Weekly Update #248! What I Am Reading Now...

Editor's Note

So I have been sick with a cold for the last few days (I guess this is what I get for turning down a free flu vaccine from my work). I did have brief moment on Saturday where I felt well enough to go outside and do some apple picking, but as I write this on Sunday I am sitting next to an overflowing garbage can full of my used tissues. Even Alana is afraid to kiss me. So my apologies if I don't have much to post this week. I also need to post a video soon, but until I get my voice back it may be a while.

Don't forget to check out Map Monday: Different Ottoman Partition by Panhomo and my review of Prince of Outcasts by SM Stirling, which has revitalized the Emberverse series in my humble opinion. Also don't forget to buy your books through our Amazon banner. May I recommend last week's new releases or some of the books I will be mentioning below?

Also I don't think I will be posting a Flag Friday this week. I didn't find anything interesting to talk about from last week's crop of flags. Still if there are any intrepid alternate vexillologists out there who want to showcase their work, send a submission to ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

And now the news...

What I am reading now...

So my next review will be the first Casefile: ARKHAM book, titled "Nightmare on the Canvas", which is perfect with Halloween season being upon us. Here is the description from Amazon:

What if Raymond Chandler wrote Lovecraft stories? Set in the mid-1940s, Casefile: ARKHAM follows Hank Flynn, a down on his luck private eye who is back from the war and now working the mean streets of the most cursed city on Earth Arkham, Massachusetts. And things only get worse for Flynn when a wealthy uptown socialite hires him to track down an artist by the name of Pickman. What begins as a simple missing persons case leads Flynn down a dark path of flesh eating ghouls, vengeful witches, and the notorious Innsmouth mafia.

The book I am currently reading, however, is King of Worlds by M. Thomas Gammarino, which can best be described as a 90s nostalgia trip set in the near future of an alternate history where humans have started colonizing the galaxy. So far its good, but a little sad. Here is the description from Amazon:

This dark comedy explores the lost universes of disgraced idol Dylan Greenyears. Dylan had always wanted to live as many lives as he could--that was the appeal of being an actor. But at the end of a brief, bright stint as a Hollywood heartthrob, Dylan loses the lead in Titanic and exiles himself and his wife to a recently settled exoplanet called New Taiwan.

At first, life beyond Earth seems uncannily un-wondrous. Dylan teaches at an American prep school, raises a family with his high school sweetheart, and lives out his restlessness through literature. But then a box of old fan mail (and the hint of a galaxy-wide conspiracy) offers Dylan a chance to recapture the past. As he tries to balance this transdimensional midlife crisis against family life, Dylan encounters a cast of extraordinary characters: a supercomputer with aspirations of godhood, a Mormon-fundamentalist superfan, an old-school psychoanalyst, a sampling of his alternate selves, and, once again, the love of his lives.

King of the Worlds throws cosmology, technology, nineties pop culture, and religion into an existential blender for a mix that is by turns tragic and absurd, elegiac and filled with wonder.

Next up is a book I have already read, but I am going to be jointly reviewing it with Alana on the channel. Its Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany. Believe or not, there is some alternate history in this book, in the It's A Wonderful Life variety. Anyway, here is the description from Amazon:

"The Eighth Story. Nineteen Years Later.

Based on an original new story by J.K. Rowling, Jack Thorne and John Tiffany, a new play by Jack Thorne, Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is the eighth story in the Harry Potter series and the first official Harry Potter story to be presented on stage. The play will receive its world premiere in London’s West End on July 30, 2016.

It was always difficult being Harry Potter and it isn’t much easier now that he is an overworked employee of the Ministry of Magic, a husband and father of three school-age children.

While Harry grapples with a past that refuses to stay where it belongs, his youngest son Albus must struggle with the weight of a family legacy he never wanted. As past and present fuse ominously, both father and son learn the uncomfortable truth: sometimes, darkness comes from unexpected places."

And the last book I am reading right now is the Folio Society edition of The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick. Now I have read this book already, but Alana hasn't. So we are reading it together in preparation for Season 2 of Amazon's The Man in the High Castle. Here is the description from the Folio Society:

In 1962 Philip K. Dick conjured a new vision of our world – a twisted simulacrum in which the Axis Powers have won the Second World War. America is now divided: the eastern United States is the puppet of a maniacal German Reich, while the western Pacific seaboard is governed by a militaristic, yet spiritual, Japanese dictatorship. Amongst the complexities of this new existence, a group of unremarkable people – an American- Jewish craftsman, a judo instructor, a Japanese diplomat – play out their everyday lives, each striving to uncover a remnant of goodness in the shadow of a gathering evil. As their narratives intersect, Dick poses larger metaphysical questions concerning the authentication of history, perception and the building blocks of destiny.

So that is what I am reading and will be reviewing soon. If you want, read along with me and maybe we can discuss it together.

You should also check out...

• Nisi Shawl's, author of Everfair, appearance on Midnight in Karachi (via Tor).

* * *

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, DeviantArt and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Weekly Update #247: Hearts of Iron IV Gets First Major Patch

Editor's Note

So a lot happened in the last two weeks since my last Weekly Update. Please humor me while I go through it all.

First up, WE GOT 1 MILLION PAGE VIEWS. It still feels good to say that and I get a little tingle every time I go to my blog's dashboard and see those seven figures. Everything else pretty much pales in comparison, but waiting for the page count to tick over is a passive project. While waiting I interviewed one of my favorite authors, Jack Campbell (a.k.a. John G. Hemry) for SFFWorld. I even got a DeviantArt profile so I can share some of my map and flag posts/videos with that community.

