Weekly Update #219! The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter, the AlternateHistoryHub Has Issues With YouTube and More

Editor's Note

I'm hoping to go to WorldCon this year to witness the Sidewise Awards presentation and attend the Amazing Stories panel, but I am trying to do it on just the money I raise from the blog and my other projects since Alana and I are trying to raise money to adopt a baby. So far I raised about $108 of the $1500 I believe I will need from running ads on this blog, the Amazon referral program and Patreon. So I have a ways to go still, but if you want to help get me to Kansas City, please click on one of the ads if you see something interesting, buy books and stuff from Amazon by clicking through this blog and become one of my patrons. I'm hoping to use WorldCon as an opportunity to produce more interviews for my channel and interview some of the big names in alternate history.

And now the news...

Book of the Week: The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan

Today's Book of the Week goes out to the 2014 Philip K. Dick Award Finalist: The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter: The Fall of the Gas-Lit Empire by Rod Duncan. Here is the description from Amazon:

Elizabeth Barnabus lives a double life – as herself and as her brother, the private detective. She is trying to solve the mystery of a disappearing aristocrat and a hoard of arcane machines. In her way stand the rogues, freaks and self-proclaimed alchemists of a travelling circus.

But when she comes up against an agent of the all-powerful Patent Office, her life and the course of history will begin to change. And not necessarily for the better…

Richard of the Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud gave it a score of 4.5 out of 5 and said "[a]ny writer who can, WITHOUT infodumping, bring me directly into a fantastical and outrageously unlikely alternate steampunk world earned your scarce book-buying dollars." Sounds like a strong recommendation and if you plan to buy it, don't forget to click on the link I provided.

Video of the Week

Cody of AlternateHistoryHub continues to produce some of the best quality alternate history on YouTube. Let's find out what he thinks would have happened if the USA annexed Cuba:


Again sorry for the weird formatting. Blogger's add video functioning has been malfunctioning for weeks now. Not sure how to fix it besides just complaining to Blogger. In fact, I'm not the only who has been having issues with a Google brand. Check out this recent video from Cody:

Hopefully this helps boosts the signal and get's Google's attention. Lets as a community help out a fellow alternate historian and get YouTube to finally fix AlternateHistoryHub's problem.

If you want more videos to watch, SF Signal recommends "Stealing Time".

You should also check out...

• Graeme A. Pente and Travis R. May's look at the history and purpose of alternate histories on Erstwhile.
• Why Adolf Hitler's Mein Kampf is selling out bookshelves in Germany.
• Jonathan Green talking about his new Kickstarter project Shakespeare vs. Cthulhu on SF Signal.
• These set photos from BBC's SS-GB (via the Daily Mail).
• Why the world's longest war ended in 1986 (via Atlas Obscura).
• Chris Pine confirming that Wonder Woman is set in WWI.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #218: The Exhausted Mitro Edition

Editor's Note

I almost didn't post a Weekly Update today. There was a spur of the moment family trip and I didn't think I would have the time (or energy) to write anything. Thankfully I did have a little time to cobble something together, so enjoy.

And now the news...

Video of the Week: What if Germany Won World War II? by AlternateHistoryHub

Cody Franklin of AlternateHistoryHub has been posting a very detailed video series on a popular alternate question: what if Germany won World War II. Here is part 1:

Part 2:
And part 3:
Sorry for the odd format. Blogger is not letting me post these in the usual way.

You should also check out...

• Alison Morton's description of America in her Roma Nova universe.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #201! New Zealand's Flag, Doctor Q, The Man in the High Castle and More

Editor's Note

Happy Monday everyone. I am not sure how your weekend went, but mine involved watching the map I covered for the last Map Monday go viral for all the wrong reasons. People were sharing it across the Internet as a map of North America before European colonization and using it to criticize the American educational system. I completely agree with them that the way America teaches history is sorely lacking because none of these do-gooders realized they were sharing a map of a North America that was never colonized by Europeans. In factthe number of people who posted this map on their pages who should have known better is astounding as well. This incident shows us how much of an uphill battle it is to promote alternate history to the masses.

I want to give a big thank you to Sean Sherman for becoming my first patron! If you guys haven't already, go check out his personal website and his alternate history blog, Other Times. He hasn't posted there in a while, but a lot of good scenarios can still be found there. Remember, you can also support my alternate history projects by either becoming one of patrons on Patreon or purchasing books from Amazon by clicking on the banner to the right.

And now the news...

Headline: New Zealand Needs a New Flag

Changing the flags for countries is a popular pastime among alternate historians, but what happens when a nation wishes to change their flag in this timeline? Well in the case of New Zealand they are looking for a new flag that will distance themselves from their colonial past, while better differentiating themselves from Australia (the only major difference now between the two flags is the color of the stars).

