Another Excellent Flint book set in an alternate earth time line ( )

Some action, lots of self-righteous talk. I am increasingly dissatisfied with the preemption and reformation of historical persons. Lots of uptimer technology in this one, with Sharon Nichols and Larry Mazzare as the uptimers on stage, with Sharon's husband Ruy Sanchez de Casador y Ortiz as primary security for Pope Urban. Two somewhat co-originated groups of bad guys form elaborate schemes to kill Urban and as many of those gathered around him as possible. We see both sides.
I really had to force myself through this and it took almost a week, so slow and just not that interesting. ( )

One of the best books in this very excellent series. Flint and his cohorts have a splendid and quite accurate sense of the dynamics during this volatile period in our past. It enables them to find the right location and time to place their fulcrum and lever to change history.
Not an easy read; following the "Who's on First" liaisons among the various assassin groups does require some attention to detail. The list of characters and the maps provided help to sort the Spanish, Swiss, Italian, etc villains into the various teams seeking to take out the Pope, the Consistory of Cardinal and other clerics of any ilk or belief.
Clearly, the perfect environment for Urban to unveil his intent for a set of 17th Century Vatican 2 inspired dialogues to unite Christians. No butterfly wing effect intended here as Popes and their wannabees, The Inquisition, The Reformation and a pending Mongol, as well as a Turkish invasion are all in play.
To season the mix; there is a spymaster who uses the Dewey Decimal System for his codes, some Wild Geese and a Hibernian Regiment on loan to assist the very capable ambassadress and her Catalan partner to maintain order and protect the Pope.

Lots of moving parts parlayed into a good storyline as this wonderful alternate history continues to evolve. ( )

Another entry in the long-running 1632/Ring of Fire series. Pope Urban has had a change of heart and is heading both an Ecumenical Colloquy and a Council of Cardinals to reform the Church, running more or less simultaneously. Unfortunately, he is also being hunted by assassins, which further complicates an already complicated situation.

There are a lot of characters to keep straight, including at least four groups of would-be assassins, some of them with hidden agendas. It can get a bit confusing at times. Fans of the series will want to read this, but it is not one of the stronger works. ( )