The day is finally here guys. I have been talking about it and linking to the beta site, but now I am pleased to announce the reintroduction of the world's most recognizable science fiction magazine – AMAZING STORIES!
Following the completion of a successful Beta Test begun on January 2nd, 2013, Amazing Stories is now open to the public. Fans of science fiction, fantasy, and horror are invited to join and encouraged to participate in helping to bring back a cherished icon of the field.
For the past several weeks nearly sixty fans, authors, artists, editors and bloggers have been producing articles on your favorite subjects – the literature of SF/F/H, its presentations in media such as television, film, poetry, literature, games, comics and much more. If you haven't got a chance to experience it yourself stop by my author page or read one of my articles. Tomorrow you can see my article on the break down of balkanized North Americas in literature.
All contents of Amazing Stories are free to the general public. Membership is also free – and entitles members to participate in the discussion, share information and engage in many other familiar social networking activities. Membership also represents a stake in helping Amazing Stories return to publication. The more members the site acquires, the faster Amazing Stories can become a paying market for short fiction...and it means yours truly finally gets a real paycheck for blogging so hurry up and join already.
Every genre fan now has a chance to help support the creation of a new market for the stories, artwork and articles they all love so much. To visit the site and obtain your free membership, go to Amazing Stories, and don't forget to invite your friends too!
O one more thing. All of the articles I have been posting about from development site should be off-line now. I will try to replace all of them but if I missed a few let me know at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.
What are you still here for? Go and read Amazing Stories. You heard me. Get out!
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly andThe Were-Traveler. 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.
4) January 2013: The Month of No Americans by Matt Mitrovich: Next month's writing contest is still accepting submissions so hurry up before we run out of days to post.
5) Weekly Update #82 by Matt Mitrovich: I make a big announcement, plus news on East vs. West, Cherie Priest, Ian Tregillis, SF awards, steampunk events and new releases.
6) Showcase: A Crack at Draka by Matt Mitrovich: I attempt to use my evil powers to get one of my favorite web originals updated again.
10) Weekly Update #83 by Matt Mitrovich: Iron Kingdoms is novelized, The Afrika Reich gets reviewed, more chances to get published and new releases.
Well Chris did an excellent job getting the top 3 spots, while I once again had the most articles in the top ten this month. Shout out to AJ and Tyler for making the list as well. Stay tuned tomorrow when I recap the best of 2012.
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly andThe Were-Traveler. 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.
The Experimenter Publishing Company is pleased to announce the reintroduction of the world's most recognizable science fiction magazine – AMAZING STORIES! Set to relaunch with a Beta Test of its new Social Magazine Platform, Amazing Stories will feature content from 50+ bloggers, covering an enormous array of subjects of interest to genre fans. As a contributor, I am happy to share with you all of the news and updates on this project. The new Social Magazine platform is designed to create an interactive environment that will be familiar to fans with blog content designed to encourage discussion and take things beyond the usual user-generated content model for social networks.
Originally published in 1926 by the father of science fiction, Hugo Gernsback, Amazing Stories helped to launch both the science fiction genre and its most enduring feature, science fiction fandom. The magazine is well known for its Frank R. Paul covers and for publishing the first stories by many iconic authors such as Isaac Asimov, Jack Williamson and Ursula Le Guin. Published continuously from 1926 until 1995, followed by two brief resurrections from 1998 till 2000 and again from 2004 through 2005. In 2008 Hasbro, the then current owner, allowed the trademarks to lapse and publisher Steve Davidson applied for and eventually received them in 2011. The Experimenter Publishing Company was created in 2012 for the purpose of returning Amazing Stories magazine to regular publication. The company shares the name of the original magazine's publisher as homage.
“We are diverse - and we are all in this together.”
We are diverse – and we are all in this together, a sentiment that captures the very heart and soul of what it means to be a fan. Amazing Stories aims to be a vehicle through which the diversity of fandom can come together.
“We've got authors and agents, bloggers and editors, pod casters and broadcasters; we've got gamers and game designers; artists and art collectors; pulpsters and indie authors; we've got Hugo winners, John W. Campbell Memorial Award winners, John W. Campbell Best New Writer winners, Nebula and Hugo Award winners and nominees and winners and nominees of many other awards; people who review films, people who make films; we've got fanboys and fangirls; we've got former editors of Amazing Stories, writers who've become synonymous with the field and writers who are just getting started; comic artists, book reviewers; traditionally published authors, self-pubbed authors and authors who've done it all. The response to my request for participation was phenomenal – it couldn't be more perfect if I had set out with a list of must-haves!” said Steve Davidson, speaking on the diversity of new blog team.
