Weekly Update #208! The Counterfactual Zeitgeist, Silver on the Road and The Book That Started It All for Turtledove.

Editor's Note

I have been writing less than I should lately. To be frank its hard to keep this blog going sometimes. Its not laziness exactly, more like lack of motivation. I find myself interested in other projects, like my YouTube channel or my own ficition. I always thought there may be a time when I leave the blog for good and with the 5 year anniversary coming up, that may be a good time to call it quits and move on to something else. I don't want to do that, but I also feel that if I am not enjoying what I am writing then what is the point of forcing myself to do it?

I don't know. There could numerous other reasons why I don't have the energy to blog and maybe I will return to my full schedule in the near future. We shall see. Anywho, this Weekly Update is catching us up with the events of the last two weeks so there is a lot more alternate history goodness to devour. Enjoy!

And now the news...

Headline: Is Alternate History Going Mainstream or Is It Just the Uniforms?

Since I have started this blog I have read, commented on and written numerous articles myself about whether alternate history will ever go mainstream. This article in The Independent written by author David Barnett (Gideon Smith) is no exception, although he does approach it in a more skeptical fashion than most.

David points to the upcoming television series based on The Man in the High Castle from Amazon and SS-GB which will premiere on BBC as evidence of alternate history's prominence in the mainstream. The Man in the High Caslte has certainly been getting a lot of attention lately, especially with the new trailer releases and the promotional campaign Amazon has been doing with the cast and producers. With two major TV shows forthcoming and others hinted at by other networks, it does feel that alternate/counterfactual history has entered the "zeitgeist".

David, however, is quick to advise restraint. He quoted Kim Newman (Anno Dracula) who argues most alternate histories will remain a hard sell to the TV watching audience, thus the genre will remain a niche market for the foreseeable future (which means my sitcom about a gay couple from New England in Russian America will not be getting a producer anytime soon). David also quoted famed counterfactual history critic Richard Evans (Altered Pasts) who said that while alternate histories can be entertaining, their educational value is minimal. Barnett, however, also argued that another reason why we shouldn't get excited about the popularity of alternate history because the attention toward the aforementioned shows may have more to do with the Nazi aesthetic that many audiences take a macabre interest in. If that's true, plots that do not diverge during WWII may have little chance of being seen on major networks.

In general I agree with David's comments, but that doesn't mean I don't have some optimism. Dismissing alternate history television as a niche market is a little short-sighted since almost everything today is a niche market. Shows are getting renewed with numbers that would have gotten themselves cancelled decades ago. Its easier (relatively speaking) to find work as a writer then it has been in the past and there are a variety of mediums for a show to reach an audience (network television, cable, streaming, YouTube, etc.). While our favorite genre may never get out of its niche, there is nothing stopping said niche growing a few more sizes.

Book of the Week: Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman

The book that got a lot of attention from you guys over the last two weeks was Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilma, who I believe was SM Stirling's former editor. Here is the description of her book from Amazon:

A heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic, but at what price?

Isobel, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the devil in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that’s where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.

Paul Weimer of SF Signal gave this book 4 1/2 stars and said Silver on the Road has "[s]trong characterization, particularly of the main characters Isobel and Gabriel; excellent sense of place;  author’s prose hits on all cylinders; striking cover art that the book lives up to." That is a pretty good recommendation. I may have to pick up a copy when I get the chance.

Video of the Week: Harry Turtledove on the book that helped him find his writing...and his wife!

Video of the week goes out the master himself: Harry Turtledove. Lets learn about the book that started it all for him (including his marriage):


For some reason Blogger wouldn't let me add the video in the usual way, but at least you got to see it. Lucky for you, I can also present you with my recent video:

* * *

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.

New Releases 10/13/15

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

Hardcovers

The Algerian War in French-Language Comics: Postcolonial Memory, History, and Subjectivity by Jennifer Howell

The decolonization of Algeria represents a turning point in world history, marking the end of France’s colonial empire, the birth of the Algerian republic, and the appearance of the Third World and pan-Arabism. Algeria emerged from colonial domination to negotiate the release of American hostages in Iran during the Carter administration. Radical Islam would later rise from the ashes of Algeria’s failed democracy, leading to a civil war and the training of Algerian terrorists in Afghanistan. Moreover, the decolonization of Algeria offered an imperfect model of decolonization to other nations like South Africa that succeeded in abolishing apartheid while retaining its white settler population. Algeria and its war of national liberation therefore constitute an inescapable reference for those looking to understand today’s “war on terror” and ever-expanding islamophobia in Western media circuits. Consequently, it is imperative that students and educators understand the global implications of the Algerian War and how to best approach this conflict in school and at home so as to learn from the consequences of misrepresentation at all levels of the memory transmission chain. These objectives are all the more important today given the West’s misunderstanding and mischaracterization of Islam, the Arab Spring, the Muslim-majority world, and, most importantly, the continuing influence of French colonialism—especially in the postcolonial era.

Conceived as a case study, The Algerian War in French-Language Comics: Postcolonial Memory, History, and Subjectivity argues that comics provide an alternative to textbook representations of the Algerian War in France because they draw from many of the same source materials yet produce narratives that are significantly different. This book demonstrates that although comics rely on conventional vectors of memory transmission like national education, the family, and mainstream media, they can also create new and productive dialogues using these same vectors in ways unavailable to traditional textbooks. From this perspective, these comics are an effective and alternative way to develop a more inclusive social consciousness.

