Map Monday: Route of Diogo de Teive's 1452 Voyage by Reagent

September 22, 2014, 1:00 pm

This week features a very minimalist map by Reagent called "Route of Diogo de Teive's 1452 Voyage":

It is from Reagent's new timeline "Quinto Império: uma História do Império Português". From its description, its a Portuguese-wank where the POD centers around the Portuguese explorer Diogo de Teive discovering the Americas decades before Columbus would in OTL. The real reason I picked this map, however, is the shadowing used to denote those areas unknown to Europe, which communicated a powerful message of what fate has in store for Portugal and this timeline in general.

Honorable mention this week goes to Todyo1798's "'NEVER!' A satirical tribute to Ian Paisley". If you want to submit a map for the next Map Monday, email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com with your map attached and a brief description in the body of the email.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

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Interview: Alan Gratz

September 23, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: J.J. Abrams Producing 11/22/63 Mini-Series for Hulu

≪ Previous: Map Monday: Route of Diogo de Teive's 1452 Voyage by Reagent

Check out my interview with Alan Gratz, author of The League of Seven:

Who is Alan Gratz?

I'm the author of a bunch of novels for young readers, including Samurai Shortstop, The Brooklyn Nine, Starfleet Academy: The Assassination Game, Prisoner B-3087, and The League of Seven. I write history, mystery, sports, science fiction, and fantasy—basically, whatever I like to read, I write! A Knoxville, Tennessee native, I'm now a full-time writer living in Western North Carolina.

What got you interested in alternate history?

I've always loved history, but even more, I've always loved the “What if?” game. What if the Axis won World War II? (Robert Harris's Fatherland, Phillip K. Dick's The Man in the High Castle, et al.) What if Charles Babbage had built his mechanical computer? (Gibson & Sterling's The Difference Engine) What if a Jewish state was established not in the Middle East, but in Alaska? (Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union) I can't really say what my first exposure to alternate history was, but Robert Harris's Fatherland was certainly a big book for me in college. Ever since then, I've been fascinated by the different paths life can take based on the simplest of choices.

What is The League of Seven about?

The League of Seven is the story of seven super-powered kids who use rayguns and airships and clockwork machine men to battle giant electrical monsters in an alternate America of the 1870s. So, definitely Alien Space Bats. My Alien Space Bats (the Mangleborn) rise up and destroy Europe in 1770, leaving the relatively few European settlers in the New World stranded and alone. To survive, the settlers in New England join the Iroquois League of Nations as the “Yankee” tribe, eventually becoming one of the founding members of the United Nations of America, a USA analogue that by the 1870s stretched from the east coast to the Mississippi River. The monsters are also the source of the aether used in the rayguns—a mystical energy source that's so alien (it operates on a “different geometry,” to quote Lovecraft) all humans can figure out to do with it is channel it through crystals and shoot it at each other. Since the Mangleborn feed on electricity, the world has to maintain a perpetual Victorian level of technology—which explains why the world is steampunk.

What inspired you to write your novel?

For The League of Seven, I wanted to write a book that ten year old me would think was awesome. A book ten year old me couldn't leave the bookstore or library without taking home with him. (And 42 year old me, really.) So I started with a blank bulletin board and a single notecard right in the center that said “FULL OF AWESOME.” Then I started adding new note cards all around it, in no special place or order, each with something awesome on it: Rayguns. Airships. Clockwork Machine Men. Giant Monsters. Submarines. Secret Societies. Heads in Jars. I put up maybe two dozen ideas, then sat back in my chair for a week just staring at them, trying to build a story out of as many of them as possible. Not all of them made it, but a lot of them did. The result was heroes and villains and gadgets and a world that was totally awesome. Or at least I thought so. :-)

Who designed the cover?

That cover is really full of awesome, isn't it? It's done by a fabulous artist named Brett Helquist, who is also responsible for the covers on Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events, among others. Most authors are never consulted on the covers of their own books. For each of my seven previous books, no one asked me what I wanted the cover to look like. One day it just appeared in my inbox, and the editors who sent them never even said, “What do you think?” It was always, “Here it is!” Unless you love it, they don't really want to know what you think, because they're not going to change it for you.

So when my terrific editor at Tor/Starscape, Susan Chang, e-mailed me one day to ask me what I wanted the cover to look like, I just about fell out of my chair. I told her I wasn't going to say WHAT the cover should look like, because I'm not a trained artist. Instead I put together a Pinterest board with art from a lot of my favorite book cover and comic book illustrators' work on it. One of the artists I pinned to the board was Brett Helquist. My note was, “I know we can't get him, but if we could find somebody who draws like Brett Helquist, that would be awesome.” A month later Susan called me up and told me they'd hired Brett Helquist to do the cover, and I fell out of my chair all over again. I'm so thrilled we got him to do the cover, and I couldn't be happier with the result. People say “Don't judge a book by its cover,” but I hope in this case they do.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

Persistence. A lot of people want to write books, and some people actually do it. But then a lot of those people get one rejection and they're out. They either quit altogether, or they self-pub because they “just want to see the book in print.” Others keep sending out the same novel forever, flogging the same tired old manuscript for years and years and years, recycling it, rewriting it, or worse, writing sequels to a book they haven't even sold yet. If you're interested in a traditionally-published career, you can't quit when you get one rejection or two dozen rejections, and you can't cling to one manuscript to the exclusion of all else. Write one book, then rewrite it and rewrite it and rewrite it to make it the best book you can, then send it out to agents. Then, while that book is still in those agents' mailboxes, start writing the next book. A totally different book. Write it, edit it, send it out, and repeat the process all over again. That's what I did, and that's what most of the successfully published authors I know did. Write, revise, submit, repeat. It's all about persistence.

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J.J. Abrams Producing 11/22/63 Mini-Series for Hulu

September 23, 2014, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Review: World War Kaiju by Josh Finney and Patrick McEvoy

≪ Previous: Interview: Alan Gratz

With Amazon TV moving forward on their adaptation of Dick's The Man in the High Castle, it looks like Hulu has entered the alternate history arms race. They announced in a press release yesterday that Hulu has ordered a nine episode mini-series of Stephen King's 11/22/63 (review). I originally reported a year ago that 11/22/63 had been optioned by Abrams, but now Hulu has finally given them the green-light.

“If I ever wrote a book that cries out for long-form, event TV programming, 11/22/63 is it,” King said in the press release. “I’m excited that it’s going to happen, and am looking forward to working with J.J. Abrams and the whole Bad Robot team.”

For those who haven't read the book, 11/22/63 is about a divorced English teacher who travels back in time to 1958 and decides to prevent the Kennedy assassination. The novel is mostly a time travel story as the actual alternate history content is quite minimal. Nevertheless I enjoyed the book and look forward to seeing what Abrams and Hulu have to offer. King will also have producer credits, along with Bridget Carpenter who will be writing the script.

“I've been a fan of Stephen King since I was in junior high school,” Abrams said. “The chance to work with him at all, let alone on a story so compelling, emotional and imaginative, is a dream." Considering Abrams tried to turn The Dark Tower into a film in 2007, I think he has proved his King fan cred. With Star Wars still being filmed, however, its safe to assume J.J. won't be very active in this project.

No release date yet, but I will keep you posted on any new details as they are announced.

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Review: World War Kaiju by Josh Finney and Patrick McEvoy

September 24, 2014, 7:59 am

≫ Next: What If Wednesday: President Gary Hart

≪ Previous: J.J. Abrams Producing 11/22/63 Mini-Series for Hulu

I wouldn't call myself a "Kaiju" fan. Sure I watched Godzilla movies when I was a kid, but as an adult I never understood the nostalgia for giant monsters that some people have. 1998's Godzilla was awful, Cloverfield was silly, Pacific Rim was overrated and there was so much hype for 2014 Godzilla that I didn't even bother to go see it in theaters (which was probably a smart move considering the title character is only in 8 freaking minutes of the movie). So in truth I was a tad hesitant about reading World War Kaiju by Josh Finney and Patrick McEvoy, but I am happy in the end that I took the chance.

World War Kaiju is an alternate history of the Cold War where instead of nuclear weapons, giant monsters were developed to defeat Japan. Born from radioactive crystals discovered in the Earth's crust, the two superpowers are now locked in an arms race to hatch the most monsters. The story is told as an interview between an intelligence agent at the heart of it all and an anti-establishment reporter looking for the truth. From the scenes set in the present, you get hints that something really bad happened and Nixon is to blame, but the story ended in 1958, leaving it to the sequel(s) to fill us in.

