Weekly Update #219! The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter, the AlternateHistoryHub Has Issues With YouTube and More

Editor's Note

I'm hoping to go to WorldCon this year to witness the Sidewise Awards presentation and attend the Amazing Stories panel, but I am trying to do it on just the money I raise from the blog and my other projects since Alana and I are trying to raise money to adopt a baby. So far I raised about $108 of the $1500 I believe I will need from running ads on this blog, the Amazon referral program and Patreon. So I have a ways to go still, but if you want to help get me to Kansas City, please click on one of the ads if you see something interesting, buy books and stuff from Amazon by clicking through this blog and become one of my patrons. I'm hoping to use WorldCon as an opportunity to produce more interviews for my channel and interview some of the big names in alternate history.

And now the news...

Book of the Week: The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan

Today's Book of the Week goes out to the 2014 Philip K. Dick Award Finalist: The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter: The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire by Rod Duncan. Here is the description from Amazon:

Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life – as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus.

But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better…

Richard of the Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5 and said "[a]ny writer who can, WITHOUT infodumping, bring me directly into a fantastical and outrageously unlikely alternate steampunk world earned your scarce book-buying dollars." Sounds like a strong recommendation and if you plan to buy it, don't forget to click on the link I provided.

Video of the Week

Cody of AlternateHistoryHub continues to produce some of the best quality alternate history on YouTube. Let's find out what he thinks would have happened if the USA annexed Cuba:


Again sorry for the weird formatting. Blogger's add video functioning has been malfunctioning for weeks now. Not sure how to fix it besides just complaining to Blogger. In fact, I'm not the only who has been having issues with a Google brand. Check out this recent video from Cody:

Hopefully this helps boosts the signal and get's Google's attention. Lets as a community help out a fellow alternate historian and get YouTube to finally fix AlternateHistoryHub's problem.

If you want more videos to watch, SF Signal recommends "Stealing Time".

You should also check out...

• Graeme A. Pente and Travis R. May's look at the history and purpose of alternate histories on Erstwhile.
• Why Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf is selling out bookshelves in Germany.
• Jonathan Green talking about his new Kickstarter project Shakespeare vs. Cthulhu on SF Signal.
• These set photos from BBC's SS-GB (via the Daily Mail).
• Why the world's longest war ended in 1986 (via Atlas Obscura).
• Chris Pine confirming that Wonder Woman is set in WWI.

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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. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Weekly Update #218: The Exhausted Mitro Edition

Editor's Note

I almost didn't post a Weekly Update today. There was a spur of the moment family trip and I didn't think I would have the time (or energy) to write anything. Thankfully I did have a little time to cobble something together, so enjoy.

And now the news...

Video of the Week: What if Germany Won World War II? by AlternateHistoryHub

Cody Franklin of AlternateHistoryHub has been posting a very detailed video series on a popular alternate question: what if Germany won World War II. Here is part 1:

Part 2:
And part 3:
Sorry for the odd format. Blogger is not letting me post these in the usual way.

You should also check out...

• Alison Morton's description of America in her Roma Nova universe.

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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. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Weekly Update #210! The British Lion, The London That Never Was and the History of Fallout.

Editor's Note

I don't think I am going to meet my Goodreads reading challenge this year. I set it for 60 books and last I checked I was only at 29 (although I should have it to 30 by tomorrow). I always pictured myself as a fast reader, but then I also need to set time to write and record videos for my YouTube channel. That leaves me with less time to read like I used to. O well, all I can do now is set a more realistic goal for next year now that I have a base line to start from.

And now the news...

Book of the Week: The British Lion by Tony Schumacher

Tony Schumacher's The British Lion (sequel to the Sidewise-nominated The Darkest Hour) dropped a couple weeks ago and I will be releasing my text review of it tomorrow on Amazing Stories. Still for those who don't want to wait until then to learn more about the book, here is the description from Amazon:

In this crackling alternate history thriller set in the years after World War II—the riveting sequel to The Darkest Hour—London detective John Rossett joins forces with his Nazi boss to save the commander’s kidnapped daughter as the Germans race to make the first atomic bomb.

