1633

If you recall from my 1632 review, I quite enjoy this setting. As I stated before with the first novel Eric Flint did an amazing job of both setting up an interesting alternate history and making effective use of time travel. As great as 1632 is, I have come to have a much greater appreciation for Flint and this setting since reading Flint and David Weber’s 1633.

Flint has stated that when he wrote 1632 it was intended to be a stand-alone novel, but due in part to the large amount of interest at the Baen-Bar the setting has developed into something quite large. For 1633 Flint chose to collaborate with David Weber, and while sometimes collaboration is not a good choice in this case it was indeed the right thing to do. The novel still flows just as well as 1632 and feels like a cohesive unit, in fact unless you are already familiar with Weber’s work you may not even notice his presence.

1633 starts not too long after the end of 1632, but departs from 1632 in a lot of ways. While 1632 features mostly the “up timers” as the main cast and stays fairly geographically close to where Grantville landed 1633 introduces a lot more denizens of the 1600’s and has expeditions to France, England, Scotland, Holland and beyond. Also in 1633 we get more of the perspectives of outsiders, that is those who are not members of the new community/country developing around Grantville.

In 1632 we find the characters largely reacting to what is happening around them. The “up timers” essentially only deal with how to survive each issue as it crops up, and while there is discussion and the beginnings of future planning not much of it pays off within the boundaries of that story. 1633 is quite the opposite of this. We now find those plans starting to mature and become something, and we see the major power players making even more long reaching decisions.

Since the “up timers” know that their technological advantages are only good for as long as they last they have begun to do everything in their power to use what they have available to build up technology that, while not quite as advanced, will still keep them ahead in the power struggle. Key to this strategy is building up large enough stock piles of more easily made advances to carry them through to a point where they can make larger advances. Key to this novel are the foundation of the Navy, with what amount to Civil War era ironclads, and a fledgling Air Force, using single engine airframes running car engines.

Another way 1633 diverges from 1632 is that now the other powers in the area are starting to realize exactly what they are up against, and changing their long term plans accordingly. A major issue that arises revolves around the wrong people getting a hold of history books and doing everything they can to alter those things that went awry in their plans in the "original" history. This makes life interesting for the “up timers” because now they have less of a handle on how events are going to unfold.

Weber and Flint have crafted an amazing novel in 1633. They have taken all the things that made 1632 good and gone a step further. Whereas at times in 1632 it felt like the “up timers” were nearly impervious, even though they did have some trying times, in 1633 their weaknesses are beginning to be discovered. Weber and Flint do not pull any punches this time around, and everyone is fair game. The decisions that are made here are harder for the characters and have farther reaching implications. I truly loved this book, I give it a 4.5/5.