Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond Issue 2: Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond, #2

By 1632 and Beyond, Bethanne Kim, George Grant and 5 more

Issue 2 of 1632 & Beyond brings more world-wide impacts from the Ring of Fire! Together, they must navigate the new world they've been thrust into and come to terms with the drastic changes the Ring of Fire has brought. Follow the story of these brave adventurers as they battle against the odds and try to find a place for themselves in the new world. From samurai in Japan to Wiccan in Grantville, no one is safe from the changes brought by the Ring of Fire.

In our cover story, Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett describe the harrowing escape of the people who earlier helped Anna Lyopova escape from Moscow to the United Sovereign States of Russia. Sean Little takes us to Japan as a samurai as learns his country's place (and size) in the world. Marc Tyrrell follows the only Wiccan in Grantville as he navigates the changes after the Ring of Fire. George Grant has a series of letters between an up-timer in Grantville and his down-time ancestor in the New England states. Iver Cooper solves the Italian case of who was sending the ciphered messages, and we learn a bit about the science behind various invisible inks. In nonfiction, Bethanne Kim gives us the low-down on medical training down-time. Finally, we have a quick run-down on new and forthcoming 1632verse books.

Delve into the exciting world of 1632 & Beyond and join the journey of brave up-timers and down-timers as they tackle the new world. If you enjoy the 1632 series by Eric Flint, you'll love this thrilling new installment. Buy now before the price changes and join the adventure!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Flint's Shards Inc.
• Release date: Oct 25, 2023
• ISBN: 9781962398039

Book preview

1632 & Beyond Issue 2

November 2023

Gorg Huff, Paula Goodlett, Sean Little, Marc Tyrell, George Grant, Iver P. Cooper, Bethanne Kim

ERIC FLINT'S 1632 & BEYOND ISSUE #2

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters places, and events portrayed in this book are fictional or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to real people (living or dead), events, or places is coincidental.

Cover Artwork by Garrett W. Vance

Editor-in-Chief Bjorn Hasseler

Editor and Webmaster Bethanne Kim

Editor Chuck Thompson

Art Director Garrett W. Vance

1. Science Fiction-Alternate History

2. Science Fiction-Time Travel

Copyright © 2023 Flint's Shards Inc.

All rights reserved, including the right to copy, reproduce and distribute this book, or portions thereof, in any form.

eBook ISBN: 978-1-962398-03-9

Paperback ISBN: 978-1-962398-02-2

Distributed by Flint's Shards Inc.

339 Heyward Street, #200

Columbia, SC 29201

Other 1632 Universe Publications

1632 by Eric Flint (The whole world is based on this book.)

Free download at Baen.com/1632.html

Recommended Short-List to Jump into the Series:

Ring of Fire anthology edited by Eric Flint

1633 by Eric Flint and David Weber

1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber

All books available for purchase on Amazon.com, Baen.com, and (after 20+ years) used bookstores.

Also Available:

Grantville Gazette Volumes 1 – 102 magazine edited by Eric Flint, Paula Goodlett, Walt Boyes, Bjorn Hasseler

Available for purchase on 1632Magazine.com

1632 Universe novels

Available for purchase on Baen.com Eric Flint, Ring of Fire Series

Recently Published:

September, 2023: 1638: The Sovereign States (Baen) by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett

Forthcoming:

January 2024 Baen Bundle:

A Matter of Security by Bjorn Hasseler

An Angel Called Peterbilt by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett

Odd numbered months: New issues of Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond

January, 2024: Issue #3

Key Storyline Points

This section is both orientation and review for readers and writers. It necessarily contains spoilers. If you don't like spoilers, we recommend skipping to the first article or downloading a copy of 1632 from the Baen Free Library ( https://www.baen.com/1632.html ).

Timeline

Sunday, April 2, 2000/Sunday, May 25, 1631 - The Ring of Fire takes place.

September 1632 - NUS and Swedish forces shatter Wallenstein's army in the Battle of Alte Veste outside Nuremberg. In contrast to our timeline, Gustav II Adolf does not need to retreat from Nuremberg, and there is no battle of Lützen for him to die in.

Fall 1632 - Gustav II Adolf and Mike Stearns organize the Confederated Principalities of Europe.

July 1633 - Wallenstein carries out a coup to seize control of Bohemia and Moravia. He defeats the Austrians in the Second Battle of White Mountain while Morris Roth and Jan Billek lead Jewish and Unitas Fratrum forces to victory in the Battle of the Bridge in Prague.

August 1633 - First flight of the Las Vegas Belle

September 1633 - Bamberg city council has Willard Thornton and Johnny F Haun flogged. The council is overthrown by the Ram Movement.