Assassin's Creed: The Complete Visual History by Matthew Miller

Assassin’s Creed is one of the biggest entertainment properties in the world. A sweeping and visually rich narrative covering the Crusades in medieval Jerusalem, the pirate-infested oceans of the Caribbean, the height of the French Revolution, and more, Assassin’s Creed immerses fans in the most dramatic periods in human history and brings to life some of its most intriguing and influential characters.

This comprehensive book explores the history and legacy of Assassin’s Creed, its rich mythology, and the vivid artwork of the entire franchise, including works created for the graphic novels and downloadable content. With never-before-seen concept and character art, Assassin’s Creed: The Complete Visual History reveals the creative process behind the immersive historical settings as well as the development of such iconic characters as Altair, Ezio, Connor, and Arno, to name a few, chronicling how the franchise has evolved over the years while retaining its bold, signature look. Written by gaming journalist Matthew Miller, this comprehensive visual history offers unparalleled insight into one of the industry’s most acclaimed franchises. A compelling read for fans of the franchise and those interested in discovering the astounding artistry behind the creation of a major contemporary video game series.

Cartoons for Victory by Warren Bernard

This book showcases comics about Superman, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse, and other characters and (their creators) helping to fight World War II.

The home front during World War II was one of blackouts, Victory Gardens, war bonds and scrap drives. It was also a time of social upheaval with women on the assembly line and in the armed forces and African-Americans serving and working in a Jim Crow war effort. See how Superman, Donald Duck, Mickey Mouse and others helped fight World War II via comic books and strips, single-panel and editorial cartoons, and even ads. Cartoons for Victory showcases wartime work by cartoonists such as Charles Addams (The Addams Family), Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie), Harvey Kurtzman (Mad magazine), Will Eisner, as well as many other known cartoonists. Over 90% of the cartoons and comics in this book have not been seen since their first publication. Editor Bernard gathered them over years of unstinting research through private collections and the obscure holdings of public sources. This is the most comprehensive collection ever assembled of World War II–era cartoons, reflecting the indefatigable spirit of the Home Front in America. Full color illustrations throughout

Paperbacks

Gideon Smith and the Mask of the Ripper by David Barnett

In an alternate nineteenth century where a technologically advanced Britain holds sway over most of the known world and the American Revolution never happened, young Gideon Smith is firmly established as the Hero of the Empire.

Back in London, Gideon and his colleagues: journalist Aloysius Bent, airship pilot Rowena Fanshawe, and Maria, the mechanical girl to whom Gideon has lost his heart, are dragged into a case that is confounding the Metropolitan Police. For the city is on the edge of mass rioting due to the continuing reign of terror by the serial killer known only as Jack the Ripper, who is rampaging though London's less salubrious quarters.

While chasing the madman, a villain from their past strips Gideon Smith of his memory and is cast adrift in the seedy underbelly of London, where life is tough and death lurks in every shadowy alley.

With mob rule threatening to engulf London, the Empire has never needed its hero more...but where is Gideon Smith?

Gideon Smith and the Mask of the Ripper is the latest in David Barnett's riproaring steampunk adventures about a Britain that never was...but should have been.

To readers, 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, 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 #161

Editor's Note

If you guys liked my brief history of alternate history fandom, you will be happy to know I am planning a more in depth look at the people who play the what if game that I hope to submit to the Sideways in Time conference. Already my research has uncovered the year we realized World War II and American Civil War alternate histories were the most popular in the English language, the time Del Rey declared October the alternate history month and other defunct communities like Other Timelines.

In the meantime, if you have any important events you think I missed, let me know by emailing me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. I am also hoping to contact some of the big names in fandom, so if you know how please consider making introductions. Thanks!

And now the news...

Preview: Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato

Clockwork Dagger by Beth Cato is a debut steampunk, historical fantasy novel that has blown up the Geek Net. For those who don't know, here is the description from Amazon:

Full of magic, mystery, and romance, an enchanting steampunk fantasy debut in the bestselling vein of Trudi Canavan and Gail Carriger.

Orphaned as a child, Octavia Leander was doomed to grow up on the streets until Miss Percival saved her and taught her to become a medician. Gifted with incredible powers, the young healer is about to embark on her first mission, visiting suffering cities in the far reaches of the war-scarred realm. But the airship on which she is traveling is plagued by a series of strange and disturbing occurrences, including murder, and Octavia herself is threatened.

Suddenly, she is caught up in a flurry of intrigue: the dashingly attractive steward may be one of the infamous Clockwork Daggers—the Queen’s spies and assassins—and her cabin-mate harbors disturbing secrets. But the danger is only beginning, for Octavia discovers that the deadly conspiracy aboard the airship may reach the crown itself.

