1632 Snippets
1636 The China Venture – Snippet 02
1636 The China Venture - Snippet 02 Chapter 1 Year of the Rooster, Eighth Month (September 3-October 2, 1633) First Day (September 3) Southern Capital (Nanjing) "Hurry!" cried Fang Yizhi. "I want to get to the government reception station before it closes!" "I am hurrying," said his servant, Xudong. "My legs are shorter than yours. How much further?" Fang Yizhi, unlike his servant, had spent a couple of years in Nanjing previously, and therefore knew the way. "Four more blocks. Straight ahead." Fang Yizhi was something of a prodigy. By age...
1636 The China Venture – Snippet 01
1636 The China Venture - Snippet 01 1636: The China Venture by Eric Flint and Iver P. Cooper PART I: 1633 Ship me somewhere's east of Suez, where the best is like the worst, Where there aren't no Ten Commandments an' a man can raise a thirst Rudyard Kipling, Mandalay Prologue Grantville September 1633 "Okay," said Mike Stearns, "we've thrashed out what can and can't be done right now in terms of trade with the Ottomans, the Mughals, and even the Venetians." The President of the New United States leaned back in his chair, and sighed. "Are we...
Legions Of Pestilence – Snippet 52
This book should be available now so this is the last snippet. Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 52 Kanoffski leaned back. "Would, or could, Grand Duchess Claudia provide credit from Tyrol? Or are the regents there holding too tight an oversight to the budget? Would there be additional complications now that the county is a province of the USE?" "It's not just the regents," Bodendorf said. "There was something about auditors." Bernhard laughed. "Tyrol has hired some auditors from the State of Thuringia-Franconia. Up-timers, or trained by...
Legions Of Pestilence – Snippet 51
Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 51 **** The next time the two of them got together, several months later, Gerry told Ron that he wasn't a bit sorry that they'd left Besançon so fast that he missed the assassination of the pope. Well, he probably wouldn't have been right there watching it this time, considering how long the authorities had managed to cover up the whole business, but still. One papal assassination per lifetime, successful or not, was enough for any guy. Especially when it was the same pope. Chapter 31 Besançon April-May 1636...
Legions Of Pestilence – Snippet 50
Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 50 "I'll deal. Rather, Dr. Guarinonius will deal. Come on. I'll take you to dinner. You can talk to some of the rest of the up-timers who are here and I'll introduce you to a couple of local guys I know." "FUBAR," Gerry said philosophically. "Situation normal." **** The food wasn't bad. Somebody had introduced one of the local taverns to barbecued ribs. He suspected Lisa Lund, who'd married a down-time butcher and been living in Besancon, working for Bernhard, for a while. The local guys weren't bad...
Legions Of Pestilence – Snippet 49
Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 49 Chapter 29 My Well-Born, Especially Well-Beloved, Lady and Friend Besançon "Wollgeborene insonders vilgeliebte Herrin und Freundin." "So, my well-born, especially well-beloved lady and friend, it is finished. Signatures, radio announcements, newspaper reports, satirical engravings, and all the trimmings that accompany major treaties." "I was a little surprised that you delegated Erlach to sign for you." Bernhard shrugged. "It just seemed that it would be, maybe, simpler for Gustavus and my brother Wilhelm...
Legions Of Pestilence – Snippet 48
Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 48 "She's not married, is she?" Wettin asked. "Just at the moment, I mean? Johann Friedrich isn't married, either. I know that Gustavus instructed him to propose to the oldest sister of the young dukes of Württemberg, with which he duly complied, but she firmly refused, both for herself and on behalf of her sisters as they reach marriageable age. His cousin Georg Otto isn't married either, but he's marginally too young for an ideal match with Henriette and Leopold Ludwig is still a child." "It would help...
Legions Of Pestilence – Snippet 47
Legions Of Pestilence - Snippet 47 "In any case, touching or not, it is absolutely necessary, because Claudia is not able to persuade Bernhard to agree to accept Nicolas François and Claude as regents in Lorraine and Bar, a lapse on her part which I consider very disappointing. I believe his final word on the matter was that we were welcome to ship them off somewhere to breed a generation of heirs, but that was as far as he was willing to go, and the 'somewhere' had better be as far as possible from anywhere close to here. If, therefore, you...