Showing posts with label Brown. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brown. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 1, 2012

New Releases 5/1/2012

Editor's Note

So I think New Releases is here to stay.  War Blogger informed me that it was this new series of posts that introduced him to Timewreck Titanic, which I featured two weeks ago.  War Blogger found it, read it and then reviewed it.  Since then the novel's rank on Amazon has increased and I will be doing an interview with the author.

Wow, just wow.

New Books (paperbacks and e-books)

By the Blood of Heroes by Joseph Nassise

Description from Amazon.

Train them . . . Arm them . . . Then turn them loose on the zombies!

At the tail end of 1917, the Germans introduced a new type of gas to the battlefield, T-Leiche, or "corpse gas," and changed the face of the war by resurrecting the bodies of the dead, giving the enemy an almost unlimited source of fresh troops.

When the American ace Major Jack Freeman—poster boy for the war against the Kaiser's undead army of shamblers—is downed over enemy lines and taken captive, veteran Captain Michael "Madman" Burke is the only man brave and foolish enough to accept the mission to recover Freeman. Burke assembles a team of disparate members, from his right-hand man, Sergeant Moore, to big-game-hunter-turned-soldier Clayton Manning, who funds the mission for an opportunity to confront this most dangerous zombie game, to professor Dan Richards, one of Tesla's top men and the resident authority on all things supernatural. With the help of a highly advanced British dirigible war machine to infiltrate enemy territory, the team faces incredible danger as it struggles to reach the prison camp and strike at the heart of the enemy.

But they are pitted against the most deadly enemy of all: Manfred von Richthofen, the Red Baron. Having risen from the dead with his abilities enhanced but his mind on the brink of madness, Richthofen has plans for victory that give no quarter to soldiers or civilians.

New Books (paperbacks)

Aurorarama: A Novel by Jean-Christophe Valtat

Description from Amazon.

In the defense of steampunk comes a literary adventure unlike anything you’ve read before. 1908, New Venice: An ominous black airship hovers in the sky, and the city is hunting for the author of a radical pamphlet calling for revolt. The lead suspect is Brentford Orsini, one of the city’s most prominent figures. As the net around him tightens, Orsini receives a mysterious message from a long-lost love that compels him to act.

Brilliant in its conception, masterful in its prose, thrilling in its plot twists, and laced with humor, suspense, and intelligence, Aurorarama marks the beginning of a great new series of books.

Corner of a Round Planet by E. Stoops

Description from Amazon.

In an alternate universe where the twentieth century gave rise to individuals with psychic talents and World War II never happened, the Gulf Wars of the late twentieth and early twenty-first are fought with Great War tactics and equipment. The medics, a prime target for the enemy, are dying at a far greater rate than the other soldiers. War is in need a facelift. Meredith Clase, an electronics engineer, might have just the thing. But Sergeant Wens Lillenthal has been holding a grudge against Clase for almost eight years and he doesn't plan on dropping it soon. When Clase arrives and insists that he become the hero he plays to his men, Lillenthal is dragged along a path to fame he never wanted, and into a world he can't ever leave.

Land of Hope and Glory by Geoffrey Wilson

Description from Amazon.

An original new fantasy in which The Indian Rebellion of 1857 takes place in a very different England—one where magic rules, and the only hope for the future lies in the story of King Arthur

It is 1852 and the Indian empire of Rajthana has ruled Europe for more than 100 years. With their vast armies, steam-and-sorcery technology, and mastery of the mysterious power of sattva, the Rajthanans appear invincible—but a bloody rebellion has broken out in a remote corner of the empire, in a poor and backward region known as England. At first Jack Casey, retired soldier, wants nothing to do with the uprising, but then he learns his daughter, Elizabeth, is due to be hanged for helping the rebels. The Rajthanans offer to spare her, but only if Jack hunts down and captures his best friend and former army comrade, who is now a rebel leader. Jack is torn between saving his daughter and protecting his friend, and he struggles just to stay alive as the rebellion pushes England into all-out war.

Titanic with ZOMBIES by Richard Brown

Description from Amazon.

This is the story...
of a shipbuilder who designed the greatest ocean liner ever imagined.
of a captain on the final voyage of his long and distinguished career.
of a crew dedicated to the safety and well-being of all passengers.
of an unsinkable woman who stood up when everyone told her to sit down.
Oh, and there's an infection that turns hundreds of passengers into violent, flesh-eating ghouls.

That's right. This ain't no love story.

This is the story of the Titanic with ZOMBIES.

All aboard. It's about to go down!

A Traitor's Loyalty: A Novel of International Intrigue by Ian C. Racey

Description from Amazon.

