Weekly Update #94

Editor's Note

Usually I use this space for announcements rather than editorializing, but this story caught my eye and forced me to wade into a controversial subject. To sum up, an American teacher wanted her students to understand why slavery was bad, but in an unusual manner. She asked to kids to imagine they lived in a world where slavery still existed and create posters reflecting this alternate history. People became offended after one kid made a poster featuring a reward for a runaway slave.

Personally I am siding with the teacher on this one. I have always believed counterfactuals are an excellent tool in helping truly understand the importance of historical events. As more generations are born, further separating present day humans from the events in question, it becomes easier to forget or be swayed by others who have a desire to revise how others perceive their ancestors. Furthermore, if Kevin Willmott can create a mockumentary featuring slavery in a modern day Confederacy I see no reason why others can't take from his example in teaching children about the subject.

Okay, hopefully I don't get too many angry comments.

And now the news...

Update: Clockwork Century by Cherie Priest

Cherie Priest, probably the most well-known steampunk author currently, was in the news last week. For one thing, her new novel Fiddlehead, the 5th book in her Clockwork Century, series was announced. Scheduled to come out in November, here is the synopsis from SF Signal:

Ex-spy ‘Belle Boyd’ is retired – more or less. Retired from spying on the Confederacy anyway. Her short-lived marriage to a Union navy boy cast suspicion on those Southern loyalties, so her mid-forties found her unemployed, widowed and disgraced. Until her life-changing job offer from the staunchly Union Pinkerton Detective Agency.

When she’s required to assist Abraham Lincoln himself, she has to put any old loyalties firmly aside – for a man she spied against twenty years ago.Lincoln’s friend Gideon Bardsley, colleague and ex-slave, is targeted for assassination after the young inventor made a breakthrough. Fiddlehead, Bardsley’s calculating engine, has proved an extraordinary threat threatens the civilized world. Meaning now is not the time for conflict. 

Now Bardsley and Fiddlehead are in great danger as forces conspire to keep this secret, the war moving and the money flowing. With spies from both camps gunning for her, can even the notorious Belle Boyd hold the war-hawks at bay?

In other news, David Marshall at Thinking about books reviewed her recent novel The Inexplicables. Spoiler alert, he didn't like it and described it as "terrible". Ouch, but everyone is entitled to their opinion, including Eric Brown at The Guardian who reviewed Priest's Dreadnaught and called it a "marvellous steampunk, western and horror mashup that takes time out to examine warfare, racism and gender definitions." Check out The Update's past reviews of Boneshaker and Clementine done by myself and Matthew Quinn respectively.

On a side note, Brown also reviewed James P Blaylock's The Aylesford Skull and Ian McDonald's Planesrunner so click on that article if you want to see the reviews on those novels as well.

Jim Butcher to Publish Steampunk series

Speaking of steampunk, Jim Butcher, author of The Dresden Files (wait a second, a contemporary fantasy/mystery series set in Chicago...why the hell haven't I read this yet?) will be publishing a new steampunk series for Penguin. Publisher's Weekly was the first to break the news:

Penguin Group is continuing its relationship with bestselling fantasy writer Jim Butcher. The author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera closed a seven-figure, three-book deal with his current publisher for a new series. Anne Sowards, at Roc, took world English rights to The Cinder Spires: The Aeronaut’s Windlass, and two sequels, from agent Jennifer Jackson at Donald Maass Literary...The Cinder Spires, Jackson said, is set in a world “of black spires that tower for miles over a mist-shrouded surface” and follows a war between two of the Spires: Spire Albion and Spire Aurora.

Seven figures?!?!! I need to spend more time writing...but anyway, when asked to describe his upcoming series on a Reddit AMA, Butcher said:

It’s kinda League of Extraordinary Gentlemen meets Sherlock meets Hornblower. There are goggles and airships and steam power and bizarre crystal technology and talking cats, who are horrid little bullies.

The first book still does not have a release date, but congrats to Jim and I look forward to learning more about this upcoming series in the future.

DLC with the Famed Actor’s Powerful Voice Now Available, Trailer of Many Decibels Released

Paradox Interactive  released the powerful vocal performance of Brian Blessed as an add-on for their medieval combat title War of the Roses. Players can now charge into battle with the acting legend commanding them to victory. Available as optional DLC for the game, the “BRIAN BLESSED VO” pack replaces the existing announcer with the hearty, dramatic commands of England’s greatest voice. The DLC can be purchased via Steam for $4.99.