What you see above are the finalists, although they weren't the only designs submitted to the campaign to change the flag. Which of the flags above do you think is the best fit for New Zealand? Let us know in the comments above.

Alternate Historian(s) of the Week: Enrique Velazquez (aka DJ Doctor Q)

The alternate historian of the week honor goes out to Enrique Velazquez, also know as DJ Doctor Q and Dr. Quincy Erasmus Quartermain. For those who don't know. he is the director of the Dragon Con Alternate History Track and he has been working hard to prepare for the convention next month. Just look at this lineup of guests. You can learn more about the track at the interview Doctor Q gave the Steampunk Chronicle and his guest spot on the Dragon Con Media Relations Podcast. Also you can check out the interview I did with him in 2012.

Honorable mention this week goes to author John Barnes for his critical essay on alternate history.

TV Show of the Week: Amazon's The Man in the High Castle

I have mixed feelings about this honor, because there really is only one alternate history show currently on the air. Still there was a lot of news regarding Amazon's adaptation of The Man in the High Castle last week so I really had to talk about it.

The big news is that they cast Brennan Brown as Robert Childan. According to the Wikipedia article on the book, Childan owns American Artistic Handcrafts, an Americana antiques business that sells authentic and counterfeit items, mostly to the Japanese occupiers. Childan has adopted the manners, cadences of speech in English, aesthetics, and ways of thinking of the Japanese occupiers, but still admires the Nazis. Despite his deference to the Japanese, he is privately contemptuous of them, retaining his pre-war racist beliefs that non-whites are inferior to whites (despite the fact that he lives in the Japanese occupied West Coast). I'm curious to see how close the character in the adaptation will resemble the character from the book.

If you want more info on the The Man in the High Castle television series, check out Den of Geek's interview with executive producers Frank Spotnitz, Isa Dick-Hackett, and David W. Zucker; and read my review of the pilot on Amazing Stories.

Video of the Week: What if the Crusades Never Happened? by Alternate History Hub

The Crusades are an intriguing time period of European history. This was perhaps the first instance of European imperialism and although the Crusaders were eventually driven from the Holy Land, it left Europe with a taste for the outside world that would come to shape all of history thereafter.

But what if the Crusades never happened? Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub answered that question in one of his recent videos:

I find his idea of a more violent and yet more tolerant Europe to be quite original and I also enjoyed the artwork he included in this video as well. More importantly, I am glad to see that we are getting more videos from the Hub when months before we could go weeks before seeing one.

* * *

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.

Weekly Update #188

Editor's Note

Really short note today. I just want to thank everyone for following me on social media and buying from Amazon through The Update. Every little bit helps and I appreciate everything you guys have done for me.

And now the news...

Brooklyn Sudano joins the cast of Hulu's 11/22/63

It was announced last week that that Brooklyn Sudano has joined the cast of Hulu's adaptation of Stephen King's 11/22/63. Brooklyn, who according to Wikipedia is best known for playing the role of Vanessa Scott on the ABC sitcom My Wife And Kids and Felicia on the TV series Cuts, will be playing Jake Epping's (Franco) ex-wife...who was not a major character in the book.

Honestly, I don't even remember her appearing at all in the book. The only thing we know about her is that she was an alcoholic who after getting sober left Jake for someone she met in AA. Not exactly the most sympathetic character so I am not sure why they found the need to cast someone to play her. Will we see her in flashbacks or will she have a bigger role in pushing Jake to travel through time? I just don't know. I guess we will see when the mini-series finally premieres, but I am fairly optimistic.

Videos for Alternate Historians

Got a great slate of videos this week. We begin with the official trailer for Mr Holmes:

So essentially we are getting the "real story" about Holmes, from his perspective and not Watson's, sort of like we got from Tarzan in A Feast Unknown. I find this idea fascinating and I am looking forward to seeing it when it comes to the States. Next we have two new videos from Cody Franklin at the Alternate History Hub. First up, what if European diseases did not effect Native Americans:

And then we have a more serious take on history with Cody commemorating the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide:

Now I am going to talk about my new favorite channel: Test Tube. They have a lot of great videos on contemporary events and geopolitics that are easily digestible. Just check out their video on how powerful Mexico is:

Finally, don't forget to check out my latest video, a video review of Kim Stanley Robinson's The Years of Rice and Salt:

I promise there will be more ear pens.

