The Dragon Awards Will Have a Category for Alternate History

Since 1995, the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History have been the only game in town when it came to awarding the best published alternate histories...but that is about to change.

Dragon Con, Atlanta’s pop culture convention that will be held Sept 2nd to Sept 5th, announced the introduction of the Dragon Awards, a program of fan-chosen awards to recognize outstanding achievement in science fiction and fantasy literature, comics, gaming and filmed entertainment.

According to the press release, the introduction of the Dragon Awards is part of the convention’s 30th Anniversary celebration. Dragon Award winners will be selected by all fans, not just Dragon Con members or attendees, in an open nomination and final voting system.  To accommodate as many creative genres as possible, awards will be given in each of 15 categories covering the full range of fiction, comics, television, movies, video gaming and tabletop gaming.

Nominations will be open from early April until July 25. The best and most popular of the nominated properties in each category will then be offered for a second and final vote beginning August 2. Fans will be allowed to vote just once for each category’s best in this final round of voting. Winners will be announced at the 30th Anniversary Dragon Con convention,

What really caught my attention, however, was that one of the 15 categories is actually for the "Best alternate history novel". Here is the description of that category from File 770:

What is the best and most outstanding novel whose story takes place in a world that did not happen, but could have been, so is an alternative to the world as we know it that you have read in the last year, one that you would tell your friends to read? 

Qualifying is any book that is at least 70,000 words long, containing a single story (no anthologies), and has been first released in print or ebook format between 1/1/2015 and 2/1/2016 whose story is set in a variant future or past universe including those with steam powered technology.

This is pretty big news since there really aren't many awards dedicated to alternate history. In comparison to the Sidewise Awards, anyone will be allowed to vote in the Dragon Awards on the alternate history novel, whereas with the Sidewise Awards only the judges are allowed to vote. The Sidewise Awards, however, have the word count for a novel set at 40,000 and do give out an award for alternate history short stories, with the Dragon Awards do not.

When asked about the Dragon Award for Best Alternate History Novel, Doctor Q (track director of the Dragon Con Alternate History Track) had this to say: "It makes me happy to see that Dragon Con wanted to ensure that the writers of alternate history were honored in and of themselves and I for one am happy to be part of the process of an awards process by fans, of fans, and for fans to honor the creators of worlds that never were but could have been."

So is our genre big enough for two alternate history awards? Probably and I'm not just saying that because I am also a Sidewise judge. General SF&F have multiple awards given out for a variety of reasons. Alternate history has grown in popularity enough that I feel the community can support more than one award for the best alternate history.

I personally am curious to see if there is any overlap between those who vote in the Dragon Awards and the Sidewise judges. Will more steampunk works be considered as well by the Dragon Con fans? I guess we will find out in the months to come.

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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 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.

Interview: Doctor Quincy E. Quartermain

I now present my interview with Doctor Quincy E. Quartermain, probably the biggest fan of alternate history and steampunk that I have ever met:

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

Sure.  I'm Doctor Q. I am the Co-Founder of the Artifice Club, a social organization of like-minded retro-naughts; the Media Editor of the Steampunk Chronicle; and the Director of the Alternate History Fan Track at Dragon*Con. In addition, I write articles, DJ at various events and shows, and often speak on panels as well.  In short, I do a lot of fun things and am surrounded by incredibly creative people.

Is Doctor Quincy E. Quartermain your real name?

Not at all.  It's the name I use for Facebook.  Doctor Q is fine (I often use DJ Doctor Q for billing at shows as well).

What kind of music do you play as a DJ; steampunk or more mainstream?

I'm billed as a Steampunk DJ, which works for me.  I tend to shy away from mainstream music, but a lot of popular tunes that I enjoy - namely ones that utilize old instrumentation like banjos or accordions and such - end up on my set lists often enough.  Plus, some fun Indie tunes that have a good run on the radio are fair game.

What got you interested in alternate history?

Oddly enough, Dragon*Con.  I was a fan of steampunk since before I knew there was a word for it.  And when the Alternate History Track debuted 3 years ago at the Con, I was happy to see that it was part of a larger world.

How would you explain steampunk to someone who has never heard of it?

Steampunk for me is the most popular word that has been tied to an aesthetic movement whose origins came from literature and books, but has become one that spans every form of art imaginable. It is fabricating your own alternate future of a past that never was but you wish could have been.

What is Dragon Con?

Dragon*Con is the largest fan-run convention in the world.  It is a pop culture celebration of anything and everything you can imagine. We completely takeover Downtown Atlanta and the tracks and events span 5 host hotels.  We even have the largest parade in the City.  Nothing quite says it like a regiment of stormtroopers marching down Peachtree Street.

How does the average Atlantan feel about all of the SF that happens every year with Dragon Con?

Most Muggles know about Dragon*Con and are fine with it, those folks are far more concerned with the sporting events that also happen downtown (SEC Bowl and sometimes Braves games).  The vast majority in my experience tend to embrace it and love the Con a lot, especially the Parade.

What does the Alternate History Track do?

