Ring of Fire In Transylvania

 

In 2001 Eric Flint wrote a one-off novel titled “1632,” featuring a West Virginia town transposed in time and space to Thirty Years War Germany. It spawned numerous sequels, resulting in multiple series captured under the Ring of Fire umbrella. It even gave birth to a new publishing house focused on these stories.

“1637: The Transylvanian Decision,” by Eric Flint and Robert E. Waters, is the latest book in the series. It is also the last book written by Flint. He died in July 2022.

Over six years since the Ring of Fire, up-timer Morris Roth, transformed himself from Grantville jeweler too the commander of the Grand Army of the Sunrise, stationed in Bohemia. Roth, who is Jewish, created the army to prevent the 1648 Chmielnicki Pogrom. He is trying to carve out a Jewish homeland in territories east of Bohemia, in what in the future became Russia’s Pale of Settlement.

He is offered an alliance with Transylvania, then an Ottoman client state. Transylvania wants independence and is willing to aid Roth’s move into Ruthenia in exchange for military assistance against the Ottomans. After the United States of Europe offers to assist Roth and his army, Roth agrees to the alliance. A Transylvanian campaign will aid the USE, fighting the Ottomans in Austria.

The Army of the Sunrise is made up of Jewish infantry, the Bohemian Brethren (a Protestant sect evolved from the Hussites) and mercenary cavalry. The Brethren have armored wagons and locomotives. For the campaign it is being reinforced by a brigade of the Silesian Guard, commanded by Jeff Higgins and Sons of Liberty political organizers led by Gretchen Higgins, Jeff’s formidable spouse.

Against that the Ottoman Caliph is using vassals from Wallachia and Moldavia to put down the Transylvanian uprising, reinforcing them with Ottoman-built tanks (steam-powered and armed with flamethrowers), an Ottoman zeppelin, and Janissaries. The results will be bloody.

This book follows one of several side threads that branched off from the main story, which Flint tended to write solo. However, this thread was one close to Flint’s heart, one he created in the first Ring of Fire short story collection. Despite a co-author, it reads in many ways like one of his main line novels.

“1637: The Transylvanian Decision” offers what readers of the series expect; action mixed with technology, and the appearance of many familiar characters. It is a worthy addition to the series.

“1637: The Transylvanian Decision,” by Eric Flint and Robert E. Waters, Baen Books, 2022, 352 pages, $25.00 (Hardcover), $9.99 (Ebook)

This review was written by Mark Lardas, who writes at Ricochet as Seawriter. Mark Lardas, an engineer, freelance writer, historian, and model-maker, lives in League City, TX. His website is marklardas.com.

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There are 11 comments.

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  1. David C. Broussard Coolidge
    David C. Broussard
    @Dbroussa

    What is the new publishing house? I thought that Bean was publishing these books? 

    • #1
  2. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    David C. Broussard (View Comment):

    What is the new publishing house? I thought that Bean was publishing these books?

    Ring of Fire Press. Baen was selling ROFP books in addition to the Ring of Fire books published by Baen. Unfortunately ROFP shut down in September, along with Granville Gazette (right after it published its 101st issue. Flint died in debt and his widow shut both down.   With luck someone will buy both.

    • #2
  3. Randy Hendershot Lincoln
    Randy Hendershot
    @RicosSuitMechanic

    This series is a favorite. I had not heard that Flint had passed. That is sad news indeed. For readers that like alternative history science fiction he was part of the gold standard that includes S.M. Sterling’s “Dies the Fire” series, anything by John Ringo, Michael Z. Williamson, and Larry Correa. Readers are also reminded to read Robert Heinlein and Jerry Pournelle.

    Ringo’s zombie series was written pre-Covid, but he was prescient.  Highly recommended.

    Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” was on the official reading list of the service academies, but has been bumped for touchy-feelie times.

    • #3
  4. Instugator Thatcher
    Instugator
    @Instugator

    Randy Hendershot (View Comment):
    Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” was on the official reading list of the service academies, but has been bumped for touchy-feelie times.

    It is on the CasaGrande Reading list too.

    • #4
  5. David C. Broussard Coolidge
    David C. Broussard
    @Dbroussa

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    David C. Broussard (View Comment):

    What is the new publishing house? I thought that Bean was publishing these books?

    Ring of Fire Press. Baen was selling ROFP books in addition to the Ring of Fire books published by Baen. Unfortunately ROFP shut down in September, along with Granville Gazette (right after it published its 101st issue. Flint died in debt and his widow shut both down. With luck someone will buy both.