I have also been busy as usual writing for this blog. If you haven't looked at any of those article already, I can recommend several of them such as Weekly Update #246, where I showcased some of the books that I will be reading in September. Plus you may want to check out my Map Monday articles where I featured "The Day After the World of Tomorrows"​ by Rvbomally and "Causae Deus - Climate of (Deglaciated) Antarctica" by Gian.

We also had a couple of new guest posters to the blog. Michael J. Martinez (MJ-12: Inception) made his debut on the The Update discussing how to write about sexism in racism in historical fantasy and newcomer Theo Taylor gave us two guest posts featuring President Washington's third term and a scenario where Alexander the Great drives farther into India.

I'll end this Editor's Note by congratulating Naomi Novik for winning the first ever Dragon Award for Alternate History. In the meantime, why not show some support to Novik and The Update by purchasing League of Dragons or any other new alternate history release through our Amazon banner?

And now the news...

Hearts of Iron IV Gets First Major Patch

Paradox Development Studios released the first major update for its World War II grand strategy game, Hearts of Iron IV. The “Sunflower Patch” is largely devoted to improving the game’s AI and user interface, as well as the usual changes to the game's balance and historical database, plus a number of bug fixes.

You can read the full list of changes and updates on the official Paradox Community forum here, but here is a brief list of the highlights from the press release:

• Changes to how peace conferences are handled, based on a design by Steam user Neutrino
• Hotjoin now available for multiplayer games, so you can connect to a match already in progress
• Custom difficulty settings let you adjust the relative power of Germany, Italy, France and the Soviet Union
• More nations can now be released as independent countries
• Re-sync button added to address connection issues without rehosting the game
• AI more likely to update templates, build nuclear reactors and cancel unnecessary production
• AI less likely to risk encirclement, opt for a Communist France or throw everything at North Africa
• Naval combat has been balanced to prevent light cruiser spam
• Changes to national territorial cores (Portugal loses, Sinkiang gains)
• A number of crashes caused by modding have been fixed
• Submarines better at finding surface ships, worse at finding other subs

Video of the Week

If I were you I would watch Tamara's new review of Back to the Future II:

I especially liked how she gave the figurative middle finger to some of the assholes in her comment section. Next up you should also check out some of my videos, like "What if 9/11 Didn't Happen"?

And "The Alternate History Map That Ended Up In A History Textbook":

I enjoyed this one, just because its fun to rag on major corporations who forget to fact check.

You should also check out...

• Tor lists the year's best alternate history books (so far).
• Hundreds of thousands of Catalans stage independence protests (via The Guardian).
• Ship found in Arctic 168 years after doomed Northwest Passage attempt (via The Guardian).
• Mexico threatens to cancel treaty that ceded Texas and California to US if Trump gets elected (via Raw Story).
• 30 Years Later, Watchmen's Unacknowledged Optimism Persists (via Paste). 
• Underground Airlines is one of the bleakest alternate histories ever (via Ars Technica).

* * *

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, DeviantArt and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Weekly Update #246! Alternate Histories to Read in September

Editor's Note

It's hard to believe summer is ending. Although I am indoor kind of guy, I do love summer. The early sunrises, the barbecues, the festivals, the beach days, the picnics and the all-around beautiful weather that lets me read outside in comfort. I had a great time this summer and I will be sad to see it go.

Recommendations from last week include Sam McDonald's review of the anime: Jin-Roh: The Wolf Brigade. I am still surprised by the number of anime works that feature alternate history content and will probably need to sit down and watch some of them in the future. In the meantime, my thanks to Sam for bringing these obscure works of alternate history to my attention.

Don't forget that you can support The Update by buying through Amazon. Click on the banner to your right when you go to purchase something and we will get a little something something to fund our mission of bringing you the best alternate history news and reviews on the Internet. If you are looking for something to buy, may I recommend some of last week's new releases or maybe some of the books below?

Finally, I am posting this a little early due to my Labor Day plans. I hope no one minds (and I don't care if you do). Map Monday also may come out later than usual.

And now the news...

Books to Read in September

So there are a lot of good books coming out in September that I am excited to read. In fact I decided to preview a few of them in case you want to read along with me. The first one is Michael J. Martinez's MJ-12: Inception which is coming out tomorrow. Now you can already read my thoughts on the book by checking out my review on Amazing Stories, but here is the description from Amazon:

It is a new world, stunned by the horrors that linger in the aftermath of total war. The United States and Soviet Union are squaring off in a different kind of conflict, one that’s fought in the shadows, where there are whispers of strange and mysterious developments.

Normal people across the United States have inexplicably gained paranormal abilities. A factory worker can heal the sick and injured. A schoolteacher bends emotions to her will. A car salesman alters matter with a simple touch. A former soldier speaks to the dying and gains their memories as they pass on.

They are the Variants, controlled by a secret government program called MAJESTIC-12 to open a new front in the Cold War.

From the deserts of Nevada to the palaces of Istanbul, the halls of power in Washington to the dark, oppressive streets of Prague, the Variants are thrown into a deadly game of shifting alliances. Amidst the seedy underbelly of nations, these once-ordinary Americans dropped in extraordinary circumstances will struggle to come to terms with their abilities as they fight to carve out a place for themselves in a world that may ultimately turn against them.

And as the MAJESTIC-12 program will soon discover, there are others out there like them, some with far more malevolent goals.