Kaiju aside, I am not sure if I would classify this story as an alternate history. Sure there were changes, like Tokyo being destroyed instead of Hiroshima and the atom bomb never being invented, but history and society tends to parallel OTL's Cold War. I can forgive that because World War Kaiju is at heart a love letter to Kaiju genre and the bad sci-fi of the mid-20th century, and the art used by McEvoy reflects this as well. We see huckster Martians and hero scientists, along with tons of monsters no doubt inspired from films on both sides of the Pacific. The appendixes in the back are chock full of information and their earnestness makes for some real good humor.

There was a plot hole that annoyed me a little. Turns out the crystals the Kaiju are born from are extraterrestrial in origin. An alien race fought a devastating war with Kaiju and to prevent themselves from ever using them again they dumped all of the crystals on prehistoric Earth. This seems rather pointless considering its established in the comic that the crystals can be damaged and destroyed making them useless for hatching Kaiju. If that is so, why didn't the aliens just destroy them instead of going to all the trouble of transporting them to a distant planet and just hoping no one ever figures out how to use them? Was there no stars or black holes nearby to drop them into? I know it wouldn't make much of a story if the aliens did destroy the crystals and perhaps there is an explanation coming in later issues, but it still bugged me.

Plot hole aside, I believe I can still recommend World War Kaiju. This parody of 1950s sci-fi was an entertaining read and I look forward to seeing book 2.

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What If Wednesday: President Gary Hart

September 24, 2014, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Flag Friday: Russian Philippines

≪ Previous: Review: World War Kaiju by Josh Finney and Patrick McEvoy

From The CNN Brief.

I think its safe to say that younger generations (and I include myself in this group) have no idea who Gary Hart is. Quick primer: he was an American politician, an almost liberal alternative to the Reagan era, who twice sought the Democratic nomination for President (1984 and 1988) but was brought down by a sex scandal during the 1988 campaign. Matt Bai in The New York Times discussed the whole scandal and lamented the changes to journalism it caused, but the last part of the article, where Hart speculates about what would happen if he was president, is what really perked my attention:

“Well, at the very least, George W. Bush wouldn't have been president,” Hart said ruefully. This sounded a little narcissistic, but it was, in fact, a hard premise to refute. Had Hart bested George H. W. Bush in 1988, as he was well on his way to doing, it’s difficult to imagine that Bush’s aimless eldest son would have somehow ascended from nowhere to become governor of Texas and then president within 12 years’ time.

“And we wouldn't have invaded Iraq,” Hart went on. “And a lot of people would be alive who are dead.” A brief silence surrounded us. Hart sighed loudly, as if literally deflating. “You have to live with that, you know?”

Now Gary Hart presidential alternate histories aren't very popular in the genre. The most famous one has to be "Palace of Fine Arts, San Francisco, California - October 6, 1976, 7:00 p.m." from Jeff Greenfield's Then Everything Changed (review), which has him winning the presidency in 1980. Still considering how controversial President Reagan was for some Americans, one wonders what would have happened if Hart was elected President sometime between 1980 and 1988...

Well first off, Hart may have needed more than a sex scandal staying buried to be elected president. As many have pointed out, Hart had too many rumors about his infidelity swirling around and his high poll numbers came too early in the 1988 campaign to be very meaningful for a plausible counterfactual. Perhaps his best shot was to get the nomination in 1980 or 1984, although honestly I don't know enough about the era to speculate confidently. I can say that a known womanizer who already had multiple affairs could easily have a sex scandal happen while he was president, causing a Clinton-esque crisis to happen years earlier. Could he have been impeached? Its possible, considering even Clinton's impeachment got to the Senate.

What I really wanted to discuss, however, is the two counterfactual statements made by Gary at the end of the article: that Hart as president would mean no George W. Bush or Iraq War. This belief doesn't seem backed up by any real facts. Even if George H.W. Bush is not elected president (or vice president in a scenario where Hart defeats Reagan) there is no guarantee that George W. or someone with his politics would not be able to reach the White House on their own merit in a post-Hart presidency (in fact if Hart does have a sex scandal while president, it is not unforeseeable that Americans would elect a Republican in the next elections).

It also presumes that somehow Hart would have prevented the circumstances that led to the Iraq War, which as Frank Harvey described in Explaining the Iraq War (review), had little to do with who was in office and more to do with factors that were set in motion decades before. Maybe Hart could have avoided the Iraq War, or even 9/11 since he is given a lot of credit for predicting it would happen, but it is just as likely that something worse could have happened and there is no guarantee President Hart would be as farsighted as Citizen Hart was. As we get far enough away from the initial point of divergence, it becomes harder to assume we will know exactly what will happen without falling into the trap of creating a parallel history.

Perhaps it was a narcissistic thing for Hart to say about himself or, as Gavriel D. Rosenfeld said in his commentary on Bai's article, he is just using a counterfactual in order to give meaning to his life. Hart wants to believe that in the end he is a good person and would have been a great president. Whether he would have is a matter for us alternate historians to decide. What do you think of President Gary Hart? Let us know in the comments.

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Flag Friday: Russian Philippines

September 26, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Weekly Update #162

≪ Previous: What If Wednesday: President Gary Hart

Guest post by Sam McDonald.

This is the flag of the Petrines, also known as the Russian Philippines. It comes from a world where Russia built up their navy early on. This meant Russia could devote more effort and focus on their colonies in the Americas. Besides further colonizing Alaska, they also colonized what would have been British Columbia, Washington, Oregon and California, though not without objections from the Spanish.

Eventually, after a chance discovery of gold, the Russians and Spanish went to war over California. It was ultimately decided that Russia would pull out of California, but in exchange would take some other Spanish land; with the Spanish offering the Philippines. As a result the Russian Philippines was born.

The Russians encouraged people from many different nations to help settle their new colony both to provide labor and to prevent the former Spanish colonists (such as they were) from taking over. This would, over the years, lead to a blending of native cultures, colonial settlers and slaves from Russia's African outposts have the archipelago a unique culture like nothing before it. However, they never forgot that it was Mother Russia to whom they all, even if indirectly, were linked.

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Sam McDonald is a college student from Shreveport, LA. When not involved with his studies he can be found making and posting maps across the web and working on short stories that he hopes to have published in magazines such as Lightspeed, Strange Horizons, and the Escape Artists Podcasts.

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Weekly Update #162

September 29, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Map Monday: The Partition of France by Xibalba

≪ Previous: Flag Friday: Russian Philippines

Editor's Note

My paper on the history of the alternate history fandom is progressing nicely. I finished Evans'Altered Pasts, which I will be reviewing on Amazing Stories tomorrow, and I am wrapping up an interview with Ian Montgomerie. That's right, I will be posting an interview with Ian the Admin, founder of AlternateHistory.com, in the near future so stay tuned.

Also please check Daniel Bensen's podcast on alternate history. Yours truly was the guest and I had a great time speculating with Dan on wide range of topics.

And now the news...

What's Next for Scotland and America's Secessionists?

So Scotland's bid for independent failed, but the debate is far from over. There is the big question on what the British government is going to offer Scotland now that they stayed in the UK, which is being called the "devo-max" option, and how this will effect the rest of the country (consider what happens when England begins demanding their very own regional parliament). As British politicians prepare for future headaches, across the pond, American secessionists have not lost hope that the referendum could kickstart their own bids for independence.

A few days ago I started an informal poll in Alternate History Online asking members which American state or region they thought was the best candidate for independence. As I write this on Sunday night, Texas is in the lead with Hawaii in second and tied for third we have California and New England. Texas being the favorite isn't that far fetched as Annie Lowrey of Slate backs that up in her article on secession. That being said, perhaps we shouldn't be looking at the big states to bring down the Union, but instead focus on smaller states like New Hampshire according to Jason Sorens, founder of Free State Project, said in The Washington Post.

Truth be told, secession in the United States remains far-fetched. I will continue to keep an eye on the subject, however, because I know how much alternate historians like to balkanize the USA.

Outlander Wraps Up the First Half of Season 1

I am trying not to learn too much about Outlander, because I really want to watch the show and don't want anything spoiled. So here is what I will say: the mid-season finale of Outlander premiered last Saturday (catch a sneak peak here) and the show will return next April. Geek Syndicate and io9 had reviews for episode 7, while Paul Levinson and Geek Syndicate again had reviews for episode 8.

Phew! Really quick recap done and no spoilers.

