Grantville Gazette IV
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- Note: The two main articles covering this large rapidly growing book series and this specific sub-series are kept up to date before publication as new titles are added to this rapidly growing milieu oriented body of works.
The same volume is officially released as a finalized e-book on the first day of the following even numbered month, which is the official copyright date pending print publication. This volume appeared when publication schedules were far less regular and today's website hadn't yet come to be. It appeared online as the Baen E-ARC/e-zine April 1, 2005, and did not reach print publication until it's hardcover release June 1, 2008.
The Grantville Gazette IV (Main article: The Grantville Gazettes) is the sixth collaborative mixed-work set in the '1632verse' in what is best regarded as a canonical sub-series of the popular Alternate history that began with the February 2000 publication of the hardcover novel 1632 (novel) by author-historian Eric Flint. Overall it is the fifth anthology in the atypical series which consists of a mish-mash of main novels and anthologies produced under popular demand after publication of the initial novel which was written as a stand-alone work. This particular sub-series, the various Grantville Gazettes include encyclopedia grade fact articles by members of the 1632 Research Committee which cover the technological issues faced in fitting 21st century knowledge and base technology to the 17th Century setting of the Milieu. The internet forum Baen's Bar hosts the 1632verse oriented sub-forums 1632 Tech and 1632 Slush and both forums figure prominently in the background of these works as is covered in the The Grantville Gazettes main article. The series as a whole, and this sub-series in particular are an example of internet-age collaborative writing in the literary field.
[edit] The 1632 series in brief
Eric Flint's novel concept was simple—take a small American town typical of his youth limited in population, stockpiled goods, and manufacturing capabilities— swap them across time and space with an equal volume of real estate in emerging Early Modern Europe in a critical formative time (during the religious strife of the Thirty Years' War)— and extrapolate what a new history might result as the American ("up-timer") capabilities and ideas of democracy, labor, religion, equality of the sexes, etcetera mix with "down-time" European attitudes dominated by established State churches, religion, authoritarianism, and class structures and a nascent university structure. The Gazettes and much of the main series as it has developed, are the results of the nearly quarter of a million posts to the webboard chat forum 1632 Tech Manual on publisher Baen Books website Baen's Bar seriously exploring that premise.
This particular sub-series, the various Grantville Gazettes include encyclopedia grade fact articles by members of the 1632 Research Committee which cover the technological issues faced in fitting 21st century knowledge and base technology to the 17th Century setting of the parallel universe milieu. The internet forum Baen's Bar hosts the 1632verse oriented sub-forums 1632 Tech and 1632 Slush and both forums figure prominently in the background of these works as is covered in the The Grantville Gazettes and 1632 Editorial Board main articles. The series as a whole, and this sub-series in particular are an example of internet-age collaborative writing in the literary field.
Consequently, the Gazettes are mixed-works which include many fact articles initially published in online e-zine format, all set in the '1632verse' parallel universe created by the departure point established in the February 2000 hardcover novel 1632 by author-historian Eric Flint, who serves as editor of the overall mass of works, or co-author of the series. In one volume at least, 1634: The Ram Rebellion he managed both roles at once.
[edit] About the Gazettes
The bi-monthly Grantville Gazettes nowadays are published with clockwork regularity; all edited by assistant editor Paula Goodlett and vetted by Eric Flint who maintains editorial control over the canon for the series on the 1632.org website. They began quite differently with Flint as sole Editor, as well as keeper of the canon, and were very much an experiment on several levels explaining somewhat their early irregular appearance, that can best be described as "sporadic and haphazard".
After the initial explosive interest in 1632 Flint's first idea was to open the universe to other experienced writers to ride the wave of popular interest and internet buzz, for he had no plans for a sequel and other projects drawing on his time. That solicitation of stories included an invitation to fans of 1632, and generated far too much good "fan" fiction for a single anthology. In the event, best selling author David Weber was also attracted by the opened universe, and contracted with Flint to co-author five novels in the series. The release of any short fiction was held up by Jim Baen while 1633 was written and rushed into production.
