The Ring of Fire Series Continues! The United States of Europe finds itself embroiled in international intrigue, as the uptimers attempt to establish an embassy in Ming Dynasty era China.
The newly formed United States of Europe, created by an alliance between the time-displaced Americans from the town of Grantville and the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus, decides to send an embassy to the Chinese empire. One of the main purposes of the embassy is to establish trade in order to gain access to critical resources. The mission is a gamble—some might say, a long shot. The Ming dynasty is on the verge of collapse and China’s rulers are suspicious of foreigners.
The mission experiences one setback after another, but presses on. And they gain an important ally along the way: Zheng Zhilong, a former pirate now an admiral for the Ming navy and the head of an extremely wealthy Fujian province trading family. He knows through his Jesuit missionary connections that according to Grantville's history books, the Ming dynasty is in danger, from famines, bandit armies and barbarian invaders. And he is determined that, one way or another, he and his family will survive and even prosper.
The embassy is joined as well by a young scholar, who helps them make inroads into China’s complex and often dangerous society. Can the up-timers and their friends persuade the imperial dynasty and its mandarins to establish trade and diplomatic relations with the USE? They have one great asset: their knowledge may be the key to saving China from decades of mass suffering and civil war.
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About 1636: Seas of Fortune by Iver Cooper:
". . . expand[s] the Ring of Fire universe into new or previously limited geography and culture. 'Stretching Out' includes seven excellent entries mostly in South America and the Caribbean built on real events but with a nice Grantville twist. 'Rising Sun' contains five terrific tales ... also built on real events enhanced by historical speculation but with a nice Grantville twist."—Alternate Worlds
About 1635: A Parcel of Rogues:
"The 20th volume in this popular, fast-paced alternative history series follows close on the heels of the events in The Baltic War, picking up with the protagonists in London, including sharpshooter Julie Sims. This time the 20th-century transplants are determined to prevent the rise of Oliver Cromwell and even have the support of King Charles."—Library Journal
About 1634: The Galileo Affair:
"A rich, complex alternate history with great characters and vivid action. A great read and an excellent book."—David Drake
"Gripping . . . depicted with power!"—Publishers Weekly
About Eric Flint's Ring of Fire series:
“This alternate history series is . . . a landmark…”—Booklist
“[Eric] Flint's 1632 universe seems to be inspiring a whole new crop of gifted alternate historians.”—Booklist
“ . . . reads like a technothriller set in the age of the Medicis . . . ”—Publishers Weekly
Eric Flint is a modern master of alternate history fiction, with over three million books in print. He’s the author/creator of the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series starting with first novel 1632. With David Drake he has written six popular novels in the “Belisarius” alternate Roman history series, and with David Weber collaborated on 1633 and 1634: The Baltic War and two novels in Weber's Honorverse series. Flint was for many years a labor union activist. He lives near Chicago, Illinois.
Iver P. Cooper has been an active contributor to Eric Flint's Ring of Fire universe, with short stories and articles published in the online Grantville Gazette and in the hardcover anthology Ring of Fire II. He is the author of 1636: Seas of Fortune. Cooper is an intellectual property law attorney with Browdy & Neimark, Washington DC. He has received legal writing awards from the American Patent Law Association, the U.S. Trademark Association, and the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers, and is the sole author of Biotechnology and the Law, now in its twenty-something edition. In his spare time, he teaches swing and folk dancing, and participates in local photo club competitions. Cooper is married with a son and daughter.