Videos for Alternate Historians

This week in videos we begin with the First Doctor lecturing us about why we can't rewrite history:

Sorry wasn't paying attention. We follow that up with a history of the Metroid franchise done by the guys at The Game Theorists:

We end with Cinema Sins tearing about Captain America: The Winter Soldier:

Yeah not exactly alternate history, but with Cap having his own wing in the Smithsonian, I thought this may slide in just under the wire.

Links to the Multiverse

Books and Short Fiction

The book I read suddenly had an alternate history by Ghost in the Machine at io9.
Excerpt from Clockwork Secrets: Heavy Fire by Dru Pagliassotti - September 27, 2014 at The Qwillery.
Hilary Mantel hits back at critics of her Thatcher assassination short story by Matthew Weaver at The Guardian.
Mysterious Galaxy reading! Venusian Gambit pre-orders! Plus wikipedia! at Michael J. Martinez.
Review: The Boleyn Deceit by Laura Andersen at Writedge.
Review: The Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato at NPR.
Review: The Golden Princess by S.M. Stirling at Bookworm Blues.
Review: Jani and the Greater Game by Eric Brown at Falcata Times.
Science Fiction Excerpt: Caveat Time Traveler at Scientific America.
Steampunk Fiction and the Women Who Write It by Rachel Cordasco at Book Riot.

Comics

REVIEW: Red Baron Vol. 1 at Geek Syndicate.

Counterfactuals, History and News

The 9 biggest alien invasion hoaxes in history by Evan Hoovler at Blastr.
Cowboys and Kalashnikovs: Comparing the Mexican-American War to the Conflict in Ukraine by Zach Dorfman at National Interest.
Denver area students walk out of school in protest by Colleen Slevin at Yahoo.
Life in the multiverse means endless possibilities at New Scientist.
Steampunk & Disability: Why I Find It’s A Better Fit Than Other Fandoms by M. Sally-Rouge Pax at Steampunk Tourist.
Trench Warfare in World War I Was a Smarter Strategy Than You Realize by George Dvorsky at io9.

Films and Television

8 Things That Prove Star Wars Actually Takes Place In Our Galaxy by Rob Bricken at io9.
The Black Widow Movie That Almost Happened by Gwynne Watkins at Yahoo.
Disney Movies In Order Of Their Historical Setting by Gergo Vas at Kotaku.
REVIEW: Doctor Who, S8, E5: Time Heist and E6: The Caretaker at Geek Syndicate.
Time-Travel Movies Are Garbage by Mike Pearl at Vice.

Games

11 things to think about before starting a time travel plot by David Ball at Ongoing Worlds.
There's A New Total War Game Coming, But Hrm by Luke Plunkett at Kotaku.

Interviews

Stefan Bachmann at Tor.
Alan Gratz at Tor.
Cherie Priest at Tor.

Podcasts

Almost Educational - EP 12: Alternate History Lesson at Podcast Garden.
The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 259): A Discussion of Social Science Fiction at SF Signal.
Show 14 – Four Weeks in the Trenches at Twilight Histories.

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Map Monday: The Partition of France by Xibalba

September 29, 2014, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: New Releases 9/30/14

≪ Previous: Weekly Update #162

For all of those who get tired of seeing Poland partitioned again and again in every timeline, here is this week's map titled "The Partition of France" by Xibalba of AlternateHistory.com:

This is one of those situations where you have a really nice looking map, but a poor scenario. If you click on the link above you will see that this map comes from a timeline where the Commonwealth of England survived and allied itself with Germany against a France still ruled by a monarchy. A war later erupted after Franz Ferdinand was shot in Sarajevo.

Considering that we are dealing with a point of divergence in the 17th century, truly a lot of things still had to happen to not only get a man named Franz to take a trip to Bosnia that ends in a major war, but also to have Belgium exist, which was an invention of the 19th century and could have easily been butterflied away. Still I can sort of forgive the poorly thought out scenario based one just the nice-looking map above. Perhaps someone else out there can come up with a better scenario?

No honorable mentions this week. If you want to submit a map for the next Map Monday, email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com with your map attached and a brief description in the body of the email.

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New Releases 9/30/14

September 30, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: My Thoughts on Irish Alternative History in the Modern Era

≪ Previous: Map Monday: The Partition of France by Xibalba

You can support The Update by clicking the banner to your right or the links below if you are purchasing through Amazon!

Hardcovers

Black Hat Jack by Joe R. Lansdale

The story of African-Americans in the West has been confined to the dusty, bottom shelf of recorded history and American literature. But in the vein of the old dime novels containing stories about such heroes as Buffalo Bill, Wild Bill Hickok, and Jesse James, comes the true story of one of those ten-cent novel heroes, Deadwood Dick, disguised in those novels as a white champion of justice and adventure, but in reality a black cowboy, buffalo soldier, Indian fighter, and general hell raiser.

Here, Nat Love, the one and only Deadwood Dick, writes down his version of certain events, straightening out numerous misconceptions raised in the popular and sanitized dime novels. Though his version varies considerably from the numerous volumes of adventures attributed to him, his true story, with perhaps a bit of exaggeration, is no less fascinating or exciting.

Nat was one of those Old West characters who seemed to be everywhere and met everyone that was anyone at some point in his life. ''Black Hat Jack'' details Nat's version of the events of the now famous Second Battle of Adobe Walls, where he and a handful of buffalo hunters, primarily his good friend, Black Hat Jack, were pitted against hundreds of Comanche, Cheyenne, and Kiowa warriors.

Heroics abound. Curse words fly. Humor flows as free as blood, and there's even a spot of romance. And with all that real life bravado, there might even be a few lies.

Joe R. Lansdale's stories about Nat Love are based loosely on the real Nat Love, who may have told a few windies about his time in the West, but at the same time revealed that African-Americans of that era were not all cooks and custodians. In fact, a full third of the cowboys of the Wild West days were African-American, Hispanic, or of mixed blood. This is a tribute to the real deal, as well as to the great mythology of the Old West.

The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond

In a stunning reimagining of history, debut author Caroline Tung Richmond weaves an incredible story of secrets and honor in a world where Hitler won World War II.

It's been nearly 80 years since the Allies lost WWII in a crushing defeat against Hitler's genetically engineered super soldiers. America has been carved up by the victors, and 16-year-old Zara lives a life of oppression in the Eastern America Territories. Under the iron rule of the Nazis, the government strives to maintain a master race, controlling everything from jobs to genetics. Despite her mixed heritage and hopeless social standing, Zara dreams of the free America she's only read about in banned books. A revolution is growing, and a rogue rebel group is plotting a deadly coup. Zara might hold the key to taking down the Führer for good, but it also might be the very thing that destroys her. Because what she has to offer the rebels is something she's spent her entire life hiding, under threat of immediate execution by the Nazis.

In this action-packed, heart-stopping novel of a terrifying reality that could have been, Zara must decide just how far she'll go for freedom.

Paperbacks

Burdens of the Dead by Mercedes Lackey, Eric Flint and Dave Freer

Sequel to Much Fall of Blood, book 4 in the Heirs of Alexandria series. Civilization at the crossroads. In an alternate Renaissance where magic works, a captain of Italian forces must deal with gods, goddesses and warfare in order to save his daughter at the siege of Constantinople—and prevent a new dark age.

In an alternate 15th century where magic still is part of life, the Holy Roman Empire rules Europe. Constantinople is under siege by the Venetians and their allies. Hekate, Goddess of Crossroads, presides over the conflict and carnage as alternate visions of civilization collide. And since Constantinople is the crossroad city of east and west, and it is here that Italian captain Benito Valdosta must deal with the powerful magical manifestation of the Weeping Woman, a disguised Hekate, in order to save his daughter and to destroy the fleets of the Chernobog assembling in the Black Sea before they can cut into the soft underbelly of Europe.

With land battles, naval action, cunning assassinations, and heartbreak aplenty—not to mention the ongoing conflict between Lord of the Dead and Benito for the love of a woman, civilization is at the crossroads and choices must be made that will bring victory and freedom for centuries to come—or a new Dark Age.

Company Town by Madeline Ashby

They call it Company Town – a Family-owned city-sized oil rig off the coast of the Canadian Maritimes.

Meet Hwa. One of the few in her community to forego bio-engineered enhancements, she’s the last truly organic person left on the rig. But she’s an expert in the arts of self-defence, and she’s been charged with training the Family’s youngest, who has been receiving death threats – seemingly from another timeline.

Meanwhile, a series of interconnected murders threatens the city’s stability – serial killer? Or something much, much worse..?

