1632 series
Encyclopedia
Book series
A book series is a sequence of books having certain characteristics in common that are formally identified together as a group. Book series can be organized in different ways, such as written by the same author, or marketed as a group by their publisher....
and sub-series
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by Eric Flint
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
and published by Baen Books
Baen Books
Baen Books is an American publishing company established in 1983 by long time science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. It is a science fiction and fantasy publishing house that emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, military science fiction, and fantasy...
. The series is set in 17th century Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
in which the small fictional town of Grantville, West Virginia
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
, in the year 2000 was sent to the past
Time travel
Time travel is the concept of moving between different points in time in a manner analogous to moving between different points in space. Time travel could hypothetically involve moving backward in time to a moment earlier than the starting point, or forward to the future of that point without the...
in central Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
in the year 1631, during the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
Series overview
The 1632 series began with Flint's stand alone novel 16321632 (novel)
1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
(released February 2000). It is, excepting the lead novel and the serialized e-novel The Anaconda Project
The Anaconda Project
The Anaconda Project is the eleventh full length work of the popular shared universe Ring of Fire book series but only the second solo novel of the twenty-six works by milieu creator Eric Flint, and something he has longed to get back to doing despite the success of the other works in the...
(2007), virtually all collaboratively written, including some "main works" with multiple co-authors. However, Flint has mentioned contracts with the publisher for at least two additional solo novels he has in planning on his website. Flint, whose bibliography is dominated by collaborative work, claims that this approach encourages the cross-fertilization of ideas and styles, stimulating the creative process and preventing stale, formulaic works.
As stated in the first Grantville Gazette and on his site, Flint's novel 1632
1632 (novel)
1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
was an experiment wherein he explores the effect of transporting a mass of people through time.
1632 occurs in the midst of the Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
(1618—1648). The plot situation allows pragmatic American union-oriented political thought to grind against the authoritarian religion-driven societies of an unconsolidated Germany barely out of the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Flint explores examples of suffering due to the petty politics of self-aggrandizement and self-interest on the one hand, and the irreconcilable differences of the schism in Christianity
Christianity
Christianity is a monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus as presented in canonical gospels and other New Testament writings...
such as the Protestant Reformation
Protestant Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a 16th-century split within Western Christianity initiated by Martin Luther, John Calvin and other early Protestants. The efforts of the self-described "reformers", who objected to the doctrines, rituals and ecclesiastical structure of the Roman Catholic Church, led...
and the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
on the other. Despite the fact that the shift puts Grantville in May 1631 initially, because of the ongoing war and the primitive transportation networks of the day Grantville's arrival has something of a delayed impact, so the bulk of the book's action takes place in 1632, hence the name.
The series was initially continued with two collaborative works that were more or less written concurrently: 1633
1633 (novel)
1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative...
(with best selling novelist David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
) and an anthology called Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
(with other established science-fiction writers, including long "deep background" stories by both Weber and Flint).
Overall, the narratives are not oriented on one group of protagonists with a strong lead character, but instead is carried by an ensemble cast — though most books or short stories do have several strong characters who carry the action and plot forward. Flint had intended from the outset that the whole town would be the collective protagonist; a reflection of his philosophy that historic forces are not centered in the main on the actions of one or two key individuals, but on the many small independent actions of the many going about their daily lives and coping as best they can.
By late in 1632, the New United States-led coalition of the Confederated Principalities of Europe had become the arsenal and financier (through Jewish connections of real historical interest) for Swedish King Gustavus Adolphus
Gustavus Adolphus of Sweden
Gustav II Adolf has been widely known in English by his Latinized name Gustavus Adolphus Magnus and variously in historical writings also as Gustavus, or Gustavus the Great, or Gustav Adolph the Great,...
. This leads the scheming Cardinal Richelieu, who'd been previously financing him to spite and weaken the Habsburgs, to turn on the Swedes. Various books from up-time Grantville, especially history books, had found avid readers amongst Europe's ruling elites, changing the plans and strategies of major players of the time.
Richelieu forms a four way alliance, the League of Ostend, to oppose the New United States, Gustavus' expeditionary army, and allied princes of the German states. After the first book, the series begins multiple plot lines or story threads reflecting this independence of action by a multitude of characters. The sequel 1633 spreads the Americans out geographically over Central Europe. Next, the novel 1634: The Galileo Affair
1634: The Galileo Affair
1634: The Galileo Affair is the fourth book and third novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It follows the activities of an embassy party sent from the United States of Europe to Venice, Italy, where the three young Stone brothers become involved with the local...
, and the first of the anthologies called the Grantville Gazettes introduced new strong characters. The former begins what is called the South European thread, and some of the stories in the latter and Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
began the Eastern European thread (Austria-Hungary northwards to Poland).
Co-author of 1633, New York Times best-selling author David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
was contracted for no less than five books in the series in what is called the Central European or Main thread of the series, but there was a lengthy delay before the two busy authors could synchronize schedules to write that next mainline sequel together, 1634: The Baltic War
1634: The Baltic War
1634: The Baltic War is the direct novel sequel to 1633 in the collaboratively written alternate history shared universe 1632 series by David Weber and Eric Flint...
, released in May 2007.
Without waiting for Weber, other sequels such as 1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
, 1635: The Cannon Law
1635: The Cannon Law
1635: The Cannon Law is the sixth book and fifth novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It is the second novel in the French-Italian plot thread, which began with 1634: The Galileo Affair and was published by Baen Books in 2006...
, and the Grantville Gazettes continue in one thread or another with in-depth looks at societal ramifications from technology, religion, and social unrest as Europe deals with the outlandish ideas of Grantville's influential presence, to machinations of Europe's elites trying to maintain their hold on power, or leverage off of Grantville triggered events or knowledge for reasons of self-interest.
Collective collaborative effort
Fans are encouraged to contribute to the series though an online message boardInternet forum
An Internet forum, or message board, is an online discussion site where people can hold conversations in the form of posted messages. They differ from chat rooms in that messages are at least temporarily archived...
known as Baen's Bar. The entire Grantville Gazette and large portions of the Ring of Fire anthology, both of which are considered canonical, are paid, fan-written (albeit edited by Flint) works, and have directly contributed material to the main novels. The author also worked with other established authors to develop new stories and plot lines for further novels which are also published in the two Ring of Fire anthologies.
