1632 (Assiti Shards) [Paperback]

The town in question is a quiet West Virginia town of about 3,000 which at one point subsisted on proceeds of its coal mine, now shut down, but which has left the legacy of a great number of the town's adult men being UMWA union members. When plopped down in Germany, the union's leader, Mike Stearn, effectively takes charge and begins the process of not only turning the town into a self-sufficient entity but also melding it into a major player into the politics of day.

The good things about this work are its intense descriptions of the battle techniques and weapons of the day and what a difference a little bit of modern firepower can make, its obviously well researched look at the politics and religious battles of the Europe of that age, an interesting look at the position of the Jews within this society, and its easy reading style.

On the negative side, characterization, while adequate, is not very deep for anyone. The motif of 'love at first sight' is way overused. How the town makes the transition from 20th century technology to a stripped down mix of 18th and 19th century level is not covered in enough detail to make it convincing, which is a shame as this could have been one of the most interesting aspects of this novel. The ready acceptance by the German peasants of not only the technological marvels but also the concepts embodied by the Bill of Rights strained my suspension of disbelief mightily, even though it made an excellent theme for the novel. And finally the scene where the King of Sweden, Gustavus Adolphus, comes galloping on horseback to the rescue of the town's schoolchildren came across as both melodramatic and unnecessary.

Still, like many novels that occupy this sub-genre, it all makes for a good, fun read, with an interesting look at the history and people of that time.

--- Reviewed by Patrick Shepherd (hyperpat)

In an Author's Afterword, Flint says that "1632" is a "sunny book". That's the problem. For our castaways, there are no clouds in the sky, no matter what the situation. First of all, the collective consternation of the citizens over losing their place in the modern present was no greater than if they'd been stranded in Newark after having missed a plane. I mean, where were the cries of outrage as the trips to see the grandkids in California, the vacations to DisneyWorld, the opportunity to see "I Love Lucy" reruns, and the 401k retirement plans, are all lost forever? Rather, our square-jawed and unrelentingly self-righteous American heroes spend their time rescuing damsels-in-distress from the marauding mercenary bands of the period, and otherwise imposing civil order and the U.S. federal political structure on a world in serious disarray. Teddy Roosevelt couldn't have done it better with his Big Stick approach. (Modern hunting rifles, plus the M-60 machine gun good ol' Frank has stashed in his backyard, don't hinder the clean-up either as lines of armored men with pikes are mowed down. Yee-haw, boys, I guess we showed them varmints a thing or two!) And then, of course, there are all the True Loves conveniently discovered as the Grantville singles fraternize with the natives. Indeed, the principal American strongman, Mike, finds his (on page 43 already) in a wooden stagecoach lurching down a local cart track pursued by period thugs. I mean, it's just all so sugary sweet that I was tempted to send out for Kleenex, insulin and an air-sickness bag, not really sure which I'd need first.

And how about those unwashed local yokels, huh? As various elements become socially and militarily allied with those amazing Yanks, does any individual among the former ever ask who won the Thirty Years War according to 20th century history books? (If 22nd century Wall Street suddenly dropped onto your back patio, wouldn't you at least want to know the future of that new gene technology IPO?) And are they particularly in awe of 20th century technological advances? Yawn. Without spilling too much of the plot, I can safely reveal that, at one point, our 17th century cousins, without having given it too much thought, are cozily sitting around the TVs chortling as Grantville's local programming is miraculously brought back on the air. (Hey, does anybody want to order out for some KFC before the game show starts?) All the comforts of a futuristic home.

There's only one element amidst this silliness that justified my finishing the book. It's the part describing the Thirty Years War and its greatest warrior-hero, King Gustav II Adolf of Sweden. A cursory examination of the war's history on an on-line encyclopedia was enough to show that the background material supplied in "1632" was at least superficially accurate, so I may have learned something of value while reading this oversized comic book. From beginning to end, the plot is just too pat and too shallow. Thus, if you're not interested in the historical bit, don't bother with the whole.

Unless writers of alternate history start varying this particular formula very soon, the entire sub-genre is in danger of dying from boredom.