New Releases 8/4/15

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Hardcovers

The Madagaskar Plan: A Novel by Guy Saville

Guy Saville's The Madagaskar Plan imagines a disturbing alternate history in which Nazi victory in World War II brings their "Final Solution" ever closer

The year is 1953. There is peace in Europe, but a victorious Germany consolidates power in Africa. The lynchpin to its final solution is Madagaskar. Hitler has ordered the resettlement of European Jews to the remote island.

British forces conspire to incite colony-wide revolt, resting their hopes on the expertise of Reuben Salois, an escaped leader of Jewish resistance.

Ex-mercenary Burton Cole scours the island for his wife and child. But as chaos descends and the Nazis brutally suppress the nascent insurrection, Cole must decide whether he is master of-or at the mercy of-history.

The Madagaskar Plan is alternate history of the highest order, a thriller of terrifying scope based on the Nazis' actual plans prior to the Holocaust.

Paperbacks

Blood and Honor: The Foreworld Saga Graphic Novels by Tony Wolf , Erik Bear and Christian Cameron

Collected for the first time: three exciting alternate history graphic novel adventures exploring fantasy, magic, and martial arts in The Foreworld Saga! Including:

Suffrajitsu: Mrs. Pankhurst’s Amazons #1–3:

London, 1914: The leaders of the radical women’s rights movement are fugitives from the law. Their last line of defense is the secret society of “Amazons”: women trained in the martial art of bartitsu and sworn to defend their leaders from arrest and assault.

After a series of daring escapes and battles with the police, the stakes rise dramatically when the Amazons are forced into a deadly game of cat and mouse against an aristocratic, utopian cult…

The Dead God #1–3:

In the year 536 AD, the land of Frisia is a hostile place of swords and sorcery. Across the dark, cold countryside, three valiant warriors quest for a treasure, the likes of which few can comprehend. These three—the mighty grappler, Eadhild; the skilled archer, Coll; and the charming young Valens—are searching for the head of Yvrnn, the sky-god. For, according to legend, the head of Yvrnn will grant its possessors great wisdom and fortune.

The trio’s quest won’t be easy, as they must not only contend with Yvrnn’s followers who have set obstacles in their paths, but also the mystical creatures and bandits that haunt the roads of Frisia.

Symposium #1–3:

The Shield-Brethren is a secret martial order that has defended the West for centuries. Now, the origins of the order are revealed in this stunning three-issue tale.

Our heroes, seeking to realize the idea offered to them by the philosopher Plato, leave Athens and travel to Delphi with hope of visiting the oracle. They have a dream to found a city of their own, and they desire insight from the oracle as to their question. But their skills—both as warriors and as thinking men—will be tested by adversaries they do not even know they have.

Comics as History, Comics as Literature: Roles of the Comic Book in Scholarship, Society, and Entertainment edited by Annessa Ann Babic

This anthology hosts a collection of essays examining the role of comics as portals for historical and academic content, while keeping the approach on an international market versus the American one. Few resources currently exist showing the cross-disciplinary aspects of comics. Some of the chapters examine the use of Wonder Woman during World War II, the development and culture of French comics, and theories of Locke and Hobbs in regards to the state of nature and the bonds of community. More so, the continual use of comics for the retelling of classic tales and current events demonstrates that the genre has long passed the phase of for children’s eyes only. Additionally, this anthology also weaves graphic novels into the dialogue with comics.

The Contrary Tale of the Butterfly Girl: From the Peculiar Adventures of John Lovehart, Esq., Volume 2 by Ishbelle Bee

1888. A little girl called Mirror and her extraordinary shape-shifting guardian Goliath Honeyflower are washed up on the shores of Victorian England. Something has been wrong with Mirror since the day her grandfather locked her inside a mysterious clock that was painted all over with ladybirds. Mirror does not know what she is, but she knows she is no longer human.

John Loveheart, meanwhile, was not born wicked. But after the sinister death of his parents, he was taken by Mr Fingers, the demon lord of the underworld. Some say he is mad. John would be inclined to agree.

Now Mr Fingers is determined to find the little girl called Mirror, whose flesh he intends to eat, and whose soul is the key to his eternal reign. And John Loveheart has been called by his otherworldly father to help him track Mirror down…

An extraordinary dark fairytale for adults, for fans of Catherine Valente and Neil Gaiman.

The Einstein Prophecy by Robert Masello

As war rages in 1944, young army lieutenant Lucas Athan recovers a sarcophagus excavated from an Egyptian tomb. Shipped to Princeton University for study, the box contains mysteries that only Lucas, aided by brilliant archaeologist Simone Rashid, can unlock.

These mysteries may, in fact, defy—or fulfill—the dire prophecies of Albert Einstein himself.

Struggling to decipher the sarcophagus’s strange contents, Lucas and Simone unwittingly release forces for both good and unmitigated evil. The fate of the world hangs not only on Professor Einstein’s secret research but also on Lucas’s ability to defeat an unholy adversary more powerful than anything he ever imagined.

From the mind of bestselling author and award-winning journalist Robert Masello comes a thrilling, page-turning adventure where modern science and primordial supernatural powers collide.

Proxima by Stephen Baxter

Mankind’s future in this galaxy could be all but infinite.

There are hundreds of billions of red dwarf stars, lasting trillions of years—and their planets can be habitable for humans. Such is the world of Proxima Centauri. And its promise could mean the never-ending existence of humanity.

But first it must be colonized, and no one wants to be a settler. There is no glamor that accompanies it, nor is there the ease of becoming a citizen of an already-tamed world. There is only hardship...loneliness...emptiness, even as war brews in the solar system.

