Weekly Update #148

Editor's Notes

Wow a lot of things happened last week.

First, the topic for the inaugural episode of Voices from Alternia: The Alternate History Podcast was chosen. And no, I am not going to tell you what it is...yet. You are going to have to wait just a little longer.

Second, The Update now has a page on the Alternate History Wiki (AlternateHistory.com's version, not the one on Wikia). It brought a huge smile to my face when Petike of AlternateHistory.com messaged me that he had created it. Thanks Petike and as for the rest of you please go there and start editing.

Third, a side project of mine on Facebook, the Alternate History Online group, just surpassed 1000 members. I actually started this group almost a decade ago when I was still in undergrad. It is amazing to see how much it has grown since then.

Finally, the number of people buying books through our Amazon banner and links has increased dramatically. Thank you guys so much. Every penny of the proceeds we make off the sales is going into the podcast!

Well enough bragging, time for the news. You know I actually thought about taking this Memorial Day off, but there was so much to talk about from last week, I just had to post something. Enjoy!

And now the news...

Preview: My Real Children by Jo Walton

A new alternate history book has caught the attention of the Internet. It is titled My Real Children and is written by Jo Walton. Here is the description from Amazon:

It’s 2015, and Patricia Cowan is very old. “Confused today,” read the notes clipped to the end of her bed. She forgets things she should know—what year it is, major events in the lives of her children. But she remembers things that don't seem possible. She remembers marrying Mark and having four children. And she remembers not marrying Mark and raising three children with Bee instead. She remembers the bomb that killed President Kennedy in 1963, and she remembers Kennedy in 1964, declining to run again after the nuclear exchange that took out Miami and Kiev.

Her childhood, her years at Oxford during the Second World War—those were solid things. But after that, did she marry Mark or not? Did her friends all call her Trish, or Pat? Had she been a housewife who escaped a terrible marriage after her children were grown, or a successful travel writer with homes in Britain and Italy? And the moon outside her window: does it host a benign research station, or a command post bristling with nuclear missiles?

Two lives, two worlds, two versions of modern history; each with their loves and losses, their sorrows and triumphs. Jo Walton's My Real Children is the tale of both of Patricia Cowan’s lives...and of how every life means the entire world.​

So the novel appears to be a character study where two different versions of the characters live in two distinct timelines, neither one exactly our own. Annalee Newitz of io9 (who we will hear from again later in this post) gave a glowing review of the novel saying it was a "complicated, nuanced mediation on the question of how the personal and political intertwine to create a single life" and also complimented Walton on her ability "at evoking the complicated relationship between international politics and domestic dysfunction." Cory Doctorow at BoingBoing also praised the novel and said of its emotional impact that  he has to"[keep] the book at arm's length, lest it trigger another round of tears."

To be honest I think I might try picking up a copy of this book when I get the chance. In the meantime, if you want to learn more about My Real Children check out this excerpt on BoingBoing and this interview with Walton at Riffle.

Wolfenstein: The New Order is Out Now, but How is the Story?

Admittedly The Update is primarily a literary blog, but that doesn't mean we don't cover other mediums. Last New Releases I pointed out that the next installment in the popular Wolfenstein saga, Wolfenstein: The New Order, was released. It is set in an alternate 1960s where the Nazis won World War II and conquered the world. Well the reviews have been pouring in, but I am not going to be covering the comments on gameplay or graphics. Instead I want to know what reviewers thought of the plot. How is the alternate history of Wolfenstein: The New Order?

Colin Moriarty of IGN said the Wolfenstein really shines when it comes to plot. He complimented the game on its use real-life Nazi atrocities that made the game feel, in his words, "surprisingly human, and your situation quite desperate." Although he did point out much of the technology in the alternate 1960s is unrealistic. Lou Kesten of The Republic also commented on the use of Nazi atrocities in crafting the story saying "[o]ne minute, you're invited to reflect on man's inhumanity to man; the next, you're expected to relish splattering enemy brains all over their swastika-festooned fortresses". Meanwhile, David Hing of Den of Geek said "Wolfenstein has never needed to or pretended to be terribly smart, but I am going to make the unusual argument that it has been subtle" by not jumping to the usual tropes associated with World War II alternate histories.

