Kindle
$6.99
Available instantly
Audible Logo Audiobook
$0.00
with membership trial
Hardcover
$11.70
Mass Market Paperback
$7.99
$11.70 with 55 percent savings
List Price: $26.00

The List Price is the suggested retail price of a new product as provided by a manufacturer, supplier, or seller. Except for books, Amazon will display a List Price if the product was purchased by customers on Amazon or offered by other retailers at or above the List Price in at least the past 90 days. List prices may not necessarily reflect the product's prevailing market price.
Learn more
$6.16 delivery Tuesday, May 21. Details
Or fastest delivery Thursday, May 16. Details
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
$$11.70 () Includes selected options. Includes initial monthly payment and selected options. Details
Price
Subtotal
$$11.70
Subtotal
Initial payment breakdown
Shipping cost, delivery date, and order total (including tax) shown at checkout.
Ships from
Everlasting Dream
Ships from
Everlasting Dream
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Returns
Eligible for Return, Refund or Replacement within 30 days of receipt
This item can be returned in its original condition for a full refund or replacement within 30 days of receipt. You may receive a partial or no refund on used, damaged or materially different returns.
Read full return policy
Payment
Secure transaction
Your transaction is secure
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Payment
Secure transaction
We work hard to protect your security and privacy. Our payment security system encrypts your information during transmission. We don’t share your credit card details with third-party sellers, and we don’t sell your information to others. Learn more
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the authors

David Weber
+ Follow
Eric Flint
+ Follow
See all
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

1634: The Baltic War (The Assiti Shards) Hardcover – May 1, 2007

by David Weber (Author), Eric Flint (Author)
4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,352 ratings
See all formats and editions
{"desktop_buybox_group_1":[{"displayPrice":"$11.70","priceAmount":11.70,"currencySymbol":"$","integerValue":"11","decimalSeparator":".","fractionalValue":"70","symbolPosition":"left","hasSpace":false,"showFractionalPartIfEmpty":true,"offerListingId":"PU7lUNRGVBOwntc5RSTNIxPkKvBc%2Fz5N49bXDMSPCuW9b3JGTTtDgGYqB8SnOPbbdy2l8Gt3w1LmYBCRjDKCoGQjFoVSluitQUKY7R3zNjPmfnaybZfukKRIa51cHxfeRl2DCPvO5q4L%2BnGjdgTEHYvcZ2vsNN9O%2BLmy9hRnCe6XII31e5h9kw%3D%3D","locale":"en-US","buyingOptionType":"NEW","aapiBuyingOptionIndex":0}]}

Purchase options and add-ons

With the Baltic War raging around them, the time-traveling Americans from the West Virginia town of Grantville find themselves caught in the middle, with Gustavus Adolphus, KIng of Sweden, and the Emperor of the United States of Europe launching a counterattack on the combined forces of France, Spain, England, and Denmark.
Read more Read less
Previous page
  1. Book 3 of 27
    Ring of Fire
  2. Print length
    752 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Baen
  5. Publication date
    May 1, 2007
  6. Dimensions
    6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    141652102X
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1416521020
  9. See all details
Next page
Amazon First Reads | Editors' picks at exclusive prices

Frequently bought together

1634: The Baltic War (The Assiti Shards)
$19.86
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 21
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Blue Rose Seller and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
1633 (Assiti Shards)
$13.91
Get it as soon as Tuesday, May 21
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Sold by Straw Hat Grand Fleet and ships from Amazon Fulfillment.
+
1634: The Ram Rebellion (Assiti Shards)
$17.96
Get it as soon as Friday, May 17
Only 1 left in stock - order soon.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Total price:
To see our price, add these items to your cart.
Details
Added to Cart
These items are shipped from and sold by different sellers.
Show details Hide details
Choose items to buy together.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The exciting eighth entry in the Ring of Fire saga, about a temporally displaced West Virginia mining town and its impact upon 17th-century Europe, neatly wraps up two plot threads left unresolved by Flint and Weber's 1633 (2002). A mission is mounted to rescue the Grantville diplomatic mission that Charles I is holding captive in the Tower of London (along with an obscure politician named Oliver Cromwell), while Admiral Simpson's fleet of ironclad warships sets off to break the siege of Luebeck in a spectacular display of "shock and awe." While the technology that the modern Americans employ is decidedly useful, Flint and Weber emphasize the effect that the ideas of liberty, equality and the rule of law have, and not just on the peasantry and middle classes. The authors contrast those princes who try to forestall the judgment of history with those striving to achieve a transition from absolutism to democracy without bloodshed. Readers will eagerly look forward to further installments in this richly imagined alternate history series. (May)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

