The <st1:state>West Virginia</st1:state> town of <st1:city>Grantville</st1:city>, torn from the twentieth century and hurled back into seventeenth century <st1:place>Europe</st1:place> has allied with Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, in the United States of Europe. So, when Gustavus invades <st1:place><st1:country-region>Poland</st1:country-region></st1:place>, managing to unite all the squabbling Polish factions into repelling the common enemy, the time-lost Americans have to worry about getting dragged into the fight along with the Swedish forces. <P>            But Mike Stearns has another problem. He was Prime Minister of the USE until he lost an election, and now he's one of Gustavus's generals; and he has demonstrated that he's very good at being a general. And he's about to really need all his military aptitude. Gretchen , who never saw a revolution she didn't like, has been arrested in <st1:place>Saxony</st1:place>, and is likely to be executed. The revolutionary groups which she has been working with are not about to let that happen, and suddenly there's rioting in the streets. <st1:place>Saxony</st1:place>'s ruthless General Baner is determined to suppress the uprising by the time-honored “kill them all and let God sort them out” method, which only adds fuel to the fire. So Gustavus orders Mike Stearns to go to <st1:place>Saxony</st1:place> and restore order. But he makes one mistake. <P>            He didn't tell Mike to take his troops along on the mission. But he didn't tell him <I>not</i> to, either . . . <P> <P><I>Praise for the </i>New York Times <I>Best-Selling Series:</i><P>“. . . gripping and expertly detailed . . . a treat for lovers of action-SF or alternate history . . . battle scenes depicted with power . . . distinguishes Flint as an SF author of particular note, one who can entertain and edify in equal, and major, measure.” —<I>Publishers Weekly</i> (in a starred review)<P> <P>“[This] alternate-history saga . . . is certainly a landmark in that subgenre. . . . A splendid example of character-centered alternate-history, this is a must read for its series' growing fandom.” —<I>Booklist</i> (Starred Review)<P> <P>“. . . takes historic speculation to a new level in a tale that combines accurate historical research with bold leaps of the imagination. Fans of alternate history and military sf should enjoy this rousing tale of adventure and intrigue.” —<I>Library Journal</i><P> <P>“This alternate history series is already one of the best around and each new entry appears better than the previous one, a seemingly impossible feat . . . terrific. . . .” —<I>The <st1:place>Midwest</st1:place> Book Review</i>