Rating: 
Summary: A MUST FOR FANS OF 1632 AND 1633
Review: For fans of Eric Flint's series following a small West Virginian town transported back in time to seventeenth century Germany in the middle of the 30 Years War RING OF FIRE will be a must read. This is not a full novel and not really a sequel to either of the prior two books. It is a compendium of short stories by various authors each taking a small thread from the original and weaving it into a, well not really new, but expanded visions of the original story. The characters are familiar, some being rather minor in the original but here they are brought to life in their own individual stories.Personally I'm not much of a fan of the short story genera. I like to see a lot more character development than is usually possible in this abbreviated form, but RING OF FIRE is different and in some cases unique. By using the characters already introduced in 1632 and 1633 the authors didn't have to start from scratch, the characters were already known; they just needed to be fleshed out. I must say Editor Flint did one heck of a job meshing these particular stories with 1632 and 1633. Even with the wide diversity in authors and writing styles these stories seem to seamlessly flow from one to the other, creating one continues epic comprised of many different viewpoints and not just a collection of jumbled non-related plots. For the fans of 1632, a must. For those of you that haven't yet read it, do. My guess is you will be back for more afterwards. I RECOMMEND it.
Rating: 
Summary: A real "mixed bag " based on "1632".
Review: If you are reading the "1632" novels , then this is a real "must read". In a few of the stories , the reader is treated to a return to the Ring of Fire event as it happens ,only seen through differnt eyes : "Power to the People". Editor , and creator of the "Ring of Fire" concept , Eric Flint very cleverly sandwiches many short stories from a variety of authors between "In the Navy" , written by the second volume co-author David Weber , and his own contribution to the the collection , "The Wallenstein Gambit" , the last story in the volume. Some of the tales are rather light hearted ; others are perhaps a little turgid. My take on the book is definitely positive , but it is really difficult to rate . There are only one or two contributions that are a bit wanting in clarity and enjoyability. Overall a 4 star effort and a worthwhile read. I'm looking forward to "1634 : The Galileo Affair".
Rating:
Summary: A real "mixed bag " based on "1632".
Review: If you are reading the "1632" novels , then this is a real "must read". In a few of the stories , the reader is treated to a return to the Ring of Fire event as it happens ,only seen through differnt eyes : "Power to the People". Editor , and creator of the "Ring of Fire" concept , Eric Flint very cleverly sandwiches many short stories from a variety of authors between "In the Navy" , written by the second volume co-author David Weber , and his own contribution to the the collection , "The Wallenstein Gambit" , the last story in the volume. Some of the tales are rather light hearted ; others are perhaps a little turgid. My take on the book is definitely positive , but it is really difficult to rate . There are only one or two contributions that are a bit wanting in clarity and enjoyability. Overall a 4 star effort and a worthwhile read. I'm looking forward to "1634 : The Galileo Affair".
Rating: 
Summary: An exception to the rule...
Review: It's usually the rule that multi-author books of stories are invariably not as good as single-author novels, but "Ring of Fire" strikes a near-perfect balance between retaining different scopes, tones, and styles, and using those diverse storylines as part of a more direct narrative. If you liked 1632, you will like this, and it definitely helps, in fact, to clear up some of the backstory for 1633. Dave Freer's "A Lineman for the Country" and Flint's novella, "The Wallenstein Gambit", are particular highlights. An excellent read.
Rating:
Summary: A mixed bag
Review: Like all anthologies this one is a mixed bag containing gems and duds. Most are very good when they deal with integrating the new citizens into Grantville, Germany. The attitudes of Germans from the in17th century and West Virginians from the 20th century differ but grow together. The resulting learning process for both sides makes a gripping read and is often quite funny.
Some stories are overdoing it (Here Comes Santa Claus), but by and large all tell a tale of a world trying to adapt to the change inflicted upon it by the miraculous appearance of a town from the future.
All those who want to stick to their old ways, Germans and Americans alike, do not stand a chance. Nothing will ever be the same. Not even baseball ....