We run panel content and programming for the Alternate History fan community. While steampunk is the majority, we cater to any and all forms of the genre.  Our blurb on the Con Main Page says it best I think: "Join us in the world of Alternate History to explore the future of worlds that never were, but you wish could have been. Within our panels and programming, you will learn about the cogs and clockworks of steampunk, historic romance and alternate history fiction, retrofuturism, and any antique reality to explore with imagination you can think up. From the makers who bring wonders of a bygone age back to life before your eyes, to costumers who look to have stepped out of a Victorian Sci-Fi Penny Dreadful, to authors of tales spanning time, space, and all forms of alternate realities, this track has it all! If you can imagine a time when things were crafted with care and individuality, proper manners and etiquette was the norm, and wonder lay around every street corner or horizon, you will be at home with the explorers, inventors, artisans, and adventurers of the Alternate History Track."

What can we expect from the Track in 2012?

We have a brand new staff, and so this year the Track is all new.  From an official kick off at the Aether Lounge to the Mechanical Masquerade there will be plenty of social activities to see and be seen.  We have The World That Was: A Mutli-Cultural Fashion Show and the Gadgeteer's Showcase, a steampunk show & tell from makers and prop builders to display their work.  We have panels on props, publishing, and more, not to mention opportunities to meet authors like S.M. Stirling, D.B. Jackson, Gail Carriger, Jana Oliver and many many more.  All in all, if you like it, we have it at the Track.

How did you become the Director of the Track?

I had been assisting the Track for a couple of years and in addition, I am the co-Founder of the Artifice Club and we host our own quarterly events as well as tour the US (and soon the world) with our own unique brand of retrofuturistic entertainment.  I seemed to be the natural choice for the job and so when my predecessor Cindy MacLeod offered me the job, I cautiously, but gratefully, accepted.  I hope I do the Track proud.

What is the Artifice Club?

"The Artifice Club is a collection of like minded artists, performers, creators, and patrons who gather together for the chance to share stories, compare notes, and to show others the glory of a future that never was.  It is a place to see and be seen, to hob nob among those of like interests, or to add a unique retro-futurist spin on your private event.  Regardless of form or desire, the Club is founded as an open forum for those who have one foot in the past, one in the future, and no thought to the present. All who share the love of the past may apply, and our social events will breathe fresh life into the mundane doldrums that is the present day." I wrote those words almost two years ago and they still are spot on.  You can find us at www.theartificeclub.com (soon to have a remodeled website as well).

What is the Steampunk Chronicle?

The Steampunk Chronicle is the leading news source for all things steampunk.  From reviews on the latest media to profiles of airship groups or fashion designers and much, much more.  We have weekly releases every Tuesday.  You can find us at www.steampunkchronicle.com.

Do you have any other projects you are working on?

Between Dragon*Con, The Artifice Club, and the Steampunk Chronicle, not to mention DJing and speaking at other Cons, I am overfull on projects and commitments and then some at current.  However, we have the next Artifice Club show to look forward to - the Midsummer Night's STEAM: A Dandies & Darlings Dance on July 7th featuring Live Music, Demos, DJs, and more, followed by the Mechanical Masquerade at Dragon*Con this year (it is our annual Club celebration, and as our 3rd year's show, bringing it to Dragon*Con seemed the best way to do it proud) and then the Imperial Secret Society Speakeasy in the works for December.  So yeah, I've got a lot going on for sure.

What are you reading now?

Honestly?  Lots and lots of comics.  I'm a comic book nerd through and through, and I've even given some panels on Alt. History and Steampunk in comics.  Speaking of which, I've been really loving All-Star Western in DC's New52 - it feels like an Alt. History tale.  Elseworlds has been a gold mine for content, though we're seeing a lot more Steampunk and Victoriana in comics now more than ever, particularly from Dark Horse (like Hellboy) and the other small press comics like Arcana (Clockwork Girl), Archaia (Return of the Dapper Men), and more. Even Image has put out an Indie fave or two, like Matt Fraction's Five Fists of Science for one.  But yes, lots of comics

Do you have any advice for someone who has never been to a SF convention before?

To survive at a Con you need to follow three simple rules (which I have dubbed the three H's):

1.  Hygiene.  Please remember to bathe, brush your teeth, use deodorant, etc.  I know this sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised.

2.  Hydrate.  For the love of Science, be sure to drink plenty of water.  Even if you don't drink, just walking around place to place and consuming massive amounts of caffeine and sugar will dehydrate you faster than you know, and you may find yourself passing out due to heatstroke waiting in line to see your favorite guest.

3.  Harmony.  Remember we're all in this to have fun.  Don't hate on your fellow fan and they should respond in kind.  You've paid a lot of cash to go there and have fun, but remember it's up to you to choose to have fun and not let anyone bring you down.

Really, hygiene is an issue?  I always thought the smelly nerd was just a joke.  Why is it such a problem?

No seriously.  You have to understand there is such a diverse range of ages and social aptitudes from the extroverted preteen to the basement-dwelling elder hermit.  Many of whom forget the basics like showering and breath mints in their rush to see everything that the Con has to offer.  And we're crammed into small elevators that resemble Guinness World Record Phone booth attempts so you notice any all odors in your vicinity.  Often.  And it's seriously not just the guys.  I must say it's gotten better over the years, but it is always worth mentioning.   It makes for funny stories and question answering like this one.

Hygiene aside, do you feel that nerd culture has evolved to the point that it is just now popular culture?

While a lot of my world is in the nerd culture, until sports and reality shows either go away or cater more to the nerd culture I'd say we're still two separate worlds.  After all, as popular as it's become, statistics still put us well behind shows like Dancing with the Stars or the latest Braves game.