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An Angel Called Peterbilt
HISTORY WILL NEVER BE THE SAME AFTER A PETERBILT TANKER TRUCK FULL OF OIL IS TRANSPORTED BACK ONE THOUSAND YEARS IN TIME. A NEW NOVEL IN ERIC FLINT’S ASSITI SHARDS SERIES BY RING OF FIRE STALWARTS GORG HUFF AND PAULA GOODLETT.
Michael and Melanie Anderle are hauling a tanker full of oil with their Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler when they’re struck by a temporal irregularity that sends them, the truck, and their daughter back in time a thousand years. The bubble that transports them also grabs a chemist and her two young children, along with half a convenience store in the middle of the United States
They just want to make a decent life for themselves in this new world of the past, with their Peterbilt and its oil providing a means of transportation, a generator, and shelter. But not all the locals are willing to live and let live, and when the area shamans decide that this community of temporally displaced persons is a threat to their power, the Anderles find out what it’s like to take a Peterbilt to war.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for 1637: The Coast of
“ . . . skilled authors seamlessly weave together historical and fictional characters, making it an easy read for fans old and new to the series.” —Booklist
Praise for 1636: The Kremlin
“ . . . a well-constructed plot filled with satisfying measures of comedy, romance, political intrigue, and action.” —Publishers Weekly
Praise for 1635: A Parcel of
“The 20th volume in this popular, fast-paced alternative history series follows close on the heels of the events in The Baltic War, picking up with the protagonists in London, including sharpshooter Julie Sims. This time the 20th-century transplants are determined to prevent the rise of Oliver Cromwell and even have the support of King Charles.”—Library Journal
Praise for 1634: The Galileo
“A rich, complex alternate history with great characters and vivid action. A great read and an excellent book.” —David Drake
Gorg Huff is a Texas citizen who has enthusiastically helped in researching the 1632 series background, written numerous stories for the Grantville Gazette, and contributed both maps and drawings to 1634: The Bavarian Crisis. Gorg began as a solo writer, but now principally teams with Paula Goodlett.
Paula Goodlett retired from the military as a noncommissioned officer in the early nineties. She broke her leg in 2003, which led to her browsing Baen's Bar lest she become bored during her enforced inactivity. Captivated by the 1632 universe concept, she began as a special assistant to Eric Flint. She eventually wrote a large important sequence of the storyline in 1634: The Ram Rebellion. She was editor of the Grantville Gazette and chairs the 1632 Editorial Board. Additionally, Paula was assistant editor of the e-zine Jim Baen's Universe. Paula mainly writes in tandem with Gorg Huff.
Eric Flint was the author/creator of the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series, starting with first novel 1632.
Michael and Melanie Anderle are hauling a tanker full of oil with their Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler when they’re struck by a temporal irregularity that sends them, the truck, and their daughter back in time a thousand years. The bubble that transports them also grabs a chemist and her two young children, along with half a convenience store in the middle of the United States
They just want to make a decent life for themselves in this new world of the past, with their Peterbilt and its oil providing a means of transportation, a generator, and shelter. But not all the locals are willing to live and let live, and when the area shamans decide that this community of temporally displaced persons is a threat to their power, the Anderles find out what it’s like to take a Peterbilt to war.
At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).
Praise for 1637: The Coast of
“ . . . skilled authors seamlessly weave together historical and fictional characters, making it an easy read for fans old and new to the series.” —Booklist
Praise for 1636: The Kremlin
“ . . . a well-constructed plot filled with satisfying measures of comedy, romance, political intrigue, and action.” —Publishers Weekly
Praise for 1635: A Parcel of
“The 20th volume in this popular, fast-paced alternative history series follows close on the heels of the events in The Baltic War, picking up with the protagonists in London, including sharpshooter Julie Sims. This time the 20th-century transplants are determined to prevent the rise of Oliver Cromwell and even have the support of King Charles.”—Library Journal
Praise for 1634: The Galileo
“A rich, complex alternate history with great characters and vivid action. A great read and an excellent book.” —David Drake
Gorg Huff is a Texas citizen who has enthusiastically helped in researching the 1632 series background, written numerous stories for the Grantville Gazette, and contributed both maps and drawings to 1634: The Bavarian Crisis. Gorg began as a solo writer, but now principally teams with Paula Goodlett.
Paula Goodlett retired from the military as a noncommissioned officer in the early nineties. She broke her leg in 2003, which led to her browsing Baen's Bar lest she become bored during her enforced inactivity. Captivated by the 1632 universe concept, she began as a special assistant to Eric Flint. She eventually wrote a large important sequence of the storyline in 1634: The Ram Rebellion. She was editor of the Grantville Gazette and chairs the 1632 Editorial Board. Additionally, Paula was assistant editor of the e-zine Jim Baen's Universe. Paula mainly writes in tandem with Gorg Huff.
Eric Flint was the author/creator of the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series, starting with first novel 1632.
416 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published February 6, 2024
About the author
Eric Flint
270 books892 followersEric Flint was a New York Times bestselling American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works were alternate history science fiction, but he also wrote humorous fantasy adventures.
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
March 29, 2025
I enjoyed this latest addition to the Assiti Shards series, in which various people have become displaced in time. In this one, a family ( a man, a woman, and their daughter) in their Peterbilt eighteen-wheeler truck get sent back 1000 years. How are they going to survive?
It was of particular interest to me living here in Illinois that the family arrives in the Illinois of 1000 years ago. In order to survive, they befriend local Native Americans but they have a problem. They form a community not far from the great trading center of Cahokia on the Mississippi River. The problem is that the Cahokian priests see the intruders as a threat, undermining their authority over the Native people of the area. The temporally displaced family will have to take their Peterbilt to war...
It was of particular interest to me living here in Illinois that the family arrives in the Illinois of 1000 years ago. In order to survive, they befriend local Native Americans but they have a problem. They form a community not far from the great trading center of Cahokia on the Mississippi River. The problem is that the Cahokian priests see the intruders as a threat, undermining their authority over the Native people of the area. The temporally displaced family will have to take their Peterbilt to war...
June 1, 2026
Ends rather abruptly. Very interesting spin off of 1632. Round up from 3 1/2
Eric Flint died in 2022 and this came out in 2022 about a year and a half later. I suspect that they had been writing it before he died but don't know how much he had written of this. Seems like there should be another coming out with only Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett as they've written a bunch of the 1632 books and spin offs both with and without Flint. I hope they go on as they seem to be one of the better of the contributing writers to the Assiti world. They wrote (have been writing) the Alexander Inheritance series, The Alexander Inheritance (1), the first with Flint in 2017, the 2nd and 3rd in 2021 on their own and the fourth came out in 2024 with just them also.
I would definitely read on as I want to see how the two families continue with their new friend and society. This was not a great stopping point as there are so many ways that it could go in growth but there are no major cliffhangers either. Still it would've been a solid 4-4 1/2 if we had a working government or something more substantial.
Eric Flint died in 2022 and this came out in 2022 about a year and a half later. I suspect that they had been writing it before he died but don't know how much he had written of this. Seems like there should be another coming out with only Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett as they've written a bunch of the 1632 books and spin offs both with and without Flint. I hope they go on as they seem to be one of the better of the contributing writers to the Assiti world. They wrote (have been writing) the Alexander Inheritance series, The Alexander Inheritance (1), the first with Flint in 2017, the 2nd and 3rd in 2021 on their own and the fourth came out in 2024 with just them also.
I would definitely read on as I want to see how the two families continue with their new friend and society. This was not a great stopping point as there are so many ways that it could go in growth but there are no major cliffhangers either. Still it would've been a solid 4-4 1/2 if we had a working government or something more substantial.
March 22, 2024
3.5 rounded up. Alternate history is fascinating. The Ring of Fire premise where a piece of land and associated people, structures, etc gets exchanged for an equal piece of land in another century or eon and then affects history there gives unlimited potential for play. I've read a lot of the Ring of Fire books and than eventually gave them up as it got to be just too much. And that's where I am here. The ending is abrupt so we know that there's another book coming. Michael, Melanie and their daughter Shane are tooling along in the Peterbilt semi, hauling a load of gasoline and diesel fuel. There's a bright light and suddenly there's no highway ahead of them. They find a small gas station/food mart where they meet a chemist and her two children, also stranded in time. That gives them a wrecked corolla and a pickup truck as well as some food, tools, generators, freezers etc to begin their new lives near the active Cahokia Mounds civilization. There's a lot of fascinating what if stuff here but at the end, it just becomes too much too soon, too facile and overwhelming. The next book looks like it will be a journey to the southwest and ultimately south america looking for rubber.
July 4, 2026
In general, I enjoy all of these books in the series. Some I enjoy more than others. It is because, there is more personal storyline, as opposed to being mostly the technical aspects of the adjustments. I like a balance of the technical, boots on the ground adapting with modern knowledge along with the personal and emotional growth. This one had some of both. It showed the way the natives looked at things, how they adapt to 21st century outlooks and skills. It also showed the way the modern folks adapted to those of the 11th century. I'd like to see a 10 or 20 years later update on the main characters in this timeline. (There may be one I haven't found?)
In this tale, a half of a general store, a pickup, and a family in a semi are sent back to the 11th century in middle America. 6 modern Americans with 2 vehicles and the supplies from the store learn to live and create a life for themselves. The small villages nearby also have some big changes to their lifestyle. Many embrace the knowledge, some resist the changes. And one husband left behind tries desperately to rejoin his family thrust back in time.
In this tale, a half of a general store, a pickup, and a family in a semi are sent back to the 11th century in middle America. 6 modern Americans with 2 vehicles and the supplies from the store learn to live and create a life for themselves. The small villages nearby also have some big changes to their lifestyle. Many embrace the knowledge, some resist the changes. And one husband left behind tries desperately to rejoin his family thrust back in time.
February 22, 2024
An Angel Called Peterbelt is a story related to the 1632 universe, only this one takes place in the year 1005, in North America. The basis is that a truck carrying diesel and gasoline was sent back 1000 years, and the events that unfold from that point in time is what this book covers. It's very well done, and makes me want to go back and read some of the 1632 books I've skipped, because I was beginning to not care for the universe as it was developing. In any case, the author here did an excellent job of making the story interesting, and there's plenty of historical ffacts in this book I didn't even know about, so it's useful from that perspective as well. Good for both alternate history, and scifi fans, the story walks a fine line between the two, and keeps them both interesting. Very well done.
July 8, 2024
What a delight! This book has the delightful magic found in Eric Flint's first book in the series, 1632. He and his co-authors Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett have created several groups of interesting characters: those from our century who go back in time, and the various native American clans and tribes around the Cahookia mounds.
You have Melanie and Michael Anderle, a husband and wife truck driving crew who get scooped up and go into the past to 1005 AD/BCE. Along with them are Shane Anderle, their son, and Alysson, Meriam, and Norman Jefferson. They were at a country store that was transported back in time as well.
The authors do a good job of portraying the patchwork of native American settlements across the country and their trading networks, their rivalries, and fights.
This is worth reading for alternate history buffs and native American history buffs as well as scifi fans.
You have Melanie and Michael Anderle, a husband and wife truck driving crew who get scooped up and go into the past to 1005 AD/BCE. Along with them are Shane Anderle, their son, and Alysson, Meriam, and Norman Jefferson. They were at a country store that was transported back in time as well.
The authors do a good job of portraying the patchwork of native American settlements across the country and their trading networks, their rivalries, and fights.
This is worth reading for alternate history buffs and native American history buffs as well as scifi fans.
April 24, 2024
Two American families are thrown back in time 1,000 years ago to the vicinity of Cahokia, the mound builder society of the upper Mississippi. The rulers of Cahokia are quite the patriarchal bunch, not liking women in leadership and sacrificing female children at the gods decree. This puts them in conflict with the matrilineal governance of the surrounding clans.
The time travelers arrive with a Peterbilt truck and other miscellaneous equipment. They begin the process of making a place to stay while passing tech instructions to the locals. If you've read any other books in this series this will be familiar.
The one change is they manage to send a family member back in time with additional supplies.
With the passing of Eric Flint I'm not sure how much longer this series will run. A decent read.
The time travelers arrive with a Peterbilt truck and other miscellaneous equipment. They begin the process of making a place to stay while passing tech instructions to the locals. If you've read any other books in this series this will be familiar.
The one change is they manage to send a family member back in time with additional supplies.
With the passing of Eric Flint I'm not sure how much longer this series will run. A decent read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 2, 2025
Time travel with a twist!
Time travel is not a new premise, but this book takes it to new heights. An OTR trucker, his family, and his rig are transported into the past, along with part of the convenience store they had stopped at and a woman with her two young children. The Anderle’s have practical and survival skills, and Alyssa Jefferson is a chemist; useful skills when they find themselves one thousand years in the past with locals unsure about whether to befriend or kill them.
This is the first book I have read in this series, but it won’t be the last. I loved it! I received a free copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.
Time travel is not a new premise, but this book takes it to new heights. An OTR trucker, his family, and his rig are transported into the past, along with part of the convenience store they had stopped at and a woman with her two young children. The Anderle’s have practical and survival skills, and Alyssa Jefferson is a chemist; useful skills when they find themselves one thousand years in the past with locals unsure about whether to befriend or kill them.
This is the first book I have read in this series, but it won’t be the last. I loved it! I received a free copy, but my review is honest and voluntary.
February 15, 2024
I quite decent read. This novel is not as good as the "The Crossing" Time Spike or "The Alexander Inheritance" titles. I am willing to read short stories set in this new "verse" in the new 1632 magazine. The agony of going to a different culture and time period and then facing living there the rest of your life just does not come across as well as in the other books. The characterization is just not quite good enough to match the others. I will buy a sequel if one comes out, so I do recommend this novel.
May 20, 2025
DNF Got 50% through it and gave up. While the premise seemed interesting the execution seemed lacking. . Modern & ancients learning from each other. Moderns making tools and weapons for the ancients. Ancients living with moderns and teaching them. Other rival ancients conducting raids with disasterous results. And on and on and on. If you want real ancient peoples stories based on archaeological digs dread the William Gear books, they’re a lot more interesting and fact dense than this one ane the whole series.