Dangerous Women #1 edited by George R. R. Martin and Gardner Dozois

Commissioned by George R.R. Martin and Gardner Dozois, these tales of dangerous women by the most stellar names in fiction are available for the first time in three-volume paperback. George R.R. Martin is the bestselling author of A Song of Ice and Fire, the inspiration for HBO's hit series Game of Thrones. This first volume features an original 35,000 word novella by George R.R. Martin.'The Princess and the Queen' reveals the origins of the civil war in Westeros (before the events in A Game of Thrones), which is known as the Dance of the Dragons, pitting Targaryen against Targaryen and dragon against dragon. Other authors in this volume of warriors, bad girls and dragonriders include worldwide bestselling authors Brandon Sanderson, Lawrence Block and Nancy Kress. DANGEROUS WOMEN 1 Gardner Dozois's introduction George R. R. Martin, 'The Princess and the Queen' Carrie Vaughn, 'Raisa Stepanova' Nancy Kress,'"Second Arabesque, Very Slowly' Lawrence Block, 'I Know How to Pick 'Em' Megan Abbott, 'My Heart Is Either Broken' Joe R. Lansdale, 'Wrestling Jesus' Brandon Sanderson, 'Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell'

The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures edited by Sean Wallace

From the editor of The Mammoth Book of Steampunk, this anthology of steam-powered short stories, dirigibles aloft, retro-tech wonders, and astounding adventure will set clockwork-loving hearts hammering with delight. Longtime steampunk fans: prepare to gleefully grab your goggles to read these remarkable stories! Newcomers: prepare to become fans of this popular genre involving both the past and present—entertainingly and provocatively re-thought, re-invented, and re-evaluated. With stories by K.W. Jeter, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Ken Liu, Cherie Priest, Carrie Vaughn, and many others.

Full list of contributors: Christopher Barzak; Tobias Buckell; C. S. E. Cooney; Aliette de Bodard; Lisa L. Hannett; Samantha Henderson; K. W. Jeter; Caitlin R. Kiernan; Jay Lake; Ken Liu; Alex Dally MacFarlane; Tony Pi; Cherie Priest; Cat Rambo; Chris Roberson; Margaret Ronald; Sofia Samatar; Gord Sellar; Nisi Shawl; Benjanun Sriduangkaew; E. Caterine Tobler; Genevieve Valentine; Carrie Vaughn; AC Wise; Jonathan Wood.

To fans, authors and publishers...

Is your story going to be published in time for the next New Releases? Contact us at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.

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My Thoughts on Irish Alternative History in the Modern Era

October 1, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Top 5 Posts from September 2014

≪ Previous: New Releases 9/30/14

Guest post by Mark Lynch.

British Government contingency plan for the re-partition of Northern Ireland, 1972 (credit BBC News)

“This society believed it was looking towards a new future, yet we consistently find ourselves being dragged backwards.” The late David Ervine, Ulster Loyalist politician

Alternative history in the Irish context appears to be a neglected area of literature. There are exceptions of course, notably the fascinating book by Diarmaid Ferriter, entitled What If? Alternative Views of Twentieth Century Ireland. This compilation of intriguing scenarios was a follow on to a short RTE radio series of the same name. Other than this work there has been little written, although there are some interesting online forums focusing on various periods of Irish history. I personally find it strange that more works have not been written, as there are certainly many potential points of divergence during the 20th century alone.

World War Two – multiple PODs

World War Two offers up several intriguing scenarios, most revolving around a possible breach of Eire’s neutrality. Churchill famously made a clandestine offer to Eamonn DeValera during the dark days of 1940. The British PM put forward the tantalising prospect of Irish Unity in exchange for Eire’s entry into the war on the Allied side. DeValera rejected the offer as he did not trust Britain’s commitment to following through on the promise after the war was over, and because the Northern Ireland government had not been consulted.

The potential for a German invasion of Ireland seemed like a real possibility during 1940-41. The Wehrmacht had a plan in place for such an operation and likewise both the Irish and British governments prepared for such a scenario. Interestingly enough, a joint plan was drafted between the two military commands, raising the prospect of Anglo-Irish co-operation in the event of a German landing. Eire’s stance during the war can largely be defined as pro-Allied, however, her wartime history was often ambiguous. For example, in late 1941 the US Ambassador to Ireland, David Gray, privately asked DeValera what he would do if German paratroopers ‘liberated’ the City of Derry. Dev is said to have remained silent for some time before eventually providing a non-committed answer of; ‘I don’t know’. Food for thought indeed...

The Northern Irish Troubles

The most recent ‘Troubles’ of 1969 – 1998 are almost entirely neglected in published alternative history writings. I have some thoughts as to why this is. I think many local historians and authors are put off writing such alternative scenarios when there remain so many unresolved issues within our present-day society. The Good Friday Agreement was signed in 1998 but the legacy left by three decades of political violence lingers on, and Northern Irish society is still largely divided, both socially and politically.

At the time of writing this post, the NI power sharing government is on the verge of collapse due to a failure to agree on a budget. Furthermore, the recent Scottish Independence Referendum has led to renewed calls from nationalists and republicans for a Border Poll (i.e. a vote on Northern Ireland leaving the UK and joining up with the Irish Republic). Perhaps for these reasons, alternative history works from the ‘Troubles’ era are rare, but there are several intriguing possible points of divergence. Most of the potential PODs haven’t been fully developed, but there are some interesting (albeit mostly grim) scenarios to consider:

1969 – Irish Army intervention

I recall reading an interesting article in the History Ireland magazine some years ago. The writer imagined an ‘alternative Battle of the Bogside’ which could potentially have taken place in August of 1969. This scenario considered the prospect of an Irish Army intervention during the violence in Derry of that summer (an operation which was briefly considered by Jack Lynch’s government of the time). The article concluded that the more professional Irish Army would defeat the ‘B’ Specials (the pro-Unionist militia of the period) but would have little prospect of success if faced by a regular British Army unit. As it transpired, the Irish Army stayed on their side of the border, and British forces were deployed to Derry and Belfast from the 14th – 15th of August. The rest, as they say, is history...

The Doomsday Scenario & Re-Partition

In recent years a number of previously restricted British government documents have been released to the public under the ‘thirty years rule’. In 1972, the most violent year of the Troubles, a strategy document and accompanying map were developed for consideration in case of a total societal breakdown and civil war. At the time Whitehall considered a re-partition of Northern Ireland into 100% Protestant and 100% Catholic districts...a terrifying prospect for all persons living within the province. Nor was this the end of the matter. Further British government documents were released in 2011 and revealed that Margaret Thatcher considered transferring certain majority Catholic / Nationalist areas to the Republic’s jurisdiction.

The grim prospect of re-partition remained on the cards for years to come and possible plans were even drawn up by leading academics at various times (most notably by Liam Kennedy, author of the 1986 dissertation "Two Ulsters; A Case for Repartition"). As late as 1994 a sinister document was produced by the loyalist paramilitary group, the UDA. This plan called for Catholics living in Protestant districts to be ‘expelled, interned, or nullified’. Thankfully, the IRA and Loyalist ceasefires were declared shortly after this.

1974 – The Year of potential PODs

1974 was a violent but eventful year for Northern Ireland. In the previous year Harold Wilson’s government had brought the moderates on both sides together for peace talks. The result was the Sunningdale Agreement, leading to a power-sharing government in Northern Ireland, with a consultation role for Dublin. Regrettably, the new shared government was short-lived as hard-line Unionists and Loyalists brought the country to a standstill during the Ulster Workers Strike of 1974. These momentous events bring up some interesting possible divergences. Nearly 25 years later, the SDLP politician Seamus Mallon, described the Good Friday Agreement as ‘Sunningdale for slow learners’. One wonders what would have happened if the power sharing government of 1974 had survived and gained more popular support. Would we have enjoyed peace 25 years sooner?

The other alternatives of this year are far less positive. Wilson took the fall of Sunningdale particularly badly and is reported to have considered withdrawing from Northern Ireland altogether. He backed down from this position when it became clear that a British military withdrawal would likely result in a full-scale civil war and loss of life on an unprecedented scale. The Unionist rebellion against Wilson’s government raises yet another interesting possibility. Fringe loyalist factions of the time considered proclaiming a Unilateral Declaration of Independence in response to Westminster’s continued interference.The UDI enthusiasts hoped to follow the example of Ian Smith’s Rhodesia (and probably an independent Northern Ireland would have been as unsuccessful as Smith’s ill-fated Rhodesian experiment). For their part, the Provisional IRA’s propagandists prematurely declared 1974 as ‘The Year of Victory’, although their Army Council secretly prepared a plan for the defence of Catholic districts in case of a Loyalist uprising.

