This book was really good for the most part. I loved reading about the adventures in the mythological Egypt and Greece. That's most of the book and those parts were good.

The characters were excellent. The authors definitely took the time to develop them properly. Also, while a variety of secondary characters were brought in, they moved the story along. They weren't even confusing. Not even when the authors would write from their different perspectives. And there were a lot of perspectives.

Unfortunately, the underlying theme of the alien object that put the characters in this land, is not properly explained. This is why I give the book only three stars. The authors attempt to tie up the alien subplot in about 2-3 pages. Even then, they just skim over the idea.

The ending is also a disappointment. I won't go into details, but everything just happens too conviently at the end. It was as of the authors had a limit of pages to write and just finished it up. I read in a writing guide, not to "pull a rabbit out of a hat." This means, if a character is financially broke through a story and the whole plot is centered around this, you can't end the book by having an unknown uncle die and leave them millions of dollars. It's too unbelievable. This book did that.

Finally, the whole subplot is just left alone at the end. No loose ends were tied up. No solution is mentioned. This could be leaving the book open for a sequal, but I felt like it just stopped short. It made my stomach lurch, looking for the rest of the story.

A thoroughly enjoyable romp from two authors I would like to read even more of in future. I enjoyed this more than "Rats Bats...", if only for the depth of research that went into Greek and Egyptian mythology without said research ever bogging the story down. More intelligent and less preachy than Pratchett, less cynical than Adams. The possibilities for journeys through other cultures's mythologies are endless. Hopefully book one of a series.

This was a marvelous book. Funny, but with a plot as well.
The characters are different, and very likable. Plus, there're the interesting twists on more commonly known myths. Obviously a lot of work had to go into writing this, and it was definitly worth it!
Hopefully there will be a second book, although I can't see where the story could go from there, but that's the fun of it.
Very entertaining, and there were even a few parts that made me laugh out loud.
You should pick this one up if you haven't already. It is well worth your time.

Liked some of the concepts, Good writeing, Would have liked to see more, highly recomend this book.

One of David Drake's earliest stories (and one of his best known), is "Ranks of Bronze", which leads off this volume of tales. "Ranks" dealt with a short, ugly campaign by a group of bought-and-paid-for Roman Legionnaires, the survivors of Crassus' utterly disastrous Parthian campaign. To the aliens, the primitive humans are useful puppets who can be used to conquer other primitive worlds. But THESE puppets have swords, which can cut strings... and their masters' throats.

The stories in this volume range from non-stories like S. M. Stirling's "Three Walls", which is a fairly dull run-of-the-action description of a battle, turned into a story only by a throwaway moment at the end which warns of what is to come in the final story.

There's also "A Clear Signal", which doesn't really feel as if it fully belongs in this book, since the political circumstances described don't match anything else, nor do the Romans even get mention. It's not a bad story, but it really belongs elsewhere.

Drake himself contributes "Lambs to the Slaughter", which I'd call the sprightliest tale in the book, being how one underofficer, known to all and sundry as "Froggie", manages to outwit both his masters and his enemies. I laughed like hell at the ending of this one, and Drake doesn't usually do that for me.

David Weber contributes "Sir George and the Dragon," which serves both as solid entertainment and as a reminder that humans are dangerous, whether they be Romans or English, and a tribute to what has probably been the finest weapon of battle ever created, the English Longbow.

Finally, Eric Flint's "Carthago Delenda Est" is the treasure of this volume, and it was worth getting this volume for this story alone, even without Weber and Drake's work. I don't want to spoil it, but read the other stories first, then read "Carthago." The beauty of this one is that you have to read the story to understand both why and how it ends, and in my case, it took me a few seconds to puzzle it out, but the reward for doing so was to know true joy.

Well worth the time invested.

Well, looking at the other reviews of this book, I can't help but feel I must have been reading a completely different book altogether.
I really, really did not like this book. At all. As a matter of fact, this is the first book in many years that I have seriously considered stopping in the middle of, and not finishing. I finished it, but I really didn't see any improvement.
That said, I will explain.
It was interesting, and different, having the main characters be.... well, a strangler, and his manager. It had a lot of promise, but right from the start this book just rubbed me the wrong way. I have nothing against stranglers, or their managers, but....Well, I found myself with an intense dislike of these characters from the beginning.
The first-person writting style doesn't bother me at all, but in this case I just really, REALLY didn't want to be in this guy's head.
I couldn't see what the various parts of the story had to do with any of the others, and my frustration was getting the best of me.
The overall book was.... not good. I was disappointed, and annoyed that I had actually spent my time on this.
In this case though, this is only my opinion. The reason I went with 2 stars, as opposed to 1, or none if I could, was because most of my problems with this book were personal. I really disliked the plot, and the characters, and the story was just dull. So, 2 stars for the book based on the elements that were good about it.
I find it strange, because I like Eric Flint.
Sorry, but this one I will not be reading again, nor it's sequels, if there are any.

