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[[Category:1632-163x alternative-history series]]
[[Category:1632 series]]
[[Category:Novel sequences]]
[[Category:Novel sequences]]
[[Category:Eric Flint books]]
[[Category:Eric Flint books]]

Revision as of 17:52, 28 April 2006

The 1632 series, also known as the 1632-verse or Ring of Fire series, is an alternate history book series. The story describes the effect of transporting the small town of Grantville, West Virginia from the United States in the year 2000 to central Germany in the year 1631, the middle of the Thirty Years' War. The first work reached its climax in the year 1632 and so that novel was titled 1632 by author Eric Flint, who had written the work as a stand alone novel exploring a causal technique called "The Assiti Shards Effect" (or Event), not as a planned series first novel. But the public demanded more and through a new approach using the internet, Flint a historian and labor activist, let the public and other established authors shape the unplanned series milieu and so while he is the creator of this universe, and the author, or co-author of most of the prose while acting as editor for the rest, the series' rich background and development has a unique shape and multi-threaded set of mainline thread of narrative either now in print or in planning or production. This set of narrative views weaving together and crossing and recrossing the main thematic thread is another first due to the dedicated advisor-fans which has established its own website dedicated to the collaborative effort.

But the overall series is notable for including the work of many other writers, allowing plots to spin off in a variety of directions, rather than being restricted by the interests and knowledge of the original author.

1632 launches a new era in writing

1632, the first novel in a complex series now numbering ten works, is a thought-provoking, educational, and extremely successful upbeat science fiction alternative-history novel, originally available only as a paperback written by Eric Flint, which has spawned worldwide interest and an almost cult-like following in less than four years. While initially not a best seller, it has far eclipsed many such works in sustained sales as it continues in print and sales. Originally intended to be a single story, the novel is now the first of an open-ended series wherein there are at least five books under advanced contract beyond the seven books already published in print media (over half available in pricey hard cover editions), plus an additional three related ebooks that are likely to follow later in print, and the popularity of the series continues to grow by word of mouth. It is likely that the seven book series is establishing a new publishing record for sales and growth as is inferable from the simply astonishing rate of progression and development in the short time since the first book was released in November of 2000— seven books in print in five (four) years or less would be remarkable for half as many releases.

This explosive rate of growth is likely fueled by two extraordinary factors:

  1. Alternate history novels set in the past do not read like hard science fiction, but instead share settings with more in common to classics and mainline novels, thus appeal to a wider readership.
  2. Conceived as a stand-alone novel published about the same time Baen Books launched an author to fan forum (Baen's Bar), the buzz thereon among Sci-Fi fans, quickly lead to discussions of likely subsequent events. These in turn removed the burden upon Flint to research the likely outcome and limiting circumstances within the timeframe. This in turn lead to the author to invite other authors to 'play in his milieu', and most unusually, to help define it; The initial result is the novel 1633 co-written with best selling author David Weber and the anthology Ring of Fire of which all material within was written in the same time period and modified to be consistent across all the storylines within both. Thus each helped shape the other and matured the early development of the milieu.

Such milieu visiting efforts are usually side stories careful to not complicate the main storyline of the hosting author. Flint, who likes to co-write, decided to take the uniquely bold step of inviting not only other authors but his fans to participate. This resulted in the explosive synergy resulting in 10 book length works (ebooks included) in less than four years published before April 2006. With a firmly established and outlined milieu, the storyline expanded into many threads as change ripples out from Grantvilles influence like wavelets from a stone. This rich interwoven complexity is perhaps the heart of the reason 1632 succeeded in garnering so much attention, and it's continuation (like real history) is readily appreciated by considering the series promises no less than five novels set in the year 1634 alone.

Added to this rich promise, is the canvas of short stories that have developed under the benevolently generous editorship of Flint, anthologies collected (again uniquely) as integral parts of the milieu development, bricks in it's growing wall and involving a wondrous in depth look at the milieu from the viewpoint of Flint's interesting but complex minor characters with thought provoking points of view of their own from movers and shakers of the main storyline (i.e. the Novels). Flint has promised that some of these will grow into major characters (promoted!) in their own right in follow on novels. The resultant body of work, is beyond the scope of a single man, and engaging enough to be called enchanting. How could it be otherwise in a diverse plotline with the Spanish Inquisitors chasing 'witches' for it's infamous inquisition. It was first published in New York by Baen Books in 2001 with ISBN 0671319728 . The full text of the novel is available from the Baen Free Library (see below).