Also coming out tomorrow is Bill Fawcett's 101 Stumbles in the March of History: What If the Great Mistakes in War, Government, Industry, and Economics Were Not Made? Although Bill wrote most of the essays in this book, there are many other contributors from the alternate history genre who are participating like Harry Turtledove, Eric Flint, Mike Resnick and Charles E. Gannon. I actually have a couple posts about the book coming out tomorrow, but in the meantime, here is the Amazon description:

DID I DO THAT???

When asked to name a successor, Alexander the Great declared that his empire should go “to the strongest”. . . but would rival factions have descended into war if he’d been a little more specific?

What if the Vienna Academy of Art took a chance on a hopeful young student named Adolf Hitler?

If Pope Clement VII granted King Henry VIII an annulment, England would likely still be Catholic today—and so would America. 

Bill Fawcett, author of 100 Mistakes That Changed History, offers a compendium of 101 all-new mammoth mistakes—from the ill-fated rule of Emperor Darius III to the equally ill-fated search for WMDs in Iraq—that will, unfortunately, never be forgotten by history.

Coming out tomorrow as well (the first Tuesday of any month is usually a big day for new releases) is a book I have been very excited to read: SM Stirling's The Prince of Outcasts. This is the next book in the Emberverse series, which I have gushed about on numerous occasions and I have even reread the first three books a couple of times. In case you are interested, here is the description from Amazon:

John Arminger Mackenzie wanted to be a troubadour, but fate made him the son of the king of Montival. His sister Princess Órlaith will deservedly inherit the throne of the High Kings, and it will only pass unto him in the event of her death, leaving the young Prince on an unknown path to discover his true role in the family. 

The opportunity to prove his mettle comes when John’s ship, the Tarshish Queen, is caught in the fierce storm raised against the enemies of the alliance. When the clouds recede and the skies clear, John and his crew find themselves on the other side of the Pacific, in the island chains of the Ceram Sea, fighting to survive against vicious pirates and monstrous creatures of the deep, meeting new allies and mysterious enemies of this world and another. 

Now, Prince John must seize his birthright and lead his people in battle against the darkest forces man and nature can conjure against them.

And now we get to our last, but certainly not least, book coming out in September that I wanted to talk about. Its What Ifs of Jewish History: From Abraham to Zionism edited by counterfactual historian, Gavriel D. Rosenfeld. I actually just started reading this book and I am enjoying it. Its even given me a few ideas for what if videos (like a Protestant Christian state founded in Palestine in a world where Germany won WWI). More on that later, but for now, here is the Amazon description:

What if the Exodus had never happened? What if the Jews of Spain had not been expelled in 1492? What if Eastern European Jews had never been confined to the Russian Pale of Settlement? What if Adolf Hitler had been assassinated in 1939? What if a Jewish state had been established in Uganda instead of Palestine? Gavriel D. Rosenfeld's pioneering anthology examines how these and other counterfactual questions would have affected the course of Jewish history. Featuring essays by sixteen distinguished scholars in the field of Jewish Studies, What Ifs of Jewish History is the first volume to systematically apply counterfactual reasoning to the Jewish past. Written in a variety of narrative styles, ranging from the analytical to the literary, the essays cover three thousand years of dramatic events and invite readers to indulge their imaginations and explore how the course of Jewish history might have been different.

Well I hope you guys find something to read this month and if it is any of the books I mentioned, please let me know what you think about them.

Video of the Week

Today's video of the week is AlternateHistoryHub's "What if Gunpowder Never Existed?":

And let's not forget my recent video where I asked what if the America First Committee kept America out of WWII?

You Should Also Check Out

• What Snopes has to say about whether the Star Spangled Banner enshrines slavery.
• Mussolini's message to future that was revealed under a Rome obelisk (via BBC).
• The alternate history map stolen by a Danish publishing company and put in an actual history textbook, which I may do a video about in the future. (via Kultur)
• Vice's profile of The Great War, the YouTube history series telling the story of WWI in real time and one of my favorite channels.
• What would have happened if Mark Hamill & Carrie Fisher didn’t want to return for Star Wars: Episode VII (via /Film).

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger for Amazing Stories, a volunteer interviewer for SFFWorld and 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.

Weekly Update #245! More on Let's Read

Editor's Note

Ugh, I had a rough week. A combination of working a couple nights, a financial emergency and one painful headache later meant I had little time to actually commit to working on anything, especially my next video. It also didn't help that the sudden interest in the "alt-right" has led to many people on Twitter confusing the movement with, you guessed it, alternate history. Sigh, I may have to address that issue eventually.

Highlights from last week included Map Monday: Carolina and Friends 1800 by Rebecca Stirling, which was actually liked by the official Library of Virginia Twitter account, so that's cool. Plus there was Rewriting the 1906 San Francisco Earthquake by Beth Cato, which was another great guest post. I hope to have more like it from a variety of alternate historians in the near future. Also people seem to have enjoyed Alkebu-lan 1260 AH or: What If Africa Was Never Colonized? so if you haven't watched it already, go check it out.

And now the news...

More on Let's Read

In case you missed it, last week I posted a short video discussing a new series suggested to me by CountPeter on AlternateHistory.com that I am calling: Let's Read.

Here’s how it works: if you are a writer (aspiring or otherwise) who wants to draw attention to your alternate history, you can submit an excerpt of it to me and I will read it on my channel and include sound effects and music for atmosphere. It’s a great way to promote your alternate history by introducing potential readers to stories they may have overlooked.

