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The Grantville Gazettes

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For the first volume in the series, see The Grantville Gazette.

Grantville Gazette
Editors
  • Eric Flint (2003–2022)
  • Paula Goodlett (2007–2015)
  • Walt Boyes (2015–2022)
  • Bjorn Hassler (2015–2022)
LanguageEnglish
Series1632 series
GenreAlternate History, Anthology
PublisherBaen Books
Publication date
Semi-periodic, and Periodic (bi-monthly)
Various dates from
February 2003 and
from 2004
(in print as books)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typee-zine and ebook
Paperback and hardcover
Websitelast snapshot of website

The Grantville Gazettes were a series of anthologies of short stories set in the 1632 universe introduced in Eric Flint's novel 1632[1] that was published as a bi-monthly electronic magazine from 2003 until shortly after Flint's death in 2022.

The Gazettes started as an experiment: a professionally edited, officially sanctioned "fan magazine" published electronically. Initially released as serialized e-magazines, they were later published as e-books (taking a page from the Baen Books experience with E-ARCs—Electronic Advance Reader Copies, which had been instituted several years earlier.) Because the electronic sales were successful, Baen contracted with Flint for more issues, to be published 3-4 times per year (bimonthly, starting in 2007[2]). Each would form part of the canonical background for the other works (novels and anthologies) in the rapidly growing 1632 series.

By mid-2012, e-magazines were published bimonthly, and six books had been published (five of those as both hardcover and mass market paperback) excerpted from the first 17 issues of the magazine. [2][3] Grantville Gazette IX was published in July 2021.[4]

After two decades of operations, the magazine celebrated the electronic release of its 100th volume in March 2022.[5][6]

On August 16, 2022, Lucille Robbins, the widow of Eric Flint, officially announced the immediate shutdown of both The Grantville Gazette and the Ring of Fire Press. Without a huge infusion of new cash, it was determined that both business ventures would not be economically viable without Flint's participation.[7][8]

The final electronic issue, Volume 102, was released in July 2022,[9] while the final hardcopy book version, Grantville Gazette IX (ISBN 978-1982125455), was released in July 2021.

In June 2023, it was announced that a new company, Flint's Shards Inc., had signed a contract with Lucille Robbins, Eric Flint's widow and heir, to produce a new electronic magazine called Eric Flint's 1632 & Beyond that will be released bimonthly on the first day of odd-numbered months with Bjorn Hasseler as Editor-in-Chief starting September 2023.[10]

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Starting in November 2004, the first Gazette was also released experimentally in a paper edition with issue I as a paperback. The second volume was released in hardcover in March 2006, this and subsequent titles use Roman Numerals for titles such as are listed below in the section List of Gazettes, as appear on the print publication covers.

Each print edition contains an additional story that was not published in any e-magazine. Starting with volume V, each print edition contains stories from several of the magazines, and not all magazine stories are published in the books. The List of Gazettes section below gives the publication dates and a rough guide to which magazines are collected into particular books.

Print title Publication date ISBN e-Vols covered Additional Flint story
Grantville Gazette I November 2004[11] 0-7434-8860-1 Whole issue 1 Portraits
Grantville Gazette II March 2006[12] 1-4165-2051-1 Whole issue 2 Steps In The Dance
Grantville Gazette III January 2007[13] 1-4165-0941-0 Whole issue 3 Postage Due
Grantville Gazette IV June 2008[14] 1-4165-5554-4 Whole issue 4 The Anatomy Lesson
Grantville Gazette V August 2009[15] 1-4391-3279-8 From issues 5–10 Steady Girl
Grantville Gazette VI January 2012[16] 1-4516-3853-1 From issues 11–19 The Masque
Grantville Gazette VII April 2015[17] 978-1476780290 From issues 20–30 An Aukward Situation
Grantville Gazette VIII June 2018[18] 978-1481483292 From issues 31–45 Descartes Before the Whores
Grantville Gazette IX July 2021[19] 978-1982125455 From issues 46–64 Nasty, Brutish and Short

Overall literary criticism and reception of the printed versions

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Sales of the printed versions of the Grantville Gazette I[20][21] and Grantville Gazette II[22] were high enough to have these issues listed on the Locus (magazine) Bestsellers Lists with Volume I topping at number 9 in 2005 for Paperbacks and Volume II at 10 in 2006 for Hardcovers respectively.