With the end of the war, the victorious Germans now occupy a defeated Great Britain. In London, decorated detective John Henry Rossett, now reporting to the Nazi victors, lies in a hospital bed recovering from gunshot wounds. Desperate to avoid blame over the events that led to the shooting, his boss, Ernst Koehler, covers up the incident. But when Koehler’s wife and daughter are kidnapped by American spies, the terrified German turns to the only man he trusts to help him—a shrewd cop who will do whatever is necessary to get the job done: John Rossett.

Surviving his brush with death, Rossett agrees to save his friend’s daughter. But in a chaotic new world ruled by treachery and betrayal, doing the right thing can get a man killed. Caught between the Nazi SS, the violent British resistance, and Americans with very uncertain loyalties, Rossett must secretly make his way out of London and find Ruth Hartz, a Jewish scientist working in Cambridge. Spared from death because of her intellect and expertise, she is forced to work on developing the atom bomb for Germany. Though she knows it could end any hope of freedom in Europe and maybe even the world, Ruth must finish the project—if she, too, wants to survive.

You can also check out the interview Tony did on Huff Post, where he talks about the themes of The British Lion and what it is like to be a writer.

Pics of the Week: London That Never Was

The Guardian released several pictures of London buildings that at one point or another were proposed to be built but never were. Any of them could have changed the face of the city, but here is my favorite:

This was a proposed design for the Royal Festival Hall complex and I believe it may have been submitted sometime in the 1940s. I just like it because of its futuristic look that sort of resembles those sci-fi cities you would see in movies from in and around that time period. Of course, that is just my opinion and I highly recommend you check out the article. Who knows? You may get some ideas for your alternate history of London.

Video of the Week: History of the Fallout World by Alternate History Hub

So Fallout 4 is apparently a big deal. So big that Cody of the Alternate History Hub decided to do a whole video on the history and politics of the Fallout universe. Check it out below:

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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. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Weekly Update #205! President Thatcher, The Enemy Within and What if Africa Was Never Colonized?

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!

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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. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Weekly Update #201! New Zealand's Flag, Doctor Q, The Man in the High Castle and More

Editor's Note

Happy Monday everyone. I am not sure how your weekend went, but mine involved watching the map I covered for the last Map Monday go viral for all the wrong reasons. People were sharing it across the Internet as a map of North America before European colonization and using it to criticize the American educational system. I completely agree with them that the way America teaches history is sorely lacking because none of these do-gooders realized they were sharing a map of a North America that was never colonized by Europeans. In factthe number of people who posted this map on their pages who should have known better is astounding as well. This incident shows us how much of an uphill battle it is to promote alternate history to the masses.

I want to give a big thank you to Sean Sherman for becoming my first patron! If you guys haven't already, go check out his personal website and his alternate history blog, Other Times. He hasn't posted there in a while, but a lot of good scenarios can still be found there. Remember, you can also support my alternate history projects by either becoming one of patrons on Patreon or purchasing books from Amazon by clicking on the banner to the right.

And now the news...

Headline: New Zealand Needs a New Flag

Changing the flags for countries is a popular pastime among alternate historians, but what happens when a nation wishes to change their flag in this timeline? Well in the case of New Zealand they are looking for a new flag that will distance themselves from their colonial past, while better differentiating themselves from Australia (the only major difference now between the two flags is the color of the stars).

What you see above are the finalists, although they weren't the only designs submitted to the campaign to change the flag. Which of the flags above do you think is the best fit for New Zealand? Let us know in the comments above.

