Weekly Update #172

Editor's Note

It is amazing to think that the year is almost over. 2014 was a tough year for me and I'm being honest when I say I am looking forward to it ending. That being said I am looking forward to the next couple weeks. I got my wedding anniversary, my family's Slava, our annual downtown Chicago Xmas trip, Christmas and Boxer day. Plus I am going to see Otis Day perform at Hollywood Palms in Naperville on New Year's Eve.

With so much on my plate, this is probably going to be the last Weekly Update of the year. I may string together one more, but no guarantees. I will do my usual end of the year posts, but I am going to enjoy my winter break from blogging.

As some of you already know, we lost one of the original alternate historians this year, Stuart Shiffman. Steve Davidson, editor of Amazing Stories, was nice enough to compile a list of charities and causes Stu supported. If any of you would like to make a donation in his honor, I highly recommend you click on that link.

And now the news...

New Releases: In the Shadow of Zion: Promised Lands Before Israel by Adam L. Rovner

Back in March, I posted a list of five alternate locations for Israel on Amazing Stories. So when I saw the new book In the Shadow of Zion: Promised Lands Before Israel by Adam L. Rovner, it of course peeked my interest. Let's check out the description:

From the late nineteenth century through the post-Holocaust era, the world was divided between countries that tried to expel their Jewish populations and those that refused to let them in. The plight of these traumatized refugees inspired numerous proposals for Jewish states. Jews and Christians, authors and adventurers, politicians and playwrights, and rabbis and revolutionaries all worked to carve out autonomous Jewish territories in remote and often hostile locations across the globe. The would-be founding fathers of these imaginary Zions dispatched scientific expeditions to far-flung regions and filed reports on the dream states they planned to create. But only Israel emerged from dream to reality. Israel’s successful foundation has long obscured the fact that eminent Jewish figures, including Zionism’s prophet, Theodor Herzl, seriously considered establishing enclaves beyond the Middle East.

In the Shadow of Zion brings to life the amazing true stories of six exotic visions of a Jewish national home outside of the biblical land of Israel. It is the only book to detail the connections between these schemes, which in turn explain the trajectory of modern Zionism. A gripping narrative drawn from archives the world over, In the Shadow of Zion recovers the mostly forgotten history of the Jewish territorialist movement, and the stories of the fascinating but now obscure figures who championed it.

Provocative, thoroughly researched, and written to appeal to a broad audience, In the Shadow of Zion offers a timely perspective on Jewish power and powerlessness.

As Gavriel Rosenfeld of The Counterfactual History Review put it, there is a "strong counterfactual subtext to it". If you want a little taste of Rovner's book, check out his article on the Jewish Book Council. He talks about five alternate Israels, including some that did not make my list.

Crusader Kings II: Way of Life Launching December 16

Paradox announced that Crusader Kings II: Way of Life, the next expansion for the strategy franchise, will be released on December 16th via digital storefronts worldwide. Way of Life will be available on PC, Mac, and Linux for $7.99.

Way of Life delves into the role-playing aspects of Crusader Kings II, giving players the ability to fine-tune their methods of seduction and break ups, and also the ability to set a Focus for your character that will influence the types of events that befall your character during their lifetime. Featuring hundreds of new events as well as over 20 new event pictures, Way of Life will give players control over their characters in ways never before available (at least according to the press release).

Videos for Alternate Historians

Wow, lot of videos to get through from last week. Lets begin with Epic Rap Battles of History's daytime talk show host smackdown! Oprah vs. Ellen:

Not a bad one. I certainly liked it better from last week's. Hey, did you know Marvel was trying to get Sony to turn over Spiderman? Let's learn more from the folks at The Know:

That would have been an awesome movie! Personally I would like to see an X-Men/Avengers crossover so perhaps they should start buttering up Fox. Does The Know have anything else to share from last week? Actually, they do. Papers, Please (minus the nudity) is coming to an iPad near you:

Up next, we have a review of The Shadow: Midnight in Moscow by Howard Chaykin from Pulp Crazy to celebrate Wold Newton Day:

Now its time to troll some of my readers with a video on steampunk. Here is what you missed by not playing Dishonored:

Fun fact: it was made by the same people who created Wolfenstein: The New Order, if you couldn't tell from the art style. Finally we end with the return of Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub as he discusses the world of Dick's The Man in the High Castle:

Phew! I'm done. Now onto some links.