Want to learn more about Clockwork Dagger? Author Beth helpfully provided a lot of supplemental info last week. You can read about the cast at Literary Escapism, learn how Beth went from loving historical fiction to writing steampunk at SF Signal and read about her favorite bit over at Mary Robinette Kowal's website. You can also check out interviews with Beth on Reddit, Fran Wilde's Cooking the Books and the Qwillery, where Beth described the setting of Clockwork Dagger being inspired by "post-World War I Europe, while the geography is based on western Washington state."

No reviews yet, so if you have read this book, let us know.

I won Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett!

And just because I like trolling certain alternate historians, lets talk about another STEAMPUNK book, except this one is actually listed as an alternate history on Uchronia, so there you go. I am of course talking about Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett, the sequel to Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl (see my review on Amazing Stories). I was lucky enough to win a copy from My Bookish Ways, an excellent site for SF literature that I have linked to often and you should definitely check out.

Now I have talked about this book enough that there is no need to included the book description, but there were some other sites talking about the sequel that you may want to check out. First up, David talked about the five things he learned writing Brass Dragon over at Chuck Wendig's Terrible Minds. He also described his weird and broken America over on John Scalzi's Whatever.

Expect a review from me in the near future.

Links to the Multiverse

Books and Short Fiction

Cover & Synopsis: THE ETERNA FILES by Leanna Renee Hieber at SF Signal.
Excerpt Thursday: PERFIDITAS by Alison Morton at Unusual Historicals.
Free eBook: CHASING THE QUEEN OF SASSI by Paul Di Filippo at SF Signal.
Historic fantasy to inspire youth: Author Daisy Lee Yang speaks about inspiration and thoughts behind her new book at The Korea Herald.
Invasion Porn – Britain’s Curious Pre-WW1 Obsession With Novels About Foreign Occupation at Military History Now.
It's About Time by Dennis O'Neil at ComicM!x.
Review: The Bullet-Catcher's Daughter by Rod Duncan at Nocturnal Book Reviews.
Review: California Bones by Greg Van Eekhout at Bookworm Blues.
Review: Last Plane to Heaven by Jay Lake at Locus.
Review: The Only Thing to Fear by Caroline Tung Richmond at The Children's War.
Review:
Steampunk gears up for a broader audience by Jason Heller at Entertainment Weekly.

Counterfactuals, History and News

Congress takes up bill to make D.C. the 51st state by Aaron C. Davis at The Washington Post.
Counterfactual Chatter in "Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki" by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld at The Counterfactual History Review.
How This Time-Traveling Professor Is Re-Defining Play And Learning by John Converse Townsend at Forbes.
Imagine a world where Hillary Clinton didn’t run for president in 2016 by Philip Bump at The Washington Post.
Iranian Prof: Suspicion of Nuclear Program Results From Iran’s Threats Against Israel at The Tower.
Islamic State group issues new curriculum in Iraq by Sinan Salaheddin and Vivian Salama at Yahoo.
Israeli Archaeologist Discovers Huge Monument Older Than The Pyramids by Mark Strauss at io9.
Meticulous Visual Recreation Of Moon Landing Shows It Wasn't A Hoax by George Dvorsky at io9.

Film and Television

In Outlander, It's the Man's Bodice That Gets Ripped by Sara N at Stellar Four.
Outlander 1.7: Tender Intertemporal Polygamy at Paul Levinson's Infinite Regress.
TV REVIEW: Doctor Who, S8, E4: Listen at Geek Syndicate.

Interviews

Nicola Griffith at Locus.
Mary Robinette Kowal at Lightspeed.
Dru Pagliassotti at Mary Robinette Kowal.

* * *

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 9/16/14

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

Paperback

Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett

Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world—including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty’s dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of  the Empire.  But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon—a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east.

Gideon and  his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne’s trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies – to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.

Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

David Barnett's Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon is a fantastical steampunk fable set against an alternate historical backdrop: the ultimate Victoriana/steampunk mash-up!

Editor's Note: Check out my review of Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl on Amazing Stories.

E-books

Plexis Boxed Set (Armageddon Arising, Engines of Empire, Edge of Evil) by Ivan Kramer

THIEVES vs. ASSASSINS
LOCKPICKS vs. KNIVES
WITS vs. HANDGUNS

When Alec's parents - professional international burglars - decide to penetrate the Russian Royal train to steal some classified paperwork for their mysterious client, he decides to help them. But what seems to be an easy break-in becomes the first knot in the net of intrigues that have entangled the globe. Now Alec must prevent a major catastrophe and track down those who control the plot's gears steering the events toward an unpredictable finale.

A chain of murders and explosions, mysterious clues and ominous evidence takes young Alec McGuinn to Paris, London and the Balkans, finally leading him to America. But how can one fight the secret terrorist masters of this world if they would stop at nothing to silence a humble technical student?

A humble student? Are you sure? Raised by his internationally sought parents who now hide from the European police in the vastness of the Russian Empire, he's no novice to the world of crime.

The century of steam and diesel, of zeppelins and locomotives. The era of great heroes and dastardly villains. The weapons of the past against the breakthrough technologies of the future!

More Plexis books are coming shortly!

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.

New Releases 9/2/14

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

Hardcovers

The Golden Princess by SM Stirling

A new generation faces its own challenges in the world the Change has made.

