1636: The Saxon Uprising — Eric Flint

WHEN GENERALS COLLIDE . . .

The West Virginia town of Grantville, torn from the twentieth century and hurled back into seventeenth century Europe, has allied with Gustavus Adolphus, King of Sweden, in the United States of Europe. So, when Gustavus invades Poland, 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.

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. But Gustavus Adolphus' terrible injuries in the Polish war have sidelined him and created a political vacuum. The new prime minister and the Swedish Chancellor are taking advantage of the situation to force their reactionary policies on the USE. Unrest is spreading everywhere and it comes to an explosion in the newly liberated province of Saxony. Gretchen Higgins has arrived in the Saxon capital of Dresden, and she never saw a revolution she didn't like. In response, the ruthless Swedish general Johan Baner is moving his army to seize Dresden and drown the rebellion in blood.

So, Mike Stearns is faced with a cold, hard choice. Does he continue to compromise with Swedish officials and German aristocrats in the hope of avoiding bloodshed? Or does he throw his army in support of the Saxon uprising -- and risk being branded a traitor?