Links to the Multiverse

Books and Short Fiction

Excerpt: On Her Majesty’s Behalf by Joseph Nassise at My Bookish Ways.
PM's Literary Award for Alternate History by John Birmingham at Cheeseburger Gothic.
Review: The Given Sacrifice by S.M. Stirling at Tom Kepler Writing.
Review: Silverblind by Tina Connolly at SF Signal.
Review: The Time Roads by Beth Bernobich at Open Book Society.
SUCCESSIO selected as Editor’s Choice in The Bookseller‘s at Alison Morton's Roma Nova.

Counterfactuals, History and News

4 Insane Theories People Still Believe About the Nazis by M. Asher Cantrell at Cracked.
The 14 Most Insane Fictional Versions Of Real Life Historical Figures at io9.
An Auto-Oriented Manhattan at Analysis by Matt Taylor.
Documenting Life in Countries You Probably Never Knew Existed by Jordan G. Teicher at Slate.
Fox: Obama Seeks Advice on Establishing Monarchy by Andy Borowitz at The New Yorker.
Here's what police planned to say if Darren Wilson was indicted at The Week.
The Real Story Of Apollo 17... And Why We Never Went Back To The Moon at io9.
This Greenpeace Stunt May Have Irreparably Damaged Peru's Nazca Site at io9.
Tom Harkin and the Alternate History of Health Care Reform at Bloomberg Politics.
What's the Historical Reality Behind the Trojan Horse? by Esther Inglis-Arkell at io9.
What Would Life Be Like On A Flat Earth? by Robbie Gonzalez at io9.

Films and Television

'Ascension': Could Mankind Really Survive 100 Years in Space? at NBC.
BBC Is Planning A Theme Park With “Doctor Who” And “Sherlock” at Nicole Wakelin.
How Will Smith Turned Down The Matrix by Jerome Maida at MoviePilot.
Marco Polo: Evocative History at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
Orthodox Church Stopped A Giant Eye Of Sauron Being Built Over Moscow at Business Insider.

Games

The 25 Best Video Games of 2014 at Slant.
Codename S.T.E.A.M. Arrives March 2015 With Online Multiplayer at GameInformer.
I'm Rather Worried About Assassin's Creed Coming to Victorian London at Kotaku.

Interviews

Alison Morton at Layered Pages.

Podcasts

Dieselpunk Comics Micro Cast #17 12/10/2014 at Diesel Powered Podcast.
Ratchet RetroCast Episode 42 – Don’t Panic at Earth Station One.

* * *

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 #77

Editor's Note

In a first for Alternate History Weekly Update, I will be announcing a free book give-away this afternoon. I will be making the official announcement with the details on how you can win at 3 pm CST.

In the meantime lets welcome our first readers from Barbados and Cambodia. I hope you guys enjoy today's  weekly recap of last week's alternate history news.

Since Americans make up more than half of my readership, we will continue our coverage of alternate presidential elections in the lead up to election day (Nov 6). We have articles and book reviews featuring alternate election outcomes and I might even skip next week's Weekly Update and New Releases posts to give you even more political AH.

As they say in my hometown: vote early and often!

And now the news...

Assassin's Creed 3 DLC: Alternate history chosen to avoid fracturing fan base

Ubisoft announced that the reason they created an alternate history setting where George Washington becomes king of the United States to their Assassin's Creed 3 DLC was to avoid fracturing the fan base. Lead designer Steve Masters said:

For me, the DLC has always been a touchy thing for putting important story moments into. Ultimately it fractures the audience and makes it really difficult for people to keep up with what is the canon of the series.

For us, we want to have a little fun with it, and have a less serious experience, a less earnest experience, and setting it in an alternate history environment gives us room and freedom to play around with things in a more whimsical manner.

We think people are going to enjoy it, have fun with it - we've just got to remember it's not part of the canon, it's just there as something for players to enjoy.

This means that the Assassin's Creed franchise will remain a secret history, but fans of the game and alternate history can still get a chance to explore other timelines if Ubisoft releases more AH DLC. Those looking to learn more about King George I of America should check out my article Kings of the United States of America and King Washington the Wicked by Robert Rath over at The Escapist where he goes over some of the historical basis for believing Washington could have been America's fist king.

New BioShock Infinite Trailer

Check out the new Bioshock: Infinite trailer:

This new trailer shows off more details about the floating, steampunk American city of Columbia and, if T3 is to be believed, the game is likely to be a "Triple A blockbuster".