A radical departure?

All of the above scenarios are dependent on a ‘point of divergence’ occurring within Northern Ireland itself, but it is interesting to imagine how dramatic changes on the international stage could have indirectly impacted on Irish society. I find this a particularly intriguing question and I believe it can be beneficial to explore such avenues. I believe the nature of the Northern Irish conflict has tended to make our people insular in their thinking. Sometimes it is tempting to stay within our own ‘bubble’ and to believe that Ireland will be protected from the wider global events, given our own unique historical problems and our geographical position on the periphery of Europe.

For this reason I was inspired to explore the possibility of an Ireland directly impacted by the Cold War. I theorised a POD which would result in a Soviet takeover of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, a US protection pact with the Irish Republic, and a militarised Cold War boundary inside Ireland itself. This scenario raises several fascinating ‘what if’ questions. How would the Irish republicans respond to the demise of their traditional British enemy? How would the historical division within Northern Irish society be impacted under the auspices of a totalitarian communist regime (particularly intriguing when one considers the Communist Party’s policies towards ethnic and religious factions within the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia)? And how would the Irish people as a whole react to being pulled into an international conflict not of their own making? I have explored these and other questions in my novel, The War of Zero Sum, the first book in a planned trilogy.

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Mark Lynch, who has lived in Northern Ireland all his life, studied History & Politics at Queen's University Belfast and maintains a keen interest in both of these subjects. He currently works as an office administrator in Belfast city centre and writes fiction in his spare time. His first two novels, ‘Veritas Dawn’ and ‘The War of Zero-Sum’ are available through Amazon. His third novel, entitled American Nemesis, is due for release shortly...

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Interview: Ian Montgomerie

October 2, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Paradox Interactive Kicks Off Sale Weekend on Steam with Crusader Kings II

≪ Previous: Top 5 Posts from September 2014

I present my interview with Ian Montgomerie, founder and administrator of AlternateHistory.com:

Who is Ian Montgomerie?

Just some guy. I don't bare it all on the internet.

What got you interested in alternate history?

I've been interested in history and science fiction since I was a little kid. When in college I happened to find the Usenet newsgroup soc.history.what-if, and discovered that speculating about history with other people was pretty damn interesting. It's pretty rare to find people having internet arguments that involve a lot of creativity, reasoning, and actual learning.

Why do you think fans in general like alternate history?

I actually don't think of the people on my web site as "fans". Being a fan of something usually refers to cheering on somebody else. Sports fans watch sports but don't necessarily play them, Star Wars fans watch Star Wars but don't make movies, and so on. The alternate history community on the web is almost entirely about people creating their own stuff, discussing it, and debating it. There's very little time devoted to talking about professionally published alternate history.

It's more like a cross between folk art and internet debate.

What do you believe motivates someone to alter history?

I think there are a lot of different motivations for AH, but it's basically it's a way to be creative but also have an analytical challenge. It's creative, but it doesn't require artistic talent (writing/painting/etc.), and it does require a lot of reading and clear thinking. So it depends on what you enjoy.

Why did you start AlternateHistory.com?

It was almost unintentional. Back when people could first buy internet domain names, I realized that speculators were going to buy up all the good ones for profit, so I decided to grab alternatehistory.com on general principle. I asked the people of soc.history.what-if if they had any suggestions, and someone suggested creating a moderated discussion board. Usenet was unmoderated and soc.history.what-if was experiencing some severe trolling, so it seemed like a logical idea.

The result was that I downloaded some free forum software and installed it on my own PC so that it ran over my cable modem connection. A small number of people joined it, and as it slowly grew I did start moderating to keep out the worst trolls.

Can you describe what the early board was like?

The board in the early days was a lot friendlier and also a lot less serious than Usenet. Most people didn't put nearly as much effort into AH, partly because the audience for each work was a lot smaller. It was more of a casual discussion, coffee house sort of feel. Like many small communities, we discovered that small groups of people being quirky could have an impact on the culture of the entire board. A lot of early members were gay, which was a bigger deal ten years ago, so there were a lot of gay jokes. And there was a religion about giant sheep.

What are some of the differences between how AlternateHistory.com looked at the beginning to how it looks now?

Visually it used to be simple 90s web design - white background with blue links. There were only a handful of forums, in particular there were no separate chat forums so casual discussion was mixed in with everything else.

Do you find that board members have any shared traits/interests (besides alternate history, of course)?

What interests board members seems to depend a lot on their age. Older members range from people who are intellectual in general, to hardcore conservatives who like the past better than the present. The younger membership has a big crossover with geek culture (anime and sci-fi fans and so on). The one thing that I've always noticed is what's NOT there - the tech nerds. People who are highly into computer technology and programming, idolize hackers, love Linux, and so on are a very vocal group across a lot of the internet, but are a tiny minority on alternatehistory.com. I'm sure part of that is because people who are highly into technology usually don't also spend a lot of time on humanities subjects like history.

In your opinion, what was the most defining moment in the board's history?

I can't think of one, because the board has grown so organically over time. All the changes I've made have been to deal with that steady growth, so they've been incremental. Many web sites hit some point when they "make it" and have to deal with explosive growth and unexpected challenges, but we've never had that kind of high profile.

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Paradox Interactive Kicks Off Sale Weekend on Steam with Crusader Kings II

October 2, 2014, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Interview: Andres Salazar

≪ Previous: Interview: Ian Montgomerie

Several of Paradox's titles are on sale this weekend on Steam, starting today and lasting through Sunday. Crusader Kings II, which recently sold one million copies, is currently 75% off and Paradox will also be allowing alternate historians to play out their own Medieval scenarios free this weekend.

Furthermore, Paradox has wrapped several of its games into new themed bundles which include a Paradox Grand Strategy Collection (Hearts of Iron III, Crusader Kings II, Europa Universalis IV and Victoria II) and the Paradox Platinum Pack which includes Crusader Kings II and Europa Universalis IV, along with other Paradox games that are not grand strategies. On top of that you can also pick up the The Crusader Kings II Collection and the Europa Universalis IV Collection, providing all the downloadable content released so far.

I just purchased my discounted copy of Crusader Kings II and I hope to play and review it this weekend, which I am really looking forward to since it has been ages since I played a PC game. I decided not to splurge on the downloadable content since it is my belief that if a game can't stand on its own without the DLC, than it is not worth your time. Lets hope Crusader Kings II lives up to the hype.

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Interview: Andres Salazar

October 3, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Weekly Update #163

≪ Previous: Paradox Interactive Kicks Off Sale Weekend on Steam with Crusader Kings II

I now present my interview with Andres Salazar, author and illustrator of Pariah Missouri:

Who is Andres Salazar?

Well, I'm an average joe who loves comics, films, dancing, backpacking and surfing. Art and creative things have always been a passion and something encouraged in my family. Music and art was always important. I now live in Ventura, CA with my family and I love what I do for a living.

What got you interested in comics?

It was one of those things that were getting very popular in the late 70s. The Adam West Batman show was on TV and Spiderman Cartoon was going, and I saw Star Wars when it first came out as a 5-year old, so I was in that element with very cool properties as a kid. I played with GI Joes and Transformers and along with the toys were comics. So I jsut started reading them. I had a friend who had some and I read some of his. I remember staying up late nights with the flashlight reading Garfield and things like that. I never thought about making them at that time. I think I wanted to be an Astronaut or special effects for horror movies.

What is Pariah Missouri about?

Thematically Pariah Missouri is about people who are hiding who they really are. Everyone wears a mask. It was a tumultuous time with slavery and poverty and the wild countryside. You had invaders and foreign governments all around you, so it was extremely dangerous and exciting for me to write about. We follow Hiram Buchanan navigate through the lies and disguises and trying to uncover the hidden crime network in town.

What inspired you to write your comic?

I still don't really know. I had written a couple of scripts and stories prior to this, but nothing felt quite right for comics, until Pariah. Pariah fits the comics mold and format so I thought it was perfect. Making a comic was on my list to do and I had tried a couple of times years ago, but this time I wanted to follow through and make it the best I could. I am very proud of this set of books, it is quality and professional and I'm excited to share it with the world. So far the response has been amazing.

Why did you decide to use Kickstarter to fund Pariah?

