FREE 1636: THE CARDINAL VIRTUES PDF Eric Flint | 432 pages | 26 Jul 2016 | Baen Books | 9781476781693 | English | Riverdale, United States The Cardinal Virtues by Eric Flint, Walter H Hunt, Hardcover | Barnes & Noble® In the alternative history scenario of the novel and series, Emperor Gustav Adolphusruler of the new United States of Europe, has suffered a head trauma in battle, rendering him unable to rule. The Swedish chancellor Axel Oxenstierna seizes this opportunity to try to reestablish the power of the nobility in the USE. He keeps the USE army occupied fighting against Poland and reinforcing Bohemialeaving Swedish and Provincial forces as the only professional soldiers in the country. He uses this advantage to co-opt the ruling Crown 1636: the Cardinal Virtues Party and bully its leader, Prime Minister Wilhelm Wettininto co- operating with him. Other conservative leaders remain wary, such as the landgravine of Hesse-Kasselwhich has the strongest provincial force; she chooses to keep neutral in the conflict. Wettin, discovering that Bavaria invaded on the covert invitation of the Chancellor to ensure 1636: the Cardinal Virtues defense forces cannot oppose his coup, confronts Oxenstierna, only to be arrested and removed from office. Ernst Wettin is the official Imperial Administrator, but Gretchen Richter and the Committees of Correspondence hold the real power there. Rebecca Stearns and the opposition Fourth of July Party coordinate with the CoC to act in a 1636: the Cardinal Virtues manner and undermine the legitimacy of Axel Oxenstierna and the Crown Loyalists gathered in Berlin. Meanwhile, Princess Christina and Prince Ulric travel to the capital at Magdeburgsymbolically aligning themselves with Oxenstierna's opponents and further 1636: the Cardinal Virtues the Swedish 1636: the Cardinal Virtues. Gustav Adolphus regains his wits soon after that and puts an end to Oxenstierna's bid for power. Wilhelm Wettin is released from custody and reinstated as Prime Minister, but with his Crown Loyalists discredited agrees to call early elections. Gustav Adolphus meets with Mike Stearns to negotiate an orderly transition of power, and the emperor commissions Stearns to take on the invading 1636: the Cardinal Virtues. The reviewer for SFRevu gave a mostly positive review by saying "The main plot moves forward with a huge cast of characters and lots of bouncing around. There are numerous little interludes that tell the reaction to events from the point of view of multiple areas. In contrast, the reviewer for the Shiny Book Review gave a more mixed review by writing "Confused yet? Yeah, I was too actually. The writing itself is good, as you would expect from Eric Flint, and the series continues to chug along. The Fantasy Book Critic gave the most positive review by saying that the "book is also very 1636: the Cardinal Virtues written with so many moments that make one laugh out loud, with action galore, but also with tragedy, suspense and the occasional heartbreak. From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Dewey Decimal. Shiny Book Review. Archived from the original on September 15, Retrieved April 27, Fantasy Book Critic. July Assiti Shards series by Eric Flint. List 1636: the Cardinal Virtues characters fictional. Time Spike The Alexander Inheritance Hidden categories: Use mdy dates from August Namespaces Article Talk. Views Read Edit View history. Help Learn to edit Community portal Recent changes Upload file. Download as PDF Printable version. Add links. First edition cover. The Cardinal Virtues - eARC by Eric Flint & Walter H. Hunt - Baen Ebooks The seriesalso known as the verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series and sub-series created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by Eric Flint and published by Baen Books. The series is set in 17th-century Europe, in which the small fictional town of GrantvilleWest Virginiain the year was sent to the past in central Germany in the yearduring the 1636: the Cardinal Virtues Years' War. As ofthe series has five published novels propelling the main plot and over ten published novels moving several subplots and threads forward. The series also includes fan-written, but professionally edited, collaborative material which are published in bi-monthly magazine titled The Grantville Gazettes and some collaborative short fictions. In terms of the history of Time Travel literature, the series can be considered an extension and modification of the basic idea dating back to Mark Twain 's " A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court ", in which a 19th-century American engineer, finding himself in 5th-century England, is able—all by himself—to introduce into the past society the full range of his time's technologies. In Flint's version, a 1636: the Cardinal Virtues modern community is transplanted into the past, in possession of a considerable amount of the material and written resources of modern society—making their success in changing the past more plausible. The series began with Flint's stand alone novel released February It is, excepting the lead novel