But that’s where Yuri comes in. Because sometimes exploration isn’t voluntary. It must be coerced.

Soldiers Out of Time by Steve White

Book #5 in Steve White's exciting TRA series. Jason faces down humanity's arch-enemies in an action-packed space adventure.

Special operations officer Jason Thanou of the Temporal Regulatory Authority must once again plunge into Earth’s blood-drenched past to combat the plots of the Transhumanist underground to subvert that past and create a secret history leading up to the fulfillment of their mad dream of transforming humanity into a race of gods and monsters.

E-Books

Alt.History 101 edited by Samuel Peralta and Nolie Wilson

The future is history... From Samuel Peralta, creator of the bestselling Future Chronicles anthology series, comes a new speculative anthology series that turns the world you know upside down.

In Alt.History 101, thirteen top speculative fiction authors re-imagine the world - as one where the inventor of the smallpox vaccine died before he'd created it, as one where the women's suffragist movement failed to win the right to vote, as one where the death penalty exists but where all forms of capital punishment are ruled inhumane - and ten other compelling stories charting the histories of these worlds.

Enter worlds so much like our own, yet so different - where everything you know... is history.

Ultima by Stephen Baxter

Hailed as “one of the most inventive writers that science fiction has ever produced" (SF Site), Stephen Baxter builds on the massive success of Proxima with a career-defining novel of big ideas....

On the planet of Per Ardua, alien artifacts were discovered—hatches that allowed humans to step across light-years of space as if they were stepping into another room. But this newfound freedom has consequences....

As humanity discovers the real nature of the universe, a terrifying truth comes to light. We all have countless pasts converging in this present—and our future is terrifyingly finite. There are minds in the universe that are billions of years old and now we are vulnerable to their plans for us....

It’s time to fight back and take control.

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, 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.

New Releases 7/21/15

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

Hardcovers

Dead Man's Reach by D. B. Jackson

Let the battle for souls begin in Dead Man's Reach, the fourth, stand-alone novel in D.B. Jackson's acclaimed Thieftaker series.

Boston, 1770: The city is a powder keg as tensions between would-be rebels and loyalist torries approach a breaking point and one man is willing to light the match that sets everything off to ensure that he has his revenge.

The presence of the British Regulars has made thieftaking a hard business to be in and the jobs that are available are reserved for Sephira Pryce. Ethan Kaille has to resort to taking on jobs that he would otherwise pass up, namely protecting the shops of Torries from Patriot mobs. But, when one British loyalist takes things too far and accidentally kills a young boy, even Ethan reconsiders his line of work. Even more troubling is that instances of violence in the city are increasing, and Ethan often finds himself at the center of the trouble.

Once Ethan realizes why he is at the center of all the violence, he finds out that some enemies don't stay buried and will stop at nothing to ruin Ethan's life. Even if that means costing the lives of everyone in Boston, including the people that Ethan loves most.

The Madagaskar Plan by Guy Saville

1953. Britain and her Empire are diminished. Nazi Germany controls Europe and a vast African territory. There has been no Holocaust. Instead, the Jews have been exiled to Madagaskar, a tropical ghetto ruled by the SS. Returning home after a disastrous mission to Africa, ex-mercenary Burton Cole finds his lover has disappeared. Desperate to discover her, he is drawn into a conspiracy that will lead him back to the Dark Continent. Meanwhile Walter Hochburg, Nazi Governor of Kongo, has turned his attention to Madagaskar. Among the prisoners are scientists who could develop him a weapon of unimaginable power. But Hochburg is not the only one interested in Madagaskar. The British plan to destroy its naval base to bring America into a war against the Reich. They have found the ideal man for the task: Reuben Salois, the only Jew to have escaped the ghetto. The only one brave, or foolhardy, enough to return. These three men will converge on Madagaskar. The fate of the world is in their hands...Drawing on the Nazis' original plans for the Jews, Guy Saville has meticulously imagined a world-that-nearly-was to tell an epic tale of love, revenge and survival.

Paperbacks

Bolt Action: Germany Strikes!: Early War in Europe by John Lambshead and Peter Dennis

In 1939, Germany shattered the peace of Europe with a lightning-quick strike against Poland. The next year, it captured Denmark and Norway, before launching its famous blitzkrieg against France, Belgium and The Netherlands.  In less than two years of fighting, Nazi Germany had become the master of mainland Europe.

This new theater book for Bolt Action allows players to command armies of Germany tanks in WWII driving across the lowlands or to lead the desperate defense of the outgunned allied armies.

FUBAR: Declassified by Chuck Dixon, Jeff McComsey, Jeff McClelland and Steve Becker

The United States government has flatly denied the existence of undead combatants on the battlefield for years. But thanks to numerous "Freedom of Information Act" requests, we can finally share these tales of guts and glory with you. From the bloody Bay of Pigs invasion to the mountains of Afghanistan, FUBAR presents a dirty dozen of the most highly classified missions of all time.

Rewinder by Brett Battles

You will never read Denny Younger’s name in any history book, but the world as you know it wouldn’t be the same without him. Denny was born into one of the lowest rungs of society, but his bleak fortunes changed the day the mysterious Upjohn Institute recruited him. The role: “verifier of personal histories.” The job title: Rewinder. After accepting the offer, Denny discovers he’ll have to do his research in person…by traveling through time.

Using a device capable of opening a portal into any era from the past, Denny is sent back to serve as an eyewitness to significant moments in human history. But as he journeys across the centuries, he begins to suspect that his missions to “observe and report” have a much darker purpose. When a time jump drops Denny into the midst of a rebellion, he finds himself in over his head in a deadly game where even the smallest choices can have catastrophic consequences.

