Showing posts with label Bombs Away. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bombs Away. Show all posts

Friday, August 12, 2016

Nominees for the Dragon Award for Alternate History Have Been Announced

In April, I shared with you the news that Dragon Con had created their own SF&F awards, the Dragon Awards, and they were even going to have an entire category dedicated to alternate history. Well the nominees for the Dragon Awards' best alternate history novel have been officially announced and here they are:
Now the Dragon Awards differ from the Sidewise Awards in a number of ways. For one thing, they are open to everyone to nominate and vote in, not just a select panel of judges (or those who have paid a membership fee like the Hugos). Additionally, the Sidewise Awards are always given to those novels (and short stories, which the Dragon Awards does not have category for) published the year before, thus this year's winners (which will be announced on August 20th) are only for those books published in 2015.

The Dragon Awards, meanwhile, do include works published in 2016 (there eligibility period was between July 2015 and June 2016). Thus League of Dragons, Deadlands: Ghostwalkers, 1635: A Parcel of Rogues and 1635: A Parcel of Rogues; won't be considered for the Sidewise Awards until 2017. That does explain, however, why I haven't read most of the books nominated in this category yet.

I am surprised that there aren't more steampunk works on the short list, especially considering how popular that genre is with Dragon Con attendees, but then again, this was open to everyone and not just steampunk fans.

If I can be completely honest, however,  I am even more surprised that Germanica made the list. No offense to the late Robert Conroy or his fans, but I did not enjoy that book. Poor writing and weak plausibility made it a hard read, but it somehow got a nod in the Dragon Awards. I don't know, maybe I am an outlier and most people found the book to be rather enjoyable, but personally I think there are a lot better alternate histories out there.

So with all that said, who do you think should win? Let me know in the comments below.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not exploring alternate timelines he 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 FacebookTwitterTumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Tuesday, June 28, 2016

New Releases 6/28/16

You can support The Update by clicking the banner to your right or the links below if you are purchasing through Amazon!

Paperbacks

Bombs Away: The Hot War by Harry Turtledove

In his acclaimed novels of alternate history, Harry Turtledove has scrutinized the twisted soul of the twentieth century, from the forces that set World War I in motion to the rise of fascism in the decades that followed. Now, this masterly storyteller turns his eyes to the aftermath of World War II and asks: In an era of nuclear posturing, what if the Cold War had suddenly turned hot?

Bombs Away begins with President Harry Truman in desperate consultation with General Douglas MacArthur, whose control of the ground war in Korea has slipped disastrously away. MacArthur recognizes a stark reality: The U.S. military has been cut to the bone after victory over the Nazis—while China and the USSR have built up their forces. The only way to stop the Communist surge into the Korean Peninsula and save thousands of American lives is through a nuclear attack. MacArthur advocates a strike on Chinese targets in Manchuria. In actual history, Truman rejected his general’s advice; here, he does not. The miscalculation turns into a disaster when Truman fails to foresee Russia’s reaction.

Almost instantly, Stalin strikes U.S. allies in Europe and Great Britain. As the shock waves settle, the two superpowers are caught in a horrifying face-off. Will they attack each other directly with nuclear weapons? What countries will be caught in between?

The fateful global drama plays out through the experiences of ordinary people—from a British barmaid to a Ukrainian war veteran to a desperate American soldier alone behind enemy lines in Korea. For them, as well as Truman, Mao, and Stalin, the whole world has become a battleground. Strategic strikes lead to massive movements of ground troops. Cities are destroyed, economies ravaged. And on a planet under siege, the sounds and sights of nuclear bombs become a grim harbinger of a new reality: the struggle to survive man’s greatest madness.

One Year After by William R. Forstchen

Months before publication, William R. Forstchen’s One Second After was cited on the floor of Congress as a book all Americans should read. This thrilling follow-up to that smash hit begins one year after One Second After ends, two years since nuclear weapons were detonated above the United States and brought America to its knees. After months of suffering starvation, war, and countless deaths, the survivors of Black Mountain, North Carolina, are beginning to recover technology and supplies they had once taken for granted. When a “federal administrator” arrives in a nearby city, they dare to hope that a new national government is finally emerging.

Progress is halted when the young men and women in the community are drafted into the “Army of National Recovery.” Town administrator John Matherson and the people of Black Mountain protest vehemently. But “the New Regime” is already tyrannizing one nearby community, and it seems that Matherson’s friends and neighbors will be next.

The Unnaturalists by Tiffany Trent

In an alternate London where magical creatures are preserved in a museum, two people find themselves caught in a web of intrigue, deception, and danger.

Vespa Nyx wants nothing more than to spend the rest of her life cataloging Unnatural creatures in her father’s museum, but the requirement to become a lady and find a husband is looming large. Syrus Reed’s Tinker family has always served and revered the Unnaturals from afar, but when his family is captured to be refinery slaves, he finds that his fate may be bound up with Vespa’s—and with the Unnaturals.

As the danger grows, Vespa and Syrus find themselves in a tightening web of deception and intrigue. At stake may be the fate of New London—and the world.