Turn your headphones down—or up, if you like that sort of thing—and listen to BRIAN BLESSED in this newly released video:

In addition, a free demo is now available for War of the Roses, allowing any brave warrior to pledge their steel to the houses of Lancaster or York. However, demo players will not gain any prestige inside the game – nor can they enjoy the rich vocal work of BRIAN BLESSED.

Submissions Wanted

Is it just me or is it easier to find submission requests for the horror genre? First off, if you live in the Atlanta area and have horror script you a trying to sell, this Craigslist notice might interest you. Meanwhile, fans of Lovecraft or just weird fiction in general, should check out the Lovecraft eZine and their submissions page. If you need help writing your Lovecraft story, may I recommend The H.P. Lovecraft Archive, an excellent database for your favorite Rhode Islander (well Peter Griffin might be higher on the list).

Had enough horror? Check out Water Closer Press which is calling for submissions for their next issue of Ladies and Gentlemen. Also this segment is never just about writing. Do you have an alternate history web series? Than you might be interested in submitting it to the Chronos Film Fest.

As always, good luck!

Things to do

So many things to do, so little time to do it all in (and don't forget how much a plane ticket costs):

March 14-17: The run of Mr Faust and Dr Jabberwocky in South Dunedin, NZ.

March 22-25: Steampunk at the Seaside at Camber, UK.

April 5: Deadline for panel proposals for the Alternate History Track at DragonCon.

August 9-11: The Nine Worlds Geek Fest at London, UK.

Also, those thinking of going to this year's WorldCon, should check out the list of guests released last week.

Come on, go out and have fun!

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

The 10 Least Competent Time Travelers by Rob Bricken at io9.

The Age Atomic (Excerpt) by Adam Christopher at Tor.

Blog Tour - The Charge by Sharon Bayliss at Katie Teller's Stories.

Cover & Synopsis: “Hive Monkey” by Gareth L. Powell at SF Signal.

Cover & Synopsis: Lavie Tidhar Heads to Mars with His Science Fiction Mystery “Martian Sands” at SF Signal.

Fantasy as History by Joshua S Hill at Amazing Stories.

The Joy of Steampunk by Meghan B at Stellar Four.

New Takes on Fairy Tales: A Reading List by Rebecca Joines Schinsky at Book Riot.

Solaris Commission Steampunk Novel from Gaie Sebold at SF Scope.

TOC: ‘Steampunk Specs’ Edited by Allan Kaster at SF Signal.

Today at Kirkus: Steampunk Update, Part 3 – Mash-Ups and More by John DeNardo at SF Signal.

The Return of Space-Age Alternate History (SAAH III) by David S.F. Portree at Wired.

Steampunk and Clocks by M. Holly-Rosing at Steamed!

What is Gaslamp Fantasy? by Terri Windling at Tor/Forge's Blog.

Why Is the Steampunk Community So Fractured and Fractious? by Austin Sirkin at Steampunk R&D.

Book Reviews

The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke at Falcata Times.

The Wind Whales of Ishmael by Philip José Farmer at Amazing Stories.

Comics

‘Amala’s Blade’ is exciting, thought-provoking steampunk by Michael May at CBR.

Films

The Best Steampunk Movies by CDT at Squidoo.

Watch Will Smith fight neo-dinosaurs in the new trailer for After Earth by Annalee Newitz at io9.

Wonder Woman vs The Nazis by sarawestrop at Geek Syndicate.

Games

Even in BioShock Infinite’s Alternate History, America Was a Woman. But Not a Nice One by Evan Narcisse.

Nazi Zombie Army now available! by Matt Farr at Geek Syndicate.

Steampunk 'Thief' Videogame Series Gets a Reboot by Carol Pinchefsky at Forbes.

Steampunk Tower [Game Saturday] by Martin Brinkmann at ghacks.net.

Steampunk Undersea Adventure “Fathom” Surfaces on Kickstarter by Matt Farr at Geek Syndicate.

Interviews

Liesel Schwarz at The Qwillery.