Armed only with his wits and his time-travel device, Denny’s adventures take readers on a pulse-pounding journey of page-turning twists. But will everything he’s got be enough?

[Editor's Note: Check out my review of the novel here.]

E-Books

Ether & Elephants by Cindy Spencer Pape

Sir Thomas Devere and Eleanor Hadrian have loved each other most of their lives—but sometimes love doesn't conquer all.

Their chance at happiness was ruined by Tom's hasty marriage to someone else. Heartbroken, Nell left home, finding a new life as a teacher at a school for the blind. But when one of her supernaturally gifted students, Charlie, is kidnapped, Tom reappears and her worlds collide.

Tom claims he hasn't seen his wife since the day of their marriage…yet he fears the missing student could be his son.

The deeper they dig, the more Tom and Nell discover: a deadly alchemist, more missing gifted children and long-suppressed feelings neither of them is ready for. A race on airship across England and India may lead them to answers—including a second chance at love—but only if all of British Society isn't destroyed first.

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, 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.

New Releases 1/13/15

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

Hardcovers

The Just City by Jo Walton

"Here in the Just City you will become your best selves. You will learn and grow and strive to be excellent."

Created as an experiment by the time-traveling goddess Pallas Athene, the Just City is a planned community, populated by over ten thousand children and a few hundred adult teachers from all eras of history, along with some handy robots from the far human future—all set down together on a Mediterranean island in the distant past.

The student Simmea, born an Egyptian farmer's daughter sometime between 500 and 1000 A.D, is a brilliant child, eager for knowledge,  ready to strive to be her best self. The teacher Maia was once Ethel, a young Victorian lady of much learning and few prospects, who prayed to Pallas Athene in an unguarded moment during a trip to Rome—and, in an instant, found herself in the Just City with grey-eyed Athene standing unmistakably before her.

Meanwhile, Apollo—stunned by the realization that there are things mortals understand better than he does—has arranged to live a human life, and has come to the City as one of the children. He knows his true identity, and conceals it from his peers. For this lifetime, he is prone to all the troubles of being human.

Then, a few years in, Sokrates arrives—the same Sokrates recorded by Plato himself—to ask all the troublesome questions you would expect. What happens next is a tale only the brilliant Jo Walton could tell.

The Last American Vampire by Seth Grahame-Smith

Vampire Henry Sturges returns in the highly anticipated sequel to Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter-a sweeping, alternate history of twentieth-century America by New York Times bestselling author Seth Grahame-Smith.

THE LAST AMERICAN VAMPIRE

In Reconstruction-era America, vampire Henry Sturges is searching for renewed purpose in the wake of his friend Abraham Lincoln's shocking death. Henry's will be an expansive journey that first sends him to England for an unexpected encounter with Jack the Ripper, then to New York City for the birth of a new American century, the dawn of the electric era of Tesla and Edison, and the blazing disaster of the 1937 Hindenburg crash.

Along the way, Henry goes on the road in a Kerouac-influenced trip as Seth Grahame-Smith ingeniously weaves vampire history through Russia's October Revolution, the First and Second World Wars, and the JFK assassination.

Expansive in scope and serious in execution, THE LAST AMERICAN VAMPIRE is sure to appeal to the passionate readers who made Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter a runaway success.

Paperbacks

The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

From Guy Saville, the explosive new thriller of a world that so nearly existed

Africa, 1952. More than a decade has passed since Britain’s humiliation at Dunkirk brought an end to the war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler.

The swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Britain and a victorious Nazi Germany have divided the continent. The SS has crushed the native populations and forced them into labor. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle, jet fighters patrol the skies. For almost a decade an uneasy peace has ensued.

Now, however, the plans of Walter Hochburg, messianic racist and architect of Nazi Africa, threaten Britain’s ailing colonies.

Sent to curb his ambitions is Burton Cole: a one-time assassin torn between the woman he loves and settling an old score with Hochburg. If he fails unimaginable horrors will be unleashed on the continent. No one – black or white – will be spared.

But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life.

It is a flight that will take him from the unholy ground of Kongo to SS slave camps to war-torn Angola – and finally a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of The Afrika Reich itself.

Twenty Trillion Leagues Under the Sea by Adam Roberts

Adam Roberts revisits Jules Verne's classic novel in a collaboration with the illustrator behind a recent highly acclaimed edition of The Hunting of the Snark

It is 1958 and France's first nuclear submarine, Plongeur, leaves port for the first of its sea trials. On board, gathered together for the first time, are one of the Navy's most experienced captains and a tiny skeleton crew of sailors, engineers, and scientists. The Plongeur makes her first dive and goes down, and down and down. Out of control, the submarine plummets to a depth where the pressure will crush her hull, killing everyone on board, and beyond. The pressure builds, the hull protests, the crew prepare for death, the boat reaches the bottom of the sea and finds nothing. Her final dive continues, the pressure begins to relent, but the depth guage is useless. They have gone miles down. Hundreds of miles, thousands, and so it goes on. Onboard the crew succumb to madness, betrayal, religious mania, and murder. Has the Plongeur left the limits of our world and gone elsewhere?

Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad edited by George RR Martin

Wild Cards IV: Aces Abroad -- book four of the original Wild Cards series now in trade paperback—featuring two brand-new stories

The action-packed alternate fantasy returns for a new generation, featuring fiction from #1 New York Times bestselling author George R. R. Martin, Michael Cassutt, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Lewis Shiner, and more—plus two completely new stories from Kevin Andrew Murphy and bestselling author Carrie Vaughn. Forty years after the Wild Card Virus’s release, the World Health Organization decides it’s time to take a delegation of Aces, Jokers, politicians, and journalists on a fact-finding mission to learn how other countries are dealing with the virus that reshaped humanity. Leading the team is Gregg Hartmann, a senator with presidential aspirations and a dangerous ace up his sleeve. Joining him is a menagerie of some of the series’ best and most popular Wild Cards, including Dr. Tachyon, aces Peregrine and Golden Boy, and jokers Chrysalis, Troll, and Father Squid.

