Weekly Update #198

Editor's Note

So I have been gone for a while, but now it looks like things are returning to normal. In case you missed it, the good news I was referring to for several weeks was that I am now a Sidewise Awards judge. This is a great honor and I am really looking forward to begin reading and discussing alternate history with some of the top minds in the genre.

Nevertheless, I have even more good news...but I can't share that one yet. My partner and I are still working out to kinks, but expect to hear us both making announcements in the near future. Just know that worlds will be split.

Some bad news is that with all of these new projects, along with the abstract due for the Sideways in Time collection in September, expect me to be posting here less. Sorry guys, but its hard to work, spend time with your family, complete all of your other projects and meet a full schedule of blogging.

Moving again to some happy news, I am only two weeks away from Weekly Update #200! As I prepare for what I will say for this upcoming milestone, I am reminded about some of my earlier posts. In fact during my very first Weekly Update post, I talked about the "A Gay Girl in Damascus" controversy and how it tied into alternate history. Now there is a new documentary out on the event. Amazing what can happen in just a few years.

And now the news...

3 Weird History Productions Coming to a Screen Near You

I say weird history because none of these shows/films are true alternate histories, but they have elements of it that I think warrant discussion. So lets dive in.

The one that got the Internet buzzing was the announcement that the Lovecraft/Telsa comic, Herald, has been picked up by Romark Entertainment and Markerstone Pictures to be adapted into a television series. A TV show where the horror writer HP Lovecraft and famed scientist Nikola Tesla battle eldritch beings alongside other early 20th century notables? Shut up and take my money!

Next we have the first pictures from the upcoming film Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. Based on the book by the same name, we get to see some of Jane Austen's most famous literary characters fight zombies in Regency England. So if you like hot women in corsets killing the undead, this is the movie for you...although you may want to watch Abraham Lincoln, Vampire Hunter first to learn what you are getting yourself into.

Finally we also got to see another image from an upcoming film: Victor Frankenstein. This film adaptation of Mary Shelley’s famous novel is told from the perspective of Igor (Daniel Radcliffe) who has a complicated relationship with the titular Dr. Frankenstein (James McAvoy). Recent adaptations of this proto-SF work have been rather "meh", but there is always the opportunity to turn things around.

Any other shows we have missed? Let us know in the comments.

What you may have missed...

We have stuff for both scholars and adventurers to check out from the weeks before.

If you happen to be the scholarly type, there are several articles about American history you can check out. First up, learn why the American Revolution was not a mistake on Vox (I am glad someone agreed with me), but if you are looking for some mistakes Americans made, io9 has a list of some of the biggest disasters in US military history. Then again that is all just history the man wants you to believe. Instead lets all stop acting like sheeple and learn that it wasn't aliens that were behind the Roswell crash. No, it was the NAZIS!!! Because that makes a lot more sense than aliens or weather balloons.

If you happen to enjoy a good adventure, why not check out this working airship dock (no time travel required) in Akron, Ohio. Then again you could always travel south and participate in the planning (or protest) of the Nicaragua Canal, which has always been a staple of alternate history, especially ones where the Confederacy won the American Civil War.

Video of the Week

Interest in this video has been overwhelming, so without any further delay, lets watch the Alternate History Hub's "What if the Russian Revolution Never Happened?":

So now that you heard Cody's take on it, what do you think would happen if Russia never had a revolution?

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the day when travel between parallel universes becomes a reality. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.