April 13, 2011: I just turned in the last manuscript items for the anthology Ring of Fire III, which is coming out in July. The next thing I’m working on is my short story for Grantville Gazette VI, which is being published in January, 2012.
April 13, 2011: I just turned in the last manuscript items for the anthology Ring of Fire III, which is coming out in July. The next thing I’m working on is my short story for Grantville Gazette VI, which is being published in January, 2012.
Eric:
I am a retired lieutenant colonel and high school History teacher—two careers—and a Masters’ degreed Historian. I am also a big fan of your “1632” alternate history series. I claim credibility because I have them all in the Baen hardcovers and have read them numerous times. Here’s the grumpy part: Is is possible that you not have Virginia DeMarce write any more solo volumes in the history? Frankly, she is a fine Historian if you like 17th century European ecclesiastic and convoluted German peerage history, but she simply cannot, even with her cast of hundreds, keep my interest. I just finished your “Saxon Uprising”… good job, by the way… and on the basis of the chronology of the series in the back gave DeMarce’s “Tangled Web” another chance. Now I have paid my dues on this one because I bought it in hardcover at a bookstore and then Amazon shipped me another copy that I had preordered. I read the first two chapters and then gave both of them away to friends because I just couldn’t plow my way through it. Now I have gone and bought yet another large-format paperback copy and just finished it. I was right the first time; it really was that boring. Other than that, Mr. Flint, I love your work, and have virtually everything else you have written in Science Fiction—I am not a Fantasy fan—and enjoyed all of it. Keep writing.
Except for 1632 itself, the books I have read the most often are those by or with Virginia DeMarce.
Eric, love your 1632 series. Just finished the Saxon Uprising and just loved it. Read your comments at the end of the book and can not wait for more. Thanks and keep it up.
while i am not deeply fond of the de marce work, i read it and reread it with other 1632 items, de marce has a very different take, and the way i see the 1632 universe is that there are many different weaves that make up a whole, some of the de marce contributions have been fascinating and quite a different take on things, and as long as eric is fooling around with other projects, i will just sigh and wait for whatever comes along in this universe. I too am a history teacher with some writing background and will probably submit some stuff this year to the grantville gazette, thanks for this world, hope eric’s interest returns to it full bore soon,
james myers
Thank you for this post!
Sorry, but I’m afraid I have to agree with Don Kaag when he says “Is it possible that you not have Virginia DeMarce write any more solo volumes in the history? Frankly, she is a fine Historian if you like 17th century European ecclesiastic and convoluted German peerage history, but she simply cannot, even with her cast of hundreds, keep my interest.”
I have seldom run across anything quite so convoluted and unfortunately so dull in my 70 plus years. It took me weeks to read and even then I knew I would have to reread it and ‘draw a map of the characters’ in order to try to make sense of her efforts and get a handle on the somewhat weak plot. I did finally manage to read it through over one weekend, but then I was confined to a hospital bed and had nothing else worth reading at hand.
Other than that book I have enjoyed ALL of the rest in the series, so much so in fact that I am over half way through writing a novel length time travel tale of my own. Just out of interest, mine deals with the North American continent and I’m afraid I didn’t borrow from your ‘Asitti Shards,’ so there will be little to compare to your ‘Ring of Fire’ series.
Now besides that one complaint, thank you very much for your work and may you continue writing long into the future.
I have to say I was relieved to read the opinions of the V de M book(s). I thought I must be the only one! The problem is not so much the convoluted plot and the rather dull characters, but that her writing is too “academic” – i.e. dull and dreary. I too am an historian by avocation, having obtained my BA & MA in my late thirties (and then a JD in my mid-forties). Each of these, I am convinced, was very largely awarded because I wrote papers and exams that were readable, even if not always absolutely “correct”. When I was teaching at University, I always warned my students that I could never remember dates so they had better get them right ‘cos I’d look them up. They were also VERY distressed to know that 10% of their mark was going to be based on spelling and grammar!
Apologies for blether. One of the things about EF’s books is that not only do they hold together narratively but they are well written – gosh, he even uses big words, which my friends insist that no SF of Fantasy writer can do. Most of them think Baen’s covers still represent 30s and 40s BEM stories and none seem to have any interest in the science or philosophy of the future of the universe, basically dismissing the importance of “Curiosity”.
@ Don Kaag, G. Bayrit, & Elizabeth Sheffield:
As historians, (and you, especially, Mr. Kaag, as a history teacher) would you agree with me that an interdisciplinary (history and literature) college course based on 163x would be a good way to get students interested in history? I know from experience that I have learned more about European history of that decade from reading 163x (and therefore looking up things in Encyclopedia Americana and Wikipedia) than I ever knew before.
On one point I must differ with you: if I could have novels only of one coauthor besides Eric Flint, I would choose those of Virginia DeMarce. In fact, I have so desired to see further adventures of Marc Cavriani and Susanna Allegretti (from 1634: The Bavarian Crisis) that I finally decided instead of complaining about it to do something about it, and now there is a short story about them in the September, 2015 issue #61 of Grantville Gazette, which was clearly written as a bridge to further stories about them. I met Virginia last June at Libertycon in Chattanooga, and was delighted to hear that further adventures of Marc & Susanna are in the works. I can hardly wait!
@ Elizabeth: How anyone could confuse the covers of Tom Kidd, who is apparently incapable of drawing a pretty girl, with the likes of Vargas, I don’t know. Perhaps you could show your friends the difference.
I have enjoyed all of the books in the 1632 universe, but to be honest, the portions contributed by Virginia DeMarce are the most challenging to read, but even so are still very entertaining. I was glad to read on one of your sites that future books will expand the British and the North American theaters of operation, but am curious whether the Wallenstein east ward expansion will continue from where it left off in The Grantville Gazette.
In a word, yes. I broke off working on that story line because I realized I was getting ahead of myself. I needed to bring the main line of the series forward before I could go back to work on the Wallenstein thread.
I agree with my Fellow LTC as to the one distracting author in the series. I usually finish one of your books in an evening or maybe two. It took me 2 months to finish her solo effort. May be an accomplished Historian, but her books was dryer than the driest sources I used during my research for my Doctoral work. I just had to force myself to read the work and it did not grab my interest. Keep up the good work on the series. I would like some more information on the railing of the “good” guys and other industrial improvements and upgrades. I especially enjoy the synergistic effects of German Craftsmanship with uptime engineering. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK. I will continue to by hard copies as long as I can read them.
Hi Eric,
I have a question. What made you choose 1633 and the 30 years war and then choose to allied the characters with Gustav II Adolf. As a Swede living in the USA , I think it is so cool. I have bought the whole 1633 series and have read all of then up to 1635. Will start the 1636 with in 2 days. I can’t stop reading them, I read 2-6 hours a day.
Thanks for your reply in advanced,
Yours Roland