Though the Thirty Years War continues to ravage 17th century Europe, history
as it once happened has been strongly deflected by the new force which is
rapidly gathering power and influence: the United States of Europe, an alliance
between Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, and the West Virginians from the 20th
century led by Mike Stearns who were hurled centuries into the past by a
mysterious cosmic accident - the Ring of Fire. The USE has the know-how of
20th century technology, but the American traditions of freedom and justice is
having an even stronger impact on Europe, and the rulers of Europe are powerless
to stuff the Grantville genie back into the bottle.
Virginia DeMarce, a trained historian and co-author of the New York
Times best seller, 1635: The Bavarian Crisis, continues the
saga of the time-lost Americans as seen through the eyes of both Americans and
Europeans, as the Americans try to make sense of the strange world into which
they have been hurled, and the Europeans try to understand the abilities and
behavior of the visitors from the future.