Q&A with the Authors of the New Anthology “Oz Reimagined: New Tales from the Emerald City and Beyond”  (and Part 2) by Patrick Hester at SF Signal.

Podcasts

Ratchet RetroCast Episode 4 – The Disney Deluxe Retro Jumbo XL Edition at Earth Station One.

Television

Are Modern Twists on Classics the Future? by Samantha Henry at Amazing Stories.

* * *

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 #93

Editor's Note

So yeah the steampunk contest might be cancelled for this month, but you can still get a taste of automatons and bucking stuffy social mores through Echelon Press' upcoming anthology: Once Upon a Clockwork Tale. Your handsome editor (I'm talking about myself in case you are wondering) has a short story appearing in Clockwork Tale, scheduled to come out this week. All this month I will be giving you updates on the anthology, plus interviews with my fellow authors. I hope you all get a chance to read it and remember feedback is appreciated.

And now the news...

New Release: Inceptio by Alison Morton

Friend of The Update, Alison Morton (author of Sample Something a Little Alternative) celebrated the launch of her new novel last week, Inceptio. Here is a brief description from Amazon in case you missed it:

New York, present day. Karen Brown, angry and frightened after surviving a kidnap attempt, has a harsh choice - being eliminated by government enforcer Jeffery Renschman or fleeing to the mysterious Roma Nova, her dead mother's homeland in Europe. Founded sixteen centuries ago by Roman exiles and ruled by women, Roma Nova gives Karen safety and a ready-made family. But a shocking discovery about her new lover, the fascinating but arrogant special forces officer Conrad Tellus, who rescued her in America, isolates her. Renschman reaches into her new home and nearly kills her. Recovering, she is desperate to find out why he is hunting her so viciously. Unable to rely on anybody else, she undergoes intensive training, develops fighting skills and becomes an undercover cop. But crazy with bitterness at his past failures, Renschman sets a trap for her, knowing she has no choice but to spring it...

She has been working hard promoting it. You can catch excepts of it on her blog or watch the book trailer. Amazingly the book has only been available in a few markets and it is already winning awards, such as  'We've Got It Covered' competition. So congrats to Alison I certainly believe all her hard work will pay off...especially when she guest posts on The Update with an article concerning the alternate history behind her universe. In the meantime you can check out some examples of her blog tour to promote Inceptio.

Coming Soon: Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett

A recent author who has caught my attention is David Barnett, whose novel Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl is coming out later this year. Here is a description from his website:

In an alternative 1890, the British Empire’s reach and power is almost absolute, and from a technologically-advanced London where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, Queen Victoria presides over three-quarters of the known world – including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

But London might as well be a world away from Sandsend, a tiny village on the Yorkshire coast, where Gideon Smith whiles away his days fishing on his father’s clockwork gearship and dreaming of the adventure promised him by the lurid tales of Captain Lucian Trigger, the Hero of the Empire, as presented in Gideon’s favourite “penny dreadful” periodical, World Marvels & Wonders.

When Gideon’s father is lost at sea in highly mysterious circumstances, Gideon is convinced that supernatural forces are at work. The writer Bram Stoker, holidaying in nearby Whitby, fears that a vampire from Transylvania is abroad on English soil, but is the dark agency that killed Arthur Smith and his crew even more ancient and foul – murderous, mummified creatures from the shifting sands of Egypt?

Deciding only Captain Lucian Trigger himself can aid him in his search for answers, Gideon sets off for London, and on the way rescues the mysterious mechanical girl Maria from a tumbledown house of shadows and iniquities.

Looking for heroes but finding only mysteries and unanswered questions, it falls to Gideon Smith to step up to the plate and attempt to save the day… but can a humble fisherman really become the true Hero of the Empire?

The novel has already gained the attention of major SF blogs like the award-winning SF Signal. I feel Barnett is someone we all need to check out.

The Relaunched AH.com Podcast

Another contributor to The Update has a new project. Junior Editor Jake Schenberg, author of Alternative Elections: 1844, has revitalized the AH.com podcast. You can listen to the first episode on YouTube:

Submissions Wanted

FYI, the submission period for The Alchemy Press Books Of ... Astrologica, Pulp Heroes 2 and Urban Mythic ends on 31st March 2013. Meanwhile, PodCastle is also looking for "science fantasy" submissions (sorry, not many details to report other than what you see here).

