About a week ago, I posted a short note about the recently-released electronic Advanced Reader Copy (eARC) for 1637: The Volga Rules, a new novel in the Ring of Fire (1632) series. This one novel has as its authors Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, and Gorg Huff, and it is a direct sequel to the earlier 1636: The Kremlin Games.
This most recent installment continues the tale shortly after it left off in The Kremlin Games. It focuses the continuation of the struggle between Czar Mikhail and Director-General Sheremetev for control of Russia and its future. Only two uptimers feature prominently in this tale, for it is mostly the tale of the Russians of the alternate universe and their struggles.
It is a story of compromise, determination, of striving for freedom, of accepting the necessary. There are politics, there are battles, there are betrayals. There is love, there is hate. There are surprises. And there is some of the expected.
If you enjoyed The Kremlin Games, I believe you'll enjoy The Volga Rules. If you were primarily hoping to see more of the "main cast" like Michael Stearns, Rebecca Abrabanel, Harry Lefferts, Ed Piazza, Gretchen Richter, Gustavus Adolphus, etc. or find out more about the events happening in vicinity of Vienna, you may be disappointed. As it was, taking the tale for what it was, I quite enjoyed it.
Unsurprisingly, the political situation in Russia and Eastern Europe remains very much in question at the end of the novel. We must await further stories to learn more about what awaits Russia, Poland, and their neighbors.
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