and the serialized e-novel The Anaconda Projectvirtually all collaboratively written, including some "main works" with multiple co-authors. However, Flint has mentioned contracts with the publisher for at least two additional solo novels he has in planning on his website. Flint, whose bibliography is dominated by collaborative work, claims that this approach encourages the cross-fertilization of ideas and styles, stimulating the creative process and preventing stale, formulaic works. As stated in the first Grantville Gazette and on his site, Flint's novel was an experiment [2] wherein he explores the effect of transporting a mass of people through time. The plot situation allows pragmatic, American, union- oriented, political thought to grind against the authoritarian, religion-driven societies of an unconsolidated Holy Roman Empire barely out of the Middle 1636: the Cardinal Virtues. Flint explores examples of suffering due to the petty politics of self-aggrandizement and self-interest on the one hand, and the irreconcilable differences of the schism in Christianity such as the Protestant Reformation and the Counter-Reformation on the other. Despite the fact that the shift puts Grantville in May initially, because of the ongoing war and the primitive transportation networks of the day Grantville's arrival has something of a delayed impact, so the bulk of the book's action takes place inhence the name. The series was initially continued with two collaborative works that were more or less written concurrently: with best selling novelist David Weber and an anthology called Ring of Fire with other established science-fiction writers, including long, "deep background" stories by both Weber and Flint. Overall, the narratives are not oriented on one group of protagonists with a strong lead character, but instead are carried by 1636: the Cardinal Virtues ensemble cast—though most books or short stories do have several strong characters who carry the action and plot forward. Flint had intended from the outset that the whole town would be the collective protagonist; a reflection of his philosophy that historic forces are not centered in the main on the actions of one or two key individuals, but on the many small independent actions of the many going about their daily lives and coping as best they can. This leads the scheming Cardinal Richelieuwho'd been previously financing him to spite and weaken the Habsburgs 1636: the Cardinal Virtues, to turn on the Swedes. Various books from up-time Grantville, especially history books, had found avid readers amongst Europe's ruling elites, changing the plans and strategies of major players of the time. The readers, not understanding the chaotic nature of events i. The "players" sent back through time have no intention of strongly guiding events, but understand how key forces democracy, sanitation, medicine, egalitarianism, etc. Richelieu forms a four-way alliance, the League of Ostend, to oppose the New United States, Gustavus' expeditionary army, and allied princes of the German states. After the first book, the series begins multiple 1636: the Cardinal Virtues lines or story threads reflecting this independence of action by a multitude of characters. The sequel spreads the Americans out geographically over Central Europe. Next, the novel The Galileo Affairand the first of the anthologies called the Grantville Gazettes introduced new strong characters. The former begins what is called the South European threadand some of the stories in the latter and Ring of Fire began the Eastern European thread 1636: the Cardinal Virtues northwards to Poland. Co-author ofNew York Times best-selling author David Weber was contracted for no less than five books in the series in what is called the Central European thread or Main thread of the series, but there was a delay before the two authors synchronized their schedules to write that next mainline sequel, The Baltic Warreleased in May Without waiting for Weber, other sequels such as The Ram RebellionThe Cannon Lawand the Grantville Gazettes continue in one thread or another with in-depth looks at societal ramifications from technology, religion, and social unrest as Europe deals with 1636: the Cardinal Virtues outlandish ideas of Grantville's influential presence, to machinations of Europe's elites trying 1636: the Cardinal Virtues maintain their hold on power, or leverage off of Grantville-triggered events or knowledge for reasons of self-interest. Flint has pointed out that he thinks in terms of plot threads, not of major protagonists. As a series focused on displaying a believable neohistory given the series beginning— of being as realistic as possible given the initial series premises—the two approaches both fail equally in covering all the cases by any strict measure, because the character set who is starring in one thread will almost invariably appear in one or more other story lines as a personal departure point for that character's personal biographical history, or as a supporting 1636: the Cardinal Virtues for events depicted in a book mainly covering events in another thread.