Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond: Alternate History Stories

Volume 12 #17: Aircraft in the 1632 Universe

Previous Aircraft in the 1632 UniverseWritten by Gorg HuffThe essence of the Ring of Fire was the knowledge, ideas and information that it provided to the Early Modern period. Perhaps the least predictable aspect of the Ring of Fire was the order of inventing. In our own history the railroad (1804) came a century before the […]

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Volume 12 #16: My Name is Legion

Previous / NextMy Name is Legion:Copying the Books of GrantvilleWritten by Iver P. CooperNo down-time visitor can fail to be amazed by the libraries of Grantville. In 1633, Maestro Giacomo Carissimi, writes that the high school has “a library that seems to come out of long-forgotten myths. A fabulous place for the number and for the […]

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Volume 12 #15: Flying the Virtual Skies

Previous / Next Flying the Virtual Skies:A Brief History and 1632 Perspective on Flight SimulationWritten by Sean MasseyFor almost as long as there has been flight, there have been simulators to assist in training would-be pilots in the art of flying. They have evolved from primitive mechanical trainers to electronic cockpits.With Grantville leading the creation of […]

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Volume 12 #14: Grantville Police Department

Previous / Next Grantville Police DepartmentWritten by John ZeekIn 2000, the Grantville Police Department was a typical small town police department. It consisted of a chief and five patrolmen, and a sworn juvenile officer. A study of the books 1632 and 1633 and a visit to the Grid reveals their names and ages.Police:Dan Frost (47; chief of police)Ralph Onofrio, Jr. […]

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Volume 12 #13: So You Want to Build the Internet

Previous / Next So You Want to Build the Internet:IP Communicatons in 1633Written by Charles PraelThe internet, as we all know, is a complex beast. It depends on a wide variety of technologies to deliver a wide variety of information over a large number of different computing devices. So, how feasible is it to build an […]

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Volume 12 #12: Stretching Out, Part Two

Previous / Next Stretching Out, Part Two, Amazon AdventureWritten by Iver P. CooperBelem do Para, Estado do Maranhão (northern Brazil), Late 1632Like an arrow falling from heaven, the cormorant plunged into the waters of the Para. For a few seconds it was lost from sight. Then it emerged triumphantly, a fish in its mouth. Two gulls […]

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Volume 12 #11: Letters from France

Previous / NextLetters From FranceWritten by Kerryn OffordJena , Winter 1631-32Henri Beaubriand-Lévesque watched the strange vehicle drive past. It was one of the up-timer horseless carriages everyone called an “APC.” It was simply enormous, and noisy. Henri concentrated on absorbing all the details of the machine so he could draw it later.The vehicle had all but […]

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Volume 12 #10: Through a Glass, Darkly

Previous / Next Through A Glass, DarklyWritten by David CarricoMagdeburgMarch 1635Lieutenant Byron Chieske dropped into the visitor’s chair in Captain Bill Reilly’s office with a grunt. Reilly looked up from his paperwork with his eyebrows raised in a mild question. “The day that bad?”“No, just long. We had to bring Annie Grimmigwald in on assault charges.”“Old […]

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Volume 12 #9: Domestic Violence

Previous / Next Domestic ViolenceWritten by John ZeekJürgen Neubert was not a happy man. His promotion to patrolman first class at the end of last year had just added to his responsibilities. Now the grass was turning green and the flowers were starting to bloom and here he was, stuck in the office doing paper work. […]

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Volume 12 #7: Mrs. December, 1636

Previous / NextMrs. December, 1636Written by Chet GottfriedJustus Corneliszoon van Liede’s smile was all teeth. Big teeth. Broad teeth. Dazzling teeth. Many men would have wanted to punch in his teeth at first sight. Many women would have been tempted to do the same. Flo Richards was different.“Have another piece of cake, Herr van Liede.” She […]

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Volume 12 #6: Thunder in the Mountains

Previous / Next Thunder in the MountainsWritten by Richard EvansBern , Swiss Confederacy, Midwinter, 1634The Inn of the Sleeping Mule“Thomas, are you sure this’ll work? Those illustrated magazines of yours may have been explicit enough for you, but I’ve never seen a cannon with two open ends before. How does it fire and what are we […]

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Volume 12 #5: The Price of Dumplings

Previous / Next The Price of DumplingsWritten by Terry Howard“Hey, John Ose, which one of these birds is the scrawniest?” Arch Pennock asked, eying the chickens.Janos Tamas stopped what he was doing and looked up from his place inside the open air market stall. Behind him were crates of live chickens. In front of him were […]

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Volume 12 #4: One Step Toward the Clouds

