The Ring of Fire - Page 2

jbcohen · 03-07-2012, 08:07 AM

I'm not really a fan of short stories and I understand that there are a few volumes in this series that are short stories. I believe that they are the book entitled the Ring of Fire and all of the books entitled Grantville Gazette.

Is this series really sci-fi, I'm not realy sure. Perhaps its fantasy, I do not see a ring of fire as posibility making it a fantasy series.

Xanthe · 03-07-2012, 10:29 PM

It's alternative history, so it depends if you consider that science fiction or fantasy. The premise that the book is based on - the relocation of Grantville into the past due to alien action - would be science fiction.

Jadon · 03-10-2012, 04:40 PM

Circles of Displacement by Darrell Bain has something like "time shrapnel" hit some place (in Texas, IIRC), and parts of a town and surrounding environ swap places with the age of the dinosaurs. The effect isn't contiguous; circles ranging from meters to kilometers across trade places, so you might step from the TV section in K-Mart into a prehistoric swamp, then back to the store a few meters later.

City at World's End by Edmond Hamilton has a city hit by a new type of atomic bomb. Instead of being destroyed, it ends up blasted a billion years into the future, finding itself on a desolate, deserted world.

Jadon · 03-10-2012, 04:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

Is this series really sci-fi, I'm not really sure. Perhaps it's fantasy, I do not see a ring of fire as posibility making it a fantasy series.

The throwaway reason Grantville ends up in 1630s Germany is that some advanced but sloppy alien race was doing high-tech art involving shaping spacetime, and the town was hit with the equivalent of a shard of the sculpture being created.

But this is an alternative history tale. As such, the how doesn't matter. No one in the story knows how the Ring of Fire happened. They, and readers, just take that as a given, and then proceed from there.

plib · 03-10-2012, 11:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Apache

S. M. Stirling had the Nantucket Series about Nantucket Massachusetts and the Coast Guard Ship Eagle being displaced to 1250 BC.
Apache

He also has the "Emberverse: The Change" series, which deals with the effects on the rest of the world resulting from the events of the Nantucket displacement. Earlier books deal primarily with how Oregon, Washington and BC deal with being reduced to essentially medieval societies. Later books are more about exploring whatever "spiritual powers" might be involved as a cause or effect of the change.

plib · 03-10-2012, 11:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jbcohen

I'm not really a fan of short stories and I understand that there are a few volumes in this series that are short stories. I believe that they are the book entitled the Ring of Fire and all of the books entitled Grantville Gazette.

Is this series really sci-fi, I'm not realy sure. Perhaps its fantasy, I do not see a ring of fire as posibility making it a fantasy series.

The Gazettes flesh out characters or minor plot lines that don't get much space in the main novel line. Reading them in the recommended order between the main novels is very helpful to gaining an overall grasp of the Ring Of Fire universe and, I think, make the main novel line more rewarding. I think you'd benefit from following the reading order outlined above.

As far as making it as a series. Whether it's fantasy or SF, I'd say it's made it as a very successful series already!

pdurrant · 03-11-2012, 04:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plib

The Gazettes flesh out characters or minor plot lines that don't get much space in the main novel line. Reading them in the recommended order between the main novels is very helpful to gaining an overall grasp of the Ring Of Fire universe and, I think, make the main novel line more rewarding

With the anthologies of shorter stories, it's important to distinguish between the electronic Gazettes (which are just as you describe them), the Ring of Fire anthologies (which are longer stories by established writers and may well introduce important plot points, and should be read in the recommended order) and the paper Gazettes (currently I through VI) which also include a short story from Eric Flint. Even if someone doesn't want to read the massive number of Gazettes, I would recommend reading the stories in the paper copies of the Gazettes (or, confusingly, in the electronic versions of the paper copies of the Gazettes!*)

* the electronic Gazettes have arabic numbers, the paper ones have roman numbers.

owly · 03-23-2012, 09:46 AM

Thanks! It's been a while since I've read them and I was going to pick it up again from "Cannon Law"

jbcohen · 03-23-2012, 10:23 AM

See this link and scroll down for Eric Flint's word on the organization of the Ring of Fire series http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/forthcoming/

Bricorn · 03-23-2012, 06:19 PM

Well, I've just been served a SERIOUSLY hot curry (a 3 pint of beer job). No doubt "Ring of Fire" will have an entirely different meaning in the morning.

Keeblertex · 03-28-2012, 04:09 PM

@JBCOHEN

I'm not a fan of short stories, either. But the first Ring of Fire has some important info you'll probably need for later books. Also, there are different streams you can follow in the series. I'm partial to the mainline story. Also, you are officially warned about Virginia DeMarce. Very tedious. If you're a history buff and love this time period then follow her books. Personally, I enjoy the stories surrounding the uptime folks, especially the four musketeers. Most if the down timers are starting to wear on my nerves. Gretchen is starting to bother me and if they never mention her grandmother again, I'd be fine. I'm on The Eastern Front right now. I'd recommend 1632, The Ring of Fire, 1633, 1634 The Baltic War. The other 1634 books start to swerve away from Grantville. Not my thing. You can easily go to 1635 The Eastern Front and be fine. The reviews on the other 1635 stories have not been kind.

plib · 03-29-2012, 06:07 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Keeblertex

Also, you are officially warned about Virginia DeMarce. Very tedious.

