What happens when a small West Virginia town circa 1999 gets sent back to 1632 and plopped in the middle of the 30 Years War, a conflagration that burnt down pretty much all of Germany? Well, for the good people of Grantville, it's time to kickstart the American Revolution 150 years early, and bring the 17th century democracy, human rights, and the American Way.

This book excels in fist pumping America, Fuck Yeah! moments. When the people of Grantville decide to make the best of their situation, or waste some particularly scummy mercenaries, or include refugees of all circumstances in their situation, it's really good. Flint is an old school union Democrat. He wanted to write a book about blue collar folk succeeding in a weird situation, and he did it.

That said, a lot of this book just kind of flops around with too many characters, most of whom are too calm. I really couldn't tell you what distinguished any of the viewpoints from Mike Stearns, the local man turned leader. Three cross-cultural romances tie the human side of the story together, but they were kind of awkward, which may be the point. Similarly, the military side is modern firearms laying waste to tercios, which is fun maybe twice.

Flint has really strong female characters, which is a plus, but he still has no idea how to write women. They're competent, smart, calm, utterly lethal with their choice of weapons, and barely seem human, let alone female. The high school cheerleader and biathlete turned ace sniper is at the top of the list. It's good that they're not damsels in distress, but they're still fetishized.