Weekly Update #231! Preview of Hystopia and more alternate history goodness.

Editor's Note

I've been really pumped lately about alternate history. Coming up with ideas for the channel and recording videos has given me more energy to create. Who knows what crazy things I will do in the future, especially as we near the 5 year anniversary of Alternate History Weekly Update!

And now the news...

Book of the Week: Hystopia by David Means

So a recent novel that has gotten a lot of interest in alternate history circles is David Means' debut novel, Hystopia. Here is the description from Amazon:

At the bitter end of the 1960s, after surviving multiple assassination attempts, President John F. Kennedy is entering his third term in office. The Vietnam War rages on, and the president has created a vast federal agency, the Psych Corps, dedicated to maintaining the nation’s mental hygiene by any means necessary. Soldiers returning from the war have their battlefield traumas “enfolded”―wiped from their memories through drugs and therapy―while veterans too damaged to be enfolded roam at will in Michigan, evading the government and reenacting atrocities on civilians.

This destabilized version of American history is the vision of twenty-two-year old Eugene Allen, who has returned from Vietnam to write the book-within-a-book at the center of Hystopia. In conversation with some of the greatest war narratives, from Homer’s Iliad to the Rolling Stones’ “Gimme Shelter,” David Means channels the voice of Allen, the young veteran out to write a novel that can bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam while also capturing the tragic history of his own family.

The critic James Wood has written that Means’s language “offers an exquisitely precise and sensuous register of an often crazy American reality.” In Hystopia, his highly anticipated first novel, David Means brings his full talent to bear on the crazy reality of trauma, both national and personal. Outlandish and tender, funny and violent, timely and historical, Hystopia invites us to consider whether our traumas can ever be truly overcome. The answers it offers are wildly inventive, deeply rooted in its characters, and wrung from the author’s own heart.

Mark Athitakis of B&N Review called Hystopia "wonderfully peculiar" and I am sure I will read it for the Sidewise Awards some day soon. Let me know if you got a chance to read it and what you thought in the comments.

Video of the Week

Cheating a little bit on this one (like always), but I had a great time making the video review of Terry Bisson's Fire on the Mountain so I am going to share it as much as I can:

If you get the chance you should also go check out my new Facebook page for the channel. I will be sharing a lot more updates and ideas on future videos over there.

You should also check out...

• Military History Now's list of 4 battles that might have ended the American Civil War earlier.
• Washington Post's coverage on the endless Texan secession debate.
• How Amazon's The Man in the High Castle inspired Knute Berger to research Seattle's Nazi past. (via Crosscut)
• How descendants of a slave named Silas are trying to debunk the myth of blacks fighting in the Confederate army. (via Buzzfeed)
• Slate asks: If Britain Had Gone to War With the U.S. in 1910, Who Would Have Won?

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not exploring alternate timelines he enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the day when travel between parallel universes becomes a reality. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Book Review: Fire on the Mountain by Terry Bisson

Twitter spoke and I listened. Here is my video review of Terry Bisson's Fire on the Mountain:

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not exploring alternate timelines he enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the day when travel between parallel universes becomes a reality. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Black Alternate History Month

This year, I am going to be scheduling posts a little differently. I have experimented with theme months before to varying degrees of success, but have never been serious about keeping it going by coming up with new themes. My research into genre, however, has shown that alternate history is often dominated by "great men" who win (or lose) military battles, while being created mostly by white, American males.

So in 2015, I am going to try and highlight different perspectives on alternate history, spending more time on overlooked events and minority voices. Since February is Black History Month here in the United States, I thought this would be a perfect opportunity to cover Africa-American alternate history and creators.

Although I give a lot of credit to Turtledove for introducing me to alternate history, one of the first non-Turtledove books I read was Lion's Blood by Steven Barnes. Called one of the most unusual alternate history novels ever published by Emily Stamm of io9, Lion's Blood showcased a world where civilization flourished in Africa and the Middle East, while Europe remained barbaric and primitive. In this timeline, black Africans have colonized what would have been North America, using white slaves sold to them by Viking raiders for the heavy labor.