The Amazing Stories Blog Team will cover (for now – more coming!) fourteen popular topics – Science Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror, (lit), Film, Television, Gaming, Comics and Graphic Works, the Visual Arts, the Pulps, Audio Works, Anime, the Business of Publishing, Science and Fandom itself.
Amazing Stories' relaunch will take place in two phases. Those interested in participating in the Beta Test of Phase 1 should contact the publisher at steve.davidson33 at comcast dot net. Participants will receive full access to the site with Member status and will receive on-site benefits as the project moves forward.
Phase 2 will introduce additional interactivity and user-customization to the site. Following the completion and testing of Phase 2, the magazine, featuring both new and reprint fiction, essays, photo galleries, reviews and more will begin publication. Readers who are interested in what the magazine will look like can read two Relaunch Prelaunch issues on line, or download them from the Amazing Stories store. (Additional Amazing Stories themed product is also available here.)
Guys I can't begin to tell you how excited I am about this. I can't wait for you to read my first articles. I think you will find something that both alternate historians and the rest of fandom can enjoy. If you want more information, feel free to contact me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com or contact Steve Davidson via email at steve.davidson33 at comcast dot net. Or keep an eye out on my own writing blog where I will be providing more details about the upcoming launch Amazing Stories. Plus I will be sharing links to all of the Amazing Stories bloggers sites here on The Update and at my blog (where I will give more in depth coverage to my fellow bloggers).
So please contact Steve and sign up for the beta test. You won't regret it.
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly andThe Were-Traveler. 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.
They are the most notorious and controversial culture ever invented by an alternate historian. S. M. Stirling's race of master slavers are horrifyingly ruthless and yet manage to keep some semblance of humanity at least within the frameworks of their world view. The terms "Draka-lite" and "Draka-esque" have been used to describe various alternate history dystopias created online, but the Draka are not without their detractors.
Many reviewers find S. M. Stirling's universe to be implausible. Admittedly the universe does contain many common AH cliches including airships, space-filling empires and tech wankery. A cottage industry has sprung up to disprove the Draka by either writing essays pointing out Stirling's flaws or creating their own timelines. Most of these timelines lack depth and often just screw the Draka over at some point in their fictional past while keeping most of the history Stirling laid down. Yet every once in a while a timeline comes along which makes a serious attempt to create a realistic Drakan nation to terrorize the world.
This brings us to A Crack at Draka by Municipal Engines. Unlike the above examples, ME makes massive changes to the history of the Draka in an attempt to make them more plausible. The point of divergence begins when Sir Francis Drake doesn't get infected with dysentery and die at the age of 55 in 1596. Instead he ends up shipwrecked at the Cape of Good Hope. After returning to England, he comes back with colonists and South Africa is settled by the English before the Dutch. The Drake family remains in the colony, becoming incredibly wealthy and influential.
Originally named Drakesland, the colony grows and prospers as it stretches north into Africa. It gets nicknamed the "Old Dominion", for its support of the Royalists in the Civil War, but it doesn't scoff at Cromwell loyalists settling in the colony, especially veterans of the New Model Army who help train the colonial militia into an elite fighting force. Although the colony struggles to find settlers since many English prefer North America over distant South Africa, Drakesland nevertheless grows and expands.
Puritans establish colonies on the frontier and influence the Drakan religion (they are not athiests in this universe), the Dutch try to set up their own neighboring colony until they are absorbed and the Scots bring their clan system to the colony. The Loyalists do end up in Draka, because Quebec revolted as well as the Anglo-colonies to its south, denying Canada to them (I never did understand why the Loyalists in Stirling's universe would rather live in South Africa over nearby Canada). As the decades go by the colony grows changing its name to Drakia and later gaining self-governance as the Dominion of Draka.
ME crafted an excellent and plausible timeline. Unlike the other Draka fan timelines, A Crack at Draka does not focus solely on military and politics. ME takes time to describe the culture, economics, philosophy and technology of the Draka. The timeline has a lot of fiber, unlike the bar outlines of the other fan (or attack?) timelines. A Crack at Draka is also devoid of historical cameos. ME does not ignore the butterfly effect, so you won't see Nixon the used car salesman in this timeline.
In the early history of the Draka he describes how the conflicts with the natives led to massacres committed by both sides and how that influenced the Draka's militarism and hatred for black Africans. The Drakan racisim, however, does not extend to everyone as it does in Stirling's universe. For example, the Drakan merchants and politicians were influential in changing how the British managed India, thus avoiding an Indian Mutiny in this ATL (although there is a small rebellion in British North Africa).