Links to the Multiverse

Books & Short Fiction

Alternate History: Picking Out the Threads by Teramis at Notes From The Lizard Lair.
Alternate history stories - personal or grand scale? by Alison Morton.
Letter to the Editor: In Praise of Mrs. Coulter by Jean Rabe at Smart Pop Books.
More on the Hugos from a Dark, Dark Place by Eric Flint.
The Omnibus Volumes of H. Beam Piper at Black Gate.
Review: 1632 by Eric Flint at Adventures in Reading.
Review: The Custard Protocol 1: Prudence by Gail Carriger at Falcata Times.
Review: The Doors You Mark Are Your Own by Okla Elliott and Raul Clement at SF Signal.
Review: Gideon Smith and The Brass Dragon by David Barnett at SFcrowsnest.
Review: Joe Steele by Harry Turtledove at Antonio Urias.
Review: Vermilion by Molly Tanzer at NPR Books.
Richard Knaak (DUTCHMAN) on Why He’s NOT Writing the Great American Novel at SF Signal.
What Does George R. R. Martin Have to do With Dinosaur Lords? at Tor.

Counterfactuals, History & News

Buran: The Soviet Space Shuttle by Elizabeth Howell at Space.com.
Incredible Technology: NASA's Wild Airship Idea for Cloud Cities on Venus at Space.com.
Japan and World War II Atrocities at Dieselpunk.
Liberland wants to become the world's foremost tax haven at Business Insider.
A More Economically Rational Nazi Germany? at The Counterfactual History Review.
Special Report: British voters heading for a Disunited Kingdom at Yahoo!
What If Britain Didn’t Join The Iraq War? by Chris Nuttall at The Chrishanger.
What Catholic England would look like today by Dominic Selwood at Catholic Herald.

Film & Television

‘Castle,’ ‘Penny Dreadful’ and TV’s other under-appreciated shows at New York Post.
The Golden Compass: what went wrong? by Andrew Blaur at Den of Geek.
Maurice LaMarche Narrates Two Animations About Disney’s ‘Tomorrowland’ at Laughing Squid.
Review: Outlander 1.11: Vaccination and Time Travel at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
Rufus Sewell plays ruthless Nazi official in The Man In The High Castle at Daily Mail.

Games

The Brilliant Star Wars Galaxies Idea That Didn't Happen at Kotaku.

Graphic Novels & Comics

The artist bringing Ada Lovelace back to life at BBC.
A Gay, Jewish Protagonist For Providence To Address Lovecraft's Prejudices at Bleeding Cool.

Interviews

Justin Pollard at Suvudu.

* * *

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 #187

Editor's Note

I had these grandiose plans Thursday and Friday night to record a new video for the channel, do some writing for the blog or maybe even start the long process of cutting 40% of my Sideways in Time paper to meet their recently announced word count. Instead, on both days, I collapsed on the couch and drifted in and out of consciousness before moving to the bed and succumbing to sleep. Its tough having a full time job while trying to be a writer. Even the weekends are no longer the havens of free time because all the things I put off doing during the week that now need to be done before it is too late.

I realize complaining about how tough my life is causing a symphony of tiny violins to be played, but its really frustrating sometimes. The sick part is no one is making do the projects I mentioned above...well, no one except me. I want to do that work and I am putting the pressure on myself to get it done. Not sure how I feel about it exactly, its just a very weird experience. Thankfully I was able to get a few things done on Saturday. I hope you enjoy what I managed to produce.

And now the news...

Videos for Alternate Historians

Actually, except for Liberland, there really isn't much to report from last week. So let's go straight to last week in videos. First up, everyone's favorite YouTuber (for now...*evil laughter*) Cody Franklin shows us what he think a world where the South won the American Civil War would like on the Alternate History Hub:

Speaking of America, lets take a look at all the different iterations of the first Avenger himself, Captain America, with Lindsay Ellis:

Let's be honest, beating Nazis is what America does best!

Links to the Multiverse

Books & Short Fiction

29th Arthur C. Clarke Award Shortlist Announced at Geek Syndicate.
Coming Soon: GESTAPO MARS by Victor Gischler at SF Signal.
Coming Soon: GHOSTS OF KARNAK by George Mann at SF Signal.
A few of my book synopses by Greg van Eekhout at Writingandsnack.com.
Free Extract of Battalion 202: Set Britain Ablaze by Jonathan Doering at Alt Hist.
Gideon Smith – the Graphic Audio productions at Postcards from the Hinterland.
Inspirations for the Steampunk World of The Diamond Conspiracy at B&N.
The Parallel Worlds of Poul Anderson’s Operation Chaos at Black Gate.
Review: We Install and Other Stories, by Harry Turtledove at Seattle Book Mama.
Review: William Shakespeare’s Phantom Of Menace by Ian Doescher at Bookish Antics.
Some comments on the Hugos and other SF awards by Eric Flint.