THE PHILOSOPHICAL STRANGLER starts off hot--with a great combination of adventure and humor. Grayboar, a strangler with an inclination to philosophy, and his business manager Ignace, have a good thing going. There's no lack of customers and Ignace hoards every penny he can. So long as they can stay away from politics and religion, they've got it made. A philosophical strangler is inherently funny and author Eric Flint's writing, humorous insights, and throw aways (e.g., Grayboar's girlfriend is Schrodenger's Cat) will keep you laughing

Naturally, they can't quite follow Ignace's rules. Ignace (the narrator)loses the argument to Grayboar's philosophy and the two end up plunged deep into both politics and especially religion.

The second half of this novel becomes a much more predictable adventure story. I was disappointed to find that Grayboar's philosophy somehow got lost. Although Ignace stayed consistent (and consistently funny), the second half felt as if it was running short a cylinder.

I enjoyed this book and feel no shame in recommending it. Unfortunately, it fell slightly short of the promise offered in the first half.

Anyone who knows anything about professional assassins knows that Greyboar is usually the best at the trade. However, if the intended victim can engage Greyboar in his passion, not sex but philosophical discussion and debate, the target might survive in a Sherherazade type of way.

Like any pro, Greyboar has an agent Ignace and he hopes a significant other in the nearsighted swordswoman Cat who he just met at his favorite drinking spot the Sign of the Trough. However, Greyboar has also learned that his estranged sibling, the amazon Gwendolyn has a lover who apparently has vanished perhaps into the bows of hell or some place even worse geographically. A commission for his sibling is not what Greyboar or Ignace prefers, but family, even a card-carrying member of the dwarf liberation movement, is still family.

A visit to THE PHILOSOPHICAL STRANGLER is a visit to weirdness where even Rod Serling would wonder if this might be one step beyond the Twilight Zone. The story line is satire at its sharpest as the cast skewer many of modern society's values. The plot is more a series of vignettes tied together by the key cast members rather than a novel, but fans of ironic fantasy will devour this tale and demand more from Eric Flint.

Harriet Klausner

I really loved 1632. So much so, that I couldn't wait for the sequel, 1633, to be released in paperback.

1633 really disappoints. Where 1632 was fast paced, interestingly detailing the quandry of modern day citizens being thrust back into another time. 1633 has about 10 pages of action, and several hundred pages of political and social preaching. Its' basic premise boils down to...what a much better world 1633 would be if our Labor Union movement could have run things. The politics of the writers could not, it seems, be contained, and just overwhelm any other aspect of the interesting dilemma the characters find themeselves in. I guess if your in agreement with the politics of the writers, you may enjoy the book for what it does try to portray. I guess sci-fi does include political speculation from both the left and right sides...it just didn't appeal to me in this book.

Of course, I'm not a lover of the modern day Labor movement, so this book really doesn't speak to me (I lump the modern day labor movement with politicians and lawyers, as being some of the most corrupt people around). I'm just a sci-fi fan, who loves interesting speculation and scenarios. 1632 really was fun...1633 was a chore to read. If I want to discuss Labor Unions and all the wonderful things they provide us...I'll give the Teamsters/AFL-CIO a call.

WARNING: Boring Political talk.

I don't understand the appeal the left has with "Squares." The former USSR had "Red" square...Communist China has "Tianamin" (sp?) square...and near the end of this book, our hero proclaims "the rulers can have the streets, but we now own this Square," complete with an obligatory statue of a "workers hero." Hell, this book even has "Gretchen", a "larger than life" blonde, braided haired, nordic woman, who is leading the labor movement. The type of woman, sickle in one hand, rifle in the other...that the former USSR and German governments tried to portray as the ultimate ideal for womanhood. I know, I may have been over-reacting, but thats the feel I had for her and the book in general. The typical American values of "individual" liberty and freedoms are not really mentioned or supported at all. The authors look at all production and business from a "workers" veiwpoint and how it supports the state.

If this sounds like political rambling...well, I guess it is. It's the response the book seemed to pull from me. If your not a political type of person, you may be able to ignore it, or not even see it at all. But, the author definetely is making a political statement.

