Editor's Note

I don't even know where to begin talking about all the things that happened to me last. They weren't exactly life changing, but they certainly left me drained, but in a good way.

Let's start with my most recent article to Amazing Stories: What Happens When People Confuse Alternate History for Real History? It was about that North America without European colonization map that the Internet freaked about a couple weeks ago. It seemed to be doing rather well, but I already started to move on to what I was going to write about next week. Then last Wednesday, I noticed a surge of traffic from Amazing Stories to my blog. Investigating it I discovered that the article had been shared a ridiculous number of times (over 6000 times by the current count) and Steve Davidson, Editor of Amazing Stories, told me the article had been viewed around 50,000 times. Doing a little more digging, I learned that most of the traffic was because The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe had shared a link to the article on their Facebook page, which has over 900,000 likes.

First up, thank you so much to The Skeptics' Guide for sharing my article. I am honored you guys thought what I wrote was worth reading. Second off, I've had articles do well, specially after someone shared it on Reddit, but never something that I would call "viral". I'm not even sure if this would classify as viral, but it certainly came close. I am both humbled and ecstatic by the interest in my article. It has really gotten me to consider doing more commentary on maps from alternate histories and speculative fiction. People seem to like it and I do want to give the audience what they like. We'll see what my future in alternate cartography takes me.

Next up, I finally submitted my abstract for the Sideways in Time essay collection. Not as exciting as above, but the conference was very important to me and I look forward to working again on my history of the online alternate history community. I've still been keeping track of important events of 2015 and hope to write a short recap of the year in December. I will keep you posted if it gets accepted, but in the meantime, if you guys would like a brief taste of my essay, check out my presentation at the Sideways in Time Conference:
Speaking of my channel, I took a comment regarding my next Trope Talk episode and ran with it. I wrote perhaps the longest script yet for my channel...and I'm not sure when I will ever film it. Filming and editing are both time consuming and my next bloc of free time may still be weeks away. I may write another, shorter script just so I have something to film and release for you guys in the near future.

Well those were the big things I wanted to talk about. Before we get to the week's news, I wanted to remind you all that you can support many of my alternate history endeavors by becoming one of my patrons on Patreon. There are a lot of cool rewards and milestone goals for you guys to check out, so please consider signing up. It will help me a great deal in keeping the blog and channel going.

Finally, I am taking Labor Day off next week, so no Weekly Update or Map Monday post. Those will return on September 14th.

And now the news...

Headline: The Future State of Kurdistan

Recent events have made it more and more likely that we may see a Kurdish state in the near future. There has been a lot of buzz on the Internet about it and I have seen several alternate history maps and scenarios featuring the state of Kurdistan. So I decided a brief summary of the potential state is in order.

For those who don't know, the Kurds are a Middle Eastern ethnic group with their own culture and language. With a population between 30 and 37 million people, they are perhaps one of the largest ethnic groups in the world without their own state. The Kurds have taken the center stage recently due to their effectiveness at fighting ISIS. Currently, the Kurds have an autonomous province in Iraq, defacto control of Northern Syria (known for their vaunted all-female fighting units) and large populations in Turkey and Iran.

The idea of an independent Kurdistan is nothing new, but with the chaos currently engulfing Iraq and Syria, an independent Kurdish state seems more likely by each passing day. Most governments, however, are against the idea. Part of it is the desire to maintain the status quo, but they also don't want to jeopardize peace negotiations with Iran or offend Turkey, which has been an ally of the western democracies (although considering the ongoing allegations of Turkish support for ISIS, perhaps the Turks deserve to sweat a little for their actions in prolonging the war). While the diplomatic arguments make a certain amount of sense, the desire to maintain borders as they are seems to cause more problems than they solve, especially in this post-colonial world.

One of the theories regarding the never-ending conflicts in the Middle East is that the borders created by the European colonial powers following WWI have instigated the current conflicts. Many of these borders don't actually reflect the reality on the ground, and when you consider the Kurds found themselves divided between 4 separate nations, this starts to make a certain amount of sense. On top of that, the Europeans tended to favor a minority ethnic/religious group in Syria and Iraq, to help them govern the country against the majority ethnic/religious group. These borders and power structures remained in place after decolonization and were propped up during the Cold War. Once ISIS is defeated, returning things to the status quo is frankly stupid, as the same issues that led to ISIS' rise while still exist. It is also a poor way to reward the Kurds for being one of the most reliable opponents of the terrorist state.

I'm not saying the situation isn't complicated, but its about time the western democracies accept the fact that a Kurdish state is likely to happen whether they like it or not. I don't see the Kurds disbanding their armies and immediately following the orders of Damascus and Baghdad, especially when they spent the last years doing fine without them. If the western democracies don't recognize them, then the Kurds will just turn to Russia or China for support and the West will lose more influence in the region.

On top of that, I think its just the right thing to do.

Alternate Historian of the Week: Harry Turtledove

This week's nod for the best alternate historian goes to the master himself: Harry Turtledove. Yeah, I know, it goes against the spirit of this weekly recognition to give it to Harry, but I enjoyed his article on Feed Your Need to Read where he shared his three tips for writing alternate histories while out promoting his new anthology, We Install: And Other Stories.

Additionally, when I reshared by What Happens Next: SM Stirling's Nantucket Trilogy, someone suggested I should do a What Happens Next on Turtledove's Worldwar and Colonization series. At first I wasn't that interested since Turtledove already did that himself with Homeward Bound, but I couldn't help thinking about what intergalactic politics would be like in his universe if you jumped ahead to 2100. I thought about it enough that you should prepare to see another What Happens Next sometime later this week. So with that said, that is why I am giving the nod to Turtledove this week. Both for his excellent article and for inspiring another future article of mine.

Honorable mention this week goes out to Ian Sales. Go check out his recent interview at Nerds of a Feather, Flock Together.

Photo of the Week: Steampunk Iron Man Hand

I know not all of my readers like steampunk, but you got to admit this steampunk Iron Man hand is pretty cool:
I found this photo on Geek Art Gallery, but the original creator is Jacky Wan (Valcrow). The fact that this is also a 3D printed object makes me extremely excited for what other things 3D printers can provide for us in the future.

Honorable mention this week goes out to this Steampunk Sidecar Tricycle photo.

I've been looking for new places to find alternate history maps besides AlternateHistory.com and Reddit has proven to be a good source, especially /r/ImaginaryMaps/. One of the maps I shared from there last week was The Pacific Republic of Cascadia, 2013 by Canyonjumper:
There isn't a full scenario that goes with this map, but looking at the what Conyonjumper said in the comments, the point of divergence (POD) is somewhere in the early 19th century after Napoleon's empire lasts slightly longer and because of this the British government isn't interested in developing the west due to the conflicts in Europe. This leads to the people of the Columbia District/Oregon Country deciding to declare independence rather than join the United States and/or Canada. Afterwards the capital of Cascadia is moved around a lot, the United States fell apart into separate states (Columbia and California being shown in this map), Canada also fell apart but got back together again as a Federation and Hawaii still has a monarchy although they are a part of Cascadia. Canyonjumper's DeviantArt page also features other Cascadias, but some of the info on them contradicts his comments on Reddit, suggesting his timeline has been revised multiple times.

While the map is well done, I'm not sold on the story. While a longer war with Napoleon might cause the British to have less interest in the Pacific coast of North America, I don't see how this stops the United States and "Manifest Destiny". In fact if the British don't care about Columbia, how does this stop America from taking the entire District? Canyonjumper mentions an earlier civil war, but such a civil war would need to happen very early in American history. How early depends on when or if California became a part of the United States before the break up. Still even without a fleshed out timeline, its still a pretty cool map.

Before I end this Map Monday I should mention that a modern Cascadian independence movement exists that seeks to take British Columbia, Washington and Oregon from their respective countries, along with other territories, and form a new state. How much support this idea has is debatable, but Jordan Harbour of Twilight Histories suggests Cascadia is more of an America idea and has little support in British Columbia. To be fair there was a 2005 poll that showed a third of British Columbians interested in seceding from Canada, but it said nothing about joining Cascadia. If the Columbians did secede, it is likely they would go their own way or join with other former Canadian provinces to form a new state rather then join up with former Americans.

Honorable mention this week goes out to Rascallite's British Argentina. 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.

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

Hardcovers

The Desert and the Blade: A Novel of the Change by SM Stirling

In his Novels of the Change, New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling presents “a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as post-apocalyptic SF.”* Continuing their quest that began in The Golden Princess, two future rulers of a world without technology risk their lives seeking a fabled blade…

Reiko, Empress of Japan, has allied herself with Princess Órlaith, heir to the High Kingdom of Montival, to find the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutting Sword, a legendary treasure of an ancient dynasty that confers valor and victory to its bearer. Órlaith understands all too well the power it signifies. Her own inherited blade, the Sword of the Lady, was both a burden and a danger to her father, Rudi Mackenzie, as it failed to save the king from being assassinated.

But the fabled sword lies deep with the Valley of Death, and the search will be far from easy. And war is building, in Montival and far beyond.

As Órlaith and Reiko encounter danger and wonder, Órlaith’s mother, Queen Matildha, believes her daughter’s alliance and quest has endangered the entire realm. There are factions both within and without Montival whose loyalty died with the king, and whispers of treachery and war grow ever louder.

And the Malevolence that underlies the enemy will bend all its forces to destroy them.

Germanica by Robert Conroy

Best-selling alternate history master Robert Conroy returns to World War II, this time for a dangerous last stand of the Nazis in the heart of the Alps.

GERMANICA, ÜBER ALLES!

Deep in the heart of Europe's Alps in the redoubt called Germanica, Nazi propaganda master Josef Goebbels and a battalion of Nazi zealots hold out against a frantic final Allied push to end World War II. With Churchill losing his election, De Gaulle consolidating his rule over a newly liberated France, and Stalin asserting his own nefarious land-grab in Eastern Germany, only America, led by its untried new president Harry Truman, remains to face the toughest of Nazi warriors as they hunker down for a bitter fight to the last man.

Goebbels knows that if he can hold out just a bit longer, the war weary of the Western nations will back away from unconditional surrender for Germany, and he and his zealots can remain in power never to answer for their war crimes, and able to prepare for the moment when their hateful Nazi ideology is ready once again to rise from its alpine grave and strike at the heart of humanity!

But there are Americans and a few stalwart Europeans just as determined to put a final stake in the Nazi heart. It is now up to heroes in the making such as newly minted O.S.S. operative Ernie Janek, commando Captain Scott Tanner, and formerly enslaved Czech "Jew" Lena Bobek, to bring down the dark Nazi menace growing like a cancer in the mountainous heart of the continent.

Paperbacks

Chapelwood: The Borden Dispatches by Cherie Priest

From Cherie Priest, the award-winning author of Maplecroft, comes a new tale of Lizzie Borden’s continuing war against the cosmic horrors threatening humanity…

Birmingham, Alabama is infested with malevolence. Prejudice and hatred have consumed the minds and hearts of its populace. A murderer, unimaginatively named “Harry the Hacker” by the press, has been carving up citizens with a hatchet. And from the church known as Chapelwood, an unholy gospel is being spread by a sect that worships dark gods from beyond the heavens.

This darkness calls to Lizzie Borden. It is reminiscent of an evil she had dared hoped was extinguished. The parishioners of Chapelwood plan to sacrifice a young woman to summon beings never meant to share reality with humanity. An apocalypse will follow in their wake which will scorch the earth of all life.

