Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond: Alternate History Stories

Volume 95 #8: Nominate the Best of 2020

Previous / Nextby Bjorn HassellerEach year our readers select the best story of the year. Here are the Grantville Gazette stories published in 2020.Please send your vote to waltboyes@1632.org, bjorn@1632.org or post in the comments. Thank you!Grantville Gazette 87A Long-Awaited Proposal by Terry HowardDon’t Feed Me People Food by Terry HowardRed Makes Friends by Mark […]

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Volume 95 #7: Hot Off Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press!

Previous / Nextby Walt BoyesThis month we are bringing out Cheryl Brin’s (yes, that Brin) first novel, “The Melody of Memory.”Melody of Memory For centuries the colonists of Tyra suffered unexplained cycles of collapse and dark ages. Now, just as civilization seems to be clawing its way back, is that curse repeating, yet again?Aya Voss […]

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Volume 95 #6: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Science Will Save Us

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschExactly one year ago, in April of 2020, I wrote in this column:Science will save us. And volunteers will (are) risking their lives to test these drugs and vaccines. And some of these folks will be unnamed in the history books, and that’s too bad. Because they’re on the front […]

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Volume 95 #3: The Heights of Beverwijk: The Miller’s Daughter

Previous / Nextby Kerryn OffordFrost Agricultural Services Ltd., the House on Greys Run, GrantvilleSeptember, 1634Egon Rohfritsch made his way carefully from the kitchen to the desk with the typewriter. He put his mug of coffee down on a heat mat before gently lowering the plate with his still-steaming apricot Danish pastry to the scribble-pad beside […]

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Volume 95 #2: Letting Grace

Previous / Nextby Natalie SilkDora slept lightly in spite of the long and tiring day. She stirred in bed. Her instincts were always attuned to her children and their sounds. As usual her husband, Danel, was deep in sleep. She listened over her husband’s snoring and heard Deborah whispering, “I miss you too.”Dora threw the […]

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Volume 95 #1: One to a Customer

Previous / NextGrantvilleOctober, 1636“That’s the kind of mistake that tends to come one to a customer,” Rob Clark commented. Tom Quiney’s The Invisible Bishop, as performed by Massinger’s men, had caused a considerable amount of controversy among the parishioners of St. Alfred’s Episcopal church.“Imprudent, at least.” That was Gillian, the young English jeweler who had come […]

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Volume 94 #10: Sock it To Me

Previous by Arnold wasn’t divorced because of his sock-lost-in-the-dryer humor. At least, Tina hadn’t left him solely (ahem) on account of that specific gag. The argument could be made, however, that his quips collectively did the trick. And within Arnold’s oeuvre, the oft-repeated dryer remark must certainly have ranked high. . . .“Well, I think it’s funny,” Arnold told […]

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Volume 94 #9: Shivering Cinderella

Previous / Nextby Gustavo BondoniNatalie cursed. Whoever had coined the truism that if you felt the cold through your spacesuit you were already dead had never spent any time in a Volov 17. The designers had had decades to perfect a suit cheap enough that even people on the nascent asteroid colonies could afford them, […]

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Volume 94 #7: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Old SF Roadshow

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschThis past month, I wrote a novel in my Spade/Paladin universe. The stories are mysteries, set at science fiction conventions. As the conventions became more acrimonious, ‘long about 2015, my willingness to write more Spade/Paladin slowed down. I hated getting criticized by people of every political persuasion for something I […]

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Volume 94 #6: Propane, Butane, and Natural Gas in the 1632 Universe

Previous / Nextby Iver P. CooperIntroductionNatural gas and its components are important fuels in post-Ring of Fire Grantville. They also have other utilities. In this article, we will try to better characterize Grantville’s natural gas resource and the means by which propane and butane might be extracted from it and put to use.PropanePropane’s most glamorous […]

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Volume 94 #5: A Puritan Voice, Part 9

Previous by Michael Lockwood“Gut Tag, Herr Knapp, and Herr Culloden.”Nicholas and Baird turned from their examination of a merchant’s wares and saw an unremarkable man standing patiently behind them. He was notable for his plainness. He could have been from any part of Europe, though the shape of his face hinted at eastern European, maybe […]

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Volume 94 #4: The Kreutzer

Previous / Nextby George GrantFreeman Barnes finished splitting the firewood he had brought out of the woods. He switched off the log splitter, then stacked the split wood in the shelter. Freeman brushed the wood debris off his pants. He was very late finishing the coming winter’s preparations, but felt there was finally enough firewood.Freeman […]

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Volume 94 #3: Lady Wroth and the Revolution