Excerpts should be no longer than 3500 words. They can be from web originals that are posted on sites like AlternateHistory.com or from published or soon to be published works. Excerpts should be interesting to listen to or, to put it another way, after listening to it a person should want to read the full piece to find out what happens next. If you need help making an excerpt, check out Choosing a Book Excerpt at Indies Unlimited or 5 Tips For Creating A Strong Excerpt From Your Novel Or Memoir at Writer's Relief.

And, of course, excerpts should be alternate histories, but I will accept related genres, like steampunk, historical fantasies, time travel, etc. I also reserve the right to reject any submissions I don’t feel meet the standards of what I am looking for. If you have any other questions or would like to submit an excerpt, send it to ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

And good news everyone! We already got our first submission from Alison Morton, who sent an excerpt of her novel: Perfiditas. Thanks Alison and I look forward to reading more excerpts. If this proves successful I may find guest readers or create entire radio plays. Also Let's Read doesn't have to be a series devoted to just my channel. Anyone and everyone can join in, but don't forget to try The Alternate Historian first.

You Should Also Check Out...

• What a medieval historian thinks of the cult classic, Trollhunter (via Tor).
• What David Peterson, the creator of Dothraki and Valyrian on Game Of Thrones, and Dr. Paul Frommer, the creator of Na'vi in James Cameron's Avatar have to say about conlags and Hollywood with Cracked.
• The video where the world largest butt-shaped aircraft...crashes (via Gizmodo).

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #244! Motherland is a Military Fantasy where the United States uses Witches to Fight Terrorists

Editor's Note

I'm writing this the morning after seeing Let's Play Live at the Chicago Theater. For those who have no idea what I am talking about, its like a concert for video game players, with an intentionally bad variety show thrown in to fill time when they are setting up their systems for the next game. It was fun...but surreal. I sat for several hours and watched people play video games and put on absurd skits. I definitely recommend checking it out if you like gaming.

Don't forget to check out my review of "Discards" by David D. Levine on Amazing Stories. It was enjoyable short story to read and a good place to start if you want to get into the Wild Cards universe.

Also the winners of Sidewise Awards were announced this weekend at WorldCon in case you missed it.

And now the news...

Motherland is a Military Fantasy where the United States uses Witches to Fight Terrorists

If that title sounds weird to you...you're correct, but most alien space bat timelines can be.

Freeform, formerly ABC Family, is producing a new one hour drama called Motherland. It will be produced by Gary Sanchez Productions, with Adam McKay, Will Ferrell and Kevin Messick executive producing. Eliot Laurence (Welcome to Me, Claws) is listed as the writer. According to Deadline:

Motherland is described as an epic military fantasy set in an alternate America where witches ended their persecution 300 years ago by cutting a deal with the U.S. government to fight for their country. The project is set in contemporary times where young women conscript at 18 and receive basic training in combat magic at a base called Fort Salem. The show follows three young women from basic into early deployment. In this world, the traditional roles of gender and power are flipped. Women are on the front lines fighting looming terrorist threats that are familiar to our world, but their tactics and weapons are supernatural.

So do you think this story can work? Using witches in the military or law enforcement isn't a ridiculous idea. Richard Matheson published "Witch War" which follows a similar concept and then there is Lou Antonelli's "The Witch of Waxahachie". But can the story work on the small screen? I guess we will just have to wait and see.

Video of the Week

Gladiator, the unintentional alternate history film, gets the Honest Trailer treatment:


Congrats also to the Honest Trailer guys for getting an Emmy nomination. If you want more alternate history videos, don't forget to check out my recent video on this upside down map of Africa:

You Should Also Check Out...

• Alternative Magazine Online's interview with Ben Winters, author of Underground Airlines.
• Will Chase, who played Luke Wheeler on Nashville, has joined the new ABC drama Time After Time. (via EW)

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #243! George RR Martin's Wild Cards Are Coming to Television

Editor's Note

A quick recap of last week's post. First up, go learn more about Tales From Alternate Earths and the recognizable names you might find on Weekly Update. Next up, do you like alternate maps of Liberia? Then you may want to check out "And Mighty Be Her Powers" by SRegan. Also, check out how Brooke Johnson's rewrites history for your entertainment in her guest post to promote her new novel, The Guild Conspiracy.

Also don't forget there were a lot of new alternate history releases last Tuesday. If you see anything you like, please click on the links provided when you go to buy it and support The Update.

And now the news...

George RR Martin's Wild Cards Are Coming to Television

On his official website, George RR Martin announced that Universal Cable Productions (UCP) had acquired the rights to adapt Wild Cards for television. For those who don't know, Wild Cards is a long running series of anthologies and mosaic novels that is contributed to by multiple authors, including Martin. It is set in an alternate timeline where history changed in 1946 when an alien virus was released over New York City, killing many and also mutating others into hideous, deformed creatures called "Jokers". A few lucky "Aces", however, were granted superpowers.

It combines the realism that people love from A Song of Ice and Fire/Games of Thrones with the superhero genre. In fact the first volume of Wild Cards lost the 1986 Hugo Award to Watchmen, another superhero work known for its gritty reimagining of the cape and cowl crowd. Its odd how deconstructing superheroes was so popular 1980s.

Anywho, according to Martin, there will be several interlocking series. Melinda M. Snodgrass, a long time Wild Cards editor and contributor, is attached as an executive producer on the project, together with Gregory Noveck (who previously attempted to adapt Wild Cards into a movie). At the moment we don't know which characters or stories will be adapted, but with such a large volume of works to pull from (I believe there are 22 volumes as of now) I am sure they will never run out of tales to tell.