*Starred Review* Call it 1632, or call it Ring of Fire, the alternate-history saga launched by Flint and sustained with the help of, first, Andrew Dennis (1634: The Galileo Affair, 2004; 1635: The Cannon Law, 2006) and then Weber (and others: see the Grantville Gazette theme anthologies) is certainly a landmark in that subgenre. The transplanted modern West Virginians and their allies in the United States of Europe now take to the sea, with Admiral Simpson bringing essentially Civil War naval technology to the seventeenth century. The impact is considerable. Meanwhile, the Spanish siege of Amsterdam simmers, with Gretchen Richter and the Committee of Correspondence holding high the banner of radical politics, which is quite plausible, given the era's many uprisings. The French besieging Luebeck are more determined, but the USE has such assets as Sweden's King Gustavus Adolphus and an early machine gun. And the sympathetic characters, who are in the majority even if on the wrong side, face ethical dilemmas far more complex than either the political machinations or the at-this-time advanced technology. The charming Swedish princess Kristina wants to learn to fly, but will that mean giving up autocratic habits and marrying a Danish prince? Eddie Cantrell wrestles with helping the king of Denmark build new weapons for use against the USE and with whether he can safely bed that same king's nubile daughter. And a German machine-gunner of peasant stock wonders whether he can love and be loved by someone obviously from the future—a social worker. A splendid example of character-centered alternate-history, this is a must read for its series' growing fandom. Green, Roland

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Baen; First Edition (May 1, 2007)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 752 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 141652102X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1416521020
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.2 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 6.5 x 1.5 x 9.5 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.5 4.5 out of 5 stars 1,352 ratings

About the authors

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Previous page
  1. David Weber

    David Weber

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1952. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".

    With a blue-collar, science-fiction loving father, a college English teacher mother (who also owned her own ad agency in the 70s), and a life-long love for history, he was clearly predestined to perpetrate a whole host of military science-fiction (and fantasy) novels and anthologies.

    Previously the owner of the small advertising and public relations agency he took over from his mother, has written science fiction full time for thirty years. He is probably best known for his Honor Harrington series, from Baen Books, and his Safehold series, from Tor.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Eric Flint

    Eric Flint

    Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
    Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

    Eric Flint is the co-author of three New York Times best sellers in his Ring of Fire alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was picked by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year. His 1632, which launched the Ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called him an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure. A longtime labor union activist with a Masters Degree in history, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.

    See more on the author's page
Next page

Customer reviews

4.5 out of 5 stars
4.5 out of 5
1,352 global ratings
Thoughtful and vivid characters
4 Stars
Thoughtful and vivid characters
Extremely well written, the characters come to life, but the thought that went into what would happen if a twentieth century town was removed to the past, is clearly obvious in the by play of characters.
Hide
Thank you for your feedback
Sorry, there was an error
Sorry we couldn't load the review

Top reviews from the United States

Potluck Queen
5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent twist on a classic story line.
Reviewed in the United States on December 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
I tend to write long reviews, but since much has already been said, here is my own little addition...

I find the history interesting and well construed. The what if this then this is great. The people real and three dimensional. I enjoyed the different perspectives & development of existing characters. Not everyone seems to be thrilled with Mike Stearns here without being in outright opposition to him.

NICE plot, puts meat into it, things do not just occur, the why & how is given. Character also grow, & story flows. A most enjoyable read.

One of the things that can be a bit -ff-putting in this series is that the story line jumps around. I understand that real life is like this, but I prefer reading books where a plot line is started and then runs to the end of that plot. In the first place, this series is a lot like a soap opera in that there are lots of loose threads hanging at the end of each book (need to read the next one folks)

Here is how I have solved my need to read a continuous plot vs how the books are written. The first time I read the took I quickly scan the chapter & put color coded post-it notes where ever there is a change in plot (I use the skinny post it notes that people stick showing "sign here" kinds of things) Then I can go back & read all the blue post it noes, all the orange post it notes, etc. Once I have gotten through all the various plot lines I am comfortable reading the book as is, with all the jumping around that the story line does, because I already know how the various plots are running, much easier to follow & enjoy this way.,

Below is a reading order list taken from Eric Flint's website to help you navigate this universe.
1632
Ring of Fire
1633
1634: The Baltic War

(Somewhere along the way, after you’ve finished 1632, read the stories and articles in the first three paper edition volumes of the Gazette.)

1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Galileo Affair
1634: The Bavarian Crisis
1635: A Parcel of Rogues

(Somewhere along the way, read the stories and articles in the fourth paper edition volume of the Gazette.)

Ring of Fire II
1635: The Cannon Law
1635: The Dreeson Incident
1635: The Tangled Web (by Virginia DeMarce)

(Somewhere along the way, read the stories in Gazette V.)

1635: The Papal Stakes
1635: The Eastern Front
1636: The Saxon Uprising
Ring of Fire III
1636: The Kremlin Games

(Somewhere along the way, read the stories in Gazette VI.)

1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies
1636: The Cardinal Virtues
1635: Music and Murder (by David Carrico—this is an e-book edition only)
1636: The Devil’s Opera
1636: Seas of Fortune (by Iver Cooper)
1636: The Barbie Consortium (by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett—this is an e-book edition only)
1636: The Viennese Waltz

(Somewhere along the way, read the stories in Gazette VII.)