Princess Órlaith, heir to Rudi Mackenzie, Artos the First, High King of Montival, now wields the Sword of the Lady—and faces a new enemy. Fortunately, she also has a new ally in Reiko, Empress of Japan, who has been pursued to America by a conquering army from Asia.

To combat their mutual foe, Órlaith and Reiko embark on a quest to find the fabled Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi, the Grass-Cutting Sword, one of the three great treasures of the Japanese Imperial House. But dreams have revealed that the road to Kusanagi lies through the meganecropolis of the City of Angels, the greatest and most perilous of the dead cities...and beyond it, to a castle in the fearful Valley of Death. And their relentless enemy will stop at nothing to prevent them from succeeding.

For across the Pacific, the great arc of land that stretches from the dark kingdom of Korea to the realm of Capricornia in Australia is threatened by war. Now all the survivors of the Change must choose sides....

Editor's Note: You can also read my reviews of the previous works in the series, The Tears of the Sun and The Given Sacrifice.

Paperbacks

Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn by Danielle Ackley-McPhail  and Day Al-Mohamed

Come, Best Beloved, and sit you by my feet. I shall tell you a tale such as sister Scheherazade could have scarce imagined...

In the Nejd there is nothing at all...except secrets. A band of thieves wish such secrets to remain hidden.

In England, far from his desert home, Ali bin-Massoud serves as apprentice to the famed Charles Babbage. One night a mysterious box is delivered by a clockwork falcon and Ali's world is never the same again. Heartache, danger, and thieves mark his journey as Ali is summoned home at the death of his father.

It will take faith, knowledge, and yes, love to realize his destiny, and more than a little skill with steam-driven technology. Can he unravel the mystery of the puzzle box and the clockwork djinn before it is too late? An ancient legacy and Ali's very life depend on his success.

Hear you the tale of Baba Ali and the Clockwork Djinn.

Maplecroft: The Borden Dispatches by Cherie Priest

Lizzie Borden took an axe and gave her mother forty whacks; and when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one....

The people of Fall River, Massachusetts, fear me. Perhaps rightfully so. I remain a suspect in the brutal deaths of my father and his second wife despite the verdict of innocence at my trial. With our inheritance, my sister, Emma, and I have taken up residence in Maplecroft, a mansion near the sea and far from gossip and scrutiny.

But it is not far enough from the affliction that possessed my parents. Their characters, their very souls, were consumed from within by something that left malevolent entities in their place. It originates from the ocean’s depths, plaguing the populace with tides of nightmares and madness.

This evil cannot hide from me. No matter what guise it assumes, I will be waiting for it. With an axe.

E-books

Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett

Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world—including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty’s dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of the Empire. But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon—a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east.Gideon and his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne’s trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies—to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

Editor's Note: Check out my review of the first book in the series, Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl, over at Amazing Stories.

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.

Preview: Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett

I am going to receive a review copy of Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon by David Barnett, sequel to the steampunk tale Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl (which I reviewed at Amazing Stories). Check out the description from Amazon:

Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire, a teeming metropolis where steam-power is king and airships ply the skies, and where Queen Victoria presides over three quarters of the known world—including the east coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

Young Gideon Smith has seen things that no green lad of Her Majesty’s dominion should ever experience. Through a series of incredible events Gideon has become the newest Hero of  the Empire. But Gideon is a man with a mission, for the dreaded Texas pirate Louis Cockayne has stolen the mechanical clockwork girl Maria, along with a most fantastical weapon—a great brass dragon that was unearthed beneath ancient Egyptian soil. Maria is the only one who can pilot the beast, so Cockayne has taken girl and dragon off to points east.

Gideon and  his intrepid band take to the skies and travel to the American colonies hot on Cockayne’s trail. Not only does Gideon want the machine back, he has fallen in love with Maria. Their journey will take them to the wilds of the lawless lands south of the American colonies – to free Texas, where the mad King of Steamtown rules with an iron fist (literally), where life is cheap and honor even cheaper.

Does Gideon have what it takes to not only save the day but win the girl?

David Barnett's Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon is a fantastical steampunk fable set against an alternate historical backdrop: the ultimate Victoriana/steampunk mash-up!

Keep a look out for the review either here or at Amazing Stories. If you plan on ordering a copy of the Brass Dragon or the Mechanical Girl, please click through our Amazon banner and help support The Update and its mission to bring you the best alternate history content on the Internet.

* * *

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 #141

Editor's Note

Alright I am back!

So I learned that I might have bitten off a little more than I could chew with this double rate of posting. I am still going to do the Map Mondays, Flag Friday and Amazing Stories announcement every Tuesday; but What If Wednesday and Timeline Thursday are being downgraded to "when I can get to it". If anyone would like to take those two posts over for me, I would appreciate it.

Got some good posts coming at you this week. I wax about a world where the Soviets win the Cold War and Mark Appleton returns with another atompunk sampler. That is just a taste of what I have coming up.

And now the news...

Dramatic Audio Rights Sale for David Barnett Steampunk Trilogy

According to a press release from John Jarrold, GraphicAudio will be producing dramatic audio editions (abridged audio with a full cast, sound effects, and music) of David Barnett’s Gideon Smith steampunk trilogy, having acquired the rights from Tor US.

