1634: The Galileo Affair (The Ring of Fire)

Though I'm not done with this book yet, it has had a good start. My dad read it before me and loved it. This is a must have if you have read 1632 and 1633. If you have not, buy all three!

Two forces are at work in 1633-1634 Europe as the Thirty Year War devastates much of the continent. In Germany, the twentieth century West Virginia transplants forge the United States of Europe based on the principle of democracy. On the other extreme resides powerful Cardinal Richelieu who wishes to dominate a European theocracy. He knows that this "Grantville" is a threat to his ambitions especially those alliances with Sweden and the Ottomans.Pope Urban VIII welcomes the displaced Americans who come to Venice to stop the plague from spreading and to offer an alliance with His Holiness. Urban sees this group as a potential counterpoint to the growing influence of Richelieu and considers that odd thinking Roman Catholic priest amongst them could defend Galileo at his upcoming heresy trial. Though the Americans are split on whether to aid the beleaguered astronomer, Cardinal Richelieu has plans to discredit them regardless of what they intend to do.This alternate history series is already one of the best around and each new entry appears better than the previous one, a seemingly impossible feat. 1634: the GALILEO AFFAIR is a terrific tale that provides the audience with a combo slapstick historical techno-thriller that brings to light an intriguing era, but does it with anachronisms and humor. Galileo's theories are placed in a different light than that taught in school adding to the overall mercurial splendor. The ending must have come from "It's a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World" as Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis insure nothing remains sacred within their retelling of the seventeenth century.Harriet Klausner

There is a good reason Eric Flint's 163x series sells books. They are good fiction combined with an exceptional knowledge of history. In the first book, 1632, readers got a view of Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, but hardly known to most Americans. The situation of a group of Americans stranded in the middle of the 30 years war was a great chance to focus on how American values of tolerance can affect others.In 1633, the people from the era have learned all about the Americans, have managed to get books from the today, and are trying to change the flow of history. Cromwell is arrested and sent to the Tower of London before he ever thinks of revolt. Richelieu in France buys North America from the British and plans a new empire. There is betrayal galore.In the new book (with several threads coming from the book of stories, Ring of Fire), a group of Americans is sent to Venice to build trade with the Ottoman Empire, make friends throughout Italy, but most importantly to deal with issues within the Catholic Church. Father Larry Mazzare, the one priest from current America, is the ambassador and he winds up in a deliciously interesting position: defense counsel at an Inquisition trial...for Galileo, who turns out to be not quite as heroic as pictured. The differing shades of gray indtead of clear black and white as representations of motives help make this a fascinating work. There are sub-plots galore and fascinating characters. Not all Americans are good, not all downtimers are evil or stupid.I consider the series the best in all Alternative History although I also enjoy Turtledove and Stirling. The books are a treat for SciFi fans as well as for those who enjoy good history...even though it is a history that never existed.I'm already reserving the next book in the series...a full year away.

Readers who have come to Eric Flint expecting complex characters, adult romance, political intrigue, varied backgrounds, and comedic action will not be dissappointed by The Galileo Affair. The novel builds on the detailed background work that Flint has shared with the hundreds of participants in the 1632 series web boards on Baen's web site. However, Flint and Dennis choose to expand the stage of the 1632 series into early modern Venice and provide readers with a series of mis-understandings, and mis-directions and mis-stakes ;-) that rivals a Hal Roach movie. Galileo was a lot of fun. If you come to it expecting alternate history to be turgid battle scenes and amazing near super-heros, you will be dissappointed. If you expect to see normal everyday people thrust into very unusual circumstances and making the best of it in their own unique way, you will be delighted. As always, Flint celebrates everyman, and provides us with the opportunity to put ourselves into another place and another time, with the hope that we might do as well as his "everyman" does.

1634: The Galileo Affair is the third novel in the Grantville series, following 1633. It also follows The Wallenstein Gambit and several other stories in the shared world anthology Ring of Fire. The displaced Americans of Grantville have weathered everything thrown at them, welcomed refugees from the Thirty Year War into their community, and have thrived as a people, despite (and due to) their common losses. Working together, Gustavus Aldophus and Mike Stearns have created the United States of Europe, finessing various princes of Germany into obscurity. Democracy has gained a foothold within seventeenth century Europe.Their military successes have saved them from occupation by their neighbors, but their library has even more effectively changed history. Texts on the uptime histories of the seventeenth century have became very popular among the powerful personages of Europe ... and very disturbing to many of them. General von Wallenstein allied himself with the Americans after reading of his betrayal and death under the Habsburgs in the original timeline. Richelieu changed his tactics and personnel, if not his goals, after reading his own history. Charles I of England sent Oliver Cromwell to the Tower to save his own head (and thereby put him right into the hands of Melissa Mailey). And the rabbis of Amsterdam condemned a year old child named Baruch de Espinoza -- better known as Benedict Spinoza -- as a heretic and relinquished him directly into the hands of Rebecca Stearns.The library also caused considerable turmoil within the Holy Roman Catholic Church with their religious holdings. Father Mazzare started the controversy by allowing Father Fredrich von Spee to read his own entry in the Catholic Encyclopedia, thereby stiffening the Jesuit's resistance to the Inquisition. Then Mazzare provided copies of the Papers of the Second Vatican Council and other documents to Monsignor Giulio Mazarini, which led the Pope to request a summary of Catholic theological reforms over the following centuries in the original timeline. In this novel, the newly formed USE acts to open a trade corridor with the Middle East via Venice. Stearns selects Larry Mazzare to lead the delegation to Venice because of his current fame (or notoriety) among Catholics. Mazzare asks Simon Jones, the Methodist minister, to accompany him as a sign of religious tolerance and Father Augustus Heinzerling, SJ, goes along as Mazzare's assistant. Stearns also sends Tom Stone and family to assist with the production of pharmaceuticals, Sharon Nichols to aid in medical education (and to give her something useful to do while she is grieving), and Ernst Mauer to advise on public sanitation. Lieutenant Conrad Ursinus is sent as the Naval Attaché and advisor on shipbuilding and Captain Lennox is assigned as the Military Attaché and commander of the Marine Guard. Lieutenant Billy Trumble is sent as XO of the Marine escort as well as sports advisor (Billy and Conrad represent the