Thus far, Baen Books has published the series.

Works in the series

Published works

  • Novel: 1632 (2000)
  • Novel: 1633 (2002) with David Weber
    • includes material initiating the British Isles spinoff
  • Anthology: Ring of Fire (Jan. 2004)
    • includes the The Wallenstein Gambit with Mike Spehar which begins the Eastern Europe spinoff
    • Unlike most anthologies, this one is considered to be part of the official canon of the 1632 universe. Events which occur in the anthology have a direct impact on future books. Skipping the anthology creates gaps in the story line. The is particularly true in understanding the origins of the Navy in the second novel 1633.
  • Novel: 1634: The Galileo Affair (April 2004) with Andrew Dennis, begins the Italian-French spinoff

The Grantville Gazette

The Gazette is a semi-pro SF magazine featuring fan fiction and non-fiction edited by Eric Flint and a volunteer editorial board. It is also published by Baen. Initial publication is in electronic form at Webscription.net, but a mass market paper edition of the first issue was published as an experiment in November of 2004. The first printing sold out, and early results were good enough that the second issue is also slated for a paper edition in March 2006.

  • Grantville Gazette Issue 1 (Electronic edition Nov. 2003, paper edition November 2004)
  • Grantville Gazette Issue 2 (Electronic edition Mar. 2004, hardcover paper edition March 2006 )
  • Grantville Gazette Issue 3 (Electronic edition October 2004 )
  • Grantville Gazette Issue 4 (Electronic edition mid-April 2005 )
  • Grantville Gazette Issue 5 (Electronic edition June/July 2005)
  • Grantville Gazette Issue 6 (Electronic edition March 2006 )
  • Grantville Gazette Issue 7 (Electronic edition April 2006 )

Planned works

As of March 31st, 2006, the following books are projected to be published:

  • Anthology: Ring of Fire II
  • Various Grantville Gazettes, the serialized eMagazines which are later published as eBooks and later yet (conditionally) released into standard print as anthologies. These stories are considered canon for the development of all later works in the series as soon as they are published in any form: Grantville Gazette (publication guaranteed at least through issue 10, as of Issue 7, the serialized eMagazine format will be abandoned, and editorship is being assumed by assistant editor Paula Goodlett. eBook releases for Grantville Gazette III and Grantville Gazette IV are in production, and Grantville Gazette II was released in March 2006 as a hardcover.)
  • Undisclosed titles with Mike Spehar and Andrew Dennis
  • Main narrative thread
    • Novel: 1634: The Baltic War with David Weber (the direct sequel to 1633), will likely include material once concieved for the (abandoned working) title 1634: Escape from the Tower.
    • Novel: 1635: The Eastern Front (the direct sequel to 1634: The Baltic War)
  • British Isles thread
    • Cancelled novel: 1634: Escape from the Tower will likely be merged into main narrative thread novel 1634: The Baltic War
    • Novel: 1635: Julie's Curse, extends the 'British Isles' spinoff from material in 1633
  • Central Europe thread
    • Novel: 1634: The Bavarian Crisis with Virginia DeMarce, begins the 'Central Europe' thread
    • Novel: 1635: The Dreeson Incident (working title, with Virginia DeMarce, continuation of 1634:The Bavarian Crisis)
    • Anthology: 1634: The Ram Rebellion with Virginia DeMarce, Paula Goodlett and a number of Grantville Gazette authors.
    • Anthology: 1635: The Torturer of Fulda
  • French-Italian thread
    • Novel: 1635: The Pope Must Die (working title, continuation of the 'French-Italian' thread)
  • Eastern Europe thread
    • Novel: 1635: The King of Bohemia with Mike Spehar, continuation of the Wallenstain Gambit 'Eastern Europe' thread
    • A Hillbilly in Czar Mikhail’s Court (working title)

The story

Template:Spoiler

History connections

Historical characters

Alphabetical list (by surname) of real historical characters that appeared in the 1632verse. Pictures and Authors annoted comments can be reached by this link.

Historical places

Alphabetical list of real historical places that appeared in the 1632 verse.