Claire Eddy, Senior Editor at Tor Books in New York, acquired World English Language rights deal for the books in 2011. Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl (which I reviewed at Amazing Stories) was released by Tor (and by Snowbooks in the UK) in September 2013.  The sequel, Gideon Smith and the Brass Dragon, will follow in September 2014.

The only audio book I have ever listened to was the full cast reading of World War Z, although it did not have sound effects or music, it did have several great voice talents. If the Gideon Smith books can live up to that kind of quality, I will certainly check it out.

Japanese deal for Gareth L. Powell’s Ack-Ack Macaque

For our Japanese readers out there (and I know there are a few of you) Tokyo Sogensha Co., Ltd. has acquired the Japanese rights for Ack-Ack Macaque by Gareth L. Powell from Corinne Shioji of The English Agency (Japan) Ltd in Tokyo, representing the John Jarrold (see above) Literary Agency. The book was published in the UK and US by Solaris in 2012.

Ack-Ack Macaque has been shortlisted for the British SF Award for Best Novel, which will be announced over the Easter weekend. The sequel, Hive Monkey, was published in 2013.  A third volume will follow early in 2015.

So congrats Japan, you have some more steampunk coming your way.

Coming in June: Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer complete in one volume!

For those who enjoy fictional mash-ups, artist Dusty Higgins (Knights of the Living Dead) and writer Van Jensen (Green Lantern Corps) will be releasing the complete collection of Pinocchio, Vampire Slayer through Top Shelf. You can see the 12-page preview here.

Here is the description from the press release:

This puppet may not be a real boy… but he just might be a real hero.

When bloodthirsty monsters invade Pinocchio’s hometown and kill his father Geppetto, Pinocchio discovers a new benefit to his magical nose: telling lies produces a never-ending supply of wooden stakes to combat the vampire hordes! Will Pinocchio be able to defeat these horrors, avenge his father, and save his friends?

I am not sure about this one myself. Didn't we already have a famous person slaying vampires recently?

Video

Okay we have a few videos to get through, so bear with me. First up the release trailer for Crusader Kings II: Rajas of India:

Next we see the dieselpunk inspired Captain America: The First Avenger get the Honest Trailer treatment:

If you liked that, watch Cinema Sins eviscerate the same film:

Enough superheroes, we finish with Cody Franklin who is here to talk about what if the United States "won" the Vietnam War:

Cody also has a new channel out, FilmSleuth, so go there if you want to see his most recent alternate history video of the week.

Links to the Multiverse

Books

The Clockwork Dagger (Excerpt) at Tor.
Coming Soon: The Royal Sorceress III: Necropolis by Chris Nuttall at The Chrishanger.
Creating Steampunk Worlds by Tina Christopher at Steampunk Romance.
Do You Have the Time? by Violette Malan at Black Gate.
An Exclusive Sneak Peek At Christopher Priest's Next Mind-Bending Novel by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.
Fatherland and the Power of Alternative History by Ibtisam Ahmed at The Boar.
Germany on Mars in 1889, in The Dream Forge at Frank Chadwick's Space: 1889.
REVIEW: The Abominable by Dan Simmons at SF Signal.
REVIEW: Age of Shiva by James Lovegrove at SF Signal.
REVIEW: Altered Pasts: Counterfactuals in History by Richard J. Evans at Times Higher Education.
REVIEW: Then Everything Changed by Jeff Greenfield at Luna Sea Notes.
REVIEW: Phileas Fogg and the War of Shadows by Josh Reynolds at Meteor House.
REVIEW: The Revolutions by Felix Gilman at NPR.
REVIEW: Three Princes by Ramona Wheeler at io9.
A Steamtrunk of Steampunk at Kindle Daily Post.
The Unmasking of Moriarty by Melissa at Today I Found Out.

Comics

Comic Book Counterfactual: What If Marvel Had Bought DC In 1984? by lightninglouie at Observation Deck.
ELEVATOR PITCH: Skies of Fire at Geek Syndicate.
Fighting Racism at Home and Abroad: PW Talks with Max Brooks at Publishers Weekly.

Counterfactual/Traditional History

10 Shocking Ways the Second World War Could Have Ended Differently by George Dvorsky at io9.
Early Design Specs Show The Space Shuttle Could Have Been Much Cooler by Ron Miller at io9.
The Four Biggest Libertarian Myths About the Civil War by James Oakes at History News Network.
It Seems More and More Certain That We Live in a Multiverse by Annalee Newitz at io9.
Putin Wouldn't Dare Take Alaska by Stephen L. Carter at Bloomberg View.
Rand Paul and the Alternate History of World War II by David Weigel at Slate.
The Ukes and Their Nukes: Why the Bomb wouldn't have helped Kiev protect Crimea from Russia by Jeffrey Lewis at Foreign Policy.

Films

Sunday Cinema: The Time Shifters (a.k.a Thrill Seekers) at SF Signal.

Games

Papers, Please, Gone Home, and more named finalists at the 11th Annual Games for Change Awards by Anthony John Agnello at Joystiq.
REVIEW: Da Vinci’s Art of War at Pocket Tactics.
Tom Sparks And The Quakes Of Ruin Coming To Mac at Inside Mac Games.

