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Kaiserkrieger #1
Die Ankunft
Kurz vor Beginn des Ersten Weltkriegs: Der Kleine Kreuzer Saarbrücken bricht aus Wilhelmshaven auf, um seine letzte große Fahrt anzutreten, bevor er außer Dienst gestellt wird. Doch auf der Höhe von Portugal gerät das alte Schiff in ein rätselhaftes Phänomen - und der Kreuzer der kaiserlich-wilhelminischen Kriegsmarine findet sich unversehens im Mittelmeer wieder, gut 1500 Jahre in der Vergangenheit, zu einem historischen Zeitpunkt: wir schreiben das Jahr 378, den Anfang des Endes des Weströmischen Reiches, den Beginn der Völkerwanderung. Die Mannschaft der Saarbrücken entschließt sich, die Hände nicht in den Schoß zu legen, sondern für sich selbst eine sinnvolle Aufgabe in der Vergangenheit zu finden. Sie waren vorher die Krieger des Kaisers, warum sollten sie es nicht auch hier werden...
214 pages, Hardcover
First published June 10, 2010
71 people are currently reading
99 people want to read
About the author
Dirk van den Boom
204 books42 followersDirk Andreas van den Boom is a German political scientist, science fiction writer and translator. He Professor Political Sciences at the University of Münster, Germany since 2012.
He published both reference books in the field of political science and SF books.
He published both reference books in the field of political science and SF books.
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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
February 12, 2019
This is a somewhat unusual addition to the field of alternate history but it is at the same time very typical of the genre. The divergence point here is 378, with the Gothic victory at the battle of Adrianople forming the key event that dominates the book. Unlike most alternate histories based around a single event the battle is allowed to continue unchanged (more or less). The important part is the aftermath and the Völkerwanderung, or migration of Germanic tribes.
As you might gather from the term this is very much a Germanic concept and that makes it less surprising to find that this book was originally published in German. Indeed, it wears its Germanness on its sleeves. The translator of the book is obviously a German themself, and it really shows. Sometimes the sentences are basically indecipherable. I include some examples below from the first chapter alone:
The book has a particular problem handling different tenses within direct speech. Past tense discussion is often written in the present tense while the future becomes the past. It all feels rather confusing and alienating.
The protagonists are the crew of a WW1 German warship sucked into the past through a mysterious fog bank (silly but no more so than a bolt of lightning or alien art collection). Mixing eras like this is also somewhat uncommon and I’m still unsure why this particular era was chosen. I think it was due to the idea of some of the kaiser’s men joining a different kaiser (kaiser coming from Caesar being the German word for emperor). The sections in 1914 are reasonably accurate in terms of the cultural issues running through society. The entire empire gearing up for war while Democrat and Socialist agitators work the streets and the class conflicts between aristocratic and common soldiers divides them. Rheinberg himself experiences a hatred for France as Germany’s natural enemy that is sincere, even as he ponders intellectually why this should be the case.
The problem is that it largely goes away once we reach the past. Rheinberg is extraordinarily liberal for a German naval officer, even though it is made clear from the opening that he has no truck for social agitators. All-in-all he behaves in an astoundingly enlightened manner for a man of his position and era. In fact, he’s willing to bend over backwards to prove harmless and innocent in a way that seems destined to backfire horribly. He has an unstoppable warship under his command which he’s willing to use in service of the emperor. He’s in a strong position to dictate the terms of his service. Now. In a year or so he won’t be as his equipment and ship breaks down. Demonstrating a willingness to help is a good idea, but dressing up in togas and trying desperately to blend in at dinner parties seems desperate, or, more likely to a Roman audience accustomed to duplicity, duplicitous. They’re foreign soldiers offering service in exchange for supplies. Emperors make those sorts of deals all the time. And with Germans too. No need to outRoman the Romans.
The Germans are hardly alone in seeming too nice. The Romans in this book are also very open and friendly. There’s hardly any condescension or snobbery and in fact when a Roman fisherman comes across the ship floating aimlessly his first response is to help and hope for gratitude later. They’re also a-ok with inviting a death-dealing supership into their main harbor and make no attempt of any sort to steal the ship or capture the crew. There’s only 500 of them so neither should be hard and the benefits for a Roman commander should be obvious. In fact, the entire senior staff of the ship goes to banquets in Roman villas with no worries about being detained. This should be (at a minimum) a legitimate concern.
All of this ties into the all too common issue with alternate history making everything too simplistic. And this book has a lot of that. Religion. It’s a big deal, right? Especially to a Roman audience eagerly persecuting heresy. But these guys come in preaching toleration and acceptance and everyone just nods their heads and agrees that religious conflict is destroying the empire. Not a chance. And from a narrative point of view it's limiting to see such an obvious source of drama tossed aside. Rheinberg’s chosen alternative, civilization, hardly seems able to fill the gap. Don’t the Romans have civilization anyway? Why did they ever come to the point where people needed religion as a unifier if a little civilization was all that was needed? What I could easily see a WW1 German offering as an alternative was nationalism. . . Ah, but we’re supposed to like these guys!
Historically speaking, the book is not the worst but it’s not great. There are two basic types of errors: the issue of implausible behaviors or ways of thought and the issue of factual inaccuracies. The former are endless. There’s no hint here of the hierarchy or the intricate formalities that make up the Roman state. At this point in time it was standard practice to practice proskynesis when meeting an emperor. That is, the supplicant is expected to get on his belly and submit himself utterly to the emperor’s command. As a special sign of favor they might be invited to kiss the hem of the imperial cloak. These are not the sort of practices practiced by people so relaxed in formality that they have chats about their feelings of unworthiness with common slaves.