And the game itself is chock full of Easter eggs. The guys at Achievement Hunter showcased the appearance of one from Wolfenstein 3D:

And Fallout:

Well it is good to hear that video games can do alternate history justice. Have you played the new Wolfenstein game? What did you think of the story?

More Reviews on Southern Cross: Annuit Coeptis

A couple months ago I reviewed Southern Cross: Annuit Coeptis by Dorvall and Philip Renne, a new comic featuring a Confederate victory at Gettysburg and an overall victory in the American Civil War. A couple recent reviews of the comic, however, have a caught my eye.

Cody K. Carlson of Deseret News (and no I did not pull this from an alternate timeline) said Southern Cross was a "fun and enjoyable alternate history tale that does offer some real food for thought", but knocked off points for too many sub-plots and an implausible post-Gettysburg outcome. Rhetta Akamatsu at Seattle PI called the graphic novel "dramatic and thought-provoking", but did feel certain elements of the book were implausible, like the enslavement of black Union soldiers.

So much like my review, both reviewers felt Southern Cross has merit, but suffers from some implausibilities. Have you read Southern Cross? What do you think of it? Let us know in the comments.

Revolution Airs Finale

Revolution aired its final episode last week. It was reported a couple of weeks ago that the show was cancelled so this episode should have been the second season finale. I won't give any plot details away in case dear reader you have not watched it, but the reviews have not been good.

Annalee Newitz of io9 (told you) said "[t]he season finale — filmed before cast and crew knew it was their final episode — made us glad the show is gone forever." Most of Annalee's problems with the show stemmed from missed opportunities and the nonsensical cliffhanger. Paul Levinson mostly agreed with her on his blog saying "[t]onight's ending, I hate to say, made me glad this was the final season" but did leave a parting comment that about the show overall that let the review end on a high note by saying "everyone associated with the show can be proud for the two good seasons it gave us. Science fiction is a tough sell on television, and Revolution gave it a good shot."

Of course Revolution may still get a chance to do things right. There is always the possibility Revolution could get on another network or some streaming service like Netflix or Hulu. Its a long shot, but if fans really want it, they can convince someone with the money to make it happen...but judging from these reviews I don't think the fan power exists.

Europa Universalis IV Expansion “Wealth of Nations” Available for Pre-order, Ships May 29

You can now pre-order “Wealth of Nations,“ the second expansion to Europa Universalis IV. Adding a plethora of new trade and diplomacy features to the grand strategy game from Paradox, "Wealth of Nations" will be officially released on May 29, 2014 for Windows, Mac, and Linux computers.

If you’re the type of person to research routes before heading into choppy waters, this video developer diary highlights the new challenges of "Wealth of Nations", including privateering, shipping companies, and covert economic sabotage:

For more information on the new show and on Europa Universalis IV, please visit the new Paradox website.

Video Gallery

I know I have already showcased a few videos in previous segments, but this is the dumping ground for the rest. First up, Epic Rap Battles of History is back with a rap battle between Superman and Goku:

They sure have been doing a lot of fictional mash ups lately. I would like to see return to more historical figures. Next, the Geeks With Wives podcast discusses alternate history:

I haven't listened to the whole show yet, so my apologies if the quality isn't great. We end with a video from our friend Alison Morton who has a trailer out for her new book Successio:

Links to the Multiverse

Books

10 Perfect Summer Reads Authored by NYU Alumni at Hashtagnyu.
Alternate history and steampunk - settling the ambiguity at Alison Morton's Roma Nova.
Clifford Beal on Balancing Fact And Fancy In Historical Fantasy at SF Signal.
Damian Dibben's top 10 time travel books at The Guardian.
FINALISTS: 2014 John W. Campbell Memorial Award at SF Signal.
Overdetermination by Ian C. Racey.
Sarah Cawkwell asks So What’s the Alternative? at A Fantastical Librarian.
Time Travel Is On by Damian Dibben at Short List.

Counterfactual and Traditional History (Plus News)

# Selfie, Steampunk, Catfish: See This Year’s New Dictionary Words by Katy Steinmetz at Time.
Amazing Original Disneyland Designs Included a Working Farm by Bianca Barragan at Curbed.
North Korean science fiction and the Maoist road to Mars by Cory Doctorow at Boing Boing.
The Ten Most Bizarre Ideas For Using Nuclear Weapons by Mark Strauss at io9.
Twentieth Century Futurism Looks Really Bizarre Now by Vincze Miklós at io9.
What If FDR Had Been Shot? A Classic Counterfactual by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld at The Counterfactual History Review.