Counterfactuals, History & News

5 Creepy Crimes From History No One Can Explain at Cracked.
The Checklist Of What Had To Go Wrong For Apollo 13 To Fail Is Insane at io9.
The Dark Truth Behind California's Strangest Tax Exemption at io9.
The forgotten man who almost became president after Lincoln at Yahoo!
How the Ottomans Ruined the 20th Century by James A. Warren at The Daily Beast.
How the Walter Scott Shooting Would Have Been Reported if the Video Didn't Exist at NBC.
Men Are More Likely to Go Back in Time and Kill Hitler Than Women Are, Says Study at Vice.
MicroCon 2015: Dictators of the world unite at world summit of micronations at The Independent.
What If Lincoln Had Lived? by Eric Niiler at Discovery.
What is Spaceflight History? at DSFP's Spaceflight History Blog.

Film & Television

5 Reasons Conspiracy Shows Don't Work Today by C. Coville at Cracked.
The 10 Best alternate-reality episodes from non-sci-fi TV shows at io9.
Jonathan Strange Team on How the Project Ended up on TV at The Hollywood Reporter.
Quentin Tarantino’s ‘The Hateful Eight’ Opens Fire With Teaser Trailer at CBR.
Review: Outlander 1.10: A Glimmer of Paradox at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.

Graphic Novels & Comics

DC Comics Will Revive TV's Revolution For One Final Story at io9.
Why Do Big Comic Crossovers Always Have To Be About Alternate Universes? at io9.

Interview

Jonathan Barnes at My Bookish Ways.
Steven H Silver at The Qwillery.

Podcasts

Ratchet Retrocast Episode 49 – To Live Long and Prosper at The ESO Network.

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #13

Mammoth sized Videos for Alternate Historians today since it has been weeks since I posted any videos on this blog. Let's begin with Lindsay Ellis breaking down all the versions of the Wicked Witch of the West:

Yeah not alternate history, but still a fun dissection of an iconic character and all of the adaptations throughout history. Next up, Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub shares with us the lore of Max Brooks' World War Z:

Want to know how long it has really been since I made an article like this? It was so long, Cody actually posted another video! That is almost unheard of. Anywho, check out what would happen if Pangea still existed:

Moving right along, for those who like war games, lets learn about five facts about Battlefield 1943 from the guys at Achievement Hunter:

And lets spend even more time with those guys as they play Zombie Army Trilogy:

In case you didn't realize it, I really like Rooster Teeth and all their projects. Check out the Patch Game Club discuss Valiant Hearts, the World War I video game:

Although I do find How To with Joel and Adam to be hit and miss at times, I thought their commentary on The Order: 1886 was fantastic:

This whole post has been heavy on video games, but we only have one more left, the honest trailer for Bioshock:

And if you missed it, don't forget to check out my presentation at the Sideways in Time Conference about the online alternate history community:

Got any videos or YouTube channels that you want to recommend? Let us know in the comments or at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #11

Thanks to everyone who watched, commented and liked the trailer for my new YouTube channel. Of course, if you want to see more talented people make videos then I have some offerings for you today that will more than satisfy that need.

Up first, a look at one of Hollywood's most historically inaccurate film from the guys at Cinema Sins:

Seriously the history is so bad in Gladiator that it is amazing this movie is not considered an alternate history film. Next we have the world's worst werewolf hunter, McKinley:

I know this wasn't Rooster Teeth's intention, but this video certainly sums up most people's feeling about The Order: 1886. And now we end, as we often do, with a look at the newest episode from the Alternate History Hub. This week, Cody Franklin asks what if the United States manufactured a reason to go to war with Cuba:

Got any videos or YouTube channels that you want to recommend? Let us know in the comments or at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #11

O MY GOD!?!? Even more videos to watch. Up first is the preview for Epic Rap Battles of History Season 4.5:

I'm not going to lie...kind of disappointing on how long we have to wait for the season to begin again. Anywho, time for our usual recap of Cody Franklin's Alternate History Hub. First up, what if Atlantis actually existed?

And in the same spirit, here are five more lost continents:

Got any alternate history videos or YouTube channels to recommend? Let us know at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #10

Sorry for the late post guys, but I think you are going to enjoy these videos I found. First up, Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub is going to be posting two videos a week for the foreseeable future. This week we have Part 2 of "50 States 50 Scenarios":

Followed by "What if Australia Was Never Colonized?":

We finish this week in videos with a look at the first clip from Mr. Holmes, directed by Bill Condon and starring the great Ian McKellen as the titular character:

I am actually looking forward to this film. Since the film focuses on Holmes after he retired and involves an older actor, I think we will see more of Holmes' mind at work and less of the action found in television and recent films. What do you think?

* * *

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.