The factual inaccuracies are more annoying since they should be so easy to avoid. A simple Wikipedia search would fix most of them. But to list a few of the issues: the legal obligation to follow a father’s profession was only true of certain trades, pirates had not been a serious problem since the 1st century BC, the Battle of the Teutonberg Forest was not the greatest loss of life Rome ever suffered (it’s not even in the top five and Adrianople’s not in the top ten, although both had a disproportionate impact on policy), the East was not yet indisputably the superior region (Valentinian, Valens’ brother, had in fact chosen the West despite being the senior emperor), Valentinian and Valens were full brothers, Gratian didn’t die in battle, Diocletian was not succeeded by his sons, Manichaeans weren’t a Christian sect, a magister equitum would never serve under a count (they led different units of the army for one thing, but also the magister outranked the count), the Edict of Tolerance is not the same as the Edict of Milan (not actually an edict) and had been irrelevant pretty much as soon as it was issued, the Romans didn’t have a serious shortage of gold and 10,000 Goldmarks (however much that is) wasn’t a drop in the ocean of the emperor’s wealth, etc. It’s also guilty of a common error which is to assume that Roman terms were eternal across it’s existence. Thus we find positions like decurion and optio still as military NCOs (a term he actually uses) and find Gratian wielding Roman legions.
So I’m not really impressed with how this book handled an interesting topic and era(s). The main plot seems far too simplistic and trusting in good faith to be believable and we never really get anywhere. The book ends with them preparing to meet the emperor, setting up the sequel no doubt but not doing this book any favors. The view of the fall of Rome is disappointingly simplistic and even somewhat patronizing. At no point after they arrive does this world seem believable or the solutions raised seem possible. I really love this era, which is why I’ll probably read further books in the series despite the tepid start, but this book doesn’t capture the liveliness or alien quality of the period at all.
As you might gather from the term this is very much a Germanic concept and that makes it less surprising to find that this book was originally published in German. Indeed, it wears its Germanness on its sleeves. The translator of the book is obviously a German themself, and it really shows. Sometimes the sentences are basically indecipherable. I include some examples below from the first chapter alone:
“Officers like himself, the Navy Engineers knew each other well, although being of lower prestige and status”
“The big vomit will not be long in coming,” he croaked. “This is a great ride.”
“No, no … we don’t, don’t we?”
“Who had not yet appeared, was the new engineer, Navy Chief Engineer Dahms, whose job this was supposed to be.”
The book has a particular problem handling different tenses within direct speech. Past tense discussion is often written in the present tense while the future becomes the past. It all feels rather confusing and alienating.
The protagonists are the crew of a WW1 German warship sucked into the past through a mysterious fog bank (silly but no more so than a bolt of lightning or alien art collection). Mixing eras like this is also somewhat uncommon and I’m still unsure why this particular era was chosen. I think it was due to the idea of some of the kaiser’s men joining a different kaiser (kaiser coming from Caesar being the German word for emperor). The sections in 1914 are reasonably accurate in terms of the cultural issues running through society. The entire empire gearing up for war while Democrat and Socialist agitators work the streets and the class conflicts between aristocratic and common soldiers divides them. Rheinberg himself experiences a hatred for France as Germany’s natural enemy that is sincere, even as he ponders intellectually why this should be the case.
The problem is that it largely goes away once we reach the past. Rheinberg is extraordinarily liberal for a German naval officer, even though it is made clear from the opening that he has no truck for social agitators. All-in-all he behaves in an astoundingly enlightened manner for a man of his position and era. In fact, he’s willing to bend over backwards to prove harmless and innocent in a way that seems destined to backfire horribly. He has an unstoppable warship under his command which he’s willing to use in service of the emperor. He’s in a strong position to dictate the terms of his service. Now. In a year or so he won’t be as his equipment and ship breaks down. Demonstrating a willingness to help is a good idea, but dressing up in togas and trying desperately to blend in at dinner parties seems desperate, or, more likely to a Roman audience accustomed to duplicity, duplicitous. They’re foreign soldiers offering service in exchange for supplies. Emperors make those sorts of deals all the time. And with Germans too. No need to outRoman the Romans.
The Germans are hardly alone in seeming too nice. The Romans in this book are also very open and friendly. There’s hardly any condescension or snobbery and in fact when a Roman fisherman comes across the ship floating aimlessly his first response is to help and hope for gratitude later. They’re also a-ok with inviting a death-dealing supership into their main harbor and make no attempt of any sort to steal the ship or capture the crew. There’s only 500 of them so neither should be hard and the benefits for a Roman commander should be obvious. In fact, the entire senior staff of the ship goes to banquets in Roman villas with no worries about being detained. This should be (at a minimum) a legitimate concern.
All of this ties into the all too common issue with alternate history making everything too simplistic. And this book has a lot of that. Religion. It’s a big deal, right? Especially to a Roman audience eagerly persecuting heresy. But these guys come in preaching toleration and acceptance and everyone just nods their heads and agrees that religious conflict is destroying the empire. Not a chance. And from a narrative point of view it's limiting to see such an obvious source of drama tossed aside. Rheinberg’s chosen alternative, civilization, hardly seems able to fill the gap. Don’t the Romans have civilization anyway? Why did they ever come to the point where people needed religion as a unifier if a little civilization was all that was needed? What I could easily see a WW1 German offering as an alternative was nationalism. . . Ah, but we’re supposed to like these guys!
Historically speaking, the book is not the worst but it’s not great. There are two basic types of errors: the issue of implausible behaviors or ways of thought and the issue of factual inaccuracies. The former are endless. There’s no hint here of the hierarchy or the intricate formalities that make up the Roman state. At this point in time it was standard practice to practice proskynesis when meeting an emperor. That is, the supplicant is expected to get on his belly and submit himself utterly to the emperor’s command. As a special sign of favor they might be invited to kiss the hem of the imperial cloak. These are not the sort of practices practiced by people so relaxed in formality that they have chats about their feelings of unworthiness with common slaves.