Films and Television

Behold the David Lynch 'Star Wars' that could have been by Anthony Domanico at CNET.
A brief history of the alternate histories of the X-Men by Derrick Sanskrit at AV Club.
Da Vinci's Demons 2.9: The Sword Fight at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.

Interviews

Michael J. Martinez at The Qwillery.

Podcasts

Episode 018: Meet the Podcaster - Why We Podcast at History Podcasters.
The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 248): Comics, Games, Bad Book Habits, Historical Accuracy in Fantasy and A Book That Turned Out To Be Unexpected at Sf Signal.

Short Fiction

There’s a Little Real History in my Alternate History #6 at M Fenn Writes.

* * *

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 #146

Editor's Note

Being a blogger can be frustrating sometimes. You work hard on an article on a topic you are passionate about, but you get few page views and the feedback in unhelpfully vague. Then you put together something at the last minute and watch the page view count skyrocket. This phenomenon is not new to me. I learned about it early on in my writing career. I would still love to have a crystal ball that could accurately tell me what my audience wants.

Okay I am done with my first world problems. Got some good stuff coming up this week that I think you guys will (hopefully) enjoy.

And now the news...

NBC's Revolution Cancelled

Last week it was announced that NBC had cancelled Revolution after two seasons. The post-apocalyptic drama took place 15 years after the start of a worldwide, permanent electrical-power blackout. This plot has many similarities with SM Stirling's Emberverse series, but the two universes are not related. The pilot episode was not well received by alternate historians, but some SF&F fans continued to follow and review the series like author Paul Levinson. Nevertheless, the show could not keep the popularity that gave it a second season going.

What did you think about Revolution? How do you feel about its cancellation? Let us know in the comments below.

More on The Enceladus Crisis by Michael J. Martinez

Last week friend of The Update, Michael J. Martinez, celebrated the release of his new book and second installment in the Daedalus series, The Enceladus Crisis. In case you missed it, you can check out my review of the book at Amazing Stories. You can also learn a little bit more about the book and Martinez thanks to a bunch of book promotion he has been doing across the Internet.

First, I would check out Everything about the The Enceladus Crisis in one handy post! that Mike posted on his website. You can also learn Mike's favorite bit of his book at Mary Robinette Kowal's site. Finally, learn a little bit more about the author as he takes the Pop Quiz at the End of the Universe at Tor.com.

Congrats again to Mike and I hope you all check out The Enceladus Crisis (after you purchased it through Amazon by click on the banner above, of course)!

Video Gallery

Some good videos this week. First, Epic Rap Battles of History returns with a fictional mash-up featuring Rick Grimes and Walter White:

Next, Ghost Trains Games introduces us to their alternate Civil War game ACW:

Then you can watch London evolve from a tiny village to the metropolis it is today:

Finally, Cody Franklin returns from his three week hiatus with a new video featuring a world where Godzilla exists:

Links to the Multiverse

Books

15 Things a Writer Should Never Do by Zachary Petit at Writer's Digest.
1636: Commander Cantrell in the West Indies – Snippet 30 by Eric Flint.
In Search of Historical Fantasy by Mark Lord.
INSATIABLE: Marie Antoinette as Alternate History by Ginger Myrick.
New Book Review: Richard Ned Lebow's "Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives!" at The Counterfactual History Review.
The Story Behind The Revolutions by Felix Gilman at Upcoming4.Me.

Counterfactual and Traditional History (Plus News)

5 Ridiculous Myths You Probably Believe About the Midwest by Adam Tod Brown at Cracked.
California School District Under Fire for Holocaust-Denial Assignment by Beth Greenfield at Yahoo.
Dien Bien Phu: Did the US offer France an A-bomb? at BBC.
Five items Congress deleted from Madison’s original Bill of Rights at Yahoo.
How Germany Could Have Won World War I by Michael Peck at The National Interest.
In New Video, Boko Haram Leader Declares War On World Leaders And Abraham Lincoln by Nick Robins-Early at The Huffington Post.
What Common Medieval Fantasy Tropes Have No Basis In Actual History? by Lauren Davis at io9.
What if people told European history like they told Native American history? by Kai at An Indigenous History of North America.