What made Lion's Blood significant was that it did not just create a mirror universe like the film White Man's Burden. Barnes set out to make this world as plausible as possible and while there are some parallels and squashed butterflies to be found, you still get a unique world that shows off Barnes' skill as world builder. In fact I still haven't read the sequel, Zulu Heart, for that very same reason. Its not that I did not enjoy Lion's Blood, its that I am afraid to sequel will ruin the original for me.

Of course if you ask alternate historians (which I have) to recommend works of alternate history written by or based on African-Americans, most would recommend Terry Bisson's Fire on the Mountain. In this timeline, John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry touches off a massive slave rebellion that has wide reaching consequences for the entire world. Cory Doctorow called it "one of the best alternate histories I've read" and said it showed a different side to the usually absurd Bisson. Successful slave rebellion alternate histories like this aren't unheard of (see the "The Lions are Asleep This Night" by Howard Waldrop or, hell, the real world Haitian Revolution), but if we speak of blacks as slaves, then our minds usually turn to the American Civil War.

Despite what certain revisionist historians would like you think, you can't discuss the Civil War without covering slavery and that applies to alternate history as well. Works by African-Americans on the subject include the recent The Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln by Stephen L. Carter (which at one point had Ron Hogan of Tor questioning whether alternate history was entering the mainstream) or the humorous and controversial mockumentary, C.S.A.: The Confederate States of America, directed by Kevin Willmott. Even Turtledove used black POV characters, such as Scipio, in his epic Timeline-191 series.

Yet African-Americans are usually either portrayed as having it worst off that our timeline (with good reason) or not mentioned at all in an American Civil War alternate history, especially in those featuring an independent Confederacy. In fact, I find later to be a worse portrayal as it confines an entire people's experience to the footnotes. This has often come up when reading web original alternate histories on the subject, but even mainstream publications are not exempt from this omission. Perhaps someone will write about this odd phenomenon in the future...

So for the month of February I am going to try and shine a light on African-American alternate history by not only posting articles on the subject or talking with African-American creators, but also highlighting news I come across on the Weekly Update and any other news posts I write in the coming weeks. If you would like to participate in some way, whether as a guest poster or an interviewee, contact me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. Thanks and I hope you guys enjoy our exploration of this corner of our favorite genre.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. Check out his short fiction. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Weekly Update #103

Editor's Note

For those following us on Facebook and Twitter, you probably noticed some increased postings on my part. I have changed up my social media game to make both locations more enjoyable for fans. Here is my posting schedule (subject to change):

9 am: Today in #althist
11 am: New Post
2 pm: What if?
3 pm: From the archive
5: Good night

I also will occasionally post between those set times with any interesting stories or ideas I have. If you have any suggestions I would love to hear it. You can contact me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

It has been a while, but I finally have some new countries to add to my map. Welcome to our first readers from Chad and French Polynesia. I hope you guys enjoy your stay here and if you are reading this, tell us about alternate history from your countries.

And now the news...

Update: The Boleyn King by Laura Anderson

Last week saw the release of an intriguing new debut novel called The Boleyn King by Laura Anderson. Here is the description from Amazon:

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, and Showtime’s The Tudors, The Boleyn King is the first book in an enthralling trilogy that dares to imagine: What if Anne Boleyn had actually given Henry VIII a son who grew up to be king?

Just seventeen years old, Henry IX, known as William, is a king bound by the restraints of the regency yet anxious to prove himself. With the French threatening battle and the Catholics sowing the seeds of rebellion at home, William trusts only three people: his older sister Elizabeth; his best friend and loyal counselor, Dominic; and Minuette, a young orphan raised as a royal ward by William’s mother, Anne Boleyn.