Previous / Nextby Sarah IovanLoughton Hall, KentApril, 1634Mary Sidney, Lady Wroth, crossed the wide, soft carpets of the library at Loughton Hall. She stood over the desk and brooded at her unfinished manuscript. Today it would not get the best of her. Today she would write. The light was good, but she crossed to adjust […]

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Volume 94 #2: The First Step

Previous / Nextby Sean LittleTexel IslandAugust, 1633“My ship. My first ship.” Those words filled Michiel Adriaenszoon’s thoughts as the crew heaved at their oars, and the boat bounced along on the slight waves.It had all happened so suddenly. Only a few days ago, he was a steersman, the first mate of the Northern Company whaler Groene […]

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Volume 94 #1: Faith with Heretics

Previous / Nextby Virginia DeMarceHeldrungen, Sommersburg County, SoTFSummer-Fall, 1636The older boy sat quietly on the stone bench in the chapel vestibule at the Wasserburg, the moated castle, in Heldrungen. His brother, three or four years younger, newly breeched, wriggled, wiggled, squirmed, and wriggled some more.Gottfried Pinckert, attorney, looked at Hans Appelt, the Dorfschulze, and the two pastors, […]

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Grantville Gazette #094

NextTable of Contents1. Faith with Heretics by Virginia DeMarce2. The First Step by Sean Little3. Lady Wroth and the Revolution by Sarah Iovan4. The Kreutzer by George Grant5. A Puritan Voice, Part 9 by Michael Lockwood6. Propane, Butane, and Natural Gas in the 1632 Universe by Iver P. Cooper7. Notes from The Buffer Zone: Old […]

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Volume 96 #8: Though the Night Be Long

Previous / Nextby J. Kenton PierceNarinder Singh’s feet ached terribly in the bitter cold. Each shuffling step across the frozen ground and packed ashfall drove the cold deeper into his feet, like a dull blade being dragged slowly along the bones. He shambled down the remnants of a path the elements had obliterated. Before the […]

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Volume 96 #7: Time Spike: The First Cavalry of the Cretaceous, Part 8: The Righteous and the Wicked

Previous / Nextby Garrett W. VanceThe Stone Wall Village battlefieldThe riders of The First Cavalry of the Cretaceous sang songs of victory as they harassed the enemy’s pikemen, dodging between their long lances, sowing chaos among their broken ranks. Lieutenant Tohbi-Oka’ grinned at the sight from the back of his sturdy mesa cayuse, but his […]

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Volume 96 #6: Hot off Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press!

Previous / Nextby Walt BoyesHot Off the Ring of Fire PressWe continue to publish a book a week, usually dropping on Thursday, so make sure you check.Here are the current and upcoming releases:New ReleasesPAINTED CATSBy NEAL F. LITHERLANDLeo is the toughest alley cat around, but he’s got some soft spots. One is for an ex-flame […]

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Volume 96 #5: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Stepping Into an Uncertain Future

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschI’m tempted to buy a book on the aftermath of the 1918 flu pandemic. I’ve been tempted to buy this (as yet unknown) book for some time now.Because of my interest in history, I know how pandemics end. Slowly and with great unevenness. I truly did not expect the U.S.’s […]

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Volume 96 #4: Tethered Balloons and Kites in the 1632 Universe, Part 2

Previous / Nextby Iver P. CooperIn part 1, we considered a variety of operational issues for tethered balloons and kites. Here, we will consider the strength and weight of tether materials available in the 1632 universe, possible tethering systems, and how to size the tethers for a particular balloon type and size. We will also […]

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Volume 96 #3: Mrs. Flannery’s Flowers, Part 2: Flowers and Fashion

Previous / Nextby Bethanne KimFirst Sunday in Advent, 1631After Mass, Irene Flannery walked over to Krystal and looked her up and down, sniffing in disdain. “I thought your mother at least taught you how to dress appropriately for Mass, young lady.”Caught off guard, Krystal had to bite back an angry reply. “Mrs. Flannery, you know […]

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Volume 96 #1: Contra Servitutem

Previous / Nextby Walt BoyesDouai, FlandersMay 10, 1636Diogo screamed in the darkness. The dream had come again.“Diogo, are you alright?” Flint scraped and a candle flared, casting light and shadow in the dormitory room.“I, I, I had the dream again, Symao!” Diogo shuddered, arms wrapped around his chest, sitting up in his narrow bed.The door […]

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Volume 96 #2: Cassini Takes First