From the jungles of Haiti and Peru to the tumultuous political climate of Egypt, from a monastery in Japan to the streets of the most glamorous cities of Europe, the Wild Cards are in for an eye-opening trip. While some are worshiped as actual gods, those possessing the most extreme mutations are treated with a contempt that's all too familiar to the delegates from Jokertown. New alliances will be formed, new enemies will be made, and some actions will fulfill centuries-old prophecies that make ripples throughout the future of the Wild Cards universe.

To fans, 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.

Weekly Update #92

Editor's Note

Sorry for not posting a Weekly Update last week guys. For your troubles you get an extra loooonnnnnnnnnggggggg Weekly Update with a ton of nice and tasty links.

Not much else to report except to remind you all we are still accepting original fiction, essays and reviews dealing with the Balkanize Me trope of alternate history. The 27th is the last day I will post an entry. So far I haven't received any entries steampunk writing contest in March. I don't want to rush anybody, but if I do not start receiving some submissions soon I may have to cancel the contest.

Greetings to our first reader from Oman. Welcome and I hope you enjoy our coverage on alternate worlds.

And now the news...

Coming Soon: Gideon's Angel by Clifford Beal

A new novel has caught the attention of this alternate historian: Gideon's Angel by Clifford Beal. Set to be published tomorrow in the US/Canada and February 28th in the UK, here is the description from Amazon:

1653: The long and bloody English Civil War is at an end. King Charles is dead and Oliver Cromwell rules the land as king in all but name. Richard Treadwell, an exiled royalist officer and soldier-for-hire to the King of France and his all-powerful advisor, the wily Cardinal Mazarin, burns with revenge for those who deprived him of his family and fortune. He decides upon a self-appointed mission to return to England in secret and assassinate the new Lord Protector. Once back on English soil however, he learns that his is not the only plot in motion.

A secret army run by a deluded Puritan is bent on the same quest, guided by the Devil’s hand. When demonic entities are summoned, Treadwell finds himself in a desperate turnaround: he must save Cromwell to save England from a literal descent into Hell. But first he has to contend with a wife he left in Devon who believes she’s a widow, and a furious Paris mistress who has trailed him to England, jeopardising everything. Treadwell needs allies fast. Can he convince the man sent to forcibly drag him back to Cardinal Mazarin? A young king’s musketeer named d’Artagnan.

Black dogs and demons; religion and magic; Freemasons and Ranters. It’s a dangerous new Republic for an old cavalier coming home again.

Curious tale, but does it hold up against the critics? The Forgotten Geek at Geek Syndicate gave it a 3 out of 5 but did say that Gideon's Angel is "an enjoyable take on traditional historic horror with religious fantasy thrown in." Not exactly shining with praise, but I am still curious about the setting and the cast of characters. Those wanting to learn more can check out images and videos from the launch party and read Beal's essay titled Historical Fantasy: the pitfalls and pleasures of writing crossover fiction at The Qwillery.

Update: Chris Nuttall

Friend and contributor of The Update, Chris Nuttall, has been busy these last couple of weeks. His new novel Bookworm was recently published through Elsewhen Press and his novel Royal Sorceress came out in paperback (also published by Elsewhen). To promote this and his other novels (Chris is certainly a prolific writer) he has been touring the web with some interview. You can read his words at Amazing Stories and The Indie Spotlight. You can also check out Rome’s Last Citizen: The Life and Legacy of Cato, Mortal Enemy of Caesar, an article by Chris featuring the Roman statesman Cato.

From all of us at The Update, I want to congratulate Chris for his continued success and sincerely hope we hear even more about him in the future.

Update: The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

Another friend of The Update, Guy Saville, has been celebrating the American edition of his novel The Afrika Reich. Here is the description from Amazon:

Africa, 1952. More than a decade has passed since Britain’s humiliation at Dunkirk brought an end to the war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler.

The swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Britain and a victorious Nazi Germany have divided the continent. The SS has crushed the native populations and forced them into labor. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle, jet fighters patrol the skies. For almost a decade an uneasy peace has ensued.

Now, however, the plans of Walter Hochburg, messianic racist and architect of Nazi Africa, threaten Britain’s ailing colonies.

Sent to curb his ambitions is Burton Cole: a one-time assassin torn between the woman he loves and settling an old score with Hochburg. If he fails unimaginable horrors will be unleashed on the continent. No one – black or white – will be spared.

But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life.

It is a flight that will take him from the unholy ground of Kongo to SS slave camps to war-torn Angola – and finally a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of The Afrika Reich itself.

Gavriel Rosenfeld, author of The World Hitler Never Made: Alternate History and the Memory of Nazism, reviewed the novel for The Jewish Daily Forward. While spending most of the article discussing historical and political subtext he concluded his review by calling it "an imaginative and entertaining journey through a nightmarish world that never was." It has to be nice when one alternate historian praises another.

If you would like a sneak peak at The Afrika Reich then read the excerpt posted on Tor.com.

Portlandia Goes Steampunk

Never watched Portlandia before, but I might have to check out a couple of episodes now. The satirical sketch comedy show, set and filmed in Portland, OR and starring Fred Armisen and Carrie Brownstein has gone steampunk. The sub-culture was skewered in a recent sketch which you can see a clip below:

So far reaction seems positive. Matt Staggs at SUVUDU called it "a parody with love" and real members of the Rose City Steampunk Society did star in the show. Still its only IFC, but in the future steampunk might penetrate basic cable or even network television.