Previous / NextOne Step Toward the CloudsWritten by Sean MasseyHans Richter FieldNear GrantvilleDecember 1633Marie Moritz concentrated hard as she lined her plane up for final approach. The drone of the engines poured from the speakers next to the monitor as she fought a thirty mile-per-hour crosswind within a simulated Cessna. Although she routinely flew flights like […]

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Volume 12 #3: The Monster

Previous / NextThe MonsterWritten by Gorg Huff and Paula GoodlettThe Eagle FliesMagdalena van de Passe stood outside the building and stared. She paid not the slightest attention to what was going on around her; she had eyes only for the plane that was flying overhead. She had seen airplanes on TV, but she had seen dragons […]

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Volume 12 #2: Birdwatching

Previous / Next BirdwatchingWritten by Garrett W. VancePreludeThe flash was so bright it pierced her closed eyelids, waking her from her nap. A thunderclap followed, Pam Miller felt the deep vibration even in bed. Spring storm, maybe I’ll get up and watch the show. After a few minutes with no further drama offered by the April skies she […]

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Volume 12 #1: The Anaconda Project, Episode One

Previous / Next The Anaconda Project, Episode OneWritten by Eric FlintChapter 1. The Map“This is absurd,” said Morris Roth, as forcefully as he could. He had a bad feeling that wasn’t very forceful at all, given that he was wearing an absurd costume—he thought it was absurd, anyway, although it was just standard seventeenth century courtier’s […]

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1632 & Beyond Issue 10 #5: Here or There?

Previous / NextHere or There?Virginia DeMarceRegensburg, Upper Palatinate, USEMarch 1637“I liked Amberg better.” Paolo Fucilla stared nostalgically across the Danube toward the left bank.“Regensburg may grow on you.” Carlo Rugatti heaved a sigh.“It may grow something on us.” Paolo persisted in his gloom. “It’s a low-lying site, with a big river running through the middle. […]

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1632 & Beyond Issue 10 #4: Come Dig My Earth

Previous / NextAmalia & Maggie Stories“A Christmas Stollen” in 1632 & Beyond Special Christmas Issue #002“Leftovers” in Grantville Gazette #100“A Knight’s Tale— Therapies” in 1632 & Beyond Issue #004“Rites of Passage” in 1632 & Beyond Issue #008Come Dig My EarthBy Edith WildJimmy Wild’s Place, Grantville4:50 p.m., February 2, 1637Barbie flinched awake, trying to get her […]

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1632 & Beyond Issue 10 #3: Our Man Hiuchi

Previous / Next This story is part of a set of interconnected stories, the continuing saga of the Nihonmachi Japanese diaspora that began when they were driven from their enclave in Ayutthaya, Siam to Phnom Penh, Khmer, and which will eventually have them reach Grantville, USE. The first part of this episode is a direct […]

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1632 & Beyond Issue 10 #2: Driving Force

Previous / NextAlyse Ballantine Stories“For Want of a Nail” in Grantville Gazette #59“WWJD Is the Wrong Question” in Grantville Gazette #74“Before the Barbed Wire’s Strung” in Grantville Gazette #91“One Woman’s Treasures” in Grantville Gazette #98Driving ForceSarah HaysGrantvilleFebruary 1636Alyse Ballantine stopped suddenly. “‘Scuse me, miss. Are you all right?”She’d just bumped, black chaps, heavy linen shirt, […]

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1632 & Beyond Issue 10 #1: Grantville Gumshoe in the Pre-enactor Murder

Previous / Next Grantville Gumshoe in The Pre-enactor MurderTom Kidd1637Their lies no longer fool me: superheroes, flying cars, antigravity, matter transportation, human-like mechanical beings, space travel, Dick Tracy and his talking wrist-clock, the Worldwide Web of infinite knowledge—it’s all baloney. Their hyena grins and poison ivy handshakes itch at my suspicious mind. The up-timers claim […]

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Volume 11 #15: Adventures in Transportation

Previous Adventures in Transportation: An Examination of Drags, Carts, Wagons and Carriages Available in the 17th centuryWritten by Karen BergstralhThe intention of this piece is to acquaint the 1632 aficionados with the types of wheeled and non-wheeled land transport available for moving heavy and bulky items. Considering that the up-timers will have a variety of […]

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Volume 11 #14: Steam: Taming the Demon

Previous / Next Steam: Taming the DemonWritten by Kevin H. EvansDISCLAIMERThis article is not intended to provide all the information needed to design and build actual boilers. Many skills and cross checks are needed to ensure the safe design and construction of pressure vessels. This article is to promote the understanding of steam technology, and […]

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Volume 11 #12: Butterflies in the Kremlin Part Four

