Red Shield

by Bethanne Kim

Big battles may be fought with APCs and battleships, but when small West Virginia town goes back through time and space to land in Thuringia, Germany in 1631, there are bigger battles to fight. Ones the military might struggle with. The kind meant for octogenarians, parents, and teens. Whether their goal is preserving the past, ensuring the future, or making the world a better place, these volunteers aren't going to accept "it can't be done" as the answer.

Some of their goals may sound simple—teaching hand washing for Pete's sake!—but the missions of the Red Cross and Scouts have never been more important, and their tools more in need of evolving, to win the hearts and minds of the new world that surrounds them than in the 1630s.

No matter what the tool or the fight, Grantvillers are ready for battle and the world better "Be Prepared" for Stayin' Alive West Virginia style!

At the publisher's request, this title is sold without DRM (Digital Rights Management).

388 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 6, 2026

Reviews

[John Sapienza · Rating 5 out of 5]

Plain Folk Do Well

Some novels in the 1632 timeline are war and bloody politics. This set by Bethanne Kim are more like cozy mysteries in which ordinary people learn how to meet the needs of others, and prosper by doing good. It makes for more calm than some want in their reading. Who would expect an author to turn establishing the Eagle Scout program would do so well in bringing up time and down time young men and women into a community?

[Ron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bethanne Kim continues to provide interesting side tales in the Ring of Fire Universe. This time she has a wide cast of characters who are involved in integrating up-time and down-time medical knowledge and spreading that knowledge to everyone through Red Shield (Red Cross) style training such as CPR, wound care, water rescue, and the like. A number of the same folks were instrumental in bring back Scouting (up-time style) under the name of Pioneers (whole story on how that name came about). It was nice to see the focus on other characters rather than the main leads of the series. It was also nice to see how these stories fit into the series as a whole. A very satisfying read.

[Bonny Fuller-Fells · Rating 5 out of 5]

Red Cross left out out other religious groups

So Grantville changed the name to Red Shield. Downtimers associated scouts with the military, so they called them Scout Pioneers.

[Allen McDonnell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Fine Novel

Bethanne Kim has once again woven a story about how the common folk of Grantville adapt and thrive, or fail, in their new world of 1631-35 Germany.

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you Bethanne for the wonderful stories you wove together for RS. It's nice to have a book than spans a longer period (1631-1637) than a 'normal' ROF novel. 5++