1632 & Beyond #7, September/October 2024

“Ceaseless, The River Runs” by Garrett W. Vance

“Trudi’s Trenchers” by Gorg Huff

“Stilettos” by Bethanne Kim

“Summer’s Kitchen” by Marc Tyrell

“Mail From Up-Time, Episode 2: Atlantic Giant” by George Grant

Reviewed by Mike Bickerdike

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.

“Ceaseless, The River Runs” by Garrett W. Vance is a novella that continues the story of a Japanese family who are planning to leave their home in the East to move to Grantville. In this instalment we find them beset by river pirates at their home. Although the story is not described as “Part Two”, it so closely follows the prior story that it will mean little to those who have not read that earlier novella. Unfortunately, the problems with this tale do not end there; the writing could charitably be described as ‘functional’, and less charitably as weak. The fight scenes where the samurai slays numerous pirates seems all too gleeful in its adulation of his skill at killing, and there is little depth or appeal to the characters. Moreover, the story suggests they are leaving for Grantville to start an Asian restaurant, but this doesn’t happen—the whole novella is concerned with a fight against pirates. We are therefore left with a lengthy novella that plunges us into scenes without any explanatory introduction and which doesn’t conclude. Rather than have a start, middle and end, this novella has only a middle.

“Trudi’s Trenchers” by Gorg Huff is much better written than the preceding story (indeed, the author co-wrote several novels in the 1632-verse). The novella is concerned with a young woman who has the idea to make trenchers (flat breads) that people could eat from instead of plates, and she learns about how to start a business and accumulate money with the help of some other girls. The story is not especially inviting, as it lacks excitement and there is little dramatic tension. The story essentially provides background to the lives of the “Barbie Consortium”—a group of young women who star in several novels in the series. However, unless you’re very familiar with those specific novels, there is not very much here to engage the reader. The idea of young women baking trenchers and investing in stocks is not that thrilling, and the story drags somewhat.

“Stilettos” by Bethanne Kim is a jokey short story. An ‘up-time’ girl wants stiletto shoes to go to a ball, but her love interest, a ‘down-time’ young man, mistakes her wishes and gives her a stiletto knife. The joke is obvious from the first lines of this short story.

“Summer’s Kitchen” by Marc Tyrell is another novella, and again, like other tales in this issue, it would be better if it were shorter, snappier and more engaging. In this tale, a boy decides to start a kitchen utensil business, making measuring cups, knives and so on. If that doesn’t sound like an especially interesting premise for a science-fiction novella, you’d be right. The relationship between the boy and his step-mother and local ironmonger in town at least offers some context and character development, but the pace of the tale is too slow and not enough happens (certainly nothing surprising happens), making this a little challenging to read.

“Mail From Up-Time, Episode 2: Atlantic Giant” by George Grant is a follow on idea from an earlier issue, in which up-time mail from the day of the “Ring-of-Fire” disaster is found and forwarded to a recipient who may be close to the addressee. In this case, a packet of seeds is delivered to a couple, and they plant them wondering what they will get. Over time, with careful tending, a seed grows, and they discover it’s a giant vegetable variety. The tale unfortunately lacks much interest, being a rather prosaic idea, supported by thinly drawn characters.

Given the critique of this issue, some general comments are probably warranted. Overall, the stories offered here lack interest, with premises and plots that are rather ordinary and uninspired. Starting a baking or kitchen utensil business, or growing a large vegetable, are not the exciting kinds of ideas that are likely to hook into SF fans’ sense of wonder and imagination. The prevalence of prosaic themes may result from a requirement to extend and explore the broader stories provided by the series’ novels. When so much has already been written on a large canvas, in great detail, what perhaps is left? Thus the tales really ‘get into the weeds’ of the universe and its characters. Unless you are an avid fan of all the books, these stories may well fall flat, with their microscopic look at the lives of existing series characters. Unless we know the characters and their world very well, there is no larger context to reflect upon, and the stories do not effectively stand alone. This problem is further exacerbated by weak pacing and prose, making the issue a less than thrilling read. It’s therefore hard to recommend to even casual fans of the series, and certainly those not acquainted with the books are likely to struggle with it.

More of Mike Bickerdike’s reviews and thoughts on science-fiction can be found at https://starfarersf.nicepage.io/