It is 1971, twenty-five years after Germany’s victory in the Second World War, and Hitler has just died.  Four years ago, Simon Quinn walked away from a brilliant career with MI-6, the British Secret Intelligence Service, but now, MI-6 has blackmailed him into returning to Berlin.  His mission: locate Richard Garner, a British spy who has disappeared and is suspected of defecting.  He enlists the help of Ellie Voss, a German woman who opposes Nazi rule but still considers herself a German patriot.  Soon, Ellie finds out Quinn’s secret: that he was born in Germany, not England, and that his family fled to London soon after Hitler came to power--because they were Jewish.

No sooner do the two of them find Garner than he is assassinated by British operatives who have been secretly shadowing Quinn.  Quinn discovers a startling truth-- why Garner went into hiding. A secret treaty between Britain and Germany is about to be signed, which will end the Cold War by making Britain a German satellite state.  Pursued by both the Gestapo and MI-6, Quinn and Ellie’s only hope of stopping the treaty is to get news of it to Reinhard Heydrich, a powerful Nazi angling to become Hitler’s successor.  But that means Quinn will have to come to terms with the fact that he is helping to become ruler of Germany the man who was essentially the architect of the Holocaust.

New Books (e-books)

After America: Rebuilding by Larry Porter

Description from Amazon.

The United States of America has collapsed and the continent is breaking into individual sovereignties based on geography, culture, political persuasion and economics. The story is told through the eyes of Sam Buckwalter, one of the founders of Appalachian America, a new nation forming in the true Appalachian Mountains of the continent.

He visits many of the other new nations to learn what they did and how they were created. Then he helps Appalachian America through a Constitutional Convention where they write a constitution for their new nation.

An Alternative War by Stanley Evan Black

Description from Amazon.

In this World War 2 story, author Stan Black has woven an interesting mix of facts and "what if" together, based on his lifetime interest in WW2 history.

He has looked deeply into what could have happened to change the outcomes of real battles and events of the War and where it may have led history.

In his novel Stan wanted to explore an alternative version of history using characters from the occupying forces and the local civilian population.

His desire was not to dwell on matters that have been covered many times before, such as War Crimes and blood-thirsty battles of World War 2, but wanted to create an interesting story to stir the mind.

Anyone with even a passing interest in the events of World War 2 and how it unfolded should make this a must read, a great mix of facts and fiction.

Angels Revolting by Charles L. Weatherford

Description from Amazon.

It all began in the year 1700 in the western wilds of North Carolina when a man with unusually strong mental powers fell to Earth in a meteor. This man took the name Matthew West and made a reputation for himself, thrusting upwards into the nobility of England and later creating a domain within the Holy Roman Empire that his descendants might marry the crowned heads of Europe.

By 1763, he has become a major player in European and American history. He also has generations of descendants spread throughout Europe and North America, some of whom are exhibiting the same sort of psychic abilities that have allowed his rise in society. Angels Revolting, the second volume in the Hidden Angels series, follows Matthew West, his progeny, and those whose lives he has influenced from the year 1763 through 1778 as they twist the history of the world in new directions and the powers of those who become known as Angels are unleashed.

Double Barrel: Episode 2 by Grey West

Description from Amazon.

"The Walking Dead meets True Grit..."

From the mind of author Grey West comes a groundbreaking saga that wildly re-imagines America's past. Set twelve years after the Civil War, the Double Barrel series puts readers on a collision course with history...and zombies.

Released in six cliffhanger episodes (50 pages each), Double Barrel is a thrill ride that will keep you clinging to the edge of your seat.

IN THE WEST: Twin brothers John and James Barrel are the nation's deadliest Regulators--gunslingers with a license to kill from Abraham Lincoln. When an urgent telegraph from the President is cut off by a zombie attack, the Barrel Brothers must set out to find and kill the man responsible for the zombie scourge.

IN THE EAST: Seventeen-year-old Violet Drake and her mute brother Sam have seen nightmares before, but nothing like the evil flooding the streets of New York City. After learning of a possible cure for the zombie scourge, the Drakes must race against time to find the one person who can help, a man known as the Wizard of Menlo Park. But first they must escape Manhattan before it's overrun by the undead.

Four survivors.

Two adrenaline-laced stories.

One incredible journey that will pit them against the world.

Nevermore by Brent Monahan

Description from Amazon.

Only one of history's most famous detectives - Allan Pinkerton - could investigate the death of one of literature's most famous writers - Edgar Allan Poe. In this fictional imagining of the events following Poe's death, Allan Pinkerton, a real-life embodiment of Poe's own sleuth Auguste Maupin, embarks on a journey into the life and mind of the author and poet to uncover the secrets of Poe's life and untimely - and mysterious - death.

