New Releases 4/19/16

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Hardcovers

The House of Daniel by Harry Turtledove

Since the Big Bubble popped in 1929, life in the United States hasn't been the same. Hotshot wizards will tell you nothing's really changed, but then again, hotshot wizards aren't looking for honest work in Enid, Oklahoma. No paying jobs at the mill, because zombies will work for nothing. The diner on Main Street is seeing hard times as well, because a lot fewer folks can afford to fly carpets in from miles away.

Jack Spivey's just another down-and-out trying to stay alive, doing a little of this and a little of that. Sometimes that means making a few bucks playing ball with the Enid Eagles, against teams from as many as two counties away. And somethimes it means roughing up rival thugs for Big Stu, the guy who calls the shots in Enid.

But one day Jack knocks on the door of the person he's supposed to "deal with"--and realizes that he's not going to do any such thing to the young lady who answers. This means he needs to get out of the reach of Big Stu, who didn't get to where he is by letting defiance go unpunished.

Then the House of Daniel comes to town--a brash band of barnstormers who'll take on any team, and whose antics never fail to entertain. Against the odds Jack secures a berth with them. Now they're off to tour an America that's as shot through with magic as it is dead broke. Jack will never be the same--nor will baseball.

Hystopia by David Means

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.

Paperbacks

Lincoln's Bodyguard: In A Heroic Act Of Bravery Saves Our Beloved President! John Wilkes Booth Killed In Act Of Treason by TJ Turner

In Lincoln’s Bodyguard, an alternative version of American history, President Lincoln is saved from assassination. Though he prophesied his own death―the only way he believed the South would truly surrender―Lincoln never accounted for the heroics of his bodyguard, Joseph Foster. A biracial mix of white and Miami Indian, Joseph makes an enemy of the South by killing John Wilkes Booth and preventing the death of the president. His wife is murdered and his daughter kidnapped, sending Joseph on a revenge-fueled rampage to recover his daughter. When his search fails, he disappears as the nation falls into a simmering insurgency instead of an end to the War. Years later, Joseph is still running from his past when he receives a letter from Lincoln pleading for help.  The President has a secret mission. Pursued from the outset, Joseph turns to the only person who might help, the woman he abandoned years earlier.  If he can win Molly over, he might just fulfill the President’s urgent request, find his daughter, and maybe even hasten the end of the War.

The Manhattan Projects Volume 6: Sun Beyond the Stars by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra

The sixth volume of the award-winning Manhattan Projects. The Sun Beyond the Stars.

Collects THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS: THE SUN BEYOND THE STARS #1-4.

Practical Applications for Multiverse Theory: A Novel by Noa Gavin and Nick Scott

Carson High School seniors Scott and Davey don’t have much common ground―that is, until all universes begin collapsing into their school. Soon, the avowed loner and the mean-girl cheerleader realize that something is very wrong, and they’re the only two who are aware of what’s happening. Demon versions of their teachers roam the halls, a cowboy sloth appears sporadically, and some students randomly burst into flames, while angry interdimensional counterparts of other students destroy everything in sight.

Now it’s up to two seniors from opposite sides of the social spectrum to defeat this scourge and save not only their high school but also the world. Armed with little more than school supplies and Scott’s trusty copy of The NEW Multiverse Theory, can these unlikely heroes put their differences aside and stop the total chaos? If they can’t, the end of the world may just be beginning.

Tainted (Soul Chronicles Series Book 1) by Morgan L Busse

What Happens When Your Soul Dies?

Kat Bloodmayne is one of the first women chosen to attend the Tower Academy of Sciences. But she carries a secret: she can twist the natural laws of science. She has no idea where this ability came from, only that every time she loses control and unleashes this power, it kills a part of her soul. If she doesn't find a cure soon, her soul will die and she will become something else entirely.

After a devastating personal loss, Stephen Grey leaves the World City Police Force to become a bounty hunter. He believes in justice and will stop at nothing to ensure criminals are caught and locked up. However, when Kat Bloodmayne shows up in his office seeking his help, his world is turned upside down.

Together they search World City and beyond for a doctor who can cure Kat. But what they discover on the way goes beyond science and into the dark sphere of magic.

E-Books

Independence Day #2 by Victor Gischler and Steve Scott

With fear and suspicion running rife aboard the sub, Adams prepares to embark the alien vessel in search of answers. But how will its extraterresterial crew react to unwanted visitors onboard?

To readers, authors and publishers...

Is your story going to be published in time for the next New Releases? Contact us at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.  We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.

* * *

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

New Releases 2/9/16

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

Hardcovers

JLA: Gods and Monsters by J.M. Dematteis

The prequel tales for the acclaimed feature film, JLA: GODS AND MONSTERS is here! In this alternate universe where Superman is Zod's son, Batman is a vampire and Wonder Woman is a descendent of New Genesis, J.M. DeMatteis and Bruce Timm take the Justice League to a new level. Featuring the trinity's origin stories that serve as prequels to the animated film!

