Interview: Eric Swedin

I bring you my interview with Sidewise award winning author Eric G. Swedin:

Can you tell us a bit about yourself?

I'm an associate professor at Weber State University, a four-year school in Ogden, Utah. I have published seven books, most of them historical in nature. I have three science fiction novels coming out from Wildside Press in the near future.

What got you interested in alternate history?

As a historian, I have always been interested in historical counterfactuals. I have also been a long-time science fiction fan. It was not a deliberate decision, but I noticed that the novels I wrote often had substantial historical sections, even excerpts from fictional historical documents. I see everything in the world through the prism of history, so alternate history is a natural fit for me.

What is your novel When Angels Wept about?

It supposes that the U-2 flight that found the Soviet missile sites on Cuba, thus starting the Cuban Missile Crisis, had been delayed by just seven days. Many of the earlier reconnaissance flights had been delayed by weather. When Angels Wept: A What-If History of the Cuban Missile Crisis is a counterfactual history book based on the premise that the Crisis escalated into a general nuclear war. The book argues that such a war would have destroyed the Soviet Union and Europe, but only damaged the United States. At that point in history, American superiority in strategic weapons was overwhelming.

What inspired you to write When Angels Wept?

I think that the Cuban Missile Crisis was one of the most important events of the Twentieth Century, not for what happened, but for what could have happened.

Most alternate histories are written as narratives, what made you decide to write When Angels Wept as a history book?

I have written both history books and novels and I understand the advantages and disadvantages of each type of storytelling. What I wanted to do with the Cuban Missile Crisis made more sense if it was written like a history book, without all the tricks that make a good novel work. I also had a serious intent beyond mere entertainment when I wrote the book. Contingency is too often neglected by historians and other people. When thinking about history we assume that whatever happened was inevitable. This is a poor way to think about history and about why events unfold as they do. I hope that my book will in its small way help counteract this tendency in all of us and help us realize that the past was not fixed when it was happening.

How did you come up with the title?

You know, I don't remember. I liked the phrase and the title was there very early in the project. Only later did I include an episode that explained the title.

Who designed the cover?

The publisher did and it is one of the best covers that I have ever seen. I cannot be more pleased.

How was it like winning the Sidewise award?

I was certain that I would not win this award, though I was thrilled to be nominated. Since my family and I were already going to WorldCon, we all went to the ceremony. When they announced my name and the book title it was like a blast of electricity going through me and I didn't hear much of what they said after that. Very jarring.

What are you reading now?

I just read a graphic novel, Will Eisner, The Plot: The Secret Story of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion (2005). I am also reading several books on World War II at the same time, including Andrew Roberts, The Storm of War: A New History of the Second World War (2011) and Mark Mazower, Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis Ruled Europe (2008). I am also reading the novella that I shared the Sidewise Award with, Alan Smale, "A Clash of Eagles," in Panverse Two (ed. Dario Ciriello), (Panverse Publishing 2010). He won the short-form and I won the long-form. It is an interesting story.

What are your current projects?

Tough question. I am working on a sequel to a novel of mine that will be coming out soon, Fragments of Me (Wildside Press, 2011). I am researching a general book on Twentieth-century Science. And I am working on an alternate history of World War II.  In my alternate history of World War II, I want to answer the question of if atomic bombs could have really won the war against a dominant Germany. I have my doubts.

Do you have any advice for other writers?

I do believe that anyone who is of reasonable intelligence and has a sincere desire to learn can become a writer. Writing is a rewarding activity, even without publishing, though publishing is a nice way to convince doubters and naysayers that you are not on a fruitless quest. Writers who are successful have a determination that drives them through disappointment and self-doubt. Becoming a productive writer is the hardest skill that I have ever worked to acquire.

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You can also check out my review of Swedin's When Angels Wept.

Review: When Angels Wept

Grade: A+

This is probably one of the best alternate history books I have read in a long time. When Angels Wept by Eric G. Swedin deserved this year's Sidewise Award.  It is a plausible and powerful testament to the destructive capabilities of mankind.

The book is unique in that it is not in narrative form, like most alternate histories.  Written as a history book by an American historian living in Australia, Swedin uses OTL sources to explain how and why events took place as they did in this timeline.  Starting with the 1961 Bay of Pigs invasion, we see how the American supported Cuban exiles failed to overthrow Fidel Castro due to President Kennedy's attempts to maintain "plausible deniability".  Fearing another American invasion of their only Latin American ally, the Soviet Union sneaked into Cuba strategic missiles tipped with nuclear warheads and Soviet troops armed with tactical nuclear weapons.

At this point most of the book follows OTL history, with a couple of nuggets thrown in referencing the post-1962 world that reminds you that this did not really happen.  Things begin to change when the U-2 spy plane flight that would have discovered the Soviet missile sites is delayed. When they are discovered Nikita Khrushchev is less willing to pull them out and the confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union sets off a nuclear war.  Kennedy listens to his military officers recommendations to begin a naval blockade, a bombing campaign and finally a full-scale invasion of Cuba. Unknown to the Americans, however, the Soviet Union had tactical nuclear weapons in Cuba and they have every intention of using them.

Swedin paints a vivid picture of the destruction that followed.  The pages he reserved to discuss the destruction of my hometown, Chicago, could not stop me from picturing the devastation or what might have happened to my own family.  Would Grampy Moran the firefighter, who lived in the suburbs at the time, be part of the futile efforts to stop the blazing inferno from engulfing the city?  Did Grampy and Grammy Mitrovich live far enough away from the blast to survive and lead their family safety?  Sadly I doubt this is a world that yours truly exists in.

Perhaps this book may not be for the casual alternate history fan, especially if they have not read that many real history books to begin with.  That is shame, however, because you are missing out on a novel that reminds this reviewer how much fun history can be.

Breaking News: Sidewise Winners Announced

The winners of the Sidewise Awards for Alternate History were announced on Thursday, August 18 at Renovation. Three of the judges (Stu Shiffman, Evelyn Leeper, and Steven H Silver) were present, as
were both of the winners.

Long Form: When Angels Wept: A What-If History of the Cuban Missile Crisis by Eric G. Swedin.

Short Form: "A Clash of Eagles” by Alan Smale.

Congrats to the winners.