Flag Friday: Flag of the Domination of Draka by KingWillhamII

I get nostalgic about the era when I first discovered alternate history. Soc.history.what.if was slowly being replaced by AlternateHistory.com and everyone seemed to have a GeoCities page. It was during that time when I first read Ian Montgomerie's take on SM Stirling's Draka books. Trying to make those books more "plausible" is a popular past time for alternate historians, but this was the first one I ever read.

So when I heard that Lynn Davis, one of my favorite alternate cartographers, was making a map based on Ian's version, I was excited. As I write this post the map hasn't come out yet, but here is the flag that goes with it:

It was created by KingWillhamII of DeviantArt and is the flag of the Domination of Draka after it won its independence from Britain. Per the description Lynn provided: The coat of arms is Sir Francis Drake's, modified with an orange band to represent the Orange River and a dragon, the self-styled symbol of the Draka, above.

All things considered, I like the flag. The design is simple, but I do like how stylized the dragon is. More importantly, it keeps me excited for another Lynn Davis map.

What do you think of the flag?

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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, Tumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Map Monday: Decades of Draka by Rvbomally

For the last Map Monday of the year, I decided to go with one of my favorite map makes, Rvbomally. He posted an excellent crossover between Stirling's Draka series and Jared's "Decades of Darkness" timeline, which he called "Decades of Draka":

In this universe the British take the Cape Colony from the Dutch and settle it with Loyalists, even though the Americans failed to take Canada. Meanwhile, the young republic suffers some growing pains and loses the New England states. The USA expanded west and south and allied itself with newly independent Domination of Draka, who declared independence after the British tried to abolish slavery. The two slaveocracies eventually lay the smackdown on Britain and Germany, but their alliance falls apart shortly thereafter leading to a protracted Cold War.

Rvbomally is known for his dystopic scenarios and his skill in creating these dark worlds is readily apparent as he seamlessly merged these two fine examples of grimdark alternate history. The fact that Decades of Darkness was created as a plausible version of Stirling's Draka, means there is an subtle sense of humor to the work that people well verse in alternate history web originals will enjoy.

Honorable mentions this week goes to Bruce Munro's cover of Toyotomi Japan (see description here) and Zoidberg12's Timeline of the Disunited States of America, which is actually a short timeline that covers the history of Turtledove's The Disunited States of America. If you want to submit a map for the next Map Monday, email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com with your map attached and a brief description in the body of the email.

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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.

Showcase: A Crack at Draka

The Draka.

They are the most notorious and controversial culture ever invented by an alternate historian. S. M. Stirling's race of master slavers are horrifyingly ruthless and yet manage to keep some semblance of humanity  at least within the frameworks of their world view. The terms "Draka-lite" and "Draka-esque" have been used to describe various alternate history dystopias created online, but the Draka are not without their detractors.

Many reviewers find S. M. Stirling's universe to be implausible. Admittedly the universe does contain many common AH cliches including airships, space-filling empires and tech wankery. A cottage industry has sprung up to disprove the Draka by either writing essays pointing out Stirling's flaws or creating their own timelines. Most of these timelines lack depth and often just screw the Draka over at some point in their fictional past while keeping most of the history Stirling laid down. Yet every once in a while a timeline comes along which makes a serious attempt to create a realistic Drakan nation to terrorize the world.

This brings us to A Crack at Draka by Municipal Engines. Unlike the above examples, ME makes massive changes to the history of the Draka in an attempt to make them more plausible. The point of divergence begins when Sir Francis Drake doesn't get infected with dysentery and die at the age of 55 in 1596. Instead he ends up shipwrecked at the Cape of Good Hope. After returning to England, he comes back with colonists and South Africa is settled by the English before the Dutch. The Drake family remains in the colony, becoming incredibly wealthy and influential.

Originally named Drakesland, the colony grows and prospers as it stretches north into Africa. It gets nicknamed the "Old Dominion", for its support of the Royalists in the Civil War, but it doesn't scoff at Cromwell loyalists settling in the colony, especially veterans of the New Model Army who help train the colonial militia into an elite fighting force. Although the colony struggles to find settlers since many English prefer North America over distant South Africa, Drakesland nevertheless grows and expands.

Puritans establish colonies on the frontier and influence the Drakan religion (they are not athiests in this universe), the Dutch try to set up their own neighboring colony until they are absorbed and the Scots bring their clan system to the colony. The Loyalists do end up in Draka, because Quebec revolted as well as the Anglo-colonies to its south, denying Canada to them (I never did understand why the Loyalists in Stirling's universe would rather live in South Africa over nearby Canada). As the decades go by the colony grows changing its name to Drakia and later gaining self-governance as the Dominion of Draka.

