Ed Piazza, the Secretary of State of the small United States being forged in war-torn Germany during the Thirty Years War, has a problem on his hands. A religious conference has been called in nearby Rudolstadt which will determine doctrine for all the Lutherans in the nation. The hard-fought principle of religious freedom is at stake, threatened alike by intransigent theologians and students rioting in the streets. As if that weren't bad enough: \* the up-time American Lutherans are themselves divided; \* a rambunctious old folk singer is cheerfully pouring gasoline on the flames; \* and a Calvinist "facilitator" from Geneva is maneuvering to get the U.S. involved with the developing revolutionary movement in Naples. Stories include: \* Portraits by Eric Flint \* Anna's Story by Loren Jones \* Curio and Relic by Tom Van Natta \* The Sewing Circle by Gorg Huff \* The Rudolstadt Colloquy by Virginia DeMarce \* Radio in the 1632 Universe by Rick Boatright \* They've Got Bread Mold, So Why Can't They Make Penicillin? by Robert Gottlieb \* Horse Power by Karen Bergstralh

Stories include: \* Postage Due by Eric Flint \* Pastor Kastenmayer's Revenge by Virginia DeMarce \* The Sound of Music by David Carrico \* Other People's Money by Gorg Huff \* If the Demons Will Sleep by Eva Musch \* Hobson's Choice by Francis Turner \* Hell Fighters by Wood Hughes \* Euterpe, Episode 2 by Enrico M. Toro \* Iron by Rick Boatright \* The Impact of Mechanization on German Farms by Karen Bergstralh \* Firearms in the 1632 Universe by Leonard Hollar, Bob Hollingsworth, Tom Van Natta, and John Zeek \* Alchemical Distillation by Andrew Clark

The sixth rollicking, thought-provoking anthology of tales set in Eric Flint's phenomenal New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series—all inspired and edited by the creator himself, Eric Flint. A cosmic accident sets the modern West Virginia town of Grantville down in war-torn seventeenth century Europe. It will take all the gumption of the resourceful, freedom-loving up-timers to find a way to flourish in mad and bloody end of medieval times. Are they up for it? You bet they are. Edited by Eric Flint, and inspired by his now-legendary 1632, this is the fun stuff that fills in the pieces of the Ring of Fire political, social and cultural puzzle as supporting characters we meet in the novels get their own lives, loves and life-changing stories. The future and democracy have arrived with a bang. At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management). Eric Flint is the author of the New York Times best seller 1634: The Galileo Affair (with Andrew Dennis)—a novel in his top-selling "Ring of Fire" alternate history series. His first novel for Baen, Mother of Demons, was picked by Science Fiction Chronicle as a best novel of the year. His 1632, which launched the Ring of Fire series, won widespread critical praise, as from Publishers Weekly, which called him "an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major measure." A longtime labor union activist with a master's degree in history, he currently resides in northwest Indiana with his wife Lucille.

This edition of the Grantville Gazette Volume 8 is derived directly from the online edition at Stories \* The Painter's Gambit by Iver P. Cooper \* Capacity for Harm by Richard Evans \* Into the Very Pit of Hell by Douglas W. Jones \* Not a Princess Bride by Terry Howard \* Dear Sir by Chris Racciato \* The Sons of St. John by Jay Robison \* Prince and Abbot by Virginia DeMarce \* A Question of Faith by Anette Pedersen Grunwald \* Flight 19 to Magdeburg by Jose J. Clavell \* Rolling On by Karen Bergstralh \* Three Innocuous Words by Russ Rittgers \* Doctor Phil's Distraction by Kerryn Offord \* Louis de Geer by Kim Mackey \* A Russian Noble by Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett \* Refrigeration and the 1632 Opportunities and Challenges by Mark H. Huston \* New France in 1634 and the Fate of North America by Michael Varhola \* Will O' the Wisp? by Iver P. Cooper