Previous / NextClick here for links to all parts of the Cassini story. “He speaks in your voice, American, and there’s a shine in his eye that’s halfway hopeful.”–Don Delillo, UnderworldGrantville Mountaineers’ Little League TryoutsJuly 7, 1636An assistant coach for the Grantville Mountaineers sent a pop fly into the outfield. It was a soft, shallow hit […]

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Volume 93 #9: A Matter of Choice

A Matter of ChoicePrevious / Nextby Eric Flint“This may be illegal, Jack—and I’m damn sure it’s immoral and ill-advised.” Kevin Gallo scowled at the large screen on the wall of Jack Kensington’s laboratory. The image being displayed was a depiction of the gene splicing Jack proposed to do.“Illegal? That gets complicated, especially when you’ve got […]

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Volume 93 #10: Adrift in Space-Time

Adrift in Space-TimePrevious by Edward M. LernerWhat has gone before . . .In “On the Shoals of Space-Time” (Grantville Gazette 91, September, 2020), the starship Greater Good, after a near-catastrophic accident, limps at sub-light velocity to a nearby solar system. Its few survivors (four crew, all Doltan) and three passengers (one Doltan, two Vol’taki) are:—LARROK, the lone engineer, […]

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Volume 93 #8: Hot Off Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press!

Hot Off Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press!Previous / Nextby Walt BoyesThe best news for the new year is that Ring of Fire Press is now publishing a book a week, so we have lots of stuff to tell you about:The Portals of SpringThe Portals of Springby Nathan DodgeDavin Blackthorn, the scion of a powerful […]

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Volume 93 #7: Notes from The Buffer Zone: Heroic Lazy Sods

Previous / Nextby Kristine Kathryn RuschThe German government has produced a series of amusing Public Service Announcements about Covid-19. (Yes, you saw that. I used “amusing” and “Covid-19” in the same sentence.)The videos resemble those videos that documentarians put together with interviews from survivors of some great tragedy. The older person reminisces, and some actor […]

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Volume 93 #6: Life at Sea in the Old and New Time Lines Part 6: Lest You Drown

Life at Sea Part 6: Lest You DrownPrevious / Nextby Iver P. CooperOn Aug. 31, 1773, Samuel Johnson said, “No man will be a sailor who has contrivance enough to get himself into a jail; for being in a ship is being in a jail, with the chance of being drowned.” In 1765, Wilkinson claimed […]

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Volume 93 #4: A Puritan Voice, Part 8

A Puritan Voice, Part 8Previous / Nextby Michael LockwoodChapter 8: GrantvilleThis entire trip had been a waste. Nicholas had come to Grantville looking for answers. Instead, he found only more questions. Instead of solidifying his faith, the sand that it was built upon was being washed away. The waves of doubt those questions raised eroded […]

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Volume 93 #3: I Have a Proposal for You

I Have a Proposal for YouPrevious / Nextby Georgios IconomouPalazzo Contarini dal Zaffo, Venice Late Summer, 1634 Alvise Contarini stood at the open window as the welcome breeze stirred his sweat-damp hair, releasing some of the long day’s tension and driving the heat away. Lost in his thoughts, he let a few moments slip by before he […]

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Volume 93 #2: Cassini at the Plate

Previous / NextClick here for links to all parts of the Cassini story. by Robert E. WatersHiggins Hotel Dining Room, GrantvilleJuly 4, 1636 (The Day of Departure)Eleven-year-old Giovanni Domenico Cassini sat across from his uncle while picking at the small pile of freshly-scrambled eggs and two slices of bacon slick with grease. He wasn’t very hungry. […]

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Volume 93 #1: Giants in the Earth

Previous / Nextby Virginia DeMarceSömmerda, SoTFSpring, 1636“Hans, can you come over here?”Hans Bechstein frowned. Slowing down production in the travertine quarries was not smiled upon by the foremen. They were taking stone out of the Steinrinne here at Bilzingsleben much faster than they had ten years before. The Ring of Fire had been good to the local […]

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Volume 92 #9: Marooned in Space-Time

Marooned in ServersPreviousBy Edward M. Lerner“Are you getting this?”Or so Liam Peterson might have heard. He wasn’t one to spend a mind-numbing shift rearranging cargo in silence—nor to endure the endless droning “news” adrift in the short passageway from Andy‘s compact bridge.And yet, there was something compelling about that maybe-heard question. He removed an ear bud. As the […]

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Volume 92 #8: Hot Off the Ring of Fire Press!

Hot Off Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press!Previous / Nextby Walt BoyesWhoo! Like Mickey Rooney and Judy Garland, we found a barn and put on a show. To celebrate the Twentieth Anniversary of 1632, we put on a vastly enlarged version of our normal “Minicon” with some serious author guests and over fifty panels in a virtual […]

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