Films and Television

The Amazing Spider-Man 2 Concept Art Reveals Alternate Rhino, Goblin by Charles Webb at Nerdist.
Da Vinci's Demons 2.7: Four Stories at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
Elementary: Season 2, Episode 23. Art in the Blood (2014) at Thinking about books.
Murdoch Mysteries at Steampunk Scholar.

Games

Giana Sisters Goes Dieselpunk in an Exclusive Kickstarter Crossover at Gamasutra.
Wolfenstein The New Order Achievements revealed by Tom Ivan at CVG.

Interview

Christopher Priest at SFFWorld.com.
SM Stirling at The Wild Hunt.

* * *

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 #102

Editor's Note

I could rant or rave about something here, but since I missed last Monday's Weekly Update, we are just going to cut straight to the good stuff.

And now the news...

Update: The Trader's War by Charles Stross

The second omnibus edition of Charles Stross' The Merchant Princes series, The Trader's War, came out last week. Here is the description from Amazon:

For one ex-journalist, the nightmare has just begun. Miriam Beckstein has said goodbye to her comfort zone, and the transition from journalist to captive in an alternative timeline was challenging to say the least. As was discovering her long-lost family, the Clan, were world-skipping assassins. Now civil war rages in her adopted home, she's pregnant with the heir to their throne and a splinter-group want her on their side of a desperate power struggle. But as a leader or figurehead?

Meanwhile, unknown to the Clan, the US government is on to them and preparing to exploit this knowledge. But it hadn't foreseen a dissident Clan faction carrying nuclear devices between worlds - with the US President in their sights. The War on Terror is about to go transdimensional. But Mike Fleming, CIA agent, knows the most terrifying secret of all. His government's true intentions.

Falcata Times said the omnibus has "top notch prose and a wonderful story arc [that] really does give the reader something special." For those looking for more information on the series, check out Storss' article on Tor.com where he discusses the worldbuilding in his series.

Update: Unburning Alexandria by Paul Levinson

Also coming out last week was Paul Levinson's Unburning Alexandria. Here is the description from Amazon:

Mid-twenty-first century time traveler Sierra Waters, fresh from her mission to save Socrates from the hemlock, is determined to alter history yet again, by saving the ancient Library of Alexandria - where as many as 750,000 one-of-a-kind texts were lost, an event described by many as “one of the greatest intellectual catastrophes in history.” 

Along the way she will encounter old friends such as William Henry Appleton the great 19th century American publisher and enemies like the enigmatic time travelling inventor Heron of Alexandria. And her quest will involve such other real historic personages as Hypatia, Cleopatra’s sister Arsinoe, Ptolemy the astronomer, and St. Augustine - again placing her friends, her loved-ones, and herself in deadly jeopardy. 

In this sequel to the THE PLOT TO SAVE SOCRATES, award winning author Paul Levinson offers another time-traveling adventure spanning millennia, full of surprising twists and turns, all the while attempting the seemingly impossible: UNBURNING ALEXANDRIA.

You can learn about some background info about writing the novel and listen to a reading over at Paul's blog. You can also read an excerpt from Unburning Alexandria at SF Signal.

Update: James Blaylock

Award-winning author James P. Blaylok has been called a "steampunk legend" or "one of the pioneers of the steampunk genre". No offense to Blaylok, but I have never read any of his works...yet. I am intrigued by the fact that he was mentored by the great Philip K. Dick so I probably need to add a few of his titles to my want to read list. I especially want to check out his Lord Kelvin's Machine recently reprinted by the good folks at Titan Books. You can check out a review of the novel at Steampunk Scholar, but be careful because there are spoilers. Blaylok also did some promotion for another of his books, The Aylesford Skull, over at Steamed. If you want to learn more about the author I highly recommend you go and check it out the interview.

Revolution's Ratings Improve

The show that alternate historians love to hate, Revolution, could be improving. The show experienced a ratings gain among adults, stopping its slide since the show began last year. Although renewed for a second season, Paul S. White at Johnny Jay's Sci Fi Cancellation Watch holds that the show will need to make some changes to be successful. Of course, whether it needs to make any changes could be a matter of opinion. The previously mentioned Paul Levinson has given good reviews to recent episodes. He said episode 15 "continues firing on all cylinders - and continues drawing on the fine female acting talent on 24" and said episode 16 was "[a] tight, taught, altogether excellent episode".