If you like political sci-fi, from a leftist point of view...coupled with good historical political personalities from that time...you may like this book. Being an Evil Right Wing Zealot Business owner myself, uh...I don't think I am the target audience :)

SouthernFried

Almost by reflex, I would give David Weber a 5 star on every book he has written; I have read all of them and enjoyed all of them, especially his Honor Harrington series. I read and enjoyed the previous book in this series, "1632", and although I didn't review it, I had the same reservation. But let's talk about the "good stuff" first: Flint and Weber have as the device to create their "world" of the 17th Century, a mysterious event that sends a section of West Virginia back in time, to the era of The Thirty Years War. It was a vicious time of intense religious and political conflict which seriously depopulated Central Europe. The conflict between modern man and 17th Century civilization comes off superbly, and the authors have captured the era almost perfectly. While military action occurs, this book is more than traditional military sci-fi, and as such, it is as near great work of fiction, as is "1632", and if you decide, as I hope you do, to try this book, you should read "1632" first. This is a stand alone book, to be sure, but it is a continuation of the earlier work in which nearly all of the characters in "1633" first appear. Which leads me to my only reservation about these books. Eric Flint's bio tells us that he is a labor organizer, and his belief in the superiority of the blue collar guy and his disdain for the "suits" becomes almost preachy. And ,please don't e-mail me as anti-labor; I ain't. I just don't like to have a ripping good yarn interrupted by statements about the writer's socio-political beliefs. I don't like it when Tom Clancy does it and I don't like it when Flint does it; it disrupts the story and contributes nothing to the plot (By the way, I enjoy e-mail from folks who agree or disagree with a review; I just want to be clear on this criticism). Despite my single reservation about these books, they still represent a very high level of adventure fiction, and I look forward to "1634".

1632 was compared by many (including myself) to S.M. Stirling's "Island in the Sea of Time". They certainly share some similarities -- small part of the USA dropped mysteriously back in time and has to find a way to deal with the problems caused thereby -- but other than that and the "rebuild civilization" general idea that follows from the premise, they're not much alike.

1632, and now 1633, are FUN books. "Island" hammered away at you with the tough details, but Eric Flint instead gives us a more engaging cast of characters overall and less vicious villains.
In fact, even the villains are painted in such a way as to give one sympathy for them on occasion.

One major complaint about 1632 was the character Simpson, a former CEO, who was a foil for the main character and appeared only in two chapters. Eric Flint has told me (and others) that Simpson was a convenience to get things moving, nothing more, and that's why he ended up looking like cardboard. The book was not intended to be a series originally, but it did so well that it would have been foolish to NOT make it a series.

Simpson-the-foil is gone, replaced by a still-obstreperous and uptight, but no-longer-cardboard character who has invaluable skills to the new "United States" that's trying to survive in the war-riddled Europe of 1633. Simpson can still be more annoying than many of the villains, which I actually count as a good thing; it's nice to make the point that someone can be on your side and still not be as nice a PERSON as some of the people who oppose you.

The characterization of Richelieu, the Cardinal who was the true Power in France at the time, is frightening. He is that (thankfully) rare sort, a man of great intellect and wide education who has charisma, empathy, warmth... and an unswervable, Machiavellian determination to achieve his goals. He regrets the loss, yet will order an execution in a heartbeat. While there are certainly other opponents, Richelieu is by far the most formidable single enemy the Americans of Grantville and their allies face.

It's true that a great deal of time is spent with the various factions' reaction to the "other" histories, but I find this more interesting than boring, overall. What's interesting about it is that the various people are reacting TO the histories as PROPHECY -- "Lo, and this shall come to pass if..." -- and trying to "fight the future" (to borrow a quote) by taking preemptive action against it. One has to wonder, though, when they'll realize that the very EXISTENCE of Grantville already changed dynamics sufficiently that their history books were pretty much useless. After this book, they might as well chuck the history books except for whatever strategic and so on material they contain -- there won't be much left to worry about in them.

I won't give many spoilers here -- this is a brand-new book -- but I will say that I find the writing easy and engaging, the main characters fun to follow, and the action enjoyable, while the logic of the reconstruction doesn't overly strain my suspension of disbelief. Buy this one, it's well worth the price.

What is it about the covers of the Drake/Flint books? After the absolutely stupid and misleading cover of the latest installment of the Bellisarius-series the people at Baen Books have done it again: putting a Xena-style (lightly clad) female warrior on front. So what about the content?

Eric Flint has achieved an almost complete break with the storyline of "The Reformer", but has it improved the book? But compared with S.M. Stirling's handling of the same scenario Eric Flint's novel just bombs!