ME crafted an excellent and plausible timeline. Unlike the other Draka fan timelines, A Crack at Draka does not focus solely on military and politics. ME takes time to describe the culture, economics, philosophy and technology of the Draka. The timeline has a lot of fiber, unlike the bar outlines of the other fan (or attack?) timelines. A Crack at Draka is also devoid of historical cameos. ME does not ignore the butterfly effect, so you won't see Nixon the used car salesman in this timeline.

In the early history of the Draka he describes how the conflicts with the natives led to massacres committed by both sides and how that influenced the Draka's militarism and hatred for black Africans. The Drakan racisim, however, does not extend to everyone as it does in Stirling's universe. For example, the Drakan merchants and politicians were influential in changing how the British managed India, thus avoiding an Indian Mutiny in this ATL (although there is a small rebellion in British North Africa).

This is accomplished thanks to the powerful, and Drakan founded, "Consortium". Part trade association and part secret society, the Consortium includes the richest and most powerful men in the Empire. They have enough power that usually whatever the Draka want, the Empire gives, but they are not omnipotent. Britain still ends slavery, forcing the Draka to reform the system. Slaves became bondservants who have to work to pay off their debt to their former owners (which is nigh impossible).

The world in 1873.

The timeline remains unfinished and since I want to see more updates, I decided to use my power for my own selfish goals (insert evil laughter here). At the last update we find the United States in the midst of a civil war with a large slave-holding Confederacy allied with Texan and Nephite nationalists (who want to establish the Holy Republic of Devoret). Unbeknownst to the Americans, a secret treaty has been signed with Quebec (a military dictatorship) and Imperial Mexico to intervene in the war.  It is probably only a matter of time before the Draka get involved as well. Will the United States survive?

Whether you liked or hated Stirling's Draka universe, you will love A Crack at Draka by by Municipal Engines. Go and read the timeline and then leave a reply demanding an update. Like the Draka, we can't be stopped (more evil laughter).

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Matt Mitrovich is the 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 Were-Traveler. 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.

Review: Aztec Century by Christopher Evans

Guest post Chris Nuttall.

SM Stirling gave us the Draka, who won largely through the author not allowing them to lose.  Christopher Evans has given us a picture of an alternate world where Cortes went over to the Aztecs instead of conquering them and the Aztecs became a world power that, eventually, overran the British Empire.  The POD is a little more complex; unlike OTL, Mexico had a disease that spread to Europe (instead of vice versa) and crippled the Europeans, allowing the Aztecs a chance to become a superpower.  This is even less believable than the Draka, as historically smallpox and suchlike devastated Mexico (and in this timeline would probably cripple the Aztecs too).  Still, I can put that to one side and read the story.

The story is told through the eyes of Princess Catherine of Britain, daughter of the King and sister to Victoria and Richard, who is the heir to the throne.  Catherine is married to a divorcee called Alex and is in hiding, after the Aztecs successfully invaded Britain.  This doesn't last; a chapter or two into the story, the Aztecs manage to capture Catherine and Richard, taking them back to London as prisoners.

Catherine spends most of her time attempting to resist the Aztec occupation with the somewhat dubious assistance of Bevan, a former gardener who becomes her manservant (apparently because the Aztecs scooped him up while capturing the Royals) and ALEX, a computer program based on her husband’s personality.  Her brother, the somewhat dim Richard, is elevated to the Throne as a puppet king, while the Aztecs start making their way towards conquest of Russia and the rest of the world.

(It is probably worth making the point that the geopolitics in this world make no sense.)

She soon finds herself caught up in a subtle political struggle that makes little sense to her.  Prince Extepan of the Aztecs starts to court her, and – after her refusal – marries a woman from the North American tribes.  But this woman is tormented by the Prince’s maid and eventually commits suicide.  Poor Catherine finally accepts the Prince’s proposal, only to discover that her entire life in captivity has been a lie.   She has been betrayed many times over, by just about everyone.

Christopher Evans deserves credit, like Stirling, for creating (or displaying) a genuinely alien society in the form of the Aztecs.  On the face of it, the Aztecs are calm, civilized and Christian.  Below the surface, however, run some very dark currents.  The high nobility of the Aztecs practice human sacrifice and cannibalism, including a point where they trick Catherine into eating human flesh.  They are also incredibly ruthless and, in some ways, more subtle than the Draka.  It seems that they are winning the battle for hearts and minds at the end of the novel.

The writer also displays a masterful grasp of ambiguity.  It is never clear what is going on with some characters, allowing the readers to make up their own minds.  Some other moments come as a surprise, but are terrifyingly obvious in hindsight.  As the central character, Catherine is alarmingly convincing, having moved from being a princess to a fugitive and then to a captive woman in the enemy court.  She makes mistakes that make perfect sense for her.  Clearly, she isn't very genre savvy.

