Weekly Update #105

Editor's Note

Good news everyone, the Double-Blind What If Writing Contest begins this week. The first submission will be published this Wednesday. We have some great entries for this one, but there is still time for you to join. Send you submissions to ahwupdate at gmail dot com. I look forward to reading them.

Another announcement, Once Upon a Clockwork Tale has finally been published. You can now read my short story "The Enchanted Bean". I can't really express how happy I am to finally cross out a major goal on my bucket list. It has been a great experience and I can't wait to see what the future holds.

And now the news...

The Confederation has a new Kickstarter

A couple of weeks ago I introduced you guys to a Kickstarter for the planned web series The Confederation. It is set during an alternate 1960's in a world where the South won the American Civil War. The story follows a squad of Confederate female snipers fighting in the Cuban War and a group of former slaves. You can check out the trailer here.

It got a lot a buzz around the AH blogger sphere, but everyone was in agreement that there asking price of $50,000 was a bit steep. Well the folks behind The Confederation have a new Kickstarter and they are now asking for more reasonable $2500. Go and back it before it is too late.

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods Released

The expansion Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods was released last week. This is the fourth expansion to Crusader Kings II, the critically praised strategy/RPG, which enables you to play as a Pagan, with particular focus on the Vikings, and features a delicious blend of war and pillaging with a dash of ruthless brutality thrown in for good measure. See the trailer below:

In The Old Gods, the medieval soap opera now extends the timeline by 200 years, all the way back to 867 AD, allowing bearded heathens to storm the fine cities of Europe. Gamers will soon have most of Europe out for their blood after they have stormed ashore with gigantic axes in their hands.

Three additional DLC packs have also been released;
• Norse Unit Pack DLC
• Norse Portraits DLC
• Hymns to The Old Gods DLC

LoneStarCon Rates Announced

LoneStarCon 3 recently confirmed its Day Admission rates. Day Admissions will be available for purchase by postal mail and at various conventions from Saturday, June 1, 2013, and online via the LoneStarCon 3 website from mid-June, 2013.

Day Admissions are priced according to the day being purchased and the age and status of the purchaser. Quoted figures are for the five days of the convention, from Thursday, August 29, through Monday, September 2, 2013.

Adult           $50 / $75 / $75 / $75 / $30
Military        $30 / $40 / $40 / $40 / $20
Young Adult     $30 / $40 / $40 / $40 / $20
Child           $15 / $25 / $25 / $25 / $10

Day Admissions give access to all aspects of the convention including programming, exhibits, and special events. This includes the featured Masquerade, scheduled for the evening of Saturday, August 31, and the prestigious Hugo Awards Ceremony, scheduled for the evening of Sunday, September 1, 2013. The current membership rates are good through Wednesday, July 31, 2013.

Calender

Only two things to mention. First, fans of the goggles and corsets should check out the list of steampunk events for the month of June compiled by the good folks at Tor.com. Finally, for our fans in the UK, you might want to save the date for the Nine Worlds Convention on August 9-11.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Counterfactual Croydon: Croydon’s Atmospheric Railway by Tom Black at The Croydon Citizen.
History Matters: Counterfactual Conjectures on the Marriage of Edward IV at Helen Rae Rants!
INCEPTIO is a Book on the Underground at Alison Morton's Roma Nova.
Oh, Those Crazy Modern Victorians: Or What the Heck Is Steampunk? by Geri Jeter at California Literary Review.
Steampunk as art therapy for the autistic by Taryn Plumb at The Boston Globe.
The Time Traveling Physicist by Elisabeth Sherman at Tor.com.

Book Reviews

Born Wicked by Jessica Spotswood at The Book Hookup.
Hard Magic by Larry Correia at Travels Through Iest.
Mechanized Masterpieces edited by Penny Freeman at Steampunk Scholar.
Short Fiction Friday: Two “Wild Cards” Stories From Tor.com by Carl V. Anderson at SF Signal.
Tin Swift by Devon Monk at books!
The Wind Whales of Ishmael by Phillip José Farmer at Fantasy Matters.

Comics

Amala’s Blade #2 Review at JTF.

Games

‘OZombie’ Mixes Steampunk, Zombies And The Wizard Of Oz by Adam Dodd at Bloody Disgusting.
Project Ravensdale Revealed by Matrarch at True Achievements.
Snail Games Showing Steam Punk MMO at E3, Black Gold by Robert Bernstein at Den of Geek!
Tower Wars Wants You To Play Steampunk Style Defense And Offense For Less Than Five Bucks On Your Mac by Rob LeFebvre at Cult of Mac.

Interviews

Aaron Sikes at SF Signal.

Films

Shyamalan's new film is a huge disappointment (because it's not awful) by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.
Storyboards reveal the amazing Star Wars prequel you never saw by Meredith Woerner at io9.

Television

Doctor Who: An Alternative History of 11 American Female Doctors by Jef With One F at Houston Press.
Revolution 1.19: Cheney's Bunker at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. His new story "The Enchanted Bean" can be found in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale from Echelon Press. 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.