The theme developed in The General-series by Drake/Stirling was the salvation of the remaining civilization on an isolated world by a computer and its chosen man.

In the original series this was on a world with a situation like the Mediterranean in 500AD, so the main hero was the Byzantine general Belliasrius a.k.a. Raj Whitehall. In the first follow-on novel "The Chosen" it was a new world with an early 20th century setting and in the second it was first century BC Rome. The computer's chosen man was a (Greek) philosopher and his mission the prevention of imperial decline.

Apparently Eric Flint had other ideas about what kind of story he wanted to tell: his main character is now a Roman who wants to seize absolute power to destroy the existing corrupt order. The "Reformer" from the latest book is just one of his instruments (with the voices of the computer and Whitehall in his brain), like all other members of his family.

The real problem with the book is that it apparently wants to achieve so much - explain Rome's decline and offer an alternative like jump-starting to the middle ages and industrial revolution at the same time - but looses sight of a readable story. Sometimes it seems as if the characters are reduced to their sex life ... . So it may well be that the artist creating the cover was not so far of ...

It is a sad ending for a great series. I must admit that after "1632" I had some high expectations of this novel. Well I guess after it I'll skip the hardcover and wait for the pocket edition of "1633".

Finishing the story of the Gellert brothers begun in "The Reformer", the book develops the character of Verice Demansk, the father of Adrian Gellert's lover and commander of the opposing Vanbert army. Gellert is guided by "Center", a computer, and the disembodied Raj Whitehall, a general from another time and planet. The introduction of technology by Adrian brings victories, but the end results depend on man's strengths and weaknesses. Eric Flint and David Drake succeed in closing a story begun by Drake and S. M. Stirling, and the transition is very well done. Another fine novel of military SF by this pair.

Eric Flint, in the last few years, appeared suddenly on my list of "Must Buy and Read" authors, and it appears likely that he will never leave it. This latest book certainly adds weight to that impression.

This is the second in a pair of books plotted by David Drake involving the battle computer, Center, its guide to things human, Raj Whitehall, and their chosen instrument to save a planet which otherwise has no future, Adrian Gellert. The first book was "The Reformer", and it was fairly readable, but S. M. Stirling is only a fair writer.

*THIS* book, on the other hand, blazes with drama, comedy, political intrigue, hatred and revenge, love and laughter. Just about everything, in fact, that makes being alive so intriguing. I came to care deeply about all of the characters, and all of them brought perspective on what it might be like to live in a time when the old must die that the new may be born, and each player must decide for him- or herself whether to attempt midwifery or murder, or both. I found in this book two paragraphs filled with such insight that I deem the cost of this book, in both money and time reading, amply repaid by them. (I'll let you find them rather than spoil the beautiful surprises.) The rest of the book is a bonus from a master storyteller.

Thank you, Eric.

Set in Renaissance Venice in a somewhat alternate world (one where, for instance, magic works), this book chronicles two or three years of political upheaval, primarily from the point of view of two nobly-born brothers in hiding.

The plot is complicated, but given that it's about Italian politics in a particularly volatile period, not excessively so. It's engaging and flows well; there aren't any particularly noticeable slow spots, and you don't want to put it down. Despite its size and weight (it's 800 pages in hardcover) I brought it with me on a cross-country plane trip because I'd started it and didn't want to leave it behind. And unlike many multi-author works, the various plot threads all integrate properly.

The downside is that many elements of the plot -- and several of the characters too -- are rather heavily borrowed from C.J. Cherryh's Merovingen Nights shared-world anthology, to which Lackey was a contributor. This should not be construed to mean that this book is a rehash/clone of Merovingen Nights; it's not, and even the borrowed elements are not necessarily assembled the same way.

There are also certain points of resemblance to Diana Wynne Jones's book _The Magicians of Caprona_, but this probably just reflects common thematic material.

To the extent that the setting is historical, it appears, to a non-historian, fairly well researched; to the extent that it's made up, it's done well, and it's not always easy to tell which is which (usually a good sign).

The characterization is competently done, if not in general terribly deep; several of the characters are quite engaging. (Details would probably be spoilers.)

Lackey's writing sometimes suffers regarding style; whether due to collaboration or more/better editing, there's none of that this time; the book is solidly and competently written, though not brilliant.

Overall: **** (Ok, even pretty good, but not extraordinary.)