Collects JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS - BATMAN #1-3, JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS - SUPERMAN #1-3, JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS - WONDER WOMAN #1-3 and JUSTICE LEAGUE: GODS AND MONSTERS #1-9.

The Lost Time Accidents: A Novel by John Wray

In his ambitious and fiercely inventive new novel, The Lost Time Accidents, John Wray takes us from turn-of-the-century Viennese salons buzzing with rumors about Einstein's radical new theory to the death camps of World War Two, from the golden age of postwar pulp science fiction to a startling discovery in a Manhattan apartment packed to the ceiling with artifacts of modern life.

Haunted by a failed love affair and the darkest of family secrets, Waldemar 'Waldy' Tolliver wakes one morning to discover that he has been exiled from the flow of time. The world continues to turn, and Waldy is desperate to find his way back-a journey that forces him to reckon not only with the betrayal at the heart of his doomed romance but also the legacy of his great-grandfather's fatal pursuit of the hidden nature of time itself.

Part madcap adventure, part harrowing family drama, part scientific mystery--and never less than wildly entertaining--The Lost Time Accidents is a bold and epic saga set against the greatest upheavals of the twentieth century.

The Manhattan Projects Deluxe Edition Book 2 by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra

"SCIENCE. BAD."
What if the research and development department created to produce the first atomic bomb was a front for a series of other, more unusual, programs? What if the union of a generation's brightest minds was not a signal for optimism, but foreboding? What if everything... went wrong?

Collects THE MANHATTAN PROJECTS #11-20

Paperbacks

Manifest Destiny Volume 3: Chiroptera & Carniformaves by Chris Dingess, Matthew Roberts and Stefano Gaudiano

The adventures of Lewis & Clark continue! Venturing deeper into the heartland, the expedition discovers another arch, which can only signal new trouble — and monsters — thriving in the wild. Meanwhile, Sacagawea experiences complications with her pregnancy.

Collects Manifest Destiny #13-18.

What If? Infinity by Joshua Williamson

Marvel once again poses the question, "What If...?" What if THANOS joined the AVENGERS? What if the INHUMANS took over Earth? What if the AVENGERS lost the war? What if the GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY found out the ILLUMINATI were hiding Thanos? What if NORMAN OSBORN had the INFINITY GAUNTLET?!

COLLECTING: What If? Infinity - Thanos 1, What If? Infinity - Inhumans 1, What If? Infinity - X-Men 1, What If? Infinity - Guardians Of The Galaxy 1

To readers, authors and publishers...

Is your story going to be published in time for the next New Releases? Contact us at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.  We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.

* * *

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

Review: The Manhattan Projects Vol. 1: Science Bad by Jonathan Hickman and Nick Pitarra

So I finished volume 1 of The Manhattan Projects and...what the hell did I just read?

Let's cut straight to the recap: Turns out the historical Manhattan Project and the atom bomb was just a front for the real science happening at the Manhattan Projects (the plural is important). All of the various scientists, soldiers and politicians of the era make appearances, but not as history remembers them as. For example, Robert Oppenheimer, the civilian head of the agency, is actually being impersonated by his twin brother, Joseph Oppenheimer, who killed and ate him to get his intelligence and is increasingly being controlled by his ever expanding network of multiple personalities...don't ask. You also have Leslie Groves, who is a religious zealot, Albert Einstein, who is also being impersonated by his more violent (but less intelligent) doppelganger from another timeline, Wernher von Braun, who has a robot arm, and Enrico Fermi, who is an alien pretending to be human (which I have to admit is rather clever).

I would talk about the story, but...I am not sure if there is one. A lot of stuff just happens, including uploading FDR's brain into a computer so it can form a shadow government over the United States. If there is a story I don't see it yet and the book just follows the adventures of a group of mad scientists as they slowly take over the world. It is weird, surreal and has a dark sense of humor. I also liked how they used the colors red and blue to delineate good and evil when they used flashbacks. That all being said, I can see why this isn't for everyone. It relies a lot of conspiracy theories/secret histories despite many calling The Manhattan Projects an alternate history. There are a lot of shocking developments that also don't add much to the experience besides being shocking.

Did I think it was good? Well...I finished the first volume rather quickly and I am curious about the second one. I am not sure if The Manhattan Projects is good, but I think I can say with some certainty that it wasn't bad. It was an curious piece of weird fiction and I am happy I read it, but this is certainly going to go down as an acquired taste.

Additionally, it was fun to see depictions of these famous people again in an alternate history. Perhaps the last time I personally saw any of these characters in one story together was in Turtledove's Worldwar series. In fact Groves was an important POV character for that story, but Hickman and Pitarra's take was certainly memorable, if frightening

So if you looking for something that would make an alien space bat shake their head in disbelief, I would pick up a copy of The Manhattan Projects. If you are looking for something with a more coherent story, than I would look elsewhere.