Currently, Mrs. Goodlett, in conjunction with the 1632 Editorial Board, nowadays selects groups of stories from those formally submitted on the web forum 1632 Slush put together each volume with regard to length and diversity and the select the various 1632 Research Committees generated period oriented fact articles and essays which also characterize the gazettes, and distance them from the Ring of Fire anthologies. The e-ARC version of Grantville Gazette I followed the hardcover 1633 sequel and antedated the e-ARC release of Ring of Fire by nine months (February 2003 vs. November, 2003), as did Grantville Gazette II (August 2003). Flint then reviews the assembled collection of stories and alternates, and approves them as canon or not. Those he sets aside sometimes find themselves promoted to a prominent place in the series (see 1634: The Ram Rebellion and Ring of Fire II ), or might just be held for canonically compatible developments to be revealed before they are given publication. Others are simply rejected as non-canonical despite the Editorial Boards selection. The Editorial Board and Research Committee members are all volunteers being regular participants to the Baen's Bar web fora 1632 Tech Manual, 1632 Slush, and 1632 Slush Comments.
The earliest Gazettes are technically rated as fan fiction, which means the authors do not qualify as members in the Science Fiction Writers Association, which requires three stories be published in an accredited publication before a writer is eligible—this changed with Grantville Gazette X when the publication became qualified as a SFWA publication and began paying better than usual pro-rates. The gazettes idea began because there was so much good fan fiction submitted for Ring of Fire , which includes half the stories written by established authors. Flint had in fact, solicited input for ideas from fans before setting out to field research the flagship novel in 1999, so fans were involved in discussing the development of the neohistory from the outset. Subsequently, Flint, an experienced editor, suggested the idea of an online magazine to generate some income flow for the work to publisher Jim Baen using a similar concept to that used for Baen's Webscriptions monthly release. Baen, agreed to the experiment, and the Gazettes began as a serialized e-zine produced only sporadically, the segments of which were collected into an then electronic volume marketed as an e-book.
A subsequent experiment by Baen and Flint was to release the e-book version with an additional story by Flint in print as a mass market paperback. The experiment was successful, and Grantville Gazette II and Grantville Gazette III followed, with Grantville Gazette IV under contract as the last sale from Flint to Jim Baen shortly before his death.
In addition to fiction, the Gazettes include fact articles (based on the work output of the informal group, the 1632 research committee, written by one or more of its members) and stories which are initially vetted through a tough peer review on the Baen's Bar sub-forum 1632 Slush, typically requiring several rewrites then are subsequently nominated by the "EdBoard", whereupon Flint chooses the stories for inclusion in the Canon and for each volume based in part how it leads into or integrates with the ongoing main storyline 'threads' in the various novels.
[edit] Grantville Gazette Volume IV-Splash
In Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff’s “Poor Little Rich Girls,” we follow the continuing adventures of the teenage tycoons begun by Huff in “The Sewing Circle” (Gazette #1) and “Other People’s Money” (Gazette #3). The focus in this story, however, is on the younger siblings—the so-called Barbie Consortium—and their down-timer associates and enemies.
Jose Clavell’s “Magdeburg Marines” depict the early days of a reborn U.S. Marine Corps adapting to new circumstances.
Ernest Lutz's and John Zeek's "Elizabeth", depicts the experimentation and formation of the first tactical narrow-gauge railway units (known in 1632 shorthand as TACRAIL) starting with the First Railway Company (Provisional). At the end of the story, this unit became the 141st Railway Battalion. TACRAIL units provide transportation and logistics support using the World War I era narrow gauge railways and tramways as a model. The US Military Railway Band aka "The Glenn Miller USAAF Band of the Thirty Years War" is also mentioned.
David Carrico’s “Heavy Metal Music” continues the story of the interaction between up-time and down-time musicians that he began in last issue’s “The Sound of Music.”
In other stories:
—A German craftsman blackballed by guild masters gets a new start in Karen Bergstralh’s “One Man’s Junk.”
—Grantville has to deal with the tragic accidental deaths of several high school graduates in Kerryn Offord’s “The Class of ’34.”
—In Virginia DeMarce’s “’Til We Meet Again,” a widowed up-timer responds to her husband’s death by joining the faculty in the newly-established women’s college in Quedlinburg.
—Julie Sims’ ex-boyfriend finds a new romance in Russ Rittgers’ “Chip’s Christmas Gift.”