So get moving and if you need any help writing check out Suzanne Lazear's article on sounding steampunk and Juliette Wade article on creating alternate social and cultural norms in a fictional world.

As always good luck.

Things to do

Only two big events to announce:

March 4-9, 2013: Steampunk version of the Tempest in Fairfax, NZ.

March 10, 2013: Wild Wild West Con II Steampunk Convention in Tuscon, AZ.

May 8-11, 2014: World Horror Convention will be held in Portland, OR. Boo!

And because I am lazy and don't want to write all of this out, go check out Tor's list of steampunk events in the month of March.

Have fun!

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

23 State Mottos (Revised for Statistical Accuracy) at Cracked.

Doors to Anywhere by Norman Spinrad at Asimov's Science Fiction.

Embracing the Impossible: The Fantastical Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Rajan Khanna at Lit Reactor.

Feature: Galen Dara on Illustrating Oz at Oz Reimagined.

FREE EXCERPT: “The Mongoliad: Book Three” by John DeNardo at SF Signal.

Historical Jenga by Steve Newman at Foyles.

Steamfunk by Ray Dean at Steamed!

TOC: ‘Tales of the Wold Newton Universe’ edited by Win Scott Eckert and Christopher Paul Carey at Sf Signal.

Book Reviews

Automatic Woman by Nathan L. Yocum at Thinking about books.

The Coldest War by Ian Tregillis at Falcata Times.

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger at Falcata Times.

Night & Demons by David Drake at Thinking about books.

Sharon Gosling's top 10 children's steampunk books at The Guardian.

Films

Malcolm McDowell straps on a steampunk eyepatch for Cowboys & Engines by Meredith Woerner at io9.

Oscars in an Alternate Universe Where the Academy Loves Sci-Fi by Anna Pinkert at Spin Off Online.

Games

10 Greatest Science Fiction Board Games of All Time by Katharine Trendacosta at io9.

Revitalized Steampunk Saga Edge of Twilight Starts on iOS by Mike Fahey at Kotaku.

Steampunk Cthulhu Playing Cards by Robert C Kalajian Jr at Purple Pawn.

Steampunk Fathom gets Kickstarted by Paul Younger at Inc Gamers.

Interviews

Seleste DeLaney by Steampunk Scholar.

Podcasts

Steampunk R&D Podcast 06: Thomas Willeford Behind the Scenes of Steampunk Reality Television by Austin Sirkin at Steampunk R&D.

Television

Alternate history Sixth Gun finds its Becky by CB Droege at TG Daily.

JJ Abrams is coming back to the small screen by Samantha Henry at Amazing Stories.

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 17 at Thinking about books.

* * *

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 #92

Editor's Note

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

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

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

And now the news...

Coming Soon: Gideon's Angel by Clifford Beal

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

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

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

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

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

Update: Chris Nuttall

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

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

Update: The Afrika Reich by Guy Saville

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Portlandia Goes Steampunk

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

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

Submissions Wanted

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

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

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

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

Things to do

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

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

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

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

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

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

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

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

Clockwork Mafia Cover Reveal by Suzanne Lazear at Steamed!

Cover Reveal - ODD MEN OUT by TK Toppin.

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

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

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

Is this period? by Cindy Spencer Pape at Steamed!

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

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

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

Steampunk Romance: Resources & Books at SFR Brigade.

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

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

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

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

Book/Story Reviews

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

Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis at The Ranting Dragon.

Bronze Summer by Stephen Baxter at Thinking about books.

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

Homunculus by James P Blaylock at Falcata Times.

Once Upon a Time Machine at Kirkus Reviews.

Society of Steam Trilogy at Black Gate.

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

Comics

Review of The Manhattan Projects #9 at Geek Syndicate.

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

Films

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

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

Rhoda Uxbridge and The Multiverse by Inappropriate Factory at Kickstarter.

Games

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

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

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

Television

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

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

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

Interviews

Kevin J. Anderson at AISFP.

Gail Carriger at Lytherus.

Genevieve Valentine at Lightspeed Magazine.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Were-Traveler. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the inevitable zombie apocalypse. You can follow him on Facebook or Twitter.