This is accomplished thanks to the powerful, and Drakan founded, "Consortium". Part trade association and part secret society, the Consortium includes the richest and most powerful men in the Empire. They have enough power that usually whatever the Draka want, the Empire gives, but they are not omnipotent. Britain still ends slavery, forcing the Draka to reform the system. Slaves became bondservants who have to work to pay off their debt to their former owners (which is nigh impossible).
The world in 1873.
The timeline remains unfinished and since I want to see more updates, I decided to use my power for my own selfish goals (insert evil laughter here). At the last update we find the United States in the midst of a civil war with a large slave-holding Confederacy allied with Texan and Nephite nationalists (who want to establish the Holy Republic of Devoret). Unbeknownst to the Americans, a secret treaty has been signed with Quebec (a military dictatorship) and Imperial Mexico to intervene in the war. It is probably only a matter of time before the Draka get involved as well. Will the United States survive?
Whether you liked or hated Stirling's Draka universe, you will love A Crack at Draka by by Municipal Engines. Go and read the timeline and then leave a reply demanding an update. Like the Draka, we can't be stopped (more evil laughter).
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly andThe Were-Traveler. 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.
Editor's Note I teased you all on Friday with news of a big announcement that will impact the continued existence of Alternate History Weekly Update. Well today is the day. No more waiting. Time to share what has been happening in my life.
First, some good news for me even though you might not find it to be that interesting: I got a new job! I will be working full-time at a law firm in downtown Chicago. My days of a contract attorney are nearly over. I have enjoyed the flexible hours and learning about a wide variety of legal fields, but the position lacked the financial security necessary for my family. Hopefully my new job will help as my wife and I make our dreams of owning a home and having children a reality.
Next, and this you should all be excited about, I got a new job! Wait, what? Well sort of. I am going to be blogging for a distinguished science fiction magazine. Any guesses?
Yep, that's right. Starting next year I will be blogging for Amazing Stories. First published in 1926 by Hugo Gernsback, it has been published for almost 80 years before the last issue was printed in 2005. Now Steve Davidson has purchased the trademark and the magazine will return as a professional online magazine in 2013. I will be writing in the SF literature category and although I will be covering SF books in general, I plan to insert a good helping of alternate history into the magazine.
Now I know what you are saying: "Mitro, we always knew you were awesome, but how does this effect Weekly Update?" That's the thing, I just don't know. As I said before, my new job will not have the flexible hours I enjoyed as a contract attorney. On its face that shouldn't be a problem since I do most of my writing during the evenings and weekends. Also, as you probably noticed, guest posts from our great contributors make up most of our content in a week.
Promotion of posts, however, my be difficult. I don't know what my schedule is going to be like yet or my firm's Internet policy. For a short while I did use Networked Blogs to post automatically to social media, but I noticed a significant decrease in page views, which I believe was caused by people blocking that app on their profiles and feeds.
Speaking of writing, a lot of my time writing is now going to be given to Amazing Stories. Book reviews that otherwise would have been posted here will be published instead on the magazine. Plus I still want to be a published fiction writer, and while I have fallen behind on my writing, I will not give up on my dream. In fact, that is one of the reasons why I did apply to write for Amazing Stories. It is a chance to take my writing to a larger audience.
So for the next two weeks you will not notice anything different. You will get your regularly scheduled doses of alternate history. Meanwhile, with the holidays and my wedding anniversary coming up, I am going to be taking a much needed break from the blog, which is good because it will correspond with the start of my new job. By 2013, with the start date for Amazing Stories, you might start noticing fewer posts during the week or see them be posted at random times.
I ask that you please have patience with me as I create a routine for the next chapter of my life. Since I have no idea what to expect I am preparing you for the worst, while I hope for the best. Worst case scenario: I find managing the blog is too time-consuming and I will sell the domain to a new editor. I say sell because my belief is the person who pays to operate the blog is more likely to live up to the mission of the blog. Sort of a "put your money where your mouth is" philosophy.
If I can't find someone to buy the blog...well let's not think about that right now.
Like I said that is the worst of worse case scenarios. What is most likely to happen is I find a way to balance my new responsibilities, my fiction writing and this blog in a way that makes everyone happy. If you have any ideas on how to help this process, feel free to email me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com. I love hearing from you guys and I will try to respond back to you asap.
Phew! Alright, enough of that crap. Let's get to today's Weekly Update.
So even with the lack of posting over the Thanksgiving holiday we still managed to beat our monthly page view record...AGAIN. The new record is 13,261 page views. Yay! We might have that record for a while, however, since I am taking a couple of weeks off this month. To keep from thinking about that, please enjoy this week's reviews of Rising Sun, American Indians Victorious and the short story from the Anno Dracula universe "Aquarius". We might even have an article on everyone's favorite French general or an after-action report from Arsenals of Democracy. We shall see.