Previous / Next Butterflies in the Kremlin, Part FourWritten by Gorg Huff and Paula GoodlettYaroslavich Dacha, outside of MoscowA Dissertation on the Valueof Freedom and Security“Those that give up their freedom for a little temporary security deserve neither freedom or security and ultimately will lose both.” So goes an up-time quote. This humble writer doesn’t […]

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Volume 11 #11: Stretching Out, Part One: Second Starts

Previous / Next Stretching Out, Part One: Second StartsWritten by Iver P. CooperGrantville, May 2, 1632“Race time ten minutes,” blared the speaker. The murmur of the fairground crowd rose, and then subsided.“I can’t believe you talked me into this,” Maria Vorst said. Maria had come to Grantville with her brother Adolph, the curator of the […]

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Volume 11 #10: Trommler Records

Previous / Next Trommler RecordsWritten by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett“Just sign right there.” The blond man, Contz Beckenbauer, indicated the space for her signature and handed her the pen. “Right there, as I said. Then we’ll talk about what you will sing for the record.”Els hesitated a moment. She was just about to move […]

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Volume 11 #10: Wish Book

Previous / Next Wish BookWritten by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett“Gary Jordan!”Gary Jordan Burke flinched. He almost always flinched when Joyce got to screeching. It was an automatic response to her high-pitched, overly-loud voice. You’d think the woman thought everyone was deaf.“Gary Jordan!”“Yes, dear?”“Go downtown and get some more paper scrap. We’re nearly out.”“Yes, dear.” Gary […]

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Volume 11 #9: Bootstrapping

Previous / NextBootstrappingWritten by Kerryn OffordWinter 1631-32, JenaCatherine Mutschler made her way carefully through the winter mud. She was tired and listless after being kept up most of the night by Maria, her three-year-old daughter. She’d finally managed to settle Maria only by feeding her the last of the bread mixed with thin soup, but […]

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Volume 11 #8: Bathing with Coal

Previous / Next Bathing With CoalWritten by Russ RittgersFall, 1633“Barnabas Kitchner! Wake up! It’s Tuesday morning and you have to buy wood for the bathhouse fire.”The thirty-eight year-old man rolled over in bed and opened one eye. His wife, Margarete Lutsch, was already dressed and standing in the doorway with her hands on her hips.Tuesday. […]

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Volume 11 #7: O For a Muse of Fire

Previous / Next O For a Muse of FireWritten by Jay RobisonO for a muse of fire, that would ascendThe brightest heaven of invention!—Shakespeare, Henry VAndreas Gryphius, born Greif, waited outside the door to Amber Higham’s office. He knew he hadn’t done anything wrong, knew that that was not why the high school’s drama teacher wanted […]

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Volume 11 #6: The Treasure Hunters

Previous / Next The Treasure HuntersWritten by Karen BergstralhMarch, 2000The librarian stamped the book and handed it across the desk. “This is a grown-up book, Mikey. It came all the way from a library in Richmond and you can only have one renewal on it. It must be back by April sixteenth.”Michael Arthur Tyler grabbed the book […]

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Volume 11 #5: A Gift of Blankets

Previous / NextA Gift of BlanketsWritten by Kerryn Offord and Vincent ColjeeQuarantine House Alpha, Grantville, 1632“How do we feel today?” Katharina Anna Schrey asked Quarantine House Alpha’s most important patient.John Thompson Sims looked up from his sick bed. “Lousy!”Katharina smiled down at the elderly doctor. He’d been her friend and mentor since she started the […]

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Volume 11 #3: Azrael’s Bargain

Previous / Next Azrael’s BargainWritten by Terry HowardDownload this Podcast Episodehttp://www.grantvillegazette.com/img/pod/bargain.mp3“Hey, Jimmy. Why don’t I ever see you down at the rail yard anymore?” It was a cold winter night and Club 250 had its every-night regulars and as many more folks who weren’t. The young man talking to Jimmy Dick was one of the latter.Jimmy […]

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Volume 11 #2: Lessons in Astronomy

Previous / Next Lessons in AstronomyWritten by Peter Hobson“Your Eminence, I’m fluent in Latin, German and Italian. My French is passable. My Greek is a little weak and I’ve forgotten most of the smattering of Hebrew the seminary inflicted on me.” Father Scheiner knew he shouldn’t be taking that tone with a prince of the […]

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Volume 11 #1: Pilgrimage of Grace

Previous / NextPilgrimage of GraceWritten by Virginia DeMarce“They’re not taking what happened in Suhl last January out on Johnny Lee’s family because they can’t. His dad’s been dead for thirty years. His mother wasn’t from around here to start with and she moved back to Ohio after a while. Mary Fern–that’s his sister, you probably […]

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