Mike Stearns

Michael "Mike" Stearns is a major fictional character created by author-editor Eric Flint in the best selling science-fiction series 1632, and is arguably the most central and visibly important protagonist in the series as a whole. Cast as a "non-traditional leader type" in the lead novel 1632 (novel), Stearns is an ex-prize fighter and college drop-out that holds the position as the regional president of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA) local chapter, and is hosting and paying for his sister Rita's wedding reception as the first novel begins. He is introduced being painfully polite to his brother-in-law Tom Simpson's parents, and in particular the stuck-up overbearing conceited corporate CEO father John Simpson who acts as the first novels' most visible resident jerk, in-town antagonist, and enemy to Mike Stearns as events unfold.

After introducing the sub-plot tension between the two, Flint expands Stearns likability with additional introduction of sympathetic characters such as Doctor TBDL00 and union tough guy-organizer Harry Lefferts, and the massively built Tom Simpson who comes on scene as sympathetic figure tendering an apology for his parents behavior to his new brother-in-law Mike. At that point, author Flint drops Grantville back in time years to May 1631 in the event known locally as The Ring of Fire, in actual fact a act of sublime alien carelessness known as an Assiti Shards event. Deputized along with a coterie of his union members, Stearns follows Grantville's town Police Chief Dan Frost in an effort to find out why the power went out and the ground shook with that weird red flash. In the parking lot talking it over, one of the miners spots smoke, and the whole party heads towards the fire. Within moments, Chief Frost is shot by several Spanish soldiers, and places Mike Stearns in charge of the posse.

Within a day, he becomes head of the Emergency Committee and defacto head of the town trying to cope with the "new" 17th century world turned upside down. In the organization meetings, Stearns clashes once more with John Simpson in front of the whole town confirming the two at odds politically for the rest of the book as Grantville under Mike's firm and unhesitating leadership begins to cope with survival imperatives, and the odd army of murderous mercenaries, typical of the era. Midway through the first part of the novel, in another clash in front of a town meeting, things come to a head again as Simpson wants to take charge and close the town off to refugees and Stearns advocates the opposite approach, welcoming all and sundry as he and the emergency committee know from looking over man-power needs, if Grantville is to survive unscathed and healthy, it will need far more men than have gone back in time.

In between, Stearns and his cabinet meet up with an Scottish cavalry officer of Gustavus II Adolphus of Sweden, TBD McKay...

characters Stearns, Mike