Blind_Mapmaker reviewed The Grantville Gazette by Eric Flint
Review of 'The Grantville Gazette' on 'Goodreads'
3 stars
3.0 Not as strong as the previous fan-fic collection, this paper version of an online magazine features both fiction set in and non-fiction articles about the 1632 universe. The articles weren't bad, but nothing I would have read in any other context. The stories are mostly unexceptional - includng the one by Eric Flint that gave us the fig leaf for the cover picture.
While I was glad to get the story of the woman who narrowly escaped rape in the first book, 'Anna's Story' is a lot more about the old farmer who took her in. Not bad, just a bit of a missed opportunity. 'Curio and Relic' is also not bad and a little whistful, but in the end nothing special and merely a nice description of an another old dude. The 'Rudolstadt Colloquy' is rather on the boring side and mostly interesting in the way it shows …
3.0 Not as strong as the previous fan-fic collection, this paper version of an online magazine features both fiction set in and non-fiction articles about the 1632 universe. The articles weren't bad, but nothing I would have read in any other context. The stories are mostly unexceptional - includng the one by Eric Flint that gave us the fig leaf for the cover picture.
While I was glad to get the story of the woman who narrowly escaped rape in the first book, 'Anna's Story' is a lot more about the old farmer who took her in. Not bad, just a bit of a missed opportunity. 'Curio and Relic' is also not bad and a little whistful, but in the end nothing special and merely a nice description of an another old dude. The 'Rudolstadt Colloquy' is rather on the boring side and mostly interesting in the way it shows religious stuff not being swept under the carpet for once.
The only story with both some heft and some human interest is 'The Sewing Circle' by Gorg Huff, which features a couple of teenagers producing their own sewing machines and setting up a company to sell them. While it still suffers from the series' relatively uncomplicated love stories, it manages to focus on some characters that are a bit off the beaten path and manages to make economic matters both interesting and believable.
All in all a decent effort, but not overly satisfying.- subtracting a quarter-star for the pretty nonsensical, sexist cover.
