Weekly Update #146

Editor's Note

Being a blogger can be frustrating sometimes. You work hard on an article on a topic you are passionate about, but you get few page views and the feedback in unhelpfully vague. Then you put together something at the last minute and watch the page view count skyrocket. This phenomenon is not new to me. I learned about it early on in my writing career. I would still love to have a crystal ball that could accurately tell me what my audience wants.

Okay I am done with my first world problems. Got some good stuff coming up this week that I think you guys will (hopefully) enjoy.

And now the news...

NBC's Revolution Cancelled

Last week it was announced that NBC had cancelled Revolution after two seasons. The post-apocalyptic drama took place 15 years after the start of a worldwide, permanent electrical-power blackout. This plot has many similarities with SM Stirling's Emberverse series, but the two universes are not related. The pilot episode was not well received by alternate historians, but some SF&F fans continued to follow and review the series like author Paul Levinson. Nevertheless, the show could not keep the popularity that gave it a second season going.

What did you think about Revolution? How do you feel about its cancellation? Let us know in the comments below.

More on The Enceladus Crisis by Michael J. Martinez

Last week friend of The Update, Michael J. Martinez, celebrated the release of his new book and second installment in the Daedalus series, The Enceladus Crisis. In case you missed it, you can check out my review of the book at Amazing Stories. You can also learn a little bit more about the book and Martinez thanks to a bunch of book promotion he has been doing across the Internet.

First, I would check out Everything about the The Enceladus Crisis in one handy post! that Mike posted on his website. You can also learn Mike's favorite bit of his book at Mary Robinette Kowal's site. Finally, learn a little bit more about the author as he takes the Pop Quiz at the End of the Universe at Tor.com.

Congrats again to Mike and I hope you all check out The Enceladus Crisis (after you purchased it through Amazon by click on the banner above, of course)!

Video Gallery

Some good videos this week. First, Epic Rap Battles of History returns with a fictional mash-up featuring Rick Grimes and Walter White:

Next, Ghost Trains Games introduces us to their alternate Civil War game ACW:

Then you can watch London evolve from a tiny village to the metropolis it is today:

Finally, Cody Franklin returns from his three week hiatus with a new video featuring a world where Godzilla exists:

Links to the Multiverse

Books

15 Things a Writer Should Never Do by Zachary Petit at Writer's Digest.
1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies – Snippet 30 by Eric Flint.
In Search of Historical Fantasy by Mark Lord.
INSATIABLE: Marie Antoinette as Alternate History by Ginger Myrick.
New Book Review: Richard Ned Lebow's "Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives!" at The Counterfactual History Review.
The Story Behind The Revolutions by Felix Gilman at Upcoming4.Me.

Counterfactual and Traditional History (Plus News)

5 Ridiculous Myths You Probably Believe About the Midwest by Adam Tod Brown at Cracked.
California School District Under Fire for Holocaust-Denial Assignment by Beth Greenfield at Yahoo.
Dien Bien Phu: Did the US offer France an A-bomb? at BBC.
Five items Congress deleted from Madison’s original Bill of Rights at Yahoo.
How Germany Could Have Won World War I by Michael Peck at The National Interest.
In New Video, Boko Haram Leader Declares War On World Leaders And Abraham Lincoln by Nick Robins-Early at The Huffington Post.
What Common Medieval Fantasy Tropes Have No Basis In Actual History? by Lauren Davis at io9.
What if people told European history like they told Native American history? by Kai at An Indigenous History of North America.

Films and Television

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Concept Art Reveals Alternate Rhino, Goblin by Charles Webb at Nerdist.
Da Vinci's Demons 2.7: Four Stories at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
Elementary: Season 2, Episode 23. Art in the Blood (2014) at Thinking about books.
Murdoch Mysteries at Steampunk Scholar.

Games

Giana Sisters Goes Dieselpunk in an Exclusive Kickstarter Crossover at Gamasutra.
Wolfenstein The New Order Achievements revealed by Tom Ivan at CVG.

Interview

Christopher Priest at SFFWorld.com.
SM Stirling at The Wild Hunt.

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