September 1633 - Battle of Dunkirk: English, French, and Spanish defeat the Dutch. Tromp leads the Dutch survivors to Recife, Brazil. Spanish capture most of the Netherlands and besiege Amsterdam. The League of Ostend (France, Spain, England, Denmark) is announced.

October 7, 1633 - Battle of Wismar Bay - NUS Navy & Air Force turn back Danish forces.

October 8, 1633 - Mass protest in Magdeburg. Saxony and Brandenburg leave the Confederated Principalities of Europe. Mike Stearns and Gustavus Adolphus reach an agreement to replace the CPE with the United States of Europe.

December 1, 1633 - The New United States becomes the State of Thuringia.

December 15, 1633 - Marla Linder's concert in Magdeburg. Explosion at the coal gas plant in Magdeburg.

February 1634 - Carriage accident in England cripples King Charles and kills Queen Henrietta Maria. The Earl of Cork overthrows and imprisons Strafford.

February 22, 1634 - Franconia votes to join Thuringia.

March 5, 1634 - The State of Thuringia becomes the State of Thuringia-Franconia (SoTF).

April 1634 - The ironclads set out from Magdeburg.

April 1634 - The Ram Rebellion breaks out in Franconia.

May 1634 - Turenne's raid on the Wietze oil field.

May 1634 - USE Navy defeats the League of Ostend in the Battle of Luebeck Bay.

May 1634 - USE Army defeats the French at Ahrensbök.

May 1634 - Escape from the Tower.

June 1634 - Unsuccessful assassination attempt against Pope Urban VIII. Urban makes Larry Mazzare Cardinal-Protector of the USE.

June 1634 - Congress of Copenhagen. Additional USE provinces are organized.

Terms, Concepts, and Groups of People

Committees of Correspondence (CoC) - organized to spread up-time ideals, leaders include Gretchen Richter, Gunter Achterhof, and Joachim von Thierbach (Spartacus).

Freedom Arches - The fast-food restaurant that becomes the meeting place of the CoCs; franchise spread across the Germanies.

* * *

Contents

Introduction

The Magdeburg Messenger

1.Escape From Moscow

1. by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett

2.The Frog in the Well

2. by Sean Little

3.A Meeting at Midsummer: Part I

3. by Marc Tyrrell

4.The Matthew Grant Letters

4. by George Grant

5.An Adventure In Perception

5. by Iver P. Cooper

The State Library Papers

Down-Time Medical Training

by Bethanne Kim

Acknowledgements 

New 1632 Books

Available Now:

1638: The Sovereign States

Coming Soon:

A Matter of Security; An Angel Called Peterbilt

Connect with Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond

Main Sites

Social Media

Reviews and More

Introduction

by Bjorn Hasseler

Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond Issue 2 showcases how the Ring of Fire has changed the world. For new readers or those desiring some review, the Key Storyline Points before the Table of Contents provides a brief overview of the timeline and some key concepts. It necessarily contains some spoilers if you haven't read any of the books yet.

The Magdeburg Messenger

(1632 Fiction)

The cover story is Escape From Moscow, by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett. It dovetails with their new novel 1638: The Sovereign States.

Sean Little shows what's beginning to happen in Japan, in The Frog in the Well.

In the early days immediately after the Ring of Fire, both up-timers and down-timers scrambled to make sense of what was happening. Find out more in A Meeting at Midsummer, Part I by Marc Tyrrell.

What if you could give your ancestor advice? One up-timer does so, contacting a colonist in the New World in George Grant's The Matthew Grant Letters.

Some down-timers have adapted and want up-timers to do things for them. That's a lot to live up to. Iver P. Cooper's An Adventure in Perception is a Lewis Bartolli story set in Tuscany in the Italies. Bartolli previously appeared in Under the Tuscan Sun (Grantville Gazette 9) and Arsenic and Old Italians (Grantville Gazette 22).

The State Library Papers

(1632 Non-Fiction)

The Ring of Fire has brought great changes to the field of medicine. Bethanne Kim explores some of the resources available in Down-Time Medical Training.

***

The Magdeburg Messenger

1632 Fiction

image-placeholder

Escape From Moscow

by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett

We have the fourth Miroslava Holmes book called The Diogenes Club at about thirty thousand words. At first we were going to write a Miroslava short, a single mystery short story. We were going through The Diogenes Club to make sure the dates matched up.

We reached the part where the scandal sheet the Pravdivyye Fakty published a story about Alla Lyapunov's escape, how she spent a year hiding as a scullery maid in the house of Georgy Petrov and was smuggled to Ufa. That's mostly a side note in The Diogenes Club which is about spies and stuff. 

Still it led to the question of what Boris and his wife and the son who was living in Muscovy Russia and Georgy and his wife and daughter would do when they found out that the dog boys were about to learn of their part in Alla Lyapunov's escape. This story answers that question.