A major problem is that technology has advanced too far in this world.  The Aztecs were historically a largely unscientific society.  They could learn from the West, but not enough to create hovering flying saucers, space-based weapons and other marvels.  (For some reason, they missed nukes – and are shocked when they encounter one.)

If there was a Mexican disease that got back to Europe (and if there was a recognizable Aztec Empire) what might actually happen?  Well, the first problem would be actually getting it to Europe realistically.  It took months to move between Europe and the New World during the original Spanish conquest.  This disease might wipe out every European settlement in the New World and then kill everyone on the ships, before they got home.  It might be quite some time before a ship made it to Europe, which suggests that the disease wasn't completely lethal.  Still, once it got there, the results would be disastrous.  It would burn through Europe, North Africa and the Middle East at terrifying speed.  Their 2012 would look nothing like ours.

Overall, however, Aztec Century is a very good read, if somewhat unrealistic.

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Chris Nuttall blogs at The Chrishanger and has a website by the same name. His books can be found on Amazon Kindle. Check out his new book The Royal Sorceress and vote for his novel The Empire's Corps for the Self-Published Author Awards.

Review: The Draka Series

Guest post by Chris Nuttall.

As I have noted in previous reviews, lack of plausibility alone is not a good reason to dismiss an alternate history book. The best of the genre teach us about history and people as well as telling a good story. It is impossible to describe the Draka books as plausible, but they do teach us, if nothing else, just how lucky we are to live in such a decent world. The world of the Draka is the dark reflection of our own world.

The core idea behind the series is that refugees from British North America settle South Africa (captured in the war) instead of Canada. This tiny band of refugees (and assorted immigrants, including refugees from the Confederate States after the end of the American Civil War) grows into a great nation to rival the United States. But there is a major difference between the two nations, one that defines the struggle that eventually ends in book 3. The Draka are the ultimate Master Race, a bare 1% of the population. Everyone else in their territory is a serf, a slave by any other name.

I believe that Stirling based the Draka at least partly on the society of Ancient Sparta (which is a fascinating area of history and well worth some study.) The Draka themselves are trained savagely almost from birth, with those who are defective isolated from the rest of the race and forbidden to breed, until even the merest Draka is a deadly enemy. Their military has a large reserve of manpower to call upon, one that compensates for its numerical weakness by being a raving meritocracy. Skilled Draka soldiers get heavily promoted; incompetents face barrack room justice. They are deadlier than the most dangerous units of Nazi Germany. Women serve on the front lines as equals to the men. The Draka cannot afford to apply gender prejudice to their war-fighting.

The serfs, by contrast, live highly restricted lives. They are legally nothing more than property (shades of Ancient Rome) and can be treated as their masters please. While overt sadistic behaviour is supposed to be controlled by social disapproval, the truth is that the serfs are permanently at the mercy of the citizens. The lucky ones farm or work in mass production workshops; those who dare to rebel are impaled or sent to death camps to be worked to death. Being a male-dominated society, the Draka have no qualms about their young men having sex with serf women. Unlike western culture, young women chase men, competing with slave girls who literally can't say no. (Women are forbidden from sleeping with slave men until reliable contraception is developed. Lesbian love affairs are very common among the Draka.)

Most of the serfs are deliberately kept ignorant of the world around them. The principle exception are the Janissaries, serfs armed and trained to serve as a bludgeon force for Draka expansion. They are the most atrocity-prone force in history – indeed, atrocities are keenly encouraged except when they might interfere with combat operations. You’d think that they would rebel, but they never do. The Draka have managed to keep a vast number of humans trapped in permanent bondage.

Stirling deserves credit for creating a truly strange culture, one that traps both slave and free population in its claws. There are ‘good’ Draka, including some characters that are more sympathetic than they should be, but even the ones who admit that there are flaws in their society are powerless to change it. Some of the serfs are effectively domesticated and don’t even think to question their position, others are all-too-aware that it could have been worse. One odd scene contrasts the treatment of a serf wench (serfs are referred to as wenches or bucks, further dehumanising them and separating them from the overlords) with the treatment of women in Afghanistan. I don’t see much difference between the two, really.

The first book in the Draka Series, Marching Through Georgia, introduces us to the Draka by sending them into war against Nazi Germany. This alternate Germany is led by Hitler and has already beaten Soviet Russia, becoming overextended in the process, allowing the Draka to stab them in the back by invading up from OTL’s Iran. In many ways, this is the best book of the series, with the neat small-unit action against the Germans.