Historical events and organizations

Alphabetical list of real historical events that are mentioned in the 1632 verse.

  • Catholic League was a confederation of Catholic German states formed in order to counteract the Protestant Union. Tension between these two groups would eventually ignite into the first phase of the Thirty Years War.
  • Edict of Restitution from 1629 was Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor’s attempt to restore the religious and territorial settlement after the Peace of Augsburg (1555). The "Ecclesiastical Reservation" forbade the secularization of Catholic land (i.e. being converted to some form of Protestant belief) after 1555. However, during the decades of weak emperors, princes had secularized Catholic land simply because it was so valuable and they had got away with it as no emperor was powerful enough to enforce the "Ecclesiastical Reservation".
  • Protestant Union or Evangelical Union was a coalition of Protestant German states that formed in the 1600s. Tensions between Protestants and Catholics in Germany escalated, leading to the outbreak of the Thirty Years' War.
  • Thirty Years' War was a conflict fought between the years 1618 and 1648, principally in the Central European territory of the Holy Roman Empire, but also involving most of the major continental powers. It occurred for a number of reasons. Although it was from its outset a religious conflict between Protestants and Catholics, the self-preservation of the Habsburg dynasty was also a central motive. 163x: the TYW is changed by the arrival of uptimers and strengthening of Sweden.

Fiction

Fictional characters

Alphabetical list (by surname) of fictional historical characters that appeared in the 1632 verse.

  • Mike Stearns, president of USE
  • Rebecca Stearns, nee' Abrabanel, wife of Mike Stearns, daughter of Balthazar Abrabanel. Former National Security Adviser, the sole Senator of the United States, as of 1633 Is currently under siege in Amsterdam.

Fictional places

Alphabetical list of fictional places that appeared in the 1632 verse.

  • Grantville,
The key setting, a small town that travelled in time within a circular region about 6—7 miles in diameter within which are a coal mine, some railways, and a coal fired power plant. Based on real city of Mannington, West Virginia and it's nearby power station. Flint sets the power station and Grantville near a tributary river feeding the Saale.
  • Badenburg,
A nearby walled town near the East Bank of the Thuringian Saale river. It was defended by Grantville's population during the 'second military encounter', but first major war action. Badenburg is located at center in the triangle formed by the actual municipalities of Arnstadt, Saalfeld, and Jena, and became the second town to enter the new (fictional) USE, the United States of Europe.

Fictional events

Neohistorical in this and related Wikipedia documents is term for the altered history from the Ring of Fire Event (RoFE) as it unfolds after the Assiti shards caused the Ring of Fire, and Grantville arrived in the year 1631.


Acronyms for 1632-verse politics:

CPE  - Confederated Principalities of Europe (1632-November 1633) 1
USE  - United States of Europe (November 1633-indefinite future)
NUS  - New United States (1631-January 1634)
SoT  - State of Thuringia (January-April 1634)
SoTF - State of Thuringia-Franconia (April 1634-indefinite future)
RoF  - politically, the circle of territory transferred down-time from West Virginia
GV   - Grantville, within the RoF and early un

Alphabetically Sorted Neohistorical Events

Alphabetical list of parallel universe 'Neohistorical' events that are mentioned in the 1632verse.

[link to 163x dedicated wikipedia section discussing event], [date of event], [summary]     Apx. Date/Time     

Overall Neohistory Chronological Timeline

Selected important events in the neohistory of Grantville, the USE, and tbdl01

   Apx. Date/Time     

  1. mm/dd/yy –
  2. mm/dd/yy –
  3. mm/dd/yy –

Civic and Neohistorical (Non-Military) Timemarks

   Apx. Date/Time     

  1. mm/dd/yy –
  2. mm/dd/yy –

Neohistorical Military Actions

   Apx. Date/Time     

  1. mm/dd/yy –
  2. mm/dd/yy –
  3. mm/dd/yy –
  4. mm/dd/yy –

Terminology

The 163x-verse has evolved some specific terminology.

downtimer
Character born in the 16th or 17th century prior to the point of divergence.
grid
See "Virginia's grid" below.
uptimer
Characters from the 20th century.
Virginia's Grid
List of all uptimers who came through the Ring of Fire. If an author wishes to use an uptimer in any story they must select an uptimer from the grid and claim that character to ensure exclusive use by the author.

See also

External links

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