Martin, however, did assure us we will see Croyd Crenson. Known as "The Sleeper", every time Croyd fell asleep, he awoke with a new body and powers...but these changes aren't always welcomed developments. I am curious to see what they will do with this character. Since you would essentially need to cast an entirely new actor every time Sleeper changes, this could be an ingenious way to get well known actors to guest star on certain episodes.

That being said, Martin will not be involved in the production, since he has an exclusive deal with HBO and is busy writing The Winds of Winter. As much as I would like to see him involved in the project...I want him to finish The Winds of Winter. GOD DAMN IT GEORGE! I NEED MY FIX!

Excuse me...not sure what came over me there. Anywho, well I am excited about this news. I haven't read all of the Wild Cards volumes yet, but what I have read I have enjoyed immensely. If you love comics or just like realistic takes on popular tropes, then you should definitely check out the series. Here is hoping Hollywood pulls through and brings Wild Cards to the small screen.

You Should Also Check Out...

• Why Brooklynites are upset about a statue of Captain America. (via NY Post)
• Alex Wallace's interview with alternate cartographer Rvbomally. Also, stay tuned for today's Map Monday for some more Rvbomally. (via Odyssey Online)
• This record Michael Phelps tied last week that sounds like it should have happened in an alternate history. (via Deadspin)
• That season 2 of The Man in the High Castle will premier on December 16. (via IGN)

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #242! Tales From Alternate Earths is Available for Preorder

Editor's Note

In case you guys haven't read it already, go check out Dale Cozort's "World War II Was a Team Effort, Deal With It". This was perhaps one of the most popular posts we've on The Update in months. Dale is already working on Part 2, so stay tuned for more WWII discussion that is sure to excite all of you alternate historians out there.

And now the news...

Coming Soon: Tales From Alternate Earths

I just realized I know a lot of people involved in this anthology, but lets start from the beginning. In case you don't know what Tales From Alternate Earths is, here is the description from Amazon:

Our world could have been so very different... 

Eight stories take us on a journey into how our world could have been. What if the nukes had flown that day over Cuba? What if Caesar had survived? Imagine the Tunguska meteor with a different outcome. What if there was a true story behind HG Wells' most famous tale? See the world as it might have been if China discovered the New World first. And what if all of this was never meant to be and dinosaurs ruled the Earth? 

Authors Jessica Holmes, Daniel M. Bensen, Terri Pray, Rob Edwards, Maria Haskins, Cathbad Maponus, Leo McBride, and collaborators Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria show us the world that might have been - if the butterfly's wings had fluttered a different way, if the world changed between heartbeats, if a moment of decision saw another choice. 

This is the fourth anthology from Inklings Press, aiming to provide a platform for new and upcoming authors and to open the door onto different worlds.

Besides my Facebook fried Brent Harris, long time readers of The Update may recognize the name Daniel M. Bensen, who has contributed a lot of articles to the blog. So congrats to him and everyone else who got a story accepted in this anthology. Tales from Alternate Earths is current available for pre-order in case you want to reserve your copy today.

Video of the Week

If you were one of the only people on the Internet not to watch it, here is the honest trailer for Zack Snyder's Watchmen:

I'm also not going to lie...I liked this movie. I know its sort of controversial in comic circles, but its dumb fun and it has a great soundtrack. In other news, don't forget to check out my new video on why Hollywood loves to destroy California:

Still waiting on title card from Marc. Will keep you posted.

You Should Also Check Out...

• SFFWorld's interview with Paul Kane, author of Sherlock Holmes and the Servants Of Hell.
• How excited Germany is to be a good guy in the next world war (via The Beaverton).
• The cover reveal for Lou Antonelli's Another Girl, Another Planet.
• The winner of The Qwillery's July 2016 Debut Author Challenge Cover Wars: Arabella of Mars by David D. Levine.
• Why the presidents need a council of historians according to The Atlantic.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #241! BBC's Time Commanders is Coming Back

Editor's Note

Another week, another chance to talk alternate history. In case you haven't read it already, go check out Josh Weiss's "Why Are Alternate History Adaptations So Poorly Made?". Do you agree with his opinions on alternate history adaptions or do you think the films he mentioned aren't that bad?

And now the news...

BBC's Time Commanders is Coming Back

Last week the news broke that Time Commanders is coming back to television...and if you were an American like me that news initiated a "Huh?". According to their call for contestants, BBC describes Time Commanders as a show where "two teams of three friends, family, or colleagues will take control of opposing ancient forces, facing our computer, pre-programmed by our historical experts, before they face off against each other in one of history’s biggest battles."

This actually sounds awesome, but leave it to James Whitbrook of io9 to explain just how awesome this show can be for alternate historians. Apparently Time Commanders was a show where contestants play a heavily modified version of Rome: Total War and reenact certain historical battles to see if they can do better than history's greatest generals. Historians are on hand to provide insight and fiddle with the AI and there is even an announcer providing commentary.

Being a Total War fan, this sounds pretty cool to me. Plus Total War has so many games now set during different historical eras and places that there are a lot of battles that can be played out or altered. Why stick to Rome when you can stop William the Bastard from conquering England or lead Napoleon to victory at Waterloo?

I'm not sure if this show is coming to the States, but if it does, I'm sure I will check it out.

Video of the Week

Self-promotion time again. Don't forget to check out my newest video on the Sidewise Awards:

And don't forget to stay tuned for my new Trope Talk video...which isn't necessarily about alternate history.

You should also check out...