Ring of Fire IV (forthcoming May, 2016)
1636: The Chronicles of Dr. Gribbleflotz (forthcoming August, 2016)
1636: The Ottoman Onslaught (forthcoming January, 2017)
Helpful
 Report
Jedidiah Abdul Muhib Carosaari
4.0 out of 5 stars Worth reading; Could have been better.
Reviewed in the United States on July 21, 2007
Verified Purchase
Baltic War is a grand adventure, with many well-tracked characters and plot twists. It answers a number of questions that we have been waiting on for years, and is filled with interesting developments. I learned a good deal of 17th century history in this book, and Flint really made it come alive in new ways. The book encouraged me to constantly look up Wikipedia entries to understand more of what was really happening at the time. And Flint is to be congratulated for really showing the Downtimers as smart and able to contribute something effective against the Uptimers from the future.

The maps could have been better and more detailed, for those of us who are not experts on 17th century European history. And the book starts off quite slow, as do a number of the 1632 series, and takes a while to get going. Indeed, the writing is rather disjointed, perhaps from being written by two different authors. I felt like there were moments of great writing, alternating with moments written by a beginning author.

I grew tired of nearly every character, whether they had direct contact with the Americans or not, using American colloquial phrases and making an explicit point that they were doing so, on every single phrase. Are there no colloquial phrases in other cultures and languages? Do we truly think that American colloquialisms would spread in 2 years all over the continent, into foreign languages, without modern communications technology? It's simply sloppy writing.

A bit of a surprise, and a nice addition, is the CD at the back of the book, *with every single previous book Flint's every written* on a CD that opens as web browser. I have no idea how he will continue to make money in doing this, but it's like buying one book and getting another 50, including all of the Ring of Fire series.

This is a good addition to the series. Better than some of the other recent ones. It would have been better if 1634: Cannon Law hadn't been out already for a year, and taking place after the events of Baltic War, revealing what had already happened and who had survived. Sometimes I get the impression that Flint is so eager to try out new publishing tricks (multiple authors, amateur web writing, later chronological books being published earlier) that he sacrifices writing quality. You should read this book. Enjoy the excitement of a European war fought before there was nation states, with ironclad ships and repeating rifles. But Flint & Weber can do better. The promise once offered in  1632  does not match what we have today. 3 stars for the writing, an extra one for the publishing idea of adding in 50 books for the price of one.
5 people found this helpful
Helpful
 Report

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
Carrick
5.0 out of 5 stars 1632 the thrid: Great stuff
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 30, 2019
Verified Purchase
Epic sagas are hard to do right, but when they are, very good to discover; this is one. 1632 is so intelligent and original it needs and deserves more recognition. If you are hesitant about investing in a series so large, I'd still recommend at least the first 3 (and perhaps 2 collections: 'Ring of Fire' and 'The Grantville Gazette vol 1'). This shows the challenge facing Grantville's 20th Century Americans, to integrate into the Europe of the Thirty Years War, and making their place there secure. It is not about the industrial, so much as the social, theological, political and ethical revolution they catalyse. The thought is inevitable: What humanity might have achieved, if only they had been more moral and less warlike!

Avoiding spoilers, this is the book where the navy comes to the fore. Satisfyingly the enemy are as courageous, imaginative and dynamic as Grantville. The writing, characters, dialogue, plots and plans are intelligent, well balanced and original as you could wish. This is hard to put down. And some nice twists, right up to the end. And as is characteristic a HUGE caste of characters, all of whom find the space (somehow) to be fully fleshed out and really engage the reader. Eric Flint is joined by another master epic story teller, David Weber here. While much in the cooperative writitng of the later books, are consitently excellent, these two masters' talents are displayed throughtout here.

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
One person found this helpful
 Report
Mongol Fou
5.0 out of 5 stars suite qui agrandie le contexte historique
Reviewed in France on June 9, 2018
Verified Purchase
nouveau volume d'une super série dans une époque méconnue et un contexte passionnant
attention écrit en américain parlé parfois difficile à traduire
Report
Lemberzan
5.0 out of 5 stars Superb
Reviewed in Germany on September 14, 2013
Verified Purchase
This book is third one in a parallel universum series starting with the book 1632. The idea of bringing a 20 century Virginian town in the Germany of 17th century carries a lot of interesting twists. Of course with each consequent book the history deviates more and more from the one we know. All books are written with a lot of humor and phantasy. Can't wait to start reading the next one!
Report
Rambar
3.0 out of 5 stars Se me hace pesada
Reviewed in Spain on August 20, 2013
Verified Purchase
Tras 1632 y 1633 me está pasando con esta obra como con la serie DUNE: llegué hasta la 5. No se si llegaré con esta serie, aunque me encanta. ¿Será traducida al español?
Report
Trevor B. Owen
5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating Look at History with New Variables
Reviewed in Canada on January 31, 2011
Verified Purchase
Alternate history novels are not the mainstay of David Weber but when links up with Eric Flint it's an excellent mix. One has the detailed military analysis and weapons description which Weber books usually have with a different flavour for the overall story-telling as this series is mainly an Eric Flint production. The result is a fast-paced story with excellent insights on how 21st Century technology could have impacted the 17th century. It makes one think. This is generally true for this series.
Report