The Universal Register

A Companion Novel

Letters from Potsdam

2028

October 2028. Alexander I has been German Emperor and King of Prussia since his father died in February, when he was fourteen. His cousin Frederick, eight months older and at school in New Westminster, has just learned that he will be King of fourteen realms before he is sixteen. On the night the realms agree, Alexander writes to him for the first time in their lives.

Letters from Potsdam is their correspondence, carried by hand in the diplomatic bag and read by nobody else: what it is like, and what to do about it, from the one person in the world who knows.

Each chapter opens with a short extract from the Universal Register, the encyclopedia of the world the book is set in. The extracts are quoted from the Register as it stands; the chapters show what happened in the rooms it was not in.

Begin reading: Chapter One, The Bag → Characters

Part One: The Last Realm (From 30 October 2028)

  1. 1 The Bag Alexander I. Published 30 October 2026.
  2. 2 The Timetable George V. Published 30 October 2026.
  3. 3 Andromeda Alexander I. Published 30 October 2026.
  4. 4 The Kitchen Table George V. Published 30 October 2026.

Part Two: The Bag (December 2028 to May 2029)

  1. 5 Two Over George V. Published 1 November 2026.
  2. 6 The Hour at the Sink Alexander I. Published 1 November 2026.
  3. 7 Older Than Fire George V. Published 1 November 2026.
  4. 8 The Advice George V. Published 1 November 2026.
  5. 9 Until It Is Mine Alexander I. Published 1 November 2026.
  6. 10 Homework George V. Published 1 November 2026.
  7. 11 One Line Alexander I. Published 1 November 2026.
  8. 12 The Terms George V. Published 1 November 2026.
  9. 13 Feierabend Alexander I. Published 1 November 2026.

New chapters appear here as they are finished.