E-Books

Traumphysik: A Tor.Com Original by Monica Byrne

A brilliant young physicist, alone on a Pacific atoll during World War II, begins to chronicle the laws of motion that govern her dreams.

At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied.

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 for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not exploring alternate timelines he 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 FacebookTwitterTumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Monday, January 4, 2016

Weekly Update #216: Bombs Away, Fallout 4 and More.

Editor's Note

Weekly Update has returned and I for one am happy to be back on my regular schedule again. Nevertheless, I will be shaking things up a little bit just to keep the creative juices flowing. I found out early on that allowing something to become stale is a sure way to become bored with it and thus makes it easier to find excuses to not do it anymore. That being said, actual details about what I am talking about won't be shared until Friday. In the meantime, enjoy this Weekly Update that includes stuff posted on the Internet from the last three weeks.

I do plan to post more videos, but I have been dealing with a cold I caught just before Christmas that I can't seem to shake. Since my voice is shot, you will just have to be patient as I get better.

And now the news...

Book of the Week: Bombs Away by Harry Turtledove

The master of alternate history gets the nod this week with Bombs Away, the first book in The Hot War series. Here is the description from Amazon:

In his acclaimed novels of alternate history, Harry Turtledove has scrutinized the twisted soul of the twentieth century, from the forces that set World War I in motion to the rise of fascism in the decades that followed. Now, this masterly storyteller turns his eyes to the aftermath of World War II and asks: In an era of nuclear posturing, what if the Cold War had suddenly turned hot?

Bombs Away begins with President Harry Truman in desperate consultation with General Douglas MacArthur, whose control of the ground war in Korea has slipped disastrously away. MacArthur recognizes a stark reality: The U.S. military has been cut to the bone after victory over the Nazis—while China and the USSR have built up their forces. The only way to stop the Communist surge into the Korean Peninsula and save thousands of American lives is through a nuclear attack. MacArthur advocates a strike on Chinese targets in Manchuria. In actual history, Truman rejected his general’s advice; here, he does not. The miscalculation turns into a disaster when Truman fails to foresee Russia’s reaction.

Almost instantly, Stalin strikes U.S. allies in Europe and Great Britain. As the shock waves settle, the two superpowers are caught in a horrifying face-off. Will they attack each other directly with nuclear weapons? What countries will be caught in between?

The fateful global drama plays out through the experiences of ordinary people—from a British barmaid to a Ukrainian war veteran to a desperate American soldier alone behind enemy lines in Korea. For them, as well as Truman, Mao, and Stalin, the whole world has become a battleground. Strategic strikes lead to massive movements of ground troops. Cities are destroyed, economies ravaged. And on a planet under siege, the sounds and sights of nuclear bombs become a grim harbinger of a new reality: the struggle to survive man’s greatest madness.

In case you need more information before deciding to pick up this book, check out Rhapsody in Books Weblog review of Bombs Away. Although they only gave the book a rating of 3.5/5, they did say it was thought-provoking.

Video of the Week: History Respawned: Fallout 4

Hey the Video of the Week segment has returned! Today we featured History Respawned where they breakdown how nuclear war and the 1950s are depicted in Fallout 4:
Of course, if you are currently playing Fallout 4 you probably don't have time to watch the video.

You should also check out...
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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 judgeWhen 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 FacebookTwitter and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Tuesday, July 14, 2015

New Releases 7/14/15

You can support The Update by clicking the banner to your right or the links below if you are purchasing through Amazon!

Hardcovers

Battlesaurus: Rampage at Waterloo by Brian Falkner

Did you know that beasts called "saurs" were a part of everyday life in 1815 Europe? Did you know that Napoleon won the battle of Waterloo? Did you know that he did so by using a terrible secret weapon against the British and Prussians? Did you know that only one boy--the son of a magician--knows how to foil the would-be Emperor's plans at world-domination? It's all true. At least according to this head-spinning historical fantasy by adventure author Brian Falkner, just in time for the bicentennial of the battle that re-shaped Europe.

Bombs Away: The Hot War by Harry Turtledove

In his acclaimed novels of alternate history, Harry Turtledove has scrutinized the twisted soul of the twentieth century, from the forces that set World War I in motion to the rise of fascism in the decades that followed. Now, this masterly storyteller turns his eyes to the aftermath of World War II and asks: In an era of nuclear posturing, what if the Cold War had suddenly turned hot?

Bombs Away begins with President Harry Truman in desperate consultation with General Douglas MacArthur, whose control of the ground war in Korea has slipped disastrously away. MacArthur recognizes a stark reality: The U.S. military has been cut to the bone after victory over the Nazis—while China and the USSR have built up their forces. The only way to stop the Communist surge into the Korean Peninsula and save thousands of American lives is through a nuclear attack. MacArthur advocates a strike on Chinese targets in Manchuria. In actual history, Truman rejected his general’s advice; here, he does not. The miscalculation turns into a disaster when Truman fails to foresee Russia’s reaction.