"Ring of Fire" has several levels of meaning: First it is the eponymous reference to what the town-folk themselves (and the few outside German witnesses) have come to call the observed phenomenon of their time-space juxtaposition. Secondly, it is a disparaging reference to the effects on the population of Germany at large, suffering under the war's environment outside American-controlled territory, used by Mike Stearns addressing a town meeting:
The beginning
1632 is the lead novel in the 1632 series. It is a science fictionScience fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
(alternate history
Alternate history (fiction)
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. It can be variously seen as a sub-genre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction; different alternate...
) novel
Novel
A novel is a book of long narrative in literary prose. The genre has historical roots both in the fields of the medieval and early modern romance and in the tradition of the novella. The latter supplied the present generic term in the late 18th century....
originally released in November 2000, but atypically, continues to actually increase in quarterly sales, as are most of the sequels. Originally a single stand-alone story, the novel is now the first of an open-ended series with over twenty-six works of all kinds including e-published only works (e-books) of which twelve are standard trade printed books (Three of eighteen of the bi-monthly Gazettes
The Grantville Gazettes
The Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632.The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically...
, and counting) are the printed canonical Grantville Gazettes (I
The Grantville Gazette
The Grantville Gazette is the first of a series of professionally selected and edited paid fan fiction anthologies set within the 1632 series inspired by Eric Flint's novel 1632...
, II, and III
Grantville Gazette III
The Grantville Gazette III is the third collaborative and the fourth anthology in the 1632 series edited by the series creator, Eric Flint. It was published as an e-book by Baen Books in October 2004...
, the first of which is almost entirely longer fiction Flint couldn't put in the already lengthy Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
collection, the de facto
De facto
De facto is a Latin expression that means "concerning fact." In law, it often means "in practice but not necessarily ordained by law" or "in practice or actuality, but not officially established." It is commonly used in contrast to de jure when referring to matters of law, governance, or...
first sequel antedating collaborative work on 1633
1633 (novel)
1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative...
, and of which two have been best sellers) published in print and an additional rapidly growing number related Grantville Gazettes e-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
s or e-zines (not in print).
In writing 1632, Flint's web forum "Mutter of Demons" at Baen's Bar was soon taken over by exploratory posts as captivated readers commented on the E-ARC released book, creating a ground swell of interest ("internet Buzz") in the months before its hardcover release. So strong was the response, especially after the release of the printed work, that a new 1632 Tech Manual sub-forum was created for discussions about it in early 2000, for the discussions had also spilled over into Weber's
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
"Bu-ships
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
" tech forum, and Weber joined the bandwagon by suggesting a sequel was in order. In the event, the two co-wrote 1633
1633 (novel)
1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative...
and collaborated further on integrating the short fiction (much of it, unsolicited) into the de facto Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
sequel. It was followed by two other related forums: 1632 Slush and 1632 Comments within the next two years.
The Grantville Gazettes
The Grantville Gazettes
The Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632.The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically...
are a series of short stories in the collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction is a form of writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a story.Collaborative fiction can occur for commercial gain, as part of education, or recreationally - many collaboratively written works have been the subject of a large degree of academic research.-...
experiment, which started life as an online serialized magazine with an inconsistent and sporadic publication history. After the death of Jim Baen
Jim Baen
James Patrick "Jim" Baen was a noted U.S. science fiction publisher and editor. In 1983 he founded his own publishing house, Baen Books, specializing in the adventure, fantasy, military science fiction and space opera genres...
and with the publication of Grantville Gazette X by Baen Books
Baen Books
Baen Books is an American publishing company established in 1983 by long time science fiction publisher and editor Jim Baen. It is a science fiction and fantasy publishing house that emphasizes space opera, hard science fiction, military science fiction, and fantasy...
, the last under contract with Baen, the Gazettes were again reconstituted as a subscription e-zine, now published regularly at six per year (bi-monthly) and paying above standard rates for submissions. They are a "boiler room" powering the collaborative synergy by the people involved with the 1632 Tech Manual and have developed into a repository for new ideas and themes in the series, although most explore the personal experiences of minor characters in the series or examine in depth some aspect (e.g. a multi-part serial explores and details Grantville's impact on public health in general, and the establishment of twin teaching hospitals as a joint project of the University of Jena and Grantville's new hospital, the Lahey Clinic.) In general, the anthologies in the series depict deep background canonical to future tales, but which are not in the main stream "action" of the novels focus. A group of stories have on several occasions produced a new plot thread.
Series
| Title | Publication date | Author | Co-Author | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1632 1632 (novel) 1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors... |
2000 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
N/A | This is the first work in the Assiti Shards fictional universe and the 1632-verse | |
| Grantville, West Virginia, in the 1990s, is transposed within an area of southern Thuringia of Germany in the 1630s. Grantvillers subsequently take on the Holy Roman Empire's troops in the Thirty Years War, in order to maintain their own town's integrity. | |||||
| 1633 1633 (novel) 1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative... |
2002 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
David Weber David Weber David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".... |
This is the direct sequel to 1632 | |
| Grantville joins sides with Gustavus Adolphus, and tries to recreate the Germanies in the image of the United States. | |||||
| 1634: The Galileo Affair 1634: The Galileo Affair 1634: The Galileo Affair is the fourth book and third novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It follows the activities of an embassy party sent from the United States of Europe to Venice, Italy, where the three young Stone brothers become involved with the local... |
2004 | Andrew Dennis | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
||
| A diplomatic and trade mission to the Italies goes awry when youngsters attached to the mission decide to rescue Galileo from the Inquisition, and end up in a plot to assassinate the Pope. The plot is hatched by a French operative turned rebel, who wishes to destroy France to allow the rise of the Huguenots. | |||||
| 1635: The Cannon Law 1635: The Cannon Law 1635: The Cannon Law is the sixth book and fifth novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It is the second novel in the French-Italian plot thread, which began with 1634: The Galileo Affair and was published by Baen Books in 2006... |
2006 | Andrew Dennis | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
This is the direct sequel to The Galileo Affair | |
| Cardinal Borja incensed with the behavior of Pope Urban, decides to assassinate the Pope, and his political allies, and have himself declared the new Pope. Though managing to take over the Vatican and establish quorum with cowed Cardinals, the old Pope escapes, leading to Borja being declared an Anti-Pope, with only Spain and its satellites recognizing his authority as the new Pope. | |||||
| 1634: The Baltic War 1634: The Baltic War 1634: The Baltic War is the direct novel sequel to 1633 in the collaboratively written alternate history shared universe 1632 series by David Weber and Eric Flint... |
2007 | David Weber David Weber David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".... |
Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
This is the direct sequel to 1633 | |
| Western Europe maneuvers to contain Gustavus Adolphus, resulting in a naval battle in the Baltic, and the conquest of Denmark by Sweden, and victory for Grantville's navy of ironclads. | |||||
| 1634: The Bavarian Crisis 1634: The Bavarian Crisis 1634: The Bavarian Crisis is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce and Eric Flint as sequel to Flint's novella "The Wallenstein Gambit"; several short stories by DeMarce in The Grantville Gazettes; 1634: The Ram Rebellion; and 1634: The Baltic War. The novel's... |
2007 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Virginia DeMarce Virginia DeMarce Virginia Easley DeMarce is a historian who specializes in early modern European history, as well as a prominent author in the 1632 series collaborative fiction project. She has done prominent genealogical work on the origins of the Melungeon peoples.-Biography:DeMarce received her Ph.D... |
This is the direct sequel to The Baltic War | |
| The Prince Cardinal Infante of Spain, takes on vice-regal duties in the Spanish Netherlands, decides to separate from Spain and declare himself King. With the aide of Grantvillers, he acquires a bride in the rebellious daughter of the Holy Roman Emperor, Duchess Anna Maria. | |||||
| 1635: The Dreeson Incident 1635: The Dreeson Incident 1635: The Dreeson Incident is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce and Eric Flint, as a sequel to Flint's novella 1634: The Bavarian Crisis.-Plot summary:... |
2008 | Virginia DeMarce Virginia DeMarce Virginia Easley DeMarce is a historian who specializes in early modern European history, as well as a prominent author in the 1632 series collaborative fiction project. She has done prominent genealogical work on the origins of the Melungeon peoples.-Biography:DeMarce received her Ph.D... |
Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
This is a sequel to The Cannon Law | |
| The French Huguenot rebel plots to destroy Grantville, by assassinating the heads of Grantville. This leads to plots to oppose vaccination and destroy the Jews, as covers for assassination, which ends in the deaths of two of Grantville's leaders, and a violent purge of all anti-semitic forces in the area controlled by Grantville's allies. | |||||
| 1635: The Eastern Front 1635: The Eastern Front 1635: The Eastern Front is a novel by Eric Flint in the 1632 series. It is a sequel to 1635: The Tangled Web and is directly continued by 1636: The Saxon Uprising.-Plot summary:... |
2010 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
This is a sequel to The Baltic War | ||
| 1636: The Saxon Uprising 1636: The Saxon Uprising 1636: The Saxon Uprising is a novel by Eric Flint in the 1632 series. It is a direct continuation of 1635: The Eastern Front.-Plot summary:... |
2011 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Direct sequel to The Eastern Front | ||
| 1636: Symphony for the Devil | TBA | David Carrico | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
TBD | sequel to the short story "Sweet Strings" by David Carrico |
| 1636: The Anaconda Project | N/A | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
N/A | N/A | serial publication; This is a direct sequel to the novellette "The Wallenstein Gambit" by Eric Flint, as found in the anthology collection Ring of Fire I. |
| This serialized novel covers the plot by Wallenstein, King of Bohemia, to acquire an empire in Eastern Europe, by the conquest of Ruthenia Ruthenia Ruthenia is the Latin word used onwards from the 13th century, describing lands of the Ancient Rus in European manuscripts. Its geographic and culturo-ethnic name at that time was applied to the parts of Eastern Europe. Essentially, the word is a false Latin rendering of the ancient place name Rus... with Ashkenazi and Cossack help. |
|||||
| 1635: A Parcel of Rogues | Andrew Dennis | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Sequel to The Baltic War, following characters left in Britain | ||
| 1635: The Papal Stakes | Chuck Gannon | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Direct sequel to The Cannon Law | ||
| 1636: Drums Along the Mohawk | Walter Hunt | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Working title for novel set in French North America | ||
| 163x: Stoned Souls | Mercedes Lackey Mercedes Lackey Mercedes "Misty" Lackey is a best-selling American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar... |
Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
|||
| 163x: The Viennese Waltz | Gorg Huff & Paula Goodlett | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Sequel to 'Barbie Consortium' stories | ||
| Title | Publication date | Editor | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ring of Fire I | 2004 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
sequel to 1632 and 1633 | |
| 1634: The Ram Rebellion 1634: The Ram Rebellion 1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically... |
2006 | Virginia DeMarce Virginia DeMarce Virginia Easley DeMarce is a historian who specializes in early modern European history, as well as a prominent author in the 1632 series collaborative fiction project. She has done prominent genealogical work on the origins of the Melungeon peoples.-Biography:DeMarce received her Ph.D... & Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
This is called a "melded novel" | |
| Several intertwining short stories combine to form a narrative that covers the overthrow of the ruling order by the common people, in a democracy drive, led by a political newspaper featuring a political cartoon starring a ram. | ||||
| Ring of Fire II Ring of Fire II Ring of Fire II is a 2008 anthology created by editor-author-historian Eric Flint. It is the second anthology in the 1632 series following after Ring of Fire .- Premise of the series :... |
2008 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
||
| 1635: The Tangled Web 1635: The Tangled Web 1635: The Tangled Web is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce.-Plot summary:The main setting takes place in Fulda in 1633 and follows in four interlinking stories which ties together near the end of the novel.... |
2009 | Virginia DeMarce Virginia DeMarce Virginia Easley DeMarce is a historian who specializes in early modern European history, as well as a prominent author in the 1632 series collaborative fiction project. She has done prominent genealogical work on the origins of the Melungeon peoples.-Biography:DeMarce received her Ph.D... |
This is called a "melded novel"; it is the sequel to The Ram Rebellion | |
| Several intertwining short stories combine to form a narrative that covers the development subsequent to the Ram Rebellion in Franconia. | ||||
| Ring of Fire III Ring of Fire III Ring of Fire III is an anthology created by editor-author-historian Eric Flint, first published in hardcover by Baen Books in July 2011. It is the third anthology in the 1632 series following after Ring of Fire II .... |
2011 | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
||
| 1636: The Wars on the Rhine | TBA | Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... et al. |
TBD | This is called a "melded novel"; |
| Title | Publication date | Editor/Author | ISBN | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eric Flint's 1632 Resource Guide and Role Playing Game | 2004 | Jonathan M. Thompson | ||
| Time Spike | 2008 | Marilyn Kosmatka & Eric Flint Eric Flint Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :... |
Sequel to 1632 | |
| This novel deals with events in the timeline that the timeshifted Grantville left behind. | ||||
1632 plot threads
1632 plot threads refers to the overall story arches or sequences within the 1632 series. Flint has opined he thinks in terms of plot threads in terms of major protagonists. But most web chatter devolves around geographical "spheres of influence", locations, or where protagonists have a general effect. As a series focused on displaying a believable neohistoryParallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
given the series beginning—of being as realistic as possible given the initial series premises—the two approaches both fail equally in covering all the cases by any strict measure, because the character set who is starring in one thread will almost invariably appear in one or more other story lines as a personal departure point for that characters personal biographical history, or as a supporting role for events depicted in a book mainly covering events in another thread.
"Real history is messy," Flint has written in the foreword to Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
in explaining why he took the unusual step of opening a universe consisting of a single novel at the time into a shared universe. A champion of the common man, Flint disdains the "Strong Man theory of History", where big figures of heroic scope define events, but instead lays claim throughout the entirety of works in the series, that history is the small actions of common men acting in their own self-interest who in the aggregate determine historical forces and force events and responses from those in power, who might lay some claim to being a giant of history—the statesmen and power brokers who dot the I
I
I is the ninth letter and a vowel in the basic modern Latin alphabet.-History:In Semitic, the letter may have originated in a hieroglyph for an arm that represented a voiced pharyngeal fricative in Egyptian, but was reassigned to by Semites, because their word for "arm" began with that sound...
's and cross the T
T
T is the 20th letter in the basic modern Latin alphabet. It is the most commonly used consonant and the second most common letter in the English language.- History :Taw was the last letter of the Western Semitic and Hebrew alphabets...
's and add occasional curlicues to the historic march of events—riding the torrent far more often than leading it in Churchillian or Rooseveltian fashion. That some persons of that mold have existed is not disputed, but that the narrative report that makes up historical reporting tends to overstate their impact and role, is Flints theme.
No matter what approach one takes to classifying a plot sequence in the series—be it geographical or character based—the key element of the series to comprehend is that the events depicted in its now voluminous works are not taking place in a vacuum, but in most cases are concurrent with developments in other parts of the European center.
Main/North-Central and Western European thread
The "Central European thread" or more correctly, the "Central and Southwest Central European thread", is the "main plot thread" of the series. It concerns events in the region from west to east of the Kingdom of EnglandKingdom of England
The Kingdom of England was, from 927 to 1707, a sovereign state to the northwest of continental Europe. At its height, the Kingdom of England spanned the southern two-thirds of the island of Great Britain and several smaller outlying islands; what today comprises the legal jurisdiction of England...
and Kingdom of Scotland
Kingdom of Scotland
The Kingdom of Scotland was a Sovereign state in North-West Europe that existed from 843 until 1707. It occupied the northern third of the island of Great Britain and shared a land border to the south with the Kingdom of England...
, Northern France
Kingdom of France
The Kingdom of France was one of the most powerful states to exist in Europe during the second millennium.It originated from the Western portion of the Frankish empire, and consolidated significant power and influence over the next thousand years. Louis XIV, also known as the Sun King, developed a...
, the Spanish Netherlands, French Netherlands and the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, and the whole of western Germany eastwards to Brandenburg
Brandenburg
Brandenburg is one of the sixteen federal-states of Germany. It lies in the east of the country and is one of the new federal states that were re-created in 1990 upon the reunification of the former West Germany and East Germany. The capital is Potsdam...
and the Electorate of Saxony
Electorate of Saxony
The Electorate of Saxony , sometimes referred to as Upper Saxony, was a State of the Holy Roman Empire. It was established when Emperor Charles IV raised the Ascanian duchy of Saxe-Wittenberg to the status of an Electorate by the Golden Bull of 1356...
, and southerly to the northern reaches of Bavaria
Bavaria
Bavaria, formally the Free State of Bavaria is a state of Germany, located in the southeast of Germany. With an area of , it is the largest state by area, forming almost 20% of the total land area of Germany...
. Bavaria proper, Switzerland, Austria, Bohemia and points easterly and north are properly geographically part of the Eastern European thread.
- Novel: 16321632 (novel)1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
(February 2000) - Novel: 16331633 (novel)1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative...
(August 2002) with David WeberDavid WeberDavid Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs".... - Anthology: Ring of FireRing of Fire (anthology)Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
(January 2004)- includes "The Wallenstein Gambit" with Mike Spehar which begins the Eastern Europe thread, "In the Navy" by David Weber and other stories antedating 1633 in the neohistory.
- Novel: 1634: The Ram Rebellion1634: The Ram Rebellion1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
(April 2006) with Virginia DeMarceVirginia DeMarceVirginia Easley DeMarce is a historian who specializes in early modern European history, as well as a prominent author in the 1632 series collaborative fiction project. She has done prominent genealogical work on the origins of the Melungeon peoples.-Biography:DeMarce received her Ph.D...
, crafted as a collection of related 'key developmental events'. This is structured more as an anthology and includes substantial material from Paula Goodlett and other authors, but classed as a novel by the publishing trade since the stories all come together as having a related overall story arch (theme). - Novel: 1634: The Baltic War1634: The Baltic War1634: The Baltic War is the direct novel sequel to 1633 in the collaboratively written alternate history shared universe 1632 series by David Weber and Eric Flint...
(May 2007) with David Weber, the direct main thread novel sequel to 1633. - Novel: 1634: The Bavarian Crisis1634: The Bavarian Crisis1634: The Bavarian Crisis is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce and Eric Flint as sequel to Flint's novella "The Wallenstein Gambit"; several short stories by DeMarce in The Grantville Gazettes; 1634: The Ram Rebellion; and 1634: The Baltic War. The novel's...
(October 2007) with Virginia DeMarce- Chronological sequel to 1632, but continues the Eastern European thread.
- Anthology: Ring of Fire IIRing of Fire IIRing of Fire II is a 2008 anthology created by editor-author-historian Eric Flint. It is the second anthology in the 1632 series following after Ring of Fire .- Premise of the series :...
(January 2008) - Novel: 1635: The Dreeson Incident1635: The Dreeson Incident1635: The Dreeson Incident is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce and Eric Flint, as a sequel to Flint's novella 1634: The Bavarian Crisis.-Plot summary:...
(December 2008) with Virginia DeMarce - Novel: 1635: The Tangled Web1635: The Tangled Web1635: The Tangled Web is a novel in the alternate history 1632 series, written by Virginia DeMarce.-Plot summary:The main setting takes place in Fulda in 1633 and follows in four interlinking stories which ties together near the end of the novel....
(December 2009) by Virginia DeMarce - Novel: 1635: The Eastern Front1635: The Eastern Front1635: The Eastern Front is a novel by Eric Flint in the 1632 series. It is a sequel to 1635: The Tangled Web and is directly continued by 1636: The Saxon Uprising.-Plot summary:...
(October 2010) - Novel: 1636: The Saxon Uprising1636: The Saxon Uprising1636: The Saxon Uprising is a novel by Eric Flint in the 1632 series. It is a direct continuation of 1635: The Eastern Front.-Plot summary:...
(April 2011)
South European thread
The "Southern European thread", or "Western South Europe and South Central European thread", or perhaps more appropriately, the "South-central and southwestern European thread" involves characters introduced in the short story "To Dye For" by Mercedes LackeyMercedes Lackey
Mercedes "Misty" Lackey is a best-selling American author of fantasy novels. Many of her novels and trilogies are interlinked and set in the world of Velgarth, mostly in and around the country of Valdemar...
but the thread plot action proper continued in the second published novel sequel of the series, the best selling 1634: The Galileo Affair
1634: The Galileo Affair
1634: The Galileo Affair is the fourth book and third novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It follows the activities of an embassy party sent from the United States of Europe to Venice, Italy, where the three young Stone brothers become involved with the local...
and its direct sequel, 1635: The Cannon Law
1635: The Cannon Law
1635: The Cannon Law is the sixth book and fifth novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It is the second novel in the French-Italian plot thread, which began with 1634: The Galileo Affair and was published by Baen Books in 2006...
, both co-written by Flint and Andrew Dennis. The main characters are in part, Lackey's The Stone Family, combined with Flint's Sharon Nichols and Larry Mazzare.
- Novel: 1634: The Galileo Affair1634: The Galileo Affair1634: The Galileo Affair is the fourth book and third novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It follows the activities of an embassy party sent from the United States of Europe to Venice, Italy, where the three young Stone brothers become involved with the local...
(April 2004) with Andrew Dennis. - Novel: 1635: The Cannon Law1635: The Cannon Law1635: The Cannon Law is the sixth book and fifth novel published in the 1632 series by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis. It is the second novel in the French-Italian plot thread, which began with 1634: The Galileo Affair and was published by Baen Books in 2006...
(September 2006) sequel to 1634: The Galileo Affair.
Eastern European thread
The Eastern European thread is taken to be east of the East Central European thread, the later of which may be understood as the base line through eastern parts of modern day Germany, Austria, western Hungary. The first fiction written within this thread was the novelette "The Wallenstein Gambit" and the prequel short stories leading up to it, all published in Ring of FireRing of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
but subsequent long fiction planned in the setting had to await authors scheduling issues, so the plot begun by Flint and finished in outline took a back seat to southern, western and central European events which both had ready collaborating authors and themes of their own to explore in the neohistory. In June 2006, Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff wrote the "Butterflies in the Kremlin, Part 1: A Russian Noble", part of the serialized novel Butterflies in the Kremlin.
- Novelette: "The Wallenstein Gambit", which continues from two plot-line suggested in "Here Comes Santa Claus" and "A Lineman for the Country" in the same anthology.
- Serialized Novel: The Anaconda ProjectThe Anaconda ProjectThe Anaconda Project is the eleventh full length work of the popular shared universe Ring of Fire book series but only the second solo novel of the twenty-six works by milieu creator Eric Flint, and something he has longed to get back to doing despite the success of the other works in the...
, published in the new format (own website re-organized) Grantville Gazettes in volumes 12 – 15 (2007 – January 2008), the solo-written book authored by Flint is available through webscriptionsWebscriptionsWebscriptions is a web services company that has sold e-books without DRM since 1999. It is closely associated with Jim Baen's Baen Books. Purchasers can download the same e-book in five different formats, even long after the initial purchase...
, and directly continues "The Wallenstein Gambit" and is the first long work in the thread.
Naval thread
David Weber and Eric Flint in 2002 (writing 16331633 (novel)
1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative...
and Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
) originally contracted together and with Baen's Books to co-write five "main series" books—the first two and perhaps some as yet unrevealed others being known as the Naval thread. When working on the long delayed 1634: The Baltic War
1634: The Baltic War
1634: The Baltic War is the direct novel sequel to 1633 in the collaboratively written alternate history shared universe 1632 series by David Weber and Eric Flint...
novel and with the prolonged and ongoing demand for the series sequels, and considering the already experienced delays imposed by the difficulty of getting schedules between themselves synchronized (It took three planned "windows-of-opportunity" before one worked in The Baltic War) well enough for the two to have the three to six months or so needed to collaborate successfully,
OK, here's the problem. The novel I'm starting on, Fire in the Hole, requires a wide range of knowledge to write properly. Some of that I have (the history of the period, for instance). Some I can get, from friends. But some of it requires me to scramble like a monkey. Any help I can get will be appreciated.
The setting of the novel is as follows: For reasons I won't go into here (read the book when it comes out, heh heh), a small town in West Virginia finds itself transposed in time and place into Germany in the middle of the Thirty Years War. The time is spring/summer of l630 AD. The place is Thuringia, in central Germany. The Americans are in the middle of one of history's worst wars and they have to survive (and hopefully, prosper). In order to do that, they have the resources available to them which would be in any small town in the area. I'm going to be leaving in three days to spend some time there (I used to live in the area – near Fairmont and Morgantown — but it was twenty years ago; things change). One of the things I'll be doing is to catalog the resources available. But the kind of problems the West Virginians will face include:
...[Several paragraphs and lists omitted]
The basic rule is: NO CHEATING. There will not be any "convenient" stuff that wouldn't likely be in a small town. (No military convoys which just "happen" to be parading through town, for instance). On the other hand, the population of the town (which includes a lot of coal miners from the area who are in town that day for a wedding) are the type of blue-collar folks who can jury-rig damn near anything if the stuff is either there or can be obtained.
Finally, a TIP. Alternate history novels have a tendency (for obvious dramatic reasons) to focus too narrowly on the military dimension of the problem. I want to cast a broader net. ... (more)}} the two decided to alter their original planning and spin off a new thread—one based on the United States of Europe as a naval power.
The Americas thread
This agreement for Weber to leave aside European threads likely will follow up foreshadowings of overt dislike evinced by various Grantville natives for both the African slave trade and the Amerindian encounters with colonizing Europeans—and Flint has already written a very sympathetic two volume alternate history from the American Native's viewpoint in his Arkansas Wars series—and he'd written similar foreshadowings into the series' earlier works that were spun into pro-democracyDemocracy
Democracy is generally defined as a form of government in which all adult citizens have an equal say in the decisions that affect their lives. Ideally, this includes equal participation in the proposal, development and passage of legislation into law...
and anti-anti-Semitic social themes now manifesting in the series in the Eastern Europe thread in particular, as well as an overall muted sub-theme. This revised author's decision released a log-jam of backup up other novels in the series, so that since rehashing their arrangement 1632 series books have been released regularly 4–6 months since.
Stories in 1632 Slushpile regarding obtaining strategically important materials and some which have reached publication in regard to the Essen Steel Corporation and Essen Chemical are foreshadowing activities (mining Chromium
Chromium
Chromium is a chemical element which has the symbol Cr and atomic number 24. It is the first element in Group 6. It is a steely-gray, lustrous, hard metal that takes a high polish and has a high melting point. It is also odorless, tasteless, and malleable...
for one) in North America, and others are pursuing latex
Latex
Latex is the stable dispersion of polymer microparticles in an aqueous medium. Latexes may be natural or synthetic.Latex as found in nature is a milky fluid found in 10% of all flowering plants . It is a complex emulsion consisting of proteins, alkaloids, starches, sugars, oils, tannins, resins,...
Rubber
Rubber
Natural rubber, also called India rubber or caoutchouc, is an elastomer that was originally derived from latex, a milky colloid produced by some plants. The plants would be ‘tapped’, that is, an incision made into the bark of the tree and the sticky, milk colored latex sap collected and refined...
in South America. In addition, the three books contracted between Flint and David Weber will in part involve expeditions sent by Gustavus and Mike Stearns to American shores.
Short fiction in the series
When the novel 16321632 (novel)
1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
was written in 1999, it was conceived as an experiment in the literary genre alternate history by Flint, without intentions of writing any immediate sequel. He had in fact, several other years of writing projects planned, which subsequent developments were to delay as late as publication in 2006–2007. Flint—as a relatively new writer at the time, following the popular demand for a sequel elected to invite other established authors in the Baen's stable of writers to share the universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
in order to rapidly develop its potential—in this he traded on his experience as an editor. This went on concurrently with a great deal of reader input in what became the 1632 Tech sub-forum on Baen's Bar. In this initiative, he became the editor (He was already a Baen editor for the Baen Free Library) and together with fan input on Baen's Bar, and collaboration with established best-selling author David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
on the first long sequel, 1633
1633 (novel)
1633 is an alternate history novel co-written by Eric Flint and David Weber, and sequel to 1632 in the 1632 series. 1633 is the second major novel in the series and together with the anthology Ring of Fire, the two sequels begin the series hallmarks of being a shared universe with collaborative...
, concurrently put together the Ring of Fire anthology to inaugurate the short fiction in the series.
The novel and anthology shaped one another, all filtered through and also shaped by the discussions on Baen's website. This process continues to this day, primarily in the form of The Grantville Gazettes. Initially an experimental e-magazine
Online magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
of fan fiction, the first volume was successful enough to be released as a paperback. Subsequent Gazettes have also been released in print form.
Flint, as editor of all the short fiction, also maintains the series canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
(co-ordinated by the 1632.org Web site) and all copyrights to the alternate history universe per se, and with Flint as the controlling editor, the consequence is semi-pro or professional payment rates aside, Baen doesn't publish anything in the series which is not canonical.
In point of fact, the short fiction in the series frequently provides a more in-depth background and foreshadows larger events that are the meat of the long fiction in the series. The longer works are replete with mentions to events covered in the shorter works, and with characters and the history and events unfolded in such materials. Flint always publishes one of his own stories within the short fiction collections, or in the case of 1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
, considerably more, as it introduces several important background factors that are central to further series developments as the altered history is to unfold to the reader.
The Grantville Gazettes
The Gazettes began as an experimental semi-professional online magazineOnline magazine
An online magazine shares some features with a blog and also with online newspapers, but can usually be distinguished by its approach to editorial control...
featuring fan fiction and non-fiction edited by Flint and (eventually) a volunteer editorial board. At the time of Jim Baen's death in the summer of 2006 ten Grantville Gazettes were under contract and they had (with some fits and starts) settled into a new version roughly and irregularly three times a year. Baen's production staff was somewhat overworked by the deadline and the serialized magazine gave way to an E-book
E-book
An electronic book is a book-length publication in digital form, consisting of text, images, or both, and produced on, published through, and readable on computers or other electronic devices. Sometimes the equivalent of a conventional printed book, e-books can also be born digital...
release from the sixth volume onward—though this was explained by Flint as primarily being due to Flint's other commitments, such as editing the new science fiction magazine Jim Baen's Universe
Jim Baen's Universe
Jim Baen's Universe was a bimonthly online fantasy and science fiction magazine created by Jim Baen . It is recognized by the SFWA as a Qualifying Short Fiction Venue. JBU began soliciting materials in January 2006 and launched in June 2006...
. Earlier on, he'd explained the production delays in terms of overworked proofreaders, executive editors, and so forth. Issues VI through X, after being released as E-books seem unlikely to see print, where Jim Baen has been releasing (all but the first) issues some months later as hardcover books, the last he bought has yet to appear. Flint has explained that the market for anthologies is always very soft, no matter the genre, and it seems likely that any new print version from the Gazettes will be a "Best of The Grantville Gazettes".
In the meanwhile, Grantville Gazette X was jointly published as an e-book by Baen, but also as the first foray of "Eric Flint Enterprises" at www.grantvillegazette.com/ which looks to be a joint venture of Baen Books and Flint where the new incarnation of the e-zine also pays SFWA
SFWA
SFWA may refer to:*Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of America*Scottish Football Writers' Association...
rates and maintains a bi-monthly (six per year) publishing schedule. It is modeled very much on the same lines as Jim Baen's Universe
Jim Baen's Universe
Jim Baen's Universe was a bimonthly online fantasy and science fiction magazine created by Jim Baen . It is recognized by the SFWA as a Qualifying Short Fiction Venue. JBU began soliciting materials in January 2006 and launched in June 2006...
, which is edited by Flint.
Beginning in early 2007, the Gazette's publishers added an online web-based edition published quarterly and moved the paper series to an annual "best of" volume. Additionally, the publishers moved to paying full professional rates instead of the semi-pro rates that had been paid. After one year, the Gazette expects to be an SFWA qualifying market.
1632-verse glossary of terminology
- 1632-verse/1632 universe— a way of referring to and clarify the distinction between entities or new time lines in science-fiction, its sub-genre alternate history, and discussions in science involving such esoteric physics as the Many world's hypothesisMany-worlds interpretationThe many-worlds interpretation is an interpretation of quantum mechanics that asserts the objective reality of the universal wavefunction, but denies the actuality of wavefunction collapse. Many-worlds implies that all possible alternative histories and futures are real, each representing an...
and Parallel universesMultiverseThe multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise all of reality.Multiverse may also refer to:-In fiction:* Multiverse , the fictional multiverse used by DC Comics...
in Quantum MechanicsQuantum mechanicsQuantum mechanics, also known as quantum physics or quantum theory, is a branch of physics providing a mathematical description of much of the dual particle-like and wave-like behavior and interactions of energy and matter. It departs from classical mechanics primarily at the atomic and subatomic...
. - Badenburg — A fictional walled town or small city located within five to six miles (10 km) of the locus of Grantville's new home. Citizens of the town were witnesses to the Ring of Fire, and have places in many of the short stories building the societal canvas of the works. For example, some of its people owned lands supplanted by the territory of Grantville within the Ring of Fire. A series of stories in Grantville Gazette IIIGrantville Gazette IIIThe Grantville Gazette III is the third collaborative and the fourth anthology in the 1632 series edited by the series creator, Eric Flint. It was published as an e-book by Baen Books in October 2004...
and 1634: The Ram Rebellion1634: The Ram Rebellion1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
explores how the economic and personal effects of such circumstances were worked out and settled between the down-timer and up-timers. Second state in the New US (NUS). - CPoE or CPE, (October 1632 — 10 October 1633 NTL) — Confederated Principalities of Europe. Formed at the end of 16321632 (novel)1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
in the aftermath of the Battle of Grantville, with Gustavus II Adolphus as "Captain General" of the 'New United States', but not its monarch. - Down-timer* — Any native born in Early Modern EuropeEarly modern EuropeEarly modern Europe is the term used by historians to refer to a period in the history of Europe which spanned the centuries between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the late 15th century to the late 18th century...
. - Emperor of the United States of Europe — see United States of Europe.
- Gazettes / Grantville Gazettes—an experimental Online Magazine launched by Baen Books with (See: main article: The Grantville GazettesThe Grantville GazettesThe Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632.The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically...
) - Grantville — a West Virginia town (based closely on the real town of Mannington, WV) containing a cast of about 3,500 of the 'collective protagonists' exploring the 'what if' theme of what sort of changes might come about in the chaotic history of the Thirty Years' WarThirty Years' WarThe Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
and the resulting social and political development of Europe (and the world) if such a community of modern rural Americans landed in Europe one afternoon. - OTL — Original Time Line, or the history of the world sans a Ring of Fire.
- NTL — New Time Line, or the history of the world from May 1631 after the Ring of Fire. NTL and OTL are long standing abbreviations with wide acceptance amongst science fiction circles. New Time Line was coined to handle comparison of events in Parallel WorldMultiverseThe multiverse is the hypothetical set of multiple possible universes that together comprise all of reality.Multiverse may also refer to:-In fiction:* Multiverse , the fictional multiverse used by DC Comics...
discussions. - NUS or "New US", (by late Fall 1631 — Fall 1632 NTL) — The New United States located in southern and western Thuringia — a loose collection of territories, towns and free cities led by its first state, the up-timers (Americans) of Grantville, that Mike Stearns put together in the winter of 1631–32 to oppose the effects of "the wars" raging through Central EuropeCentral EuropeCentral Europe or alternatively Middle Europe is a region of the European continent lying between the variously defined areas of Eastern and Western Europe...
. - Ring of Fire — the label or name given to the three mile (5 km) in radius spherical space-time bubble caused by the Assiti shard that exchanged part of Thuringia with Grantville, West Virginia. While in the main faint and translucent, at ground level, the sphere appeared as an ephemeral (perhaps 15 seconds) wall of shimmering flames from the outside. Within, those near the edge also perceived something of the flames, but the effect was swamped and overwhelmed by the thunder-like sound blast that shook walls and rattled windows and fixtures like a mini-earthquake and the overwhelming blast of bright white light that was believed by many to be a huge display of sheet-lightningLightningLightning is an atmospheric electrostatic discharge accompanied by thunder, which typically occurs during thunderstorms, and sometimes during volcanic eruptions or dust storms...
. - The Prince of all Germans, or 'The Prince of Germany', or just 'The Prince' (perhaps most common) —a popular unofficial title bestowed gratefully and spontaneously by the populace at large in the areas of Germany which have benefited from the advent of the Mike Stearns influence under the NUS, CPoE, and USE governments. The title began to become widespread circa the end of the novel 1633 in the unrest that led to the USE, is mentioned a few times in The Ram Rebellion and becomes very obvious in the early chapters of The Baltic War.
- Up-timer — Any 20th century American from Grantville, WV.
- The United States of Europe, (10 October 1633 — present NTL); the successor to the Confederated Principalities of Europe, a constitutional monarchyMonarchyA monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected...
the United States of Europe formed at the end of the novel 1633 during a demonstrative outbreak of nationalismNationalismNationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
triggered by news of the Battle of Wismar circa 9–10 October during protracted radio negotiations between Mike Stearns, who was appointed its first Prime Minister, and Gustavus II Adolphus Vasa, who became the new Emperor of the United States of Europe in the agreement.
1632 Tech Manual, Slush and Slush Comments
1632 Tech Manual, 1632 Slush, and 1632 Slush Comments are each specialized sub-forums of a specific sub-community of the general online communityOnline community
An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted...
known as Baen's Bar which is a web site focused on the publishers works and forums to let fans interact with writers. The first sub-form, 1632 Tech Manual (from early 2000—generally known just as "1632 Tech") is dedicated to developing the background for collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction
Collaborative fiction is a form of writing by a group of authors who share creative control of a story.Collaborative fiction can occur for commercial gain, as part of education, or recreationally - many collaboratively written works have been the subject of a large degree of academic research.-...
in the first Assiti Shards type fictional universe
Assiti Shards series
The Assiti Shards series is a fictional universe invented by Eric Flint. It is a shared universe open to authors of many calibre levels, concerning several alternate history worlds, related to a prime timeline. The defining characteristic of the fictional universe is the existence of the "Assiti...
— 1632 universe or "1632-verse" — that began in the novel 1632
1632 (novel)
1632 is the initial novel in the best-selling alternate history 1632 book series written by historian, writer and editor Eric Flint. The flagship novel kicked off a collaborative writing effort that has involved hundreds of contributors and dozens of authors...
by Eric Flint
Eric Flint
Eric Flint is an American author, editor, and e-publisher. The majority of his main works are alternate history science fiction, but he also writes humorous fantasy adventures.- Career :...
