Assiti Shards #14: 1635: The Tangled Web by Eric Flint, Virginia DeMarce

This is a follow-up to New York Times best-seller Eric Flint and ace historian Virginia DeMarce’s 1634: The Bavarian Crisis . Here DeMarce follows Flint’s “alternate timeline” and delivers another entry in the hugely popular Ring of Fire alternate history series. Freedom-loving modern Americans thrown back in time must carve out lives in war-torn 17th century Europe – a time and place that’s got one foot firmly planted in the Dark Ages.
Long-time Eric Flint collaborator and Stanford-educated historian Virginia DeMarce delivers an intricate web of interrelated adventures in alternate history master Eric Flint’s hugely popular “Ring of Fire” series. A cosmic accident sets the modern town of Grantville, West Virginia, down in war-torn seventeenth century Europe and a new nation is forged.

Now bewildered down-timers and freedom-loving future folk who lived near the “displaced” form the future must learn to weave their lives together. 21st century ideals run head-on into medieval skullduggery – along with a few admirable ancient customs that aren’t going to crumble overnight. Or ever. Up-timer and down-timer alike fight it out, strike deals, and forge a new nation. To do so, both sides must break a few mind-forged manacles in the process.