Alternate Historian(s) of the Week: Enrique Velazquez (aka DJ Doctor Q)

The alternate historian of the week honor goes out to Enrique Velazquez, also know as DJ Doctor Q and Dr. Quincy Erasmus Quartermain. For those who don't know. he is the director of the Dragon Con Alternate History Track and he has been working hard to prepare for the convention next month. Just look at this lineup of guests. You can learn more about the track at the interview Doctor Q gave the Steampunk Chronicle and his guest spot on the Dragon Con Media Relations Podcast. Also you can check out the interview I did with him in 2012.

Honorable mention this week goes to author John Barnes for his critical essay on alternate history.

TV Show of the Week: Amazon's The Man in the High Castle

I have mixed feelings about this honor, because there really is only one alternate history show currently on the air. Still there was a lot of news regarding Amazon's adaptation of The Man in the High Castle last week so I really had to talk about it.

The big news is that they cast Brennan Brown as Robert Childan. According to the Wikipedia article on the book, Childan owns American Artistic Handcrafts, an Americana antiques business that sells authentic and counterfeit items, mostly to the Japanese occupiers. Childan has adopted the manners, cadences of speech in English, aesthetics, and ways of thinking of the Japanese occupiers, but still admires the Nazis. Despite his deference to the Japanese, he is privately contemptuous of them, retaining his pre-war racist beliefs that non-whites are inferior to whites (despite the fact that he lives in the Japanese occupied West Coast). I'm curious to see how close the character in the adaptation will resemble the character from the book.

If you want more info on the The Man in the High Castle television series, check out Den of Geek's interview with executive producers Frank Spotnitz, Isa Dick-Hackett, and David W. Zucker; and read my review of the pilot on Amazing Stories.

Video of the Week: What if the Crusades Never Happened? by Alternate History Hub

The Crusades are an intriguing time period of European history. This was perhaps the first instance of European imperialism and although the Crusaders were eventually driven from the Holy Land, it left Europe with a taste for the outside world that would come to shape all of history thereafter.

But what if the Crusades never happened? Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub answered that question in one of his recent videos:

I find his idea of a more violent and yet more tolerant Europe to be quite original and I also enjoyed the artwork he included in this video as well. More importantly, I am glad to see that we are getting more videos from the Hub when months before we could go weeks before seeing one.

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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. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #17

Today's theme is "lets watch Mitro play catch up so he can be prepared for his new style of writing blog posts". It may be a moutful, but it still counts as a theme! We begin with the always informative and entertaining Cody Franklin from the Alternate History Hub. He created a video asking what if New Zealand was not colonized by Europeans?

Fun fact: he actually created this video in conjunction with Test Tube. They asked how powerful is New Zealand?

Okay enough learning, time to battle...rap battle that is! Epic Rap Battles of History returns with "Lewis and Clark vs Bill and Ted".

Got any videos or YouTube channels that you want to recommend? Let us know in the comments or at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

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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.

Weekly Update #190

Editor's Note

Ugh...Twitter. Can someone who better understands that platform explain to me how I went from over 700 followers to losing more than a dozen in a matter of a few days? Seriously, it boggles my mind. Is it something I am doing (or not doing) or is it something completely out of my control. Any insight would be appreciated.

And now the news...

What do the critics think of Michael J. Martinez's The Venusian Gambit?

Friend of The Update, Michael J. Martinez, recently celebrated the publication of his new book, The Venusian Gambit. The third and (so far) final book in the Daedalus series, check out the plot summary from Amazon below:

In the year 2135, dangerous alien life forms freed in the destruction of Saturn's moon Enceladus are making their way towards Earth. A task force spearheaded by Lt. Cmdr. Shaila Jain is scrambling to beat them there while simultaneously trying to save crewmember Stephane Durand, who was infected during the mission to Saturn and is now controlled by a form of life intent on reopening a transdimensional rift and destroying the human race. But Jain doesn’t realize that the possessed Stephane has bigger plans, beaming critical data to other conspirators suspiciously heading not for Earth, but for Venus…

In 1809—a Napoleonic era far different from our own—the French have occupied England with their Corps Eternélle, undead soldiers risen through the darkest Alchemy. Only the actions of Lord Admiral Thomas Weatherby and the Royal Navy have kept the French contained to Earth. But the machinations of old enemies point to a bold and daring gambit: an ancient weapon, presumed lost in the jungles of Venus.

