Welcome to our May 2026 issue. We hope you enjoy it!
Table of Contents
Introduction and Editor’s Notes Bjorn Hasseler
Magdeburg Messenger (fiction)
1. Ride for the Outfit Sarah R. Hays
2. Have Rosary, Will Travel Iver P. Cooper
3. At the Mouth of the Mekong Garrett W. Vance
4. The Breitenfeld Extraction David Hankins
5. Alice’s Place Bethanne Kim
State Library Papers (Non-fiction)
6. The North Atlantic Net Jack Carroll
7. Bang Versus Twang in North America John Deakins
Editor’s Introduction
Issue 17’s theme is Travel. It might be for business or pleasure, away from danger or toward it.
If you’ve read Sarah Hays’ stories about Alyse Ballentine, you may remember an incident in Pomerania when Alyse went after stolen horses. “Ride For The Outfit” is that story. It takes place after “For Want Of A Nail” (Grantville Gazette 59), during “WWJD Is Not The Right Question” (Grantville Gazette 74), and earlier than “Before The Barbed Wire’s Strung” (Grantville Gazette 91) and “One Woman’s Treasure (Grantville Gazette 98).
“Have Rosary, Will Travel” is Iver P. Cooper’s story about a professional pilgrim. Yes, that was a real job.
Garrett W. Vance’s Japanese characters living in southeast Asia have been favorites since he first introduced them. Now, they are “At The Mouth Of The Mekong.”
“The Breitenfeld Extraction” is David Hankins’ third story. Dominick and Hildegard embark on a high-stakes rescue mission.
Alice Blower was a midwife in New England. In the new timeline, she journeys to Grantville.
The State Library Papers
(1632 Non-Fiction)
Sometimes you want to communicate before you travel—or communicate instead of having to travel. Every book set in the Americas to date turns on communication or the lack thereof. Jack Carroll looks at the details of how some of this happens in “The North Atlantic Net.”
When traveling, you should know what to expect. John Deakins explains why Native Americans might choose a different instrument of defense in “Bang Versus Twang In North America.”