Weekly Update #91

Editor's Note

Woot! Another mention on SF Signal for my work on Amazing Stories. Okay that is enough shameless self-promotion.

Don't forget everyone, we are still accepting original fiction, essays and reviews dealing with the Balkanize Me trope of alternate history. I will be posting the next entry later this week so stay tuned. Also there is still time to send in your submissions for the steampunk writing contest in March. I look forward to reading your submissions.

New reader from the Bahamas, welcome! Why is there terrible weather in Chicago every time I have to welcome a new reader from a tropical country?

And now the news...

Star Trek & Dr. Who Fans Might Collide with a Bang! Theoretically of Course

Remember when I said I was through with the shameless self-promotion? Yeah not exactly.

Amazing Stories is pleased to announce their first piece of new fiction, and a graphic story to boot!  But wait, it gets even better!

Several weeks ago David Gerrold (yes, the Tribbles guy*) announced on Facebook that he’d written a comic book script that had become orphaned through no fault of its own.  Amazing Stories jumped on this potential opportunity and obtained a copy of the script for review.

Unbelievably hilarious.  Totally nerdy.

From the opening panel to the very last David Gerrold has spun a tale of historic, inside jokiness and has extended that joke to encompass contemporary fare.

Arrangements were made for Amazing Stories to publish the story and, in conjunction with David’s DG Publishing imprint, produce a limited dead-tree edition. Several comic artists were approached for the honor and Troy Boyle has been given the go-ahead.  Troy has already begun preliminary character sketches and page layouts.

Amazing Stories will be publishing a few teaser excerpts from the script, as well as some of Troy’s preliminary artwork here over the next few weeks.

What is it about?  Let’s just say that Star Trek fans and Dr. Who fans (or should that be Dr. Who fans and Star Trek fans?) are going to have something to talk about for at least the next century.  And yes, there are Tribbles in there too.  Soft Tribbles.  Warm Tribbles.  Tribbles no one would want to Exterminate.

This Friday Amazing Stories will be releasing a few of Troy’s illustrations and a few scenes from David’s script, so mark it on your calendars and don’t miss a single reveal as we all work our way towards publication!

The script will appear here exclusively on Amazing Stories and will also be made available in a limited print edition that will be available from the Experimenter Publishing Company and DG Publishing.

So if you guys liked Assimilation, I highly recommend you check out what Amazing Stories has in stores for you this Friday. Plus you never know if another major franchise might make an appearance...

Update: The Queen is Dead by Kate Locke

The newest edition to the Immortal Empire series was released last week, but here is the description in case you missed it:

When her brother Val gets in over his head in an investigation of Half-Blood disappearances and goes missing himself, it's up to Xandra, newly crowned Goblin Queen, to get him back and bring the atrocities to light. Xandra must frequent the seediest parts of London, while also coping with what she is, the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who wants her head. Add this to a being a suspect in a murder investigation, a werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy, and Xandra barely knows which way is up. One thing she does know is that she's already lost one sibling, she's not about to lose another. 

Xandra Varden is the newly crowned Goblin Queen of England. But her complicated life is by no means over. 

There are the political factions vying for her favor, and the all too-close scrutiny of Queen Victoria, who for some reason wants her head. Not to mention her werewolf boyfriend with demands of his own, and a mother hell bent on destroying the monarchy. Now she's the suspect in a murder investigation --- and Xandra barely knows which way is up. 

What she does know is that nothing lasts forever---and immortality isn't all its cracked up to be.

If you want to get more background information on the Immortal Empire universe check out Locke's description of the world on RT Book Reviews and see a brief timeline of important events she posted at Orbit Books.

Update: Lavie Tidhar

Do you know who Lavie Tidhar is? Well you should. This award-winning, alternate history author has made quite a name from himself. Here is a brief bio:

Lavie Tidhar grew up on a kibbutz in Israel and has since lived in South Africa, the UK, Vanuatu and Laos. He is currently residing back in London. He won the World Fantasy Award in 2012 for Best Novel, for Osama, and the British Fantasy Award 2012 for Best Novella, for Gorel & The Pot-Bellied God. He was nominated, variously, a BSFA Award, a Sidewise Award, Israel’s Geffen Award, the Airship Award, and the Sturgeon and Campbell Awards.