February 8, 2024
Too descriptive, deeper characterization please, needs copy edit
I did enjoy the book but not nearly as much as previous novels in this series. Primarily the omajor characters were too flat, there were too.many often only for the sake of another technical advancement that should have been part of a log of report, and description is nice but this was tepid, lacking grit and a real sense of the era.Primarily
I did enjoy the book but not nearly as much as previous novels in this series. Primarily the omajor characters were too flat, there were too.many often only for the sake of another technical advancement that should have been part of a log of report, and description is nice but this was tepid, lacking grit and a real sense of the era.Primarily
May 9, 2024
This is a great alternate future story and a creative time and location for the setting. The characters in the story are an interesting mix and they suffer through, but overcome, some difficult issues. Think about a Peterbilt truck pulling a combined gas and diesel tanker that’s miraculously plopped in ~1000 CE somewhere near the Missouri and Mississippi rivers and having to deal with that new life with the Native Americans already living there.
June 9, 2025
Just what I was looking to read. A quick, compelling ride through a richly imagined world. 'An Angel Called Peterbilt' hit the sweet spot: Adventure, unique situations, and history. The ~1005 CE setting made for a great companion to the history I am learning reading 'Wild New World: The Epic Story of Animals and People in America' by Dan Flores. Finished in four days, 'An Angel Called Peterbilt' was fast, fun, and satisfying.
March 20, 2024
Positioned nicely to create a successful 1632 spinoff.
Stereotypical start and quite predictable. However, the integration of modern technology with the matrilineal model of local societies and incipient political processes are beginning to drive the storyline nicely. It should have enough staying power to enable this 1632 sub series to evolve nicely.
Stereotypical start and quite predictable. However, the integration of modern technology with the matrilineal model of local societies and incipient political processes are beginning to drive the storyline nicely. It should have enough staying power to enable this 1632 sub series to evolve nicely.
September 25, 2025
Exciting Assiti Shard story
This story opens up a whole new range of possibilities in the Assiti Shards multiverse. After multiple tracked events the government finally takes the threat seriously. I don't want to spoil it, but well worth reading and discussing on any of the forums dedicated to the 1632 multiverse.
This story opens up a whole new range of possibilities in the Assiti Shards multiverse. After multiple tracked events the government finally takes the threat seriously. I don't want to spoil it, but well worth reading and discussing on any of the forums dedicated to the 1632 multiverse.
February 8, 2024
Back in time
1,000 years in the past is where the shard sent the Peterbilt truck and a small group of Americans. With the help of the locals they start a new nation to unite all the tribes.
1,000 years in the past is where the shard sent the Peterbilt truck and a small group of Americans. With the help of the locals they start a new nation to unite all the tribes.
February 11, 2024
Twisted time and a great story is fun
I would like to think more of this story line is on someone's writing list. I will be a happy man when I can buy it. Latex and poison tree frog darts don't mix well.
I would like to think more of this story line is on someone's writing list. I will be a happy man when I can buy it. Latex and poison tree frog darts don't mix well.
March 19, 2024
The book looses the point after the interlude of 21 century timeline events from the people disappearing has just fills to forced down the reader throat has after 20 books them having that tech just feels like the series lost some of it’s magic
April 27, 2024
One of the Best
The Peterbilt story is one of the best spin offs from the 1632 Ring of Fire Series. I Look forward to a continuation of their story and the development of Native Ametican culture in this time-line.
The Peterbilt story is one of the best spin offs from the 1632 Ring of Fire Series. I Look forward to a continuation of their story and the development of Native Ametican culture in this time-line.
February 29, 2024
3.5, it had flat dialogue throughout but the problem-solving was cool. Kind of like The Martian.
April 26, 2024
Engrossing and hard to put down
Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. Having just moved from St Louis I was quite familiar with the geography, which made the story all the more compelling.
Once I started reading I couldn’t stop. Having just moved from St Louis I was quite familiar with the geography, which made the story all the more compelling.
May 16, 2024
Eric would be happy with this work!!!!
June 7, 2024
Alternate history involving Cahokia.
Want to Read
February 17, 2025Full disclosure: Paperback book copy received at the Baen Roadshow at FenCon; no review required.
May 16, 2025
fun, predictable, first of a series
July 31, 2025
A fun read that seems to need a sequel.
March 6, 2024
I have really enjoyed reading all Gorg (and Paula's) books. My only complaint is that they have so many series that is takes too long for the next one to come out! CMac
July 3, 2024
This was odd. I really enjoy the concept (and may seek out the original book in the series), and a lot of the book was really interesting, but then it tried to fit an entire second book in the last 60 or so pages.. had a super anticlimactic end and ended abruptly.
Neat concept, cool characters, bitter taste at the end.
Neat concept, cool characters, bitter taste at the end.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews