Assiti Shards series
Encyclopedia
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 Shards effect", and the impact that strikes by Assiti Shards have on characters in the stories. The series is rather large and expansive, having started publication in 2000, and as of 2008, consisting of 15 print books, 21 e-magazine anthologies, in two different published timelines of the same multiverse (only one work is in the second timeline).
".
The Assiti Shards work by displacing bits of the world into other times and places, exchanging it with that which was there. These "shards", according to the fictional universe backstory, are pieces of art developed by the alien "Assiti". The various stories involve shards striking the Earth and timeshifting characters into different periods and places.
(pub. 2000) by Eric Flint
. This work lead to a series of works that branched off this, into the Ring of Fire series (aka. 1632 series
). Most of the works in this fictional universe fall within this particular timeline. This timeline involves the displacement and exchange of a late 1990s West Virginia
mining town with a piece of 1630's medieval southern Germany (in Thuringia
).
Although 1632 was written as a stand-alone novel in 2000, Flint had planned several other universes
using the Assiti Shards story premise. 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.
This timeline was opened up to third-party authors, and open submissions. These are collected and published as the Grantville Gazettes, an online anthology magazine, focused solely on the Ring of Fire timeline. It is similar to Analog Science Fiction Science Fact, in that it publishes fiction and non-fiction. In this case, the non-fiction relates to the Ring of Fire timeline. The best stories, some commissioned, are collected into the Ring of Fire
print anthology series
All the major novels in the series, after the initial one, have so far been collaborations between Eric Flint and other authors. The series is considered broad and expansive.
, Spanish Conquistadors
, a city of the Moundbuilder People, and some paleoamerinds — all displaced into the Age of Dinosaurs (several different periods of the Dinosaur Age are also jumbled together).
. By Any Other Name, takes place in several different time frames including a transposition of the Assiti themselves into Elizabethan England.
and Frederick the Great being transposed to ancient Rome's Crisis of the Third Century
.
Fictional universe
A fictional universe is a self-consistent fictional setting with elements that differ from the real world. It may also be called an imagined, constructed or fictional realm ....
invented 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 :...
. It is 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....
open to authors of many calibre levels, concerning several alternate history worlds, related to a prime timeline
Timeline
A timeline is a way of displaying a list of events in chronological order, sometimes described as a project artifact . It is typically a graphic design showing a long bar labeled with dates alongside itself and events labeled on points where they would have happened.-Uses of timelines:Timelines...
. The defining characteristic of the fictional universe is the existence of the "Assiti Shards effect", and the impact that strikes by Assiti Shards have on characters in the stories. The series is rather large and expansive, having started publication in 2000, and as of 2008, consisting of 15 print books, 21 e-magazine anthologies, in two different published timelines of the same multiverse (only one work is in the second timeline).
Assiti Shard
An Assiti Shard is a neologism which within Science Fiction writing is more commonly referred to as "alien space batsAlien space bats
Alien space bats is a neologism for plot devices used in alternate history to create a point of divergence that would otherwise be implausible.-Definition:...
".
The Assiti Shards work by displacing bits of the world into other times and places, exchanging it with that which was there. These "shards", according to the fictional universe backstory, are pieces of art developed by the alien "Assiti". The various stories involve shards striking the Earth and timeshifting characters into different periods and places.
Ring of Fire
The first literary work in this fictional universe was 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...
(pub. 2000) 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 :...
. This work lead to a series of works that branched off this, into the Ring of Fire series (aka. 1632 series
1632 series
The 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series and sub-series created, primarily co-written, and coordinated by Eric Flint and published by Baen Books...
). Most of the works in this fictional universe fall within this particular timeline. This timeline involves the displacement and exchange of a late 1990s 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...
mining town with a piece of 1630's medieval southern Germany (in Thuringia
Thuringia
The Free State of Thuringia is a state of Germany, located in the central part of the country.It has an area of and 2.29 million inhabitants, making it the sixth smallest by area and the fifth smallest by population of Germany's sixteen states....
).
Although 1632 was written as a stand-alone novel in 2000, Flint had planned several other 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...
using the Assiti Shards story premise. 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.
This timeline was opened up to third-party authors, and open submissions. These are collected and published as the Grantville Gazettes, an online anthology magazine, focused solely on the Ring of Fire timeline. It is similar to Analog Science Fiction Science Fact, in that it publishes fiction and non-fiction. In this case, the non-fiction relates to the Ring of Fire timeline. The best stories, some commissioned, are collected into the 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...
print anthology series
All the major novels in the series, after the initial one, have so far been collaborations between Eric Flint and other authors. The series is considered broad and expansive.
Time Spike
The second timeline opened up by Eric Flint was the one based around the novel Time Spike, which he co-wrote with Marilyn Kosmatka. It was published in May 2008. This timeline involves several different periods in the history of Middle America, starting with a maximum security prison in the 2000s, along with Amerinds on the Trail of TearsTrail of Tears
The Trail of Tears is a name given to the forced relocation and movement of Native American nations from southeastern parts of the United States following the Indian Removal Act of 1830...
, Spanish Conquistadors
Conquistador
Conquistadors were Spanish soldiers, explorers, and adventurers who brought much of the Americas under the control of Spain in the 15th to 16th centuries, following Europe's discovery of the New World by Christopher Columbus in 1492...
, a city of the Moundbuilder People, and some paleoamerinds — all displaced into the Age of Dinosaurs (several different periods of the Dinosaur Age are also jumbled together).
By Any Other Name
The third timeline opened up by Eric Flint is the one around the novel By Any Other Name (forthcoming), co-authored with Sarah HoytSarah Hoyt
Sarah 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...
. By Any Other Name, takes place in several different time frames including a transposition of the Assiti themselves into Elizabethan England.
1776
1776 is a planned stand-alone novel. As of now production is overdue and delayed. The plot revolves around George WashingtonGeorge 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 being 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...
.
See also
- Nantucket seriesNantucket seriesThe Nantucket series is a set of alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels focus on the island of Nantucket which was transported back in time to 1250 BC due to something called "The Event"...
- The Emberverse seriesThe Emberverse seriesEmberverse, or Change World, is a series of post-apocalyptic alternate history novels written by S. M. Stirling. The novels depict the events following "The Change", which caused electricity, guns, explosives, internal combustion engines, and steam power to stop working...
- A Time OdysseyA Time OdysseyA Time Odyssey is a series of novels co-written by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. , the series consists of:*Vol. 1 – Time's Eye *Vol. 2 – Sunstorm *Vol...