Recently found some Harry Turtledove (Guns of the South and that WW2 interrupted by alien attack series) but haven’t read them yet. I’ve always had an interest in the “what if” story which is why I loved the show Sliders(despite excessive Cro-Mags and downer ending) and love reading up on the multiverse theory.
I have an anthology of mystery stories called sideways in time where each story is a murder mystery that takes place in a parallel earth. My favorite story was a mystery that took place at the equivalent of the U.N. for parallel earth representatives. Another interesting one is The Pacific Mystery. I recently found a book that takes place in the 1950s in a world where the British won the revolutionary war.
Anyway, any recommendations?
Well there is "The Man in the High Castle" and "Fatherland" which are both books about Germany winning WWII. And here's a bonus an alternate history video game "Resistance: Fall of Man" which is about an alien invasion during WWII.
PKD is one of my favorite authors and Man in the High Castle was a good book. Amazon did a decent adaptation at first but then decided to add lgbt and black power stuff that wasn’t in the book
The first two seasons of Man in the High Castle were really good, you can conclude the story with "and then everybody lived happily ever after thanks to Himmler preventing a nuclear war" and just leave it at that.
Newt Gingrich (yes, that Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the House Newt) has a plethera of alternate history books. One 3 book series that imagines what would have happened had Lee won Gettysburg, and several books on WWII.
Wow. Didn’t know that. I knew he had a book about civil war history. Will have to check that out
Out of curiosity, u/Unknownsailor, which of those books have you read?
His co-author is the one with talent on those. Forstchen wrote One Second After (and it's sequels) which I enjoyed quite a bit. Not alternate history, but alternate present/speculative fiction.
I read the Civil War series (spoiler: it ends with the south still losing.) and didn't find it particularly exceptional either way, but it did keep me interested enough to read all three. The one WWII alternate history book of his I read (1945) was in severe need of a good editor, to the point that a major character dies in the penultimate chapter, and is suddenly, and without explanation, alive two pages over in the final chapter.
u/Smith1980 I don't know about the rest of the WWII books, but while Forstchen impressed me as a writer, Gingrich decidedly didn't.
I have 1945 and the first of the Pearl Harbor one, dont have the civil war ones.
Will look into him more. Thanks!
AlternateHistoryHub does some good videos on YouTube on different alternate scenarios, he even touched on Harry Turtledove.
One of the things you should look at is the iceberg videos he did as he went through the alternate history rabbit hole. Video one is here and here is the second part
Thanks!! Just learned about that when I was thinking about if Constantinople had never fallen
Ever wonder if Hitler went to America after ww1 and became an influential sci fi author in the 50s?
The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
Its a meta novel written by Hitler
Interesting idea! Thanks.
Are you downvoting yourself
Not at all.
Zoomer Historian on YT unironically does great work.
1632 by Eric Flint is a fun, non serious read. A small American town gets transported back to 1632 Germany)(I think, it's certainly Europe) and shenanigans ensu.
Think I actually have it in my “to read” pile
Tales of Alvin Maker by Orson Scott Card is set in an alternative mid 1800s US where the folktlore about magical abilities is real uses it to explain some historical events.
I enjoyed them in my 20s though Card does occasionally slip into head-in-ass philosophical ramblings.
Has he finished that series yet?
I’ve heard of that series. Haven’t had a chance to read it yet. I remember he got attacked by current year sci-fi people
He is mormon and while the book isn't explicitly Christian and iirc the main character actually scoffs at the Bible, it has strong positive Christian themes.
I would call those fictional history.
Was hoping for some good 'WWII from Hilter's perspective' that tell true history covered up by the Message.
Is there anything that would come close to that?
Maybe not what you’re looking for, but Tim Powers takes historical figures and events and puts a supernatural spin on them. His novels run a wide range of genres from science-fiction to golden age of piracy to cold-war spy thriller.
Any titles? Sounds interesting
Declare is Powers’ take on a John le Carré style spy thriller and probably my personal favorite. Other good ones are The Anubis Gates and the Fault Lines trilogy.
I'm not sure if this counts as Alt History but you'll enjoy them - The Sipstrassi series by David Gemmell.
What are they about?
The Sipstrassi Tales, also known as the Stones of Power series, is set in a universe where mystical stones, called Sipstrassi, play a central role. These stones possess various magical properties and are integral to the plot across the different books.
The series is divided into three subseries, each with its own unique storyline but interconnected through the presence of the Sipstrassi stones. The tales blend elements of historical fiction, mythology, and fantasy, featuring legendary figures and epic battles. The characters often face moral dilemmas and personal growth, making the stories rich in both action and depth.
The first subseries reimagines the legend of King Arthur, while the second follows the adventures of Jon Shannow, a post-apocalyptic gunslinger. The third subseries ties the narratives together, exploring the broader implications of the Sipstrassi stones on the world. It ties together Camelot, Atlantis and Armageddon.
How "alt history" are we going here? Still relatively realistic but just different historical events, or full blown fantasy as well? Because if it's the latter, there's the Grimnoir trilogy by Larry Correia. But it's very much alt history with outright magic. But the first book takes place in 1930.
Any variation is fine. Thanks for the recommendation
Off topic but I gotta say, First Fox changed Sliders by making episodes based on movies in theaters. Then SyFy fucked it up in the last season. The last episode is particularly awful
Yea, sucks for a show that started off so well. Wasn’t it Fox that demanded the Cro-Mags get a larger role?
Yeah it was great for awhile
Might be more of a young adult series, but the Leviathan series by Scott Westerfeld is pretty good. It's set during WW1. The Germans have developed steampunk tech while the British have developed hybrid animal bio-tech. The first book follows them on a mission to deliver a package.