Following on, Under the Yoke looks at an alternate France – occupied by the Draka, who are literally enslaving the entire population. By far the most harrowing of the books, it follows the lives of a handful of characters forced to watch helplessly as France is crushed below the feet of its new masters. There is limited ground for optimism as the Draka face the Alliance for Democracy, an American-led analogue of NATO, that is attempting to slip supplies to the resistance against the Draka. But the small victory they produce in no way impedes the assimilation of Europe.

The Stone Dogs takes a twist from the first two books in being spread out over several decades, as the Alliance and the Draka prepare for the final conflict. Both sides are developing superweapons and militarising space as fast as possible. The Draka are engaged in an effort to turn themselves into superhumans, while the Alliance concentrates on an antimatter-powered generation ship to take a small number of refugees to the nearest star. But rogue players on both sides trigger the final war. It probably is no great spoiler to note that the Draka win the war, bringing about the end of history. Some have claimed that Stirling cheats by allowing the Draka to win, but it is the logical end result of the series.

DrakonDraka superhumans is accidentally thrown across the timelines into our own universe. She is effectively a different form of life altogether from humanity and promptly starts trying to take over, opposed by a cop and a time-traveller from Samothrace, the world settled by the Alliance at the end of the previous book. The more interesting parts of the story are the bits set in the Draka home timeline, where we see the end result of the Final Society. The former serfs have been genetically engineered into servitude, turned into a race that is literally born and bred to serve the Draka. At first glance, their world seems idyllic, but it isn't long before the reader realises just how warped and evil they are.

The Draka series introduced many of the tropes in alternate history, making the series more influential than most AH books out there. Massive armed airships, eternal empires and stable societies came from the Draka world. Stirling has a fair claim to being more influential than Harry Turtledove, even though Turtledove serves as most people’s introduction to AH.

Stirling does a good job of humanising the Draka (despite their evil) and of outlining his characters from the Alliance and Draka serfs. However, the same cannot be said for the Draka timeline itself. There are – thankfully – a number of issues with it, which have been outlined elsewhere. However, I will take a moment to mention a handful.

First and foremost, the Draka have an extraordinary run of luck, gestating down in Africa while the rest of the world runs along historical tracks. No one attacks the Draka; no one even seems to realise the threat they represent until the end of the alternate World War Two. States tend to react to threats, even potential threats from states that are historically friendly. The mere presence of the Draka should warp the geopolitical structure of their world. By 1850, perhaps earlier, states should be forming defensive alliances against them. The idea that Hitler would allow them to occupy Italy in 1941 is absurd. Hitler would know that they’d be a knife pointed at the heart of his world.

Second, the Draka are supremely competent, capable, and developed. They have weapons that are better than their opponents (Nazi Germany, the people who maintained technical supremacy until the end of WW2), better doctrine and even luck. Stirling does note that the Draka are historically weak in the pure sciences; instead of being ahead of the curve, they should be behind it. Their society is somehow able to make use of serf ingenuity without provoking serf revolts when the educated serfs realise how badly they’re screwed in the system. Soviet Russia couldn’t compete with the US; the Draka will be even less capable of staying in the race.

Third, the Draka expand far too quickly. Their population expands at awesomely high levels and they take large swaths of Africa which were historically lethal to Europeans until certain diseases were defeated. This rapidly becomes absurd – they leap forward and take Egypt during the Napoleonic Wars, and then refuse to leave...

Which leads neatly into the fourth point. Britain, the same state that banned the slave trade and did the most to stamp it out, tolerates the Draka treating their captive populations in ways that would make the worst of the CSA blanch. The Draka have extraordinary freedom right from the start.

Fifth, and most significant, the Draka are capable of holding literally millions of people in bondage and transplanting their society on top of occupied territories. This isn't the easiest thing to do even if one is prepared to be utterly ruthless...and yet the Draka steadily grind down two-thirds of the entire world. The communist bloc and, to some extent, Iran’s regime tried hard to keep the population down and the price they paid for it was losing the willing cooperation of people who benefited from their own work. And in the end they fell apart. The Russians talked about the ‘Soviet Man.’ The Draka actually created a new form of human life.

And yet, there is something about the Draka series that makes it compelling. Stirling set out to create an anti-America, a state and a world where all the freedoms we take for granted are stamped out of existence – and eventually become unthinkable. Just as the Alliance slowly lost sight of why it existed, of why they had to stand up to the Draka, the West lost sight of why the Soviet Union needed to be opposed, or why the Taliban had to be fought, or why it is so important to stand up for those who cannot stand up for themselves. Evil wins in the Draka series because no one tried to stop it until it was too late.

Which is really the point, isn't it?

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Chris Nuttall blogs at The Chrishanger. His books can be found on Amazon Kindle.