Now, Weatherby must choose whether to stay and fight to retake his homeland or pursue the French to the green planet. And Shaila must decide if it’s possible to save the man she loves, or if he must be sacrificed for the good of two dimensions. In the dark, alien jungles of Venus, humanity's fate in both dimensions hangs in the balance—forcing past and present to once again join forces against an ancient terror.

While you can check out my thoughts on The Venusian Gambit over at Amazing Stories (spoiler: I do recommend you read it), what do the other critics think about Michael's book? Trinitytwo from The Qwillery called it a pleasure to read, remarked on its diverse cast of characters and finished by saying it was a satisfying conclusion to the series. Paul Weimer from SF Signal gave the book 4 1/2 stars out of 5 and said it had " [e]xciting action and strong diverse characters; good use of asynchronous time streams in character development.

So all good reviews for The Venusian Gambit and in case you want to know what the author thinks of our favorite genre, check out his list of five alternate history books you should check out over at Tor.

Alison Morton Celebrates the publication of Aurelia

Another friend of The Update who released a new book was Alison Morton. She published the fourth book in her Roma Nova series, Aurelia. Here is the description from Amazon:

Late 1960s Roma Nova, the last Roman colony that has survived into the 20th century. Aurelia Mitela is alone – her partner gone, her child sickly and her mother dead – and forced to give up her beloved career as a Praetorian officer. 

But her country needs her unique skills. Somebody is smuggling silver – Roma Nova’s lifeblood – on an industrial scale. Sent to Berlin to investigate, she encounters the mysterious and attractive Miklós, a known smuggler who knows too much and Caius Tellus, a Roma Novan she has despised and feared since childhood. 

Barely escaping a trap set by a gang boss intent on terminating her, she discovers that her old enemy is at the heart of all her troubles and pursues him back home to Roma Nova... 

As any good author in the 21st century has done, Alison has been busy promoting her novel across the Internet. You can read an excerpt from Aurelia over at Unusual Historicals and even read a scene that didn't make the final cut over at Alison's site. You can also read a guest post Alison wrote over at Sandy's Chatterblog.

Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell Premiere Date Announced

We leave the world of books to share the news that BBC's adaptation of Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell will premier on BBC One in the UK on May 17 and will premiere on BBC America on June 13 according to Deadline. Here is the plot summary from the same site:

In 1806, the reclusive and skillful Mr Norrell (Marsan) is thought to be the last remaining practical magician. His displays thrill the nation — in London, he raises the beautiful Lady Pole (Englert) from the dead and summons an army of ghostly ships to terrify the French. But he is sooon challenged by the emergence of another magician: the brilliant novice Jonathan Strange (Carvel). While trying to secure his beloved Arabella’s (Riley) hand in marriage, he meets a vagabond, the magician of Threadneedle Street, who tells him he is destined to be a great magician. Young, handsome and daring, Strange is the very antithesis of Norrell. A dangerous battle ensues between the two great men.

...and thats all I got to say other than I can't wait!

Videos for Alternate Historians

We begin last week in videos with another episode from the Alternate History Hub that features two PODs on Iranian history. Check them out below:

And we end with Ray Narvaez Jr, my favorite Twitch streamer, playing a round of Wolfenstein: The Old Blood:

Links to the Multiverse

Books & Short Fiction

Announcing the 2015 Locus Award Finalists! at Tor.
Guest Post: John A. Connell, author of Ruins of War at My Bookish Ways.
More Dinosaur Lords Art from Richard Anderson at Tor.
Review: 11/22/63 by Stephen King at Journal-Advocate.
Review: Bombs Away by Harry Turtledove at Article 94.
Review: The Chronicles of Light and Shadow by Liesel Schwarz at Geek Dad
Review: Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale at Fanboy Comics.
Review: Hitler’s Time Machine by Robert F. Dorr at Notes from the Bunker.
Review: Old Venus edited by George RR Martin and Gardner Dozois at Falcata Times.
These Imaginative Parallel Universes Will Forever Change How You Think About Africa at Good.

