1635: The Tangled Web

Virginia DeMarce's 1635: THE TANGLED WEB TELLS OF THE THIRTY YEARS WAR that continues to ravage 17th century Europe, in an alternate universe where an alliance between Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the West Virginians from the 20th century is changing a world affected by a cosmic time accident known as the Ring of Fire. Prior fans of the 1635 series will relish this added saga.

The first book review for this title I read was written by someone incredibly unhappy with Virginia DeMarce. he felt that the doings of the minor characters, and 'who was related to whom' detracted from all the more interesting doings of the major characters. He appears to have missed the point; that all the doings of those minor characters, to a great extent, are why the major characters made the choices, and undertook the all the various tasks they have. They are striving to make a huge change in the history of Europe, a change in attitude covering every thing from the divine right of Kings (Aristocrats) to rule, to the right to worship as you please, (or not), to the right to get an Education, etc., etc.. In short the right to choose, in all things, with justice for all, not just the favored few. More things get done by the 'Little People' than most people seem aware of. Martin Luther King may be the most recognized voice of the Civil Rights Movement, but all those people who organized, marched, demonstrated, and even died to bring the dream to reality, how many names do most people remember? Their names are part of the history of the movement, but for how many of them is that history regulated to family tales of "Now your Great Uncle George, he was your Grandpa Leon's 1st wife's eldest brother, he was no spring chicken, he'd lived outside Selma all his life, and he knew that the march was going to be dangerous, but he went anyhow, it was bad as he feared, and he bore scars from that day the rest of his life. But he never regretted it, no sir, not to his dying day, said sometimes fear isn't enough to stop a man, if the cause is good enough." As for who is related to who, I wonder if this guy comes from a small family, or worse yet, is an orphan. More things are undertaken for the sake of family, more things are achieved so the clan might prosper, on a whole, worldwide, than for almost any other reason. Even political movements, have, at core, the need to make a better world , that the family, the coming generations, if not those here, right now, might have more opportunities, more freedom than they have now. People will network to help out family, make choices they might have otherwise avoided to aid or save their children, sacrifice their very lives, wager their honor & their fortunes, for the good of the many, that starts with family. Watching up-timers and down-timers both struggle to deal with the effect of The Ring of Fire, in the middle of the 30 Years War is fascinating. History is like a wave of water crashing over people, but each drop of water in that wave is the actions, and choices of every human being that set that wave to rising, without them, there is no crest for the major characters to ride. This is a very good book, as a student of History, I found it engrossing, as a student of Humanity, I found it inspiring.

1635: The Tangled Web (2009) is the eleventh Alternate History novel in the Ring of Fire series, following 1635:The Dreeson Incident. It is a collection of four overlapping stories taking place from 1632 to 1635. The main action takes place in Fulda during 1633. In the previous volume, agents for Marcos Ducos provoked a peaceful demonstration against the Grantville hospital and a simultaneous attack on the synagogue. Brillard shot Dresson and Wiley and then walked away. Buster counterattacked the crowd at the synagogue. In the Preface, Eric Flint brags about this series as well as the author and this work. He also points out that this title could also be applied to the whole series. The Ring of Fire changed history, first in Europe and then throughout the world. The consequences are still happening, as shown in this and other works in the series. "Prince and Abbot" has the NUS deciding to accept the return of Johann Bernhard Schenk von Schweinsberg as the Abbot of Fulda, but the Abbot will have to give up the title of prince. Moreover, he will not be allowed to collect tithes. NUS is now the secular authority in Fulda and will collect the taxes. The Abbot surprises Wes Jenkins -- administrator of Fulda -- in his attempts to persuade the monks to abide by the new rules of his order. The local monks have been difficult over abiding by these rules. Even the import of Saint Gall monks hasn't won them over to the Tridentine doctrines. Then Catholic conspirators in Bonn decide to unsettle affairs in Fulda. First they arrange to post scurrilous flyers all over town. Then they abduct the Abbot and several NUS administrators. "Mail Stop" focuses on Martin Wackernagel. As a private courier, Martin delivers correspondence and small packages on a route stretching from Grantville to Gelnhausen along the Imperial Road. He also makes side trips to Barracktown and other locations near his route. Martin visits his mother now and then during his travels, but he is reluctant to face her. She keeps asking when he will be married. Then he takes Liesel Bodamer to Frankfurt to see her brother and his mother learns that he is married. "Happy Wanderer" introduces Martin to Helenna Hamm. He is drinking at the Thuringen Gardens in Grantville when he hears the words to a song. He wonders at the lyrics, thinking that having the lover ask his girl to reject him is strange. Yet he should have thought about that song as he flirted with Helenna. Then he guided Mayor Dresson's goodwill tour of Buchenland. He dreaded the possibility that his children would call him Papa in front of Henry. Everything worked out very well, but Clara learned his secret. Then he returned to Bindersleben and is informed of Maria's death. He decides to take the children to Badenburg and leave them with Helenna. She accepts custody of the children and then they marry. Helenna is such a darling girl. "Window of Opportunity" examines the actions of the Mainz Committee o