Have you been watching Revolution? What do you think?

LoneStarCon 3 Announces Opening of 2015 Worldcon and 2014 NASFiC Ballot

LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon"), is pleased to announce the opening of the voting process to select the host sites for the 2015 Worldcon and the 2014 North American Science Fiction Convention ("NASFiC").

Three bids have formally filed for the 2015 Worldcon. In alphabetical order, these are as follows:

• Helsinki in 2015. The convention would be held from August 6 to 10, 2015, with the main facilities being the Helsinki Exhibition and Conference Centre and the Holiday Inn Helsinki Exhibition & Convention Centre.
• Orlando in 2015. The convention would be held from September 2 to 6, 2015, at Disney's Coronado Springs Resort and Convention Center.
• Spokane in 2015. The convention would be held from August 19 to 23, 2015, with the main facilities being the Spokane Convention Center, the Doubletree Spokane, the Red Lion at the Park, and Red Lion River Inn.

Two bids have filed for the 2014 NASFiC. This convention is held in North America in any year when the Worldcon travels outside the continent. A NASFiC will be held in 2014 as the 2014 Worldcon will take place in London, UK. In alphabetical order, the NASFiC bids are as follows:

• Detroit in 2014. The convention would be held from July 17 to 20, 2014, at the Detroit Marriott at the Renaissance Center.
• Phoenix in 2014. The convention would be held from July 30 to August 3, 2014, at the Tempe Mission Palms Hotel and Conference Center.

All Adult, Military, and Young Adult Attending and Supporting members of LoneStarCon 3 are eligible to take part in the site selection process.

Ballots may be submitted by postal mail or in-person at the convention. Postal ballots must be received by Sunday, August 18, 2013. Voting at the convention will continue until 6 p.m. on Saturday, August 31, 2013. All ballots must be accompanied by an Advance Membership (Voting) fee, set at $40 for the Worldcon election, and at $35 for the NASFiC election. In each case, the fee will automatically be converted to a Supporting Membership in the winning convention.

Members submitting postal ballots may pay their voting fee by US check, US money order, or credit card. Checks and money orders should be mailed to the Site Selection Administrator along with the ballot. Credit card payments must be made via the LoneStarCon 3 web site. Upon payment of the voting fee, members will be issued with a unique voting token reference, which must be written onto the ballot as evidence of payment.

Further information on the site selection process may be found on the LoneStarCon 3 website. Ballot forms may be downloaded from the website in PDF format for printing, and will also be included in Progress Report 4 which will mail in mid-May to members receiving printed publications.

For more information about the site selection process, please write to siteselection at LoneStarCon3 dot org.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Alternate Realities by Chudney at Smart Girls Love SciFi and Paranormal Romance.
Ask A Librarian: Bring Me Your Finest Histories, Real or Alternate by Jessica Werner at Persephone Magazine.
Coming Soon! “The Long War” by Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter at SF Signal.
Counterfactual Friday: Could Harden have been a Sixer? by Tom Sunnergren at Hoop 76.
Duck and Covers: Is the Baen art director taking side jobs? by Justin Landon at Staffer's Book Review.
Holy @#$%, Lego is making a steampunk line by Rob Bricken at io9.
INCEPTIO - An alternate history thriller by Alison Morton at Good Kindles.
Joseph H. Levie Creates Alternate History of 18th century Europe at PRWeb.
Kanye West Initially Offered “N***as In Paris” Beat To Pusha T, And Pusha Turned It Down by Carl Williott at Idolator.
Lavie Tidhar goes to the Red Planet in Martian Sands at SFScope.
Philip K. Dick and Our Predicament by J.R. Dunn at American Thinker.
'The Single Most Valuable Document In The History Of The World Wide Web' by Jacob Goldstein.
TOC: ‘A Very British History’ by Paul McAuley at SF Signal.
The Space City That Could Have Been, If Not For Wernher Von Braun by Ron Miller at io9.
What if Steven Spielberg Made ‘Space Lincoln’ as a ‘Star Trek’ Film by Rusty Blazenhoff at Laughing Squid.
Why is everything so much better with a little steam(punk)? by Joyce Lamb at USA Today.
Wild West Steampunk by David Lee Summers at Steamed!

