1632

Author: Eric Flint

So, this is what happened in another universe. 2000 A.D. A town called Grantville, West Virginia, isn't there anymore. Some whimsical aliens drew a circle around it, about six miles wide and transported it and its power station to central Germany and the year 1631. Yes, that's what happened. At least in Flint's fictional alternate universe, where such things are possible. Still, apart from that little oddity, the people of Grantville are just your ordinary small-town folks (well, mostly), and they don't just say "Cool. Look at that." and get on with their lives. Things are a bit more complicated than that, what with 17th century power politics and contrasting levels of technology, and everything else that's going to be happening as a result. Why it's on the list: Great variation on the theme of just a single person being displaced in time. I haven't read any other books from Flint's fictional universe, but they're definitely on my list. The whole displace-a-town thing reminds me bit of James Blish's "Cities in Flight" novels.