Against a tide of secrets, betrayal, and murder, William finds himself fighting for the very soul of his kingdom. Then, when he and Dominic both fall in love with Minuette, romantic obsession looms over a new generation of Tudors. One among them will pay the price for a king’s desire, as a shocking twist of fate changes England’s fortunes forever.

If you are interested in learning more about Anderson, check out her interviews over at Suvudu, where she talks about writing alternate history, and over at Dawning of a Brighter Day, where she discusses among other things her LDS faith.

Update: Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis

The Milkweed Triptych by Ian Tregillis is completed, but should you read it? For those who don't know, the series is set in a universe where children manipulated by a German physician manifest paranormal powers. The Nazis make use of these meta-humans to conquer the world, forcing Britain to call on warlocks to stop them (plus there is time travel).

Yes, ASB, I know but the books have received a lot of praise. James Long at Orbit said when he first read the original submission and the rest of the trilogy that "[j]ust when you think you might have figured them out, they’ll change direction and completely shatter your expectations (my jaw dropped so many times when reading this trilogy that I attracted more than one strange look from my fellow commuters)."

Elfy at Travels Through Iest also said "Milkweed as a whole is superlative story telling and Necessary Evil is the perfect end for it." If you have read any of theses books I would love to hear from you and maybe even post a review.

More on The Confederation

A lot of people have been viewing my write up on The Confederation web series, but donations haven't been forth coming. As I write this they have only raised $50 and that is chump change compared to their $50,000 goal. Still the news is starting to spread. Friend of the blog Matt Quinn and Sherman from Other Times both wrote posts about the planned series. If you are interested in learning more about this alternate history web series, check out their website and Facebook page.

Awards Watch

Good news for some alternate history writers. The Joan Hessayon Award was presented to Liesel Schwartz for A Conspiracy of Alchemists. The finalists for the 2013 Campbell and Sturgeon Awards were also announced with Any Day Now by Terry Bisson being nominated for the Campbell award. Let us all congratulate them on their success and hope this inspires more alternate historians in the future.

Calender

May 27: Last day to see Victorian Extreme: American Fancywork and Steampunk, 1850-Now at The Bennington Museum in Bennington, VT.

June 3: Last day to fund the All Quiet on the Martian Front, Miniature Tanks vs Tripods Kickstarter, although they have already reached their goal.

June 15: Last day to see the Steampunk: Nature & Machine exhibit at the Lockwood-Mathews Mansion Museum in Norwalk, CT.

June 30: Last day (I am sensing a pattern here) to fund the Iron Sky The Coming Race Indiegogo campaign.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Counterfactual: Boston Marathon Bombings by Josephine Huetlin at Varsity.
Iraq Goes Into Saudi Arabia? With Allies? by Matt Quinn at The World According to Quinn.
Sci Friday: The History That Never Was by Tommy at BookPeople's Blog.
What are the rules of time travel in the J.J. Abrams Universe? by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.
The Yellow Prose of Texas? Secession Movement Blooms in Fiction by Miguel Bustillo at WSJ.

Book Reviews

The Iron Sea's by Meljean Brook at Falcata Times.
The Iron Wyrm Affair by Lilith Saintcrow at books!
Steampunk Magic by Gypsey Elaine Teague at Patheos.
Without a Summer by Mary Robinette Kowal at Tap Milwaukee.

Comics

Lord Of Mars – The Tarzan/John Carter Crossover, Only Dynamite Can’t Call It That by Rich Johnston at Bleeding Cool.

Films

Django Unchained: A Brief Word by Alex Kane at Amazing Stories.
DVD(s) of the Week: Seeking a Friend for the End of the World and Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter by Matt Farr at Ramblings of the Easily Distracted.

Games

Infinite Crisis video introduces the beefy steampunk butcher Gaslight Joker by John Funk at Polygon.
Just Cause Dev Talks Steampunk, 'Holy F**king S**t' Moments in Future Games by Stephen Daly at Gameranx.
Wolfenstein: New Order Announcement - Bethesda at Falcata Times.

Podcasts

Michael Panush Gets PULPED! at PULPED! The New Pulp Podcast.