The factual inaccuracies are more annoying since they should be so easy to avoid. A simple Wikipedia search would fix most of them. But to list a few of the issues: the legal obligation to follow a father’s profession was only true of certain trades, pirates had not been a serious problem since the 1st century BC, the Battle of the Teutonberg Forest was not the greatest loss of life Rome ever suffered (it’s not even in the top five and Adrianople’s not in the top ten, although both had a disproportionate impact on policy), the East was not yet indisputably the superior region (Valentinian, Valens’ brother, had in fact chosen the West despite being the senior emperor), Valentinian and Valens were full brothers, Gratian didn’t die in battle, Diocletian was not succeeded by his sons, Manichaeans weren’t a Christian sect, a magister equitum would never serve under a count (they led different units of the army for one thing, but also the magister outranked the count), the Edict of Tolerance is not the same as the Edict of Milan (not actually an edict) and had been irrelevant pretty much as soon as it was issued, the Romans didn’t have a serious shortage of gold and 10,000 Goldmarks (however much that is) wasn’t a drop in the ocean of the emperor’s wealth, etc. It’s also guilty of a common error which is to assume that Roman terms were eternal across it’s existence. Thus we find positions like decurion and optio still as military NCOs (a term he actually uses) and find Gratian wielding Roman legions.
So I’m not really impressed with how this book handled an interesting topic and era(s). The main plot seems far too simplistic and trusting in good faith to be believable and we never really get anywhere. The book ends with them preparing to meet the emperor, setting up the sequel no doubt but not doing this book any favors. The view of the fall of Rome is disappointingly simplistic and even somewhat patronizing. At no point after they arrive does this world seem believable or the solutions raised seem possible. I really love this era, which is why I’ll probably read further books in the series despite the tepid start, but this book doesn’t capture the liveliness or alien quality of the period at all.
June 25, 2025
Deutsche Alternate History ist nicht besonders häufig. Mit "Kaiserkrieger" legt Dirk van den Boom einen Versuch hin. Ein deutscher kleiner Kreuzer (zufällig mit extra Infanterie, einem LKW und einem Haufen Gold beladen) wird am Vorabend des ersten Weltkriegs aus der Zeit gerissen und landet im Mittelmeer zur Zeit der beginnenden Völkerwanderung. Die Besatzung beschließt, das römische Imperium zu retten...und dann ist das Buch zu Ende. Van den Boom schreibt in einem Interview, dass der erste Band seiner geplanten Triologie "zu lang" wurde, und deswegen geteilt werden musste - das führt leider dazu, dass der erste Band tatsächlich nur "Die Ankunft" schildert, und am Ende alle Spannungsbögen offen sind.
Das Buch ließt sich recht flüssig. Die Charaktere sind unterscheidbar, aber ein bisschen sehr klischeehaft - der gute (tote) Kommandant, der zufällig an klassischer Geschichte interessierte Latein-sprechende 1. Offizier, der versnobte adelige 2. Offizier, der liebestolle Fähnrich, die erfahrenen ehrlichen Unteroffiziere. Auch ist vieles doch sehr "zufällig günstig" - die Idee, dass man sich mit Schullatein mit einem Fischer aus dem 4. Jahrhundert fließend verständigen kann, ist etwas weit hergeholt. Dass Leutnant Rheinberg ungefähr Gibbons Bild vom späten römischen Imperium hat, ist nicht unplausibel. Dass die Geschichte aber dann im wesentlichen auch wirklich wie in Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire aussieht, ist schlicht faul.
Insgesamt unterhaltsam, aber wegen der fehlenden zweiten Hälfte unbefriedigend. Und natürlich ein bisschen militärverherrlichend. Ich bin noch nicht sicher, ob ich den 2. Band wirklich lesen will. Die "Nantucket"-Serie von S.M. Stirling macht aus einer ähnlichen Prämisse auf jeden Fall mehr.
Das Buch ließt sich recht flüssig. Die Charaktere sind unterscheidbar, aber ein bisschen sehr klischeehaft - der gute (tote) Kommandant, der zufällig an klassischer Geschichte interessierte Latein-sprechende 1. Offizier, der versnobte adelige 2. Offizier, der liebestolle Fähnrich, die erfahrenen ehrlichen Unteroffiziere. Auch ist vieles doch sehr "zufällig günstig" - die Idee, dass man sich mit Schullatein mit einem Fischer aus dem 4. Jahrhundert fließend verständigen kann, ist etwas weit hergeholt. Dass Leutnant Rheinberg ungefähr Gibbons Bild vom späten römischen Imperium hat, ist nicht unplausibel. Dass die Geschichte aber dann im wesentlichen auch wirklich wie in Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire aussieht, ist schlicht faul.
Insgesamt unterhaltsam, aber wegen der fehlenden zweiten Hälfte unbefriedigend. Und natürlich ein bisschen militärverherrlichend. Ich bin noch nicht sicher, ob ich den 2. Band wirklich lesen will. Die "Nantucket"-Serie von S.M. Stirling macht aus einer ähnlichen Prämisse auf jeden Fall mehr.
February 13, 2017
Interesting story. Poor translation., September 10, 2016
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Emperor's Men 1: Arrival (Kindle Edition)
This is a good time travel/alternate history story poorly translated from German. If you can get past the translation, it is a pretty good, well thought out and well researched novel. It isn't often that we get a novel in English featuring the Imperial German navy. Add in both the Western and Eastern Roman empires and various "barbarian" tribes and there is a good story here marred by the translation. This first novel ends before the lost German light cruiser and its accompanying infantry company are able to effect much change in the future of Rome. I certainly hope that the subsequent volumes are soon available in English. They are already available in German. Five stars for the story, two or three for the translation.
Verified Purchase(What's this?)
This review is from: The Emperor's Men 1: Arrival (Kindle Edition)
This is a good time travel/alternate history story poorly translated from German. If you can get past the translation, it is a pretty good, well thought out and well researched novel. It isn't often that we get a novel in English featuring the Imperial German navy. Add in both the Western and Eastern Roman empires and various "barbarian" tribes and there is a good story here marred by the translation. This first novel ends before the lost German light cruiser and its accompanying infantry company are able to effect much change in the future of Rome. I certainly hope that the subsequent volumes are soon available in English. They are already available in German. Five stars for the story, two or three for the translation.