• Why Current Affairs think you should be terrified by people who like the musical Hamilton.
• What happened after the North Carolina GOG confused a Marine pin for the flag of Honduras. (via The Charlotte Observer)
• How a Powerful Obesity Gene Helped Samoans Conquer the South Pacific (via Gizmodo).
• Tor's announcement that they acquired two Romanov-inspired fantasy novels by Leena Likitalo.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #240: What We Know So Far About The Man in the High Castle Season 2

Editor's Note

I am back from my short blogging break and I am looking forward to getting back into my routine. Besides all of my usual posts, I will also be reviewing the remaining Sidewise nominees I haven't gotten to yet. Plus I am working on a video regarding the history of the Sidewise Awards, so stay tuned for that.

And now the news...

What We Know So Far About The Man in the High Castle Season 2

The big news last week for alternate historians was the promos released by Amazon for Season 2 of The Man in the High Castle at San Diego Comic Con. Based on the book of the same name by Phillip K. Dick, Season 2 will feature new characters, an attempted coup in Berlin and a Cold War between Nazi Germany and Japan. I was surprised to learn that we would meet the actual "man in the high castle" since I assumed the twist from last year was that Hitler was that character, playing off the resistance and his own intelligence services to ensure that all copies of the film are either destroyed or come to him, but I guess not.

Still I am looking forward to the return of the show and if you want to see more, check out this clip from the show with an intro from Ridley Scott (who looks to be reading from a cue card):


After watching this scene, it appears Juliana saw the man in the high castle and now the resistance is planning to kill her for this. It looks like she will get away, but why is it so important for her to die because of this?

You should also check out the trailer, which gives even more details.:


Friend of the blog, Rvbomally, actually captured a screen shot of a map of the Americas from the trailer. Check it out below:

Although the image isn't great, you can see that the United States wasn't the only place partitioned by the Axis, but there are other neutral areas, like Mexico and the Amazon (are the Axis powers inadvertently environmentalists in this timeline?). Well at least we know what happened to Canada in this timeline.

Among other things, we also learned about a new character Nicole Becker, a Berlin-born filmmaker played by Bella Heathcote. She is a young filmmaker who has only known a world ruled by the Axis, but she is somewhat of a rebel (as much as you can be in that society) and doesn't always agree with the party line. This seems to suggest that the younger generation is starting to rebel at against the Nazi system, but I could just be reading too much into it myself.

Stay tuned to The Update for more The Man in the High Castle new.

You should also check out...

• The trailer for You, Me & Her, a short film where a woman meets alternate versions of herself...and they are all more successful than her. (via io9)
• Paul Levinson's review of the Outlander Season 2 finale. You may also want to check out what Alana and I thought of Season 2.
• This review of The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor LaValle via Fantasy Faction.
• Geek Dad discussing the novels of alternate historian, Lavie Tidhar.
• David D. Levine talking about the big idea and his favorite bit of Arabella of Mars.

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

Weekly Update #239: Thoughts on Ben Winters' Underground Airlines and the Dallas Shootings

Editor's Note

Well it was another rough week for my country and I do plan to talk more about it when we get to our main story, but I just wanted to say be good to each other. Our lives can be so short, we shouldn't waste it on hate, anger or fear.

And now the news...

Thoughts on Ben Winters' Underground Airlines and the Dallas Shootings

Last week, Ben Winters' new novel, Underground Airlines, was published. For those who don't know, its set in a world where the American Civil War never happened and slavery is still legal in several states. Alexandra Alter profiled the novel for The New York Times calling the controversial work daring, especially considering Winters is white and he is writing about slavery.

Responses to the article have not all been good. Besides what you saw on social media, J. Holtham of Slate criticized the The New York Times piece for lavishing too much praise on Winters and not mentioning black science fiction writers, like Octavia Butler, who discuss slavery and racism in their works. To Winters' credit, he did respond to Holtham and you can see his response on the link I previously provided to the Slate article. Still the question remains, should Winters have written Underground Airlines despite not being black?

A common piece of advice I have heard from authors is to "write what you know". Other writers, however, say that is bad advice and you should write about whatever you want, even if you are not an expert about it. For one thing it teaches you something you may be ignorant about and for another it provides a fresh perspective on a topic from an outsiders point of view. Admittedly Holtam made it clear in his article that Winters' race should not prevent him from writing about slavery...but America's history regarding race is complicated to say the least.

Just last week two men (Alton Sterling and Philando Castile), who were legally allowed to openly carry firearms, were shot by police. Now I'm not denying the fact that police officers often are faced with dangerous situations that require quick thinking to protect their lives and the lives of others, but many have suspected that race was a factor in those shooting and speculated that if a white person was in a similar position, the officer's response would have been less violent. Perhaps that counterfactual may be true, especially when you consider that the National Rifle Association (NRA), the most powerful organization in America that champions the right of open carry, did not even comment on those shootings until after the shootings in Dallas.

And now we need to talk about Dallas. It was there that a peaceful protest, organized as a result of the earlier mentioned police shootings, where a sniper fired upon police, killing five. Although the investigation is still ongoing, Micah Xavier Johnson appears to be a perplexing person. He was a veteran who fought in Afghanistan, had no criminal record and helped children with mental disabilities. He, however, was also accused of sexual harassment once and apparently showed interest in black nationalist groups before the shooting. A part of me thinks it would have been easier for us a country if he was a simple criminal, had serious mental illness or was radicalized by his religion...but now we are in an old and uncomfortable place. We are forced once again to address racism in our society.