Counterfactuals, History & News

The Austrian castle where Nazis lost to German-US force at BBC.
How Texas could have been French-speaking at The Independent.
Letter From Lovecraft to Houdini About Edgar Allen Poe's Desk at The Lovecraft eZine.
'Texas Ranger' Chuck Norris warns of government plot to take over state at The Guardian.

Film & Television

Alternate History: What If George Miller’s JUSTICE LEAGUE Wasn’t Cancelled? at Collider.
Avengers: Age Of Ultron: alternate endings that never were at Den of Geek.
Five Things About Penny Dreadful Are Better Than Ever (And One’s Not) at io9.
Outlander 1.13 Mother's Day at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.

Games

Review: Wolfenstien: The Old Blood at IGN.

Graphic Novels & Comics

Review: The Thrilling Adventures of Lovelace and Babbage by Sydney Padua at Journal Sentinel.

Interviews

Rod Duncan at SFFWorld.
Brooke Johnson at The Mary Sue.

Podcasts

Podcast Spotlight: Beneath Ceaseless Skies Podcast at SF Signal.
Ratchet RetroCast Episode 50 – RETROCASTERS NEVER SAY DIE! at The ESO Network.

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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.

Weekly Update #188

Editor's Note

Really short note today. I just want to thank everyone for following me on social media and buying from Amazon through The Update. Every little bit helps and I appreciate everything you guys have done for me.

And now the news...

Brooklyn Sudano joins the cast of Hulu's 11/22/63

It was announced last week that that Brooklyn Sudano has joined the cast of Hulu's adaptation of Stephen King's 11/22/63. Brooklyn, who according to Wikipedia is best known for playing the role of Vanessa Scott on the ABC sitcom My Wife And Kids and Felicia on the TV series Cuts, will be playing Jake Epping's (Franco) ex-wife...who was not a major character in the book.

Honestly, I don't even remember her appearing at all in the book. The only thing we know about her is that she was an alcoholic who after getting sober left Jake for someone she met in AA. Not exactly the most sympathetic character so I am not sure why they found the need to cast someone to play her. Will we see her in flashbacks or will she have a bigger role in pushing Jake to travel through time? I just don't know. I guess we will see when the mini-series finally premieres, but I am fairly optimistic.

Videos for Alternate Historians

Got a great slate of videos this week. We begin with the official trailer for Mr Holmes:

So essentially we are getting the "real story" about Holmes, from his perspective and not Watson's, sort of like we got from Tarzan in A Feast Unknown. I find this idea fascinating and I am looking forward to seeing it when it comes to the States. Next we have two new videos from Cody Franklin at the Alternate History Hub. First up, what if European diseases did not effect Native Americans:

And then we have a more serious take on history with Cody commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:

Now I am going to talk about my new favorite channel: Test Tube. They have a lot of great videos on contemporary events and geopolitics that are easily digestible. Just check out their video on how powerful Mexico is:

Finally, don't forget to check out my latest video, a video review of Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt:

I promise there will be more ear pens.

Links to the Multiverse

Books & Short Fiction

Alternate History: Picking Out the Threads by Teramis at Notes From The Lizard Lair.
Alternate history stories - personal or grand scale? by Alison Morton.
Letter to the Editor: In Praise of Mrs. Coulter by Jean Rabe at Smart Pop Books.
More on the Hugos from a Dark, Dark Place by Eric Flint.
The Omnibus Volumes of H. Beam Piper at Black Gate.
Review: 1632 by Eric Flint at Adventures in Reading.
Review: The Custard Protocol 1: Prudence by Gail Carriger at Falcata Times.
Review: The Doors You Mark Are Your Own by Okla Elliott and Raul Clement at SF Signal.
Review: Gideon Smith and The Brass Dragon by David Barnett at SFcrowsnest.
Review: Joe Steele by Harry Turtledove at Antonio Urias.
Review: Vermilion by Molly Tanzer at NPR Books.
Richard Knaak (DUTCHMAN) on Why He’s NOT Writing the Great American Novel at SF Signal.
What Does George R. R. Martin Have to do With Dinosaur Lords? at Tor.