November 16, 2016
Originally posted at: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2016/11/...
So a couple weeks ago I published a short essay regarding a little-known time travel trope involving ocean-going vessels being hurled through time. I was inspired to write about said trope while reading Dirk van den Boom’s The Emperor’s Men: Arrival. Now that I have finally finished reading the book I can share my thoughts on it with all of you.
Arrival is the first book in The Emperor’s Men series. It follows the crew of a fictional Bremen-class cruiser, Saarbrücken, travelling to German Cameroon on a mission to transport a unit of infantry on the eve of the Great War. A freak fog off the coast of Portugal knocks the entire crew unconscious and when they awake, they find themselves in the Adriatic Sea close to Ravenna, Italy…1,500 years in the past.
After an initial misunderstanding that led to a Roman trireme ramming a steel ship (and failing miserably) the Saarbrücken‘s first officer (now captain after the unexpected death of the captain during the aforementioned run-in with the Roman navy) decides the crew’s best hope is to offer their service to Emperor Gratian and, along with their technical know how, save the Roman Empire. They need to hurry, too, because they arrived just before the Battle of Adrianople, which historians consider the beginning of the end of the united Roman Empire.
Arrival was an enjoyable read…but it has issues. On one hand, I though Dirk did a good job on the historical details with both the 1914-era Germans and the 4th century Romans. I liked how he spent time discussing how people dressed, how they prepared their food and even how they went to the bathroom (which is something most books leave out, but hey, there is history behind the toilet even if you don’t want to think about it). Additionally, while Arrival falls squarely into the time travelling ship trope, I still thought Dirk did a good job by using the trope in a setting that not many alternate historians go to (in fact Uchronia lists Dirk’s series as the only alternate history that diverges in 378).
Then we get into some of the problems. Some of the characters were well-developed, although there were a fair few who were two-dimensional, like the aristocratic second officer who acts like any noble who is meant to be the antagonist and has the depth of straw man. There is also the inevitable up-timer/down-timer romance which, in my humble opinion, happened faster then a Disney fairy tale. Also, Arrival was originally written in German and the copy I am reading was translated into English by the publisher, Atlantis. Although completely readable, there are a lot of grammar errors and poor word choices, which do remind you that this was not the original language the story was written in.
Then there is the issue that bothered me the most: the ending. For one thing, there is a lot of build up in Arrival of how important it is for the ship’s captain to meet with Emperor Gratian so that he can warn him about the future and offer his ship’s help in preventing it. So many chapters are dedicated to stressing just how important this meeting is that you would think the book would at least show us this meeting before it ended…but we never see it. Instead we get a cliffhanger where the victorious Gothic leaders are discussing what to do next with their prize…the imprisoned (and very much alive) Emperor Valens.
Now Valens, for those who don’t know, ruled the Eastern Roman Empire as a co-emperor with Gratian. History tells us that Valens died at the Battle of Adrianople…but to be fair there is some debate about how he died, since a body was never recovered. Dirk goes with the theory that Valens actually escaped the battle before being cornered in a hut that was set aflame by rampaging Goths. Nevertheless, in this timeline, Valens managed to escape death again, only to be captured by the Goths.
What this will mean for the rest of the series is unknown and to be honest it is a nice twist. In fact if it happened along with the payoff of the meeting with the Emperor I would have no qualms about the ending, but I didn’t get that. Instead Arrival gives us a lot of build up, but no real ending. Yes, I know there are more books coming, but even if it had been an entry in a long-running series, it should still have a beginning, middle and end. I feel like I was given a good beginning and decent middle, but the end just wasn’t there.
On the whole, The Emperor’s Men: Arrival by Dirk van den Boom gives us a good concept, but it fails somewhat in the execution. Some issues, like a better translator, would do wonders, but others like character development and the ending probably are too late fix. Still if you like time travelers mucking with history to save themselves and civilization, then you might enjoy Arrival…but you might want to read some other stories in the same vein first to see if you like it.
So a couple weeks ago I published a short essay regarding a little-known time travel trope involving ocean-going vessels being hurled through time. I was inspired to write about said trope while reading Dirk van den Boom’s The Emperor’s Men: Arrival. Now that I have finally finished reading the book I can share my thoughts on it with all of you.
Arrival is the first book in The Emperor’s Men series. It follows the crew of a fictional Bremen-class cruiser, Saarbrücken, travelling to German Cameroon on a mission to transport a unit of infantry on the eve of the Great War. A freak fog off the coast of Portugal knocks the entire crew unconscious and when they awake, they find themselves in the Adriatic Sea close to Ravenna, Italy…1,500 years in the past.
After an initial misunderstanding that led to a Roman trireme ramming a steel ship (and failing miserably) the Saarbrücken‘s first officer (now captain after the unexpected death of the captain during the aforementioned run-in with the Roman navy) decides the crew’s best hope is to offer their service to Emperor Gratian and, along with their technical know how, save the Roman Empire. They need to hurry, too, because they arrived just before the Battle of Adrianople, which historians consider the beginning of the end of the united Roman Empire.
Arrival was an enjoyable read…but it has issues. On one hand, I though Dirk did a good job on the historical details with both the 1914-era Germans and the 4th century Romans. I liked how he spent time discussing how people dressed, how they prepared their food and even how they went to the bathroom (which is something most books leave out, but hey, there is history behind the toilet even if you don’t want to think about it). Additionally, while Arrival falls squarely into the time travelling ship trope, I still thought Dirk did a good job by using the trope in a setting that not many alternate historians go to (in fact Uchronia lists Dirk’s series as the only alternate history that diverges in 378).
Then we get into some of the problems. Some of the characters were well-developed, although there were a fair few who were two-dimensional, like the aristocratic second officer who acts like any noble who is meant to be the antagonist and has the depth of straw man. There is also the inevitable up-timer/down-timer romance which, in my humble opinion, happened faster then a Disney fairy tale. Also, Arrival was originally written in German and the copy I am reading was translated into English by the publisher, Atlantis. Although completely readable, there are a lot of grammar errors and poor word choices, which do remind you that this was not the original language the story was written in.