I've used kickstarter a number of time as a creator and love the concept of crowd funding. I have used it many times to support other creators. It has cache in the online community and it's great for comics. So forcmecas a self publisher it was a no-brainer.

When can we expect book two?

Book 2 hits the printers Oct 1st. I will be getting the proof and then ordering right after that. My goal is for Halloween to have the books shipped out! Pretty quick!

Any advice for aspiring comic book writers and artists?

It's a great job, but very demanding. Long hours and tough work and sometimes the creativity gets swamped up in the day to day activities. Stick with it and be positive, you will be broke for a while, so it's not a way to make money. If making money in not your goal then I say go for it, read a lot, study a lot and know what the world is about and what makes people tick. In other words learn about the human condition and write about that.

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Weekly Update #163

October 6, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Map Monday: The World Cromwell Made on December 25, 1955 by PlatoonSgt

≪ Previous: Interview: Andres Salazar

Editor's Note

So I was blocked from the AltHistory Wiki!

Well, not really. My old user name still works (after I remembered the password), but my IP address is blocked. So when I am not logged in, I can't edit anything. A little digging by myself discovered it happened after I corrected some bad grammar while I was not logged in...on an article I worked on extensively when I was still a member of the wiki. Now I am sure the admin did not know it was me, but it does seem a little ridiculous to undo a harmless edit and ban the person. Of course the wiki has had these issues in the past. I'm not trying to cause a stink, just suggesting a light touch next time when dealing with anon edits.

Maybe I will write a more thorough article on my thoughts on the Wiki, but I don't know.

Some more bad news. I downloaded and installed Crusader Kings II this weekend and discovered it doesn't work on my computer. It runs, but I don't have the minimal graphics capabilities on my Toshiba laptop. I may be in the market for a new computer with a better video card, preferably something with NVIDIA GeForce 8800, an ATI Radeon® X1900 or better. Any suggestions?

Some good news now. I broke my monthly page view record again. The final count for the month of September was 22,711 views. Thanks everyone!

Some more good news, my research paper on the alternate history fandom is progressing well. I read a lot of articles and took a lot of notes that helped flesh out the paper more. I even had a eureka moment where I remembered Stirling once commenting on people dissecting his Draka books online. Wish me luck that I can keep the momentum going (we all know what happened to my podcast).

Even more good news: part 2 of my conversation with Daniel Bensen of The Kingdoms of Evil podcast is up. So please check it out.

And now the news...

Videos for Alternate Historians

What? No major news? Or was I just being lazy? O well lets look at some videos. We begin with "4 U.S. Presidents Whose Lives Put Action Movies to Shame" from Cracked's Badassing Your Way Through History:

Next we have the trailer for Epic Rap Battles of History's new season:

G-g-g-g-ghost Hitler!!!! Anywho, lets go back in time and learn how hard it was to be a jouster on Culture Shock:

Man, A Knight's Talemade it look so easy. Oops, the time machine just sent us into the future...well to our old future. Let's check out Syfy's new trailer for Ascension:

And since I have been talking so much Paradox these days, lets finish with the trailer of Crusader Kings II: Charlemagne:

Links to the Multiverse

Books

8 Alternate History Books by Jonathan Melville at Scottish Book Trust.
COVER REVEAL- The Diamond Conspiracy by Philippa Ballantine at The Ministry of Peculiar Occurrences.
Cover & Synopsis: CHRONICA by Paul Levinson at SF Signal.
David Brin, Bruce Sterling & Daniel Suarez – Manual for Civilization Lists by Mikl Em at The Long Now Foundation.
Gail's Steampunk Book Recs from Convolution by Gail Carriger.
Is It Science Fiction? Harry Turtledove and the Ways that the South Won the Civil War at Thatjeffcarter Was Here.
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Reread: Introduction by Kate Nepveu at Tor.com
Recommended Reading by Professionals…with David Barnett at SF Signal.
Review: California Bones by Greg Van Eekout at The Skiffy and Fanty Show.
Review: Hive Monkey by Gareth L Powell at Sibilant Fricative.
Review: Wars to End all Wars edited by GL Lathian at Midlist Writer.
Stop the (parallel) Worlds – I Want To Get Off! by Alastair Savage at Amazing Stories.
Time Travellers at Hodderscape.

Comics

Review: World War Kaiju by Josh Finney and Patrick McEvoy at Nerd Binge.

Counterfactuals, History and News

An Adams family dynasty in the US? by Dale Cozort.
Alternate History: What If Anne of Cleves Refused the Terms of the Annulment by AlexandriaIngham at Wizzley.
(Arab-Jewish Reconciliation) Counterfactual Counter-history (Feisel-Weizmann Agreement) by Zachary Braiterman at Jewish Philosophy Place.
Bill Gates Wants To Change How We Teach History In High Schools by Peter Jacobs at Business Insider.
Colorado school board vote doesn't appease critics by Colleen Slevin at Yahoo.
Fox News Poll: Voters reveal which state they want kicked out of the union by Dana Blanton at Fox News.
If you haven’t noticed, counterfactual histories are *so* hot right now by Mian at History Mine.
JIMMY CARTER: 'I Could Have Wiped Iran Off The Map' by Hunter Walker at Yahoo.
Newly-Declassified CIA Document Says Ben Franklin Was A Security Risk by Mark Strauss at io9.
The Real-Life Letter Of Apology Written By The Salem Witch Trial Jury by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.
Why It's A Mistake To Call ISIL "Medieval" by Mark Strauss at io9.

Film and Television

It’s About Time: Bad Robot Gets a Series Order from Hulu for Stephen King’s ‘11/22/63’ by Nicholas Graff at ScienceFiction.com.
The Man in the High Castle: Lights, camera, action in Chinatown by Assunta Ng at Asian Weekly.
'Outlander' Recap: Starz Series Makes Strong Start, Plays the Niche TV Game at The Christian Post.
Review: Space Station 76 at Amazing Stories.
VIDEO: Archival footage of The Great Martian War of 1913-1917 at SF Signal.
Why Do I Love Historical-Fiction Sex So Much? by Allison P Davis at The Cut.

Games

The alternate history of Goku in Smash Bross by JC Fletcher at Tiny Cartridge.

Interviews

Gail Carriger at Tea and Jeopardy.
Leslie S. Klinger at The HP Lovecraft Literary Podcast (More Lovecraft than alternate history, although they do talk about some topics I think you would like.)
E. Catherine Tobler at Eating Authors.

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Map Monday: The World Cromwell Made on December 25, 1955 by PlatoonSgt

October 6, 2014, 12:00 pm

≫ Next: New Releases 10/7/14

≪ Previous: Weekly Update #163

This week's featured map is from PlatoonSgt of AlternateHistory.com, whose maps from "Where Hearts Were Entertaining June" I have featured in the past. Well he is quickly becoming one of my favorites with his "The World Cromwell Made on December 25, 1955":

According to PlatoonSgt, the map is inspired from Martin23230's "The Commonwealth" map. In this world Cromwell lives ten years longer and the Commonwealth solidifies its control over England, Scotland and Ireland. The Stuarts, however, are still around after establishing themselves in Maryland with the help of the local Catholics and the Dutch. I have always liked the idea of a Stuart kingdom in America so that was a big hook for me.

In PlatoonSgt's map, he jumps the timeline to the 1950s where the Stuarts have transformed Maryland into a Catholic empire stretching across most of OTL United States and Canada. His scenario focus on Christmas was a nice touch, giving a better insight into the culture of this world where Catholic nations are the most powerful, even if the Puritan Commonwealth still exists. A little wankish perhaps, but otherwise an interesting and imaginative map.

Honorable mentions this week go out to Sam McDonald's (of Flag Friday fame) map based on Twilight Histories' The Kaiser Assassin and Operation Wodan, 4chan's map of Europe (I thought what they did to Russia was a nice touch) and the "Natives of North America" map. If you want to submit a map for the next Map Monday, email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com with your map attached and a brief description in the body of the email.

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New Releases 10/7/14

October 7, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Questions About the Alternate History Fandom

≪ Previous: Map Monday: The World Cromwell Made on December 25, 1955 by PlatoonSgt

You can support The Update by clicking the banner to your right or the links below if you are purchasing through Amazon!

Hardcovers

1636: The Devil's Operaby Eric Flint and David Carrico

Eric Flint and David Carrico serve up the latest entry in the best-selling alternate history saga of them all, the Ring of Fire!

It is the year 1636. The United States of Europe, the new nation formed by an alliance between the Swedish king Gustavus Adolphus and the West Virginians hurled back in time by a cosmic accident, is on the verge of civil war. His brain injured in the war with Poland, the USE's emperor Gustavus Adolphus is no longer in command. Enter Swedish chancellor Oxenstierna, a leader of aristocratic reaction against democracy. His goal: to assemble the forces of the hidebound ruling class in Berlin and drown the revolution in a bloodbath.

In Magdeburg, the capital of the USE, Mike Stearns' wife Rebecca Abrabanel is organizing popular resistance to Oxenstierna's plot. As part of the resistance, the American musician Marla Linder and her company of down-time musical partners are staging an opera that will celebrate the struggle against oppression. Princess Kristina, the heir to the USE's throne, is now residing in Magdeburg and is giving them her support and encouragement.

But another plot is underway--this one right in the heart of the capital itself, and with murder as its method. The only people standing in the way are a crippled boy and the boxing champion who befriended him, and an unlikely pair of policemen. Can the American detective Byron Chieske and his down-timer partner Gotthilf Hoch thwart the killers before they succeed in their goal?

The Shotgun Arcana by R. S. Belcher

R. S. Belcher’s debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.

1870. A haven for the blessed and the damned, including a fallen angel, a mad scientist, a pirate queen, and a deputy who is kin to coyotes, Golgotha has come through many nightmarish trials, but now an army of thirty-two outlaws, lunatics, serial killers, and cannibals are converging on the town, drawn by a grisly relic that dates back to the Donner Party…and the dawn of humanity.

Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies already have their hands full dealing with train robbers, a mysterious series of brutal murders, and the usual outbreaks of weirdness. But with thirty-two of the most vicious killers on Earth riding into Golgotha in just a few day’s time, the town and its people will be tested as never before—and some of them will never be the same.

The Shotgun Arcana is even more spectacularly ambitious and imaginative than The Six-Gun Tarot, and confirms R. S. Belcher’s status as a rising star.

Steampunk Graphics: Visions of the Victorian Future by Martin de Diego Sádaba

Following on Steampunk Fashion and Steampunk Jewelry comes the serious survey that steampunk art merits

Paradoxically, the astonishing flights of imagination resulting in the most memorable images of the steampunk movement have only been possible due to the advances in digital design packages of the last few years. The astonishing, mind-warping work of 30 of the best of these steampunk artists is featured, including Kevin Mowrer, Guillaume Dubois, Kazuhiko Nakamura, and Collette Ellis. Each has created a distinct series of worlds and aesthetics inspired by different aspects of the genre. An extended essay traces the source and development of steampunk imagery, while detailed biographies of each artist reveals their history and inspirations. For anyone into steampunk, professional or aficionado, this is a must-have volume, while the stunning quality of the images will also bring a new crowd of adherents to the genre.

The Steampunk User's Manual: An Illustrated Practical and Whimsical Guide to Creating Retro-futurist Dreamsby Jeff VanderMeer and Desirina Boskovich

Steampunk, the retro-futuristic cultural movement, has become a substantial and permanent genre in the worlds of fantasy and science fiction. A large part of its appeal is that, at its core, Steampunk is about doing it yourself: building on the past while also innovating and creating something original. VanderMeer’s latest book offers practical and inspirational guidance for readers to find their individual path into this realm. Including sections on art, fashion, architecture, crafts, music, performance, and storytelling, The Steampunk User’s Manual provides a conceptual how-to guide that motivates and awes both the armchair enthusiast and the committed creator. Examples range from the utterly doable to the completely over-the-top, encouraging participation and imagination at all levels.

Paperbacks

The Chickens of Atlantis and Other Foul and Filthy Fiends by Robert Rankin

Darwin, the educated ape, sets off on another madcap adventure through time, space, and chickens

Robert Rankin, the master of far-fetched fiction presents for the first time a book written in "the first monkey." Sure to be taken up as the newest of literary fads, Darwin, the educated ape here tells his life story to his legions of fans. Featuring chickens, Martians, doodlebugs, the far future, the distant past, Sherlock Holmes, Winston Churchill, dynamite, more monkeys than you can shake a stick at, barmen, pubs, the end of the world, and more, this is the fourth in Robert Rankin's series of steampunk-tinged Victoriana novels featuring the master detective Cameron Bell and his companion Darwin, the educated ape. This is another masterpiece of comic fiction and SF.

A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny and Gahan Wilson

Loyally accompanying a mysterious knife-wielding gentleman named Jack on his midnight rounds through the murky streets of London, good dog Snuff is busy helping his master collect the grisly ingredients needed for an unearthly rite that will take place not long after the death of the moon. But Snuff and his master are not alone. All manner of participants, both human and not, are gathering with their ancient tools and their animal familiars in preparation for the dread night. It is brave, devoted Snuff who must calculate the patterns of the Game and keep track of the Players—the witch, the mad monk, the vengeful vicar, the Count who sleeps by day, the Good Doctor and the hulking Experiment Man he fashioned from human body parts, and a wild-card American named Larry Talbot—all the while keeping Things at bay and staying a leap ahead of the Great Detective, who knows quite a bit more than he lets on.

Boldly original and wildly entertaining, A Night in the Lonesome October is a darkly sparkling gem, an amalgam of horror, humor, mystery, and fantasy. First published in 1993, it was Zelazny’s last book prior to his untimely death. Many consider it the best of the fantasy master’s novels. It has inspired many fans to read it every year in October, a chapter a day, and served as inspiration for Neil Gaiman’s brilliant story “Only the End of the World Again.”

Time Travel: Recent Trips edited by Paula Guran

The idea of time travel has been with us since ancient times; now, the concept of time travel seems almost... plausible. Today, tales of chrononauts are more imaginative and thought-provoking than ever before: new views, cutting-edge concepts, radical notions of paradox and possibility - state-of-the-art speculative stories collected from those written in the twenty-first century. Forward to the past, back to the future - get ready for a fascinating trip!

Two Hundred and Twenty-One Baker Streets: An Anthology of Holmesian Tales Across Time and Spaceedited by David Thomas Moore

The world's most famous detective, as you’ve never seen him before! This is a collection of orginal short stories finding Holmes and Watson in times and places you would never have expected!

A dozen established and up-and-coming authors invite you to view Doyle’s greatest creation through a decidedly cracked lens.

Read about Holmes and Watson through time and space, as they tackle a witch-trial in seventeenthcentury Scotland, bandy words with Andy Warhol in 1970s New York, travel the Wild Frontier in the Old West, solve future crimes in a world of robots and even cross paths with a young Elvis Presley...

Set to include stories by Kasey Lansdale, Guy Adams, Jamie Wyman, J E Cohen, Gini Koch, Glen Mehn, Kelly Hale, Kaaron Warren, Emma Newman and more.

What Ho, Automata by Chris Dolley

"A fun blend of P.G. Wodehouse, steampunk and a touch of Sherlock Holmes. Dolley is a master at capturing and blending all these elements. More than fascinating, this work is also rip-roaring fun!" - SF Revu

It's 1903. An augmented Queen Victoria sits on the throne. Automata are a common sight below stairs. And all that stands between the Empire and a touch of unpleasantness is Reginald Worcester, gentleman's consulting detective, and his automaton valet Reeves.

This book contains four adventures - a short novel, two novellas and the novelette that started it all - the WSFA Award finalist, What Ho, Automaton!

What Ho, Automaton!
Something Rummy This Way Comes
Reggiecide
The Aunt Paradox

Immerse yourself in mysteries that only a detective with a rare brain - and Reggie's is amongst the rarest - could possibly solve. Missing debs, stolen time machines, re-animated regicides, and Promethean pigs. But can Reggie save the day and remain single? And can the giant steam-powered brain of Reeves, his valet, continue to curb the young master's excessive flights of fancy?

"Dolley got me to laugh out loud near the end. Which, frankly, is VERY hard to do. Dolley's tone is spot on Wodehouse and the steampunk elements tie into both plot and silliness admirably." - Gail Carriger, author of Soulless

To fans, authors and publishers...

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Questions About the Alternate History Fandom

October 8, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Geoffrey Blake and Roslyn, WA are cast in The Man in the High Castle

≪ Previous: New Releases 10/7/14

Last month I posted a timeline of important events of the alternate history fandom on Amazing Stories. The article was well received and inspired to write a more detailed synopsis of alternate history fans for the Sideways in Time Conference in Liverpool, UK next year. As I have reported in my Weekly Updates, there has been a lot of progress and I may even write a longer work depending on how well the paper is received. Nevertheless, I could use a helping hand on overcoming a few roadblocks that have popped up...