    I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve loved that series though I got overloaded with it and now am hopelessly behind. I attempted at one point to catch up and was annoyed that I bought two separate books that contained the same story (the one about the ballet company). I need to figure out where I left off and pick it up again. One thing I really appreciate about the series is that it shines a light on, arguably, the most important part of modern history. I was in a discussion once that asked where should the “common era” start if it wasn’t based on the birth of Christ. My argument is that 1648 and the Treaty of Westphalia would be a good demarcation because that is when the modern nation state and our concept of individual liberty in a modern society came to be realized. 

    This time period is full of fascinating history that is often glossed over (and I have a degree in history) which is a shame. 

    • #5
  6. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    David C. Broussard (View Comment):
    This time period is full of fascinating history that is often glossed over (and I have a degree in history) which is a shame. 

    I discovered the period in my college years when I picked up a copy of C. V. Wedgewood’s book on the 30 Years War. I was into wargaming at the time and tried to build up interest in a multi-player campaign game. Didn’t fly. Too much interest in D&D. At the time it was brand new.

    • #6
  7. David C. Broussard Coolidge
    David C. Broussard
    @Dbroussa

    Randy Hendershot (View Comment):

    This series is a favorite. I had not heard that Flint had passed. That is sad news indeed. For readers that like alternative history science fiction he was part of the gold standard that includes S.M. Sterling’s “Dies the Fire” series, anything by John Ringo, Michael Z. Williamson, and Larry Correa. Readers are also reminded to read Robert Heinlein and Jerry Pournelle.

    Ringo’s zombie series was written pre-Covid, but he was prescient. Highly recommended.

    Heinlein’s “Starship Troopers” was on the official reading list of the service academies, but has been bumped for touchy-feelie times.

    Starship Troopers should be on everyone’s reading list if only to screen out the people who think it’s a paen to fascism so that they can be gently guided towards careers that can have no real purpose so as not to damage society. 

    Stirling’s Dies the Fire/Island in the Sea of Time is a fantastic example of parallel stories. His Peshawar Lancers is also a cool alt-history. 

    Turtledove should always be included for his How Few Remain series. 

    Flint is going to be missed, but I do hope that his universe continues. He may have been a rabid socialist, but he was a heck of a storyteller. 

    • #7
  8. Seawriter Contributor
    Seawriter
    @Seawriter

    David C. Broussard (View Comment):
    Flint is going to be missed, but I do hope that his universe continues. He may have been a rabid socialist, but he was a heck of a storyteller. 

    I dunno if it will. His wife owns the rights. She shut down Grantville Gazette, which was making money as well as ROFP.

    • #8
  9. David Carroll Thatcher
    David Carroll
    @DavidCarroll

    I read 1632, but could not get into the series.  I found the union-organizer superstar leader to be too fantastical, even more so than the city displaced in time. 

    • #9
  10. Percival Thatcher
    Percival
    @Percival

    David Carroll (View Comment):

    I read 1632, but could not get into the series. I found the union-organizer superstar leader to be too fantastical, even more so than the city displaced in time.

    I thought that I was the only one that found him that annoying. I finished the first too, and also never went back.

    • #10
  11. Bishop Wash Member
    Bishop Wash
    @BishopWash

    David C. Broussard (View Comment):

    Seawriter (View Comment):

    David C. Broussard (View Comment):

    What is the new publishing house? I thought that Bean was publishing these books?

    Ring of Fire Press. Baen was selling ROFP books in addition to the Ring of Fire books published by Baen. Unfortunately ROFP shut down in September, along with Granville Gazette (right after it published its 101st issue. Flint died in debt and his widow shut both down. With luck someone will buy both.

    I’m sorry to hear that. I’ve loved that series though I got overloaded with it and now am hopelessly behind. I attempted at one point to catch up and was annoyed that I bought two separate books that contained the same story (the one about the ballet company). I need to figure out where I left off and pick it up again. One thing I really appreciate about the series is that it shines a light on, arguably, the most important part of modern history. I was in a discussion once that asked where should the “common era” start if it wasn’t based on the birth of Christ. My argument is that 1648 and the Treaty of Westphalia would be a good demarcation because that is when the modern nation state and our concept of individual liberty in a modern society came to be realized.

    That’s an interesting thought. I’ve seen some referring to CE as Christian Era since all people did was swap CE for AD instead of putting down a new marker on the timeline.

    • #11
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