New Releases 11/10/15

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Hardcovers

The Conjurer's Riddle by Andrea Cremer

The Revolution is beginning–and Charlotte may be on the wrong side.

In this sequel to The Inventor's Secret, Charlotte and her companions escape the British Empire, but they haven't left danger behind. In fact, if they go against the revolutionaries, they face even greater peril.

Charlotte leads her group of exiles west, plunging into a wild world of shady merchants and surly rivermen on the way to New Orleans. But as Charlotte learns more about the revolution she has championed, she wonders if she's on the right side after all. Charlotte and her friends get to know the mystical New Orleans bayou and deep into the shadowy tunnels below the city–the den of criminals, assassins and pirates–Charlotte must decide if the revolution's goals justify their means, or if some things, like the lives of her friends, are too sacred to sacrifice.

This alternate-history adventure series asks the questions: What would have happened if America had lost the Revolutionary War? And what would people be willing to do to finally taste freedom?

Audiobooks

Amerikan Eagle: The Special Edition by Brendan DuBois

It's 1943, 10 years after the assassination of president-elect Franklin D. Roosevelt. Germany is at war with Russia and rules all of Europe - including Great Britain - and Japan is conquering China and East Asia. The United States is an isolationist nation, still struggling with the Great Depression, and is being governed by President Huey P. Long, former Louisiana governor and senator.

In Portsmouth, N.H., Sam Miller is a cop supporting a family and trying to stay on the right side of his boss, the law, and his conscience. Then a murder victim is found by the railroad tracks, a number tattooed on the victim's wrist, something never seen before by the police. It's a case Sam could walk away from. It's a case he will be ordered to drop. And it is case that leads him into a lethal vortex of politics, espionage, rebellion, and international intrigue.

As war rages in Europe, a new fascist power rises in America, overseen by President Long and his allies. And the people Sam thinks he knows best - his wife, his brother, his colleagues - reveal new identities. In a formerly close-knit city by the sea, where no one is above suspicion and no one is safe, a global summit is about to take place between President Long and Chancellor Adolf Hitler. On that day, history will be changed. And millions of people will live or die, all because Sam Miller has been a very good cop - faced with a very bad choice.

The British Lion by Tony Schumacher

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 Kohler, 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.

To readers, authors and publishers...

Is your story going to be published in time for the next New Releases? Contact us at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.  We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.

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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.

Review: Amerikan Eagle

Grade: C-

Amerikan Eagle by Alan Glenn, pseudonym for Brendan DuBois, is a murder mystery set in 1943.   In this world Franklin Delano Roosevelt was assassinated in 1933 by Giuseppe Zangara in Miami, taking the bullet that killed Anton Cermak in OTL.  In 1936 Huey Long becomes president and turns the United States into an isolationist, fascist, one-party dictatorship.  By the time the events of the novel take place, the Soviet Union is the last nation fighting Germany, the United Kingdom having long since surrendered with Winston Churchill in exile.

The main character is Sam Miller, a probationary inspector working for the police department of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.  Desperate to support a family, he pays lip service to the current regime to ensure he keeps his job and does not join the increasing unemployed masses, or worse, end up in a labor camp. Like most murder mysteries, the story starts with the discovery of a dead body.  Found by the railroad tracks, this body has no identifying marks except a number tattooed on the victim’s wrist. Sam is discouraged almost immediately by his superiors from looking too deeply into this case, but not wanting to drop his first murder case, he ignores their warnings dives deeper into the case.  Not only does he discover that his family and friends have been living secret lives, but he also uncovers a global conspiracy that would put the lives of millions of people at risk if discovered.  To make matters worse President Long will be meeting with Hitler himself in Portsmouth to sign a new treaty of trade and friendship.

I was sadly disappointed by this novel.  It began just like DuBois' last alternate history novel, the Sidewise award winning Resurrection Day.  In both novels, the main character is a good guy (with a dark secret) who is just trying to do his job in a United States that is far from a democracy (with plenty of 1984 references thrown in for effect).  Discouraged by the powers at be at every turn, the main character nevertheless ends up solving the mystery and uncovers several conspiracies in the process.  Perhaps that is why DuBois used a pseudonym, since he did not want people comparing this novel with his last novel-lengthed work of alternate history.

While the ending of this novel was not as uplifting as Resurrection Day, it nevertheless tried to wrap everything up while leaving the reader with hope for this alternate timeline.  This hope, however, seems unrealistic and the reader is left shaking his head at the naivity of Miller.  Still I guess it is better than a more depressing, but realistic, ending the reader would have got instead.