Got our first readers from Nicaragua and Guatemala. Welcome and let me tell you I am happy to fill in more of Central America.
And now the news...
East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game Developer Diaries Launched
The most quickly moving half century in history has always been a daunting setting for game designers, but Paradox Development Studio and BL-Logic have donned their cloak and dagger, calculated the appropriate payloads and are now ready to reveal to the world how they are taking on the challenge of bringing the Cold War to life in the grand strategy game East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game.
East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game is the team’s first title to come to grips with the standoff between the United States of America and the Soviet Union in the last half of the 20th century. Players will be able to take control of ANY nation in those nerve-wracking decades in a strategy game with a host of tense features, from taking issues in front of the UN Security Council to nervously watching the game's Doomsday clock.
In the first diary “Controlling the Cold War” Lennart Berg, project lead, focuses on what East vs. West: A Heart of Iron Game is all about:
"Did your parents ever tell you that you would grow up to become a prominent, illustrious leader? Has that not happened yet? Never fear! The developers of East vs. West would like to welcome you to the Executive Branch! East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game will let you control a nation during the recent past, leading it through the remarkable time of the Cold War. Nuclear weapons, politics, the space race, spies, guerrilla warfare and the delicate art of diplomacy, this is not a game, THIS is personal."
This time period presents unique challenges for a development team, with rapid technological advancement, dueling espionage programs and the looming threat of suicidal nuclear war. Will you wield your air force, economy and nuclear supremacy like a cudgel, bludgeoning your neighbors into submission? Or select the sharper knife of politics and espionage? Without wanting to influence you, commander, your private collection of Spy Cards is ready and waiting to be deployed…
Personally, I wonder how often players will nuke the world just for the hell of it.
Meanwhile here are some upcoming Paradox games that alternate historians can enjoy. In Q4 2012 we have Salem: The Crafting MMO. Q1 2013 we will have March of the Eagles. In Q2 2013 we have East vs. West: A Hearts of Iron Game and Cities in Motion 2. Finally, in Q3 2013 we have Europa Universalis IV.
Update: Cherie Priest
Cherie Priest, author of the Clockwork Century series, did an interview with Tor last Monday. In it she talks about her novels, writing female characters and, of course, steampunk. If you haven't read anything by Priest yet, you can check out my review of Boneshaker or Falcata Times review of the same novel where they rate the book lower then I did and said it was "more of an extensive set up for future outings rather than a real story for the reader to get behind."
If you want to read more reviews on the Clockwork Century series check out Matt Quinn's review of Clementine or Marion Deed of Fantasy Literature's review of Priest's newest entry into the series The Inexplicables. Marion called the tale "a dark journey in a blighted city and an addict’s mind, and Priest carries off both of these."
Update: Ian Tregillis
Ian Tregillis is another author who has recently showed up on my radar for his imaginative works of alternate history. The Coldest War, his recent entry into superhero alternate history series, was reviewed by David Marshall at Thinking About Books. He said the novel is "at every level and in every way, this is better than Bitter Seeds, the first in the series. But you absolutely cannot read this as a standalone."
Tregillis also appears to be entering the world of historical fantasy and steampunk with a new series:
The Clakkers Trilogy is set in a fantasy alternate 1921. And I mean VERY alternate. History changed back in 1671, when Christiaan Huygens stole the alchemical research of Isaac Newton, and combined magic with his own knowledge of clockmaking to invent the first Clakker: a clockwork man bereft of Free Will. It wasn't long before the Dutch conquered Europe with armies of tireless mechanical servitors… Fast forward 250 years, and the world becomes an incredibly fun playground for an author.
The makers of the indie, SF film Iron Sky have something to cheer about. Their film won the "SyFy Public Award & Special Mention" for this year's Utopiales Awards. Congrats!
In other award news, the AH Wiki has begun accepting nominations for the 2013 Striling Awards. The Stirling Awards recognize the best editors, timelines and articles on the Wiki. If you are eligible to vote, hurry up and cast your ballot today.
Steampunk Things to Do
Looking for something to do in the wide world of steam powered fun? Well if you live in Valley Village, CA you can check out the recently opened Steampunk Coffee Bar & Kitchen. Meanwhile, those readers living near Abilene, TX can attend the steampunk version of "Twelfth Night" at Hardin-Simmons University. The show runs from Dec 6th to the 8th.
Know about a steampunk event or business you want to promote? Please let us know.