More on Dishonored

Wow, this Weekly Update has been heavy on video games, and we continue with our coverage of that medium with more reviews on Dishonored. Steve Blomkamp at The Vancouver Observer gave the game an 8 out of 10 and said: "Dishonored is a very strong new entry into the action stealth genre. With it’s intriguing setting, dastardly conspiracies and nail-biting escapades, I implore any of you on the fence to give it a try. You won’t be disappointed." Meanwhile, Doug Elfman at the Las Vegas Review Journal said "Dishonored" is so good, because its priorities are correct."

Have you played it yet?

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

10 Ideas for Alternate History Scenarios by Mark Ball at Sci Fi Ideas.

Alternate History, or what, how and when did it all go wrong? by Jim Smith at conceptualhistorian.

In Praise of the Implausible by Rose Fox at Genreville.

The JFK Library's Frightening Alternate History of the Cuban Missile Crisis at History News Network.

Steampunk Events for November 2012 by Ay-Leen the Peacemaker at Tor.com.

What Do You Do with an MA in Steampunk? by Suzanne Lazear at Steamed!

Books

Review of Every Inch a King by Harry Turtledove done by Mike's Reading Blog.

Review of Red Prophet by Orson Scott Card done by Kat Hooper at Fantasy Literature.

Review of Ruled Britannia by Harry Turtledove done by Jim Smith at conceptualhistorian.

Review of Substitution Cipher edited by Kaye Chazan done by Publisher's Weekly.

Review of Wake of the Bloody Angel by Alex Bledsoe done by Ian Shone at Alt Hist.

Games

Wolsung Steampunk Skirmish Game Indiegogo campaign.

Interviews

Adam Christopher at SF Signal Podcast.

Kim Newman at My Bookish Way.

David L. Parrott at JeanzBookReadNReview.

Lavie Tidhar at Audible.co.uk.

Television

CBS’s Elementary Gets a Full Season Order by Geek Syndicate.

Steampunk Thriller "PROGRESS" Launches Official Kickstarter Campaign at PR.com.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is a long-time fan of alternate history, founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Masquerade Crew. 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 #76

Editor's Note

"Stay on target!"

Good point, Davish Krail. With the 2012 US presidential election coming up, its time to remind alternate historians that contemporary American politics is not alternate history. That being said, stay tuned for election themed AH. You get a taste this week with a new showcase by Korsgaard and then next week you get even more showcases and reviews of political AH.

Hey, follow my writing blog. Why? I will be making an important announcement soon that will effect my writing career and Weekly Update. Stay tuned.

Got our first reader from Afghanistan. Welcome! I hope you and all our readers enjoy today's Weekly Update. It is chocked full of news from television, film and video games. Along with our political teaser on Wednesday, we got two reviews coming up as well.

And now the news...

Alternate History of the Cuban Missile Crisis

To remind us all how we did not perish in nuclear fireballs, the good folks at the JFK Library released a documentary last week portraying a grim alternate history of the Cuban missile crisis called Clouds Over Cuba. Melissa M. Werthmann at The Boston Globe says the film uses real actors to show what could have happened if the "Cuban War" was a reality. She calls it a "grim alternate history" that (spoiler alert) forces the US to carry out an "all-out retaliation that leaves its adversary in ruins."

If you want more info about nuclear war, check out this podcast which discusses the plausibility of a nuclear winter. Thanks to Brian W. Daugherty for informing me about this documentary and podcast. Check out his review of The Mirage by Matt Ruff and his showcase on Protect and Survive, an online timeline about nuclear war in the 1980s. If you like his style, let him know and maybe he will submit news articles for Weekly Update.

Coming Soon: Pressure

Those looking for a fun new steampunk game to play should check out the trailer for the new arcade racer, Pressure:

TopWare Interactive announced it will publish developer Chasing Carrots' Pressure. The game offers a mix of shooting and top-down racing in a steampunk setting. Players take control of a buggy that runs on steam power to speed through the levels of Pressure's cartoonish world. The top-down view gives players full vantage of the race track, enemies, giant bosses, and vile tire-busting traps. A shop and upgrade system allows players to upgrade their buggy in between races.

Here is the story: The sinister Earl of Wellness is attempting to expand his exploitative empire of wellness spas, and must be stopped. The hero awakes to find the usually cool waters lake where he takes his morning bath completely dry and filled with cruel machines. The sinister Earl has drained the lake to be the site of his new Wellness Spa Temple. Thwarting his sinister plans and returning the valuable water to the citizens of the world is the main objective of the game... as well as destroying his countless, caltrop-laying minions.

The download’s due out next month for PC, Xbox 360, and PlayStation 3.