Television/Web series

Elementary: Season 1, Episode 22. Risk Management at Thinking about books.
Revolution 1.17: Even Better Nanites at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
When Sliders went to paradise, it was pure hell for viewers by Rob Bricken at io9.

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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 #62

Editor's Note

Okay, lets get this out of the way:

DEADLINE FOR THE WRITING CONTEST IS JULY 18TH, WITH THE WINNING ENTRY TO BE POSTED THE FOLLOWING DAY.

Sorry about making the deadline so soon, but I just got a submission that I really liked.  Don't let that discourage you, however, from entering the competition.  I look forward to reading all the works submitted to the contest and you just might never know what will amuse me.

This week we will have new editions of the Art of Steampunk and New Releases.  I also promise to post about the new book on my reading list and the review of The Houdini Specter by Daniel Stashower.  I have to apologize again in this post for not publishing those posts last week.  The 4th of July holiday really screwed up my week.

We just reached 50 Google followers.  Awesome!  This blog has grown by leaps and bounds and I look forward to seeing where it takes me next year.

O, one more thing.  I have entered Weekly Update in the Underground Book Reviews' Battle of the Book Review Blogs. Voting will begin on Friday, August 3rd and close Monday, September 3rd.  I will announce when voting begins so you do not forget.  Just remember to vote early (and often).

And now the news...

Things to do

Trying a new timeline format for this segment:

7/2-8/1: See Shakespeare's Tempest done by Festival 56 with a steampunk twist in Princeton, IL.

7/5-10/27: Check out the production of The Pirates of Penzance, a whimsical steampunk play currently playing in Detroit, MI.

7/14: Author Terry Bisson will be reading his 60's radical alternative history Any Day Now at the Dimond Branch of the Oakland Public Library.

7/30-8/5: Sherlock Holmes Week!  Check out the official website for local events and while you are at it, enter the Steampunk Holmes competition.

10/5-10/7: OctopodiCon 2012 is a steampunk convention with an academic bent to be held in Oklahoma City, OK.  Those interested in going can also check out their Kickstarter campaign.

Have fun!

Sierra Zulu

What if there was one last Soviet republic that refused to fold after the fall of the USSR?  That is the story of the upcoming "dark political sci-fi action comedy" film Sierra Zulu.  Here is the description from their Kickstarter page:

A ragtag UN peacekeeping force operates a small camp guarding the no-man’s-land between Austria and the tiny agrarian microstate Soviet Unterzoegersdorf, the last existing bastion of the defunct Soviet Union. When an explosion occurs deep inside Soviet territory, the team is dragged into a bizarre conspiracy of industrial espionage, media madness and political intrigue. The knowledge economy? It’s about to get blown sky high...

An interesting story with a Catch-22 feel.  Here is hoping they get the funds necessary to maker their film

Update: Chris Nuttall

Friend of the blog Chris Nuttall announced that fans could read a prequel short story to his upcoming Elsewhen Press title The Royal Sorceress called "Letter from America".  Go check it out and while you are waiting for his next work to be published, subscribe to his blog and see what other ideas he has rattling around in his brain.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Steampunk drives new science fiction genre by Casey Phillips at Times Free Press.

Books

Dutch native's alternate-history book brings him to Chillicothe time and again by David Berman at Chillicothe Gazette.

Review of 1632 by Eric Flint done by C.A. Jacobs.

Review of Dark North by Paul Finch at Thinking About Books.

Review of The Janus Affair by Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris by Elfy at Travels Through Iest.

Stephen Carter’s ‘Impeachment of Abraham Lincoln’: Mystery and alternate history by Ron Charles at The Washington Post.

Top 10 Steampunk Books Of 2011 by Steampunk at Buzz Feed.

Films

Movie Review: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter done by Gloria Oliver at Unveiling the Fantastic.

Skyship Chronicles: St. Pete Gets Steampunked by Joe Castagna at I Love the 'Burg.

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