[COQ]∎ [PDF] 1635 Papal Stakes Ring of Fire Eric Flint Charles E Gannon 9781451638394 Books

1635 Papal Stakes Ring of Fire Eric Flint Charles E Gannon 9781451638394 Books

Download As PDF : 1635 Papal Stakes Ring of Fire Eric Flint Charles E Gannon 9781451638394 Books

1635 Papal Stakes Ring of Fire Eric Flint Charles E Gannon 9781451638394 Books

1635: The Papal Stakes
As an action novel "The Papal Stakes" makes it as a worthwhile experience on that basis alone. We have non-stop action of the most intimate kind of combat for literally over a hundred pages. If that was the totality of the book I would buy it, read it and recommend it. But of course as fans of the long running Ring of Fire series well know, that is far from all there is.
Note this if you will. Eric Flint and Charles E. Gammon, Flint's collaborator on this particular project, manage to make long discourses on theology and hair fine lawyer talk not simply interesting but actually fascinating. When your favorite authors can do that, you have good favorite authors.
The large cast of characters brings together many characters that we know well from previous books, characters that had only a small appearance in previous books and wholly new characters. For me part of the charm of the series comes from the now common accomplishment of finding a character mentioned in passing in one story and in a subsequent story amplifying that character into the center piece or a strong supporting character. I like that.
And the characters themselves are well and roundly drawn. We know enough about them as people to like them. We care what happens to them, which is essential if we are to enjoy the story. Lessor authors regularly pen novels where plotting or simple momentum takes the place of character building. Novels of that sort hold much less interest.
This is a big fat book too,654 pages long. We get our money's worth and then some.


Tags : 1635: Papal Stakes (Ring of Fire) [Eric Flint, Charles E. Gannon] on Amazon.com. *FREE* shipping on qualifying offers. A new addition to the multiple New York Times</i> best-selling Ring of Fire series. After carving a place for itself in war-torn 17th century Europe,Eric Flint, Charles E. Gannon,1635: Papal Stakes (Ring of Fire),Baen,1451638396,Alternative histories (Fiction),Americans - Italy,Americans;Italy;Fiction.,Fantasy fiction,Italy - History - 17th century,Italy;History;17th century;Fiction.,Popes,Popes;Fiction.,Time travel,Urban,AMERICAN SCIENCE FICTION AND FANTASY,Alternative History,Americans,FICTION Alternative History,FICTION Science Fiction Action & Adventure,FICTION Science Fiction General,Fiction,Fiction - Science Fiction,Fiction-Science Fiction,FictionAlternative History,GENERAL,General Adult,Historical fiction,Italy,Monograph Series, any,Science Fiction,Science Fiction - Action & Adventure,United States

1635 Papal Stakes Ring of Fire Eric Flint Charles E Gannon 9781451638394 Books Reviews

Well, not thousands, but as with any of the stories in The Ring of Fire series, you need a program to keep everyone straight.

There are two main plot strands in this book the rescue of Frank and Giovanna Stone and protecting Urban VIII while he decides which path to follow in recovering from Cardinal Borgia's nearly complete coup d'etat. The author, Charles E. Gannon is double-billed with the creator of the series, Eric Flint. I haven't read any other works by Gannon, and it can be a little difficult to find his voice in the story, but there are some standout lines that I think must be his, including my new favorite for the entire series "Ruy, you remove that hand right now. Yes, the one with your knuckle brushing against my-Ruy! There's a pope in the room!"

The first chapter is by far the weakest - shaky characterization and some tin ear dialogue. It gets better quickly. Harry Lefferts and the Wrecking Crew are on the scene in Rome, but Olivares - the Spanish prime minister - has sent Borgia a frighteningly capable counter-intelligence man, Pedro Dolor. As capable and cold-blooded as Harry is, Pedro is his match.