The point of divergence and the events thereafter also are implausible.  Despite DuBois' explanation at the end of the novel, I just do not believe that Americans would be willing to ignore the more than century long history of democractic government.  Even if the Democrats of the 1930s are vastly different from the Democrats of today, it is hard to believe they would become transformed into the Nazis so quickly.  The Great Depression, while a traumatic time period for most Americans, would have to be a lot worse to lead to a United States that was willing to ally itself with Axis powers.

I will give DuBois points for at least crafting a compelling dystopia with some present day references scattered throughout the novel that allows the reader to make comparisons between our current history and this one, but as a plausible atlernate history this book failed to live up to my expectations.

AHWU #12

Editor's Note

Yesterday I had a long conversation with my brother on Facebook. It began with him questioning a flaw in the famous time travel film trilogy Back to the Future. In attempting to answer his question I shared with him my theory that the only way time travel could work is that Marty was actually travelling to alternate timelines. Essentially, Doc did not create a time travelling DeLorean, but a multiverse travelling DeLorean. After a half hour conversation my brother summed up his feelings when he messaged me saying his brain had exploded. He implored me to share my idea with others, so expect a posting in the near future as soon as I have a chance to express my theory in a more coherent form.

Meanwhile, we got our first reader from Poland. We are starting to fill in Eastern Europe rather nicely.

Also if you like this place than follow us on Google, Facebook or Twitter. More importantly, tell your friends about this place. Heck, tell your enemies as well, the more the merrier.

Dr. Turtledove Speaks at Comic Con

For those of you who did not attend the San Diego Comic Con (which is probably most of you) Harry Turtledove did a short interview with Suvudu. Turtledove discussed his new novel, The Big Switch, and shared some experiences dealing with fan criticism. If you happen to be "Cedric" perhaps you should write your own damn story before Turtledove decides to immortalize you into an ax-murderer!

You can see the interview here or here. Sadly the quality is not very good. While Turtledove comes in strong and clear, the background noise washes out whatever the interviewer is asking.

The Alternate History Track at Dragon*con

Speaking of cons, Dragon*Con (or Dragon Con) is a multigenre convention that will be held from September 2-5 in Atlanta, Georgia. Alternate historians should be excited due to the Alternate History Fan Track, which covers not only alternate history but also steampunk, time travel and historical romance. The track includes a long list of guests, including Eric Flint and S. M. Stirling.

What is probably more exciting is that they will have a debate featuring one of the two most written alternate history topics in English speaking world: the American Civil War. The topic will be whether the South was within its rights to secede from the Union, and will include and pre- and post-polling of the audience to see whether the panelists were able to change anyone's opinion. You can check out the Facebook page for the debate here. Usually when alternate historians debate this topic it happens in a form and inevitably ends in a flame war. Hopefully, in real life, the debators will be more respectful of each other.

Sadly I will not be able to attend what sounds like a wonderful event. Not having the money to travel across the country is becoming a real drag.

New Releases: Amerikan Eagle



Today, Amerikan Eagle by Alan Glenn will be released. Set in 1943, the novel involves a murder mystery in a world where Huey Long became president after Franklin Delano Roosevelt was assassinated.

In case you are wondering who Alan Glenn is, it is actually the pseudonym for Brendan DuBois. This is not DuBois' first foray into alternate history. In 1999, he published the novel Resurrection Day, which won the Long Form Sidewise Award that year. That novel, set in 1972, also was a murder mystery, but set 10 years after the Cuban Missile Crisis escalated into nuclear war.

I thoroughly enjoyed Resurrection Day and I have a good feeling we can expect another masterpiece from DuBois with Amerikan Eagle. As soon as I finish After America I will be picking this up.

Links to the Multiverse

Crafting Another Earth’s Heartbreaking Take on the Multiverse - Interview with Another Earth's writer-producer Brit Marling and writer-director-producer, Mike Cahi.

Learn to Forgive Yourself in a Parallel Universe - Another review of Another Earth along with some commentary on the multiverse theory.

Alternate History: What Would Have Happened If Jonnie Marbles’ Pie Had Actually Hit Rupert Murdoch’s Face - a humorous article that discusses what would have happened had Murdoch gotten a face full of shaving cream.

A Political Counterfactual: Prime Minister Portillo... - Iain Dale wonders what might have been if Michael Portillo had become Prime Minister of the United Kingdom.