1632 Series...Whaddya Think?

[skb12172]

I've read the first two and am 1/2 way through the third...1634 - The Baltic War. I have some opinions of my own so far, but am wondering what others that have read some of these books think. Fire away!

[HTRN]

While I liked the first book, alot of has been hit or miss. They'res only so many pages of court intrigue I can read before my eyes start rolling back into my head. I really like the "tech" part of it, and there's been a tremendous amount of research done to make sure it's doable considering they're situation. I also like the cultural interactions(and clashes) between the "uptimers" and the native germans, and how some of the new german converts are more enthusiatic about all things American, than those displaced from the 21st century.

Althistory.com has an interesting thread, where they posted a whatif? of the entire state of Pennsylvania shows up as well.

Especially funny is when a certain something from Camden, currently serving as a museum, gets put to use.


HTRN

[HTRN]

I dunno - I've been to the machine shop at NJIT, the third best engineering school in the country, and while impressive for a school shop, it was rather disappointing compared to anything but a small machine shop.

Now the real advantage of the Uni isn't the so much the shops, it's the technical library. What I'd like to know is how they figured out how to make rifled barrels. Even among machinists, it isn't exactly the commonest of knowledge, and I seriously doubt that your local library has a copy of Bill Webbs DVD.


HTRN


HTRN

[randy]

I really like them and look forward to acquiring more Grantville Gazettes as time and finances permit. Details are pretty well covered by Chris and HTRN, although I don't mind the political maneuvering as much as others.

[MarkD]

I read 1632 and am about 2/3 thru 1633 (and thanks, HTRN, for the link to Baen's free library!). I enjoyed the first one, so far I'm enjoying the second less. I also find the court intrigue dull. Don't know if I'll read anymore. That said, alternate history isn't my favorite genre even of science fiction.

[skb12172]

Well, so far, I admit I'm not a big fan of Mike Stearns. It seems that they make him lean a bit too far to the left. This is possibly to make him more "acceptable," seeing as he's a "hillbilly" and a "coal miner," after all. Furthermore, I think some of his more hair-brained decisions only work out because the author makes it so. In the real world...I'm not convinced.

This is not a very interesting part of history for me, but the storylines are compelling. My dislikes don't weight heavily enough to make me stop reading them, so there you go.

Chris, thanks for the head's up on the order in which I should read the books. I was aware of all the publications, including the gazettes, but had chosen my reading order based upon my librarian's recommendation. I'll revisit that now that I have your views, as well.

[Rich]

I enjoy them too. I just wish Flint and Company would write faster.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Stirling's novels which have more than a passing bit of alternate history going for them.

[Kommander]

I recently finished 1634: The Baltic War and was rather underwhelmed. The battle scenes were OK but the book suffers from Loads And Loads Of Characters Syndrome and I found the political stuff to be rather boring. I can't keep the modern royal family of England straight, much less a whole content of such families from 375 years ago. I spent a good deal of the book going who the fuck are these people and why do I care. Needless to say I will not be continuing with the series.

[Aglifter]

Frankly, I'm pretty sure A&M could rebuild the modern world in short order, or at least a part of it. (Knowing modern ag techniques will be a big help -- the only thing it might not have is a means of fabricating integrated circuits, but there's plenty of knowledge there on how to do it.)

[MiddleAgedKen]

I read 1632 and 1633. They're not brilliant literature, but they're entertaining.

I thought the "coal and chloramphenicol" level of technology was interesting and plausible, given what Grantville had to work with at the outset.