Submissions Wanted

So good news and bad news for aspiring authors out there.

First the bad news: Nightmare Magazine will be temporarily closed for submissions. Don't worry, you won't have to wait long. They plan to reopen on May 15, 2013.

In the meantime if you have a horror related work you need to publish check out Dark Moon Books who are looking for young adult horror stories. Deadline is April 15 and entries should be between 500 to 4000 words. Also if your story is a tad Lovecraftian, might I recommend this helpful list of magazins and publishers who may be in the need of some good mythos tales or just weird fiction in general.

As always good luck...and don't worry if you hear something go bump in the night. It is probably just your subconscious helping you craft a new horror story and certainly some demonic hell beast coming to steal your soul.

Things to do

Bored? You shouldn't be. Another universe is just next door:

March 2 to April 14: The Ipswich Art Gallery (Ipswich, Australia) will host a high tea to open a steampunk art gallery.

May 3-5: H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival & CthulhuCon in Portland, OR...but wait! You have to kickstart it first.

May 17-19: 2013 Steampunk World's Fair at Piscataway, NJ.

Also I need to post more reviews from guests at these cons and events. Like the one our own Junior Editor Jake posted about his visit to this year's AnachroCon. He even met author and contributor to The Update, Matthew Quinn. I love it when alternate historians network, there are so few of us to begin with. Let us hope Jake's mention of podcast is more than just idle speculation...

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

6 Famous Things From History That Didn't Actually Exist by Matt Martin and Paige Turner at Cracked.

An ‘alternative universe’ will eventually destroy ours, says Higgs researcher by George Dvorsky at io9.

Clockwork Mafia Cover Reveal by Suzanne Lazear at Steamed!

Cover Reveal - ODD MEN OUT by TK Toppin.

February 19, 1942: On this day in history, Nazi Germany launched it's only successful invasion of North America. Sort of... at Doctor Grumpy in the House.

The Future of Slavery Sans Civil War: Counterfactual Ponderings by Brooks D. Simpson at Crossroads.

How the Nazis Tried to Bomb New York by Ron Miller at io9.

Is this period? by Cindy Spencer Pape at Steamed!

The Mongoliad: Book Three (Excerpt) by Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Mark Teppo, Nicole Galland, Erik Bear, Joseph Brassey and Cooper Moo at Tor.

On Bill Carmody, Alternate Histories, and Dumb Luck by Loretta8 at SB Nation.

Physicists discover what a multiverse might really be like by Esther Inglis-Arkell at io9.

Steampunk Romance: Resources & Books at SFR Brigade.

Steampunk Update, Part 2 - Old & New Cogs in the Steampunk Machine by John DeNardo at Kirkus.

Throwback Thursday: Corsets, clockwork and steampunk by Jessie Potts at USA Today.

Trend-spotting: Steampunk... by Kasmin Fernandes at The Times of India.

Winston Churchill’s plan to fight Nazis with massive aircraft carriers made from ice by George Dvorsky at io9.

Book/Story Reviews

The Aylesford Skull by James P Blaylock at Thinking about books.

Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis at The Ranting Dragon.

Bronze Summer by Stephen Baxter at Thinking about books.

The Emperor of All Things by Paul Witcover at Falcata Times.

Homunculus by James P Blaylock at Falcata Times.

Once Upon a Time Machine at Kirkus Reviews.

Society of Steam Trilogy at Black Gate.

"Under St. Peter's" by Harry Turtledove at Leeds Book Club.

Comics

Review of The Manhattan Projects #9 at Geek Syndicate.

WEB COMIC REVIEW: Boston Metaphysical Society – Issue 1 at Geek Syndicate.

Films

Help Fund ‘Cowboys & Engines: A Steampunk Film’ Starring ‘Totally Rad Show’s Jeff Cannata by Angie Han at /Film.

Quentin Tarantino plans 'Inglorious Basterds', 'Django Unchained' history trilogy with third film at NME.

Rhoda Uxbridge and The Multiverse by Inappropriate Factory at Kickstarter.

Games

Assassin's Creed 3's wacky Tyranny of King Washington DLC features superpowers, hallucinogens and an alternate history storyline by Tom Phillips at Eurogamer.net.

BioShock Infinite new trailer - Take 2 Interactive at Falcata Times.

Free running Steampunk themed platformer Grudger now available on Google Play by AndrewH at Droid Gamers.

Television

The BBC Presents a New Dramatization of Orwell’s 1984, with Christopher Eccleston as Winston Smith by  Josh Jones at Open Culture.

Budget Steampunk with “Try This At Home” at Nerdist.

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 15 and 16 at Thinking about books.

Interviews

Kevin J. Anderson at AISFP.

Gail Carriger at Lytherus.

Genevieve Valentine at Lightspeed Magazine.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories 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.

New Releases 2/12/13

Hardcover

The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

Description from Amazon.

Africa, 1952. More than a decade has passed since Britain’s humiliation at Dunkirk brought an end to the war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler.

The swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Britain and a victorious Nazi Germany have divided the continent. The SS has crushed the native populations and forced them into labor. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle, jet fighters patrol the skies. For almost a decade an uneasy peace has ensued.

Now, however, the plans of Walter Hochburg, messianic racist and architect of Nazi Africa, threaten Britain’s ailing colonies.