Unless she stops it…

Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale

Perfect for fans of action-adventure and historical fiction—including novels by such authors as Bernard Cornwell, Steve Berry, Naomi Novik, and Harry Turtledove—this stunning work of alternate history imagines a world in which the Roman Empire has not fallen and the North American continent has just been discovered. In the year 1218 AD, transported by Norse longboats, a Roman legion crosses the great ocean, enters an endless wilderness, and faces a cataclysmic clash of worlds, cultures, and warriors.

Ever hungry for land and gold, the Emperor has sent Praetor Gaius Marcellinus and the 33rd Roman Legion into the newly discovered lands of North America. Marcellinus and his men expect easy victory over the native inhabitants, but on the shores of a vast river the Legion clashes with a unique civilization armed with weapons and strategies no Roman has ever imagined.

Forced to watch his vaunted force massacred by a surprisingly tenacious enemy, Marcellinus is spared by his captors and kept alive for his military knowledge. As he recovers and learns more about these proud people, he can’t help but be drawn into their society, forming an uneasy friendship with the denizens of the city-state of Cahokia. But threats—both Roman and Native—promise to assail his newfound kin, and Marcellinus will struggle to keep the peace while the rest of the continent surges toward certain conflict.

Dream Paris by Tony Ballantyne

Anna is doing her best: there are lots of other seventeen year olds who are living alone in the partially rebuilt ruins of London. She hopes that by keeping things clean and tidy and by studying hard she can keep the dreams away...But then a tall, dark stranger with eyes like a fly enters her life. He claims to know where the missing people of London have ended up. He might even know the location of Anna's missing parents. Anna can help, but to do that she will have to let go of what little normality she has managed to gather around herself and begin the journey to Dream Paris.

If Then by Matthew De Abaitua

James has a scar in the back of his head. It’s where he was wounded in the Battle of Suvla Bay in August 1915. Or is the scar the mark of his implant that allows the Process to fill his mind with its own reality?

In IF, the people of a small English town cling on after an economic collapse under the protection of the Process. But sometimes people must be evicted from the town. That’s the job of James, the bailiff. While on patrol, James discovers the replica of a soldier from the First World War wandering the South Downs. This strange meeting begins a new cycle of evictions in the town, while out on the rolling downland, the Process is methodically growing the soldiers and building the weapons required to relive a long lost battle.

In THEN, it is August 1915, at the Battle of Suvla Bay in the Dardanelles campaign. Compared to the thousands of allied soldiers landing on this foreign beach, the men of the 32nd Field Ambulance are misfits and cranks of every stripe: a Quaker pacifist, a freethinking padre, a meteorologist, and the private (once a bailiff) known simply as James. Exposed to constant shellfire and haunted by ghostly snipers, the stretcher-bearers work day and night on the long carry of wounded men. One night they stumble across an ancient necropolis, disturbed by an exploding shell. What they discover within this ancient site will make them question the reality of the war and shake their understanding of what it means to be human…

Lady of Magickby Sylvia Izzo Hunter

Sylvia Izzo Hunter brought “both rural Brittany and an alternative Regency England to vivid life”* in The Midnight Queen, her debut novel of history, magic, and myth. Now, in her new Noctis Magicae novel, Sophie and Gray Marshall are ensnared in an arcane plot that threatens to undo them both.

In her second year of studies at Merlin College, Oxford, Sophie Marshall is feeling alienated among fellow students who fail to welcome a woman to their ranks. So when her husband, Gray, is invited north as a visiting lecturer at the University in Din Edin, they leap at the chance. There, Sophie’s hunger for magical knowledge can finally be nourished. But soon, Sophie must put her newly learned skills to the test.

Sophie returns home one day to find a note from Gray—he’s been summoned urgently to London. But when he doesn’t return, and none of her spells can find a trace of him, she realizes something sinister has befallen him. With the help of her sister, Joanna, she delves into Gray’s disappearance, and soon finds herself in a web of magick and intrigue that threatens not just Gray, but the entire kingdom.

War Stories Volume 1 TP by Garth Ennis

For the first time in a decade, the original War Stories are back in print! Fully re-mastered, these stunning works have never looked so good. Featuring some of the finest war comics ever created, with scripts by Garth Ennis (Preacher, Crossed, The Boys) and art by some of the biggest names in comics. Johann's Tiger: Drawn by Chris Weston (The Filth).A German tank crew face their own damnation in the twilight of the Second World War, as old ghosts and old sins catch up with them. D-Day Dodgers: Drawn by John Higgins (Pride & Joy). British soldiers in the remote Italian campaign find themselves fighting a forgotten war, while others closer to home reap the glory. Screaming Eagles: Drawn by Dave Gibbons (Watchmen). Exhausted by years of combat, American paratroopers come to the end of the road- and are suddenly granted a strange reward. Nightingale: Drawn by David Lloyd (V for Vendetta). A Royal Navy escort ship on the nightmarish Arctic convoy run hits trouble - and only the ultimate sacrifice will earn her crew redemption.

E-Books

What Could Possibly Go Wrong by Jodi Taylor

Join Max in the sixth instalment in the off-the-wall bestselling Chronicles of St Mary’s series by Jodi Taylor.

Max is back! New husband, new job, and a training regime that cannot fail – to go wrong!

Take one interim Chief Training Officer, add five recruits, mix with Joan of Arc, a baby mammoth, a duplicitous Father of History, a bombed rat, Stone Age hunters, a couple of passing policemen who should have better things to do, and Dick the Turd.

Stir well, bring to the boil – and wait for the bang!

To readers, authors and publishers...

Last week I shared What Happens Next: SM Stirling's Nantucket Trilogy again on my social media pages. Randal White commented on it and said he would like to hear my thoughts on Turtledove's Worldwar series. At first I wasn't interested because Turtledove already did that himself with Homeward Bound and other alternate historians, like Bruce Munro, have already done pretty good speculations of their oen. Nevertheless, I couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided to fast forward to 2100 after humans have enjoyed seven decades of FTL starships and see what happened next...

The dawn of the 22nd century has taught the Race a dirty world: decolonization. Yes, the cost of maintaining their colonies on Earth have finally outweighed any benefits. The current Emperor is trying to reform the Empire's society by forcing the Race to adopt a faster rate of technological process and he believes that antagonizing the Tosevites (or Humans/Big Uglies) will only prevent the major changes to the extremely conservative Race society necessary to accomplish this goal. Troublesome regions (like China [1], Turkey, Sunni-majority Iraq, Persia, the Congo, Morocco, Mexico, Venezuela, Peru, Korea and Tasmania) are being given independence, while more loyal areas are finding themselves with increased autonomy whether they like it or not.

While the Empire may be in decline, it is still a force to be reckoned with. They remain an interstellar empire with a vast nuclear arsenal (which has grown larger as more Tosevite colonies spring up around their stellar neighborhood). Although they lack FTL starships, they should be reaching a breakthrough soon and they have deals with some Human factions to "lease" their ships, with the understanding that no member of Race is allowed in the engine room. The current Emperor is also determined to catch up with Big Uglies, even if he has to drag his own people kicking and screaming (or whatever Race metaphor is more appropriate). They also aren't without friends on Earth/Tosev. They maintain their alliances with France [2], Finland, Poland and other states, who find the Race a better ally than some of the other human powers.

We should also not forget about the areas of Earth that are inhabited primarily by the Race. Regions including northern Mexico, the Sahara, the Arabian peninsula and Australia, are heavily developed and well defended by large and well-trained armies ever since the original Colonization Fleet crew was required to take up arms in case war with the Big Uglies ever happened again. That being said, the Empire finds these subjects...rather weird. They have adopted many Tosevite customs and ideas. Some even wear clothes and wigs, much like human teenagers covered themselves in body paint in the 1960s. On top of that, monogamy is a common practice and this has not gone over well when some of these couples have come to Home, Rabotev 2 or Halless 1 in the middle of mating season. The Race legal system, which to be honest gets little work in the highly conformist and law-abiding society of the Race, suddenly finds themselves forced to tackle such alien (literally and figuratively) concepts as "rape". Nevertheless, they are big supporters of the current Emperor's policies and reforms and see any further advancement as a guarantee of their protection from the Big Uglies.

Enough about the Race, lets look at the Big Five or the five human powers that withstood the Race's invasion in the 1940s. The most powerful and largest (if you count their off-world colonies) is the United States of America. As the Race retreats from Earth, the Americans gleefully fill the power vacuum they left behind, creating new democracies that are more than happy to look the other way when American corporations set up shop. Today Little Rock is the center of human civilization and the President commands the respect of everyone, even from the Emperor of the Race. The US Navy (the only branch with experience in getting people to work together in metal cans cruising through a hostile environment) commands a vast fleet of FTL starships that patrol the known universe and keep an eye on anything that can threaten the American hegemony.

The USA was the first power in the known universe to develop FTL travel and have made the most of it, exploring new star systems and planting colonies whenever they find anything interesting. Most of these colonies are still governed as territories, but there has been talks of carving states out them eventually. No one is in a rush, however, since even with FTL starships, communication between Little Rock and the colonies is slow. The colonies are satisfied with the "benign indifference" they receive from Little Rock and have no interest in changing the status quo since they are practically self-governing. The same can't be said about some of the "involuntary settler" colonies. These communities are formed from people the government has found "troublesome", a precedent sadly established when picking the crew for the Admiral Peary in 1997 [3]. Most of these colonies have a station in orbit staffed with Marines just in case there is any trouble.

Although the Americans have found worlds that can support life, most are of the Home variety, meaning they are hot, arid worlds with few bodies of water. Some more intelligent life has been discovered as well, but again they resemble the Race and their subject peoples. This has caused some scientists to believe that lizard-esque species like the Race are the norm in the universe and that humans are an aberration caused by the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event. Without that meteor that killed the dinosaurs, its likely that an intelligent lizard-like species would have arose on Earth and have fallen quickly to the Race invasion [4]. Then again, nothing good ever came out of counterfactual thinking like that. Am I right?

While the United States is certainly the top dog, its not without its rivals among the other Big Five...or should I say Big Four since Britain really isn't a major power anymore. The United Kingdom is the only victorious human power to come out of the Race Invasion to not develop an FTL drive on their own, instead being given it by the United States. They do have a few off-world colonies of their own and are close allies of the Americans, but they find this relationship grating at times, especially since the Americans won't let them forget the time they were nominal allies of Germany in the 1960s [5]. Frankly the British elite haven't forgotten about the time when they were the most powerful country on Earth and would love for the chance to return to the glory days, but aren't sure how to do that just yet.

Then you have Japan. Although an FTL capable nation with a large space fleet and many off-world colonies, they have always remained one-step behind the Americans. Although the US was supported by Japan throughout much of the late 20th century, this relationship has fallen apart, party because the US objected to the Japanese use of chemical and biological weapons on their rebellious subjects. The Japanese have extensive mining operations in the Asteroid Belt and elsewhere, having shown little interest in finding life bearing worlds like the Americans, but making up for it by hauling valuable and rare minerals. Their goal is to knock America down a peg and take their place as the premier human power...and some of the Japanese high command think its time for a little "out of the box" thinking. For example, the Japanese have a lot in common with the Race culturally. They both respect their Emperors and have very conservative societies. Perhaps its time to let bygones be bygone and begin a new era of cooperation [6].