Counterfactuals, History & News

Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle by Elizabeth Howell at Space.com.
Incredible Technology: NASA's Wild Airship Idea for Cloud Cities on Venus at Space.com.
Japan and World War II Atrocities at Dieselpunk.
Liberland wants to become the world's foremost tax haven at Business Insider.
A More Economically Rational Nazi Germany? at The Counterfactual History Review.
Special Report: British voters heading for a Disunited Kingdom at Yahoo!
What If Britain Didn’t Join The Iraq War? by Chris Nuttall at The Chrishanger.
What Catholic England would look like today by Dominic Selwood at Catholic Herald.

Film & Television

‘Castle,’ ‘Penny Dreadful’ and TV’s other under-appreciated shows at New York Post.
The Golden Compass: what went wrong? by Andrew Blaur at Den of Geek.
Maurice LaMarche Narrates Two Animations About Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ at Laughing Squid.
Review: Outlander 1.11: Vaccination and Time Travel at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
Rufus Sewell plays ruthless Nazi official in The Man In The High Castle at Daily Mail.

Games

The Brilliant Star Wars Galaxies Idea That Didn't Happen at Kotaku.

Graphic Novels & Comics

The artist bringing Ada Lovelace back to life at BBC.
A Gay, Jewish Protagonist For Providence To Address Lovecraft's Prejudices at Bleeding Cool.

Interviews

Justin Pollard at Suvudu.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #187

Editor's Note

I had these grandiose plans Thursday and Friday night to record a new video for the channel, do some writing for the blog or maybe even start the long process of cutting 40% of my Sideways in Time paper to meet their recently announced word count. Instead, on both days, I collapsed on the couch and drifted in and out of consciousness before moving to the bed and succumbing to sleep. Its tough having a full time job while trying to be a writer. Even the weekends are no longer the havens of free time because all the things I put off doing during the week that now need to be done before it is too late.

I realize complaining about how tough my life is causing a symphony of tiny violins to be played, but its really frustrating sometimes. The sick part is no one is making do the projects I mentioned above...well, no one except me. I want to do that work and I am putting the pressure on myself to get it done. Not sure how I feel about it exactly, its just a very weird experience. Thankfully I was able to get a few things done on Saturday. I hope you enjoy what I managed to produce.

And now the news...

Videos for Alternate Historians

Actually, except for Liberland, there really isn't much to report from last week. So let's go straight to last week in videos. First up, everyone's favorite YouTuber (for now...*evil laughter*) Cody Franklin shows us what he think a world where the South won the American Civil War would like on the Alternate History Hub:

Speaking of America, lets take a look at all the different iterations of the first Avenger himself, Captain America, with Lindsay Ellis:

Let's be honest, beating Nazis is what America does best!

Links to the Multiverse

Books & Short Fiction

29th Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist Announced at Geek Syndicate.
Coming Soon: GESTAPO MARS by Victor Gischler at SF Signal.
Coming Soon: GHOSTS OF KARNAK by George Mann at SF Signal.
A few of my book synopses by Greg van Eekhout at Writingandsnack.com.
Free Extract of Battalion 202: Set Britain Ablaze by Jonathan Doering at Alt Hist.
Gideon Smith – the Graphic Audio productions at Postcards from the Hinterland.
Inspirations for the Steampunk World of The Diamond Conspiracy at B&N.
The Parallel Worlds of Poul Anderson’s Operation Chaos at Black Gate.
Review: We Install and Other Stories, by Harry Turtledove at Seattle Book Mama.
Review: William Shakespeare’s Phantom Of Menace by Ian Doescher at Bookish Antics.
Some comments on the Hugos and other SF awards by Eric Flint.