Videos for Alternate Historians #8

I decided to give you guys an early taste of this week in videos. First up, Gaijin Goombah explains the cultural connections to Fox McCloud's move set in Super Smash Bros. in the new episode of Culture Shock:

Next up, Cody Franklin has a new video out on the Alternate History Hub. Its the first part in a series featuring a different alternate history scenario for every state in the United States:

And finally we finish with the trailer for Zombie Army Trilogy. Want to kill some Nazi zombies? Yes, please:

* * *

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 #166

Editor's Note

A few times last week I was emailed by people asking for my opinion on certain alternate history topics. I was more than happy to oblige since it just meant another way to feed my obsession. Of course, I am also kind of greedy. So at some point I wondered what would happen if I started charging people. Become an "alternate history consultant". I kind of like the ring of that. Sitting in my office, high above the multiverse, speaking words that could lay waste to an entire timeline...

Wait...I think I am confusing what a consultant does with an evil megalomaniac. O well, a guy can dream.

And now the news...

South Florida Wants To Be a State

As I have talked about in the past, when some group wants to separate their region from an existing American state, it is usually because the liberal/conservative majority in the state is ignoring the political minority located in the region that is trying to secede. The case of South Florida, however, has little to do with social or economic disputes, but instead is about global warming.

According to City of South Miami, rising sea levels threaten the more low-lying southern Florida counties and Tallahassee, far in the north, doesn't seem to care. There solution is to separate the 24 southern counties, which would include 13.4 million people and 69% of the state's revenue. Now I have complained before about the very wealthy proposing state secession to keep their taxes from being spent elsewhere, but in this case I find that South Miami has a much better argument.

Whether it will work is still unlikely. Besides having to convince not just the entire state of Florida, but also Congress, South Miami needs to convince the leaders of all of their proposed South Florida to back the idea. Only South Miami has passed the resolution, so they are just one small voice in the crowd. Perhaps that is the point. Despite their poor odds, maybe the only thing South Floridians want is attention from a state government who is ignoring them. Hey it worked for the Scots!

Your move Tallahassee.

Videos for Alternate Historians

O boy! Bunch of new videos this week. We begin with the return of Cody Franklin and the Alternate History Hub. I give you Fan Alternate Countries #3:

Okay so most of those countries were pretty implausible, but I still enjoyed the underlying humor. Next up we have five facts on Ryse: Son of Rome from Achievement Hunter:

I do like the fact that game developers tried to present a realistic portrayal of Roman history and the cinematics do look beautiful. We continue with the Honest Trailer of the time travel/alternate history film X-Men: Days of Future Past:

Not going to comment since I haven't watched the film yet, but I heard its good. I can comment on this short history of October 23rd and how it relates to the Fallout franchise:

Despite being set in the future, the Fallout games' back story makes it an alternate history with a point of divergence in 1945. Moving on, if you guys enjoyed Lindsey Stirling's new music video, check out the behind the scenes video:

And finally we finish with the plot of Wolfenstein: The New Order, just in case you haven't played it yet:

Links to the Multiverse

Books and Short Fiction

Download a Free Romulus Buckle Story from The Steampunk User’s Manual! by Jeff Vandermeer and Desirina Boskovich at Tor.
English department welcomes Phong Nguyen to share work by Bailey McDaniel at The Reflector.
Excerpt Thursday: SUCCESSIO by Alison Morton at Unusual Historicals.
Extract from Jasper Kent's The Last Rite at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist.
Fiction writer Anton kicks off new book tour in Northeast Ohio by Carlo Wolff at Cleveland Jewish News.
On My Radar: PACIFIC FIRE by Greg van Eekhout / THE JUST CITY by Jo Walton / THE COLLECTED STORIES OF FRANK HERBERT by Frank Herbert at SF Signal.
Review: The Mammoth Book of Steampunk Adventures edited by Sean Wallace at SF Signal.
Review: Silverblind by Tina Connolly at Mania.

Counterfactuals, History and News

5 Real-Life Horror Movies Deleted from Your History Books by Jacopo della Quercia at Cracked.
10 Bizarre Theories About The Pyramids That DON'T Involve Aliens by Mark Strauss at io9.
1914 Authors' Manifesto Defending Britain's Involvement in WWI, Signed by HG Wells and Arthur Conan Doyle by Nick Milne at Slate.
Alternate History: What If Katherine Parr Had Refused to Marry Henry VIII? by Alexandria Ingham at Wizzley.
MI5 spied on leading British historians for decades, secret files reveal by Richard Norton-Taylor at The Guardian.
Six Words: 'Must We Forget Our Confederate Ancestors?' at NPR.
What the Middle Ages can tell us about the GOP's big charity myth by Elizabeth Stoker Bruenig at The Week.

