I actually finished this book a while ago and have just now sat down to write the review. This is mainly due to starting back into my Master's program (only three classes left). It was a good think I finished the book prior to starting or I would find myself trying to listen to alternate history fiction while reading student development theory. Not a good idea. Eric and David continue to excite in book three and they fulfill a number of promises left in book two. I continue to enjoy the world Eric has made and I like the approach they use. The book is not just about the uptimers, but the downtimers as well. It looks at the difficulties in warfare, politics, economics, and social aspects. It's easy to cheer for the good guys, but Dave and Eric put "good guys" on both sides. Here is a link to Audible's page for the book. It is narrated by George Guidall, just like the second one, and continues to do a great job.
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Plot: As the United States of Europe closed down the year 1633 it was at war with the League of Ostend. The Uptime technology that the USE possesses does help them in many ways, but it still has it's limitations. And they aren't the only ones with bright ideas and clever people. What's more, there are some important people still trapped in unfavorable circumstances. Rita Stearns and her delegation have been locked in the Tower of London for months. Rebecca Stearns is still besieged in Amsterdam, and Eddie Contrell is at the mercy of the Danish royal family. However, the country is holding it's collective breath to see if Admiral Simpson's iron- and timberclad ships will break the blockade. First they have to get there though.
My personal favorites: The action was well done. I could see David's influences in some of the scenes, particularly the naval ones. The characters were still delightful. While there is some character creep (you get to meet a whole lot of people), it wasn't too difficulty to get a hold of who was who. They did a good job of setting up the settings with the characters to make it easier to move between the groups. I did find the idea that everyone fall in love at first sight a little excessive, but it made for some fun situations.
Considerations: I'm sorry to say that this book hit about the same point as Red Shirts with me. I found myself wondering why characters were swearing - it didn't seemed appropriate. I'll grant them that some of the characters were just "those kind of people," but it did get tiring. I also need to point out that this book had a bit more sensuality then the last. While there was no "on page" interactions there were more references to sexual intercourse than previous. There was also a scene, towards the very end, where a soldier is being dressed down and the commander feels the need to be specific in his questioning of the man's behavior with a young lady. The scene is intended to be humorous, and is so, and the descriptions are very clinical and of nothing unusual. The interaction in question is also consensual.
I'm not sure that I'll continue the series. This is in no way a reflection on the writing or even the content. It just seemed like a nice place to stop without losing track of everybody. The series takes a huge split here and I'm not sure where I would go with it. I still enjoyed the books I've read emensly and I may pick them up at a later time, For now, I think I'm going to take a break. The total length of the book was just under 26 and a half hour.
Plot: As the United States of Europe closed down the year 1633 it was at war with the League of Ostend. The Uptime technology that the USE possesses does help them in many ways, but it still has it's limitations. And they aren't the only ones with bright ideas and clever people. What's more, there are some important people still trapped in unfavorable circumstances. Rita Stearns and her delegation have been locked in the Tower of London for months. Rebecca Stearns is still besieged in Amsterdam, and Eddie Contrell is at the mercy of the Danish royal family. However, the country is holding it's collective breath to see if Admiral Simpson's iron- and timberclad ships will break the blockade. First they have to get there though.My personal favorites: The action was well done. I could see David's influences in some of the scenes, particularly the naval ones. The characters were still delightful. While there is some character creep (you get to meet a whole lot of people), it wasn't too difficulty to get a hold of who was who. They did a good job of setting up the settings with the characters to make it easier to move between the groups. I did find the idea that everyone fall in love at first sight a little excessive, but it made for some fun situations.
Considerations: I'm sorry to say that this book hit about the same point as Red Shirts with me. I found myself wondering why characters were swearing - it didn't seemed appropriate. I'll grant them that some of the characters were just "those kind of people," but it did get tiring. I also need to point out that this book had a bit more sensuality then the last. While there was no "on page" interactions there were more references to sexual intercourse than previous. There was also a scene, towards the very end, where a soldier is being dressed down and the commander feels the need to be specific in his questioning of the man's behavior with a young lady. The scene is intended to be humorous, and is so, and the descriptions are very clinical and of nothing unusual. The interaction in question is also consensual.
I'm not sure that I'll continue the series. This is in no way a reflection on the writing or even the content. It just seemed like a nice place to stop without losing track of everybody. The series takes a huge split here and I'm not sure where I would go with it. I still enjoyed the books I've read emensly and I may pick them up at a later time, For now, I think I'm going to take a break. The total length of the book was just under 26 and a half hour.