Then there is the issue that bothered me the most: the ending. For one thing, there is a lot of build up in Arrival of how important it is for the ship’s captain to meet with Emperor Gratian so that he can warn him about the future and offer his ship’s help in preventing it. So many chapters are dedicated to stressing just how important this meeting is that you would think the book would at least show us this meeting before it ended…but we never see it. Instead we get a cliffhanger where the victorious Gothic leaders are discussing what to do next with their prize…the imprisoned (and very much alive) Emperor Valens.
Now Valens, for those who don’t know, ruled the Eastern Roman Empire as a co-emperor with Gratian. History tells us that Valens died at the Battle of Adrianople…but to be fair there is some debate about how he died, since a body was never recovered. Dirk goes with the theory that Valens actually escaped the battle before being cornered in a hut that was set aflame by rampaging Goths. Nevertheless, in this timeline, Valens managed to escape death again, only to be captured by the Goths.
What this will mean for the rest of the series is unknown and to be honest it is a nice twist. In fact if it happened along with the payoff of the meeting with the Emperor I would have no qualms about the ending, but I didn’t get that. Instead Arrival gives us a lot of build up, but no real ending. Yes, I know there are more books coming, but even if it had been an entry in a long-running series, it should still have a beginning, middle and end. I feel like I was given a good beginning and decent middle, but the end just wasn’t there.
On the whole, The Emperor’s Men: Arrival by Dirk van den Boom gives us a good concept, but it fails somewhat in the execution. Some issues, like a better translator, would do wonders, but others like character development and the ending probably are too late fix. Still if you like time travelers mucking with history to save themselves and civilization, then you might enjoy Arrival…but you might want to read some other stories in the same vein first to see if you like it.
April 28, 2024
English review (al final la encontrara en Español):
Highly entertaining. Excellent alternative realities literature.
I write this review after reading the first two books in this series. I liked them. It reminds me a lot of the work of Eric Flint -1632-: He builds his characters well, good plot management and finally, the author treats with care the period of which he speaks-the Germany of just before the Great War and the Roman Empire in its last stage, just before it was split in two and began its fall-. It works with particular attention to technology and the social aspects of the period.
I do not give it the five stars because the English translation feels a little loose, with some inaccuracies present in the wording. But all in all... it seems peccata minuta to me. Both books defend themselves well. They are enjoyed from beginning to end. In addition, it seems that there are already twenty books in the saga -only five have been translated-, so the author still has the opportunity to listen to criticism and improve the translation. I recommend them for any fan of this subgenre.
Reseña en Español:
Muy divertido. Excelente literatura de realidades alternativas.
Escribo la presenta reseña después de haber leído los dos primeros libros de esta serie. Me gustaron. Me recuerda mucho al trabajo de Eric Flint -1632-: Construye bien a sus personajes, buen manejo de la trama y finalmente el autor trata con cuidado el periodo del que habla –la Alemania de justo antes de la Gran Guerra y el Imperio Romano en su última etapa, justo antes de que este fuese dividido en dos e iniciase su caída-. Trabaja con particular atención en lo que a la tecnología y los aspectos sociales se refiere del periodo se refiere.
No le doy las cinco estrellas por que la traducción al inglés se siente un poco floja, con algunas imprecisiones presentes en la redacción. Pero con todo y todo... me parece peccata minuta. Ambos libros se defienden bien. Se disfrutan de principio a fin. Además, al parecer son ya veinte libros de la saga -solo se han traducido cinco-, así que el autor aún tiene oportunidad de escuchar las críticas y mejorar la traducción. Los recomiendo para cualquier fan de este subgénero.
Highly entertaining. Excellent alternative realities literature.
I write this review after reading the first two books in this series. I liked them. It reminds me a lot of the work of Eric Flint -1632-: He builds his characters well, good plot management and finally, the author treats with care the period of which he speaks-the Germany of just before the Great War and the Roman Empire in its last stage, just before it was split in two and began its fall-. It works with particular attention to technology and the social aspects of the period.
I do not give it the five stars because the English translation feels a little loose, with some inaccuracies present in the wording. But all in all... it seems peccata minuta to me. Both books defend themselves well. They are enjoyed from beginning to end. In addition, it seems that there are already twenty books in the saga -only five have been translated-, so the author still has the opportunity to listen to criticism and improve the translation. I recommend them for any fan of this subgenre.
Reseña en Español:
Muy divertido. Excelente literatura de realidades alternativas.
Escribo la presenta reseña después de haber leído los dos primeros libros de esta serie. Me gustaron. Me recuerda mucho al trabajo de Eric Flint -1632-: Construye bien a sus personajes, buen manejo de la trama y finalmente el autor trata con cuidado el periodo del que habla –la Alemania de justo antes de la Gran Guerra y el Imperio Romano en su última etapa, justo antes de que este fuese dividido en dos e iniciase su caída-. Trabaja con particular atención en lo que a la tecnología y los aspectos sociales se refiere del periodo se refiere.
No le doy las cinco estrellas por que la traducción al inglés se siente un poco floja, con algunas imprecisiones presentes en la redacción. Pero con todo y todo... me parece peccata minuta. Ambos libros se defienden bien. Se disfrutan de principio a fin. Además, al parecer son ya veinte libros de la saga -solo se han traducido cinco-, así que el autor aún tiene oportunidad de escuchar las críticas y mejorar la traducción. Los recomiendo para cualquier fan de este subgénero.
January 25, 2022
A Time Travel story that was just ok for me.
The tale begins just before the outbreak of WWI as the cruiser Saarbrücken makes its last journey before being decommissioned by the German army . Just before their first port of call, Portugal, the ship is enveloped in a strange fog. When they come out the other side they find themselves n the Mediterranean, 1500 years in the past, facing the Legions of the Roman Empire .
It was a fun story to read, but I doubt I will carry on with the remaining books. The writing was not up to my expectations of a good book.