Then there is the Soviet Union, which is just...strange. They are hardly communist these days, having adopted a radical technocratic society that has made great strides in catching up with the Americans and Japanese by their complete disregard for human life and their enthusiastic embrace of super-advanced artificial intelligence that manage the Soviet economy and spearhead their scientific advancements. Cybernetic enhancements are becoming increasingly popular [7] as is the practice of naming children after numbers. The current General Secretary herself is obsessed with uploading her mind into a computer, thus allowing her to govern the state until the end of time. As can be expected the Soviets freak the fudge out of their neighbors, more so than even...

Nazi Germany! Although to be fair modern Germany follows the ideals of National Socialism as well as the modern Soviets follow Marxism. For a brief period in the mid-21st century Germany ruled a small, but significant interstellar empire, but to accomplish this goal they had to squeeze every last resource out of Europe and stole the rest through espionage. Eventually this became unbearable for even the most loyal Aryan and when reformers began espousing about the democratic ideas found in the first edition of Mein Kampf, this led to a coup, a counter coup and a short civil war. Today the German government is more like a one-party dictatorship with trappings of democracy instead of being a dystopic nightmare society. They have even begun to suggest that the racial ideologies of the past were a little off-base (which is easy since there is no one left to kill).

As the Germans turn inward they have pulled their troops out of their former Europeans territories. New states have emerged on the continent which now have to find their place in the world. Having found the Americans too liberal and the Soviet too weird, these Europeans oddly enough have found themselves growing closer to the Race government in Cairo. Some of the more devious minded members of the Race even think the Empire could benefit by sponsoring their own Tosevite not-empire in Europe, perhaps led by Britain, that would unite the Race-friendly states with the former client states and territories of the Third Reich. This would give the Empire a friendly not-empire on Tosev to combat the other not-empires. This union of the European states may even end the Race's retreat from Earth, without upsetting the Emperor's reforms.

There is still the question of what to do about the Reich's off-world colonies. The majority of them are now controlled by hard-lined SS forces, who have threaten to unleash their nuclear arsenal on anyone who tries to take them down [8]. These colonies (sometimes called the Fourth Reich) represent probably the first non-Earth, human nation, but they aren't something to be proud. If rumors are true, they make the Soviet Union look like Pleasantville, what with their bizarre genetic experiments, their penchant for building castles and worship of pagan deities who don't seem to correspond with anything from human mythology. Exactly what is going on in the Fourth Reich remains mostly hearsay since they have surprisingly good counter-espionage, but whatever is happening, the Race and Humanity agree that something needs to be done sooner rather than later.

Of course, events elsewhere may save the Fourth Reich from destruction. Not everyone is onboard with the Emperor's reforms. Turns out trying to change a civilization who has done things a certain way for tens of thousands of years is harder than it looks. There has been plenty of opposition to the Emperor's reformers and the critics are starting to organize. Its becoming more and more common to see anti-reform activists wearing body paint in the colors of nations that haven't existed for millenniums. Meanwhile, more Hallesites and Rabotvites are beginning to think things would be better off if they had their own emperors instead of listening to the one from Home. The Tosevite colonists still remain loyal to the Emperor, but the cultural divide between them and more traditional members of the Race makes this a mixed blessing. Those few historians who study the ancient past of the Race are rediscovering a term that has not be used in a long time: civil war.

If the Empire were to fall apart, the conflict would inevitably draw the human nations into the conflict and not all on the same side. Cooperation between the powers has broken down and each country has their own reason to support one faction of the Race over the other. Nuclear weapons are plentiful and the fleets that carry them through the cosmos continue to grow. If war on an intergalactic scale were to break out, it could mean the end of civilization as we know it. Perhaps that is why colonization efforts have increased tenfold in recent years [9] (even among the Race). If war were to break out, maybe enough colonists would survive that star-faring civilization could rebuild itself.

Humanity and the Race are hoping for the best, but are preparing for the worst.


[1]: Which almost immediately fell into civil war between the communists and Kuomintang. There is a small imperialist faction, mostly centered in Manchuria and supported by Japan.

[2]: When the Race liberated France after the Race-German War of 1965, the Free French government in the Pacific quickly declared "independence" from France, lest they have to listen the Lizard stooges in Paris. Nothing really changed at the top, but everyone got a new flag to decorate their buildings with.

[3]: Its not unusual for judges to give criminals the option of jail, the military or off-world colonies.

[4]: Other scientists, meanwhile, find that theory complete hogwash. Dinosaurs were feathered after all and more closely related to birds than modern lizards. In fact, when you come to think of it, the "Lizards" aren't lizards at all because...but that just confuses the masses so the less said about that the better.

[5]: Think "cheese eating surrender monkies" if you want an idea of how bad it is.

[6]: It should be noted most of the FTL ships the Race lease from the Tosevites are Japanese ships.

[7]: In fact, with gulags being so 20th century, the Soviets are forcibly installing these cybernetic implants into dissidents to completely erase any vestiges of individuality so there is nothing left but a completely loyal servant of the state.

[8] Its hard to hit a moving target in space, even something going STL. Thus, missiles with nuclear warheads are used to increase the chance of scoring a hit. For space-to-ground weapons, simple projectiles weighing many tons are preferable since the kinetic force they unleash is equal to if not greater than a nuclear bomb.

[9] They are finding a lot of willing colonists fleeing the ongoing Second Chinese Civil War.

Do you see that map right there? The map you see before you has introduced more people to alternate history and Amazing Stories than I can ever hope to reach in a lifetime. No wonder it's Map Monday post was the most viewed post from last month. (Spoiler alert, I guess.)

With that said, let's look at our top five posts from August 2015:

1) Map Monday: A map where Europe never discovered America by liminalsoup by Matt Mitrovich.

2) Weekly Update #200: Special Announcement Incoming by Matt Mitrovich.

3) 7 What Ifs About An Earlier WWI by Matt Mitrovich.

4) Map Monday: The Baltic Region by False Dmitri/Ben Carnehl by Matt Mitrovich.

5) What If Wednesday: The Last English King of England by Matt Mitrovich.

If you would like to see more high quality alternate history reviews, news and commentary from me, please consider becoming one of my patrons.

This is a preview of what you could see if we reach my "Return of Flag Friday" milestone goal on Patreon. If you want to see more Flag Fridays in the future, please consider becoming one of my patrons. Now on to the alternate vexillology...

Two flags caught the attention of my followers last week and it was difficult to pick which one to write about. Both had scenarios attached to them, and you all know how much I enjoy a good story, but in the end I decided to go with the one that I thought just looked the "coolest". I am talking about Ramones1986's alternate flag of Albania:
This is from a short scenario Ramones1986 published on AlternateHistory.com where Albanians gain their independence early in 1878 thanks to an Alabamian cultural renaissance brought on in part by a new Albanian alphabet that used the Latin script and was spread by British bibles. This unexpectedly makes Protestantism attractive to Albanian nationalists, who see it as a way to separate themselves culturally from the Ottomans. After a successful independence movement, with British backing, its implied other parts of the Ottoman Empire adopt the Albanian method in seeking more autonomy.

I like this scenario for a couple of reasons. First, you don't see Albania as the focus a lot in alternate history (in fact, this is the first time I ever used the "Albania" tag for the blog, so I am as much guilty of omitting the country as everyone else) and I am glad Ramones1986 went outside the box with this one. Second, the idea of Protestantism spreading through the Balkans is a unique concept. In this timeline, Protestants are rare in that region and to see a timeline where they are more numerous or even in the majority has some untapped potential. As for the flag, I admit I am crazy about the color black on flags. It doesn't happen often and for some reason it always looks pleasing to my eye, so I really enjoyed the black cross on this flag of Protestant Albania. Additionally, the coat of arms in the center was well designed. All and all, this flag deserved to be featured on Flag Friday.

Honorable mention this week goes out Mac Gregor's flag of the African Republic of Angola. If you would like to submit a flag for the next Flag Friday, email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com with your flag attached and a brief description of the scenario in the body of the email.

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

Hardcovers

William Shakespeare's Tragedy of the Sith's Revenge: Star Wars Part the Third by Ian Doescher

The curtain rises once again on that star-crossed galaxy far, faraway—this time, to chronicle a once-heroic knight’s transformation into the darkest of villains. William Shakespeare’s Tragedy of the Sith’s Revenge is the climactic conclusion to the fall of the house of Skywalker, a collaboration between William Shakespeare and George Lucas that’s filled with masterful meter, stirring soliloquies, inside jokes, and intricate Elizabethan illustrations. You’ll fall in love with Star Wars—and Shakespeare—all over again. At the same time!

Paperbacks

Third Reich Victorious: Alternate Histories of World War II edited by Peter G. Tsouras

This book is a stimulating and entirely plausible insight into how Hitler and his generals might have defeated the Allies, and a convincing sideways look at the Third Reich's bid at world domination in World War II. What would have happened if, for example, the Germans captured the whole of the BEF at Dunkirk? Or if the RAF had been defeated in the Battle of Britain? What if the U-Boats had strangled Britain with an impregnable blockade, if Rommel had been triumphant in North Africa or the Germans had beaten the Red Army at Kursk?

The authors, writing as if these and other world-changing events had really happened, project realistic scenarios based on the true capabilities and circumstances of the opposing forces. Third Reich Victorious is a dynamic and eye-opening alternate history that opens up the dramatic possibilities of World War II.

E-Books

Collisions of the Damned: The Defense of the Dutch East Indiesby James Young

My God, we are losing this war.—Lt. Nicholas Cobb, USN

March 1943. The Usurper’s War has resumed, with disastrous results for the Allies. In Hawaii, the U.S. Pacific Fleet lies shattered after the Battle of Hawaii. Across the Pacific the Imperial Japanese Navy, flush with their recent victory, turns its gimlet eye towards the south and the ultimate prize for their Emperor: The Dutch East Indies.

For Commander Jacob Morton and the other members of the Asiatic Fleet, the oncoming Japanese storm means that the U.S.S. Houston and her Allied companions must learn to fight against overwhelming odds against an enemy who claims the night as their own. In the skies above Houston and the other old, tired vessels of the ACDA Fleet , Flight Lieutenant Russell Wolford and his men attempt to employ the Allies’ newest technology to even the odds. With full might of the Japanese Empire falling on them, the ACDA’s soldiers, sailors, and marines must fight to hold the line long enough for reinforcements to come.

On the Japanese side, the Dutch East Indies Campaign quickly becomes a maelstrom that they did not expect. Vice Admiral Yamaguchi, commander of the Kido Butai and victor of Hawaii, finds himself fighting to preserve the First Air Fleet’s carrier wings rather than fritter them away in a battle of attrition. For even as brave pilots such as Lieutenant Isoro Honda and his fellow Shiden pilots cut a bloody swathe through their Allied counterparts, Yamaguchi realizes that his remaining carriers must prepare for one thing: The Decisive Battle.

Collisions of the Damned is the continuation of the Usurper's War series. Picking up where Acts of War left off, this book contains even more relentless combat and breathless naval actions than its predecessor. As Japan confronts a divided United States and its desperate allies, ordinary men and women are forced to make decisions that will have far reaching consequences for both themselves and their nations.

To readers, authors and publishers...