Book Reviews

The Alteration by Kingsley Amis at Tap Milwaukee.
Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle at World Without End.
It Can’t Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis at Amazing Stories.
Gideon’s Angel by Clifford Beal at Mass Movement Magazine.
The Merchant of Dreams by Anne Lyle at Geek Syndicate.
Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka at Falcata Times.
Snodgrass and Other Illusions by Ian R MacLeod at Thinking about books.
Unfallen by Juliet Y. Mark at BooksWorld.com.

Comics

A Peter Pan Comic for Grown-ups by Dion at Geek Syndicate.
Clockwork Watch: Breakaway Preview at Geek Syndicate.
COMIC REVIEW: Half Past Danger #1 at Geek Syndicate.

Films

Concept Art shows off Darren Aronofsky's Batman movie that never was by Meredith Woerner at io9.
The Great Gatsby is an Alternate Timeline Where Jack Survived Titanic by Chris Lough at Tor.
Iron Man 3: What if...an Alternate History of Marvel Movies at Television Without Pity.
Is Shane Black Set to Direct and Co-Write Doc Savage Film? at Geek Syndicate.
'Tai Chi Hero' Blu-ray Dated and Detailed at High-Def Digest.
Review of Django Unchained at Thinking about books.
What is brilliant? (Wars of Other men: A review) at Fire and Water.

Games

'City of Steam' Goes Open Beta by Rainier at Worthplaying.
GAME REVIEW: Space Terror by Casey Douglass at Geek Syndicate.
Infinite Crisis Gameplay Video Unleashes Steampunk Catwoman by Pete Haas at Gaming Blend.
Meet Lady Katarina in The Incredible Adventures of Van Helsing by Charlotte Woolley at Gamercast.
Pondering the Potential of Wolfenstein's Alternate History by Chris Watters at Gamespot.

Interviews

Adam Christopher at Sword & Laser.
Karina Cooper at USA Today.
Steven Harper interviewed by Gail Carriger.
Mary Robinette Kowal at Waylines Magazine.
Sean O’Reilly at ComicBook.com.
Mattew Quinn at Conversations With An Author.
Gypsey Elaine Teague at Examiner.com.

Podcasts

Ratchet RetroCast Episode 8: RetroCast, Transform and Roll Out at Earth Station One.

Television

10 Things You Didn't Know About NBC's The Office by Michael Schneider at Yahoo!
Elementary: Season 1, Episode 20 and 21 at Thinking about books.
How Neil Gaiman did away with the "clanky clanky steampunk" Cybermen by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #101

Editor's Note

So I wasted an hour yesterday trying to make a video for you guys, but the webcam feature YouTube provided kept failing and deleting everything I made. I tried using the generic recorder my computer came with but the quality was so bad I gave up. I need to do some more research into making videos for YouTube before I try this again.

I am doing a batch of posts for Amazing Stories on steampunk. It starts with a quick overview of the genre so check it out if you are interested. Tomorrow's post is a review on The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. My next topic is going to be music in SF literature for those wondering. I also been talking with Twilight Histories host Jordan Harbour. You will see my interview with him later this week and perhaps an in-depth discussion about the genre on his podcast sometime in the future.

And now the news...

Update: The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway

I don't want to forget about time travel, so now is a good time to bring it up with some info on this book that caught my attention last week: The River of No Return by Bee Ridgway. Here is the description from Goodreads:

In Bee Ridgway’s wonderfully imaginative debut novel, a man and a woman travel through time in a quest to bring down a secret society that controls the past and, thus, the future. 

“You are now a member of the Guild. There is no return.” Two hundred years after he was about to die on a Napoleonic battlefield, Nick Falcott, soldier and aristocrat, wakes up in a hospital bed in modern London. The Guild, an entity that controls time travel, showers him with life's advantages. But Nick yearns for home and for one brown-eyed girl, lost now down the centuries. Then the Guild asks him to break its own rule. It needs Nick to go back to 1815 to fight the Guild’s enemies and to find something called the Talisman. 

In 1815, Julia Percy mourns the death of her beloved grandfather, an earl who could play with time. On his deathbed he whispers in her ear: “Pretend!” Pretend what? When Nick returns home as if from the dead, older than he should be and battle scarred, Julia begins to suspect that her very life depends upon the secrets Grandfather never told her. Soon enough Julia and Nick are caught up in an adventure that stretches up and down the river of time. As their knowledge of the Guild and their feelings for each other grow, the fate of the future itself is hanging in the balance.