The tale begins just before the outbreak of WWI as the cruiser Saarbrücken makes its last journey before being decommissioned by the German army . Just before their first port of call, Portugal, the ship is enveloped in a strange fog. When they come out the other side they find themselves n the Mediterranean, 1500 years in the past, facing the Legions of the Roman Empire .
It was a fun story to read, but I doubt I will carry on with the remaining books. The writing was not up to my expectations of a good book.
June 13, 2020
Well there is a lot of stuff wrong with this book. Idea of the series is actually great, but if fails to deliver. First and foremost, the translation! It is awful, done by some amateurs! Prose in German is probably good, but we have this abomination.
One of the things that bothered me were the characters. They are not very well developed. The main reason for this in my opinion is that there is simply to many of them, and a lot of them have pov chapters. To little time is spent with any of them to give them some character development and for that reason I do not really care about them.
Also author insists showing avery small part of the story trough some characters chapter which is unnecessary. Most of it is already told by main characters but author still persists in writing additional chapters that just bogs down the story.
Romance part though small is redicilious, so I will leave it at that.
One of the critics spoke how everyone is to liberal and nice, from Germans to Romans, but I do not care really. This is alternative history book, only thing I expect is solid writing, action and good characters to cheer on. I don't want do read about racism, oppression, slavery and the bleak and dark aspects of the period.Its depressing even though historically accurate, and in my opinion not needed. If you want to read real historical books this is not for you.
So, I will read the next book just to see if it will improve, but I seriously doubt it.
One of the things that bothered me were the characters. They are not very well developed. The main reason for this in my opinion is that there is simply to many of them, and a lot of them have pov chapters. To little time is spent with any of them to give them some character development and for that reason I do not really care about them.
Also author insists showing avery small part of the story trough some characters chapter which is unnecessary. Most of it is already told by main characters but author still persists in writing additional chapters that just bogs down the story.
Romance part though small is redicilious, so I will leave it at that.
One of the critics spoke how everyone is to liberal and nice, from Germans to Romans, but I do not care really. This is alternative history book, only thing I expect is solid writing, action and good characters to cheer on. I don't want do read about racism, oppression, slavery and the bleak and dark aspects of the period.Its depressing even though historically accurate, and in my opinion not needed. If you want to read real historical books this is not for you.
So, I will read the next book just to see if it will improve, but I seriously doubt it.
January 21, 2018
Good novel of a Ship Back in Time
The book is basically written and with pretty good character character development.
The plot has been used often enough that it seems a bit derivative. Of course they have good machinists and soldiers on a military ship. Maybe it is not a surprise that German officers all know either Greek or Latin.
But who would expect the first officer to be a hobbyist in that period of history?
A translator was not credited so I expect the author did his own English version. Bad grammar, incorrect words and awkward clauses occurred often enough to be somewhat distracting. The book could have used a professional translator or editor.
The book stopped rather abruptly in an ongoing story line. But that worked with me. I'll get the next book in the series.
The book is basically written and with pretty good character character development.
The plot has been used often enough that it seems a bit derivative. Of course they have good machinists and soldiers on a military ship. Maybe it is not a surprise that German officers all know either Greek or Latin.
But who would expect the first officer to be a hobbyist in that period of history?
A translator was not credited so I expect the author did his own English version. Bad grammar, incorrect words and awkward clauses occurred often enough to be somewhat distracting. The book could have used a professional translator or editor.
The book stopped rather abruptly in an ongoing story line. But that worked with me. I'll get the next book in the series.
December 29, 2022
It has to be said that there are a LOT of parallels between this series and Taylor Anderson's Destroyermen series: we have an obsolete warship thrown into a backwater at the outbreak of a world war whose crew suddenly inexplicably is cast through time and space to find themselves in a place they cannot escape from, where the technology they brought with them might as well be magic and if they want to survive, they're going to have to make hard choices. In this case, the warship in question is the light cruiser SMS Saarbrucken of the Imperial German Navy, whose crew is on its way to the Kameroons to deliver a company of infantry to bolster the colonial garrison against probably French or English invasion (as World War 1 is just on the horizon). Then while off Portugal, the Saarbrucken enters a strangely dense fog bank which knocks the crew unconscious and when they awaken they are somehow in the Adriatic, 1500 years in the past, on the very verge of the Fall of the Western Roman Empire. With the Captain dead in a misunderstanding while meeting the locals, command falls to the 1st officer, who as a bit of a classicist feels an obligation to try and prevent the Empire's collapse by offering his knowledge and services to the Emperor and in exchange hopefully also giving his men a place to survive.
I have to say that it is true, the English translation is pretty bad. Not quite as bad as a lot of reviews say. Most of the time the English is serviceable and even when it isn't it's usually pretty easy to figure out what the author meant even if the grammar and tenses are off. However, while the story is fairly derivative from the basic Destroyermen/Ring of Fire pattern, the setting is well-researched and interesting, and the complexities of a project like trying to save the Western Roman Empire is very intriguing. While few of the Saarbrucken's crew or the Romans really stand out, they are serviceable characters for the plot and the culture clash is believable. I can't say I found this as enjoyable as 1632 or Into the Storm (particularly since the books is so short that it feels like only half of a novel), but it's a sufficiently interesting start that I got the second book.
I have to say that it is true, the English translation is pretty bad. Not quite as bad as a lot of reviews say. Most of the time the English is serviceable and even when it isn't it's usually pretty easy to figure out what the author meant even if the grammar and tenses are off. However, while the story is fairly derivative from the basic Destroyermen/Ring of Fire pattern, the setting is well-researched and interesting, and the complexities of a project like trying to save the Western Roman Empire is very intriguing. While few of the Saarbrucken's crew or the Romans really stand out, they are serviceable characters for the plot and the culture clash is believable. I can't say I found this as enjoyable as 1632 or Into the Storm (particularly since the books is so short that it feels like only half of a novel), but it's a sufficiently interesting start that I got the second book.