Overall, most reviewers wrote favorable reviews[23][24] while only a small number were negative.[25] A reviewer for Booklist wrote that "Flint's 1632 universe seems to be inspiring a whole new crop of gifted alternate historians."[26]

Reception of printed volumes that do not have their own page yet

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Grantville Gazette IV

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The reviewer for Observe and See wrote that the printed version of the Grantville Gazette IV is "It is every bit as enjoyable as the other editions" and reviewed each story in this edition.[27] The reviewer for The Billion Light-Year Bookshelf wrote extensive individual reviews for each of the included stories.[28] The reviewer also noted that one of the stories from the Gazette was a part of the backstory of one of the novels that she had previously reviewed.

Grantville Gazette V

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The reviewer for Booklist wrote that the printed edition of the Grantville Gazette V "add[s] dimensions to Flint's singular alternate-history creation."[29] The reviewer for The Billion Light-Year Bookshelf wrote individual reviews for each of the included stories.[30] Most were positive, however she did warn the reader that at least one story could be incomprehensible unless the reader have already read most of the books in the series.

Grantville Gazette VI

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The reviewer for the San Francisco Book Review wrote that "all of the stories are well-written and peopled with fascinating characters."[31] The reviewer for the Library Journal also gave a positive review.[32]

Grantville Gazette VII

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The reviewer for the SFRevu wrote that "The stories run quite a gamut. There are mysteries, action adventure, and little bit of rewritten history." Some of the stories are quirky and that "the characters have a sense of humor" while some of the other "stories aren't all humorous, they also deal with subjects related to inequality and opportunity. The reviewer also wrote that "Another really good part of the series, is the serious discussion of technology and how old technologies can be recreated until the equipment needed to build the modern technology is available." The reviewer also states that "The Gazette has been a pipeline for developing authors."[33] The reviewer for the Midwest Book Review wrote that the book "provides a lively set of vignettes and tales that juxtapose well with the primary books in the series and fill in many gaps with new stories and new information".[34]

The Ring of Fire Press

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Main article: Ring of Fire Press

Many of the continuing serials had been republished as single volume collections by the publishers of the Gazette through their own Ring of Fire Press to make the material easier to access by its readers by not having its readers search through various Gazette back issues to access a previous episode of a particular serial.[35]

Short story awards

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Starting in 2017, the Gazette began to offer an award for the best short story that was published during the previous calendar year as determined by its readers.[36]

Year Title Authors Issue
2016 The Winter Canvas: A Daniel Block Story[37] Meriah L. Crawford and Robert E. Waters 67
2017 The Long Road Home, Part 2[38] Nick Lorance 69
2018 Requiem For the Future[39] David Carrico 76
2019 Clique, Clique, Boom[40] Bjorn Hasseler 82
2020 First Kiss[41] Tim Roesch 90

Jim Baen's Universe

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Starting with magazine issue #19, another Baen magazine was merged into the Grantville Gazette. For the next ten issues, there was no change in the Gazettes beyond a dual title on the title page. In magazine issue #30, Eric Flint introduced the "Universe Annex" to the Grantville Gazette[42] featuring a story slot and columns from Jim Baen's Universe.

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Uchronia: The Assiti Shards (1632) Series". www.uchronia.net.
  2. ^ a b "Ring of Fire Series". Baen Books. Retrieved June 11, 2012.
  3. ^ Virginia DeMarce (February 8, 2012). "1632 Tech: Virginia's Grid of Uptime Characters". Baen Books. Retrieved June 7, 2012.
  4. ^ Catalog listing in Arlington, Virginia public library website
  5. ^ Boyes, Walt (March 2022). "The Beginnings of the 1632 Story and the Grantville Gazette". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 100. ISBN 978-1956015621. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  6. ^ Boyes, Walt (March 2022). "The Story So Far..." Grantville Gazette. Vol. 100. ISBN 978-1956015621. Archived from the original on March 15, 2022. Retrieved March 15, 2022.
  7. ^ "Our Fellow Members of the Ring of Fire Press Family". The Grantville Gazette. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022.
  8. ^ "Our Fellow Members of the Ring of Fire Press Family". The Ring of Fire Press. Archived from the original on August 16, 2022.
  9. ^ "The Grantville Gazette". Archived from the original on August 11, 2022.
  10. ^ Glyer, Mike (June 23, 2023). "New Eric Flint 1632 Magazine". File 770.
  11. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on August 11, 2004. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  12. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on January 16, 2006. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  13. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on January 14, 2007. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  14. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on March 9, 2008. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  15. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on June 28, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  16. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on January 21, 2012. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  17. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on January 18, 2015. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  18. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on March 24, 2018. Retrieved March 16, 2018.
  19. ^ "Publishing Schedule". Baen Books. Archived from the original on December 31, 2020. Retrieved December 31, 2020.
  20. ^ "Locus Bestsellers, February 2005". Locus. February 2005.
  21. ^ "Locus Bestsellers, March 2005". Locus. March 2005.
  22. ^ "Locus Bestsellers, June 2006". Locus. June 2006.
  23. ^ Lardas, Mark (January 28, 2007). "Fiction has a wide range in anthology". The Galveston County Daily News. Archived from the original on July 16, 2011. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  24. ^ Lawhorn, Willian (December 26, 2006). "Grantville Gazette III by Eric Flint". SFRevu. Archived from the original on November 10, 2007. Retrieved August 2, 2009.
  25. ^ "Grantville Gazette II – Eric Flint (Editor)". Rosboch Book Reviews. May 16, 2011.
  26. ^ Green, Roland (January 1, 2007). "Grantville Gazette III". Booklist. Vol. 103, no. 9/10. p. 70. EBSCOhost 23776766. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
  27. ^ "Book Review: "Grantville Gazette IV" Edited by Eric Flint". Observe and See. September 22, 2012.
  28. ^ Kimmel, Leigh (April 15, 2009). "Grantville Gazette IV by Eric Flint (editor)". Billion Light-Year Bookshelf.
  29. ^ Green, Roland (August 1, 2009). "Grantville Gazette V". Booklist. Vol. 105, no. 22. p. 45. ISSN 0006-7385. EBSCOhost 44154131. Archived from the original on May 21, 2014.
  30. ^ Kimmel, Leigh (June 7, 2011). "Grantville Gazette V by Eric Flint, ed". Billion Light-Year Bookshelf.
  31. ^ Revers, Beth (January 3, 2012). "Grantville Gazette VI". San Francisco Book Review.
  32. ^ Cassada, Jackie (January 2012). "Grantville Gazette VI: Sequels to 1632". Library Journal. Vol. 137, no. 1. p. 80. ISSN 0363-0277. EBSCOhost 70144687. Archived from the original on April 13, 2014.
  33. ^ Lawhorn, Bill (March 29, 2016). "Grantville Gazette VII (The Ring of Fire)". SFRevu.
  34. ^ "The Bookwatch". Midwest Book Review. June 2015.
  35. ^ "Announcing Ring of Fire Press". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 48. July 1, 2013. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
  36. ^ Boyes, Walt (March 1, 2017). "Best of 2016 Award". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 70. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  37. ^ Hasseler, Bjorn (November 1, 2017). "Best of 2017 Award". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 74. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  38. ^ Boyes, Walt (May 1, 2018). "The Story So Far..." Grantville Gazette. Vol. 77. Archived from the original on July 23, 2018. Retrieved July 22, 2018.
  39. ^ Hasseler, Bjorn (August 24, 2019). "Best of 2018". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 85. Archived from the original on September 19, 2020. Retrieved September 14, 2019.
  40. ^ "Best of the Gazette 2019". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 89. May 2020. Archived from the original on November 24, 2020. Retrieved December 16, 2020.
  41. ^ Boyes, Walt; Hasseler, Bjorn (November 2021). "Best of the Gazette 2020". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 98. Archived from the original on November 15, 2021. Retrieved November 15, 2021.
  42. ^ Flint, Eric, ed. (July 2010). "Introduction to the Universe Annex". Grantville Gazette. Vol. 30. Baen Books. Archived from the original on November 27, 2021. Retrieved November 27, 2021.
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