Other Paths: Alternate Outcomes of the Second World War by Alexander Rooksmoor

Description from Amazon.

‘Other Paths’, in 20 chapters, is a collection of alternative outcomes that could so easily have occurred in the era of the Second World in place of the history we know. It considers a wide range of ‘what if?’ topics including, among others, the consequences of Winston Churchill’s death in 1931, the war between Germany and Czechoslovakia in 1938, the Soviet invasion of Norway in 1940, Lord Halifax as a fighting premier, a successful defence of France from German invasion, Italy remaining neutral, the failed invasion of Britain, the use of poison gas weapons at Leningrad, Japanese victory in the Pacific War and the imposition of the Morgenthau Plan leading to the creation of three pastoral Germanies.

‘Other Paths’ draws on Alexander Rooksmoor’s two decades researching and teaching history and uses the analysis and debate into counter-factuals from his blog over a period of 5 years. Mixing fact and fiction it looks at both the detailed changes that could have occurred as well as much broader potential outcomes. This is a book that will fascinate anyone with an interest in why a central event of modern history unfolded the way it did. Fans of alternate history will find ‘Other Paths’ a book they cannot put down and will rush to discuss once they have finished reading it.

The Reluctant Nazi by Alan Guzzetti

Description from Amazon.

This is the story of an unusual spy. Arnold, the brother of Adolph Hitler, is a fictitious character placed in an historical and partly factual account of World War II. Many of the characters, names, events, battles, places, and philosophies are real, and are representative of the how and why this war was won by the Allies.

The beliefs held by Hitler, Himmler, and other Nazi henchmen are accurately revealed. Some of the events leading to important battles really happened. The names of the key players working at the Bletchley Park secret code facility, and the MI6 British Secret Service, for the most part, are real, as are the roles they play.

The biblical metaphor of the two brothers was unconscious, but, it worked well in the story.

It was the intention of the author to draw the reader in to the essence of the characters, particularly, the protagonist who is both a coward and a hero. He is not a bumbling and awkward anti-hero, but some of his antics and misdirected decisions may give the reader pause at times. He is a somewhat sympathetic character, possessed of the same survival skills many of us might exhibit under similar unusual circumstances. But, like most of us, he occasionally needs a little luck.

The story places Arnold in numerous dangerous positions, sometimes seemingly hopeless, but always thought provoking and tense. Hopefully, the reader will be held, intrigued by this convoluted plot.

To fans, authors and publishers...

Do you want to see your work given a shout out on our New Releases segment? Contact Mitro at ahwupdate@gmail.com.  We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.

* * *

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

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

New Releases 4/17/2012

Editor's Note

I learned something very important about book releases since starting this new series last week.  While big publishers tend to release their works on Tuesdays, smaller publishers and self-publishing authors choose other days to release their works.  So for now on I will not only be reporting new releases coming out on Tuesday, but also any releases that came out the week before.

Now with that out of the way, here are some new alternate history books for you to enjoy.

New Books (e-books)

Beyond the Wall by Howard Parker

Description from Amazon.

Beyond the Wall is an historical fiction set in 170 AD mixed with a touch of magic. The Roman garrison in Northern Britianna has been order to move 20 miles beyond Hadrians Wall and build another. During the night a vital supply caravan is attacked not by Picts but a new enemy. The guard is called out to rescue the supplies lead by Centurion Antonius. After a brief savage fight the supplies are saved, yet a new element is added to the strategic situation the Jutes. Will this new invasion threaten the wall? Centurion Antonius stands on the frontier of the Empire, beyond is the wild lands of the Picts. Our story begins with a storm rollling in off the North Sea. Taking advantage of the tempest is a raiding party of Jutes who fall upon a supply train headed for the Centurion’s outpost. Sent to rescue the badly needed supplies Antonius confronts the raiding party of Jutes. In the ensuing battle the brother of the Jute king is killed which sets of a chain of events which leads to a conflict between the raiding Jutes, the Picts and the Roman garrisons in the North. Already stretched to the point of breaking the Romans mount a party to scout out what the new threat of the Jutes will mean to the Empire, the new wall and how they can deal with it. Who will win?

Cold War Hot: Alternate Decisions of the Cold War by Peter Tsouras

Description from Amazon.