Films and Television

The 10 Most Expensive Flops In Television History by Diana Biller at io9.
MOVIE MODEL REVIEW U.S.S. Nimitz (The Final Countdown) by Christophe Montoya at Geek Syndicate.
Review: Doctor Who, S8, E9: Flatline at Geek Syndicate.
Sci-Fi Fantasy Fused with Specialist Factual History in Historical Documentary by Emma Hutchings at PSFK.
What the historical inaccuracies in “Dracula Untold” tell us about the rise of Islamophobia by Elest Ali at New Statesman.

Games

The Doctor and the Dalek -Educational Game by wedgedoc at Geek Syndicate.
Hot Button: Rejecting Canon by Walt Ciechanowski at Gnome Stew.

Interviews

Beth Bernobich at Team Tynga's Reviews.
Steven Moffat at The Guardian.
Ben Tripp at My Bookish Ways.

Podcasts

The Ratchet RetroCast Episode 39 – John Carpenter’s Escape From RetroCast at Earth Station One.
Show 16 – Edge of the Earth at Twilight Histories.

* * *

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 #160

Editor's Note

Excuse me while I get through some shameless self-promotion. Alternate History Weekly Update has once again been entered in the Underground Book Reviews' Independent Literary Industry Awards Contest. You can click the link to see the rules, but to vote for us you need to like us on UBR's Facebook page when our post appears.

As you know The Update has always tried hard to provide content from indie authors and we are proud to be recognized for this effort. I will keep you guys posted on when voting will begin.

And now the news...

Will an Independent Scotland Balkanize Europe?

I have covered US state secession proposals before, but this is the first time I have covered a European nation potentially losing some of its territory by secession. I am talking about Scotland, whose citizens will be going to the polls this week to decide whether or not they will remain a part of the United Kingdom. Polls currently give "No" a slight lead, but the number of undecided voters mean this vote is too close to call.

But what does an independent Scotland mean for the rest of Europe? Robert Kuttner wrote an interesting article for the Huffington Post suggesting that part of the blame for the situation rest with the European Union because it made it economically feasible to split up minority regions from larger nation-states as independent countries. The European Union has stated Scotland would no longer be a part of the EU if they secede, a stance no doubt meant to appease larger members who have active secessionist movements (see the map to your right).

I don't think the European Union, however, is thinking in the long-term. The EU risks looking like Swiss cheese if Scotland declares independence and more minority regions follow (Spain has several of them). On the other hand, supporters of a more federated Europe should probably encourage smaller states since they will be more likely to delegate more authority to the central government. Perhaps there is more at stake than we realize and with Russia stretching its muscles, Europe should be doing everything to stick together as a whole and stop worrying about its separate parts.

And what about the rest of the world? Are other regions around the globe, like Texas, more likely to secede if Scotland votes for independence? Should we be concerned that North Korea backs an independent Scotland? Let us hear your opinions in the comments.

What are people saying about Outlander Episodes 5 and 6?

Speaking of Scotland, lets talk about the last two Outlander episodes. For episode 5, Sharlene Mousfar of Geek Syndicate gave the episode a 4 out of 5 and said the "chemistry between Jamie and Claire has kicked up a notch as have the stakes." Katharine Trendacosta of io9 commented on how Claire's future knowledge is beginning to be a problem, especially when she tries to change history. For those who haven't read the books, and from what I heard the show follows them pretty closely, I just wanted to let you know Uchronia does not list them as alternate history. Shame really.

Now on to episode 6 (see a quick preview here). Once again Sharlene Mousfar of Geek Syndicate continues to rate the show highly, giving it a 5 out of 5. She commented on the graphic violence of this episode, but generally thought it was a good episode. Author Paul Levinson titled his review "Outstanding", which some up his review quite nicely.

Seriously I need to watch this show!

Videos for Alternate Historians

We begin this segment by asking: did you attend the 2014 Historical Novel Society Conference in London this year? Well in case you didn't you can check out highlights from the conference below:

Friend of The Update Alison Morton, author of Successio, has also written about her experiences at the convention (part 1, part 2 and photos). Now we end this segment with a look at Cody Franklin's new video, what if 9/11 never happened?

Don't forget to share your video recommendations with us at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

Links to the Multiverse

Books

Alan Moore Completes 1 Million+ Word Historical Fantasy Novel, Jerusalem by John ONeill at Black Gate.
Author FAQ: On writing and on getting an agent by Michael J. Martinez.
Creative Alchemy Author Offers Free Fantasy Novel Inspired by Real WWII Heroines at PR.com
Designing the Dress for Of Noble Family’s Cover Image by Mary Robinette Kowal at Tor.
A different, dangerous land: Three alternate depictions of Britain by Vikas Datta at Economic Times.
Dragon Con 2014: Harry Turtledove Q and A, and The Big Things Panel by Doug Dandridge at Imagination Unlimited.
Steam Era Transportation – Railways in Stories by Ray Dean at Steamed!
The Steampunkery of H.G. Wells by R. Graeme Cameron at Amazing Stories.
What If Anne Boleyn Had a Son? by AlexandriaIngham at Wizzley.