Sounds interesting, doesn't it? And it has a 4.22/5 on Goodreads as I write this post. Turns out, however "Bee Ridgway" is just a pen name. The author's real name is Bethany Schneider. You can catch her interview over at The Qwillery and read her article on writing time travel novels over at Psychology Tomorrow.

Update: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Found a couple more reviews on Gail Carriger's new novel Etiquette & Espionage, book one of the Finishing School series. First, here is the description from Amazon:

It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School. 

Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality. 

But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but the also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education. 

Set in the same world as the Parasol Protectorate, this YA series debut is filled with all the saucy adventure and droll humor Gail's legions of fans have come to adore. 

Flipping the Page described the novel as "a unique book" and "a keeper!", but the review did say you can get lost in the background information. Sarah Bruch at SFcrowsnest also gave a good review for the book and concluded "[t]his is another series for lovers of Carriger filled with her dry wit, fabulous characters and her own take on the steampunk world, definitely one to put on the to be read pile."

Now generally I do not read YA books, but for the younger readers of this blog who like a little steam in their alternate history, this might be a series for you.

Update: After Earth

The upcoming SF, alternate history film After Earth (the POD being a space ship crash landing on Earth in 1908) is premerieng this summer on June 7. A new trailer for the film came out last week, let's watch it below:

Rob Bricken of io9 wasn't particularly impressed by the trailer, pointing out that 1000 years is too short of a time for evolution to change Earth's wildlife so drastically. Personally I am less than thrilled about this film by M. Night Shyamalan, but Charlie Jane Anders of io9 seems hopeful that "legendary control freak Will Smith" can keep the plot from spiraling out of control. We shall see, but I think I won't see until I can watch it free on Netflix.

NBC Renews Revolution

NBC announced it has ordered a new season for the sci-fi drama Revolution from Eric Kripke and J.J. Abrams for the 2013-2014 season. Alternate historians were less than impressed when the show first aired, but it has grown in popularity with the rest of fandom. Paul Levinson in his review of episode 14 called Revolution "one of J. J. Abrams' best franchises." To tell you the truth I still haven't watched the show, but do you agree?

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods and Europa Universalis IV

A new trailer for Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods (out on May 28) has been released. The latest trailer for The Old Gods is the first trailer to show gameplay from the expansion:

The Old Gods is the fourth full expansion for Crusader Kings II, Paradox’s strategy/RPG of medieval scheming, dynastic fortunes and crusades against the unbeliever. The Old Gods expansion lets the player start two hundred years earlier than the Crusader Kings II base game, at the height of Viking power and when Christianity had yet to penetrate many of the dark forests of the continent, and the power of Islam was still on the rise. You can read the developer diaries to get more information on this upcoming expansion.

Next on the agenda, Paradox is preparing to once again provide the global conquest gamers have hungrily desired with their upcoming empire-building game, Europa Universalis IV. The award-winning series that has sold over a million copies and redefined grand strategy gaming is returning in Q3 2013. Now, Paradox is sending out a Call to Arms to their greatest fans, and asking for their help to win the world’s hearts and minds for the Europa Universalis army in an epic community-building campaign. Europa Universalis fans all over the world can recruit their friends and receive exclusive rewards.

The Call to Arms Rewards for loyal fans include bonus in-game DLC, a Developers Strategy Guide, Compendium Universalis, the e-books The Art of War and The Prince, and a copy of Europa Universalis III Chronicles. The “World Conqueror” rewards for the most loyal fans include exclusive beta access to Europa Universalis IV, a mention in the game credits, and a trip to Stockholm to play multiplayer with the developers.

“Over the years, you have all helped us build one of the most dedicated game communities available. We wouldn’t have come this far if not for the loyalty of our strategy fans everywhere, and we want you to know that,” said Thomas Johansson, project lead for Europa Universalis IV at Paradox Development Studio. 

“As we prepare to launch our empire-building game Europa Universalis IV, we want to bring even more strategy fans into our community. We want you all to experience the drama that only the grand stage of history can provide. So if you want to support Europa Universalis IV, please spread the word and invite your friends – if you believe that they long to conquer the world. Strategy Gamers of the World – this is our Call to Arms.”