—in Dan Robinson’s “Dice’s Drawings,” an American retiree finds a new life and maybe a new love in seventeenth century Germany.
The fourth volume of the Gazette also contains factual articles dealing with the development of an oil industry, advances in textile and garment manufacture, possible uses of biodiesel technology, and differing views on the prospects of creating a machine gun using the resources and technology available after the Ring of Fire.
[edit] E-book Table of Contents
Note: In the earliest three Grantville Gazettes, there were differences between the print published version and the original serialized eMagazine, and then again the intermediate e-book as the 'kinks' were worked out of the experiment. Should additional published works differ, it will be noted in the pertinent article.
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Table of Contents |
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| • Editor's Preface | by Eric Flint | |
| 1632-verse Fiction: | ||
| • "Poor Little Rich Girls" | by Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff | |
| • "Magdeburg Marines" | by Jose Clavell | |
| • "Elizabeth" | by Ernest Lutz and John Zeek | |
| • "One Man’s Junk" | by Karen Bergstralh | |
| • "The Class of ’34" | by Kerryn Offord | |
| • "’Til We Meet Again" | by Virginia DeMarce | |
| • "Chip’s Christmas Gift" | by Russ Rittgers | |
| • "Dice’s Drawings" | by Dan Robinson | |
| Continuing Serials: | ||
| • "Heavy Metal Music" | by David Carrico | |
| • or "Revolution in Three Flats", continues a serial begun in "The Sound of Music" in the anthology Grantville Gazette III. | ||
| Non-Fiction — Fact Essays from 1632 Research Committee members: | ||
| • "Drillers In Doublets" | by Iver P. Cooper | |
| • "How To Keep Your Old John Deere Plowing" | by Allen W. McDonnell | |
| Full title: "How To Keep Your Old John Deere Plowing: Diesel Fuel Alternatives For Grantville 1631-1639" | ||
| • "How to build a Machine gun in 1634" | by Grantville Firearms Roundtable, two alternate views | |
| Full title: "How to build a Machine gun in 1634 with available technology: Two alternate views" | First alternative by Leonard Hollar, Tom Van Natta and John Zeek, dissenting Second alternative, by Bob Hollingsworth. | |
| • "A Looming Challenge" | by Pam Poggiani | |
[edit] Synopses
[edit] E-book Preface
[edit] Print version Preface
- This gazette was the last book purchased by Jim Baen from Eric Flint, and is in production at Baen's Books; scheduled for hardcover release in June 2008.
[edit] 1632-verse Fiction
[edit] "Poor Little Rich Girls"
Building on the economic storyline begun in "The Sewing Circle" in Grantville Gazette I and "Other People’s Money" in Grantville Gazette III, Paula Goodlett and Gorg Huff explore another economic theme centered in the main, on even younger protagonists, dubbed the "Barbie Consortium" some of them family members of the Sewing Circle teens, and their financial impact on the Europe of 1631—1632.
[edit] "Magdeburg Marines"
[edit] "Elizabeth"
Ernest Lutz and John Zeek How can you supply an army without foraging off your own people? A mixed group of Germans and West Virginians led by a Cajun try to find a way. This story marks the start of the TacRail stories.
[edit] "One Man’s Junk"
[edit] "The Class of ’34"
[edit] "’Til We Meet Again"
[edit] "Chip’s Christmas Gift"
[edit] "Dice’s Drawings"
[edit] "Heavy Metal Music"
- or "Revolution in Three Flats", continues a serial begun in "The Sound of Music" in the anthology Grantville Gazette III.
David Carrico's sometimes whimsical continuing serial (see Grantville Gazette III ) is canonical about the cultural effects of Grantville on 17th century music featuring the maestro violist, Franz Sylwester who was deliberately and cruelly maimed by a rival in the Archdiocese of Mainz so that his string hand is crippled beyond rehabilitation and his up-time friend and ally Grantviller singer-musician Marla are sought out by other German musicians seeking to learn uptimer knowledge, as well as to ensure Franz is all right, for he is beloved. Marla is put forth as an instructor to the group which has serious reservations about being taught by a woman, but are equally fascinated by the potential of the new fangled Piano technology and possibilities. Another sub-theme is the realization that because of the Butterfly effect, many great composers and much music in Europe may never be written, and the group deliberately sets out to also preserve this future-past heritage for the paradoxical neohistorical world. The Franz and Magda stories are some of the most popular and well written in the early Gazettes, and this one is characteristic of their quality, both in the writing skill and emotions invoked in the telling of the tales. This storyline achieves a climax of sorts, and the characters take on major importance in Ring of Fire II and 1634: The Baltic War.
