Eric Flint (1947–2022)

In 1632, a small town in contemporary West Virginia is "magically" transported to 1632's Thüringen and lands in the middle of the Thirty Years War. With a premises like this, the book was irresistible and, much to my surprise, proved to be an enjoyable read. The story has elements of Mark Twain's A Connecticut Yankee in KIng Arthur's Court, computer gaming, with a bit of love story mixed in. The book is particularly strong in it's descriptions of battles, both real and fictional.

This is a fun read. One major reason is that the author has populated his world with a number of very endearing characters.… (mer)

2023-10-29: A rough start but it eventually grew on me and was quite enjoyable. We're getting the story in a conversational fashion, with lots of side trips, from the agent of a professional strangler who has an obsession with philosophy. The agent is of a more practical bent and just wants them to do the job and get paid and then go to The Trough (best ale in New Sfincter) but the strangler's philosophical penchant often interferes with that plan. There is no serious philosophy to be found in this book and if you're still looking for it after chapter 1 you're not paying attention.

I guess Forward the Mage tells the bit that happened in Prygg so I'll put that on my list.… (mer)

Call it not a Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court but a West Virginia Labor Leader in Gustavus Adolphus’s Europe. Eric Flint picks up David Weber as co-author for this second installment of his Ring of Fire series. They are the thoroughbreds of Baen’s stable of military sci-fi and alternate history writers. When a modern West Virginia town is suddenly transported to late-Renaissance Europe, world leaders take a keen interest in its collection of history books, seeking to promote or prevent the events foretold in them. In England, for instance, Charles the First quickly arrests Oliver Cromwell, who has done nothing yet. Like it or not, the West Virginians have become the focus of European intrigue and war. Fun stuff.… (mer)