'1632' by Eric Flint (W. Virginia/post-apocalypse-ish scenario, time travel)

[unistat76]

Lucifer's Hammer was my first introduction to "prepping" when I read it in middle school. I was already a Niven fan, so I grabbed it from the school library. I use to stay awake at night wondering how to maintain an acceptable level of civilization with the resources my family had. I didn't know it then, but in retrospect, it really formed a lot of my fundamental ideas with regards to prepping.

I read the first few books of the 1632 series and the Grantville Gazette, but I just can't handle Eric Flint's politics and certain things grated on me out of proportion. I would have been better off if I didn't know anything about the author.

[Schneb]

Didn't the main character get to his BOL only to find it occupied? Very good read as I recall.

Like I say, I didn't get far into it in my recent effort, so can't be sure if I'm remembering correctly, but I think he was late to start gathering supplies, but then was smart about it and made a bunch of jerky, etc. but went out on another run for supplies or something and when he got back, he found that his house had been ripped off: a gang had staked out the neighborhood to see who was preparing and they targeted those houses.

Or something like that.

I don't know if it was the same for you, but that bit about the gang sitting back and going after whoever looked to be prepping was a detail that stuck out for me, even as a kid long before hearing the words 'operational security'.

For those that haven't read L'sH, this isn't the major event of the plot/I didn't give away the whole ending or anything--still worth reading.

ANOTHER POSSIBLE related title: 'A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court'



...but I gotta say, I tried getting into that one, too, and also failed: it's pretty dated in terms of style from the chapter's worth or so that I read.

But from what I remember of a movie version, it would include a fair bit about how to set up basic industry from a medieval level of society/resources.

If someone knows different though, let me know.

[Mangler]

Here's another one from the past.



It's dated, but still has some good material.

[Bue]

How about this one.

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It has some pertinent ideas related to prepping and survival I found interesting.

Didn't the main character get to his BOL only to find it occupied? Very good read as I recall.

[Schneb]

Very much so, yes!

I've often thought about L's H in terms of prepping. I went back to re-read it recently, and had a hard time with the prologue/build-up: lots of characters being introduced and a focus on the space program and funding that doesn't seem to matter much now.

Other aspects too seemed a bit dated.

But the overall idea of civilization coming down to whether or not you could still have electricity? Yes.

And that's just part of what I took from it.

(Now you've got me thinking/pondering, which other books could/should be on this thread. :))

[Mangler]

How about this one.



It has some pertinent ideas related to prepping and survival I found interesting.

[dalewick]

Book? What book? I thought that was just life here in the mountains. LOL! First one was a good read.

Dale

[Schneb]

Yeah, it didn't hold up in the long run. There was an online fan community that had some interesting discussions (I haven't looked at it in a LONG time, so don't know if it's still active/good), like 'What would it take to produce antibiotics in the 1632 setting?' and so on. People responded with what seemed like knowledgeable input.

Seems like most such series, the original book is good, then things tend to go downhill pretty fast.

[Mangler]

I really enjoyed the first book. The use of modern technology was very plausible, and the geopolitical effects made for fun reading. However, by the fourth book the store became kind of stale. I actually found the Gazette short stories to be more interesting.

[Schneb]

Just wondered if anyone else is a fan of this book.



It's been around a while, but if it's a new one for you the general idea is that a chunk of West Virginia is scooped up and dropped into the location of: the middle of Europe (future site of Germany) and the
'when' of: the year 1632

There's a lot in terms of politics and history to enjoy, but also a fair amount of making do with limited resources brought back (a small town and the surrounding countryside were scooped up on that chunk of W.Va, so households/stores full of goods and so on are available, but retooling to make do after they run out is also a major theme).

If you're looking for a good yarn, I'd give it a definite thumbs up.