More on Dishonored

Got some more reviews of Dishonored for you to read. Falcata Times said the game was "[d]efinitely a magical experience and for me it’s going to be one of my games of the year" while Marcus Anderson at the Battle Creek Enquirer said it "is an exciting and innovative stealth game." Jason Trikamji at Sabotage Times finishes our trio of reviews with the line "[q]uite simply Dishonored is an amazing game, atmospheric, enjoyable and varied."

Of course not everyone might be pleased with what they discover about themselves while playing Dihonored. Check out 5 Awful Things You Learn About Yourself Playing 'Dishonored' by Robert Brockway at Cracked.

Will I play it? Personally I enjoy games where I got to cause as much destruction as possible. Having to be stealthy all the time is not why I play video games. But who knows? I might give it a shot.

Tai Chi Zero reviews

Early reviews of Tai Chi Zero skewered the kung fu, steampunk film. Genre reviewers, however, have found things to like about this action comedy. Annalee Newitz at io9 said "whether you're a kung fu fiend or a complete amateur, you'll find something to love in this tale of kung fu traditions vs. Western technology." Chris Sawin at Examiner.com said Tai Chi Zero "is never boring though as it constantly keeps you engaged with its over the top humor and spectacular action sequence." Finally Jef (with one F) at the Houston Press said "[i]t's one of the strangest films I've ever seen, but Tai Chi Zero is also without a doubt one of the absolute best."

I tried to get tickets for a showing of the film in Chicago, but sadly that did not work out. I guess I will have to pay for it.

Revolution? Of course, it got a full season remember?

Revolution had a moderate rise in ratings after Episode 5, but the critics aren't reflecting it. TJ Johnson at The Cool Ship called some of the bad decisions of the characters as "senseless". He criticizes the main character Charlie as being too trusting and asks why the fat character is still fat after 15 years without modern technology.

Cracked put it best however with The 10 Dumbest Things on TV So Far This Season by Christina H. Spoiler Alert: 9 out of 10 are about Revolution.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Roads Not Taken: An alternate history of the 2012 Chicago White Sox by 67WMAQ at South Side Sox.

Books

Alternate viewpoint Friday: Harry Turtledove does WWII and Tarzan's mate speaks by Kel Munger at Newsreview.com

Fire on the Mountain: Alternate history with a political flavor at Fantasy Literature.

First Professional Short Fiction Sale (“The Maltese Crux” to Eric Flint’s Grantville Gazette Issue 44) by Alistair Kimble at The Journey of Life and Writing.

My nightmare of a Nazi Britain by CJ Sansom at Guardian.

Review of Alt Hist Issue 4 at SFcrowsnest.

Comics

COMIC REVIEW: Atomic Robo and The Flying She-Devils of the Pacific #3 done by Leo Johnson at Geek Syndicate.

Free Graphic Novel: High Society Brings Steampunk With a Philippine Twist by Natania Barron at Wired.

Preview: Before Watchmen: Minutemen #4 at CBR.

Saturday Webcomic: The Not-Quite Historical Adventures of Ada Lovelace and Charles Babbage by Lauren Davis at io9.

Games

American history unfolds in 'Assassin's Creed 3' by Larry Frum at CNN Tech.

Deepworld Offers Steampunk Crafting MMO On Mac by  Ryan Winslett at Gaming Blend.

For The Casual Gamer: The Tiny Bang Story by Brad at The Droid Guy.

Run’n'Gun Down Communists On Venus In “Venusian Vengeance” at Wraithkal's Indie Gaming Corner.

Interviews

Doctor Q at Steamed!

Television

Review of Elementary at Alternate History Fiction.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is a long-time fan of alternate history, founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Masquerade Crew. 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 (@MattMitrovich).

Weekly Update #75

Editor's Note

A new week means more alternate history news, but first, let's get through some business.

I am changing my policy on "breaking news". While I will still write posts on major stories, more often than not I will just post a link through Facebook (group and page) or Twitter. I know our readers who follow us in other ways won't be happy with this, but I just do not have the time during the day to write as often as I did during the summer, even for breaking news. So follow us on Facebook or Twitter if you up to the moment breaking news on the important events of the genre.

I'm glad we had so many participants in our recent poll, but there are still a few hours left to vote. BTW, why wouldn't you read self-published alternate history? I know there are some turds out there, but there are some diamonds in the rough. AH Weekly Update is dedicated to finding those diamonds for you, so check out our reviews of indie AH works.