Guest post by Sam McDonald.
When I first started The Audio File I had no idea how popular it would become. I'm very happy to have gotten the chance to share so many great podcasts and stories with all of you, and I look forward to sharing even more in future posts. For this post we'll be revisiting Escape Pod. My first Escape Pod article was just the warm up act for the stories we'll be talking about today.

Before we begin I'd like to talk about some new Escape Pod facts. For example, all three of the Escape Artists podcasts have started Artemis Rising, a special month celebrating women writers of speculative fiction. As of this article Artemis Rising 2 is already in production. I'd also like to take a moment to acknowledge Mat Weller, one of the producers and unsung behind the scenes heroes of the Escape Artists podcasts. And to any other staff I haven't named in my posts, I'd like to thank you as well. You're work and contributions are greatly appreciated.

Now that we've covered all of that, get ready, because once again it's story time...

"Night Bird Soaring" by T. L. Morganfield
Narrated by Mat Weller
Originally Published in Greatest Uncommon Denominator #3
2008 Sidewise Award Nominee

This story is set in an Aztec Empire that never fell, expanded to include the entirety of the Americas and developed space travel. It follows a boy named Totyoalli who is to play the role of Tezcatlipoca in a ritual when he turns twenty-nine. And by play the role I, of course, mean that he will be sacrificed. It's not exactly bad, he's best friends with the emperor, lives a life of luxury and even marries five wives. Still, his heart is set on joining the space program and visiting Quetzalcoatl's World, aka Venus. Can he find a way to live his dream and fulfill his destiny?

One of the things I loved about this story was the way it present a nuanced look at the Aztecs. Contrary to popular opinion they were far from bloodthirsty savages. They mandated the same education for all citizens, even women, had pretty great social mobility, were excellent astronomers, had a pretty good track with women's rights and so much more. As for the human sacrifice, remember, from their point of view it was necessary to keep the universe running. Point is they were way more than what they're commonly portrayed as in fiction and this story did a great job showcasing that.

I also liked the way the imminent sacrifice was treated almost like having a terminal illness. Totyoalli knows he's got to make the most of his time, but he also comes to terms with his fate. Now, many of you are probably wondering how the Aztecs of this story got such a big empire. Don't worry, that's all explained, but I can't give that away. I will say we get a couple supernatural hints towards the end of the story, but that's all you get until you read/listen to this story. I also enjoyed how all the planets were named after Aztec gods. It was a nice touch

Mat Weller isn't just great at behind the scenes work, he's also great at narration. All in all a great story with a nuanced take on the Aztecs. Earned its nomination and should definitely early your time as well.

"People of the Shell" by Brian Trent
Narrated by Jeff Ronner
An Escape Pod Original 

This story is set during the Bronze Age after a series of asteroid impacts blocked out the sun. The once mighty Persian Empire, lead by Cyrus the Great, has been reduced to a mere 200 individuals wandering across the frozen desert on great sandships. They were looking for a glimmer of civilization in Egypt, but instead find people living beneath the shell of a gigantic...something. These people have built a society based around the worship of the great beasts, but how long can it last?

And the winner of most original alternate history short story is...this story! Seriously, the atmosphere in this story is absolutely phenomenal. You really get to see just how dark, cold and utterly hopeless this world is. Some of you might be reminded of The Peshawar Lancers by this story, though apart from the asteroids, they're very different stories. I liked that this story featured both Persians and Greeks, but treated them both fairly. It's also nice to see alternate history set in ancient times.

On that note, as far as themes go I found that nobody was really 100 percent right in this story. The People of the Shell are mostly comprised of people who were on the bottom rung of society, and the asteroids have give them a chance to rise above their positions. At the same time, Cyrus is right that their way of life simply isn't sustainable in the long term, and eventually humanity will have to get back on its feet out of necessity. You've got people who resorted to cannibalism, but only as a last resort. Like I said, morality as grey as the setting.

As for the narration, I thought Jeff did a spot on job. Defiantly on of the more unique alternate history stories, and definitely worth your time.

"Impossible Dreams" by Tim Pratt
Narrated by Matthew Wayne Selznick
Originally Published in Asimov's 
2007 Hugo Award Winner

This story follows a cinephile named Pete who discovers an amazing new movie store. The movies seem like they're out of another universe; I, Robot with screenplay by Harlan Ellison, Raiders of the Lost Ark staring Tom Selleck, The Magnificent Ambersons with its original ending and much more. Soon it becomes clear the store is traveling from another world. Pete finds himself falling in love with the store's clerk Allie. Each day the store appears for less and less time, and Pete has to convince Allie about the true nature of the store.

At the Escape Artists podcasts there is one man who is the undisputed king of short stories. That man, of course, is Tim Pratt. Seriously, he's been published more times on the Escape Artists podcasts than any other author, but not without reason. He's easily one of the most talented current writers of speculative fiction, and he's got the awards to prove it.

Anyway, back to the review. I learned a lot of movie trivia from this story, and it gave me a greater appreciation of movies in general. I liked how Pete was able to surmise information about Allie's world based on what movies the store had. For example, no Dr. Strangelove and a movie about the invasion of the Japanese home islands, staring John Wayne, potentially means no atomic bomb in that world. The overall feel of this story remind me of The Twilight Zone, and so it should appeal to fans of that show. The ending is really sweet, but of course, it is a Tim Pratt story.

A great story like this need a great narrator to go with it, and Matthew is that narrator. A story that more than earned its Hugo. I happily recommend it.

"Summer in Paris, Light From the Sky" by Ken Scholes 
Narrated by Alex Wilson
Originally Published in Clarkesworld Magazine

It's 1941 and Adolph Hitler has arrived in Paris to pursue his dream of becoming a painter. Along the way he befriends Earnest Hemingway and Charlie Chaplin at Charles de Gaulle's bar. Hitler soon finds himself falling in love with a beautiful young Jewish girl from Poland. Things come to a head when the French government begins persecuting Jews. It's up to Hitler and his friends to rise above and stand up to this injustice.

Yeah, this one's probably going to be one of the more controversial stories. I'll begin by saying that people are products of their times, and this is obviously a different world, so it's not all the unreasonable that, give different circumstances, Hitler would have turned out different. For what it's worth, this story was reprinted in a top Israeli science fiction magazine and was met with positive reviews.

Okay, now that we got that out the way, let's talk about the story itself. We get some very tantalizing glimpses of the world beyond what the story shows. It appears Spain held onto their American colonies, only to lose them in an alternate Spanish-American War, France is still a monarchy ruled by Napoleon IV...and Hitler goes on to become a human rights activist and is hailed the Savior of the Jews. Yeah, between segments of story we get quotes that give us a glimpse into Hitler's future.

I thought Ken did a great job with the characterization all around, and the writing itself is really quite good. Really, this is a great story. This story was originally published in Clarkesworld Magazine, and I could have saved it for the post on that podcast. What it came down to, however, was who had the best narration. I had to give it to Escape Pod because Alex did such a great job.

Potentially controversial, but well worth you time. Give it a try.

"Checkmate" by Brian Trent
Narrated by Mat Weller
An Escape Pod Original 

This story is set in a world where wars are waged with living chess pieces and the world is divided into markers that nations compete for control over. The American Revolution was the last war fought with conventional armies. A British knight named Edward Oakshott has been challenged by a Russian rook for control of the London marker. Edward's been given a device that promises to grant immortality should he fall it battle, but how far is he willing to go in service to his country?

This is a steampunk story, but the living chess angle was a nice twist on the style. Personally, I would have liked to have seen what all the pieces are like. We see that knights and queens appear to be human, and rooks are mechanical monstrosities, but we never see any of the other pieces. For that matter, it would have been nice to know why Russia wanted the London marker. Maybe that's just how it goes in this world? The mythology lover in me enjoyed how all of the people in the secret London Underground were named after figures from Egyptian Mythology.

This is definitely one where the description is crazy, but I swear it's a good story. As far as narration, Mat once again did an excellent job. It's a new twist on the steampunk story. Give it a shot.

Site Fourteen by Laura Anne Gilman
Narrated by Mat Weller 
Originally Published in ReVISIONS

It's often said that we know more about the surface of the Moon than we do our own deep oceans, but what if that wasn't the case? In this story President John F. Kennedy challenged America not to take to the Moon, but to claim the oceans. By the present day America is the undisputed master of the oceans and has established many bases and settlements across the sea floor. The story follows a typical day at Site Fourteen when disaster strikes.

I'll admit this felt like less of a story and more of a showcase of an alternate world, but that's not a bad thing. I'm a big fan of stories that feature ocean exploration and colonization. The part where it's mentioned that the ocean program was receiving budget cuts was especially poignant give the ever increasing lack of support for institutions such as NASA, the National Endowment for the Humanities and other programs to expand knowledge and exploration.

Now, let's talk narration. Mat does his usual good job, but at the part when things start to go wrong you can hear an emergency alarm beeping in the background for a while. This didn't bother me, but some people might find that annoying, so be aware of that should you listen to this story. All in all a great window into an alternate world. Well worth checking out.

"Unexpected Outcomes" by Tim Pratt
Narrated by Tom Rockwell
Originally Published in Interzone

9/11 was a day that changed everything for America and the world as a whole. In this story, it's even more so, because on the faithful day a strange man appears simultaneously across the world and announces...that the entire world is a computer simulation to test a hypothesis on the rise of Islamic terrorism. It has been declared that the simulation will continue to run, but without nonessentials such as weather, stars and reproduction. Still, not everyone is convinced that's the whole story. Our hero, a man named Tim, sets out to find answers.

I was in third grade when 9/11 happened, so this story had a certain resonance with me. I know this is going to sound horrible, but more due to the world turning out to be a simulation part. Hey, I didn't even know what happened till the very end of the day when my mom picked me up. I suppose my elementary school figured it was best to carry on as usual and not upset the students.

It was that same almost blasé/carry on feeling that I got from this story. The characters are dealing with a huge change to their lives, but for a while they just go on until it really sinks in. Even after they accept it they still keep looking for more answers. It's simply human nature to question everything after all. I also loved what the main character eventually found, but that's a surprise you'll have to discover for yourself.

As for the narration I thought that Tom did a great job. Certainly an unusual alternate history, but certainly worth a listen.

"Revolution Time" by Lavie Tidhar 
Narrated by Steve Eley
Originally Published in Flurb #2

This story centers around a group of communists in the future who are dissatisfied with their lives. Time travel has been invented and is used to bring people, mostly William Shakespeare, to the present for visits. The communists decide they'll use a time machine to bring Karl Marx to help start a revolution.

The description isn't much, but I promise it's a good story. People often talk about what would happen if very great historical figures could see the world today. Personally, I think they'd be too weirded out by the way everyone talks and dresses to make many comments on the way society is run. That was one thing I noticed about this story. Marx seemed to accept and adapt this is situation surprisingly fast. It was also unclear if the world was truly dystopian or if that's just how the communists viewed it.

Despite these iffy issues I found this story to be fun overall. Steve did his usual great job with the narration. A fun little story that I recommend.

"Reparations" by Merrie Haskell
Narrated by Mary Robinette Kowal
Originally Published in Fortean Bureau 

The atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki remain controversial to this day. Many question if they were the right thing to do. This story focus on an organization of time travelers who try to make amends for these and other events by helping those effected by them.

Again, the summary sucks but the story did a really great job of capturing the absolute devastation that followed the atomic bombings. The descriptions were bone chillingly accurate. To be sure, the alternative of Operation Downfall wouldn't have been a picnic, but this story does provide food for thought on the moral implications of the bombings. Though I do admit I did find myself wounded about the potential paradoxes involved with the organization's work.

A story that packs this kind of emotional punch needs a certain kind of narrator to go with it. Fortunately, Mary is that narrator. A time travel story that'll keep you thinking long after it's over. Well worth a listen.

"Hawksbill Station" by Robert Silverberg
Narrated by Paul Tevis
Originally Published in Galaxy Magazine

This one is a classic time travel story, and some of you are probably familiar with it. However, I say we're going to go over it anyway. It follows a series of political prisoners who have been sent on a one-way trip to the pre-Cambrian era prison colony. Dispute the harsh and unforgiving environment they're making the best of things. One day a new man arrives, but is he all that he seems to be?

Like I said, a classic story, but for the most part I think it's aged fairly well. The only thing that really stuck out to me was, since plants had yet to colonize land during the pre-Cambrian, the amount of breathable oxygen should probably have been lower. I already knew all the twists and turns the story was going to take, but that didn't make it any less enjoy able. This story was originally published as "Anvil of Time", and was later expanded into a novel.

If you've got a craving for more Robert Silverberg, be sure to check out his alternate history novels and The Gate of Worlds. I can't really say much that hasn't been said already, but I can say that Paul did a good job with the narration. It's a classic for a reason. Come see why.

"St. Darwin's Spirituals" by D.K. Thompson
Narrated by Mur Lafferty 
Originally Published in Murky Depths

We'll end our list with a story from D.K. Thompson, better known as Dave Thompson, former editor and host of PodCastle. In this world Charles Darwin not only developed the theory of evolution, but also a set of goggles that allow the user to see the spirits of the dead. Following this invention, interacting with spirits has become a part of daily life and spiritualism has seen a sharp increase in devotees. The story follows a woman named Lucy as she investigates possible criminal activity involving spirits.

First of all, hats off for the unique point of divergence. The world building and atmosphere in this story were absolutely top notch. The choice of Darwin seemed a tad random, personally I'd have gone with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, but that's just me. I also really loved the writing style in this story. I'm definitely interested in getting to see more of this world. Dave has hint that we'll be seeing more fiction from him in the near future and I for one see great things in store. I wish I could think of more to say.

I thought that Mur, as usual, handled the narration quite well. An alternate history story from one of Escape Artists own. I happily recommend it.

Conclusion 

Well we've made it to the end of the list once again. I'd like to that this opportunity to thank all off the readers who follow this column. I wouldn't be here without you. I'd also like to thank all the hard working people behind the podcasts I review. I wouldn't be here without you guys either.

At this point you are probably worried that The Audio File is going away. Don't worry, I'll be back again next month and for many more months to come. I just thought I'd do a little something special since I feel like we've reached a milestone of sorts. In fact, I've been busy writing some stories of my own, and if all goes well you might just see them appear in The Audio File in the near future. Even when the gap between installments gets greater, I've got plenty of comics, and even a few movies and anime, I can review for you guys. In short, I'm not going anywhere.

Here's to all the podcasts we've feature, all the podcasts will will feature, to great stories, great people and great listens. I will see you all next time.

Editor's Note

I am happy to announce I am back from my Labor Day break. I didn't mean to skip posting so many days, but sometimes life just throws unexpected obstacles in your way. The important thing is I am back and looking forward to returning to my old routine.

I am doubly happy to announce that I broke our monthly page view record again. Last August we received 27,213 views, which surpassed our previous record of 26985 in April. Thanks to everyone for following the blog and welcome to all the newcomers who no doubt stumbled upon this blog because of this map. I hope you guys liked what you saw and decided to stay, because I have a lot of good content coming your way, including a new episode on Trope Talk.

And now the news...

Headline: Tajikistan Discovers New Planet and Names it After Itself

You read that title right. A couple weeks ago Boing Boing ran a story regarding how astronomers inside the nation of Tajikistan discovered a new planet between Mars and Jupiter and named it after their home country. This bizarre claim, according to the article, is believed to have been a feeble attempt by the government to boost their country's scientific reputation, although I could think of a dozen other ways to accomplish that goal that doesn't involve inventing heavenly bodies that anyone can point a telescope at confirm its nothing but bovine feces.

I mean I know people and countries boast and brag all the time. Its also not unusual for these claims to be outright lies, but claiming you discovered a new planet and even being arrogant enough to name it after yourself is a kind of lunacy that I expect from North Korea, not Tajikistan. Although Tajikistan fought a bloody civil war in the 1990s and is rife with corruption, they have actually managed to stay off the world stage. If they were trying to get some limelight then this...was a god awful way to do it.

If you are interested in other stories from the past two weeks, don't forget to check out this Egyptian mogul's plan to house refugees on Mediterranean islands.

Book of the Week: The Desert and the Blade by SM Stirling


The nod for book of the week goes to SM Stirling's newest addition to his Emberverse series: The Desert and the Blade. For those who don't know anything about this book, here is the cover description:

In his Novels of the Change, New York Times bestselling author S.M. Stirling presents “a devastated, mystical world that will appeal to fans of traditional fantasy as well as post-apocalyptic SF.”* Continuing their quest that began in The Golden Princess, two future rulers of a world without technology risk their lives seeking a fabled blade… 

Reiko, Empress of Japan, has allied herself with Princess Órlaith, heir to the High Kingdom of Montival, to find the Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutting Sword, a legendary treasure of an ancient dynasty that confers valor and victory to its bearer. Órlaith understands all too well the power it signifies. Her own inherited blade, the Sword of the Lady, was both a burden and a danger to her father, Rudi Mackenzie, as it failed to save the king from being assassinated.  

But the fabled sword lies deep with the Valley of Death, and the search will be far from easy. And war is building, in Montival and far beyond.

As Órlaith and Reiko encounter danger and wonder, Órlaith’s mother, Queen Matildha, believes her daughter’s alliance and quest has endangered the entire realm. There are factions both within and without Montival whose loyalty died with the king, and whispers of treachery and war grow ever louder.

And the Malevolence that underlies the enemy will bend all its forces to destroy them.

I have always enjoyed this series and looked forward seeing more stories, even from other authors, so expect a review of this one shortly. In the meantime, you can learn what author Alyx Dellamonica thought of The Desert and the Blade and read her interview with Stirling over on her site. Also The Wild Hunt posted a review and interview as well.

Honorable mention goes out to the Wild Card series, which was called by io9 one of the best works George RR Martin created that wasn't Game of Thrones.

Alternate Historian of the Week: David S.F. Portree

I'm pleased to announced that I have chosen David S.F. Portree to be the Alternate History of the Week. David is known for writing about spaceflight history. Some may remember him for his Beyond Apollo segment on WIRED, but today he writes his own blog called DSFP's Spaceflight History. If you don't follow it, you really should, as David publishes both traditional and alternate history articles regarding space exploration. One recent post I enjoyed was his Failure Was an Option: What If a Crew Became Stranded On Board the Skylab Space Station? (1972), but that is just one of many what ifs he has tackled.

Remind me to ask him what he knows about the planet Tajikistan.

Photo of the Week

Duffel Blog ran a funny article on the issues with the F-35 and it can be summed up entirely by the picture below:
So could a propeller-driven tri-plane really take down a modern jet? No, but a fun what if to consider is the possibilities of someone from the past travelling to the present or future. We are so quick to think people from the present can "fix" or "improve" the past that we never stop and think if there is anything people from the past can help us with. Just a thought for people looking for new story ideas.

Honorable mention this week goes out to Stan Mott's land-based aircraft carrier for seaplanes.

Video of the Week

This week's nod goes to Test Tube's How Much History Has ISIS Destroyed? Check it out below:
Why is this video important? To create alternate history, you need to know real history and if real history is being destroyed, our genre dies with it. I'm not sure what we can do to stop this, but maybe in our own little ways we can work to preserve what history remains from those who wish to rewrite the past.

Honorable mention goes to the gameplay trailer for Conflicks, because sometimes we need to laugh to survive all the seriousness of the real world.

For this Map Monday I wanted to talk about Martin23230 of AlternateHistory.com's Kingdom of Maryland, which a squeal to an earlier map he did featuring a surviving British Commonwealth. Here it is below:
This map features some of my favorite tropes in alternate history including a Stuart kingdom in North America and an East Coast that isn't dominated entirely by English-speakers. The story is that Charles I flees across the Atlantic with the help of the Dutch and establishes control of the Catholic majority colony of Maryland. This is actually an odd choice by Martin since Virginia was actually called "The Old Dominion" by Charles II because the colony remained loyal to the Stuarts during the Civil War and considering it was the larger and more developed colony, it is perhaps more plausible for Charles I to go there instead of Maryland. I'm also pretty sure at this time Maryland was majority Protestant so perhaps it wasn't a great idea for Charles I to come ashore.

Plausibility issues regarding the point of divergence aside, eventually the new kingdom conquers the rest of British North America, but they never expand to the Pacific like the United States did in our timeline. They are relatively small, but prosperous, nation of this alternate North America that includes two French states, a New Netherlands and uber-Florida. The map itself is in a style of an encyclopedia article and it is very well done, despite a couple of typos in the text. I enjoy the black stripes of the flag as well. This means that while the underlying scenario has much to be desired, it is still a good map with strong supporting images.

Honorable mentions this week goes out the Federal Republic of New Afrika by Kyriakos-Cyp and the Chicago International Map Fair (Oct 23-25). If you would like 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.

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

Hardcovers

Clockwork Lives by Neil Peart and Kevin J. Anderson

Some lives can be summed up in a sentence or two. Other lives are epics.

In Clockwork Angels, #1 bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson and legendary Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart created a fabulous, adventurous steampunk world in a novel to accompany the smash Rush concept album of the same name. It was a world of airships and alchemy, clockwork carnivals, pirates, lost cities, a rigid Watchmaker who controlled every aspect of life, and his nemesis, the ruthless and violent Anarchist who wanted to destroy it all.

Anderson and Peart have returned to their colourful creation to explore the places and the characters that still have a hold on their imagination. Marinda Peake is a woman with a quiet, perfect life in a small village; she long ago gave up on her dreams and ambitions to take care of her ailing father, an alchemist and an inventor. When he dies, he gives Marinda a mysterious inheritance: a blank book that she must fill with other people’s stories — and ultimately her own.

Clockwork Lives is a steampunk Canterbury Tales, and much more, as Marinda strives to change her life from a mere “sentence or two” to a true epic.

Dragon Coast by Greg van Eekhout

Dragon Coast: the sequel to Greg Van Eekhout's California Bones and Pacific Fire, in which Daniel Blackland must pull off the most improbable theft of all.

Daniel's adopted son Sam, made from the magical essence of the tyrannical Hierarch of Southern California whom Daniel overthrew and killed, is lost-consumed by the great Pacific firedrake secretly assembled by Daniel's half-brother, Paul.

But Sam is still alive and aware, in magical form, trapped inside the dragon as it rampages around Los Angeles, periodically torching a neighborhood or two.

Daniel has a plan to rescue Sam. It will involve the rarest of substances, axis mundi, pieces of the bones of the great dragon at the center of the Earth. Daniel will have to go to the kingdom of Northern California, boldly posing as his half-brother, come to claim his place in the competition to be appointed Lord High Osteomancer of the Northern Kingdom. Only when the Northern Hierarch, in her throne room at Golden Gate Park, raises her scepter to confirm Daniel in his position will he have an opportunity to steal the axis mundi-under the gaze of the Hierarch herself.