That bio is from Every Read Thing where you can also check out their interview with Lavie where they discuss his series The Bookman Histories and winning the World Fantasy Award for Osama. You can also check out his interview on SF Signal where Lavie is promoting the World SF Travel Fund.

Paradox News

Got a whole heaping helping of news for grand strategy gamers. Let's start with the unstoppable pagan armies!

Paradox Interactive and Paradox Development Studio, announced the new expansion to the world of Crusader Kings II titled Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods. The new expansion will add a number of widely requested features to the game, including the ability to play as a Pagan or Zoroastrian ruler, expanding empires through war, pillaging, and ruthless brutality. Players will also be able to begin their in-game reign as far back as the year 867 AD, making The Old Gods officially the Paradox title that spans the longest period in history.

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods lets players step into the boots of a pagan chieftain, approaching the brutal backstabbing world of Crusader Kings through invasion, adventure, and holy war. Other features include rebels being led by defined characters with specific agendas, adventurers, heathens, prepared invasion and a new AI.

Crusader Kings II: The Old Gods is scheduled to release in Q2 2013. Watch the announcement teaser trailer below:

Next we have Heart of Darkness, the second expansion for Paradox Development Studios’ Victoria II, a detailed political/economic simulation of the Victorian Age, an era of rapid transformation of technology, politics and business.

Heart of Darkness, as its name suggests, focuses on the Scramble for Africa, the late 19th century rush for newly discovered wealth and land in a continent whose interior had been mostly free from European domination.

The upcoming expansion also introduces a new diplomatic event, International Crises, where the colliding desires of rival empires get settled by Great Power mediation and where smaller powers can manipulate their friends to support their own local ambitions. Other features include a new naval system with greater detail in battles, including gun ranges and positioning, and more types of ships to bridge the gap between ironclads and dreadnoughts. There will also be a newspaper system will allow you to track all the most important events in your world instead of relying on the game log.

Victoria II: Heart of Darkness is scheduled for release in March 2013. Finally we end this segment with a host of new trailers starting with March of Eagles:

And Europa Universalis IV:

Try to get some sunlight guys.

Submissions Wanted

Need more opportunities to get published?

First, I have two publishers looking for flash fiction submissions. Fan of our favorite cephalopod should check out Whispers From the Abyss, a Lovecraftian flash fiction anthology open for submission until May 30. Stories should not be longer than 2500 words.

Next we have the Teleport Us writing contest over at Lit Reactor. They are looking for stories between 1500-4000 words with a dystopic/utopian setting and featuring plausible technology and non-human characters. You will have to hurry, however, as the submission period ends at the end of February.

Those with longer works should check out Farther Books. This SF publisher is looking for completed manuscripts. Full guidelines can be found here.

As always, good luck.

Things to do

Remind me when I get the time to sit down and make a calender for all of these events I mention. In the meantime, here are some more alternate history inspired things to do:

March 4: CON NOOGA, Chattanooga's first and only Multi-Fandom (Multiple Genre) Convention.

March 8-10: FOGcon, a literary-themed SF/F con in the San Francisco Bay Area.

March 9: Alan Moore & Kevin O’Neill will be at Gosh! Comics to promote the new League of Extraordinary Gentlemen book.

August 23: NecronomiCon. the Lovecraft convention, in Providence, RI. Tickets are now on sale.

If you need more idea check out the SF Signal Podcast where Patrick Hester talks about upcoming SF conventions with a panel of prominent female SF authors.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

Five Ways an Automaton Gunslinger Can Improve Your Quality of Life by Heather Massey at SF Signal.

6 Scrumptious Steampunk Romance Heroes by Suzanne Lazear at Steamed!

1984: George Orwell's road to dystopia by David Aaronovitch at BBC.

Jules Verne’s Love of Adventure Took Us From the Center of the Earth to the Surface of the Moon at Tor.

Pulp Heroes now on Kindle at Alchemy Press.

Steampunk Update, Part 1 - Following Up by John DeNardo at Kirkus.

Time Travel Novels Worth Reading by John DeNardo at SF Signal.

When I Want Time Travel by Michael A. Burstein at Mabfan's Musings.

