Eric Flint’s 1632 & Beyond #17, May/June 2026
“Ride for the Outfit” by Sarah Hays
“Have Rosary, Will Travel” by Ivan P. Cooper
“At The Mouth Of The Mekong” by Garrett W. Vance
“The Breitenfeld Extraction” by David Hankins
“Alice’s Place” by Bethanne Kim
Reviewed by Borealice Winters
[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 & 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.]
Near the head of Issue 17, there’s a note from the editor that indicates the theme that unites the collected stories: Travel. The present reviewer, who was heretofore unfamiliar with the late Eric Flint’s 1632 anthology universe, feels there could be no theme more appropriate for his first foray into Grantville, West Virginia and its new home in 17th-century Germany. To read these stories is to trek to a new land, one with its own language and customs, one where unfamiliar names and actions become legible through the slow accretion of context.
Fittingly, this feels akin to the struggle faced by Alyse in “Ride for the Outfit” by Sarah Hays. Alyse, a woman from the “up-time” modern world, is a self-avowed tomboy with Texas heritage, including a Spanish-language upbringing who grapples with the German language and very different culture of the “down-time” Thuringian Forest circa the 1600s. When Alyse rescues a group of down-time women, she finds herself struggling to communicate with them; she’s only able to do so at all because one of the women, Katherina, is fluent in Grantville’s up-time English. Even with this boon, Alyse encounters some initial friction with Katherina and the others.
Between the compelling opening scene and the rescue of the aforementioned women, Alyse spends quite some time interacting with incidental characters such as Orlando, Claudette, and Pedro. These side characters seem, to this reviewer, to be established figures in Eric Flint’s 1632 universe. While they may be pleasant and familiar sights for the initiated, for the unfamiliar newcomer, Alyse’s interactions with them might not pull enough narrative or character weight to justify the amount of time and words they’re allocated.
From the perspective of the unfamiliar newcomer, Iver P. Cooper’s “Have Rosary, Will Travel” feels like a much gentler introduction to Eric Flint’s world than the previous story. The protagonist is Joseph, a down-time professional pilgrim who finds himself on a proxy pilgrimage from the Low Countries (roughly modern-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg) to Grantville. His unfamiliarity with the up-time town and the Ring of Fire (the phenomenon which shifted Grantville to the past), allows for natural and effective exposition. In addition, the easy-to-follow plot and amusing ending allow the present a gentle approach to the complexities inherent in the setting. These elements combine to make “Have Rosary, Will Travel” the reviewer’s favorite of the fictions collected in this issue.
We now shift focus far from Grantville and Germany. “At The Mouth Of The Mekong” by Garrett W. Vance takes place along the titular Mekong River of Southeast Asia. Of the stories in this collection, this one has the most roundabout connection to the central concept of the overarching universe, yet perhaps the most striking interpretation of the issue’s theme of “travel.” The central characters are the Nishiokas, a Japanese family living in Southeast Asia who embark on a sea voyage to Grantville. Aside from the destination and some up-time artifacts given as gifts by Blom, the Dutch sailor, the narrative is detached from the 1632 setting. Whether the relative detachment is to the narrative’s strength or detriment will likely depend on the preferences of any given reader.
That said, this story does seem to connect to prior stories by Vance. The editor’s prefatory note implies that the Nishiokas have appeared over the course of multiple stories by the author. Unfortunately, entering the world of the Nishiokas with this particular story feels a little like starting a book by reading a transitional chapter in the middle: there are references to a battle with pirates that presumably occurred in an earlier story, and the unfamiliar reader might feel like they’re missing out by not reading said earlier story instead; at the same time, hooks for potentially enrapturing future events (such as the samurai Hiuchi H’lek’s ‘unfinished business’ and the missing ship Ōmizunagidori Maru) are set for future stories, but they aren’t explored at this time. The present reviewer comes away with the feeling that “At the Mouth of the Mekong” is a piece of functional scaffolding between stronger stories, a necessary bridge between one major plot beat and another that feels a little lacking when taken on its own.
The opening pages of “The Breitenfeld Extraction” by David Hankins give just enough context for a first-time reader to follow. The stakes become clear soon after: Having uncovered the plot of one Benedict Carpzov, Dominik and his lover Hildegard, a former spymaster, are on the run toward Grantville from Dresden. While avoiding hired hunters (“jägers”), the couple hears about a kidnapped girl and resolve to go to her aid. The clear stakes, along with the entertaining banter between Dominik and Hildegard, allow the reader to quickly connect with the characters and situation.
While the work is exciting and pleasantly campy at points, it doesn’t grapple much with the speculative concepts of Grantville, the Ring of Fire, up-time, etc. Aside from the use of what is presumably an up-time dog whistle, it feels as if one could replace all references to “Grantville” with the name of a random German town without changing the heart of the narrative. Given how strong Dominik and Hildegard are as characters, insulating them from the consequences of up-time language, culture, and (aside from the dog whistle) technology feels like a missed opportunity. This reviewer hopes that, in future stories, this pair makes it to Grantville with compelling results.
Bethanne Kim engages with the historical aspects of the 1632 universe in a bold way seeing as the protagonist of “Alice’s Place,” the eponymous Alice Blower, is a historical figure. As with “At the Mouth of the Mekong,” this story involves a journey from a distant location (Suffolk, England in this case) to Grantville. Alice, a Puritan, flees toward the up-time town in this alternate history 1633. Once she arrives, the reader is treated to detailed world building around the state of medical practice in Grantville. By the end, she leverages her new knowledge in an unexpected yet narratively justified way.
Much of the setup, exposition, and character exploration come in the form of dialogue. At times, this dialogue expresses backstory or motivation in a way that feels more like a contrivance for the reader than naturalistic conversation; at others, it seems to be aiming at humor (Alice and her husband, for example, overtly call each other “husband” and “wife” more than once). In both cases, it feels a little stilted. While this doesn’t overshadow the interesting concepts on display, some readers might come to find the volume and quality of dialogue grating.
And so, the present reviewer’s trip through this issue ends. If you’re familiar with this fictional universe, “Ride for the Outfit” or “At the Mouth of The Mekong” seem to build on prior literature. But no matter whence you come, where you begin, or what knowledge you bring with you, an exciting journey awaits. Safe travels.
Borealice Winters doesn’t know where he came from and doesn’t know where he’s going, but as so many trite inspirational posters and cross-stitched trivialities put it, “it’s not the destination; it’s the journey that counts.” Borealice doesn’t own any such nonsense and wishes someone would tell him where to go.