Interviews

Tee Morris and Pip Ballantine at Gail Carriger.
Jeff Norton at Sci-Fi-London.
Daniel Ottalini at SC Barrus.
Liesel Schwarz at Alison Morton's Roma Nova.
Ann VanderMeer at Paste.

Podcast

Episode 182: Steven Erikson and Ian McDonald at Notes from Coode Street.
Episode 184 – With Pip Ballantine and Tee Morris at Functional Nerds.
Introducing Rocket Talk: The Tor.com Podcast! by Justin Landon at Tor.

Short Fiction

Cover & Synopsis: LOWBALL: A WILD CARDS NOVEL Edited by George R.R. Martin and Melinda Snodgrass at SF Signal.
REVIEW: Picking Up Plans in Palma by Matthew Quinn at The M.
REVIEW: Then Will The GreatOcean Wash Deep Above by Ian Sales at Michael J. Martineck.

Television

Da Vinci's Demons 2.1: Science Fiction v Fantasy at Paul Levionson's Infinite Regress.
Da Vinci's Demons 2.2: Renaissance Radio at Paul Levionson's Infinite Regress.
Elementary: Season 2, Episode 19. The Many Mouths of Andrew Colville at Thinking about books.
Meanwhile, back in the Elementary-verse by Brad Keefauver at Sherlock Peoria.
REVIEW: The Great Martian War at Far Future Horizons.
REVIEW: To Mars and Beyond by A-Bomb at Far Future Horizons.
This Is The Moment We Kept Rewatching From Last Night's Continuum by Charlie Jane Anders at io9.

* * *

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 9/17/13

Hardcovers

Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard by Kim Newman

Description from Amazon.

DRACULA COMES TO NEW YORK: Kim Newman returns to one of the great bestselling vampire tales of the modern era. Considered alongside I Am Legend and Interview with theVampire as one of the stand-out vampire stories of the last century - this brand-new novel is the first in over a decade from the remarkable and influential Anno Dracula series.

Newman’s dark and impish tale begins with a single question: What if Dracula had survived his encounters with Bram Stoker’s Dr. John Seward and enslaved Victorian England?

Fallen from grace and driven from the British Empire in previous instalments, Dracula seems long gone. A relic of the past. Yet, when vampire boy Johnny Alucard descends upon America, stalking the streets of New York and Hollywood, haunting the lives of the rich and famous, from Sid and Nancy to Andy Warhol, Orson Welles, and Francis Ford Coppola, sinking his fangs ever deeper into the zeitgeist of 1980s America, it seems the past might not be dead after all.

Delia's Shadow by Jamie Lee Moyer

Description from Amazon.

It is the dawn of a new century in San Francisco and Delia Martin is a wealthy young woman whose life appears ideal. But a dark secret colors her life, for Delia’s most loyal companions are ghosts, as she has been gifted (or some would say cursed) with an ability to peer across to the other side.

Since the great quake rocked her city in 1906, Delia has been haunted by an avalanche of the dead clamoring for her help. Delia flees to the other side of the continent, hoping to gain some peace. After several years in New York, Delia believes she is free…until one determined specter appears and she realizes that she must return to the City by the Bay in order to put this tortured soul to rest.

It will not be easy, as the ghost is only one of the many victims of a serial killer who was never caught. A killer who after thirty years is killing again.

And who is now aware of Delia’s existence.

Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett

Description from Amazon.

Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire. Airships ply the skies and Queen Victoria presides over three-quarters of the known world—including the East Coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

London might as well be a world away from Sandsend, a tiny village on the Yorkshire coast. Gideon Smith dreams of the adventure promised him by the lurid tales of Captain Lucian Trigger, the Hero of the Empire, told in Gideon’s favorite “penny dreadful.” When Gideon’s father is lost at sea in highly mysterious circumstances Gideon is convinced that supernatural forces are at work.  Deciding only Captain Lucian Trigger himself can aid him, Gideon sets off for London. On the way he rescues the mysterious mechanical girl Maria from a tumbledown house of shadows and iniquities. Together they make for London, where Gideon finally meets Captain Trigger.

But Trigger is little more than an aging fraud, providing cover for the covert activities of his lover, Dr. John Reed, a privateer and sometime agent of the British Crown. Looking for heroes but finding only frauds and crooks, it falls to Gideon to step up to the plate and attempt to save the day...but can a humble fisherman really become the true Hero of the Empire?

David Barnett's Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl is a fantastical steampunk fable set against an alternate historical backdrop: the ultimate Victoriana/steampunk mash-up!

Paperbacks

Age of Godpunk by James Lovegrove

Description from Amazon.

James Lovegrove presents three novellas with three different 'gods' and their appreance in the worlds of man. Age of Anansi, Age of Satan, and a third novella, Age of Gaia, appearing both in print and ebook for the first time with the release of this exciting omnibus.

Clockwork Heart by Dru Pagliassotti

Description from Amazon.

Taya soars over Ondinium on metal wings. She is an icarus — a courier privileged to travel freely across the city’s sectors and mingle indiscriminately among its castes. But even she can’t outfly the web of terrorism, loyalty, murder, and intrigue that snares her after a daring mid-air rescue. Taya finds herself entangled with the Forlore brothers, scions of an upperclass family: handsome, brilliant Alister, who sits on the governing council and writes programs for the Great Engine; and awkward, sharp-tongued Cristof, who has exiled himself from his caste and repairs clocks in Ondinium’s lowest sector. Both hide dangerous secrets, in this city that beats to the ticking of a clockwork heart…

To fans, authors and publishers...

