% of the book.
There is absolutely no plot. Everyone talks to someone else about what is happening but not a single person does anything. The people that are doing something are talked about by the people doing nothing. She is spying for us. Wonder how that is going? Well, you won't find it here, because we would rather have the non movement characters talk about someone else actions. This is a yawn fest from beginning to seven chapters in. The concept was what drew me in, but the book is just retched. Basically this is a war-gamer's fantasy about changing history without having characters do a single flipping thing.
sirpasta's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
katricia's review against another edition
3.0
If you don't find 17th-century European military history and weaponry interesting, you probably won't like this book, as it's almost as much "real" historical tangents as it is a story set in the fictional "Ring of Fire" universe.
Fortunately, I *do* find those topics interesting.
Fortunately, I *do* find those topics interesting.
defenders_iris's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Getting a co-author was the best thing Eric Flint could have done - the quality of the writing is much higher than 1632, and a lot of the "graphic for graphic's sake" details are done away in lieu of poetic imagery, which I adore. The pacing is much better too, and a lot of the characters go through meaningful development. I even cried toward the end at a major death, and a few points made me chuckle audibly, so kudos to the two of them for improving their craft!
The books are still very much written by white men, and the meandering nature of all the subplots was quite hard to keep track of. Especially since the subplots don't get all wrapped up by the end of the book. Combined with the overall slow pace of the book, it was difficult to tell what actually contributed to the overarching plot of the world, versus what drove the plot of the book itself forward. Best girl Julie gets minimal book time as well.
Overall though, a good time!
The books are still very much written by white men, and the meandering nature of all the subplots was quite hard to keep track of. Especially since the subplots don't get all wrapped up by the end of the book. Combined with the overall slow pace of the book, it was difficult to tell what actually contributed to the overarching plot of the world, versus what drove the plot of the book itself forward. Best girl Julie gets minimal book time as well.
Overall though, a good time!
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Minor: Antisemitism
abigcoffeedragon's review against another edition
1.0
Characters- Plenty of descriptions and dialog as well as emotions from characters
Setting- A ton of setting with history and alternate history throughout
Plot- Nary a sign of it in the first 15% of the book.
There is absolutely no plot. Everyone talks to someone else about what is happening but not a single person does anything. The people that are doing something are talked about by the people doing nothing. She is spying for us. Wonder how that is going? Well, you won't find it here, because we would rather have the non movement characters talk about someone else actions. This is a yawn fest from beginning to seven chapters in. The concept was what drew me in, but the book is just retched. Basically this is a war-gamer's fantasy about changing history without having characters do a single flipping thing.
Setting- A ton of setting with history and alternate history throughout
Plot- Nary a sign of it in the first 15% of the book.
There is absolutely no plot. Everyone talks to someone else about what is happening but not a single person does anything. The people that are doing something are talked about by the people doing nothing. She is spying for us. Wonder how that is going? Well, you won't find it here, because we would rather have the non movement characters talk about someone else actions. This is a yawn fest from beginning to seven chapters in. The concept was what drew me in, but the book is just retched. Basically this is a war-gamer's fantasy about changing history without having characters do a single flipping thing.
especbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Wonderful
I enjoyed this book even more than the first, though there were still points where the depth of historic data left me floundering from time to time. I loved the character interaction and development and look forward to more in the series.
I enjoyed this book even more than the first, though there were still points where the depth of historic data left me floundering from time to time. I loved the character interaction and development and look forward to more in the series.
mschlat's review against another edition
4.0
It took me a while to warm up to the book --- unlike 1632, where most of the action takes place in Grantville (the time-and-place-transplanted town), the characters are spread over Europe. The first novel focused on the how and why of survival for 20th century Americans in 17th century Europe, with an emphasis on the can-do spirit of small towns. This novel casts a much wider net and, as a result, takes longer to catch fire. However, I loved the ending and am interested in the next volume.
markkaj's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I cried, yep. Love it
ashponders's review against another edition
3.0
These books get worse, I read like 10 of them. Law and Order marathons for your mind.