Book Reviews

The Aylesford Skull by James P. Blaylock at Dab of Darkness.

A Collection of Steampunk Reviews, Part II: Gears Engaged by James Floyd Kelly at Wired.

A Conspiracy of Alchemists by Liesel Schwartz at Falcata Times.

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde at Wilder's Book Review.

The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress at Steampunk Scholar.

The Warlord of the Air by Michael Moorcock at TG Daily.

Films

Laika Plan Stop-Motion And CG For “Dickens Meets Monty Python” Steampunk Fantasy, The Boxtrolls by Brendon Connelly at Bleeding Cool.

Review of Midnight in Paris done by Paul Levinson.

Interviews

Gail Carriger at My Bookish Ways.

Ian Tregillis in conversation with Charlie Stross on The Laundry Files at Orbit.

Kim Harrison at BookPeople's Blog.

Robert G. Pielke at The Bibliophilic Book Blog.

Cherie Priest (plus an excerpt from The Inexplicables) at Tor.

Jeff Provine at School of Ages.

Podcasts

Dissecting Worlds Series 7: Alternative Histories Conclusions at Geek Syndicate.

The SF Signal Podcast (Episode 176): Interview with Mary Robinette Kowal at SF Signal.

Television

Key Art for Starz’s Upcoming Da Vinci’s Demons Revealed by Sharlene Mousfar at Geek Syndicate.

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 14. The Deductionist at Thinking about books.

Supernatural Sixth Gun headed to NBC by CB Droege at TG Daily.

* * *

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 #90

Editor's Note

The streak is over...for now. The Update, I am sad to admit, did not break its monthly page view record in January. Our final count was 14,947, roughly 600 page views less than last month's record of 15,515. I am actually disappointed, since we have managed to break our monthly record 8 times in a row. Still I am not surprised. Last month with my new job and my writing responsibilities over at Amazing Stories, I have not exactly been prolific over here at The Update. In fact last month had the third least amount of content in the blog's existence. I think, however, that will all change this month. I have established a new routine and I have found more time for writing. Hopefully you will all enjoy the result.

Speaking of Amazing Stories, I have some great news to report from that front, if you can all be patient for some shameless self-promotion. My essay on DBWIs entitled Dissecting Our Present: How SF Can Highlight Our Historical Bias has been a huge success. Not only did it get linked to on the Hugo-award winning SF Signal, it also was the second most viewed article on Amazing Stories last week. The one downside to this great news is that it hasn't equaled increased page views for The Update as I hoped, but for anyone who discovered this blog through Amazing Stories I bid you welcome.

Don't forget everyone, this month we are requesting original fiction, essays and reviews dealing with the Balkanize Me trope of alternate history. There is still time to send in your submissions for this contest and the recently announced steampunk writing contest in March. I look forward to reading your submissions.

And now the news...

Update: Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger

Tomorrow Gail Carriger's new novel Etiquette & Espionage comes out, the first book of her new Finishing School. According to SF Signal, it is tied to her Parasol Protectorate series, which began with her award-winning novel Soulless. If you can't wait until tomorrow to read the book, you can read an excerpt from the novel over at Tor.com or watch the book trailer below:

Meanwhile, if you would like to peek at the gears inside Gail's head, read her answer to the questions: "What genre novels would benefit from a re-branding as Young Adult?" and "Which YA novels should not be branded as such?"

Bioshock Infinite Trailers

Two new Bioshock Infinite trailers were released last week. The first is made to look like a fake documentary:

Critical Failure likens the trailer to the "crappy old eight millimeter movies you had to watch in school", but questions how this alternate history could somehow miss a floating sky city that intervenes in foreign events. Still people seem excited about the game as Geek O System said, as long as "gameplay can keep pace with what looks to be a pretty cool premise replete with all the headscrewing detail and grey area morality" it should be a good game.

And finally the last trailer. Sorry no commentary, just watch:

War of the Roses Separates the Royals from the Rabble in New “Kingmaker” Edition

Paradox Interactive, a publisher of games and a seeker of the throne, and Fatshark, valiant knights trapped in the modern era, today announced War of the Roses: Kingmaker, a gold edition of the game which allows aspiring knights a clear path to the throne by including all the top-notch weapons, armor, and perks that have been released since the title’s inception in October 2012. The new edition will be available in late Q1 2013.

