Can anyone tell me the order to read this series of books?  I find them very confusing to sort out.  I've got some on order and I need to know the order before I start reading.  I'd appreciate any help.  Thanks

Ruth

Hey Ruth,

I don't read this series but I found this reading order on amazon.com that might help you out.  Here it is:

http://www.amazon.com/Assiti-Shards-Eric-Flint-al/lm/HXJOA3X4NN89/ref=cm_lmt_fvlm_f_3_rlrsrs1

hope this helps

Phil

Ruth -

I've read most of the series and it can be confusing, as some of the books overlap or in some cases, involve branches of the storyline.  That is why there are several "1634" books for example.

There are also 2 series of anthologies in the mix "ring of Fire" and "Grantville Gazette".  As I recall, the "Ring" stories are intended to be fairly connected to the main stream of the story, and tend to be by more major authors.  The "Gazette" stories, both fiction and non-fiction, are more tangental to the story line and sometimes introduce characters that may only appear in these short stories.  Some of the stories come from fans of the story line.  The series has a large following of "fanfic" writers that speculate on the potential technologies, religious and political impact of Grantville.

I would start with 1632, 1633, Ring I and then Grantville I.  Altho Baltic War is recent, it actually ties in immediately after 1633.  I have enjoyed these books the most, as well as the other "Gazette" volumes.  The other novels, while good, are somewhat denser books to get through and lack a bit of entertainment value.  You definitely can learn a great deal about the politics and religious issues of the time.  I haven't read Ring II or Bavarian Crisis yet.

You may find the series referred to as "Ring of Fire" or "Assiti Shards" - both are names for the same early event in 1632 which sets the groundwork for the storyline.

Here's that list from Amazon  (THANKS PHIL!):  I've added a few points in CAPS

    
1.  1632 by Eric Flint

2.  1633 by Eric Flint

3.  Ring of Fire  by Mercedes Lackey  NOT SURE LACKEY HAS A STORY - THIS IS AN ANTHOLOGY EDITED BY FLINT

3A.  GRANTVILLE GAZETTE, I and II

4.  1634: The Galileo Affair by Eric Flint

5.  1634: The Ram Rebellion by Eric Flint

6.  1635: Cannon Law by Eric Flint

7.  1634: The Baltic War by David Weber

8.  1634: The Bavarian Crisis by Eric Flint

9.  Ring of Fire II by Eric Flint

10.  1635: The Dreeson Incident (The Ring of Fire) by Eric Flint  (I DON"T THINK THIS HAS BEEN RELEASED YET.)

ALSO

The official website about the series is  www.1632.org/  It has more info than you can imagine, including a comprehensive time frame of all the stories.

You may want to visit the Baen Books website  www.baen.com/ - especially "Baen's Bar" which is their discussion forum.   bar.baen.com/ There are several forums dedicated to the 1632 series and the fanfic stories.  You do need to register to post, but it is free.  I find their forum a bit cumbersome to use, but it has loads of info on all the Baen books.

Rick

(edited to format list properly)

Hi,

I have not read this series either it sounds interesting..  You might want to give this web site a try

fantastic fiction.com

Happy reading thanks

Tammy