, and the second two are spin-offs related to the fact that the series generated a lot of solicited fan-fiction, which has become a hallmark of the series, when such is accepted as canon
Canon (fiction)
In the context of a work of fiction, the term canon denotes the material accepted as "official" in a fictional universe's fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction, which are not considered canonical...
. That process is ongoing at and in part explains the synergy of the series as literally hundreds of well educated people and experienced people have worked together to put together a logical and likely chain of events and societal impacts given the departure point postulated in the initial novel—a town of thirty-five hundred from a blue-collar rural community characteristic of the town where Eric Flint's mother called home.
The later two forums were eventually created and set aside as a submission venue and talk forum about such submitted work for the initial anthology Ring of Fire
Ring of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
and the eventual series of serialized e-zines, The Grantville Gazettes
The Grantville Gazettes
The Grantville Gazettes are anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632.The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically...
all of which resulted from (originally) unsolicited manuscripts plus Flint's decision to make the milieu a Shared universe
Shared universe
A shared universe is a fictional universe to which more than one writer contributes. Work set in a shared universe share characters and other elements with varying degrees of consistency. Shared universes are contrasted with collaborative writing, in which multiple authors work on a single story....
by inviting in other writers. About that time, Flint was contributing a short story and contracting for a novella to the Honorverse
Honorverse
The Honorverse refers to the military science fiction book series and sub-series created by David Weber and published by Baen Books. The series is set primarily after Honor Harrington's October 1, 3961, birth; although she is the protagonist in most of the stories, more recent entries make only...
spin-off series "Crown of Slaves" and had become good friends with David Weber
David Weber
David Mark Weber is an American science fiction and fantasy author. He was born in Cleveland, Ohio. Weber and his wife Sharon live in Greenville, South Carolina with their three children and "a passel of dogs"....
, who has opened that sub-series in similar fashion to other writers. Weber expressed an interest in writing within 1632-verse, and that discussion may have given Flint the idea of soliciting manuscripts from other writers on the huge infant canvas. It is certain, he had no plans for a sequel beyond the initial novel.
As the collaborative effort evolved, the Grantville Gazettes — along with 1632 Tech where technical aspects are hammered out and discussed to a surprising thoroughness — became a seed stock of new ideas and developments which give the rich verisimilitude to the background and plotting of the longer fiction in the series. Another distinction (sometimes very indistinct) is that stories in the Gazettes are normally told from the viewpoint of the common resident living through the international repercussions that the influence of Grantville's knowledge has caused on the larger stage. In seeming contradiction, about half the fiction in the Gazettes is merely emotive—amusing, tragic or dramatic, sometimes taking on many aspects of the popular soap opera—which is to say commercially successful and desirably entertaining to its subscribers. Even though those kinds of tales have little importance save as "color" or deep background, they serve to gradually illuminate the society coming into being and are valuable to the reader in illuminating the dissonances between our modern era and the emerging Europe of the fictional neohistory, as well as the practices and life of the Europe in our real history. Quite frequently a character developed in a minor soap opera-ish story will appear elsewhere in the series in a more important role, including as main protagonist anchoring a major work. (e.g. Nowell Murphy and others in about half the book 1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion
1634: The Ram Rebellion is the seventh published work in the 1632 series, and is the third work to establish what is best considered as a "main plot line or thread" of historical speculative focus that are loosely organized and classified geographically...
).
The 1632 Slushpile
"Slushpile" is publishing trade jargon referring to the pile(s) of unsolicited submissions to a periodical. In the "Continuing adventure" of the Grantville Gazettes according to Flint, the unsolicited stories began shaping the background thought in the series milieu, and the magazine "idea" was born whilst he tried to recoup some of the time costs involved in examining the fan-fiction. Also, he judged some of the tales to be professional quality, and indeed, incorporated many of them into about half of Ring of FireRing of Fire (anthology)
Ring of Fire is the third published book by editor-author-historian Eric Flint of the 1632 series, an alternate history series begun in the novel 1632 . The Ring of Fire is both descriptive of the cosmic event as experienced by the series' characters, but also is at times used as the name for the...
. The flagship novel was written as a stand-alone literary work, an experiment with the new Assiti Shards story premise, and was but one of three such universes
Parallel universe (fiction)
A parallel universe or alternative reality is a hypothetical self-contained separate reality coexisting with one's own. A specific group of parallel universes is called a "multiverse", although this term can also be used to describe the possible parallel universes that constitute reality...
planned by Flint in 2000. However, the sensation and interest engendered by the 1632 novel's publication subsequently caused the other works to be delayed while the 1632 series was developed. The other books in the overall Assiti Shard series currently under contract are
- Time Spike, with Marilyn Kosmatka, published in May 2008.
- By Any Other Name, with Sarah HoytSarah HoytSarah de Almeida Hoyt is an award-winning fiction author.-Biography:Hoyt was born on November 18, 1962 in the village of Granja, Águas Santas, Maia near Porto, Portugal, a major port city on the Atlantic coast...
, first draft completed; Eric Flint scheduled his part of the writing for 2007–2008 in October website announcement. - 1776, a solo novel, original name was 1781; production overdue and delayed.
1776 supposes George Washington
George Washington
George Washington was the dominant military and political leader of the new United States of America from 1775 to 1799. He led the American victory over Great Britain in the American Revolutionary War as commander-in-chief of the Continental Army from 1775 to 1783, and presided over the writing of...
and Frederick the Great are transposed to ancient Rome's Crisis of the Third Century
Crisis of the Third Century
The Crisis of the Third Century was a period in which the Roman Empire nearly collapsed under the combined pressures of invasion, civil war, plague, and economic depression...
; By Any Other Name, takes place in several different time frames including a transposition of the Assiti themselves into Elizabethan England; and Time Spike involves transpositions of various populations into the unpopulated late Cretaceous
Cretaceous
The Cretaceous , derived from the Latin "creta" , usually abbreviated K for its German translation Kreide , is a geologic period and system from circa to million years ago. In the geologic timescale, the Cretaceous follows the Jurassic period and is followed by the Paleogene period of the...
era (145–65.5 million years ago).
The "1632 Tech Manual" forum has had a large role in developing the overall series as its discussions revolve around the course of likely events, reactions and developments as the fictional town of 3,000 souls transplanted into the middle of the religious based Thirty Years' War
Thirty Years' War
The Thirty Years' War was fought primarily in what is now Germany, and at various points involved most countries in Europe. It was one of the most destructive conflicts in European history....
.
External links
BAEN Free e-library
- Grantville Gazette Volume 1 free e-book
- 1633 free e-book
- 1632 free e-book