Is you 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. His new short story "Road Trip" can be found in Forbidden Future: A Time Travel Anthology. 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 9/10/13

Hardcovers

Anno Dracula: Johnny Alucard by Kim Newman

Description from Amazon.

DRACULA COMES TO NEW YORK: Kim Newman returns to one of the great bestselling vampire tales of the modern era. Considered alongside I Am Legend and Interview with theVampire as one of the stand-out vampire stories of the last century - this brand-new novel is the first in over a decade from the remarkable and influential Anno Dracula series.

Newman’s dark and impish tale begins with a single question: What if Dracula had survived his encounters with Bram Stoker’s Dr. John Seward and enslaved Victorian England?

Fallen from grace and driven from the British Empire in previous instalments, Dracula seems long gone. A relic of the past. Yet, when vampire boy Johnny Alucard descends upon America, stalking the streets of New York and Hollywood, haunting the lives of the rich and famous, from Sid and Nancy to Andy Warhol, Orson Welles, and Francis Ford Coppola, sinking his fangs ever deeper into the zeitgeist of 1980s America, it seems the past might not be dead after all.

Paperbacks

Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett

Description from Amazon.

Nineteenth century London is the center of a vast British Empire. Airships ply the skies and Queen Victoria presides over three-quarters of the known world—including the East Coast of America, following the failed revolution of 1775.

London might as well be a world away from Sandsend, a tiny village on the Yorkshire coast. Gideon Smith dreams of the adventure promised him by the lurid tales of Captain Lucian Trigger, the Hero of the Empire, told in Gideon’s favorite “penny dreadful.” When Gideon’s father is lost at sea in highly mysterious circumstances Gideon is convinced that supernatural forces are at work.  Deciding only Captain Lucian Trigger himself can aid him, Gideon sets off for London. On the way he rescues the mysterious mechanical girl Maria from a tumbledown house of shadows and iniquities. Together they make for London, where Gideon finally meets Captain Trigger.

But Trigger is little more than an aging fraud, providing cover for the covert activities of his lover, Dr. John Reed, a privateer and sometime agent of the British Crown. Looking for heroes but finding only frauds and crooks, it falls to Gideon to step up to the plate and attempt to save the day...but can a humble fisherman really become the true Hero of the Empire?

David Barnett's Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl is a fantastical steampunk fable set against an alternate historical backdrop: the ultimate Victoriana/steampunk mash-up!

Shades of Blue and Gray: Ghosts of the Civil War by Steve Berman

Description from Amazon.

More Americans were killed during the years 1861-1865 than any other date in history. Men shattered, women lost, families broken. In Shades of Blue and Gray, editor Steve Berman offers readers tales of the supernatural - ghost stories that range from the haunts of the battlefield to revenants on the long march home. Yank. Rebel. Both finding themselves at odds in flesh and spirit.

Khan of Mars by Stephen Blackmoore

Description from Amazon.

When erudite ape Professor Khan and rough-and-tumble cowboy Bulls-Eye Gutierrez are zapped away on a one-way trip to Mars, they are thrown into a world in chaos. Under the malevolent gaze of the Weather Witch, Princess Cyclone, our heroes face the intrigue and war raging across an alien world. Will they survive long enough for the other Centurions to build a way back home, or will they perish upon the shifting sands of the Red Planet, never to be seen again?

To fans, authors and publishers...

Is you 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. His new story "The Enchanted Bean" can be found in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale from Echelon Press. 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 #118

Editor's Note

A few days ago someone on Twitter complained about being swarmed by pop-ups when they clicked on a link to The Update. This, of course, concerned me because the last thing I wanted was for this site to have the reputation for annoying ads. However, after checking my settings and attempting several times to duplicate the problem, I have been unable to witness any pop-ups. A call to our Facebook or Twitter followers to report any issues they had with pop-ups also brought no response.

I am hoping this was an isolated incident and that the person in question had an issue with their computer involving malware that did not involve The Update. Still I want to be cautious so if you do see anything weird with the ads, let me know at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.

And now the news...

RIP: Frederik Pohl

Frederik George Pohl, Jr., a science fiction writer, editor and fan, passed away last week. The award-winning author had career spanning over 75 years, winning honors both for his writing and blogging. He was influential to several authors, including S.M. Stirling. Several eulogies have been written since his passing and you can read them at SF Signal, Amazing Stories and Centauri Dreams.

When sad events like this occur, I try to remember the passing of these greats of science fiction by looking at their impact on our favorite genre, alternate history. According to Uchronia, Pohl wrote several stories in the genre including the novel-length The Coming of the Quantum Cats, where a militaristic American regime uses crosstime technology to steal technology from other timelines. His short fiction includes "The Reunion at the Mile-High" (where the US creates a "typhus bomb" in World War II), "Target One" (where survivors of a nuclear war travel back in time to kill Einstein), "Let the Ants Try" (another time travel tale about ants from the present being brought into the far distant past), "The Deadly Mission of Phineas Snodgrass" (a satire of de Camp's Lest Darkness Fall) and "The Golden Years of Astounding".