* * *

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 #45

Editor's Note

We are almost at 100 Facebook followers, just 8 more to go.  If you read the blog and use Facebook, please like our Facebook page if you have not done so already.

I hope you guys enjoyed Chris Nuttall first guest post on Weekly Update.  We will be featuring two guest posts by Chris on the next two Fridays.  We also will be featuring a guest post later this week by Tbguy1992.  He will be doing a showcase on the Napoelon's World TL that you can find on the AH Wiki.

And now the news...

Things to Do in the Real World

Alternate history is not just about reading fictional worlds or discussing them in an online forum.  There are events in the real world where you can nerd out to your heart's content.

For example, the Minnesota History Center in St. Paul will be hosting an event called "What If? Alternate History Teen & Family Day" on April 21.  Here is a brief description:

Travel back in time and imagine a new future. Explore Minnesota through the eyes of science fiction and steampunk authors, artisans, and alternate historians. And by all means, don’t forget your goggles and top hat.

Activities will include: Interactive Steampunk Mystery with SteamCentury Minnesota, Music by Bad September, Ask a Writer with Minnesota science fiction authors Kelly Barnhill, Lyda Morehouse and Kelly McCullough, Fashion Art Activity with Leonardo’s Basement, fashion models styled by Blasphemenia’s Closet and Steampunk artisans selling fashion accessories to create a more fantastic you.

Then on May 4-6, you can take a quick drive into North Dakota to attend CoreCon 2012.  S. M. Stirling (Emberverse, Draka, ISOT) will be the guest of the honor.

So don't just sit at home in front of your computer (unless it is to read AH Weekly Update).  Get out there and meet some people face to face who enjoy the same interests you do.

Submissions Wanted

I discovered a couple more opportunities to get published.

First, Chaosium  is going to publish an anthology of short stories set in Cthulhu mythos created author H. P. Lovecraft.  The anthology, with the working title of Steampunk Cthulhu, wants authors to submit stories that put Lovecraft's dark universe into a steampunk setting.  Stories should be 2000 to 8000 words in length and must be submitted by July 31st.  More information can be found at the website of one of the editors.

Second, thanks to the San Francisco Chronicle, I learned about an interesting writing contest that all hopeful SF writers should keep in mind.  It is called the "L. Ron Hubbard presents Writers of the Future".  It is a yearly short fiction contest for authors who have never been professionally published.  Works must shorter than 17000 words and submitted before September 30 to be eligible for this year's contest, or else you will have to wait longer to be judged.  More rules can be found here.

Finally, those interested in submitting to Alt Hist should take note.  Editor Mark Lord has updated the Submission Policy.  The new policy is below:

1. Must be a short piece of fiction – under 10,000 words.
2. Must be either historical fiction, alternate history, or historical fantasy.
3. Must be a well written character based story rather than an exercise in ‘what if …’
4. Must not be simultaneously submitted to another publication.
5. Must be an original work that has not been published elsewhere.

As always, good luck.

New Releases: The Manhattan Projects #1

What if the Manhattan Project was actually a cover-up for something even more dangerous then the atomic bomb?  That is the premise for the new comic series titled The Manhattan Projects which follows alternate versions of the historical people who worked on the Manhattan Project, the research program that developed atomic weapons for the United States during World War II.  Written by Jonathan Hickman and art by Nick Pitarra, the comic appears to bend real history around the mad science usually found in comics.

Will it be a hit? J. Caleb Mozzocco at Las Vegas Weekly seems to think so. He gave the first issue 4 out of 5 stars and said "[i]t’s a pretty powerful premise, almost playfully executed, and it’s suspenseful enough to leave one wanting to know what happens next—the hallmark of a good comic book series." Those looking to learn more can follow "The Multiversity Projections" which will be following and dissecting each issue.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Alternate History by onyxhawke at Agent Incite.

A Chart That Explains How Long Ago Star Wars Actually Took Place by Keith Veronese at io9. (Good article if you ever wanted Star Wars characters to interact with historical persons from Earth.)

The Shadow City : Putting the Punk Back into Steampunk by The Catastaraphone Orchestra at Steamed!

Books

The Bloody Red Baron arrives! by Titan Books.

The brilliance of speculative sci-fi by Paul Di Filippo at Salon. Includes a review of The Mirage by Matt Ruff.

Naomi Novak’s Crucible of Gold published in the US by Mark Lord at Alt Hist.

Review of 1632 by Eric Flint done by The 6th Floor.

Review of The Two Georges by Richard Dreyfuss and Harry Turtledove done by Ben Babcock at Goodreads.

Online AH

1636: The Kremlin Games Snippet 08 by Eric Flint.

Winter of '79 - Wargaming an alternate timeline of Thatcherite Britain.

* * *

Mitro is founder, editor and contributor of Alternate History Weekly Update. When he is not busy writing about his passion for alternate history, he spends his time working as a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois and dreams of being a published author himself one day.