New Releases
Hardcovers
Rising Sun by Robert Conroy
It is the summer of 1942 and what our historians have called the Incredible Victory in the Battle of Midway has become a horrendous disaster in the world. Two of America’s handful of carriers in the Pacific have blundered into a Japanese submarine picket line and have been sunk, while a third is destroyed the next day. The United States has only one carrier remaining in the Pacific against nine Japanese, while the ragtag remnants of U.S. battleships – an armada still reeling from the defeat at Pearl Harbor – are in even worse shape.
E-books
Armour of Valentine by A.J. Powell
Fourteen year old Richard Kiev and a train full of youngsters are being evacuated from York after an unexpected, crippling blitz. Little do they know that they are about to be placed in more danger than anyone can possibly imagine.
Cyrus Darian and the Ghastly Horde by Raven Dane
In this eagerly awaited sequel to the Victorian Steampunk Society Best Novel of 2011 our favourite anti-hero is back! And this time he's acquired an army of adoring followers from the netherworld. Share his adventures as he struggles to extricate himself using Steampunk technology and a tiny dose of the occult.
"Second Chances" by Elizabeth L. Howard
Every choice changes the course of history. How might things have been different if Billy the Kid became a sheriff and Pat Garrett remained an outlaw?
Steampunk Omnibus by Michael Coorlim
The Steampunk Omnibus is a collection of the best-selling titles from the Collected Bartleby and James Adventures and the Gentlewoman's Chronicles anthologies of steampunk mystery and thriller fiction. These seven stories build a world of Edwardian adventure in a galvanic century.
The World Turned Upside Down by J. D. Buchanan
A gritty crime thriller wrapped within a dystopian version of history where the Russians won the cold war.
Graphic novels
Adolf Hitler's I Dream of Ants by Lavie Tidhar and art by Neil Struthers The ants have lived in peace for years, behind the wainscoting of the house. But when the house's occupant, Adolf Hitler, becomes haunted by nightmares in which he is consumed by ants, he becomes obsessed. Afraid he is losing his mind, the desperate Hitler reaches at last a final solution: the ants must be exterminated!
Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly andThe Were-Traveler. 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.
10) Interview: Mark Jeffrey by Matt Mitrovich: My interview with the author of Age of Aether.
So what can we take away from last month? Korsgaard does get the top spot, but I can pat myself on the back for getting the most appearances on the list. I am also happy by the four debut articles from new contributors making the list. I look forward to seeing what December brings.
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly andThe Were-Traveler. 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.
Good news everyone, my short story "A Perfect Hell on Earth" will be published by Jake's Monthly in their upcoming alternate history themed anthology. Editor Jake Johnson has informed me that the anthology should be out during the first week of July, though I will make sure to inform you of the exact date it is to be published. You can pick up a copy of the anthology at Smashwords, which will publish the e-book in several formats including Kindle, Nook, Sony, PDF, HTML, JavaScript, plain text, Palm, Kobo and iPad.
Jake's Monthly is run by 16-year old Jake Johnson who has committed himself to publishing an anthology of short stories every month for a year. Each anthology focuses on a different genre or subgenre, and will be published on Smashwords for the low price of $0.99. If you would like to check out some reviews of his previous anthologies you can find two done by Allen Taylor or read about the success of the Lovecraftian Horror Anthology.
My story, "A Perfect Hell on Earth", is the diary of a Child Development Trooper leaving for his first assignment in Europe. In this story you will learn what humanity has done to survive an unending period of violence and destruction. The anthology also includes five other short stories:
"For Want of a Dollar" by Michael A. Kechula
"All Quiet" by Ross Baxter
"Wild Geese Have the Sharpest Quills" by John H. Dromey
"Dark Glass" by James Wymore
"The Khan’s Sword" by Melissa Embry
I hope you get the chance to read and enjoy all of them. Those interested in reviewing the anthology should contact me at ahwupdate at gmail dot com.
Matt Mitrovich is a long-time fan of alternate history, founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update and a volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The Masquerade Crew. 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 (@MattMitrovich).
When I was thinking about what to write to commemorate the one year anniversary of Alternate History Weekly Update, I decided to go back to the first post published on this blog. Go ahead, take a look and come back. I will wait for you.
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Wow have things changed. I learned to not be afraid of pictures, to underline and to the drop the bullets in the Links section. Just look at last Monday's Weekly Update if you want to see more differences. I don't even remember the last time I wrote about "Important Events in Alternate History". Do you think I should bring that back?