The Miroslava Holmes books are A Holmes for the Czar, Two Cases for the Czar, and A Mission for the Czar.

They focus on Miroslava Holmes the first licenced private detective in Russia, who was given her last name by Czar Mikhail. They are all available on Amazon.

Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett

***

Pravdivyye Fakty

March 10, 1638

Wassily Iliadovich Chercasky arrived at work a little late that morning—he'd been in meetings late into the evening the day before—to find Marta Ilianova Vasin and Iliad Ivanovich Karpov in a heated discussion.

It isn't ready yet. We don't even know that Elena's Anna is Alla Lyapunov, Marta said.

I decide when a story is ready. Iliad Ivanovich slapped the tabletop in emphasis. We know that Captain Georgy Petrov is the cousin of Boris Petrov. The Boris of Boris and Natasha, the spy's spy. Head of the Grantville Bureau. All of which is beside the point. What matters is it's a good story. A fun story, full of excitement. It's going to sell papers.

While they argued, Wassily looked at the paper. First page, above the fold.

"SHE IS REAL!

The heir to the Lyapunov family fortunes is real. She spent the year . . .

The article went on to explain that she'd been hidden by Captain Georgy Petrov on the instructions of Boris Petrov, head of the Grantville Bureau in Moscow and long-time friend of the Gorchakov family, snuck out from under the dog-boys' noses in a daring feat of spycraft, then snuck to Ufa when she was needed.

It also explained where Alla Lyapunov learned to cook.

Wassily stopped reading. He dropped the paper on the counter and turned to Iliad Ivanovich, who, argument over, was sitting in his chair glowering at Marta, who was glowering right back. I have an errand to run! Wassily said. Back in an hour or so.

Then he left, leaving the paper open on the counter and his coat on the peg, in spite of the fact that it was freezing outside. He had to get to the Club. Had to tell Ivan that his father, his second cousin, and the whole family were in danger.

* * *

Marta looked up when the bell over the door tinkled as Wassily left. She hadn't heard him come in. She'd been too busy arguing with her idiot of a boss.

But now she noticed the paper opened on the counter. The counter that Wassily usually kept immaculate. And she noticed that Wassily's coat was hanging on a peg behind the counter right next to hers.

That was strange. So strange it distracted her from her mad. She got up, went over to the counter, and picked up the paper. She folded it and put it back on the stack. Then she took her coat and hat and left.

Wassily was easy to spot. He was the only man on the street without a coat. She saw him get on the street car, but didn't want him to see her, so she hailed a cab. It was a copy of a hansom cab and she had the driver follow the street car.

He got off at the Diogenes Club and headed for the member's entrance.

Wassily? A member of the Diogenes Club? Apparently so, but it made no sense. Not unless Wassily made a lot more than she thought he did, and Iliad Ivanovich Karpov was much too cheap for that to be a possibility. Almost, she went back to the Pravdivyye Fakty to tell on him, but Marta wasn't angry with Wassily, and she was pissed at—

Marta cut herself off. What had sent Wassily running off into the freezing cold without his coat? What could possibly be so important that he wouldn't stop as soon as he got outside and come back for his coat?

The opened paper . . . the article. The same article that she was pissed at Iliad Ivanovich about.

What was in that article? The name of the people who had sheltered Alla Lyapunov. And that name was Petrov.

Petrov.

The same as Ivan Borisovich Petrov, recently resigned from the Embassy Bureau under a cloud for general incompetence and, rumor had it, billing meals at the Diogenes Club to the Embassy Bureau.

There was something decidedly fishy in the whole business. Marta could smell it.

Unfortunately, what she couldn't do was follow Wassily into the very private Diogenes Club to find out what he was up to.

***

What Wassily was up to, all unaware of Marta's following him, was warning his boss, Ivan Borisovich Petrov, that Ivan's father Boris, his cousin Georgy, his mother, brother, and, well, his whole family in Muscovy Russia were suddenly in deadly danger and needed to get undercover before the dog boys found out about them hiding Alla Lyapunov.

It took him almost ten minutes just to get to Ivan Borisovich, who, as it happened, was in conference with both Alla and Vasilii Lyapunov on the subject of freeze-dried food for the army. It wasn't a secret conference. It was taking place because, starting in 1633, the Petrov family had gotten into freeze-drying. And by now most of both Russian armies, the Sovereign States and the Muscovite, were eating winter rations that were freeze-dried fruits, vegetables, and meats produced by the Petrov family.

Ivan Borisovich looked up. Wassily, what are you doing here? Why did you break cover?

Wassily hesitated for only a heartbeat. Both Alla and Vasilii were part of the secret organization within the Diogenes Club. "Your family's been exposed as