[edit] Non-Fiction
- Fact Essays from 1632 Research Committee members
[edit] "Drillers In Doublets"
[edit] "How To Keep Your Old John Deere Plowing"
- ... "Diesel Fuel Alternatives For Grantville 1631-1639"
[edit] "How to build a Machine gun in 1634"
- with available technology:
Two alternate views by the Grantville firearms roundtable - First alternative
- by Leonard Hollar, Tom Van Natta and John Zeek
- Second alternative,
- by Bob Hollingsworth
[edit] "A Looming Challenge"
Pam Poggiani's essay A Looming Challenge deals with man-power requirements of a technological society that is tied to the land by animal powered agriculture. It really deals with the duel challenges of mass production of cloth, of which the spinning of thread and weaving of cloth (not to mention the sewing of clothes as was touched upon in "The Sewing Circle" ), demands a large percentage of the labor force in the Europe of the day. Ms. Poggiani's research is into how hard it would be for the up-timers, who are far removed from the clothing industries strongholds whether north or south, to successively overcome the several hurdles and develop the key inventions needed to mass produce spun graded threads, weaving machinery, and so forth.
[edit] References and notes
[edit] External links
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| The official and official researching web sites, by Eric Flint's 1632.org, about 1632 universe run in conjunction with Eric Flint and the 1632 Research Committee, including the book series canonical references available for download and reference by any desiring to participate in the collaborative writing process in the series— to write a contribution to The Grantville Gazettes, these are necessarily must sites. Additional Tech articles are sometimes posted thereon before reaching any gazettes.
The 1632 Series Research Material includes a search engine, maps and so forth which enables checking a reference across all published 1632 works. |
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| Home page of the "continuing adventure that is "The Grantville Gazettes", homepage. "Current issue" is considered an e-ARC version and will be copyrighted as an e-book dated two months after the e-ARC/e-zine volume date on the 1st day of odd numbered months. | ||
| Home page of the publisher of the canonical e-book's in the series, includes the ability to buy any of the fifteen individual Grantville Gazettes, or other seven and ignore the subscriptions at www.grantvillegazettel.com entirely. | ||
| List of Eric Flint Ring of Fire series books published by Baens Books. Click on titles to get sneak peeks. | ||
| List of Eric Flint Books published by Baens Books. Click on titles to get sneak peeks. | ||
| Baen's Bar is an official forum with several sections (sub-forums) dedicated to the 1632 universe: 1632 Tech Manual, and 1632 Slush (Slushpile in publishing: Stack of manuscripts for vetting) and Peer review Comments on the slushpile are posted in 1632 Comments. | ||
| 1632-verse creator, arbitor of canon Eric Flint's website, which has much about his work currently in progress or upcoming (in publication, in planning, under contract, in process) matters in the publication cycle. | ||
| 1632 universe dedicated German Wikiproject organized to cross reference and encyclopediatize matters and characters pertaining to the 1632-verse. Another must browse for would be contributors to The Grantville Gazettes and students of collabortative writing projects. | ||
| on the complicated topic of Money, purchasing power, currency, and exchange rates in the days of 1632 | ||
| 1632verse Commonwealth of Two Nations Resource Page - a webpage about Polish-Lthuanian Commonwealth in the 1632 universe, but especially valuable for 1632 fans for it's many period maps and links to other resources. | ||
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Bibliographic data on all fiction in the overall series as listed by the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. | |
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Bibliographic data on all fiction in the Grantville Gazette sub-series as listed by the Internet Speculative Fiction Database. |
[edit] Publishing history
First printing, April 2005 Published in the United States of America Electronic version by WebWrights
Copyright 2005, 2008 by Eric Flint All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form.
A Baen Books Original Baen Publishing Enterprises P.O. Box 1403 Riverdale, NY 10471
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