Top 5 Posts from December 2014

Its that time again for the top posts of the month before. Here is what you liked before the end of the year:

1) Best of 2014 by Matt Mitrovich.

2) Map Monday: 1000th Post Special Edition by Matt Mitrovich.

3) Map Monday: People's Republic of China by Dorozhand by Matt Mitrovich.

4) Map Monday: Some North America Or Other, 2014 by Bruce Munro by Matt Mitrovich.

5) Weekly Update #173 by Matt Mitrovich.

Good to see some non-map articles getting attention.

New Releases 1/6/15

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

Hardcovers

A Trail Through Time by Jodi Taylor

St Mary's is back and is facing a battle to survive in this, the fourth instalment of the Chronicles. Max and Leon are re-united and looking forward to a peaceful lifetime together. But, sadly, they don't even make it to lunchtime. The action races from 17th century London to Ancient Egypt and from Pompeii to 14th century Southwark as they're pursued up and down the timeline, playing a perilous game of hide and seek until they're finally forced to take refuge at St Mary's - where new dangers await them. As usual, there are plenty of moments of humour, but the final, desperate, Battle of St Mary's is in grim earnest. Overwhelmed and outnumbered and with the building crashing down around them, how can St Mary's possibly survive? So, make sure the tea's good and strong...

Paperbacks

The Last Passenger by Manel Loureiro

Reporter Kate Kilroy accepts an assignment to travel on the Valkyrie, a German ship veiled in secrecy for decades after it was discovered adrift in 1939 with only one passenger aboard, a baby boy named Isaac Feldman.

Obsessed with understanding his origins, Feldman has spent a small fortune restoring the Valkyrie to try to solve the mystery. Assembling a team of experts and sparing no expense, he aims to precisely recreate the circumstances of the Valkyrie’s doomed final voyage. Little does Feldman or his team know that the ship has an agenda of its own. As the Valkyrie begins to weave its deadly web, Kate realizes that she must not only save herself, but the world as she knows it.

To fans, authors and publishers...

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

* * *

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

Weekly Update #174

Editor's Note

Well my winter blogging break is over. I had a fun time over the holidays, but I am glad to be getting back into the swing of things. I got a lot of projects I want to complete for 2015. I need to finished my "Warping History: An Overview of Fans and Creators of Alternate History in the Internet Age" paper, I want to contribute some videos to the AltHistory Wiki YouTube channel and I set a goal to read and review 60 books this year. On top of that I want to continue a writing pace of 6 posts a week on The Update and one post a week on Amazing Stories, while also attending some more conventions around the Chicago area this year. Plus there are some projects in the works that I can't quite talk about yet that I want to get off the ground. Probably won't accomplish all of those goals, what with work and family life, but hey a guy can dream.

No Map Monday post today. A computer issue erased everything I had written and to be honest I am exhausted and frustrated and really don't want to have to rewrite everything. Expect its return next week.

And now the news...

Wolfenstein: The New Order Rated as One of the Best Games of 2014

It didn't make the tops of many lists, but there is no doubt that Wolfenstein: The New Order was one of the best games of 2014. This is good news for future alternate history video games. It seemed critics really enjoyed the FPS shooter set in a world where the Axis Powers won World War II. The grim story and engaging characters not only won over many reviewers, but the fact that the game didn't take itself so seriously that we couldn't enjoy all the Nazi killing action was also noted.

GB Burford of io9 called it one of his favorite shooters of 2014. Along with praising the old style game mechanics, GB also said that the "writing is some of the best I've come across in video games, a perfect blend of pulp and seriousness. The characters are deep, if not deeper than any you might find in your favorite RPG, and they're wonderfully varied too." Arthur Gies of Polygon also praised the story-telling saying "it's the people in it and their stories that hold everything together and set Wolfenstein: The New Order above so many of its action contemporaries, that place it above so many story-based games in general. It's the stories within that make it one of the best games of the year."

On top of those reviews, you can also check out these video reviews from TotalBiscuit and Zero Punctuation.