Rating:
Summary: Putting Flesh on the Skeleton
Review: Ring of Fire is a shared universe anthology of original stories based on the Grantville series. These fifteen stories flesh in the skeleton provided in 1632 and add backstory to 1633 and 1634. The authors range from Flint, Weber, Freer and Lackey to other less known published authors to mostly unknown newcomers. "In the Navy" points out the complexity of the human persona as well as the importance of context. "Too Dye For" illustrates the power of love and the wisdom of (some) women. "A Lineman For the Country" is another story of the power of love and the passions of technogeeks. "Between the Armies" is a story about a twentieth century Catholic priest with a crisis of conscience when faced with the immorality of the Holy Roman Catholic Church of the seventeenth century. "Biting Time" is a yarn about false teeth and vintage love. "Power to the People" is about the adventures of the Grantville Power Station personnel after the Ring of Fire. "A Matter of Consultation" tells of the ignorance and pride of the seventeenth century's most famous physician. "Family Faith" is another morality tale about religious hubris and humility. "When the Chips Are Down" is a humorous piece about adolescent ignorance, ingenuity and perseverance. "American Past Time" is about playing, teamwork and the American Melting Pot. "Skeletons" is a tale about fear, morality and redemption. "A Witch to Live" is an account of the difference that Grantville made in the life of a Jesuit reformer. "The Three R's" is a yarn about a union roughneck and a religious deacon who found common ground. "Here Comes Santa Claus" is a romp about the second Christmas celebration in Grantville, featuring Gottfried Heinrich Graf von Pappenheim as Santa Claus. "The Wallenstein Gambit" recounts the events prior to the succession of Greater Bohemia under Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein from the Habsburg empire in the new timeline. These stories range the gamut from humorous anecdotes to serious historical speculation. There are stories to appeal to almost every taste. Moreover, they are all very readable and most are worth reading more than once. Highly recommended for alternate history fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of indomitable émigrés making a new life in an old world. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: Putting Flesh on the Skeleton
Review: Ring of Fire is a shared universe anthology of original stories based on the Grantville series. These fifteen stories flesh in the skeleton provided in 1632 and add backstory to 1633 and 1634. The authors range from Flint, Weber, Freer and Lackey to other less known published authors to mostly unknown newcomers. "In the Navy" points out the complexity of the human persona as well as the importance of context. "Too Dye For" illustrates the power of love and the wisdom of (some) women. "A Lineman For the Country" is another story of the power of love and the passions of technogeeks. "Between the Armies" is a story about a twentieth century Catholic priest with a crisis of conscience when faced with the immorality of the Holy Roman Catholic Church of the seventeenth century. "Biting Time" is a yarn about false teeth and vintage love. "Power to the People" is about the adventures of the Grantville Power Station personnel after the Ring of Fire. "A Matter of Consultation" tells of the ignorance and pride of the seventeenth century's most famous physician. "Family Faith" is another morality tale about religious hubris and humility. "When the Chips Are Down" is a humorous piece about adolescent ignorance, ingenuity and perseverance. "American Past Time" is about playing, teamwork and the American Melting Pot. "Skeletons" is a tale about fear, morality and redemption. "A Witch to Live" is an account of the difference that Grantville made in the life of a Jesuit reformer. "The Three R's" is a yarn about a union roughneck and a religious deacon who found common ground. "Here Comes Santa Claus" is a romp about the second Christmas celebration in Grantville, featuring Gottfried Heinrich Graf von Pappenheim as Santa Claus. "The Wallenstein Gambit" recounts the events prior to the succession of Greater Bohemia under Albrecht Wenzel Eusebius von Wallenstein from the Habsburg empire in the new timeline. These stories range the gamut from humorous anecdotes to serious historical speculation. There are stories to appeal to almost every taste. Moreover, they are all very readable and most are worth reading more than once. Highly recommended for alternate history fans and for anyone else who enjoys tales of indomitable émigrés making a new life in an old world. -Arthur W. Jordin
Rating:
Summary: Good selection of "bridging" stories
Review: Ring of Fire is an anthology of stories that take place in and around the novels "1632" and "1633" by Eric Flint. Some move various plot points along or explain how the events that take place in subsequent books are set-up, but most emphasize how moving a slice of modern day West Virginia to 17th century Europe has changed the lives of the residents of West Virginia and the people who live near where it "plopped'". The writing is good, but never great, and the stories are limited in scope and feeling. Not recommended for those who have not read the other books, but a nice enough diversion for those who have.
Rating:
Summary: Split personality
Review: So I find I'm in here as two people. It's okay though, because this universe is a fine place to be. It is fun to watch the flow of change as the universe of the 30 Years War changes into something rich and strange.
--Jerry
Rating:
Summary: Another Great Addition to the Story!
Review: So it wasn't a full book, it was just a few short stories based in the 1633 story line, but they were good and I liked them!
The Baseball and Santa stories were I guess the best, they were light hearted and funny.
I'll just twiddle my thumbs until the next book comes out.
| 