* * *

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.

The Confederat​ion Web Series Kickstarte​r

An intriguing new Kickstarter called The Confederation has caught my attention. It is a proposed web series set during the 1960's in a world where the South won the American Civil War. The story follows a squad of Confederate female snipers fighting in the Cuban War and a group of former slaves. You can check out the trailer here.

The point of divergence for this timeline is the Battle of Puebla in Mexico, May 5th 1862. In our timeline, the Mexicans win the battle, but in The Confederation timeline, the French win the battle, setting off a chain reaction that unintentionally alters the course of the American Civil War. The producers picked Puebla because it had, at least on the face of it, no influential role in the outcome of the American Civil War. They are firm believers in the butterfly effect, which is refreshing.

The producers hope to raise funds in order to produce the first season of the series and they are asking for $50k, which will be used to cover costs involved with creating and distributing the series, including travel and lodging expenses, paying the cast and crew, location fees, advertisements and equipment.

They plan to create at least eight episodes that will be distributed on Blip.tv, which is home to shows like  Red vs Blue. Each episode will be between 10 to 15 minutes long. The series will be in black and white, but will have some items (ex. flags) in color, similar to the style of Robert Rodriguez's Sin City or Gary Ross' Pleasantville.

$50k certainly sounds like an ambitious goal, but I am curious to see this web series get made. With so much alternate history television being made in the UK, it would be nice to watch a show that us Yanks can access. Good luck to the producers and as for the rest of you, go check out their Kickstarter.

* * *

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.

Review: The Confederation Part 1 by Devin Nuhfer

I have been burned by self-published alternate histories before. Bad cover photo, implausibility, political bias, grammar/spelling errors and unreasonably high price. That being said, I have been pleasantly surprised on numerous occasions, Outrageous Fortunes by Steven W. White being a prime example. The Confederation: Anniversary, Part 1 by Devin Nuhfer falls somewhere in the middle.

The first part of a serial novel, the story takes place during the 1960s in a world where the Confederacy won the Civil War. Along with flashbacks and a brief background history in the beginning, we learn about this version of the CSA from Colonel James Radcliff, a war hero who made a name for himself in Cuba. Through a first-person narrative we are a shown a Confederacy that can be described as a North Korea-lite. The CSA is a police state and pariah among world nations, but has still managed to survive. As the nation celebrates its centennial, Radcliff is courted by vying political factions and witnesses growing discord among the oppressed "servant" class, the PC term for the slaves. Much of the story, however, focuses on Radcliff's experience fighting in Cuba, this timeline's Vietnam War.

I will start with the negative points since I want to end on a high note. There were many grammar/spelling errors throughout the book, highlighting a common problem among self-published authors: they either don't have their work edited or else they do not use a professional. Also, as Seb has pointed out on more than one occasion, you can judge a book by its cover in the self-publishing industry. The cover photo for The Confederation leaves much to be desired and can only hurt sales in the long-run. There are a couple implausibilities, including a type of body armor in this world that is impregnable, unless you can afford the bullets that can break through it.

Despite these issues, The Confederation is a solid dystopian story not weakened by any political bias that is often found in American Civil War alternate histories. Though most of the story is spent introducing the protagonist, you finish knowing the CSA could be on its last legs, which leaves the story open for more action-oriented sequels. With some experienced beta readers and a professional editor, Nuhfer could have an engaging novel that can be easily digested in between longer novels. Whenever Part 2 is published, I just hope a new edition of Part 1 is released correcting some of the more glaring errors I found.

* * *

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.

New Releases 8/28/12

New paperbacks

Blades of Winter: A Novel of the Shadowstorm by G. T. Almasi

Description from Amazon.

In one of the most exciting debuts in years, G. T. Almasi has fused the intricate cat-and-mouse games of a John le Carré novel with the brash style of comic book superheroes to create a kick-ass alternate history that reimagines the Cold War as a clash of spies with biological, chemical, and technological enhancements.

Nineteen-year-old Alix Nico, a self-described “million-dollar murder machine,” is a rising star in ExOps, a covert-action agency that aggressively shields the United States from its three great enemies: the Soviet Union, Greater Germany, and the Nationalist Republic of China. Rather than risk another all-out war, the four superpowers have poured their resources into creating superspies known as Levels.

Alix is one of the hottest young American Levels. That’s no surprise: Her dad was America’s top Level before he was captured and killed eight years ago. But when an impulsive decision explodes—literally—in her face, Alix uncovers a conspiracy that pushes her to her limits and could upset the global balance of power forever.

Ring of Fire III by Eric Flint

Description from Amazon.

Let’s do the “Time Warp” again!  Another anthology of rollicking, thought-provoking collection of tales by a star-studded array of top writers such as bestseller Mercedes Lackey and Eric Flint himself – all set in Eric Flint’s phenomenal Ring of Fire series.