Almost instantly, Stalin strikes U.S. allies in Europe and Great Britain. As the shock waves settle, the two superpowers are caught in a horrifying face-off. Will they attack each other directly with nuclear weapons? What countries will be caught in between?

The fateful global drama plays out through the experiences of ordinary people—from a British barmaid to a Ukrainian war veteran to a desperate American soldier alone behind enemy lines in Korea. For them, as well as Truman, Mao, and Stalin, the whole world has become a battleground. Strategic strikes lead to massive movements of ground troops. Cities are destroyed, economies ravaged. And on a planet under siege, the sounds and sights of nuclear bombs become a grim harbinger of a new reality: the struggle to survive man’s greatest madness.

Ink and Bone: The Great Library by Rachel Caine

In an exhilarating new series, New York Times bestselling author Rachel Caine rewrites history, creating a dangerous world where the Great Library of Alexandria has survived the test of time.…

Ruthless and supremely powerful, the Great Library is now a presence in every major city, governing the flow of knowledge to the masses. Alchemy allows the Library to deliver the content of the greatest works of history instantly—but the personal ownership of books is expressly forbidden.

Jess Brightwell believes in the value of the Library, but the majority of his knowledge comes from illegal books obtained by his family, who are involved in the thriving black market. Jess has been sent to be his family’s spy, but his loyalties are tested in the final months of his training to enter the Library’s service.

When he inadvertently commits heresy by creating a device that could change the world, Jess discovers that those who control the Great Library believe that knowledge is more valuable than any human life—and soon both heretics and books will burn...

Rebel Mechanics: All is Fair in Love and Revolution by Shanna Swendson

It's 1888, and seventeen-year-old Verity Newton lands a job in New York as a governess to a wealthy leading family--but she quickly learns that the family has big secrets. Magisters have always ruled the colonies, but now an underground society of mechanics and engineers are developing non-magical sources of power via steam engines that they hope will help them gain freedom from British rule. The family Verity works for is magister--but it seems like the children's young guardian uncle is sympathetic to the rebel cause. As Verity falls for a charming rebel inventor and agrees to become a spy, she also becomes more and more enmeshed in the magister family's life. She soon realizes she's uniquely positioned to advance the cause--but to do so, she'll have to reveal her own dangerous secret.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street by Natasha Pulley

1883. Thaniel Steepleton returns home to his tiny London apartment to find a gold pocket watch on his pillow. Six months later, the mysterious timepiece saves his life, drawing him away from a blast that destroys Scotland Yard. At last, he goes in search of its maker, Keita Mori, a kind, lonely immigrant from Japan. Although Mori seems harmless, a chain of unexplainable events soon suggests he must be hiding something. When Grace Carrow, an Oxford physicist, unwittingly interferes, Thaniel is torn between opposing loyalties.

The Watchmaker of Filigree Street is a sweeping, atmospheric narrative that takes the reader on an unexpected journey through Victorian London, Japan as its civil war crumbles long-standing traditions, and beyond. Blending historical events with dazzling flights of fancy, it opens doors to a strange and magical past.

Paperbacks

Infinitum: Time Travel Noir by GMB Chomichuk

"With enough time, you can fix anything." The Infinitum are a future society of people and aliens displaced to our past. Special Investigator Nine works in The Paradox Bureau, an agency that polices the temporal diaspora and prevents crimes before they happen. Nine is sent on assignment to the 1940s (to the very place and time he was originally recruited) and must avoid altering his own past while investigating a seemingly unpreventable murder. Nine uncoils a temporal conspiracy at the heart of a militant separatist movement. Why would an organization dedicated to preventing murder before it happens cover up a series of grisly killings? Through the flash of rayguns and the half-light and the fog of a future-tainted 1940s, Nine pursues a killer while he avoids fouling the investigations of his own multiple selves.

The Mammoth Book of Dieselpunk edited by Sean Wallace

Dieselpunk is an aesthetic within steampunk that explores the decadence of the Roaring 20s, the excitement of the World's Fairs, and the dystopian struggle for survival of the World Wars. Dieselpunk keeps all the adventure and eccentric inventions of steampunk while blending a 20th century past with a fantastic future. In this new collection, Sean Wallace presents a new collection of exciting stories by established and upcoming steampunk authors.

Victorian Secret Collection 2014 TP by various

We proudly present another parade of priceless pulchritude, celebrating the finest, most daring damsels of our sensational steampunk showcases! Featuring fine favorites and nubile newcomers to please all palates!

E-Books

Murder in Jérusalem by Paul Leone

A murder mystery in a world next door. The year is 2015 AD. The Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem endures, strong and prosperous, after almost a millennium of Christian rule. In the grimy back alleys of the Holy City, a brutal murder and shady intrigue ensnare three very different people. The teacher - Sister Elixabeta. Idealistic, determined to see justice done... The detective - Metodius Öcal. Cynical, trying to make a difference... The prostitute - Ilisaba Karroum. World-weary, hoping to see another birthday... Will they make it through the sin-snarled streets of God's city?

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.

* * *

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.