Yep, that was my reaction when I first heard of the girth of this book. I tend to believe that if you can't write a good story under 600 pages or a very little bit more, you can't write a good story period. I stopped picking up any book over 600 pages by authors I didn't already like years ago. And even though I really like the work of Lackey, Flint, and Freer, it did take me a few weeks to go get it and then read it. I read it in about two and a half days, a better pace than many a book half it's length. The characters are all worth reading about no matter who you fell most drawn to. The world is a little harder to adjust to than the run of the mill (DRECK!!) stuff that is usually based on northern European mythology were English is the norm and German and French are thrown in for 'culture' and 'scope'. Not only a good read but it has put any follow on's into the top portion of my must buy list.

I must admit, I wasn't particularly looking forward to this book. While I love certain of Mercedes Lackey's writing - especially her Elemental Masters and Free Bards series and her historical retellings of fairy tales - I've never warmed up to her Valdemar books, and I'd never read anything by (or even about) her two co-authors, Eric Flint and David Freer.

I started the book, and was underwhelmed. While the concept seemed interesting - an alternate Renaissance Italy where magic works - the execution seemed clunky, introducing over a dozen major characters within the first chapter or so (a common mistake in historical novels). But within the first few chapters, I found myself caught up by the characters and the events that tied their lives together. By this point, the book had become so gripping that I couldn't stop until I finished it - and at 800-some pages, that takes a while! This is a wonderful book, and has persuaded me to check out some books by Flint and Freer while I'm at it. Certainly if you're at all interested in historical fantasy (especially dealing with alternate histories) you should give this book a chance.

Related to the Philosophical Strangler. Stories overlap, but this book focuses on Gwendolyn, Benvenutti & the Sorcerer. Story of events in these characters' lives before, during, and after, Phil Strangler. Found the language a bit much to wade through a second time, and not as funny. If you loved Philosophical Strangler, you'll probably love this one, but if you were growing weary by the end of the Strangler, you should probably pass this one up.

When a powerful wizzard learns, to his surprise, that he has enemies, he accidentally destroys a kingdom and sets off in search of the one woman who can tell him who his enemies are. His voyage becomes a quest tied up in Ozar plans for world conquest, the world's greatest strangler, and God's eternal battle to rid himself of the Joe heresy forever. In a parallel adventure, an artist joins a revolutionary in a journey to love and the perfect anarchist state. Yet, even this perfect state is threatened by the power of the Ozar rap-sheet, and the wizard seems intent on protecting the power of the powerful rather than on their overthrow.

Set in the same universe as Flint's THE PHILSOSOPHICAL STRANGLER, FORWARD THE MAGE combines adventure with humor. The wizard Zulkeh is as unlikely a hero as can be imagined with a combination of pedantic pseudo-scholarly language and abusive behavior. In contrast, the likely hero, artist and mercenary Benvenuti, never really gets into the story, providing a bit of romantic diversion. Still, authors Eric Flint and Richard Roach make it work. MAGE occasionally tries too hard, but often delivers a Terry Pratchet-like belly laugh.

Flint and Roach slide a bit of the revolution into their novel, and offer some insights into basic liberties that will create a few grimaces from conservative readers, but they do so with good spirit. Clearly FORWARD THE MAGE has some political messages to deliver, but Flint and Roach manage to deliver them in the context of an amusing adventure.

Eric Flint and Richard Roach's Forward The Mage is fantasy writing at its best: an artist-swordsman faces an evil sorcerer, arrest, and politics when his artistic ambitions are rerouted in a struggle for survival. Both feature fast-paced action and complex, believable settings.

I greatly enjoy David Weber's books. I have hard cover copies of most of them. I do not understand why he thinks that we should buy another copy of Ms. Midshipman Harrington. I already have Changer of Worlds and the same story begins both books. Mr. Weber has been very successful and I have been a part of his success. This is very hard to take. Maybe I'll wait to read his next NEW book at the library.

I was very disappointed to start reading and found out the first story by David Weber was taken out of a previous David Weber book of short stories, "Changer of Worlds". I thought I was going to get a new story about Honor Harrington. Eric Flint's story was very entertaining. It was a continuation of the Belsarius alternate history. David Drake's continuing tale of Hammer's Slammers is always graphic, but Mr. Drake has tried to impress upon his readers that war is not neat and clean.

Even though David Weber's contribution is repeated from another anthology, Warmasters is worth buying for military sci-fi fans. The second story, set in the Belisaurius universe, is excellent, both for character development (Calopodius & his wife) and for adding a medical twist to the universe. The third story, about Hammer's Slammers, is also good. I read a library copy, but have purchased a copy for my personal collection.