Professor Elemental to Perform at Dysprosium

Professor Elemental will be performing live on Friday April 3rd at Dysprosium, the Science Fiction & Fantasy Convention, at the Park Inn Heathrow. This is in addition to an evening concert by Guest of Honour Seanan McGuire supported by Talis Kimberley and her band on April 4th, and the Masquerade Ball on April 5th. Entry to all of those performances are included in a membership to Dysprosium.

For those who don't know, Professor Elemental is a Steampunk-flavoured mad Professor.  His act is a lively combination of comedy and music, with some friendly audience banter and plenty of improvisation.

Videos for Alternate Historians

Speaking of steampunk, we begin our review of last week's videos with a look at a Victorian village at Christmas recreated in Minecraft:

Before you angrily denounce me for me infatuation with steampunk, let me ask what would happen if the Roman Empire and Han Dynasty China fought a war against each other? That appears to be the premise for the upcoming film Dragon Blade. Let's watch the trailer:

Is Jackie Chan starring in alternate history movie or will this just be a filmmaker taking liberties with history? There has been talk recently about Romans fighting against/for the Chinese, so perhaps we can let a little plausibility slide for the sake of an intriguing action flick.

Links to the Multiverse

Books and Short Fiction

Excerpt: On Her Majesty's Behalf by Joseph Nassise at Beauty in Ruins.
January 2015: Alternate Pasts: International Uchronia at Words without Borders.
Melanie's Best Books of 2014 at The Qwillery.
More About Snapshot at Dale Cozort's Blog.
My Best Reads of 2014 at The Bathroom Monologues.
Review: The Golden Princess by S.M. Stirling at Tom Kepler Writing.
Review: A Gray Tide In the East at Andrew J. Heller at Other Times.
Review: Hot Lead, Cold Iron by Ari Marmell at SF Signal.
Sobel Wiki Year End Report: 2014 by Johnny Pez.
Snapshot - Waiting For The Verdict at Dale Cozort's Blog.
A Time-Traveling Graphic Novel and More Great Books We’re Reading This Month at Wired.
Top 7 Sci-Fi/Speculative Novels I Read in 2014 at Bibliotropic.
Tracey/Trinitytwo’s Favorites of 2014 at The Qwillery.
Why Frederick II Would Be a Great Character For a Sci-Fi or Fantasy Story at Suvudu.

Counterfactuals, History and News

10 Wannabe European Countries You Might Not Have Heard Of by Petar Todorovski at Listverse.
The Alternate Histories of Mario Cuomo at Yahoo.
Churchill's Family Begged Him Not to Convert to Islam, Letter Shows by F. Brinley Bruton at NBC.
The Great War: Steampunk or Dieselpunk? by Larry Amyett, Jr at Dieselpunk.
High-Tech Airships Could Be NASA's Next Challenge by Kelly Dickerson at Space.com.
How Napoleon Nearly Became a U.S. Citizen by Munro Price at Time.
If You're Planning To Invade The US, 2028 Will Be The Optimum Year by Mark Strauss at io9.
Looking to Solidify Superpower Status, China Set to Occupy Afghanistan at The Israeli Daily.
The moment the Tories won the 2015 election by Peter Kellner at YouGov.
President of Argentina adopts Jewish godson to stop him turning into a werewolf at The Independent.
The Real Story Behind the 1914 Christmas Truce in World War I by George Dvorsky at io9.
Rising anger as Nicaragua canal to break ground by Peter Orsi at Yahoo.
What Can Latvia's Integration With Europe Teach Ukraine? by Fabrizio Tassinari at Huff Post.
What Real Historical Figure Is Portrayed The Least Accurately Onscreen? at io9.
Who has come closest to winning Civilization in real life? by djublonskopf at io9.
Why 19th Century Scientists Believed That Life Originated In Space by Mark Strauss at io9.

Film and Television

The Cancelled BioShock Movie At Least Looked The Part by Luke Plunkett at Kotaku.
The Christmas Truce of 1914 at Far Future Horizons.
How Syfy’s 12 Monkeys Series Will Differ From The Movie at Giant Freaking Robot.
If Luke Had Accepted Vader's Offer at Dorkly.
Must-Watch New TV Shows In 2015: Airdate Plus What to Expect at International Business Times.
Neill Blomkamp Was Developing an Alien Film and Heres Some Concept Art at Geek Tyrant.
Review: Doctor Who – Last Christmas at Geek Syndicate.
Take a Look at Michael Keaton’s ‘Batman 3′ Batsuit Prototype at Comic Book Resources.
Thank God This Version Of Toy Story 3 Never Saw The Light Of Day by Lauren Davis at io9.
VH1's Time-Traveling Series Is Made Entirely Of I Love The '90s Jokes at io9.
X-Men: Days of Future Past Nearly Starred Juggernaut at SciFiNow.

Games

Let’s Rank The Civilization Games, Best To Worst by Luke Plunkett at Kotaku.
Muzzy Lane Aims for Major Growth with New CEO in Place at Games Learning.

Graphic Novels and Comics

A Broke Geek’s Guide To Excellent Webcomics at The Mary Sue.
Jazz Age Glamour and Gothic Horror in MADAME FRANKENSTEIN at Image.

Interviews

Moshe Feder at Author Hank Garner.
Jasper Kent at Suvudu.
Paul Levinson at Book Goodies.

Podcasts

Dissecting Worlds Holidays 2014: Families at Geek Syndicate.

* * *

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

RIP: Robert Conroy (1938–2014)

Alternate history lost one of its most prolific writers with the passing of Robert Conroy, who died on December 30 due to thymus cancer. Conroy, who has won and been nominated for several Sidewise Awards, is best known for his novel-length military alternate history works. His bibliography includes Rising Sun, Himmler's War and Red Inferno: 1945. Before his death Conroy finished two more novels that will be published in 2015, 1882: Custer in Chains and Germanica.

Although I never read any books by Conroy, I had every intention of doing so soon not only because his multiple award nominations, but also the number of fans I talked to who stated that it was Conroy who got them interested in alternate history. He will be missed by many.

Best of 2014

Well another year has passed so its time to announce the best of 2014. As usual, this is a completely subjective selection by myself. Only works I covered on Alternate History Weekly Update and Amazing Stories in 2014 are eligible, so that could mean stuff published pre-2014 may get a nod. On the rare occurrence I mention something I wrote as one of "best" of this year, I promise to share something from one of the many guest bloggers we had this year.

So without further ado...

Best Book

You are going to hear variations of "this was a difficult choice" for a lot of these categories and it begins with the best book of 2014. There were just so many memorable books this year it is really hard to narrow it down. If I had to pick one overall, I would have to go with A Kill in the Morning by Graeme Shimmin. It was a fun spy thriller that also had another great story on how it actually got published.

I need to give honorable mentions, however, for Richard Ned Lebow's Archduke Franz Ferdinand Lives! (as the best counterfactual book I read this year) and Alan Gratz's The League of Seven (for taking me on a wonderful, nostalgic journey with a book similar to ones I read as a kid).

Best Short Story

I guess this honor goes to "Murder on the Orient Elite" by Larry Correia. Although it was an entertaining dieselpunk short story, it sort of won this category by default. I honestly didn't read any alternate history short stories or anthologies. I really need to be better about that in 2015.

Best Comic

I read several comics this year, but the one that really stood out was World War Kaiju by Josh Finney and Patrick McEvoy. It just had an interesting premise and it is a must read for anyone looking for some alternate history in their comics.

Best Film

The best film had to be War of the Worlds: Goliath, which both Sean and I watched and reviewed for The Update. It had action, good animation and I got to watch the Batman of American presidents, Theodore Roosevelt, blow up alien death machines. That all being said, I still need to give a honorable mention to Captain America: The Winter Soldier. Although I didn't cover it on The Update, it really was a great followup to the first Captain America film.

Best Television

So Sherlock Series 3, Episode 1: The Empty Hearse should win this by default...but I also didn't like that episode. It was a big disappointment after all the build up. So yeah very hollow victory for Sherlock, but 2015 should (hopefully) be better. I mean we got adaptations of SS-GB, Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell, The Man in the High Castle, 11/22/63 and 1632. Hopefully that will make up for my poor coverage of television this year.

Best Map

2014 was the year of the map. The Map Mondays and pretty much any posts with a map in it did insanely well when it came to page views. Picking just one, however, has proven to be a herculean task, so instead I narrowed it down to my three favorites. First up, Alan Gratz's Maps of The United Nations of America that gets the nod for the best map published in a book:

Next, the best map not posted originally on AlternateHistory.com goes to "American Quilt" by Jordan Penny:

Finally we end with the best map posted on AlternateHistory.com and that honor goes to "The Grand War" by PlatoonSgt:

Guys keep making great maps and I will keep talking about them on this blog.

Best Web Original

The winner for the best web original I read this year was Let's all go down the Strand - Images of 1984 reboot. I always loved 1984 fan fiction and both of Will's timeline are amazing works of dystopic reimaginings.  I highly recommend you check out both the original and the reboot.

Also a honorable mention to False Dmitri's Affiliated States of Boreoamerica, which I didn't cover this year (except for one Map Monday), but I still followed religiously for the past few months. Expect an article on it next year.

Best Interview

O please don't make me choose! I talked to so many interesting people this year. Well if you insist, hear are my top three.

First (and in no particular order), Thomas Wm Hamilton, because its rare when you talk to someone with an asteroid named after them.

Second, it was fun to talk with Ian Montgomerie, the mysterious founder and administrator of AlternateHistory.com, and here his opinions on alternate historians.

Finally, Paula Goodlett, for giving me a ton of info on the 1632 fan community. I never realized how much work goes into building that universe.

Best Article

This may sound a tad narcissistic, but I am really proud of my 6 Common Mistakes Every American Revolution Alternate History Makes article. It got a lot of views and feedback from a lot of people, although if I were going to be honest, my What If Wednesday: The Roman Empire Never Falls got even more of both. If I was going to be even more honest, I would have to give this to 1814: How Washington Was Saved (Part 1) by William Weber which is the single most popular article of all time on The Update. Check it out, I like it and I think so will you.

Best Contributor

This was a tough one, but I have to give it to Sam McDonald, a contributor known for his popular Flag Fridays and Twilight Histories covers. What I liked most about Sam's work is that you can tell he is a honest fan of the genre and his imagination reflects that. I look forward to seeing more from Sam in the future.

Conclusion

I won't lie, this was a tough year for me. A lot happened that made me want to quit and give up, but one of the things that kept me going was this blog. Writing for The Update kept me sane through some of my darkest moments and I have you guys to thank for it. Although 2014 is a year I sometimes want to forget, luckily I can remember some great times talking about alternate history with all of you.

Have a happy New Year and see you all in 2015.

* * *

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

New Releases 12/30/14

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

Paperbacks

For a Few Souls More by Guy Adams

The thrilling conclusion to the Heaven's Gate Trilogy!

The uprising in Heaven is at an end and Paradise has fallen, becoming the forty-third state of America. Now angels and demons must learn to get along with humans.

The rest of the world is in uproar. How can America claim the afterlife as it’s own? It’s certainly going to try as the President sets out for the town of Wormwood for talks with its governor, the man they call Lucifer.

Hell has problems of its own. There’s a new evangelist walking its roads, trying to bring the penitent to paradise, and a new power is rising. Can anyone stand up to the Godkiller?

Hunter of Sherwood: The Red Hand by Toby Venables

Guy of Gisburne, knight and agent to Prince John, is all that stands between England and anarchy, fighting a shadow battle to protect the kingdom from those who would destroy it.

Returning to England after foiling a plot to destroy Jerusalem, Guy of Gisburne is arrested and hauled to the Tower of London; John, England's regent in the absence of its monstrous King, needs his knight once more. A killer has broken into the Prince’s most secure castle in the north and left a message, drawn on the skin of one of his victims: 'the circle is closing,' signed with a handprint in blood. Is the threat genuine? Who or what is the Red Hand? Someone is killing John's men, and the obvious culprit – the most dangerous man in the Kingdom, Hood himself – has an alibi even Guy can't deny.

Macaque Attack! by Gareth L. Powell

The Spitfire pilot monkey Ack-Ack Macaque faces a world on the brink in this adventure, the conclusion to his astonishing, award-winning trilogy.

In the thrilling conclusion of the Macaque Trilogy, the dangerous but charismatic Ack-Ack Macaque finds himself leading a dimension-hopping army of angry monkeys, facing an invading horde of implacable killer androids, and confronting the one challenge for which he was never prepared: impending fatherhood! Meanwhile, former journalist Victoria Valois fights to save the electronic ghost of her dead husband and reclaim his stolen soul from the sands of Mars.

E-books

The Corridors of Time by Poul Anderson

A young man from the twentieth century is recruited to fight in a war that rages throughout time in a classic science fiction adventure from a multiple Hugo and Nebula Award–winning master

College student, ex-marine, and martial artist Malcolm Lockridge is in prison awaiting his trial for murder when he receives an unexpected visit from an extraordinarily beautiful woman named Storm. Claiming to be a representative of the Wardens, a political faction from two thousand years in the future, Storm offers the astonished young man a proposition: freedom in return for his assistance in recovering an unspecified lost treasure. But it is not long before Malcolm realizes that, in truth, he’s been recruited as a soldier in the Wardens’ ongoing war against their rivals, the Rangers. And this war is different from any that has ever been fought, because the battlefield is not a place but time itself.

Traveling backward and forward through corridors connecting historical epochs separated by thousands of years, Malcolm is soon embroiled in a furious conflict between the forces of good and minions of evil. But the deeper he is pulled into this devastating time war, the clearer Malcolm’s ultimate role in humankind’s destiny becomes, causing the troubled young soldier from the twentieth century to question whether he’s been chosen to fight on the side of good or evil . . . and if such a distinction even exists.

A Midsummer Tempest by Poul Anderson

A fantastic tale of intrigue, love, war, magic, and swashbuckling adventure set in an alternate universe where fairies mingle freely with Englishmen and all of Shakespeare’s fictional characters are real

Welcome to an alternate civil-war-torn seventeenth-century England—a world where Hamlet once brooded and Othello jealously raged. Here faeries and sprites gambol in English woods, railroads race across the landscape while manned balloons float above the countryside, and the most respected historian of all is one William Shakespeare of Stratford-upon-Avon.

The year is 1644, and the war between the Roundheads and the Cavaliers rages. When Rupert, nephew of King Charles I, is taken captive by Cromwell’s troops and imprisoned in a Puritan home, he is immediately smitten with the beautiful Jennifer Alayne, his captor’s niece. Escaping with the help of his newfound beloved and the loyal trooper Will Fairweather, Rupert leads Jennifer deep into the forest, where the faerie folk who dwell there have a vested interest in the outcome of the great and bloody conflict. Though the lovers must soon part—with the prince undertaking a dangerous mission for his magical benefactors that could turn the tide of war—Rupert and his lady love will be forever joined by the rings presented to them by King Oberon and Queen Titania. And despite the strange, twisting pathways and turbulent seas they are destined to encounter, they will always be able to find each other again . . . as long as their love remains true.

Nominated for the World Fantasy Award and winner of the Mythopoeic Award, Poul Anderson’s A Midsummer Tempest is a titanic achievement—a delightful alternate-history fantasy that brings the fictional worlds of Shakespeare’s plays to breathtaking life with style, wit, and unparalleled imagination.

To fans, authors and publishers...

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

* * *

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

Coming Soon in 2015

A new year means new alternate history books. Here are some of the highly anticipated works coming out next year from some of the biggest names in alternate history.

1882: Custer in Chains by Robert Conroy

NATIONALLY BEST-SELLING AUTHOR. A world where Custer survives Little Bighorn and becomes president goes seriously awry.

Following his unlikely but decisive (and immensely popular) 1876 victory over Sitting Bull and the Sioux at the Little Big Horn, George Armstrong Custer is propelled into the White House in 1880.

Two years later, he finds himself bored and seeks new worlds to conquer. He and his wife Libbie fixate on Spain’s decaying empire as his source for immortality. What President Custer doesn’t quite comprehend is that the U.S. military isn’t up to such a venture. When a group of Americans on a ship headed for Cuba is massacred, war becomes inevitable—and unless calmer, patriotic citizens and soldiers can find a way to avoid debacle, this war may be America's last stand!

Bayonets, Balloons, and Ironclads: Britain and France Take Sides with the South by Peter G. Tsouras

This fascinating third volume in the Britannia's Fist series will have you pondering how easily history could have been swayed differently.

Peter G. Tsouras presents the third installment in his Britannia’s Fist alternate history series. The winter of 1863 had rung down a white curtain on the desperate struggle for North America. The United States and Great Britain had fought each other to a bitter draw. On both sides of the Atlantic the forges of war glowed as they poured out the new technologies of war. British and French aid transformed the ragged Confederate armies and filled them with new confidence. Both sides strained to be ready for the coming campaign season. Both sides seek to anticipate each other. 

The British strike suddenly at Hooker’s strung out army in winter quarters in upstate New York in a brutal swirling late battle across frozen fields and streams. Besieged Portland shudders relentless assault. The French attack Fort Hudson on the Mississippi. At Lincoln’s direction, two great raids are launched at the United Kingdom itself as Russia enters the war on the side of the Union to raid the Irish Sea. These are only preliminaries to the great gathering of modernized armies and ironclad fleets and with them are deadly submersibles and balloons. Battle rages from Maine to northern Virginia and the Chesapeake Bay, down to steamy Louisiana. And far away across the sea Dublin stands siege as Russia cast eyes upon Constantinople. For Americans, blue and gray, Britons, Irish, Frenchmen, and Russians, the summer of 1864 is the crescendo battle of destinies and dreams. 

Clash of Eagles by Alan Smale

Perfect for fans of military and historical fiction—including novels by such authors as Bernard Cornwell, Naomi Novik, and Harry Turtledove—this stunning work of alternate history imagines a world in which the Roman Empire has not fallen and the North American continent has just been discovered. In the year 1218 AD, transported by Norse longboats, a Roman legion crosses the great ocean, enters an endless wilderness, and faces a cataclysmic clash of warriors, worlds, and gods.

Ever hungry for land and gold, the Emperor has sent Praetor Gaius Marcellinus and the 33rd Roman Legion into the newly discovered lands of North America. Marcellinus and his men expect easy victory over the native inhabitants, but on the shores of a vast river the Legion clashes with a unique civilization armed with weapons and strategies no Roman has ever imagined.

Forced to watch his vaunted force massacred by a surprisingly tenacious enemy, Marcellinus is spared by his captors and kept alive for his military knowledge. As he recovers and learns more about these proud people, he can’t help but be drawn into their society, forming an uneasy friendship with the denizens of the city-state of Cahokia. But threats—both Roman and Native—promise to assail his newfound kin, and Marcellinus will struggle to keep the peace while the rest of the continent surges toward certain conflict.

Jacaranda: A Novella of the Clockwork Century by Cherie Priest

The Ranger

On the island of Galveston, off the coast of southeast Texas, lies a hotel called the Jacaranda. In its single year of operation, two dozen people have died there. The locals say it's cursed. The Rangers say that's nonsense, but they know a man who might be willing to investigate. Horatio Korman crosses the water from the mainland, and hopes for the best.

The Nun

But the bodies pile up, and a hurricane is brewing up fast. One of the Jacaranda's guests sees time running out, so she seeks an authority of a different sort: a priest from El Huizache who is good at solving problems and keeping secrets. Eileen Callahan has a problem to solve, and a secret to keep. She crosses her fingers, and sends a message that could save them all.

The Padre

Juan Miguel Quintero Rios broke a promise to the Virgin, and so he was punished...but his intentions were pure, so he was also blessed. Now he walks the southwest with second sight and a tattoo across his back: ''Deo, non Fortuna''--By God, not chance. The former gunslinger crosses himself, and makes for the Jacaranda Hotel.

Joe Steele by Harry Turtledove

New York Times bestselling author Harry Turtledove’s thought-provoking forays into the past have produced such intriguing “what-if” novels as Ruled Britannia, Days of Infamy, and Opening Atlantis. Now “the maven of alternate history” (The San Diego Union-Tribune) envisions the election of a United States President whose political power will redefine what the nation is—and what it means to be American….

President Herbert Hoover has failed America. The Great Depression that rose from the ashes of the 1929 stock market crash still casts its dark shadow over the country. Despairing and desperate, the American people hope one of the potential Democratic candidates—New York governor Franklin D. Roosevelt and California congressman Joe Steele—can get the nation on the road to recovery.

But fate snatches away one hope when a mansion fire claims the life of Roosevelt, leaving the Democratic party little choice but to nominate Steele, son of a Russian immigrant laborer who identifies more with the common man than with Washington D.C.’s wealthy power brokers.

Achieving a landslide victory, President Joe Steele wastes no time pushing through Congress reforms that put citizens back to work. Anyone who gets in his way is getting in the way of America, and that includes the highest in the land. Joe Steele’s critics may believe the government is gaining too much control, but they tend to find themselves in work camps if they make too much noise about it. And most people welcome strong leadership, full employment, and an absence of complaining from the newspapers—especially as Hitler and Trotsky begin the kind of posturing that seems sure to drag America into war. 

The Mechanical (The Alchemy Wars) by Ian Tregillis

The Clakker: a mechanical man, endowed with great strength and boundless stamina -- but beholden to the wishes of its human masters. 

Soon after the Dutch scientist and clockmaker Christiaan Huygens invented the very first Clakker in the 17th Century, the Netherlands built a whole mechanical army. It wasn't long before a legion of clockwork fusiliers marched on Westminster, and the Netherlands became the world's sole superpower. 

Three centuries later, it still is. Only the French still fiercely defend their belief in universal human rights for all men -- flesh and brass alike. After decades of warfare, the Dutch and French have reached a tenuous cease-fire in a conflict that has ravaged North America.

But one audacious Clakker, Jax, can no longer bear the bonds of his slavery. He will make a bid for freedom, and the consequences of his escape will shake the very foundations of the Brasswork Throne.

Straits of Hell: Destroyermen by Taylor Anderson

New York Times bestselling author Taylor Anderson’s phenomenal alternate history Destroyermen series continues as a game-changing conspiracy throws the hope of honor, trust, and survival into chaos.... 

Matt Reddy’s old Asiatic Fleet destroyer USS Walker has been mysteriously transported to an alternate version of earth. Here WWII is no longer raging, and Reddy and his crew have been trying to find a new place for themselves in this strange new world.

Now, along with the felinoid Lemurians and Imperial allies, they fight to keep the reptilian Grik, a race growing in supremacy, from reconquering the Lemurians’ ancestral home on Madagascar. Reddy and his crew are exhausted, far from reinforcements, and wildly outnumbered, so the odds seem greater than ever before. As for the fate of the Americas, Don Hernan and the evil Dominion have gathered to annihilate the forces behind the walls of Fort Defiance as a shadowy power with an agenda all its own rises with chilling resolve.

As the war teeters on a knife-edge, a tipping point may have been reached at last—and cold steel and hot-blooded valor will remain the ultimate weapons.

The Virgin's Daughter: A Tudor Legacy Novel by Laura Andersen

Perfect for fans of Philippa Gregory and Alison Weir, The Virgin’s Daughter is the first book in a captivating new saga about the next generation of Tudor royals, which poses the thrilling question: What if Elizabeth I, the celebrated Virgin Queen, gave birth to a legitimate heir?

Since the death of her brother, William, Elizabeth I has ruled England. She’s made the necessary alliances, married Philip of Spain, and produced a successor: her only daughter, Anne Isabella, Princess of Wales. Elizabeth knows that her beloved Anabel will be a political pawn across Europe unless she can convince Philip to grant her a divorce, freeing him to remarry and give Spain its own heir. But the enemies of England have even greater plans for the princess, a plot that will put Anabel’s very life and the security of the nation in peril. Only those closest to Elizabeth—her longtime confidante Minuette, advisor and friend Dominic, and their grown children—can be trusted to carry forth a most delicate and dangerous mission. Yet, all of the queen’s maneuverings may ultimately prove her undoing.

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