And that's just the first obstacle.

WARP Book 3 The Forever Man by Eoin Colfer

Riley, an orphan boy living in Victorian London, has achieved his dream of becoming a renowned magician, the Great Savano. He owes much of his success to Chevie, a seventeen-year-old FBI agent who traveled from the future in a time pod and helped him defeat his murderous master, Albert Garrick. But it is difficult for Riley to enjoy his new life, for he has always believed that Garrick will someday, somehow, return to seek vengeance.

Chevie has assured Riley that Garrick was sucked into a temporal wormhole, never to emerge. The full nature of the wormhole has never been understood, however, and just as a human body will reject an unsuitable transplant, the wormhole eventually spat him out. By the time Garrick makes it back to Victorian London, he has been planning his revenge on Riley for centuries. But even the best-laid plans can go awry, and when the three are tossed once more into the wormhole, they end up in a highly paranoid Puritan village where everything is turned upside down. Chevie is accused of being a witch, Garrick is lauded as the town's protector, and . . . is that a talking dog? Riley will need to rely on his reserve of magic tricks to save Chevie and destroy his former master once and for all.

Paperbacks

RUSH's Clockwork Angels: The Graphic Novel by Neil Peart and Kevin J. Anderson

The graphic novel adaptation of the unprecedented concept album and novel from the multi-platinum, Rock & Roll Hall of Fame music legends RUSH and NY Times Bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson!

Owen Hardy, like all the people of Albion, has lived his whole life under the rule of The Watchmaker. His entire life has been planned down to the exact second. But what happens when a young boy decides that things should not always goes as planned? Rush’s CLOCKWORK ANGELS is a testament to the band’s creative versatility—it has been successful as a concept album, novel, and international tour. Now, Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart and New York Times bestselling author Kevin J. Anderson are bringing the story of CLOCKWORK ANGELS to comics, where newcomer artist Nick Robles will bring the journey of Owen Hardy to visual life! Die-hard Rush fans have longed for Peart’s narrative songwriting to be adapted into comic book form for decades, but fans of steampunk fantasy will enjoy journeying into the world of Albion thanks to Anderson’s skilled storytelling. Collects the complete story originally published in CLOCKWORK ANGELS #1-#6.

WARP Book 2 The Hangman's Revolution by Eoin Colfer

Young FBI agent Chevie Savano arrives back in modern-day London after a time-trip to the Victorian age, to find the present very different from the one she left. Europe is being run by a Facsist movement known as the Boxites, who control their territory through intimidation and terror. Chevie's memories come back to her in fragments, and just as she is learning about the WARP program from Professor Charles Smart, inventor of the time machine, he is killed by secret service police. Now they are after Chevie, too, but she escapes--into the past. She finds Riley, who is being pursued by futuristic soldiers, and saves him. Working together again, it is up to Chevie and Riley to find the enigmatic Colonel Clayton Box, who is intent on escalating his power, and stop him before he can launch missiles at the capitals of Europe.

To readers, authors and publishers...

Many of you who follow my reviews know that I am a big fan of SM Stirling's Emberverse (or Change) series. Hell I am responsible for creating the Wikipedia article on the series (O the things you can do when you are an intern and have nothing to do at work). You know what I like most about this series? Unlike many post-apocalyptic tales, the Emberverse isn't dreary or depressing with cliche stories about pointless survival. The Emberverse is not just about people surviving, but rebuilding and creating a new world in the process. Its an alternate history series as well, but of the alien space bats variety. Enough about the series as a whole, lets take a look at The Desert and the Blade, the newest installment in the Emberverse.

The Desert and the Blade takes up right after The Golden Princess. Órlaith, Crown Princess of Montival, and her followers are helping Reiko, Empress of Japan, and her band of loyal samurai recover the "Grass Cutting Sword", one of the three Imperial Regalia of Japan. The sword is being kept in a "castle" somewhere in California, which was devastated and depopulated by the Change, except for a few Montival colonies, some tiny survivor communities and several tribes of Eaters (cannibalistic offspring of the few people who survived the loss of modern technology in 1998 by feasting on the only remaining source of readily available meat: humans).

Their quest is not an easy one as they are hounded by Haida pirates and Korean warriors, who are ruled by the grandson of Kim Jong-il (and remind me a lot of the Russians from The Peshawar Lancers, if you know what I mean) and want to stop the Japanese from recovering the sword. On the way the questors will battle armies of Eaters, be aided by Saxon warriors, meet Jewish desert nomads and come upon a community of aging hippies who worry about how the modern world will change their way of life...which is actually kind of funny when you come to think of it.

Like most long running series, The Desert and the Blade suffers from lengthy reintroductions to characters and settings that anyone who started from the beginning should already be familiar with. I know authors do it on the off chance that there is a reader who is entering the series from this book and you see this a lot in comics, but for long time readers it can be a slog to get through. There are also some references to events from previous stories, which are not given lengthy explanations, so new readers are going to be confused at times anyway.

In fact, Stirling works in a lot of characters and places from The Change: Tales of Downfall and Rebirthanthology and I don't mean just quick cameos. Many characters originally introduced in those stories have become important, plot-turning characters. This isn't a bad thing (and I enjoyed the quick epilogue to Walter John Williams‘ “The Venetian Dialectic”, which was my favorite story from the anthology) since it shows Stirling is happy to have other authors play around in his universe, but it means one more book new readers have to pick to get the full enjoyment of The Desert and the Blade.

Common issues with long running series aside, The Desert and the Blade is still a good book. I would say its even better than The Golden Princess, since that book featured a lot of characterization and worldbuilding, and little action. This book balances all three better, giving us fun neo-Medieval conflict and Clarksian magic, along with character development and beautiful descriptions of post-Change California and its peoples. I especially liked the Jewish nomads and hope to see more of them in the future, but then again I have always been a sucker for nomadic people ever since I took a class on them in college. Perhaps that is why I always preferred the Bearkillers perspective over the Clan Mackenzie in the original Emberverse trilogy, even if they were only briefly migratory.

If there was one major issue I had with the book overall, it was the ending. It wasn't bad per se, but it just felt rushed. I will try to be as vague as possible to avoid spoilers, so if you haven't read the book yet and your worried I will give something away, I recommend skipping the next paragraph and just go to the conclusion.

Anywho, one character discovers her brother, who was missing and presumed dead, is alive and under the spell of the bad guys. This could have been an intense, emotional scene, but weakened by the fact that we really didn't know much about the brother and some more time sharing how he was important to the character and giving a couple more pages to the emotional trauma the character was experiencing would have made the ending all the more powerful. Additionally, after the issue with the brother was resolved, that same character comforts another character who just got his hand chopped off by saying she thinks his son would make a good husband. Perhaps given the context of their culture and relationship this is a perfectly normal conversation...but wouldn't it be a more appropriate conversation for when he is recovering in a hospital and feeling bad about losing his hand? Again, it wasn't a bad ending, it just felt rushed.

Despite the usual issues that come with long-running book series and my own issues with the ending, The Desert and the Blade still earns a recommendation from me. Stirling continues to impress me with his world-building skills, while featuring strong, yet complex, female characters in speculative fiction. The next book in the Emberverse is going to be titled Prince John and I assume its going to involve Órlaith's younger brother helping John Birmingham, who is the king of Darwin, battle bad guys in the South Pacific (alternate history is weird). Tune in next year for that review.

If there is one constant criticism I get from alternate historians from AlternateHistory.com and other sites its that Alternate History Weekly Update has way too much steampunk content on it. One person even suggested I change the name to "Steampunk Weekly Update". You would think there really wouldn't be that much tension between the two genres, since many steampunk works have alternate history elements to them, but than again many also don't. Nevertheless, alternate historians remain critical of steampunk. So I ask: do alternate historians hate steampunk?

Some background first. In 1987, KW Jeter came up with the term "steampunk" to describe a new literary movement where stories were set primarily in Victorian England or the American Wild West, but featured advanced technology and modern social mores. As mentioned before many of these stories had alternate history elements. Good examples include The Warlord of the Airand The Difference Engine, which are both alternate history novels that were influential on early steampunk creators.

So the two genres, alternate history and steampunk, can be considered at the very least cousins in a sense. Despite these shared origins, the history of steampunk and alternate history would begin to diverge at this point. While alternate history remained primarily a literary genre with most communication between fans and creators taking place on the Internet, steampunk would evolve into an atheistic movement that received mainstream acceptance and was embraced by many different formats. Heck there is even a realty television show dedicated to steampunk fashion.

The divide has only grown as steampunk's popularity increases. In 2007, searches for “steampunk” on Google began to trend higher than “alternate history”. In 2013, an IBM supercomputer even predicted that steampunk would be the next big retail trend. Some alternate historians even believe the increase in popularity in steampunk has begun to negatively affect the genre. For example, Robert Schmunk, Uchronia founder and former Sidewise judge, told Motherboard:

In the past several years, alternate history has been fading, or perhaps I should say morphing, because there’s been a big increase in the publication of steampunk stories and novels…Many steampunk works are legitimately alternate history, but a lot are not…I think the Roman Empire theme has faded, and perhaps the ‘Hitler wins’ theme just a bit, also…’The South wins the Civil War’ seems to be hanging in there, especially as this is often used as part of the background for alternate-history-steampunk works.

Which got me thinking: are alternate historians just the hipsters of the speculative historical fiction community? Do they reject whats popular and embrace obscure works only because "you probably haven't heard of them"? Perhaps, but then again, alternate historians are at their core lovers of history. To be able to craft plausible alternate histories, you need to understand just what you are changing. For alternate historians, the mark of a good creator is someone who can make a plausible alternate history, while still providing us with an entertaining read.

Steampunk, while often set during different historical periods, often plays fast and loose with our history and sometimes drop it altogether and the laws of physics along with it. Thus steampunk can be set on a magical world where steam powered mecha exist alongside late 19th century mores, even if the place names don't match anything on this Earth. Blatant disregard for plausibility just for the sake of what looks or sounds cool is enough to set off any serious alternate historian, regardless if the the subject is popular with the mainstream or not. So do I think alternate historians hate steampunk? No, they just don't like bad alternate history.

Personally I have no major issues with steampunk and can even recommend a few good steampunk books (like Cherie Priest's Boneshaker or Alan Gratz's The League of Seven). Being a lover of stories, however, I actually have no plans to cosplay as some intrepid airship pilot. Its not because I think its silly or stupid, its just that I am not interested. I will always put the story over everything else (and there may be many other alternate historians who will agree with me), but I still think there can be peace between steampunk and alternate history. Hey, we are family after all.

Editor's Note

Almost didn't have something to post on Friday. I had been lazy about planning for something that day and when I finally sat down Thursday night to cobble something together I realized that I didn't have any ideas. Despondent, I complained to my wife, Alana, about my problem. She suggested I start "free writing" or journaling where I just wrote down whatever I was thinking so I could return to it later when I needed ideas to write about. I told her it was a good idea, but it wouldn't help me now since I needed an idea for tomorrow.