Calender

May 1-Oct 31: Strange Chemistry open for unagented submissions.

May 30: Deadline for submissions of It Came From the North, a Finnish speculative fiction anthology.

June 15: Steampunk inspired exhibit at The Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Fairfield County, Connecticut ends.

You also might be interested in checking out the current list of guests for 2013 Dragoncon and the list of upcoming summer conventions made by the good folks at io9.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

5 Ridiculous Myths Everyone Believes About the Wild West by J. Wisniewski at Cracked.
Alternate Geology by S-Sherman at Other Times.
Cover & Synopsis: “Luminous Chaos” by Jean-Christophe Valtat at SF Signal.
Doc Savage: His Apocalyptic Life – New Revised Deluxe Hardcover Edition at Meteor House.
Duck and Covers: Can you believe I’m not going to rip one of these? by Justin at Staffer's Book Review.
The Great Man of History … An Implied Counterfactual by Brooks D. Simpson at Crossroads.
How to have a successful blogtour by Alison Morton.
I Prefer My Steam Punked by Jared Axelrod at Steamed!
If media covered America the way we cover foreign cultures by Jahanzeb Hussain at Keeping Sane.
Imagine by Kassy Tayler at Steamed!
Lavie Tidhar’s Top 5 Five Weird Trips to Mars at SF Signal.
Paul Levinson on the The Tricky Business of Time Travel at SF Signal.
Speculative Fiction's Love Affair with Sherlock Holmes-It's not a Mystery (Part 2) by John DeNardo at SF Signal.
That time Polish partisans stole a Nazi V2 rocket by George Dvorsky at io9.
US tries new aerial tools in Caribbean drug fight by Ben Fox at Yahoo!
What if the Tsarnaevs Had Been the "Boston Shooters"? by John Cassidy at The New Yorker.
Woman Time Travels Into Iconic Scenes at Yahoo! Shine.
Zero-Magic Fantasy by Felicity Savage at Amazing Stories.

Book Reviews

The Alteration by Kingsley Amis at Tor.com.
The Mine by John A. Heidt at Tonight's Reading.
Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist.
Prophet of Bones by Ted Kosmatka at io9.

Comics

Review: ‘Amala’s Blade’ #1 at Bloody Disgusting.

Films

SAFETY NOT GUARANTEED - An Awesome Time Travel Sci-Fi Romance at The Galaxy Express.
Steampunk kung-fu epic Tai Chi Hero: the Cure for Boring Action Movies at io9.

Games

Counterfactual History in a New Video Game (BioShock Infinite) by Robert Whitaker at Not Even Past.
The Most Atmospheric Steampunk Video Games by Gergo Vas at Kotaku.
Snail Games bringing fantasy, steampunk together in 'Black Gold' at E3 this year by Pamela Blalock at Examiner.com.

Podcasts

AH Inquirer Podcast Ep.3: The Comintern.
GSN PODCAST: Dissecting Worlds Series 7 Episode 2: Robin Hood, Robin Hood!
SFBRP #186 – Harry Turtledove – Worldwar – In The Balance.
SF Squeecast Episode 23: A Squishy Little Shield (with special guest Cherie Priest).

Interview

James Blaylock at SF Signal.
Clay & Susan Griffith at Literary Escapism.
Scott Westerfeld on The ABC.

Television

Bruce Boxleitner & Trevor Crafts: a new 'Lantern City' cast member is announced by John Collins at Examiner.com.
Steampunk Partners Announce the Launch of the TINKER Web Series Kickstarter at SBWire.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #76

Editor's Note

"Stay on target!"

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

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

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

And now the news...

Alternate History of the Cuban Missile Crisis

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

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

Coming Soon: Pressure

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

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

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

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

More on Dishonored

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

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

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

Tai Chi Zero reviews

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

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

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

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

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

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

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

Books

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

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

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

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

Review of Alt Hist Issue 4 at SFcrowsnest.

Comics

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

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

Preview: Before Watchmen: Minutemen #4 at CBR.

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

Games

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

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

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

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

Interviews

Doctor Q at Steamed!

Television

Review of Elementary at Alternate History Fiction.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is a long-time fan of alternate history, founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Masquerade Crew. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter (@MattMitrovich).