In the Italian alps, Sharon Nichols faces the task of both keeping the pope and his small entourage safe and of convincing Urban VIII to accept the USE's offer of asylum. Larry Mazarre, once the small town priest of Grantville and now the Cardinal-Protector of the USE, has joined the pope in exile. It's his job to convince the pontiff to acknowledge ex cathedra (that is, the pope speaking as the infallible representative of Christ) that a) the Ring of Fire was a miracle and not a ploy of Satan to mislead Christians into heresy and apostasy; b) that the ex cathedra pronouncements of future popes - especially John XXIII and John Paul II - carry the same weight as any other pope's ex cathedra; and c) that Vatican II (with its adoption of formal religious tolerance) is therefore the doctrine of the holy Roman Catholic Church. All of this, while a team of assassins follows the pope's trail.

There are several new characters, others introduced in the last book The Canon Law like Don Vicente, and old favorites, and they all get a fair amount of time. There are dirigibles, which lend an undeniable steampunk quality to several scenes. There are setbacks, sword fights, crises of conscience, dirty low down bad guys, very sympathetic bad guys, heartbreak, and at least two married couples constantly getting it on (discreetly). The pacing is excellent, the researched detail is good, and as always, the adaptation of uptime technology and mores to 17th century sensibilities is enthralling.

Highly recommended.
I'd been wondering what happened in Rome, after reading "The Cannon Law," and had been checking the libraries regularly for this book. Since I hadn't been able to locate it in print, I finally bought a version for Christmas reading. I'm glad I did. It's a great addition to the "Ring of Fire" series, and a great book overall.

The stage is set and the characters are developed, so there isn't a whole lot of historical background in this book; there's much more action, adventure, and thrilling reading than usual. Just as Grantville and the uptimers are adapting to the 1600s, the 1600s are adapting to them, and things that were once fairly simple for the Americans are no longer so. A lot of growth and development takes place among various characters, new villains come on the scene, and there are little updates on the state of Mike Stearns and other main characters. All in all, it's a very enjoyable book, and I recommend it.
This is another very enjoyable book in the 1632 series. There is action galore. There are villains around every corner or behind every tree. Or so it seems. There's the scent of clouds of black powder, the smell of spilled blood and the tang of saltwater. Even the discourses on canonical law are to the point and readable. The basic plot, as described in Heinlein's 'On The Writing of Speculative Fiction', is 'The man who learned better'. One of the main men learning better is Harry Lefferts. He has to rescue Frank and Giovanna Stone from the clutches of the infamous would-be Pope, Gaspar de Borja y Velasco. I don't want to give away too many spoilers. So, I won't tell you what he learned, how and why. I will say that there is plenty of action involved in the learning and it is all eminently readable. The action covers Northern Italy from the Alps to Rome and the Western Mediterranean.

The only downside in this book for me was the number of uptimers who don Red Shirts. I don't know if this was for dramatic effect or a result of Flint's belief in Kalthar Morth's Historically Inevitable Forces. Either way, at the observed rate, the number of uptimers in this world going to be zero in short order. Where does this series go when there are no more West Virginians in Grantville?
1635 The Papal Stakes
As an action novel "The Papal Stakes" makes it as a worthwhile experience on that basis alone. We have non-stop action of the most intimate kind of combat for literally over a hundred pages. If that was the totality of the book I would buy it, read it and recommend it. But of course as fans of the long running Ring of Fire series well know, that is far from all there is.
Note this if you will. Eric Flint and Charles E. Gammon, Flint's collaborator on this particular project, manage to make long discourses on theology and hair fine lawyer talk not simply interesting but actually fascinating. When your favorite authors can do that, you have good favorite authors.
The large cast of characters brings together many characters that we know well from previous books, characters that had only a small appearance in previous books and wholly new characters. For me part of the charm of the series comes from the now common accomplishment of finding a character mentioned in passing in one story and in a subsequent story amplifying that character into the center piece or a strong supporting character. I like that.
And the characters themselves are well and roundly drawn. We know enough about them as people to like them. We care what happens to them, which is essential if we are to enjoy the story. Lessor authors regularly pen novels where plotting or simple momentum takes the place of character building. Novels of that sort hold much less interest.
This is a big fat book too,654 pages long. We get our money's worth and then some.