To our credit as a people, I have seen a lot of positive responses in the aftermath of the Dallas shooting. White and black, police and Black Lives Matter supporters have all come together to condemn the violence and mourn the victims...but there have been others who have done the exact opposite. They instead suggest only more violence is the answer. It sickens me to think that such playground logic is being used, as if all of life's problems can be solved by just pushing the kid who pushed you back and keep escalating until an adult intervenes and separates you. Sadly the real world doesn't work that way. No one will break up such a fight if it were to actually break out in this country.

So what is the solution? Well former Speaker of the House and alternate historian, Newt Gingrich, said "If you are a normal, white American...you don’t understand being black in America." Thus the only solution is education. We need to learn more about each other. Reading Underground Airlines and the authors mentioned in Holtham's article are a start, but there is only so much science fiction can teach us. More importantly, we need to engage in peaceful debate and actually listed to the criticism we receive, rather than reject it because we don't agree with it. We need to get out of our comfort zone and see things that may disturb us, because in the end, it can only make us better people.

I feel like I have been talking a lot more about this timeline, but you can only go so long visiting other worlds before you need to focus on the one you inhabit. Still if you agree with some of the things I said, please let me know by sharing your own book recommendations, whether alternate history or not, to help all of us gain a better understanding of the world we live in.

Thanks ahead of time and hopefully we can unite over these tragic events rather than letting it divide us.

You should also check out...

• B&N's list of 5 great novels by George RR Martin that aren't about Game of Thrones.
• This review of 1632 by Eric Flint from Nerds Who Read which focuses on patriotism form the left.
• This review of Outlander 2.12 via Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress, which I can't comment on because I am in the process of catching up on Season 2.
• Why, according to Slate, that Neil deGrasse Tyson nation ruled by science isn't a good idea.
• This review of United States of Japan by Peter Tieryas via Cemetery Dance Online.

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

Top 5 Posts from June 2016

Most viewed map from June 2016.

So June was fourth highest month in terms of page views. Not bad. Lets take a look at the articles that got us to that point:

1) The Limits of Nazi Germany by Chris Nuttall.

2) Weekly Update #235! 1066 Turned Upside Down Coming Later This Summer and More by Matt Mitrovich.

3) The Inevitability of Tragedy or: How Alternate History tends towards Misery by Alex Wallace.

4) The Audio File: 5 Year Anniversary Special by Sam McDonald.

5) The Secret Alternate History of Earth 2 by Ben Ronning.

Fun fact: all these posts happened within the first 8 days of June.

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

Weekly Update #238! Altered States of the Union is Out in July (and more)

Editor's Note

Well guys June is coming to an end, but I should have a couple more #5Years guest posts ready to go before its over. Next month I will be taking a short blogging break to relax and recharge the batteries, but don't worry, I will still have plenty of content here and at Amazing Stories, SFFWorld and my channel.

In the meantime, in case you have read them already, go check out Map Monday: New York State of Mind by Stuyvesant and my interview with Jeff Provine, author of Hellfire and founder of This Day in Alternate History Blog, over on SFFWorld. Everyone really seemed to like them and I would hate for anyone to miss out.

And now the news...

Book of the Week: Altered States of the Union edited by Glenn Hauman 

I admit I dropped the ball when it came to Altered States of the Union. I heard of their Indiegogo campaign, but sadly never got around to learning more about it. Despite not reaching their goal, it does seem like the anthology will still be coming out at the July 15th at the Shore Leave Convention according to ComicMix/Amazing Stories, so we may still get a chance to purchase a copy. For those interested, here is a brief description:

New Amsterdam was merged into New Jersey instead of becoming New York? Freed slaves were given the state of Mississippi after the Civil War? Aaron Burr succeeded in invading Mexico? Joseph Smith and his religious followers settled in Jackson County, Missouri?

If you thought America was was strange this year, you ain't seen nothing yet. Join us as our all-star roster of science fiction and fantasy authors explore the frontiers of over a dozen different lands, in…

The author are Russ Colchamiro, Peter David, Keith R.A. DeCandido, Debra Doyle & James D. Macdonald, Brendan DuBois, Malon Edwards, G.D. Falksen, Michael Jan Friedman, David Gerrold, Robert Greenberger, Alisa Kwitney, Gordon Linzner, Sarah McGill, Meredith Peruzzi, Mackenzie Reide, Aaron Rosenberg, David Silverman & Hildy Silverman, Ian Randal Strock, Ramón Terrell, Anne Toole. Glenn Hauman is the editor.

Video of the Week

I'm not sure if I have featured anything by Jabzy yet on the blog proper, but he really has become one of my favorite YouTube historians. Check out his episode on the Free City of Bratislava and the alternate history potential it contains:


And if you have already, go check out my Brexit inspired video where I tear into another meme that use alternate history to get its point across:

You should also check out...

• This review of The Cthulhu Wars by Kenneth Hite & Kennon Bauman via Shooting Dice.
• Paul Levison's review of Outlander 2.11.
• The announcement that Penny Dreadful will not return for season 4 (via io9).
• How Civilization is coming to classrooms as an educational game (via Polygon).
• A medieval historian's thoughts on the Battle of the Bastards from Game of Thrones (via Tor).

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #237! We Happy Few Coming to Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview July 26 (and more)

Editor's Note

Well we are now officially into the 6th year of the Alternate History Weekly Update. As I write this it is a beautiful Saturday morning in the south suburbs of Chicago. I am lounging in my pajamas, drinking coffee, listening to some Billy Joel (more on that later) and just enjoying time off from a rough week at work. I got the laundry going and I am hoping to get enough blogging done before Alana and I go grocery shopping later this afternoon. Nothing crazy, but once in a while you need an easy day.

And now the news...