May 19, 2017
Good story terrible editing
The premise is novel. The characters are interesting and relatively well drawn. The characterization of Roman society and politics in the period just before the empire's dissolution are convincing. However, the sentence fragments, improper word usage, grammatical errors and awkward circumlocutions are a constant distraction.
The premise is novel. The characters are interesting and relatively well drawn. The characterization of Roman society and politics in the period just before the empire's dissolution are convincing. However, the sentence fragments, improper word usage, grammatical errors and awkward circumlocutions are a constant distraction.
January 5, 2018
Good premise bad execution
The premise is appealing, Germans in later Rome. I have the feeling that English is not the authors native language. There are many usage problems with words and a few simply grammatical errors which all should have been caught in editing. The book does not flow. I struggled to finish and will not get the others in the trilogy.
The premise is appealing, Germans in later Rome. I have the feeling that English is not the authors native language. There are many usage problems with words and a few simply grammatical errors which all should have been caught in editing. The book does not flow. I struggled to finish and will not get the others in the trilogy.
September 13, 2020
The story as such felt rather unimaginative in its structure. The fact that it was about Germans were more interesting. The big of the book, however, was the language. Fairly often I found either words that where used incorrectly or syntax that definitely did not belong in English. The book needs an English speaking editor to go over the book and make corrections. Or possibly a translator.
December 16, 2018
A Good Story But A Poor Translation
The poor translation really got in the way of what is a good story. If future installments don't have better translations I'll probably stop buying them.
The poor translation really got in the way of what is a good story. If future installments don't have better translations I'll probably stop buying them.
May 9, 2021
I liked this book very much. I accept that the translation could have been better. What i did not like is that this is not a complete novel, more like half a novel. I would had published volumes 1 and 2 together for a more complete story.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 20, 2020
A good take on the cultural clash between 'modern' (early 20th century) German sailors and the Roman Empire in its rotting, dying days.
Straight onto Book #2, Betrayal.
Straight onto Book #2, Betrayal.
March 9, 2022
Time travel is vexing.
It started slow but seemed to start to advance quickly. Beware the lead plumbing Lead poisoning is insidious and explained slot about the fall of Rome.
It started slow but seemed to start to advance quickly. Beware the lead plumbing Lead poisoning is insidious and explained slot about the fall of Rome.
April 17, 2022
An enjoyable time travel story. Well written, but the poor to terrible editing leads me to believe it was originally written in German, and poorly translated.
Read
June 20, 2022Very entertaining
I enjoyed the subject matter but the grammar makes the book difficult to follow at times. Still a quite enjoyable read, I'll be purchasing the next in the series.
I enjoyed the subject matter but the grammar makes the book difficult to follow at times. Still a quite enjoyable read, I'll be purchasing the next in the series.
February 1, 2017
Definitely interested for more.
August 23, 2016
An interesting application of the lost-in-time scenario
A Bremen-class German pre-WW1 cruiser is shifted in time and space to the Adriatic in the second half of the fourth century, thus giving the crew an opportunity to prevent the final split of the Roman Empire and the fall of civilization in Western Europe. For those who like this kind of fiction this novel is very attractive. First, it is the choice of the displaced group: they are not only not Americans or British, but they are German, soldiers of the dreaded Kaiser! How interesting would it be to see how the modern Huns integrate in the fabric of the late Roman society! Second, they go into one of the most troublesome historical periods of the European civilization, when the lights of science and philosophy and technology were flickering just before they went out for one thousand years, extinguished by the dissolution of economic and social bonds. Third, the book is a translation from German, and therefore promises a more subtle, European, old-worldish take on the culture clash and the adventures of the displaced crew.
This is the first volume of a series; nine volumes are available in German, which I cannot read. I hope that they will be translated soon.
The book is little less than the initial setup for the series. Characters are introduced, some improbable alliances are announced, and the plot is becoming just about ready to be set in motion; but there is no actual plot, and the ending comes unexpectedly just as the plot showed signs of starting to move forward. Those who want to read an actual story should wait until more volumes are available.
The translation is of unequal quality. Usually it is quite good, I would say, but then English is not my native language; but from time to time it is jarring, especially with respect to nautical terms and expressions, which are occasionally given rather bizarre translations; for example, "little speed" instead of "slow ahead" or some such.
The Romans of the late antiquity are rather less Roman then I would have liked, and even less people of the late antiquity, but then, it is fiction, isn't it. The author does not go into great depths describing the material and spiritual environment of the fourth century, nor does he place any emphasis on the description of the ship and of the life aboard her. A techno-thriller this book is not. The entire budding subplot centered on Julia the proto-feminist feels rushed, with the characters acting way out of character.
Overall, I rather liked the book. I will probably like the series, too, when the rest of the volumes will become available. Recommended for fans of time displacement stories.
A Bremen-class German pre-WW1 cruiser is shifted in time and space to the Adriatic in the second half of the fourth century, thus giving the crew an opportunity to prevent the final split of the Roman Empire and the fall of civilization in Western Europe. For those who like this kind of fiction this novel is very attractive. First, it is the choice of the displaced group: they are not only not Americans or British, but they are German, soldiers of the dreaded Kaiser! How interesting would it be to see how the modern Huns integrate in the fabric of the late Roman society! Second, they go into one of the most troublesome historical periods of the European civilization, when the lights of science and philosophy and technology were flickering just before they went out for one thousand years, extinguished by the dissolution of economic and social bonds. Third, the book is a translation from German, and therefore promises a more subtle, European, old-worldish take on the culture clash and the adventures of the displaced crew.
This is the first volume of a series; nine volumes are available in German, which I cannot read. I hope that they will be translated soon.
The book is little less than the initial setup for the series. Characters are introduced, some improbable alliances are announced, and the plot is becoming just about ready to be set in motion; but there is no actual plot, and the ending comes unexpectedly just as the plot showed signs of starting to move forward. Those who want to read an actual story should wait until more volumes are available.
The translation is of unequal quality. Usually it is quite good, I would say, but then English is not my native language; but from time to time it is jarring, especially with respect to nautical terms and expressions, which are occasionally given rather bizarre translations; for example, "little speed" instead of "slow ahead" or some such.