Comics

A beginner's guide to DC Comics's multiverse by Alex Abad-Santos at Vox.
Cool Stuff: The Star Wars Deluxe Edition Hardcover Collection by Peter Sciretta at Slash Film.
Latest L. Neil Smith Report by Baloo at Ex-Army.

Counterfactuals, History and News

Alternative History - NATO Never Expands at Nuclear Diner.
​For Centuries, This Mystical Jewish Sect Lived Hidden In Plain Sight by Mark Strauss at io9.
The Islamic Roots Of Science Fiction by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.
Japan: Hirohito warned attack on Pearl Harbor would be 'self-destructive' by Justin McCurry at The Guardian.
This Is What Would Happen If The Yellowstone Supervolcano Erupted by Ajai Raj at Yahoo.
Three Things To Keep In Mind About The Big Jack The Ripper 'Reveal' by Robbie Gonzalez at io9.
Why Estonia Might Be Next on Putin’s “Wanted” List by Rob Garver at Yahoo.

Film and Television

See Footage From Unmade ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ Movie Starring Paul Reubens by Peter Sciretta at Slash Film.
Short Film: Interview With a Time Traveler at SF Signal.
TV REVIEW: Doctor Who, S8, E3: Robot of Sherwood at Geek Syndicate.

Interviews

David Barnett at My Bookish Ways.
Paul di Filippo at Amazing Stories.

Podcasts

Episode 27 - Alternate Histories at Try It, You'll Like It.
Reductio Ad Hitlerum by Mike Pesca at Slate.
S&L Podcast - #188 - It's a Dragon Con Plex with Naomi Novik.

* * *

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 #159

Editor's Note

As I settle into my new routine I am more confident now about my planned podcast I announced a few months ago and I am hoping to begin a video series in the near future where I rant about certain topics near and dear to my heart. If you would like to either or both projects in the future, don't forget to click through our Amazon banner if you plan to purchase anything and help support The Update.

And now the news...

More on Starz's Outlander

For those who enjoy Starz's new historical fantasy series, Outlander, I got some more goodies for you.

First up, some reviews. Paul Levinson reviewed the first three episodes and said "I'll keep watching Outlander, but more for the historical romance than the time travel, which at this point is more of a hope than a reality". Andrew Whalen at iDigitalTimes also reviewed the first three episodes and called the show "Sci-Fi Royalty" and said " I'm looking forward to the fourth episode, not because I'm eagerly awaiting to see how gender roles will be subverted (although that is also enjoyable), but because it's a fun time travel show."

So what about the fourth episode? Sharlene Mousfar of Geek Syndicate reviewed episode 4, giving it a rating of 4 out of 5 and said the "episode was a bit slow – and more of a setup for the action to come in the next few episodes." So #4 wasn't as great as people hoped above, but still a good rating. If you are interested in watching episode 5, check out this preview first.

And if you want more Outlander info, check out this interactive map of Scotland and check out this interview with author Diana Gabaldon, who wrote the original novels the show is based on.

Preivew: Jani and the Greater Game by Eric Brown

Let's learn something about the Jani and the Greater Game by Eric Brown. First, the book description from Amazon:

Jani and the Greater Game is the first book in a rip-roaring, spice-laden, steampunk action adventure series set in India and featuring a heroine who subverts all the norms...

It’s 1910 and the British rule the subcontinent with an iron fist – and with strange technology fuelled by a power source known as Annapurnite – discovered in the foothills of Mount Annapurna. But they rule but at the constant cost of their enemies, mainly the Russians and the Chinese, attempting to learn the secret of this technology... This political confrontation is known as The Greater Game. 

Into this conflict is pitched eighteen year old Janisha Chaterjee who discovers a strange device which leads her into the foothills of the Himalayas. When Russians spies and the evil priest Durja Das find out about the device, the chase is on to apprehend Janisha before she can reach the Himalayas. There she will learn the secret behind Annapurnite, and what she learns will change the destiny of the world for ever...

Of course when I think Indian steampunk book, I think The Peshawar Lancers by SM Stirling, but I digress. Alastair Savage at Amazing Stories said the book was an "exciting page-turner with a neat conclusion". Meanwhile, Ay-Leen the Peacemaker at Tor said the novel's greatest strength was from "Brown’s ability to balance a sense of galloping fun while also injecting the story with harder-edged questions about British imperialism, racial identity, and class dynamics" but criticized it for being "one long chase scene". Still the review was good in general, so with two recommendations, Jani and the Greater Game may be an alternate history worth checking out.