Rock on, Renaissance!  A cosmic accident sets the modern West Virginia town of Grantville down in war-torn seventeenth century Europe.  It will take all the gumption of the resourceful, freedom-loving up-timers to find a way to flourish in mad and bloody end of  medieval times.  Are they up for it?  You bet they are.  The third rollicking and idea-packed collection of Grantville tales edited by Eric Flint, and inspired by his now-legendary 1632.

New e-books

The Confederation: Anniversary (Part 1) by Devin Nuhfer

Description from Amazon.

April, 1961

The Confederate States of America is celebrating a century of independence. However, the Cuban War drags on while internal strife causes government officials to worry about a Servant rebellion. Through the eyes of Colonel James Radcliff, a leading Confederate intelligence officer, we catch a glimpse of this American dystopia.

A Hope for a Different Future by Molly Maguire McGill

Description by Amazon.

Molly Maguire McGill went to sleep complaining about the budget cuts and slashes to the Wisconsin education budget. When she awoke in the morning she was in second grade again. It was October of '62.

She told her parents about her nightmare, the horror of the Kennedy Assassination, Vietnam, Watergate, a president with Alzheimer's disease, rich Texas Oilmen running the country. Her mother assured her this could not happen.

Mollly then told the boy next door about her being married to him.

This nostalgic novel of a by gone day retraces Molly's life as she grows from a second grader into an adult. She meets President Kennedy, and in the process prevents Vietnam, Dallas, and a host of other sins of the past fifty years.

She also falls in love with the boy next door, courts with him, has a great romance, and marries to a parade of bagpipes.

If you like the nostalgia of the '60's, lived the experience of Levittown PA or New York, if you remember the kinky things we did as kids back in the '70s, the H.I.P.P.Y. movement, and the like you will love this novel.

Other Paths II: Further Alternate Outcomes of the Second World War by Alexander Rooksmoor

Description from Amazon.

Following on from the successful ‘Other Paths: Alternate Outcomes of the Second World War’, comes ‘Other Paths II: Further Alternate Outcomes of the Second World War’ looking at a further range of scenarios that would have altered the outcome of the Second World War as we know. Starting with the expulsion from Germany of the Austrian Adolf Hitler following his release from prison in 1924, it considers the impact of coups d’état in Austria in 1932 or 1936 and in France in 1934. It looks at a more vigorous response to the Japanese invasion of China at different stages of the 1930s and 1940s and a focus by the Japanese on conquering Soviet rather than Pacific territory. It looks at other options for Italy from not becoming an ally of Germany to successfully conquering Greece. The book also considers the implications for a different approach to appeasement and options that France could easily have taken in 1940.

‘Other Paths II’ draws on Alexander Rooksmoor’s two decades researching and teaching history and uses the analysis and debate into counter-factuals from his blog over a period of 5 years. It looks at both the detailed changes that could have occurred as well as much broader potential outcomes. This is a book that will fascinate anyone with an interest in why a central event of modern history unfolded the way it did. Fans of alternate history will find ‘Other Paths II’ a book they cannot put down and will rush to discuss once they have finished reading it.

Speculative Fiction The Ultimate Collection by David K Scholes

Description from Amazon.

CURRENTLY FREE ON KINDLE.

A collection of some 23 speculative fiction short stories including science fiction, alternate history, science fantasy and an alternate reality story.

In The Intervention a super power empire’s long search for the truth about an ancient war yields an unexpected result. The horrifying trip encountered in Dangerous Journey is not quite what it seems while in Easy Meat a powerful star fleet finds an apparent mining colony more troublesome than expected.

Rescue Mission involves the attempted rescue of a group of humans that are being deliberately transported among ever weirder alternate realities while in Hired Guns star troopers for hire rid Earth of all it’s terrorists but there is a price to pay.

In the A Greater Britain series the United Kingdom is the third super power in a very dangerous post WW II environment while in Trathh an alien prison ship crash lands on Earth.

Time Travel Adventures Of The 1800 Club: Book 8 by Robert McAuley

Description from Amazon.

Chapter 1
A LOST TICKET THAT CHANGED HISTORY
What if the Boeing Aircraft Company had never existed in the United States of America because Boeing’s father lost his ticket to America at the dock he was to leave from in Europe? One tragic outcome would be that the Boeing B-17 and B-29 would never had been built prolonging the war and the number of men and women who would never return to their homes marrying and generating Lawyers, Teachers, Artists, Engineers and many just average folk. The club realizes this and sends a club member back to get the Boeing senior’s ticket for his historic trip. However the time traveler bumps into something that he always believed to be a piece of fiction . . . until he finds it to be as real as time travel.

Chapter 2
JACK THE RIPPER
When a time probes alerts the Time Watchers that ‘Jack The Ripper’ is up to his old tricks again and his next victim is an ancestor of one of the bodyguards of President Ronald Reagan when there was an assassination attempt on his life, the club voted to act and stop him. Twist after twist leads this club member in circles before he meets The Ripper face-to-face.

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 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.