In War of the Roses: Kingmaker, loyalists to the house of York or Lancaster will now have access to the content available since release, including the previously exclusive armor sets for both the red and white rose. Kingmaker will also introduce two new game modes—Assault and Assault Castle—where knights will face new attack and defense scenarios that aim to truly test their skill as a team.

A free trial version of War of the Roses is also planned for release February 6, which will allow anyone to download and play the game without cost. The trial version will include access to all online battles, enabling aspiring warriors to fight alongside all existing players – paid or trial. The trial version will limit players by disallowing any unlocks, giving access only to the game’s base classes and weapons, giving trial players a chance to live true knighthood.

In addition, Paradox will soon release a new premium DLC for War of the Roses, starring famously boisterous British actor Brian Blessed as a new narrator for the game. Blessed’s booming voice will inspire knights by announcing in-game events and warnings, giving new meaning to the iconic command to “Kill the enemy!”

On top of all of these new editions, all versions of War of the Roses are scheduled to receive new content in the form of the new “Outside the Law” update, which will add an all new deep forest map to the game’s selection, along with armor pieces Robin of Loxley would be proud of.

Things to do

Big list of upcoming events to check out. First off, go to Tor if you want to see the list of steampunk-themed events you can attend (there are too many, I'm not going to list them all out here). For some events, however, that might not be on Tor's, there is the steampunk/dark comedy LoveSick playing at the LOFT Ensemble in Los Angeles, CA on Feb 24th and WarmStreets of Lynchburg, VA is putting on Steampunk/SF art show in April (and they are still looking for submissions) for charity.

In other news, the Historical Novel Society has released their schedule for their 2013 conference in St. Petersburg, Florida (June 21-23).

Have fun!

Submitting a Novel to Tor UK

Probably the biggest news story for aspiring authors is the announcement that Tor UKwill be accepting unsolicited e-submissions. So if you have a SF, fantasy or horror manuscript 95,000 to 150,000 words in length you can send it to TorUKSubmissions at macmillan dot com. More information about sending submissions can be found at the Tor UK blog.

Good luck...and if your alternate history story gets published by them, why not send it our way for a review?

Links to the Multiverse

Article

Airships, Vampires, Werewolves, Zombies: The Devil's Harvest by @ScottWhitmore at The Masquerade Crew.

BVC Announces His Majesty’s Elephant by Judith Tarr at Book View Cafe.

Cover & Synopsis: “The Mad Goblin” by Philip José Farmer at SF Signal.

Dr. Quincy Erasmus Quartermain is entered into the Steampunk Museum.

Gareth L. Powell to sequelize Ack-Ack Macaque for Solaris at SF Scope.

High-tech cargo airship being built in California by Raquel Maria Dillon at Yahoo.

Is Steampunk Really Going to Become More Popular, or Has It Already Peaked? by Austin Sirkin at Steampunk R&D.

New Trilogy from Charles Stross Coming Soon! at Tor.com.

Steampunk and Retro-Futurism: Three Anthologies and Three Approaches by Larry Nolen at The OF Blog.

Vanished Kingdoms: Rusyn, Erie, Tsernagora and CCCP by Oldcat at Kilobooks.

A World Without Alex Rodriguez: The Retconning of the New York Yankees by Mike Bates at SB Nation.

Book Reviews

The Aylesford Skull by James P. Baylock at The Geek Syndicate.

Dead Iron by Devon Monk at Steampunk Scholar.

Ever After by Kim Harrison at SF Signal.

Ha’Penny and Half a Crown by Jo Walton at Things Mean A Lot.

The Merchant of Dreams by Anne Lyle at Travels Through Iest.

Space Eldritch at Amazing Stories.

Comics

Behind the Scenes of Nick Abadzis’ LAIKA by Mark Siegel at First Second.

Films

What if The Hobbit had not become a cult book? by PJ Hammans at The Hobbit Movie.

Game

Cryamore, Steampunk ARPG Successfully Funded On Kickstarter by  William Usher at Gaming Blend.

Interview

Paul Levison at Patrick Satters.

Harry Turtledove at The Mad Scientist's Guide to World Domination.

Television

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 13 at Thinking about books.

* * *

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.