So much has changed since then. I only planned to post once a week, now I am posting 5-10 times a week. I wanted to improve my writing, now I am going to be a published author (more on that later this week). A blog that began with just one author, now fields a team of contributors and regularly posts interviews with creators in the genre. I had to buy the books I reviewed, now some are sent to me without even asking. The blog paid me nothing when I started, now I hope to use the funds raised to start a podcast.
Sure I had my setbacks. My plans to have full-time contributors never panned out. Articles that I worked hard on were barely viewed. Polls and contests went unanswered. A few people turned down my request for an interview. I even once got into a bad argument with my wife over spending too much time on the blog.
Nevertheless, my successes and failures together were the sum of an experience that I do not regret. I enjoy reading new books and talking to interesting people. Plus I have not yet loss my drive to try new things, like seeing the Sidewise Awards be presented at Chicon 7 or unveiling the new banner to the blog (more on that later as well).
A lot can happen in one year. June 19, 2013...here I come.
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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a volunteer editor for the Alt Hist magazine and a contributor to Just Below the Law. One of his short stories will be published in the upcoming Echelon Press anthology, Once Upon a Clockwork Tale (2013). When not writing he works as an attorney in the state of Illinois and enjoys life with his beautiful wife Alana.
Angels of Vengeanceby John Birmingham is the latest (and last?) novel in the trilogy that began with Without Warning. Some backstory, our tale begins when a dome of energy descends onto North America on the eve of the Iraq War, covering most of the continent. Millions perish and anyone who attempts to enter the dome disappears as well. The United States of America (except for Alaska, Hawaii, and a small enclave around Seattle) is destroyed, along with large chunks of Canada and Mexico (plus the Bahamas but no one mentions them at all, so screw it). While some mourn or celebrate the loss of life, it becomes clear that a world without America is a bad place indeed. The world economy collapses and the global environment is ruined as nuclear reactors fail and fires rage in the depopulated North America with no one around to stop them.
The story continues in After America. The dome is gone and the North American wilderness is open for recolonization. The United States is struggling to retake its lost homeland from gangsters, pirates, scavengers and Islamist fighters fleeing the irradiated Middle East (after Israel carried out the Samson Option), which comes to a climax in the epic Battle of New York. A greater threat, however, comes from Texas where a mad former general will either remake America in his own image or force the country into a bloody civil war. In the rest of the world, the geopolitical situation is fluid and new powers our testing the old order.
Angels of Vengeance concludes many of the story lines began in the previous two books. While Birmingham uses many point of views to tell the story, there are three characters who are the primary plot movers, our "angels". First, we have Echelon agent Caitlin Monroe, or "Commando Barbie" as some call her. She is on the hunt for the terrorist who instigated the civil war in France and the Battle of New York. She really wants him dead and will go anywhere and do anything to accomplish her goal. Second, we have Sofia Peiraro, a teenage girl who witnessed the murder of her family in Texas and survived the trek north to Kansas City with her father, only to learn that he has been murdered. She suspects it was ordered by General "Mad Jack" Blackstone, governor of Texas, and she is now heading south to avenge her family. Finally there is Julianne Balwyn, a British-born aristocrat turned smuggler. She is being stalked through Darwin, Australia, now a cyberpunk-esque free port in this changed world, by hitmen ordered to take her and her friends out by someone powerful with a score to settle. To stop him, Jules will have no choice but to put herself in the open and let her hunters strike.
I have enjoyed Birmingham's works for three main reasons: bringing techno-thrillers to alternate history, not being afraid to kill off important characters and the use of strong female characters in a genre dominated by men. He did not disappoint me in this novel and I especially was amused by how Microsoft dominates the tech world with their smart phones having that annoying paper clip, Microsoft Where? and people saying "go MSN it." More importantly, the entire series has been a plausible and very descriptive scenario on what was likely to happen if the United States were to disappear. It also had good character development and, of course, action.
If I had any real complaint it was how James Kipper turned out. I felt that he went from a reluctant rebel, to idealistic leader and finally to naive politician. Considering the events of After America I found it odd how he evolved into someone who could not be bothered with making the hard choices. Since he is only a minor character in this novel, however, his presence does not do enough to ruin the story, but it is disappointing to see one of my favorite characters lose what made me like the guy in the first place.
I guess the last thing to talk about is whether or not this novel is a conclusion to the series. Certainly the final epilogue leaves it open for more books and there is still so much going on in the world that could be covered. The ending, however, might just be the only plausible way to end such a story. Life does not stop for the characters just because the book ends. There are no real happy endings, only life going on, with its pitfalls and promises. I really did enjoy the series and I hope those reading this review who have not read the series will go and pick out these books to read.
Also if anyone wants to make a map of what they think the world of Without Warning looks like, I would love to post it on Weekly Update.