Can anyone provided me more detailed information about Other Timelines? I am looking for either one the brains behind the site or someone with detailed knowledge of its history. The AlternateHistory.com Wiki does have a page on it, but I would like to hear from a less biased source.
I remember GeoCities having dozens of personal alternate history sites, but most of these have disappeared after Yahoo shut it down. Is there anyone out there who can better explain this era?
Counterfactual.net is a smaller forum, but that doesn't mean it is any less important. Can anyone one point me to the person(s) behind the forum who can better explain their history?
At one point the Tarrantry Saga had its own Wikipedia page, but the collaborative timeline is far from what it used to be. I found a lot of archived information, including a list of stories, but not sure where to begin with its history. Can anyone provide me some information or get me in contact with the creator, Rick Robinson?
I mined 1632.org and related sites for information regarding this collaborative fan project, but I still feel like an outsider looking in. Who is the best person to talk to about this project? Yeah I know Eric Flint is the original author, but the paper is focusing more on the fans and not the professional creators.
If your name happens to be Robert B. Schmunk, I would really like to talk to you! Or if you know him, can you help with an introduction?

If you can help me, please email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. I am also looking for any suggestions for avenues of research, such as major collaborative timelines I might have missed or other communities of alternate historians who have impacted the genre. Thanks!

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Geoffrey Blake and Roslyn, WA are cast in The Man in the High Castle

October 9, 2014, 1:00 pm

≫ Next: Interview: Christopher M. Cevasco

≪ Previous: Questions About the Alternate History Fandom

More news regarding Ridley Scott and Amazon TV's The Man in the High Castle pilot. According to Deadline, Geoffrey Blake (Forrest Gump, Apollo 13) has been cast as "Doc", a mechanic who supplies doses of Benzedrine to his truckers to keep them on the road. Don't remember this character from the text, but hopefully it works for the show.

Meanwhile the town of Roslyn, Washington is the location of Canon City, Colorado. A film crew has been shooting scenes for the pilot, covering up iconic landmarks and bringing in 1960s memorabilia to give it that period look. Of course, having that classic Americana still exist in a timeline where the Axis defeated and occupied America is pretty slim, but I guess you need something to tell the audience that its the past. Right?

What do you think of these new developments? Still looking forward to seeing Scott's adaptation of The Man in the High Castle? Let us know in the comments.

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Interview: Christopher M. Cevasco

October 10, 2014, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Weekly Update #164

≪ Previous: Geoffrey Blake and Roslyn, WA are cast in The Man in the High Castle

As my research on alternate history fandom continued, one name kept cropping up in my searches: Christopher M. Cevasco. Chris was the editor of Paradox, a magazine for historical themed fiction, including alternate history. Thinking it would be remiss not to talk to Chris, I shot him an email and here is what I learned:

Who is Christopher M. Cevasco?

I’m a writer, primarily of historical fiction. The vast majority of what I write is set in late Anglo-Saxon England, but I've also written about Roman Britain, the American Civil War, the 14th-century Black Death, Viking-Era Orkney, and a variety of other times and places. I've also written some fantasy and science fiction. Most of what I write tends to be rather dark in tone. I've had stories published in such venues as Nightmare Magazine, Black Static, and the Prime Books anthologies Shades of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War and Zombies: Shambling Through the Ages.

What got you interested in alternate history?

I've been a big history buff for as long as I can remember--since childhood--and I think it’s only natural that we ask ourselves how history might have turned out differently. I’m not sure that there’s any one moment or experience I can point to that sparked my interest in alternate history. But the more I started to realize how even seemingly tiny changes in the way historical events played out could have resulted in vastly different timelines, the more my interest in alternate history grew. I’m sure the fact that I look at history through a writer’s eyes helped stoke this fire, but even among purely scholarly historians, there is a long tradition of posing counterfactuals as a way of deepening our understanding of why and how history played out the way it did.

What was Paradox: The Magazine of Historical and Speculative Fiction?

Paradox was a print magazine that published original short historical fiction in all its forms. This included mainstream historical fiction as well as works of alternate history, historical mysteries, historical fantasy and horror, time travel, Arthurian tales and retold myths. The magazine also featured historically-themed poetry, reviews of historical novels and films, and interviews with notable historical novelists. I launched the magazine in 2003 and published thirteen issues through 2009. During that time, two stories published in Paradox were finalists for the Sidewise Award for Alternate History, one story was recommended for a Nebula Award, and one story won the 2008 WSFA Small Press Award, presented annually by the Washington Science Fiction Association.

What inspired you to create Paradox?

My primary motivation was a perception that there was a gap in the short fiction market. As I mentioned, I myself write mostly historically-themed fiction, and the more purely historical a story I wrote, the harder it was to find markets for it; often even my historical fantasy work came back with a rejection letter indicating that the story was just a little too heavy on the history for the magazine's target audience. If I was experiencing this problem, I figured other writers were too, and that's when I started thinking about creating a magazine to cater to those writers. I also hoped it would generate interest among readers who enjoy those types of stories. Historical novels abound, but back in 2003, there was no print magazine exclusively dedicated to short historical fiction. The Historical Novel Society was publishing Solander biannually with a single story in each issue, and magazines such as F&SF, Asimov's, Realms of Fantasy, etc. occasionally featured alternate history, historical fantasy, or time travel stories. But Paradox provided the only magazine to which fans of these types of stories could turn for a regularly occurring fix.

Did you receive many alternate history submissions to Paradox?

As far as I recall, I used to receive about a hundred submissions per month, and perhaps 20% of them were alternate history.

Why did Paradox stop being published?

I suppose the reason was twofold. One factor was certainly financial; it was becoming increasingly economically unviable to publish a print magazine. I also decided that the magazine was taking too much time away from my own writing, and it was time for me to focus more on that.

Will we ever see Paradox again?

I certainly remain open to the possibility. Paradox was always, foremost, a labor of love, and the decision to end its run was not an easy decision to make. If I do decide to revive it, though, it would almost certainly be as an online magazine rather than a print one.

What are you reading now?

I just finished reading Nicola Griffith’s wonderful novel, Hild, set in seventh-century Britain; I loved the book’s leisurely pace and the depth with which it brings its historical setting to life. I was particularly struck by how central a role the natural world played in the book. Nature is something that would certainly have featured more prominently in the lives of men and women living in a pre-industrial age but it’s a factor that is often neglected or underutilized in fiction. Now I’m reading Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House, something I've wanted to read for years but never have. I’m enjoying it immensely--it’s dark and funny and filled with so many memorable turns of phrase.

Do you have any current projects you want to talk about?

My current project is a sort of political thriller/murder mystery set in late 10th-century England. For now I’m still in the research and outlining stage, but the book is likely to involve the slaying of Edward the Martyr, the politics of the reign of Aethelred “the Unready”, and the Battle of Maldon. The last two books I wrote were set in the 11th century--one a psychological thriller that explores the legend of Lady Godiva and the other a tale of resistance and rebellion in the years immediately following the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. Before that, I wrote the first book in a planned alternate history trilogy that posits a different outcome for the events of 1066, one in which Harald Hardrada of Norway comes out on top over both Harold Godwineson and Duke William of Normandy. For now I’ve put that trilogy on the back burner, but I definitely plan to return to it at some point. I’m currently shopping these books around to agents.

I am currently an attorney as were you, what was it like ditching the legal world to be a full-time writer?

It was the best decision I could have made, and I haven’t regretted it for a moment. I was a criminal appeals attorney with the Legal Aid Society of Nassau County New York for ten years. There were aspects of my work I found very rewarding, and I was working with some amazingly talented and dedicated colleagues, but by the end of that decade, I had become very disillusioned with the entire legal profession, and it was time to make a change. I was always more a writer at heart, so all I was really doing was setting myself more firmly on the path I should have been following all along.

Do you have any advice for would be publishers?

I could put my advice in the form of a joke someone once told me... Q: How do you make a small fortune in publishing? A: Start with a large fortune. But all kidding aside, anyone who’s thinking of starting a publishing venture--specifically a magazine publishing venture, as I did--should disabuse themselves of any notion that it’s going to be a profit-making endeavor. Breaking even, financially, is a more realistic measure of success, and any profit is just icing on the cake. Perhaps the situation is less stark for an online magazine, with which I don’t have direct experience, but for print... such an undertaking has to be a labor of love, first and foremost.

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