Then there was my favorite Pohl alternate history, "Waiting for the Olympians", which I read in The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories. Although set in the universe where Rome never fell, what really made me like this story was that it introduced me to the idea that intelligent extraterrestrials might have a damn good reason to avoid this dirty, blue ball we call home. Plus there are some humorous bits involving one character trying to explain to another character what an alternate history is. Highly recommend you check this story out.

Pohl career and wide body of work is an inspiration to us all. He will be missed.

Update: Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett

A few months ago I reviewed Gideon Smith and the Mechanical Girl by David Barnett on Amazing Stories. I really enjoyed the book and recommend you check it out, especially now that it will be released in hardcover, paperback and ebook formats over the next couple weeks. You can check out the book trailer below:

Because of the video I won't post the description here like I usually do, but you can see it over at SF Signal and check out an interview with David over at My Bookish Ways.

Update: BioShock Infinite

Want to know how the story of BioShock Infinite ends, but don't have the time to play it? Well this video is just right for you...but beware. Here be SPOILERS;

Speaking of BioShock Infinite, is it too violent?

Calendar

September 12-15: The Asylum steampunk festival in Lincoln, UK.

September 27-29: Red River, NM’s Aspencade Arts and Crafts Fair will have a steampunk theme this year.

October 15: The Harlequin Hypnosis Show at Granville Island, Canada.

November 30: Fractured: Tales of the Canadian Post-Apocalypse submission period ends.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

9 Scientific Breakthroughs That Killed Science Fiction Subgenres by Katharine Trendacosta and Charlie Jane Anders at io9.
1636 The Devil’s Opera – Snippet 45 by Eric Flint.
Afrika Reich: the audio book by Guy Saville.
Alternative History…What if women were in charge? by Alison Morton at Women Writers Women Books.
Cover Reveal: Author Lilith Saintcrow's 'The Ripper Affair' by Natalie Zutter at Bookish.
How the Steampunk movement is catching the eye of Big Tech by Antony Funnell at ABC.
The Netflix for books is here, it’s mobile, and it makes Amazon look old by Hamish McKenzie at pandodaily.
PERFIDITAS cover reveal, pub date and launch by Alison Morton.
Religion and Freedom of Choice in the Afrikanerverse by Matthew W. Quinn at Korsgaard's Commentary.
RESEARCH, RESEARCH, RESEARCH! Avoiding Cultural Appropriation in Steampunk by Balogun at Chronicles of Harriet.
TOC: ‘Wonderbook: The Illustrated Guide to Creating Imaginative Fiction’ by Jeff VanderMeer at SF Signal.
What is Steampunk? by Linda Williams The Willits News.
When Science Fiction is Not Science Fiction by Paul Cook at Amazing Stories.
Why You Can’t Travel Back in Time and Kill Hitler by Lauren Davis at io9.

Comics

Dark Horse Comics brings 'The Star Wars' to life by Matt Moore at Yahoo!
The End of an Era: How the Battle of Hastings Changed England by Lisa J. Yarde at Unusual Historicals.
Persia Blues: my graphic novel of modern Iran and ancient Persia by Dara N at Iranian.com.

Counterfactual and Real History

A Design Thinking Retrospective: How History's Biggest Mishaps Could Have Been Averted by Patricia Morizio at Huff Post.
Here's what third-century China thought about the Roman Empire by Rob Bricken at io9.
Krugman's Counterfactual by Gavriel D. Rosenfeld at The Counterfactual History Review.

Reviews

The Given Sacrifice by SM Stirling at PNC-Minnesota Bureau.
The Mammoth Book of Time Travel edited by Mike Ashby at Falcata Times.
Sherlock Holmes: The Stuff of Nightmares by James Lovegrove at More Than a Reading Journal.
Soulless by Gail Carriger at Forest Park Reads.
Total War: Rome: Destroy Carthage by David Gibbins at Falcata Times.

Films

The 2002 Batman/Superman movie wouldn't have been the worst thing ever by Rob Bricken at io9.
The guy whose Reddit thread sparked a movie deal is at it again by Meredith Woerner at io9.

Games

PAX Prime 2013: Guns of Icarus Online's new Adventure mode, features, and PS4 version by Patrick Mackey at Massively.

Interviews

George R.R. Martin at The Austin Chronicle.
Priya Sharma at Alt Hist.

Podcasts

Book List: Alternate Histories by Alex Fitch at Masters of Horror.
Dissecting Worlds Series 7, Episode 6: The Iron Council at Geek Syndicate.
Worldcon Walk-by Session #1: Keffy Kehrli, Rachael Acks, Michael J. Martinez, Karen Burnham, & Kyell Gold at The Skiffy and Fanty Show.

Television

Fil-Am actors star as Pinoy mythology gods in steampunk-themed US web series by Xianne Arcangel at GMA News Online.
Revolution - Season 2 - Press Release by Babar Suhail at Spoiler TV.

* * *

Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a blogger on Amazing Stories. His new story "The Enchanted Bean" can be found in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale from Echelon Press. 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.