Eric Flint’s 1632 & Beyond #14, November 2025
“The Abrabanel Rescue” by David Hankins
“The Arabian Queen” by Virginia DeMarce
“More McDonalds” by Terry Howard
“Artists From Afar” by John R. Deakins
“Green, Blue, And Bruises” by Natalie Silk
“The Guardians Of Germany” by Bjorn Hasseler
Reviewed by Victoria Silverwolf
[Editor’s note: The following is offered by Tangent reviewer Mike Bickerdike as a guide for those not familiar with this magazine’s concept. Eric Flint’s 1632 and Beyond is a magazine comprising stories set in the late Eric Flint’s “Ring of Fire” or 1632 alternate-history universe. For those unfamiliar with the books, the essential concept is that the town of Grantville in West Virginia became transported (by cosmic accident) from our present day to northern Germany in 1632 during the 30 Years War. The book series extends to dozens of novels. The short stories in this magazine are set within that framework.]
In “The Abrabanel Rescue” by David Hankins, a coachman who thought he deserted his passengers when they were under attack tries to rescue them. He doesn’t know that they were saved by the people from the future.
This story is basically a footnote to a chapter in Eric Flint’s novel 1632, which created the universe to which so many other writers have contributed. It is mostly notable for the coachman’s reaction to the advanced technology he witnesses.
“The Arabian Queen” by Virginia DeMarce deals with a group of theater people creating new plays for an upcoming festival. Unknown to some of the aristocrats invited to the show, certain references in one of the plays are designed to allude to their crimes against the emperor, in anticipation of their arrest.
The political part of the plot arrives only near the end, reaching a climax at a riot at the festival. Most of the story deals with the effort of the protagonists to come up with new plays quickly. Details about the plays, some of them loosely adapted from Thomas B. Costain’s 1945 novel The Black Rose, will appeal to readers interested in the craft of playwrighting, while others may find this material overly lengthy.
In “More McDonalds” by Terry Howard, a teenage boy arrives at Grantville near death, having made a desperate voyage from England. His intention is to join the McDonald clan in their upcoming military action. The man designated as the war leader must explain that there is no such action planned and figure out what to do with the boy.
Like many stories in the magazine, this one expects the reader to be familiar with previous tales. I never understood why the boy and others who show up near the end of the story think there is going to be a raid by the McDonald clan. Nor was it clear to me why the man is the war leader for a nonexistent army.
In “Artists From Afar” by John R. Deakins, a man carries unknown paintings by Caravaggio from Italy to the Netherlands to sell them to Peter Paul Rubens. Another great artist, Anthony van Dyck, visits Rubens as well.
As this synopsis makes clear, this story will appeal to those interested in Renaissance painting more than others. Its main speculative content is the fact that the artists are familiar with their own biographies in books from the future and are determined to change their fates.
“Green, Blue, and Bruises” by Natalie Silk features a young woman living with her aunt and uncle. Her widowed father pays little attention to her after he remarries and sires a new child. She hopes to become a nurse in Grantville, but her aunt wants her to remain with her and train as a midwife. Her uncle takes her to Grantville to visit the city’s modern hospital.
This is about all that happens in the story, leaving the niece’s fate unknown. It is implied that she will succeed in her quest to be a working health professional, but this is not certain.
In “The Guardians Of Germany” by Bjorn Hasseler, university students of the past support themselves by writing books in imitation of popular fiction of the future. In particular, they create superhero novels based on legendary figures who have disappeared then returned. When they witness a woman rescue a man from drowning, they are inspired to create a new character based on her.
An introduction to the story suggests that its main purpose is to bring together characters from previous works. The notion of new books about Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys written by the students may amuse readers. The idea of a team of superheroes including Frederick Barbarossa, King Arthur, and Davy Crockett may raise a few smiles as well.
Victoria Silverwolf did some online continuing education tonight.