The Story So Far…by Walt Boyes
Welcome once again to the seventeenth century, and the Ring of Fire Universe. In the time since 3500 people and their town of Grantville appeared in Thuringia about halfway through the Thirty Years War, the technology, and most of all, the attitudes, philosophies, and existence of this town from the future have had a terrific effect on the world, even for those who have never ever met an up-timer.
As always, the Grantville Gazette brings you a varied slice of lives this month. In “Death by Makeup,” Terry Howard shows how even the understanding of the dangers of using lead-based makeup can change lives and make them better and longer—while making the Hair Club 250 some serious money. And in “Overflow,” Terry shows another side of Club 250 as the Thuringian Gardens hires the Club for an overflow event, with chaos ensuing.
And in “It’s the Little Things,” Nick Lorance gives us the love affair between Sergeant Hartmann and Marta Karcher. Love is made up of little things, many little things, that amount to a set of lives shared.
Eric S. Brown and Anna Carpenter give us another Monster Society installment. This time, the Society runs up against something big and white and living in a cave. Yeti? Maybe.
In “The Winter Canvas,” Meriah Crawford and Robert Waters give us the further tribulations of one Daniel Block, artist. Will Block’s stubborn temper get the better of him again?
In our serials, we bring you “Etude, Part One” by David Carrico and in our nonfiction section, we have another look behind the curtain at Chuck Gannon’s novel writing for Papal Stakes, and our column by Kristine Katherine Rusch.
We also bring you part three of “Life at Sea” by Iver Cooper. Did you ever wonder what life on a sailing ship was like? Here’s what it looked like, tasted like, and smelled like. It is not a life most of us would choose, but it is the life that made the Age of Discovery possible.
Last, but certainly not least, we bring you “Hungary and Transylvania, Part One” by Szántai Gábor. Gábor (his first name) is a new author in the 1632 Universe and is from Hungary. He thought we should know about Eastern Europe in the time of the Ring of Fire, so he gave us a great nonfiction article.
Nothing from the Annex or the Time Spike universe this issue, but hold onto your hats-- some great stuff is coming soon, like in the next issue.
Enjoy your trip into the world of the Ring of Fire. Remember to buckle your seat belts, and keep your hands and legs inside the ride!