Eric create a reading order for the whole series in 2020, but it’s a sprawling thing that doesn’t lend itself to that sort of effort. In fact, it actively fights any attempt to be described linearly. Nonetheless, readers crave some sort of order to help them figure out what to read, and in which order. Eric’s list gives the books in roughly chronological order for events within the universe, with the proviso that there is a lot of overlap in the time frames. Books don’t all neatly start and end at the same time.
This page is not going to attempt to give you “the order” to read all the books. Each sub-grouping is chronological but unrelated books are ignored. Instead, it has smaller chunks of books to read, starting with the first one and another three you (arguably) need to read to understand the basis of the universe, then groupings of several related books. For example, the books set in North America are one grouping and Barbie Consortium books are one grouping.
There are quite a few more books that were originally published by Eric Flint’s Ring of Fire Press that are going to be released by Baen books in the coming months. As those come available, they will be added here or it will be noted that they are now available.
Gotta Read
1632 by Eric Flint. It’s what started the whole series and while there are books and sub-series you can mostly understand without reading more than the back cover, you will still miss a lot. Just read the book. (Baen Publishing)
Really Should Read
Ring of Fire edited by Eric Flint. (Baen Publishing)
1633 by Eric Flint and David Weber. They wrote this before the first issue of the Grantville Gazette was released. It’s also foundational material. Again, just read it. It’s by two master craftsmen working together. It’s not like we’re suggesting sitting through a concert of brand-new violinists. (Baen Publishing)
1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber. The two master craftsmen couldn’t fit everything they had to say into one book, so read this one too. (Baen Publishing)
Continuing the Mainline
These are the mainline novels that aren’t included in one of the sub-sets below and generally follow major political developments in the major European powers, outside of the Papal States which are listed separately.
1634: The Bavarian Crisis by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce (Baen Publishing)
1635: The Dreeson Incident by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce (Baen Publishing)
1635: The Eastern Front by Eric Flint (Baen Publishing)
1636: The Ottoman Onslaught by Eric Flint (Baen Publishing)
1636: The Saxon Uprising by Eric Flint (Baen Publishing)
1637: The Polish Maelstrom by Eric Flint (Baen Publishing)
1637: The Transylvanian Decision by Eric Flint and Robert E. Waters (Baen Publishing)
The Caribbean
1634: The Baltic War by Eric Flint and David Weber (Baen Publishing)
1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon (Baen Publishing)
1636: Calabar’s War by Charles E. Gannon and Robert E. Waters (Baen Publishing)
1637: No Peace Beyond the Line by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon (Baen Publishing)
North America
1636: The Atlantic Encounter by Eric Flint and Walter H. Hunt (Baen Publishing)
1637: The Coast of Chaos by Eric Flint, Gorg Huff, and Paula Goodlett (Baen Publishing)
The Papal Stories
1634: The Galileo Affair by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis (Baen Publishing) (optional)
1635: The Cannon Law by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis (Baen Publishing)
1635: The Papal Stakes by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon (Baen Publishing)
1636: The Vatican Sanction by Eric Flint and Charles E. Gannon (Baen Publishing)
The Barbie Consortium
Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett
This is one of my personal favorites. A group of middle school girls figures out their Barbies are worth a fortune, so that’s what they sell them for-a fortune. Thanks to dinner-table conversations about economics by one set of parents, they invest extremely wisely and become even wealthier. Because their wealth started with Barbies, they are known as the Barbie Consortium. Are they princesses? Read and find out.
Yes, there is a Ken.
Bartley’s Man is a separate-but-related novel. If you read this before the two Barbie novels, you’ll “get” more of what is happening.
1636: The Barbie Consortium (Baen Publishing)
1636: The Viennese Waltz (Baen Publishing)
Much of the first book was originally in short stories in multiple issues of the Grantville Gazette magazine. Those were collected and combined into a novel.
Russia
Eric Flint, Gorg Huff and Paula Goodlett
There are three books in the “main” Russia story line and another three in a secondary story line about Miroslava Holmes, a private investigator.
1636: The Kremlin Games (Baen Publishing)
1637: The Volga Rules (Baen Publishing)
1638: The Sovereign States (Baen Publishing)
Miroslava Holmes Books
Gorg Huff, Paula Goodlett
These are also set in Russia after the Ring of Fire. You should read 1636: The Kremlin Games to understand what is going on in post-RoF (Ring of Fire) Russia, but reading the other two books set in Russia is optional.
Two Cases for the Czar (Book 2)
A Mission for the Czar (Book 3)
The Far East
China and Japan
1636: The China Venture by Eric Flint and Iver P. Cooper (Baen Publishing)
1636: Seas of Fortune by Iver P. Cooper (stories set in South America and Japan) (Baen Publishing)
India
by Eric Flint and Griffin Barber
1636: Mission to the Mughals (Baen Publishing)
1637: The Peacock Throne (Baen Publishing)
Stand Alone Novels
1634: The Ram Rebellion by Eric Flint and Virginia DeMarce (Baen Publishing)
1635: The Wars for the Rhine by Annette Pederson (Baen Publishing)
Dr. Gribbleflotz
by Kerryn Offord and Rick Boatright
1636: The Chronicles of Dr. Gribbleflotz (Baen Publishing)
1637: Dr. Gribbleflotz and the Soul of Stoner (Baen Publishing)
England/Britain
1635: A Parcel of Rogues by Eric Flint and Andrew Dennis (Baen Publishing)
Not Currently Available New
These were published by Ring of Fire Press and will be released as eBooks by Baen, dates to be determined. Limited numbers of paperbacks may be available used.
NESS (Neustatter’s European Security Service)
Bjorn Hasseler
A Matter of Security
Missions of Security
Security Threats
Security Solutions (forthcoming)
Rose Street Chronicles
Bethanne Kim
This name doesn’t appear on the books, but they are all related none-the-less.
Mrs. Flannery’s Flowers
Gourmets of Grantville
Red Shield (forthcoming)