[mikewarot]

I didn't mention why... which seems to be the thing to do, sorry about that.

To prepare for writing the book, Eric Flint, the primary author, did an extensive survey and interviews with a number of people in the town of Mannington, West Virginia. In the book, he renames the town to Grantville, and "aliens" throw it (and a 6 mile diameter sphere centered on the town) backwards in time to late 1632 in the middle of Germany, from the year 2000.

The alternative history, with struggles for survival, is a great read. The series that developed taught me a lot about the things necessary to keep civilization going, in terms of supply chains and infrastructure.

I lost a few of the physical books, and I may rebuy them, once my retirement pay kicks in.