Sent to curb his ambitions is Burton Cole: a one-time assassin torn between the woman he loves and settling an old score with Hochburg. If he fails unimaginable horrors will be unleashed on the continent. No one – black or white – will be spared.

But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life.

It is a flight that will take him from the unholy ground of Kongo to SS slave camps to war-torn Angola – and finally a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of The Afrika Reich itself.

Check out Seb's review and his conversation with Guy in the comment section.

Paperback

Homunculus by James P. Blaylock

Description from Amazon.

It is the late 19th century and a mysterious airship orbits through the foggy skies. Its terrible secrets are sought by many, including the Royal Society, a fraudulent evangelist, a fiendish vivisectionist, an evil millionaire and an assorted group led by the scientist and explorer Professor Langdon St. Ives.

Can St. Ives keep the alien homunculus out of the claws of the villainous Ignacio Narbondo?

The Mirage by Matt Ruff

Description from Amazon.

11/9/2001: Christian fundamentalists hijack four jetliners. They fly two into the Tigris & Euphrates World Trade Towers in Baghdad, and a third into the Arab Defense Ministry in Riyadh. The fourth plane, believed to be bound for Mecca, is brought down by its passengers. The United Arab States declares a War on Terror. Arabian and Persian troops invade the Eastern Seaboard and establish a Green Zone in Washington, D.C. . . .

Summer, 2009: Arab Homeland Security agent Mustafa al Baghdadi interrogates a captured suicide bomber. The prisoner claims that the world they are living in is a mirage—in the real world, America is a superpower, and the Arab states are just a collection of "backward third-world countries." Other captured terrorists have been telling the same story.

The gangster Saddam Hussein is conducting his own investigation. And the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee—a war hero named Osama bin Laden—will stop at nothing to hide the truth. As Mustafa and his colleagues venture deeper into the unsettling world of terrorism, politics, and espionage, they are confronted with questions without any rational answers, and the terrifying possibility that their world is not what it seems.

Check out Brian's review of the novel.

Steampunk! An Anthology of Fantastically Rich and Strange Stories edited by Gavin J. Grant and Kelly Link

Description from Amazon.

Imagine an alternate universe where tinkerers and dreamers craft and re-craft a world of automatons, clockworks, calculating machines, and other marvels that never were. Visionaries Kelly Link and Gavin J. Grant have taken a genre already rich, strange, and inventive and challenged fourteen masters of speculative fiction, including two graphic storytellers, to embrace its established themes and refashion them in surprising ways and settings. The result is an anthology that defies its genre even as it defines it.

Audio

1635: The Papal Stakes by Charles E. Gannon and Eric Flint

Description from Amazon.

Rome in the year 1635 finds Frank Stone and his pregnant wife Giovanna in the clutches of Cardinal Borgia, whose political machinations and papal assassins may soon elevate him to Pope Borgia. Now Frank, along with Harry Lefferts and his infamous Wrecking Crew, must protect Pope Urban VII from all manner of treachery.

The Beast of Calatrava by Mark Teppo

Description from Amazon.

After a battle left Ramiro Ibáñez de Tolosa¿s face terribly disfigured, the knight of the Order of Calatrava abandoned his sword for a pastoral existence. But his beastly appearance horrifies all those who cross his path - with the exception of his adoring and pregnant wife. Can he keep Louisa and their unborn child safe from the war that is coming to Iberia?

As Ramiro prepares for his child¿s birth, Brother Lazare of the Cistercian order searches for a means to inspire men as he travels with the crusading Templars. He seeks swords of legend - named blades carried by heroes of old - believing such symbols have the ability to rally men in a way no king could ever accomplish. But when he learns of the stories told of the mysterious monster that haunts the Iberian battlefields, he wonders what sort of power this new legend might contain - the legend of a man whose scarred face and cold demeanor cannot hide his heroic soul.

To fans, authors and publishers...

Do you want to see your work given a shout out on our New Releases segment? Contact Mitro 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, a blogger on Amazing Stories 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.

March 2013: Steampunk Writing Contest

The people have spoken and we at The Update have listened. The writing contest theme for the month of March will be Steampunk.

Do I really need to explain to you what steampunk is? Did you not hear about IBM's prediction of how steampunk is going to be the next  big fashion trend? Good, I'm glad we are all on the same page.

Here are the rules:

• Submissions should be between 500 to 3000 words. We are open to accepting submissions over 3000 depending on their quality, but they may be split into separate parts if possible.
• We are accepting submissions for three categories: fiction (original stories written by you), non-fiction (counterfactual essays) and reviews (books, film, television, etc.) based on steampunk.
• Submission period begins today and posting will begin March 5. The submission period ends on the 28th.
• All submissions must be sent by email with something either in the subject or body of email stating this is for the March theme.
• All submissions must meet the theme for the contest but we will not stop accepting articles for the month of March that do not meet the theme. We reserve the right, however, to postpone publication if we receive articles for the theme.
• All other rules regarding contributing to AH Weekly Update remain in effect.

To encourage you all to submit articles for this contest, the person who generates the most page views in their category will a copy of the new US edition of The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville, courtesy of Henry Holt. Here is a brief description of the novel:

Africa, 1952. More than a decade has passed since Britain’s humiliation at Dunkirk brought an end to the war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler. 

The swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Britain and a victorious Nazi Germany have divided the continent. The SS has crushed the native populations and forced them into labor. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle, jet fighters patrol the skies. For almost a decade an uneasy peace has ensued.

Now, however, the plans of Walter Hochburg, messianic racist and architect of Nazi Africa, threaten Britain’s ailing colonies. 

Sent to curb his ambitions is Burton Cole: a one-time assassin torn between the woman he loves and settling an old score with Hochburg. If he fails unimaginable horrors will be unleashed on the continent. No one – black or white – will be spared. 