Besides, I explained to her, I already had several place where I kept "loose ideas". There were topics that I thought I could write about later when or if they were ever more developed. I had already checked most of these ideas, but then inspiration struck, and I realized I didn't check my notes from my paper "Warping History: An Overview of Fans and Creators of Alternate History in the Internet Age". Suddenly my notes regarding alternate historians relationship with steampunk fans, which I had removed from a later draft because I thought it didn't fit the topic, made for an interesting editorial. So I gave my wife a big kiss of thanks and went to write Do Alternate Historians Hate Steampunk? Not only was it the most viewed article from last week, but it even got linked to by SF Signal in their daily SF/F/H Link Post. Not bad for something I put together at the last minute.

In other news, I will be attending Windycon 42 on November 13-15. Steven Silver, founder of the Sidewise Awards, is putting together a panel where I will debate whether alternate history is science fiction with fellow Sidewise judge and Point of Divergence APA founder, Jim Rittenhouse. I think it will be a lot of fun, so if you happen to be in the Chicagoland area, please stop by and check us out. If you can't make it, don't worry, I'm hoping to record the panel and put it on my channel.

And now the news...

Headline: President Margaret Thatcher to Appear on the $10 Bill
Okay that headline above is a complete alternate history. In reality, what happened was that Republican presidential candidate, Jeb Bush, answered at the recent Republican presidential debate that he would put Margaret Thatcher on the $10 bill now the US Treasury would be adding a woman to it. This answer drew both applause (because Thatcher is a well respected British Prime Minister in America, especially among conservatives) and criticism (because Thatcher isn't American and there must be some American woman from history who would be a better choice). Jeb, realizing the Iron Lady wasn't the best choice he could make, has since tried to deflect attention from his answer, but this alternate historian still couldn't help talking about it, mostly because of the picture above.

Could Margaret Thatcher get on the $10 bill in some alternate history? The first idea that came to mind was a Joe Steele-esque scenario, where Thatcher parents immigrate to America sometime after she is conceived, but before she is born. Thus she gets American citizenship, goes into politics, defeats Reagan for the Republican nomination and goes on to be the first female President. Perhaps if she is popular enough during her two terms, there is a movement to put her on the $10 bill after she dies.

Of course this scenario assumes she has the same personality and interest in politics, despite growing up in America instead of Britain, which is one of the big issues I had with Joe Steele. On top of that, not everyone needs to be president to get their face on American currency (i.e. Benjamin Franklin and Alexander Hamilton). Still it was the first idea I came up with. Do you have any ideas for a point of divergence that would get Thatcher on the $10 Bill?

Those interested in more weird history should check out James Hasik's article on what if aircraft carriers were never invented on Real Clear Defense and read up on the Game of Thrones fan theory that suggests Bran Stark is a time traveler.

Book of the Week: The Enemy Within by Kristine Kathryn Rusch

Today's book of the week goes to Kristine Kathryn Rusch's The Enemy Within. Here is the description from Amazon:

One of Kristine Kathryn Rusch’s most acclaimed short stories becomes one of her most original novels. February, 1964: Two men die in a squalid alley in a bad neighborhood. New York Homicide Detective Seamus O’Reilly receives the shock of his life when he looks at the men’s identification: J. Edgar Hoover, the famous, tyrannical director of the FBI, and his number one assistant, Clyde Tolson. O’Reilly teams up with FBI agent Frank Bryce to solve the second high-level assassination in only three months. Because in November of the previous year, someone assassinated President John F. Kennedy. The cop and the FBI agent must determine if the same shadowy organization committed all three murders. To do so, they must act quickly before some of the nation’s most powerful men—from Kennedy’s brother, Attorney General Robert F. Kennedy, to the President of the United States, Lyndon Baines Johnson—do something rash to keep Hoover’s secrets from ever becoming public. In our world, Hoover kept his secrets until long after his death. In Seamus O’Reilly’s world, Hoover’s secrets get him killed. The Enemy Within offers alternate history so plausible that only Kristine Kathryn Rusch could have written it. Winner of the 2014 Sidewise Award for Best Long Form Alternate History. 

For those who don't know, The Enemy Within is a 2014 Long-Form Sidewise Winner and Kristine talked about the award, and her upcoming story in Tales from the Vatican Vaults, on her blog. I plan to review The Enemy Within this week so stay tuned for that.

In the meantime, you may also want to check out Democracy, by Alecos Papadatos and Annie Di Donna, which Rob Bricken of io9 calls the "anti-300".

Video of the Week: What if Africa Was Never Colonized? by Alternate History Hub

The video of the week goes out to Alternate History Hub's What if Africa Was Never Colonized?. Check it out below:
Although the question itself is a little ASB, I thought Cody did a good job overall of presenting a fair and balanced scenario. If you want more fun hypotheticals, don't forget to check out Test Tube's What If Iran And Israel Went To War? or my recent Trope Talk video on the "No Hitler" trope:
Thanks for watching!

Today's featured map is from Reddit, specifically /r/ImaginaryMaps, which is quickly becoming my favorite subreddit. It is titled "Commonwealth of New England 2014 House of Commons Election" and was created by ADS94. Let's check it out below:
There is not much I can say about the story since I haven't read it in its entirety. From what I gleaned from the comments, this map is from ADS94's AlternateHistory.com timeline, "The Confederacy". Its a standard Confederate victory timeline, except told from the perspective of a British historian and the United States also fell apart after the Confederacy gains independence. The New England state and upper New York are apparently annexed by Britain, becomes a dominion and even gain some Canadian provinces.

Having not read the story its hard for me to comment on the plausibility, although even I doubt an independent New England would voluntarily join the British Empire. Close allies sure, but direct incorporation seems far fetched. Nevertheless, if you want to learn more on the actual election this map represents, you can read the faux-Wikipedia page ADS94 created for it.

As for the map itself, its fairly well done. I always liked looking at election maps and the multiple parties this alternate New England has means we get more colors instead of the standard reds and blues we see in our timeline's America. I liked the use of flags as well. If I had one major criticism, perhaps ADS94 could have centralized all of the county/riding names that were too big to fit on the map itself as they seem haphazardly placed. Otherwise its a good map.

No honorable mentions this week. Also I am no longer requesting submissions to Map Monday since I rather pick them myself. That being said, if you would like to submit a map and scenario to The Update, please email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

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

The Golden Compass, 20th Anniversary Edition by Philip Pullman

Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass has been changing worlds for twenty years, and this stunning new slipcased hardcover edition has been created to celebrate the anniversary. Fans, collectors, and new readers alike will appreciate this beautiful book.

Newly created for this edition: a conversation between Philip Pullman and Lev Grossman, author of the Magicians trilogy, that covers the scope and tradition of fantasy literature, Pullman's influences, and the impact that the entire His Dark Materials series has had since publication. There will also be a letter from Philip Pullman to fans, marking the anniversary.

The Golden Compass tells the story of Lyra Belacqua.

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal--including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want.

But what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other. . . .

The Golden Compass Graphic Novel, Volume 1 by Philip Pullman

The world of Philip Pullman’s internationally bestselling His Dark Materials saga is brought to visual life in book 1 of a three-volume graphic adaptation of The Golden Compass.

Lyra Belacqua is content to run wild among the scholars of Jordan College, with her dæmon familiar always by her side. But the arrival of her fearsome uncle, Lord Asriel, draws her to the heart of a terrible struggle—a struggle born of Gobblers and stolen children, and a mysterious substance known as Dust. As she hurtles toward danger in the cold far North, Lyra never suspects the shocking truth: she alone is destined to win—or to lose—this more-than-mortal battle.

The stunning full-color art offers both new and returning readers a chance to experience the story of Lyra, an ordinary girl with an extraordinary role to play in the fates of multiple worlds, in an entirely new way.

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse

Fresh out of Cambridge University, the young Mycroft Holmes is already making a name for himself in government, working for the Secretary of State for War. Yet this most British of civil servants has strong ties to the faraway island of Trinidad, the birthplace of his best friend, Cyrus Douglas, a man of African descent, and where his fiancée Georgiana Sutton was raised.

Mycroft’s comfortable existence is overturned when Douglas receives troubling reports from home. There are rumors of mysterious disappearances, strange footprints in the sand, and spirits enticing children to their deaths, their bodies found drained of blood. Upon hearing the news, Georgiana abruptly departs for Trinidad. Near panic, Mycroft convinces Douglas that they should follow her, drawing the two men into a web of dark secrets that grows more treacherous with each step they take...

Written by NBA superstar Kareem Abdul- Jabbar and screenwriter Anna Waterhouse, Mycroft Holmes reveals the untold story of Sherlock’s older brother. This harrowing adventure changed his life, and set the stage for the man Mycroft would become: founder of the famous Diogenes Club and the hidden power behind the British government.

Paperbacks

Deadlands: Ghostwalkers by Jonathan Maberry

From New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Maberry, the first in a thrilling series of novels based on Deadlands, a hugely successful role-playing game (RPG) set in the Weird, Weird West.

Welcome to the Deadlands, where steely-eyed gunfighters rub shoulders with mad scientists and dark, unnatural forces. Where the Great Quake of 1868 has shattered California into a labyrinth of sea-flooded caverns . . . and a mysterious substance called "ghost rock" fuels exotic steampunk inventions as well as plenty of bloodshed and flying bullets.

In Ghostwalkers, a gun-for-hire, literally haunted by his bloody past, comes to the struggling town of Paradise Falls, where he becomes embroiled in a deadly conflict between the besieged community and a diabolically brilliant alchemist who is building terrible new weapons of mass destruction . . . and an army of the living dead!

Deadlands is one of the most popular RPGs in history, with over a million Deadlands gaming books sold.

Gestapo Mars by Victor Gischler

Carter Sloan is a trained assassin—the best there is, pulled out of cryogenic sleep whenever an assignment demands his skills. So when he’s kept in the deep freeze for 258 years, he’s seriously pissed off.

Yet his government needs him, to hunt down the enemy known as the Daughter of the Brass Dragon. The future of the galaxy-spanning Reich depends on it, so Sloan is off—screwing, swearing, and shooting his way across interstellar space.

lt’s action, adventure, and disgusting gelatinous aliens as only Victor Gischler can create them.

E-Books

The Collectors: A His Dark Materials Story by Philip Pullman

A brand-new e-short, set in the world of Philip Pullman’s beloved and bestselling The Golden Compass

In this darkly delicious sliver of a tale, Philip Pullman offers a glimpse of the enigmatic girl who will become the sinister Mrs. Coulter.

On a cold winter's night, two art collectors are settled before a fire in the Senior Common Room of a college in Oxford, discussing the unusual pieces one has recently added to his collection. What the two men don't know is that the portrait of a striking young woman and the bronze sculpture of a fearsome monkey are connected in mysterious ways. How could they imagine that they are about to be caught in the cross-fire of a story which has traveled time . . . and worlds.

Published in 50 countries with over 22 million copies sold, The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass are renowned for their engrossing storytelling and epic scope. This new short tale will delight the many fans eager for any new glimpse into the world of His Dark Materials.

To readers, authors and publishers...

Last week, Ricarda Vidal published an article on Real Clear World about German architect Herman Sörgel's early 20th century plan to build dam across the Strait of Gibraltar containing a massive hydroelectric power plant. Sörgel argued that this dam would provide free energy to the nations of Europe and open up new land due to the retreating Mediterranean Sea, which would be partially drained. There was also a plan to dam the Congo River, which would refill Mega-Chad basin around Lake Chad, thus allowing the Sahara to be irrigated and open Africa to further colonization by Europeans. This new mega-continent would be called "Atlantropa".