It was in the Third World that the ambitions and fears of the two Cold War superpowers were played out v Korea, Vietnam, Egypt and Syria, Afghanistan. In their bizarre way, these were carefully controlled wars, carefully controlled in the sense that neither great power allowed itself to become directly engaged in a hot war with the other. Equally, neither allowed itself to go for broke in a grand sweep across the Third World in fear of provoking that final confrontation. But this fear of direct confrontation was never as rigidly controlled as one would think. Again and again events veered towards a clash between Eagle and Bear. The authors of this book make real such terrifying possibilities as Korea or the 67 War dragging in both superpowers; they predict the consequences of the United States or the Soviet Union attempting radical strategies in Vietnam or in a divided Germany, either to follow the British success in Malaya or to invade the North; they imagine the invasion of Cuba when the delicate signals failed to find a way out of the Missile Crisis and bring to life a scenario in which the Soviet Union knocks the Great Game off the board by using Afghanistan as base to bring down Pakistan and achieve its warm water port on the Indian Ocean. Cold War Hot vividly brings to life these and many other alternate scenarios, taking the reader behind the scenes at these momentous moments in history. In showing what could have happened, the authors show how precarious the Cold War peace actually was, and how little it would have taken to tip the balance into World War Three.

Deceptions by Sean Hayden

Description from Amazon.

The great State of California has elected themselves a new governor…and he's a vampire!

Many hope it will bring some peace between the humans and vampires. Many don't, which could be the reason someone is trying to kill him. Knowing they can't protect him from supernatural terrorist attacks, the Department of Homeland Security turns to the only people who can, the FBI. More importantly, their only vampire agent.

Ashlyn may be Governor Greer's only hope, but can she keep him alive without starting a war of her own?

When the lines become blurred and it becomes difficult to separate her enemies from her allies, Ashlyn may end up doing just that.

Disaster at D-Day: The Germans Defeat the Allies, June 1944 by Peter Tsouras

Description from Amazon.

This alternate history of the Allied D-Day landings is based very firmly on fact and is a brilliant study of how a campaign could lead to unexpected results. It is June 1944. The Allied armies are poised for the full-scale invasion of Fortress Europe. Across the Channel, the vaunted Wehrmacht lies waiting for the first signs of the invasion, ready for the final battle. What happens next is well known to any student of modern history - but the outcome could have been very different, as Peter Tsouras shows in this devastating account of a D-Day in which plans, missions and landings go horribly wrong. Peter Tsouras introduces minor adjustments at the opening of the campaign - the repositioning of a unit, bad weather and misjudged orders - and examines their effect as they gather momentum and impact upon all subsequent events. Without deviating from the genuine possibilities of the situation, he presents a scenario that keeps the reader guessing and changes the course of history.

The Hannover Assassins by Alexander Rooksmoor

Description from Amazon.

It is 1864 in the Kingdom of Hanover, North-West Germany, but not the 1864 that our world saw. Commander Wilfried

This is a steampunk short story mixing actual historical figures into a fictional political conspiracy to provide adventure handling the challenges and benefits that greater industrialisation would have brought to those policing the burgeoning cities of Britain and its possessions.

If the South Won Gettysburg by Mark Nesbitt

Description from Amazon.

Gettysburg: a turning point in the Civil War. It was here that the Confederate "High Tide" failed to brim over the Union defenders. Many historical accounts have been written about the Battle of Gettysburg and the Civil War detailing the technical and humanistic aspects of the soldiers and their leaders. In "If the South Won Gettysburg" author Mark Nesbitt makes a dramatic hypothetical examination of precisely that theory: What if the South won at Gettysburg as a result of a change in the South's battle tactics ? What would have been the fate of this great nation?

From key moments at the Battle of Gettysburg and throughout the rest of the war, and beyond, Nesbitt makes a bold speculation on the ways in which the end results could have differed had the South been successful at Gettysburg.

"If the South Won Gettysburg" was first published in 1980. A second edition was published in 1993. The theories put forth by Mr. Nesbitt have proven to be timeless.

Portal to Adventure by E. Patrick Dorris

Description from Amazon.

Waking from a traumatic brain injury in a field hospital during World War I, amnesiac "John Smith" quickly realizes he is not like other men. John can alter the way time flows around him and can even travel to parallel worlds, through portals seemingly activated by the power of his own mind.

Hurtled by accident through the first of these portals, John discovers an alternate Earth still trapped in an ice age and populated by mammoths and other strange creatures. Stranger still are the human cultures John finds, some primitive but some advanced in ways not seen in the 20th century Earth he left.

As John tries to come to grips with his abilities and situation, he is catapaulted through a series of cliffhangers and pulp-like adventures. Complete with airships, plenty of peril, and a princess to rescue, Portal to Adventure is a fun romp of a tale that could have been written at the turn of the century.

Spartacus Imperator by Richard Hofing

Description from Amazon.

An alternate history of ancient Rome.