But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life. 

It is a flight that will take him from the unholy ground of Kongo to SS slave camps to war-torn Angola – and finally a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of The Afrika Reich itself.

WARNING: Any suspected cheating will immediately disqualify the contributor and there will be no appeals.  You are encouraged to promote your work through social media, but if I see that someone has clicked a link to an article 100 times in a minute I am going to obviously suspect foul play.

If you any questions email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. Don't forget our February contest is still open for submissions and I will be posting the first entry on Wednesday.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories 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.

Preview: The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

Friend of The Update, Guy Saville, has a new hardcover and e-book edition of his novel The Afrika Reich coming out on February 12, 2013 in the United States and featuring a new cover. The Economist listed the novel as one of its books of the year in 2011 and had this to say: "The plot is clever, imaginative and, in its finale, wholly unexpected. In a crowded field, The Afrika Reich stands out as a rich and unusual thriller, politically sophisticated and hard to forget."

You can check out a review of the older edition by Seb (and don't forget to catch his conversation with Guy in the comment section), plus my interview with Guy where we talk about his novel and WWII.

Here is the description of the novel from Amazon:

Africa, 1952. More than a decade has passed since Britain’s humiliation at Dunkirk brought an end to the war and the beginning of an uneasy peace with Hitler.

The swastika flies from the Sahara to the Indian Ocean. Britain and a victorious Nazi Germany have divided the continent. The SS has crushed the native populations and forced them into labor. Gleaming autobahns bisect the jungle, jet fighters patrol the skies. For almost a decade an uneasy peace has ensued.

Now, however, the plans of Walter Hochburg, messianic racist and architect of Nazi Africa, threaten Britain’s ailing colonies.

Sent to curb his ambitions is Burton Cole: a one-time assassin torn between the woman he loves and settling an old score with Hochburg. If he fails unimaginable horrors will be unleashed on the continent. No one – black or white – will be spared.

But when his mission turns to disaster, Burton must flee for his life.

It is a flight that will take him from the unholy ground of Kongo to SS slave camps to war-torn Angola – and finally a conspiracy that leads to the dark heart of The Afrika Reich itself.

For more info check out the book trailer on YouTube:

Need more convincing? Check out this further praise of the novel:

"Saville gets everything right—providing suspenseful action sequences, logical but enthralling plot twists, a fully thought through imaginary world, and characters with depth." -Publishers Weekly

"[W]ill leave a nasty taste in your mouth for a reality that very nearly happened." -Sam North at Hack Writers

"Saville's alternative world is so carefully crafted, so meticulously researched and so convincing that it is easy to believe it all might have been possible." -Rob Minshull at Weekend Bookworm

Kieran Colfer, author of "The Holy Land", will be reviewing the novel again for the update. So stay tuned!

Weekly Update #83

Editor's Note

Congrats to Chris Nuttall for getting fourth place in the Self-Published Author Awards at Underground Book Reviews. I hope you guys have been enjoying Chris' recent articles (How to Write and Publish a Novel in Eight Easy Steps and Review: The Kildaran by Adam Gaffen and Richard Evans). Both are producing excellent numbers, especially from the Reddit community. Thanks guys and remember feedback is appreciated.

Don't forget about our theme for January: "No Americans". We have already gotten a couple of articles and I am really looking forward to sharing it with you guys. Voting continues in our Facebook group for February's theme, so go check it out.

Welcome to our first reader from Bermuda. I hope you and everyone else enjoys what we got coming this week. AJ will be reviewing By Force of Arms and I will be publishing a showcase on A Crack at Draka.

And now the news...

First Novels Based Upon the Iron Kingdoms Role Playing Game

Pyr, an imprint of Prometheus Books, and Privateer Press, the second-largest miniature games manufacturer in the world, have partnered to publish the first novels based upon the award-winning Warmachine steam-powered fantasy wargame and the world of the Iron Kingdoms Role Playing Game.

The Iron Kingdoms world takes classic fantasy concepts and gives them a new twist with a high-octane rush of steam power and industrial engineering. These tie-in novels will be action-packed, steam-tech, military fantasies that combine elements of epic wartime adventure with thrilling cloak-and-dagger espionage.

The first book is titled In Thunder Forged (Book one in The Fall of Llael series) and will be published in June 2013 in paperback and ebook editions. Author Ari Marmell has authored RPG materials for games such as Dungeons & Dragons and the World of Darkness line. He is also the author of the novel The Goblin Corps, as well as Thief’s Covenant and False Covenant in the Widdershins Adventures series for Young Adult readers.

In July 2013, Big Iron (Book two in The Fall of Llael series) will follow. Author C. A. Suleiman has contributed scores of books to the hobby games industry’s top properties, including Dungeons & Dragons and the World of Darkness. He is the developer for White Wolf’s Mummy line, the creator of the Hamunaptra setting, and the coauthor of Vampire: The Requiem.

Pyr’s editorial director, Lou Anders, says, “I am extremely excited by this partnership with Privateer Press. Their reputation for excellence in the game industry matches our own reputation for quality fiction, while the unique ‘steam-powered fantasy’ setting of their Warmachine and Iron Kingdoms games pushed all my personal-narrative buttons. The Fall of Llael trilogy is everything an Iron Kingdoms fan could want, as well as a great introduction to the world for fantasy readers looking for new lands and new adventures.”

“People around the world have long been demanding novels that chronicle the epic tales of the Iron Kingdoms,” said Matt Wilson, founder of Privateer Press and creator of the Iron Kingdoms. “We are pleased to be working with Pyr on a series of novels that will be among the first of a vast library of fiction offerings coming next year that will explore the Iron Kingdoms setting and the sagas of Warmachine and Hordes.”