Ah! So I'm not the only one who feels that way. She's probably fine if you're into tracing every niece, nephew and cousin in your family for the last two hundred years - complete with all the family gossip over the same time period, but I fail to see how she can appeal to anyone who's not a dedicated genealogist or gossip monger.

Apache · 03-29-2012, 06:32 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by plib

Ah! So I'm not the only one who feels that way. She's probably fine if you're into tracing every niece, nephew and cousin in your family for the last two hundred years - complete with all the family gossip over the same time period, but I fail to see how she can appeal to anyone who's not a dedicated genealogist or gossip monger.

I stopped reading the series because of her stories. I will have to start reading the others that are not by her.
Apache

carld · 03-29-2012, 07:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jadon

City at World's End by Edmond Hamilton has a city hit by a new type of atomic bomb. Instead of being destroyed, it ends up blasted a billion years into the future, finding itself on a desolate, deserted world.

This one is available in the Mobileread e-book archive. City at World's End.

It's an interesting read, but the writer isn't exactly a forward thinker. The best solution in the book for calming a frightened woman is a good face slapping.

These days that'll get you laid out on the ground.

jbcohen · 03-29-2012, 12:20 PM

Looks like the City at world's end might be a good one for me Jadon.

03-07-2012, 08:07 AM	#16
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,031 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	I'm not really a fan of short stories and I understand that there are a few volumes in this series that are short stories. I believe that they are the book entitled the Ring of Fire and all of the books entitled Grantville Gazette. Is this series really sci-fi, I'm not realy sure. Perhaps its fantasy, I do not see a ring of fire as posibility making it a fantasy series. Last edited by jbcohen; 03-07-2012 at 11:44 AM.

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03-07-2012, 10:29 PM	#17
Xanthe Plan B Is Now In Force Posts: 1,894 Karma: 8086979 Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: Surebleak Device: Aluratek,Sony 350/T1,Pandigital,eBM 911,Nook HD/HD+,Fire HDX 7/8.9,PW2	It's alternative history, so it depends if you consider that science fiction or fantasy. The premise that the book is based on - the relocation of Grantville into the past due to alien action - would be science fiction.

03-10-2012, 04:40 PM	#18
Jadon Hermit Posts: 192 Karma: 9425 Join Date: Oct 2006 Device: Kindle Keyboard, Kobo Glo	Circles of Displacement by Darrell Bain has something like "time shrapnel" hit some place (in Texas, IIRC), and parts of a town and surrounding environ swap places with the age of the dinosaurs. The effect isn't contiguous; circles ranging from meters to kilometers across trade places, so you might step from the TV section in K-Mart into a prehistoric swamp, then back to the store a few meters later. City at World's End by Edmond Hamilton has a city hit by a new type of atomic bomb. Instead of being destroyed, it ends up blasted a billion years into the future, finding itself on a desolate, deserted world.

03-23-2012, 09:46 AM	#23
owly Guru Posts: 729 Karma: 3822612 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Sweden Device: Paperwhite 2, Kobo Aura H2O	Thanks! It's been a while since I've read them and I was going to pick it up again from "Cannon Law"

03-23-2012, 10:23 AM	#24
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,031 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	See this link and scroll down for Eric Flint's word on the organization of the Ring of Fire series http://www.ericflint.net/index.php/forthcoming/

03-23-2012, 06:19 PM	#25
Bricorn Addict Posts: 289 Karma: 7788748 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: Fun Town, Thailand Device: Kindle DXG	Well, I've just been served a SERIOUSLY hot curry (a 3 pint of beer job). No doubt "Ring of Fire" will have an entirely different meaning in the morning.

03-28-2012, 04:09 PM	#26
Keeblertex Member Posts: 12 Karma: 10 Join Date: Mar 2012 Device: None	@JBCOHEN I'm not a fan of short stories, either. But the first Ring of Fire has some important info you'll probably need for later books. Also, there are different streams you can follow in the series. I'm partial to the mainline story. Also, you are officially warned about Virginia DeMarce. Very tedious. If you're a history buff and love this time period then follow her books. Personally, I enjoy the stories surrounding the uptime folks, especially the four musketeers. Most if the down timers are starting to wear on my nerves. Gretchen is starting to bother me and if they never mention her grandmother again, I'd be fine. I'm on The Eastern Front right now. I'd recommend 1632, The Ring of Fire, 1633, 1634 The Baltic War. The other 1634 books start to swerve away from Grantville. Not my thing. You can easily go to 1635 The Eastern Front and be fine. The reviews on the other 1635 stories have not been kind.

03-29-2012, 12:20 PM	#30
jbcohen Wizard Posts: 3,031 Karma: 11196738 Join Date: Oct 2010 Location: Where am I? Device: Kindle Paperwhite Signature edition and a Samsung S24 Ultra	Looks like the City at world's end might be a good one for me Jadon.

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