We Happy Few Coming to Steam Early Access and Xbox Game Preview July 26

If you want to be disturbed, I recommend watching the below video:


This is the gameplay trailer for the upcoming We Happy Few. From what I have been able to gather, We Happy Few is set on a fictional island town of Wellington Wells in 1964. In this timeline the Nazis (somehow) invaded Britain in World War II, but they were defeated after the townspeople did a "Very Bad Thing". It was so bad that the people now take a drug called "Joy" to suppress unhappy memories. The main character, Arthur Hastings, stops taking the drug and is forced to flee after his colleagues declare him a "Downer". Through his eyes we see just how terrible the world has become and, presumably, find out what the very bad thing was.

The opening moments of the game are very surreal and disturbing, especially with all of the painted faces. I am also getting a strong 1984 vibe. Maybe this game will actually be worth checking out. If you want more info, go check out the press release.

You should also check out...

• This review of Fallout by Harry Turtledove via Article 94.
• This review of The Enceladus Crisis by Michael J, Martinez via SFFWorld.
• How the Independence Day sequel could have been boring according to io9...but since we haven't seen the actual sequel yet, it could still be boring.

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

Weekly Update #236! Thoughts on the Orlando Shooting (and more)

Editor's Note

My apologies for the long Editor's Note. I find myself writing this on the day I awoke to learn about the shooting in Orlando, FL and its hard to talk about the blog, my projects or alternate history in general.

First, my prayers for the survivors of the shooting that they may recover from the physical and emotional trauma they suffered with as little pain as possible. Second, and most importantly, my sympathies for lovers, families and friends who lost someone. We all share the pain of loss, it is something that unites us as humans. I know the pain you are feeling is terrible now, but stay strong.

In times like these, being an alternate historian gives you a unique perspective on the aftermath of these deadly shootings. Already the police and press are gathering evidence about the motivation of the shooter...and it really won't matter to many people out there what they really are. Consider the shooting of a black church in South Carolina. Despite mountains of evidence that the shooter was a racist, how many people claimed he did it solely because he was anti-Christian? Then there is the Isla Vista shooting? In that shooting some saw a man with severe mental illness, while others just blamed women for causing someone to go crazy just because they should have had sex with him. Or how about Columbine? How many "experts" and politicians claimed the primary reason for the shootings were violent video games?

The reasons for events like these are often manipulated and twisted to fit a personal narrative so someone's cause can be advanced. Was the shooter motivated by radical Islam or was he mentally ill? Was the shooting caused by the divisive opinions of a certain political candidate or is this a symptom of America's gun problem? Perhaps all of those causes are correct or perhaps none are, but it doesn't matter. People unintentionally alter history to fit what they feel is correct, relying on emotions and beliefs, instead of facts. Eventually our timeline will conform to one of these positions and the forgotten arguments will only ever be revisited again by future alternate historians.

The two important thing to remember in this situation is to a) not allow our emotions to dictate our actions and b) remember we are better then those who resort to violence. Lets help the victims, lets take reasonable measures to prevent this from happening again, lets protect those minorities who are often convenient punching bags and lets have civil discussions about this event. I'm sure there are already people being banned right now on AlternateHistory.com or elsewhere on the Internet because of their opinion...but its pales in comparison to the victims of the shooting and those being punished by someone for this. Its important for us to have hope that the future will be better and to not give into our violent nature.

Us alternate historians know enough about history to know that relatively speaking, the present is much better then the past. To paraphrase a famous song, things are getting better all the time. We need to maintain the courage to stay the course and not slip back into a darker era. Lets not let the people who died come to regret the world that was taken from them.

And now the news...

2016 Printer's Row Lit Fest

Last weekend Alana and I attended the 2016 Printer's Row Lit Fest. Its annual outdoor literary festival held every year in the Printer's Row neighborhood of Chicago. Alana and I have been attending it ever since I started publishing stories and we enjoy every minute. Admittedly this year was a hot one and we spent a lot of it indoors, but we still had time to go book shopping and meet up with a few friends. I even posted a short video of our adventure on my channel.

As part of our haul, I purchased copies of Wasteland of Flint by Thomas Harlan (which is set in a future dominated by the Japanese and Aztec empires) and Resistance by Owen Sheers (where the Germans capture Moscow and later invade Britain after D-Days fails...although I'm not sure why there would be a D-Day in the first place if Moscow had already fallen, but I guess I will find out why later). Hopefully I will read and review both in the future.

Now begins the long wait until the next Printer's Row.

Video of the Week

Have you guys head of Atomic Robo? If not, you may want to check out Linkara's review of volume 3:


Also let me take this moment to say that the YouTube search engine that Blogger provides is awful. Just awful. It never finds the video I'm looking for. I put the specific title of the above video in quotations into the search engine and the first (and only result) was a Mr. T comic that Linkara reviewed last month. Blogger, I can't express how much you failed when it comes to this feature.

As for my channel, check out my response to your questions for my 1000 subscriber Q&A:

Sorry for all of the long-winded rants. I tend to do that a lot according to Alana. My next video will be a review of another famous alternate history map, but until then, maybe you should check out Shark Jumping's exploration of television shows that never were.

You should also check out...

• Why John Noonan of Film Ink thinks they should make an Anno Dracula movie.
• Why all the fun I had burning down siege towers in Medieval Total War was a lie (via Sploid).
• 1066 Turned Upside Down's new official website.
• Paul Levinson's review on Outlander 2.9.
• How the Superman costume caused Jude Law to turn down the role (via io9).
• Why Amazon's The Man in the High Castle could win an Emmy. (via GoldDerby)

* * *

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.