For those want to learn more, check out what author Eric Brown thinks about steampunk.

Videos for Alternate Historians

Need even more videos for alternate historians? Lets begin with the J.J. Abrams Superman movie that never was:

Hmm...maybe it was a good idea they passed on it. Anywho, our friend Cody Franklin of the Alternate History Hub doesn't just make alternate history videos. Sometimes he like to collaborate with other YouTubers for more informational videos, like this one on the Islamic State:

Finally we end this segment with a panel discussion about Wolfenstein: The New Order from the guys History Respawned:

Interesting breakdown on how Nazis and the Holocaust are portrayed in popular culture. Send you video or channel recommendations to ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

Links to the Multiverse

Books and Short Fiction

10 Acclaimed Historical Fantasy Novels You Need to Read by John O'Neill at Black Gate.
The Big Idea: Cherie Priest at Whatever.
Christopher Edge's top 10 twisted histories at The Guardian.
Crichton Travels in Time by Joel N Shurkin at Smart Pop Books.
Excerpt: The Ace of Skulls by Chris Wooding at Only the Best.
Excerpt: Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by Daniel Barnett at Tor.
On My Radar: BROKEN MONSTERS by Lauren Beukes, THE STEAMPUNK USER’S MANUAL by Jeff VanderMeer and Desirina Boskovich, TIME TRAVEL: RECENT TRIPS Edited by Paula Guran at SF Signal.
On Tom Cruise and Time Travel Stories by Rajan Khanna at Lit Reactor.
Review: "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" by Mary Robinette Kowal at A Dribble of Ink.
Review: Lord of Mountains by SM Stirling at Wordsmithonia.
Review: The Phantom Coach edited by Michael Sims at Shelf Awareness.
Sean Penney examines alternate histories in world of sports at North Fork View.
Table of Contents: THE MAMMOTH BOOK OF GASLIT ROMANCE Edited by Ekaterina Sedia at SF Signal.
A World Where Mankind Makes Its Own Magic by Charlie N. Holmberg at Amazon Blogs.

Comics

Preview: Springheeled Jack by David Hitchcock at Comic Book Resources.

Counterfactuals, History and News

23 Eerily Specific Predictions from History That Came True at Cracked.
Alternate histories: How the past is taught to Israelis and Palestinians at Day 6.
Another SCOTUS counter-factual: Justice Posner? at PrawfsBlawg.
Composers Who Died in WWI by Jordan Harbour at Michael Drislane MA.
A Historic Experiment Shows Why We Might Not Want to Debate Fanatics by Esther Inglis-Arkell at io9.
A Questionable Counterfactual: Could World War II Really Have Been Avoided? by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld at The Counterfactual History Review.
If Reagan Had Picked Rumsfeld as His Vice President, Would We Never Have Had President Clinton? at Ifnicity.
Rebels: Jackson would have won Gettysburg by John Hilton at Gettysburg 150.
The Secret German Scheme To Invade America Before The First World War by George Dvorsky at io9.
Time Travel Simulation Resolves “Grandfather Paradox” by Lee Billings at Scientific American.
Turkey’s Imperial Fantasy by Behlul Ozkan at The New York Times.
The War That Never Was by Philip Jenkins at Patheos.
Why Independence Could Put Scotland In Danger Of Russian Invasion by James Cook at Business Insider.

Film and Television

5 Classic Movies That Almost Had Terrible Endings by Lex Black at Cracked.
The 36 Greatest Shows and Movies Ever to Almost Happen at Cracked.
ACHTUNG! CTHULHU to Become a Movie by Ed Fortune at Starburst.
Alternative Blockbuster Movie Posters at Short List.
The Other Doctors. 50th Anniversary and Beyond by Alasdair Stuart at Scifind.
REVIEW: Doctor Who, S8, E2: Into the Dalek at Geek Syndicate.

Games

Gwydion to Alexander: Colonialism in Kings Quest III by Angela R Cox at Play The Past.
Ryse: Son of Rome Bludgeons Onto PC 10th October by Casey Douglass at Geek Syndicate.
Wargame: Red Dragon gets free DLC, adds "full-length story campaign" set in the early 90s by Tom Sykes at PC Gamer.

Interview

Rod Duncan at Tor.

Podcasts

Dissecting Worlds Special: Schools Out at Geek Syndicate.
Episode 200: Robinson, Silverberg, Walton and Loncon! at Notes From Coode Street.
Making History as We Know it a Thing of the Past by Tristan Verboven at The Class Struggle.

* * *

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.