What if certain events in ancient Rome had happened a little differently?
A young Julius Caesar, desperate to avenge a personal tragedy for which he blames Sulla, the blood-thirsty dictator of Rome, amasses a small army while serving as a military tribune in Asia Minor. He knows his army is not large enough or powerful enough to defeat Rome but he has an idea where he can get more soldiers. A lot more.

Spartacus, seeking vengeance on Rome for years of slavery, degradation and humiliation as a gladiator, escapes his enslavement and begins to build his own army. The slave army cuts a bloody swath across Italy, defeating multiple Roman armies. Spartacus knows that Rome will never give up, no matter how many Roman soldiers he kills, and sets his sights on the city of Rome itself.

And what if Spartacus and Caesar, perhaps two of the most brilliant military commanders of their time, joined forces and marched together on Rome?

This is that story.

A Sword For Arthur by John Barrett Rose

Description from Amazon.

How King Arthur got his sword is something glossed over by Historians, a dab of magic, a hand rising from a lake, and Ho! all is supposed to be explained.

Hooey! The sword was actually made in a high-tech 20th century workshop. Getting it into Fifth Century Arthur's hands became a matter of perseverance in the face of death and other interesting difficulties, including trying to find and identify Arthur.

Here we bring you for the first time, reports by People Who Were There, with first hand accounts in which King Arthur XXII, Time Slither, sheer terror, and certain anomalies in the Time Equations are properly considered.

At first glance it may all seem strange.

The truth often does.

Time's Fugitive by Jennette Marie Powell

Description from Amazon.

A past shrouded in mystery.
Violet Sinclair remembers nothing of her life before the day she awoke several years earlier, drenched in blood that wasn’t hers. But since she met Tony Solomon, she’s been certain of one thing – sometime in her hidden past, she knew him… loved him… and did something terrible to him.

A present fraught with danger.
Time-traveler Tony Solomon is sure he never met Violet before they were coworkers, yet she bears an uncanny resemblance to the woman he loved and lost decades before he was born. After an impulse encounter leaves Violet pregnant with his child, she becomes the target of killers from the future.

A future feared in jeopardy.
Framed for murder, Tony will do anything to protect Violet and their child, even if their only escape is to jump into the past, something he swore he’d never do again. But when they jump back much further than planned, they find their troubles are only beginning—and secrets can get them killed.

Timewreck Titanic by Rhys Davies

Description from Amazon.

A fleet of ships have gathered in the North Atlantic to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the most famous maritime disaster of all history.

Suddenly, a pulse of light engulfs several of the ships, who find themselves on an open ocean dotted with icebergs. Desperately trying to make contact with the outside world, they detect no satellite or radio signals, except for a single vessel just off to the north, who is sending out messages of distress in archaic Morse code.

Her name is the RMS Titanic. She has struck an iceberg and is sinking.

Displaced a century into the past, the ships of the Titanic Memorial Fleet find themselves suddenly intervening in the very disaster that they had gathered to remember.

Can they change the outcome of this night?

Should they even try?

What will be the consequences of introducing modern ideas and technologies into a world ill-prepared to handle them, on the brink of a century of catastrophic war and change?

Titanic with ZOMBIES by Richard Brown

Description from Amazon.

This is the story...
of a shipbuilder who designed the greatest ocean liner ever imagined.
of a captain on the final voyage of his long and distinguished career.
of a crew dedicated to the safety and well-being of all passengers.
of an unsinkable woman who stood up when everyone told her to sit down.
Oh, and there's an infection that turns hundreds of passengers into violent, flesh-eating ghouls.

That's right. This ain't no love story.

This is the story of the Titanic with ZOMBIES.

All aboard. It's about to go down!

Twigs of Chance by R. B. Parsons

Description from Amazon.

Some say time hinges on a single act of fate...or choice.

Coup de Temps -- Cruel times dictate cruel methods. Four freedom fighters race against the clock to take out the one man responsible for the nightmare their world had become -- before he grows up.

Infield on Retainer -- It's brains against brawn when Horace Grubin takes on the high school bully on his own playing field -- the baseball diamond. But is he teaching the bully or himself?

The Avenger -- Officer Steve Whorton follows a killer into the future to learn the killer is the only person who can help Whorton save his family in the past.

Desperate Measures -- A professor of history shangais a young pre-med student to save the life of a young woman -- and alter the course of American history.

To fans, authors and publishers...

Do you want to see your work given a shout out on our New Releases segment? Contact Mitro at ahwupdate@gmail.com.  We are looking for works of alternate history, counterfactual history, steampunk, historical fantasy, time travel or anything that warps history beyond our understanding.