Guest post by Rebecca Stirling.

Around three years ago, Sir Matt Mitrovich himself promised “more maps on the balkanized North America trope”. But of course, the post this came from only covered the US. The post was about dividing the United States up by ethnicity, and I wondered what would happen to Canada (and Mexico) if the same thing happened to them. Seven months later, I saw a map of Canadian ethnicities and I remembered this. Of course, it would be a hard task, so I did it in one night and didn’t think about it again. The original map I used was this one, on DeviantArt:
This map covers the largest ethnic group of each county, but it doesn’t mean it has the majority in the region. For most Canadians of German ethnicity, their families came over to the Americas much earlier than other colonists. For the rest of Canada, it’s mostly either English or Native Americas. This is because immigration wasn’t a major source of income and population for Canada, compared to the US’ vast melting pot of immigrants and ethnicities. Most of the European population came out of colonization, which wasn’t even too strong in itself.

The native lands are sparsely populated, even though they cover a lot of land. The Northwest Territories, about the size of the Confederate States of America, only has 20,000 people. The Ungava region of Quebec, known for its curious lack of French folk, only has around 15,000. The only time that English overran these regions was during the Yukon Gold Rush, when miners came to the north in thousands. If it wasn’t so cold, then the Canadian government would probably have been able to spread the European settlements farther north. Using the map above, I decided to make a map of the countries that would come out of dividing Canada up by ethnicities. This is what I created:
Crazy, right? I mean, it’s not complete border gore. Well, maybe. It’d be pretty hard to have happen, no matter what the point of divergence. There are probably ways to have something like this happen, maybe to some degree. Instead of independent nations, they could all be provinces of some sort of a crazy Canadian Federation. Perhaps, in this TL, Canada became communist, devolving the former provinces to be based on ethnicity. Or, maybe colonial Canada had a more open government, forcing more immigration and then giving them autonomy. Maybe this world is a dystopia, with a The Man in the High Castle-type thing going on. Perhaps Nazis divided up Canada with the intention of showing the US who’s boss. Who knows? There’s a lot of stupid reasons as to why it could happen, but the truth is there’s no plausible way for it to happen.

While this map probably wouldn’t be possible, there are still many popular secessionist groups in Canada. For example, the Republic of Madawaska was a de-facto independent state for years, until it was reabsorbed into New Brunswick. The referendums in Quebec also demonstrate this and the fact that they so narrowly came close to succeeding proves that the premise of this map is slightly possible. Even so, secessionist movements sadly don’t align to be this way, making the map as invalid and implausible as nearly all the other balkanized Canada maps. If you have any more maps of a Balkanized America, makes sure to send them to Matt at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. Thanks for reading this, and have a great day!


Rebecca Stirling is an Alternate History writer from New York. When not slacking off, she draws random shit and makes terrible maps. She’s also extremely single, probably due to the fact that she is an Alternate History writer. Check out her DeviantArt, or her newest timeline.

From 2009 to 2011, I considered myself an active member of the AltHistory Wiki community. I was a regular contributor to "1983: Doomsday" and other timelines. I also pitched in with combating vandals and I must have made myself a big enough annoyance that someone decided it would be easier just to make me an administrator to the Wiki instead of reading the ton of messages I left on people's talk pages warning them of the damage. I took my role as administrator seriously and used my limited free time to do my best to clean up the Wiki. I helped institute new policies to govern the wiki more effectively and promoted ideas I thought would help encourage a stronger sense of community, like the Stirling Awards and revamping the way Featured Timelines were selected. I was proud of what I accomplished and of the people who followed in my footsteps.

In 2011, I retired from my post as a member of the "Brass" (the administrator rank which, besides having the power to ban members, can also grant administrative powers to other members) and eventually created Alternate History Weekly Update. At the time I said that I wanted to focus more on my own writing because I felt that managing the Wiki was distracting me from it. That, however, was only part of the reason why I left. To be frank, I was burnt out from dealing with the Wiki. As time went by, many of the people I befriended there had left and the newcomers, although many were talented writers and all-around pleasant people, had some major ego cases in their ranks. I became tired of all the arguments and the snark. I also had creative differences with the direction "1983: Doomsday" was going. It had quickly turned from a grim world of nuclear war where the United States had fallen apart while a rump-Soviet Union lived on, to an atompunk fantasy. It became clear that I needed a break.

So I left the Wiki and started blogging and the rest, as they say, is history. I eventually did return to the Wiki, but only as a lurker and I maintained that my retirement from the Time Stream Protection Task Force (or the TSPTF, which is the collective name the administrators refer to themselves as) was still in effect. I even dropped into their Chat a couple of times and was surprised not only to see that many people still remembered me, but that a lot of the new faces who I had never met knew of me. It felt good and made me happy that I had decided to return in my limited capacity.

Then things started to go downhill. I noticed that on other alternate history sites, most notably AlternateHistory.com, the AltHistory Wiki had a reputation for bad alternate history and immature users who only produced Map Games. Now I am not a fan of the Wiki's Map Games. I don't have any particular dislike for them, they just aren't for me. To be fair the Map Games didn't seem all that different from AlternateHistory.com's Shared Worlds forum, so I didn't think they had that much right to complain. That being said, yeah I read my fair share of bad alternate histories on the Wiki, but you can find those on any community. The Wiki does have good timelines (last month I featured "Winged Hands of the Reich" by SpanishSpy), but an argument can be made that the format of the Wiki means its hard to find them and bad timelines often get pushed to the front.

What I am saying is that at first I wasn't concerned about the criticisms I was hearing. The longer I lurked on the AltHistory Wiki, however, the more weight I gave to those criticisms. The aforementioned Chat had no content restrictions enforced and often would degenerate into flame wars that would spill into other parts of the Wiki. I stumbled upon a subreddit for the Wiki that actually had threads to organize attacks on specific members. While scanning some of these arguments and attacks, I even began to notice cliques forming that often spent more time harassing outsiders than discussing alternate history. Meanwhile, TSPTF members were either increasingly absent or just didn't care, sometimes even participating in these disputes by egging on the combatants. The final straw for me was seeing another spill over from a Chat fight on the TSPTF talk page referencing "penile yeast infection", gay jokes and seeming unconcern that people were using sockpuppets.

You know what this all reminds me of? The Fall of Alternia. Just like with the AltHistory Wiki, you had a divided community that was more interested in arguing about everything besides what the community was supposed to be talking about: alternate history. The AltHistory Wiki in my mind has devolved into a haven for Internet trolls that deserves its poor reputation. What is even worse is that the Wiki is suffering a brain drain. You know where I found all those people I first met when I started editing back in 2009? AlternateHistory.com. You know where I talked to SpanishSpy after he noticed I had featured his work on Timeline Thursday? AlternateHistory.com. The good writers have left and will continue to leave before everything collapses, just like with Alternia. The difference is that I don't think there is a way to delete the Wiki once it all falls apart, since the ultimate owner of the place is Wikia.

Is there a solution? Well I got a few ideas off the top of my head. First, get rid of Chat, just close it down entirely. Its a source of a lot of the fighting and the current user base has already shown they can't regulate themselves. The AltHistory Wiki needs to take a stand that they will focus solely on alternate history and not be distracted by off-topic conversations. Second, spin off the Map Games into their own separate, but affiliated, wiki. I am perhaps being unfair to the Map Gamers, but it seems to me that a lot of the major troublemakers are from that group of users. Third, find a way to highlight the good alternate histories besides the Featured Timelines and the Stirling Awards. To be honest, I have no specific ideas on how to do that, but the Wiki needs to work on repairing its reputation and doing nothing to better showcase the good is not helping. Perhaps one thing they can do immediately is purge themselves of poorly constructed timelines and their affiliated articles that haven't been edited in years. It will certainly be a start in removing the bad so people can find the good.

I would also recommend that the AltHistory Wiki start purging some of the worst trolls. I'm not going to start naming names, simply because I am not active enough in the community currently to do a fair job of it, but I am sure that if the Wiki's users thought about it they could pick some people who have been the worst of the worst. Those whose damage they cause is greater than whatever benefit they bring to the Wiki. This, and spinning off the Map Games into its separate wiki, would likely see the active user base drop significantly, but it would give the community time to return to what they do best: collaborative alternate histories. Perhaps it will also see new blood joining, who may have been scared away by the people they ran into while editing.

Finally, and this is my most important point, the community has to do this. Let me reiterate: the COMMUNITY has to do this. The TSPTF will have their role (and besides they should only be volunteers who help with the technical aspects of the wiki and NOT the sole decision makers) and leaders from outside the administrators will emerge, but the community has to do it together. The AltHistory Wiki has always been more communal in its governance than other alternate history communities, like AlternateHistory.com. That has made it unique and perhaps explain why shared universes like "1983: Doomsday" were able to thrive. If the AltHistory Wiki is going to be saved, every single active member must step up and play their role. It shouldn't just be assumed the TSPTF or someone else will take care of it.

Well now that I said all of the above I probably just alienated a good portion of my reader base. I easily could be exaggerating some of the problems the AltHistory Wiki faces and I could have been one of the reasons why it is in its current state. That being said, the Wiki still has some major problems, but there is still time to pull it back from the brink. It will take a lot of work, but I still think the AltHistory Wiki can be fixed, if the community cares enough to do it.

Editor's Note

So this Weekly Update is going to be shorter than usual for two big reasons. First, Alana and I had some people over on Saturday for a BBQ. So I was busy cleaning and preparing the house for that and thus did not have time to write. Second, on Sunday my stomach decided it was time for spring cleaning and didn't give a damn about my writing plans. I won't bore you with the gory details, but as I write this I am struggling more with staying awake then coming up with any good content. So sorry if I miss a day or two this week. I will hopefully return to full strength by next week.

And now the news...

Book of the Week: Chapelwood by Cherie Priest


One book that seemed to blow up my Twitter feed was Chapelwoodby Cherie Priest, the sequel to Maplecroft. Here is the plot summary from Amazon:

From Cherie Priest, the award-winning author of Maplecroft, comes a new tale of Lizzie Borden’s continuing war against the cosmic horrors threatening humanity…

Birmingham, Alabama is infested with malevolence. Prejudice and hatred have consumed the minds and hearts of its populace. A murderer, unimaginatively named “Harry the Hacker” by the press, has been carving up citizens with a hatchet. And from the church known as Chapelwood, an unholy gospel is being spread by a sect that worships dark gods from beyond the heavens.  

This darkness calls to Lizzie Borden. It is reminiscent of an evil she had dared hoped was extinguished. The parishioners of Chapelwood plan to sacrifice a young woman to summon beings never meant to share reality with humanity. An apocalypse will follow in their wake which will scorch the earth of all life.

Unless she stops it…

Cherie was over at My Bookish Ways for an interview and a giveaway of Chapelwood, so I recommend you check that out if you are interested. You may also like the cover reveals for Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine and The Dinosaur Knights by Victor Milán over at Tor.

Video of the Week: RAMMED! - World Of Warships Launch Gameplay by DarrenTotalWar

Do you like WWII naval combat? Then you might like DarrenTotalWar's gameplay footage of World of Warships:
Certainly looks more exciting to me than World of Tanks. I may check it out if I ever buy a better computer.