The Romans of the late antiquity are rather less Roman then I would have liked, and even less people of the late antiquity, but then, it is fiction, isn't it. The author does not go into great depths describing the material and spiritual environment of the fourth century, nor does he place any emphasis on the description of the ship and of the life aboard her. A techno-thriller this book is not. The entire budding subplot centered on Julia the proto-feminist feels rushed, with the characters acting way out of character.
Overall, I rather liked the book. I will probably like the series, too, when the rest of the volumes will become available. Recommended for fans of time displacement stories.
September 11, 2016
Good book
I hope that you will release the second book of this series as soon as it is translated from German. It has Avery good plot v from a different point of view. The fact that it is
Written from pre WW 1 german naval officer pov gives a new dimension to the story
.
I hope that you will release the second book of this series as soon as it is translated from German. It has Avery good plot v from a different point of view. The fact that it is
Written from pre WW 1 german naval officer pov gives a new dimension to the story
.
October 23, 2012
Nach ca. 2/3 abgebrochen.
Zunächst gibt es eine ziemlich langweilige Einleitung bis es endlich zur Zeitreise kommt. Aber danach wird es auch nicht unbedingt viel flotter. Mir persönlich wird zu viel Zeit mit dem Erklären der geschichtlichen Zusammenhänge verschwendet.
Aber mein größter Kritikpunkt und der Grund für den Abbruch sind die mangelhaft gezeichneten Charaktere. Auch wenn es um Militärs geht, so hätte ich mir schon etwas mehr Reflexion über die Geschehnisse bzw. unterscheidbare Figuren mit eigener Persönlichkeit gewünscht. Hier jedoch sind zwar alle leicht in die Kategorien gut, neutral bzw. böse einzuordnen, das wars dann aber auch schon an Zeichnung. Hauptsache sie erfüllen ihre Rolle an Bord bzw. im Plot.
Vor allem der adlige zweite bzw. später erste Offizier ist eine totale Witzfigur. Aber auch dass der Held des Buches sich so locker in die Vergangenheit einfügt inkl. Unterhaltungen in flüssigem Latein hat mich irritiert.
Zunächst gibt es eine ziemlich langweilige Einleitung bis es endlich zur Zeitreise kommt. Aber danach wird es auch nicht unbedingt viel flotter. Mir persönlich wird zu viel Zeit mit dem Erklären der geschichtlichen Zusammenhänge verschwendet.
Aber mein größter Kritikpunkt und der Grund für den Abbruch sind die mangelhaft gezeichneten Charaktere. Auch wenn es um Militärs geht, so hätte ich mir schon etwas mehr Reflexion über die Geschehnisse bzw. unterscheidbare Figuren mit eigener Persönlichkeit gewünscht. Hier jedoch sind zwar alle leicht in die Kategorien gut, neutral bzw. böse einzuordnen, das wars dann aber auch schon an Zeichnung. Hauptsache sie erfüllen ihre Rolle an Bord bzw. im Plot.
Vor allem der adlige zweite bzw. später erste Offizier ist eine totale Witzfigur. Aber auch dass der Held des Buches sich so locker in die Vergangenheit einfügt inkl. Unterhaltungen in flüssigem Latein hat mich irritiert.
August 23, 2016
An international voice in alternate history arrives in English.
This translation of the first volume of a long running alternate history series in German is a rewarding read, but marred by syntax differences between German and English and the lack of a solid ending. This volume appears to set many plot lines but does little more than establish characters and make first impressions. Looking forward to reading more about these refugees from Imperial Germany and their attempt to stop the fall of the Roman Empire, but hope to have more progression in the plot lines in future volumes.
This translation of the first volume of a long running alternate history series in German is a rewarding read, but marred by syntax differences between German and English and the lack of a solid ending. This volume appears to set many plot lines but does little more than establish characters and make first impressions. Looking forward to reading more about these refugees from Imperial Germany and their attempt to stop the fall of the Roman Empire, but hope to have more progression in the plot lines in future volumes.
November 12, 2019
Again: read it a couple of times -- my way of saying: it is a good read.
Story is about a German WW1 destroyer just before WW1 leaving Germany in direction of some German colony in Africa and somehow arriving in 400AD Mediterranean. When arrived they decide to work with the roman emperor in order to keep the Roman Empire from falling apart -- by convincing the emperor to introduce societal changes and introducing technology and science and modern weapons. Somehow the author managed to draw this out into too many books -- and too many parties somehow arriving in ancient times -- as it turns out, the same time travel experience happend to many different parties of different nationalities.
Story is about a German WW1 destroyer just before WW1 leaving Germany in direction of some German colony in Africa and somehow arriving in 400AD Mediterranean. When arrived they decide to work with the roman emperor in order to keep the Roman Empire from falling apart -- by convincing the emperor to introduce societal changes and introducing technology and science and modern weapons. Somehow the author managed to draw this out into too many books -- and too many parties somehow arriving in ancient times -- as it turns out, the same time travel experience happend to many different parties of different nationalities.
July 29, 2013
Hb eigentlich nur begonnen um mal ein Buch eines Saarländischen Autors zu lesen, naja zumindest einer, der im Saarland lebt (e?). Als stolzer Inhaber eines großen Latinums habe ich etwas das Latein vermisst ... ansonsten sind wie bei alternate history storys üblich natürlich einige Zugeständnisse notwendig, aber sonst ganz gut gemacht ... es geht weiter
December 20, 2016
Alt history from a different angle
Dirk van den boom gives us an alternate history that for once doesn't involve United States or its culture. In some ways its similar, but in others reveals the subtle depths of european history as understood by europeans.
Dirk van den boom gives us an alternate history that for once doesn't involve United States or its culture. In some ways its similar, but in others reveals the subtle depths of european history as understood by europeans.
August 20, 2016
Great book can't wait for the sequel to be translated into English
Wish I could read German
Wish I could read German
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