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Mitro is founder, editor and contributor of Alternate History Weekly Update. When he is not busy writing about his passion for alternate history, he spends his time working as a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois and dreams of being a published author himself one day.
Going to be writing less than usual on Weekly Update in the coming weeks. You will find out why below.
And now the news...
Coming Soon: Once Upon a Clockwork Tale
Echelon Press has announced the authors participating in the upcoming Steampunk anthology, Once Upon a Clockwork Tale. The 2013 anthology will feature four authors/stories that effectively retell a specific traditional fairy tale set into a solid Steampunk theme. This anthology will be published in both print and electronic formats. The authors and stories (with their fairy tale in parentheses) are as follows:
Ella Grey: Wings (The Wild Swans)
Kat French: Bitter Cold (The Snow Queen)
Matthew N. Mitrovich: The Enchanted Bean (Jack and the Beanstalk)
Robin Wyatt Dunn: John and Pearl (Hansel and Gretel)
You read that right. I will be one of the authors showcased in Once Upon a Clockwork Tale. I promise to keep you updated on the progress of the anthology and I hope you all get a chance to read it.
Want to Write Alternate History?
Want to be a published author? Well you should read the 10 Worst Mistakes That Authors of Alternate History Make (plus one) over at io9. Turtledove, Stirling, Priest and others give advice about the common mistakes alternate historians make when writing fiction (including some of their own mistakes). A must read for anyone who wants to be a published author.
After reading that, why not try submitting your short story to Lightspeed Magazine. They have a new submission form in place and are waiting to hear from you. Or you could try being an editor. Ideomancer, a speculative fiction and poetry magazine, is looking for two new junior editors.
Mitro is founder, editor and contributor of Alternate History Weekly Update. When he is not busy writing about his passion for alternate history, he spends his time working as a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois and dreams of being a published author himself one day.
I had every intention of making Alternate History Weekly Update a community project. At first I sought out good writers who I though my readers will enjoy. Then I tried to use my Want to Contribute? page to reel in some interesting writers, yet that has not been very successful. Now I realized that the reason it may not be successful is because people might not know what to write about. So here are a few ideas:
Book Reviewer: Alternate history is primarily a literary genre, but I cannot possibly read all of those books on my own. Please share your thoughts on all of these wonderful books. You may even get some free review copies in the process.
Films, Television and Video/Computer Game Reviewer: There are a lot of other media that uses an alternate history storyline. Weekly Update could use your help in reviewing works from these media, especially video games.
Showcaser: There are a lot of online work of alternate history...mostly bad. The job of the showcaser is to find those few nuggets of good alternate history and share it with the world.
AH Directory Admin: Some of you may have seen the AH Directory. The problem is I need someone to better manage it, keeping it updated with new site and removing dead links. Meanwhile you can post about changes to the Directory to remind people of the ever changing world of online alternate history.
Misc.:Do not hold yourself back. Wayne Gretzky once said you always miss the shot you never take. If you have an idea that you think will work for Weekly Update, whether it is an essay or an original work of alternate history, then share it with us. You never know what it will lead too.
If any of the above positions fit you then contact me at ahwupdate@gmail.com to apply to be a writer.
So on 10/18/11 I reported that Candlemark and Gleam, a speculative fiction publishing company, that they were looking for submissions for an anthology of alternate history titled Substitution Cipher. The instructions can be found here, but most important is that the last day for submissions is January 15, 2012. So you only have a few more days to send a submission.
I have submitted my own short story to the anthology. It is titled "Collapse Theory" and I will keep you updated in case it gets published. In the meantime you can check out some background material at the AH Wiki.
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Mitro is founder, editor and contributor of Alternate History Weekly Update. When he is not busy writing about his passion for alternate history, he spends his time working as a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois and dreams of being a published author himself one day.
According to Uchronia, American Civil War alternate histories are one of the two most written about alternate histories in the English language. It is easy to see why when you consider that the United States accounts for over 300 million of the English speaking world. Meanwhile, the war itself was a significant period of history. It was one of the first examples of industrial war and one of the deadliest in American history. The legacy of the war is still felt in American culture as politicians and scholars endlessly debate the war.
Nevertheless, I fear that the topic in general often leads to bad alternate history. A combination of factors often make these timelines implausible, whether they be misinterpretations of history or the personal bias of the author. This article will explain some of the inherent issues with American Civil War alternate histories that authors should recognize before attempting to write their own alternate history based on the "War Between the States".
