Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond: Alternate History Stories

Special Issue 2 #11: The View from Nakatomi Tower

Previous The View from Nakatomi TowerWalt Boyes and Bjorn Hasseler December 24, 1635The last strains of the soundtrack played, and the credits rolled. The very old, squeaky VHS tape cassette managed to make it through another showing. Out in the auditorium, first the up-timers in the audience started to cheer, then the slightly more reserved […]

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Special Issue 2 #10: Sad Spectacles of Deceitful Iniquity at Christmastime

Previous / Next Sad Spectacles of Deceitful Iniquity at ChristmastimeEric Flint and Lucille RobbinsNuremberg Nadler’s Apothecary November 21, 1637Hearing the bell on the door of his apothecary ring, Ulrich Nadler came out of the workroom to see who had entered. He was still working the pestle in the mortar because the concoction he was making […]

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Special Issue 2 #9: One Night Only

Previous / Next One Night OnlyMichael LockwoodMagdeburg Opera House December 24, 1635Gunther Wagner nervously popped his knuckles as he paced behind a dropped curtain. On the other side of the curtain, a mindless buzz droned from the audience as they made their way to their seats. He pulled the curtain open just enough to catch […]

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Special Issue 2 #8: A Christmas Stollen

Previous / NextA Christmas StollenEdith WildGrantville High School 1636The bell rang as Amalia skidded into the locker room. She rushed over to her assigned locker. She quickly undid her padlock, opened her locker, pulled out her PE uniform and sneakers. Amalia placed them on the bench that ran between the rows of lockers. It amused […]

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Special Issue 2 #5: No Proper Carol

Previous / Next No Proper Carol Sarah HaysNovember 29, 1638“Mama,” Marty Haag Ballantine said. “Have you ever heard the song about the herd of haunted cattle?”Alyse Ballantine, surprised at the breakfast table, asked, ” ‘Ghost Riders in the Sky’?”He nodded.“Sure,” Alyse said. “I like Roy Clark’s instrumental best, but my favorite singer for that song […]

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Special Issue 2 #4: Christmas at the Schickelmans

Previous / Next Christmas at the SchickelmansJohn Deakins1637The misplaced Pequot/Englishman Eliezer St. Clair had homesteaded as a blacksmith on a creek short of West Point. The Dutch patroon Kiliaen van Rensselaer had given his family more than a dozen acres on the river’s north side.Gerhard Schickelman and his wife Anke Janssen had acquired trade goods […]

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Special Issue 2 #3: At Christmas Time

Previous / Next At Christmas TimeMark HustonBased on the Anton Chekov story“What shall I write, old woman?”“A letter to my daughter. And her husband,” replied Hilde. They were sitting in the smoky common room of the village inn. “For Christmas,” she added with a stiff nod to the young man who sat across from her. […]

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Special Issue 2 #2: The Gift

Previous / Next The GiftChuck ThompsonGrantville December, 1636Most mornings, before rising, Inez Wiley liked to warm her brain by going over her plans for the next few days. She had gotten halfway through tomorrow when a sound interrupted her thoughts. Skritch skritch. Skritch skritch. “Better be that tabby alley cat scratching at my door and […]

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Special Issue 2 #1: Grantville’s Secret Santa

Previous / NextGrantville’s Secret SantaJackie Britton Lopatin“Oh, I remember my first Grantville Christmas.” The elderly woman spoke to her large audience from the podium. “It was amazing.”“I had recently started working part-time at the newspaper office so I was able to earn some rent money while learning more about journalism. The year was 1634, and […]

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1632 & Beyond Special Issue 002

Welcome to our Special Issue #2, Christmas 2024. We hope you enjoy it!NextIntroduction and Table of ContentsBjorn HasselerIntroductionMagdeburg Messenger (1632 Fiction)1. Grantville’s Secret Santa Jackie Britton Lopatin2. The Gift Chuck Thompson3. At Christmas Time Mark Huston4. Christmas at the Schickelmans John Deakins5. No Proper Carol Sarah Hays6. Santa’s Lapp George Haberberger7. Natala Iver P. Cooper8. […]

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Special Issue 1 #8: Nobody’s Going Home

Previous / Next Nobody’s Going HomeVirginia DeMarceAmberg, Upper Palatinate December, 1636“I didn’t expect that I wouldn’t be able to go home for Christmas this year.” Madeline Clinter pouted, half-serious and half-not-so-serious. “The way things have turned out, we’d have been better off if they’d left the normal school in Grantville.”“Nope.” Lizzy Reardon leaned back and […]

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Special Issue 1 #6: The Glad Game

Previous / Next The Glad GameBethanne KimCroat Raid, Grantville August, 1632Adam Holst fought to keep his horse under control. At twenty-four, Adam fancied himself hardened to battles and their aftermath, but his horse was a different story. Storm just didn’t have the instincts, or personality, of a war horse in spite of his impressive strength […]

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Special Issue 1 #5: A Christmas for Kjell

Previous / NextA Christmas for KjellGeorge GrantAllgutsrum Kyrka, Allgutsrum, Öland, Sweden December 13, 1632, Julian Calendar (December 24, Gregorian Calendar) The Winter SolsticeHindric Carlsson could see that his sister, Gertrud, was nervous about the lit candles on her head. She was playing Saint Lucia in the procession, so she was wearing a white dress with […]

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Special Issue 1 #4: A Weimaraner Christmas

Previous / NextA Weimaraner ChrismasWalt BoyesWeimar End of November, 1638Adolph Graube, jagdmeister to Duke Albrecht of Weimar, looked up as someone came into his tiny office in the stables. It was his former boss, Gerhard Schmidt. There was barely enough space in the office for a table and a chair, so Adolph rose, grasped Gerhard’s […]

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Special Issue 1 #3: The Gift of the Puppet

Previous / NextThe Gift of the PuppetTracy S. MorrisDenis paused mid-step as he walked through the door of the apartment that he shared with Betsy above her mother’s garage.It looked like the North Pole exploded across their tiny home. Bits of tinsel, wrapping paper, and ornaments lay scattered across the floor like fallen leaves.On the […]

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Special Issue 1 #2: It’s Tradition

Previous / Next It’s TraditionAnne KeenerGrantville December, 1633Joseph Kantor sank into his chair as his homeroom teacher started talking about holiday traditions, presentations, and a class party. She means a Christmas party, he thought. I wonder if I can leave school early that day. Otherwise, I’ll have to decide if it is better to participate […]

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