We got our first reader from Ghana. Welcome! I hope you and all of our readers enjoy this week's slate of book reviews. Also check out the list of stories for The Masquerade Crew's time travel anthology. Review team member AJ Nolte and yours truly are on it.

And now the news...

More on Revolution

It's the TV show we love to hate, Revolution, and we are going to be hating it for a long time because a whole season was ordered despite a steady drop in ratings after each episode. Even with declining ratings the show continues to get mixed reviews which can be summed up by Mark Wilson: "Its press is divided between those who say it has the potential to become really good someday, and those who moan that an exciting premise has been squandered on the tiresome reversion to telegenic stars sketching out underwritten characters."

Speaking of press, episode 4 got 3 1/2 out of 5 stars from SFX, but Charlie Jane Anders at io9 was disappointed: "So all in all... this episode of Revolution wasn't really in the same league as last week's." Shoshana Kessock at Tor.com also wrote a detailed review of the episode where she said "[f]or a pivotal episode, a lot of things didn't work this week."

Revolution will be with us for an entire season, so stay turned to AH Weekly Update for summaries of past episodes. We are looking for a dedicated Revolution reviewer so if you are interested, submit your reviews to ahwupdate at gmail dot com. All contributors will get an opportunity to promote their projects through their articles so I wouldn't pass up this opportunity to get the word out there.

Dishonored released and reviews

The new steampunk-inspired fantasy game Dishonored was released to the world last week. I could go into detail about the game but I will let the guys at Achievement Hunter break it down for you:

So what do people think of the game? StickSkills.com gave the game 8.3 out of 10 stars. Gerald Lynch at Tech Digest said "Dishonored ticks every box a great game should." Greg Prince at The Examiner said Dishonored "lives up to the hype, and it's a beacon for innovative design in the gaming industry." Kyle Orland at Opposable Thumbs titled his review "Dishonored is stealthy, steampunk world-building done right", while Oliver Franklin at GQ titled his "Dishonored is the game aspiring steampunk ninjas have been waiting for."

Bloody Disgusting, however, gets my nod as the most entertaining review with the line: "If revenge is a dish best served cold, I’m eating frozen meals from now on, because this is delicious."

Well...I guess I will have to buy this game. I don't usually go in for stealthy games (I like big and loud guns with a lot of cannon fodder to aim at), but I may have to make an exception based on all of these reviews I am reading.

More on The Martian War and Clockwork Angels

Last Friday I reviewed The Martian War by Kevin J. Anderson, but I was not the only one to provide my two cents on the novel. Jen at Fantasy Matters said "Anderson...captures the science fiction mindset of the late nineteenth century.  If the reader can go back into this historical context, then he or she is in for a Martian treat." Alternate historians should have no problem with that, but if you need more convincing check out this interview with Anderson at Impedimenta where he discusses writing The Martian War.

Anderson, of course, has been busy these last few months. His novel Clockwork Angels, a collaboration between Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart, is out. Check out another interview with Anderson about that novel at Female First.

Things to do

No submissions wanted this week, but here are some things to do to keep you busy:

Oct 20: Steampunk workshop at the library in Concord, NH.

Oct 26: The Mahogany Masquerade in Atlanta, GA. Steamfunk.

I am thinking of creating a calender for all of the things to do and submissions wanted. Stay tuned...

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Forget the debate, focus on what came before it by Jennifer Rubin at The Washington Post.

Retromania is the mother of invention by Hannah Wilkinson at Varsity.

Steampunk’s Global Influence by John Nguyen at Nerd Reactor.

Steampunk: Victorian style meets punk, steam power by Lauren Meehan at The Collegian.

Books

Aces for Free Speech by George R. R. Martin.

The Great Game (The Royal Sorceress 2)–Snippet by Chris Nuttall.

Review of Phoenix Rising by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris done by David Marshall at Thinking about books.

Comics

Review: JLA: Age of Wonder done by Captain Bodewell at Sephia Chord.

Films

Review of Tai Chi Zero by David Marshall at Thinking about books.

Games

Assassin's Creed III - Alternate history DLC that needs to happen by Henry Gilbert at gamesradar.

Autumn of Indie GAME REVIEW: Call of Cthulhu: The Wasted Land (iOS) by deanjsimons at Geek Syndicate.

Interviews

Lia Habel at Del Rey.

Television

Superhero meets steampunk in 'Green Lantern' cartoon by Brian Truitt at USA Today.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a volunteer editor for Alt Hist and a contributor to Just Below the Law. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and his own writing blog. When not writing he works as an attorney and enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana.