I am going on my traditional winter blogging break starting on the 18th, which coincidentally is also the day I will take a break from social media to avoid Star Wars Episode VII spoilers. So what does this mean? Well there will be no more Weekly Updates, Map Mondays or other blog articles by me until January 4th and any guest posts I get won't be published until next year. I also won't be as active on Facebook or Twitter like I am. I will still be posting New Releases and articles for Amazing Stories. Not sure what I will do with the channel yet. Alana and I do want to record a couple more reviews for The Man in the High Castle and I was thinking of doing another Trope Talk, but no promises.
On the last week of January I will be posting my traditional Best of 2015 and Coming Soon in 2016 posts, plus a new post I am tentatively titling: "Our Timeline: 2015". In that article I will recap all the major events that happened in the alternate history community, both the good and the bad. If there are any events that you think deserve to be mentioned, let me know in the comments or by email (ahwupdate at gmail dot com).
And now the news...
Hulu's 11/22/63 Set to Premier at the 2016 Sundance Film Festival
For those who don't know, this new nine-hour mini-series is produced by J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot Productions (which no doubt put as much effort into this as they did Star Wars) and stars James Franco (who also gets a producer credit). Here is the description of the show sent with the press release:
On November 22, 1963, three shots rang out in Dallas, President Kennedy was killed, and the world changed. What if you could change it back? Based upon the bestselling novel written by King and starring a terrific ensemble cast embodying deeply complex characters, “11.22.63” is an epic and emotional thriller about a man at a loss with his life, who wants to make a difference and do something meaningful. James Franco stars as Jake Epping, a high school English teacher who, encouraged by his ailing friend (Chris Cooper), travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. Delving into the darkness of the American dream, viewers are transported to the world of 1960s Texas as Jake explores the mystery surrounding the supposed gunman, Lee Harvey Oswald (Daniel Webber), his family and associates. But Jake’s mission faces threats not only from Oswald, but from Sadie Dunhill (Sarah Gadon), a beautiful librarian he falls in love with, and from the Past itself … which doesn’t want to be changed. And if the Past doesn’t want to be changed, it will push back…often violently.
The series is set to make its official debut exclusively on Hulu on Presidents Day, February 15, 2016.
Book of the Week: The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia edited by Jaymee Goh and Joyce Chng
Book of the Week goes out to Jaymee Goh and Joyce Chng's The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia. Check out the description on Amazon:
Steampunk takes on Southeast Asia in this anthology
The stories in this collection merge technological wonder with the everyday. Children upgrade their fighting spiders with armor, and toymakers create punchcard-driven marionettes. Large fish lumber across the skies, while boat people find a new home on the edge of a different dimension. Technology and tradition meld as the people adapt to the changing forces of their world. The Sea Is Ours is an exciting new anthology that features stories infused with the spirits of Southeast Asia’s diverse peoples, legends, and geography.
If you want to learn more, check out Goh and Chng's interview over at SF Signal where they talk about steampunk and what inspired them to publish this anthology.
You should also check out...
- This upcoming Nikola Tesla biopic (via AV Club).
- This review of Gideon Smith and the Mask of the Ripper by David Barnett on Historical Novel Review.
- B&N's list of the coolest airships in SF and Fantasy.
- What CNN thinks the United States would look like with an earlier ban on Muslims.
- What you can see in museum that also appears in Michael Livingston's The Shards of Heaven.
- 5 ideas that Hitler got from America (via Cracked).
- A 19th-Century memory palace containing all of ancient history (via Slate),
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judge. When not writing he works as an attorney, enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana and prepares for the day when travel between parallel universes becomes a reality. You can follow him on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.
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