Counterfactuals, History & News

5 Creepy Crimes From History No One Can Explain at Cracked.
The Checklist Of What Had To Go Wrong For Apollo 13 To Fail Is Insane at io9.
The Dark Truth Behind California's Strangest Tax Exemption at io9.
The forgotten man who almost became president after Lincoln at Yahoo!
How the Ottomans Ruined the 20th Century by James A. Warren at The Daily Beast.
How the Walter Scott Shooting Would Have Been Reported if the Video Didn't Exist at NBC.
Men Are More Likely to Go Back in Time and Kill Hitler Than Women Are, Says Study at Vice.
MicroCon 2015: Dictators of the world unite at world summit of micronations at The Independent.
What If Lincoln Had Lived? by Eric Niiler at Discovery.
What is Spaceflight History? at DSFP's Spaceflight History Blog.

Film & Television

5 Reasons Conspiracy Shows Don't Work Today by C. Coville at Cracked.
The 10 Best alternate-reality episodes from non-sci-fi TV shows at io9.
Jonathan Strange Team on How the Project Ended up on TV at The Hollywood Reporter.
Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ Opens Fire With Teaser Trailer at CBR.
Review: Outlander 1.10: A Glimmer of Paradox at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.

Graphic Novels & Comics

DC Comics Will Revive TV's Revolution For One Final Story at io9.
Why Do Big Comic Crossovers Always Have To Be About Alternate Universes? at io9.

Interview

Jonathan Barnes at My Bookish Ways.
Steven H Silver at The Qwillery.

Podcasts

Ratchet Retrocast Episode 49 – To Live Long and Prosper at The ESO Network.

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #13

Mammoth sized Videos for Alternate Historians today since it has been weeks since I posted any videos on this blog. Let's begin with Lindsay Ellis breaking down all the versions of the Wicked Witch of the West:

Yeah not alternate history, but still a fun dissection of an iconic character and all of the adaptations throughout history. Next up, Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub shares with us the lore of Max Brooks' World War Z:

Want to know how long it has really been since I made an article like this? It was so long, Cody actually posted another video! That is almost unheard of. Anywho, check out what would happen if Pangea still existed:

Moving right along, for those who like war games, lets learn about five facts about Battlefield 1943 from the guys at Achievement Hunter:

And lets spend even more time with those guys as they play Zombie Army Trilogy:

In case you didn't realize it, I really like Rooster Teeth and all their projects. Check out the Patch Game Club discuss Valiant Hearts, the World War I video game:

Although I do find How To with Joel and Adam to be hit and miss at times, I thought their commentary on The Order: 1886 was fantastic:

This whole post has been heavy on video games, but we only have one more left, the honest trailer for Bioshock:

And if you missed it, don't forget to check out my presentation at the Sideways in Time Conference about the online alternate history community:

Got any videos or YouTube channels that you want to recommend? Let us know in the comments or at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #11

Thanks to everyone who watched, commented and liked the trailer for my new YouTube channel. Of course, if you want to see more talented people make videos then I have some offerings for you today that will more than satisfy that need.

Up first, a look at one of Hollywood's most historically inaccurate film from the guys at Cinema Sins:

Seriously the history is so bad in Gladiator that it is amazing this movie is not considered an alternate history film. Next we have the world's worst werewolf hunter, McKinley:

I know this wasn't Rooster Teeth's intention, but this video certainly sums up most people's feeling about The Order: 1886. And now we end, as we often do, with a look at the newest episode from the Alternate History Hub. This week, Cody Franklin asks what if the United States manufactured a reason to go to war with Cuba:

Got any videos or YouTube channels that you want to recommend? Let us know in the comments or at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

* * *

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.