Reviews: The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

It has been a good couple of days for author Guy Saville. His debut novel The Afrika Reich has been getting some good reviews on the Internet. The novel got a review on Publisher's Weekly where the reviewer said "Saville gets everything right—providing suspenseful action sequences, logical but enthralling plot twists, a fully thought through imaginary world, and characters with depth." On top of that Sam North at Hack Writers reviewed The Afrika Reich alongside C.J. Sansom's Dominion, another WWII alternate history. Sam finished reviewing both novels by saying "[i]f I had to choose then The Afrika Reich is a faster read but both will leave a nasty taste in your mouth for a reality that very nearly happened."

If you want to learn more about The Afrika Reich, check out Seb's review of the novel and my interview with Guy Saville.

Submissions Wanted and Writing Tips

Aspiring authors take note: there are even more chances to get your alternate history story published.

Those who like to dabble in a little horror should check out the Horrific History anthology which will be closed for submissions on Dec 31st. Comet Press is also accepting novella length stories for their e-book line. Submissions should be between 15,000-40,000 words and should be horror, dark crime, fantasy or dark erotica.

For those of you who don't want to get to dark, Sword and Laser announced an upcoming anthology. Submissions should be 1500-7500 words, but don't send anything yet. They just made the announcement. Bloggers, meanwhile, should check out the upcoming Speculative Fiction 2012: The Best Online Reviews, Essays and Commentary. They are looking for some of the best online commentary and reviews. I plan to submit a few of my articles from Alternate History Weekly Update.

Don't ignore some of the bigger publications when trying to publish your short story. Mark Lord has pointed out that the big names in SF and Fantasy are raising their pay rates. Speaking of Mark, he continues to share his thoughts and advice on self-publishing. Check out his recent article on distribution.

Good luck!

New Releases

Hardcover

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress
Three young women's lives become inexorably intertwined after a chance meeting at a ball that ends with the discovery of a murdered mystery man.

Paperback

Bogart '48 by John Stanley
Someone is planning to blow up the theater during the 1948 Academy Awards show and when Humphrey Bogart hears about it, he knows he has to do something about it. It's what Sam Spade would do.

E-books

Ebby Scrooge: A Christmas Carol of Pirates, Dark Owls, Robots, Zombies, and Ghost Flesh  by Peacock Lavine
This heartwarming tale of perilous Zombies, adorable Zombies-Petits, Robots, Ray Guns, Air Ships, Parisian Clockmakers, Sand Spirits, Pirates, Dark Owls and Ghost Flesh takes the classic reclamation message to a new level for humankind—and other kinds!

Long Walk to the Sun by William Peter Grasso
In this alternate history adventure set in WW2’s early days, a crippled US military struggles to defend vulnerable Australia against the unstoppable Japanese forces. Check out our review of William's other novel East Wind Returns.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Alternate Timelines: What if Spielberg Directed Bond and Never Made Indiana Jones? by Ryan Britt at Tor.com.

A BCS Counterfactual by Schumes at The Schumerth Shuffle.

Counterfactual Second Civil War at Never Yet Melted.

Green Alternate History: What if Hemp Had Never Been Outlawed? by Nan Fischer at Green Blog.

Steampunk's chemistry by Zoe Hinis at Times Live.

There’s a Little Real History in my Alternate History #3 by M. Fenn.

Untucking Fate: 40 Yards of Alternate History by tejaschaos at SB Nation.

Why Defining Steampunk Is Worthwhile by Austin Sirkin at Wonder How To.

Books

German Steampunk Stories for FREE by ediFanoB at Edi's Book Lighthouse.

Johnny Alucard Cover by Kim Newman.

Lest Our Passage Be Forgotten & Other Stories Kickstarter by Bradley P. Beaulieu (thanks to Staffer's Book Review for recommending this).

Most-Reviewed Story So Far: "The Beast of the Bosporus" by Matthew Quinn at The World According to Quinn.

Review of Land of Hope and Glory by Geoffrey Wilson at SF Signal.

Review of Osama by Lavie Tidhar at Thinking about books.

Review of A Red Sun Also Rises by Mark Hodder at Thinking about books.

Review of The Strange Affair of Spring Heeled Jack by Mark Hodder at Travels Through Iest.

Steampunk Books Coming Out in December 2012 at Steampunk.com.

Films

Crowdfunding for a German Steampunk Project by ediFanoB at Edi's Book Lighthouse.

Games

BioShock Infinite creator hires fan to officially play character by Ben Silverman at Yahoo! Games.

Crusader Kings II: The Republic revealed, read our exclusive Q&A by T.J. Hafer at PC Gamer.

Dishonored – Dunwall City Trials DLC Gameplay Trailer by Soulfinger at Geek Syndicate.

Music

Treat Yourself (Or Someone Else) to Some Steampunk Music This Holiday Season! by Austin Sirkin at Wonder How To.

Plays

Review: A steampunk 'Nutcracker' adds a nice twist at The Wall Street Journal.

Podcasts

Dissecting Worlds Series 6 – Episode 6: Steampunk at Geek Syndicate.

Protecting Project Pulp No. 21: Cyril Plunkett's The X-Gas at District of Wonders.

Television

Review of Elementary Season 1, Episode 9 at Thinking about books.

'Revolution' 2013: The First Season Of NBC's Drama So Far, In 5 Minutes, Before Its Return by Maggie Furlong at The Huffington Post.

USA Orders World War II Alien-Invasion Drama by Margaret Lyons at Vulture.

* * *

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.