There are many potential points of divergence involving the war. Four of the most popular PODs include the Battle of Gettysburg, the Trent Affair/British intervention, Lincoln surviving his assassination and time travel. Other popular PODs include a harsher Reconstruction, the Battle of Shiloh, General Grant dying during the war, slave rebellions, the South being allowed to peacefully secede and Lincoln being assassinated earlier. These PODs often create independent Confederacies, but not always. Sometimes the South is peacefully allowed to secede, sometimes the North and South will reunite or sometimes the war will never end. For the rest of the article, however, we will focus on the four most popular PODs and some of the issues inherent in each one.
First, the Battle of Gettysburg, which is by far the most popular of the American Civil War PODs. Not only did it have the single largest number of casualties during the war, the battle is also described as a turning point of the war by historians. Alternate history tends to accept that distinction by the sheer numbers of works that use an alternate outcome for the battle as the divergence point. Yet is it a plausible POD? William Forstchen, who wrote the Civil War Trilogy with Newt Gingrich and Albert Hanser, disagrees. In his short story "Lee's Victory at Gettysburg… and Then What?", Forstchen speculates that even if the Confederates were victorious at the Battle of Gettysburg, weather, logistics, and the defenses of Washington would have combined to prevent any immediate Confederate victory in the American Civil War.
This reflects a major OTL concern of the Confederacy: that they pinned their hope of survival on military intervention by Britain and/or France. If the Confederacy were desperate for international (or temporal) recognition and aid to win their independence, writing an alternate history where the Confederacy wins their independence without it may be implausible. Since this includes such ASB elements as time travel, it should be a warning sign to any alternate historian interested in speculating on a Confederate victory. You should tread carefully because it is very difficult to create a plausible alternate history involving the war without some sort of outside intervention.
Finally we get to President Lincoln surviving his assassination. Abraham Lincoln led the country through a great constitutional, military and moral crisis. He successfully preserved the Union, while ending slavery, and promoting economic and financial modernization. Lincoln has been consistently ranked by scholars as one of the greatest U.S. presidents, so there is no doubt why so many alternate historians speculate on what would happen had he lived. This POD, however, often reflect the wishful thinking on the part of the author. This is very apparent in Superman: A Nation Divided where the rocket from Krypton landed in Kansas in 1844 and Superman becomes an abolitionist superhero who got involved in the American Civil War. Superman will go on to prevent Lincoln's assassination and afterwards Lincoln goes on to serve two full terms and becomes the most popular American president in history.
Seeing Lincoln as national martyr and endowing him with a recognition of mythic proportions is very poor history, which makes even worse alternate history. He was assailed by Radical Republicans for his moderate views on Reconstruction, War Democrats who desired more compromise and Copperheads who wanted peace with the South. Modern historians have cast doubt to his credentials as the "Great Emancipator" and his pro-business and nationalist views make him more likable to modern American conservatives than liberals. Alternate historians cannot get caught up in wishful thinking about Lincoln. He was a politician who was just as capable of failing to make the right decision. He was not a superhero and alternate historians should not paint him as such.
That brings me to my next point: the bias of the author is more often reflected in American Civil War alternate histories then in any other alternate history. Thus we tend to see American Civil War alternate histories being categorized under two extremes: wanks and grimdarks.
Let us begin with the wanks. For those who do not know, wanks are when a single country is always successful, steadily expands and generally does better than is plausible. Cofenderate States of America wanks are not difficult to spot. Often the CSA steps into the shoes of the OTL USA, becoming the world's sole superpower while easily handling the issues of slavery, emancipation and race relations (often better than OTL). These types of alternate history often fall under the Lost Cause theory of the American Civil War.
This movement tended to portray the Confederacy's cause as noble and most of its leaders as exemplars of old-fashioned chivalry, defeated by the Union armies through overwhelming force rather than martial skill. Proponents of the Lost Cause movement also condemned the Reconstruction that followed the Civil War, claiming that it had been a deliberate attempt by Northern politicians and speculators to destroy the traditional Southern way of life. It is not difficult to find examples of Confederate wanks, especially on the Internet.
Many have criticized this movement, saying it gives a false view of history and even going as far as to say it promotes racism. Nevertheless, being overly infatuated with the South makes for a poor alternate historian. Wanks are rarely, if ever, plausible (unless you subscribe to the idea that we exist in an American wank). In the case of the Confederacy, alternate historians often ignore major issues inherent with Confederacy, such as their economy which attributed to the Confederacy's defeat in the Civil War. Alternate historians should not allow romantic notions of any culture to replace good, old-fashioned research.
This applies to the other extreme as well. Grimdarks where the Confederacy is used as a historical villain can be just as implausible as wanks that paint the Confederacy as shining beacon of civilization in the altered timeline. It is this blogger's personal opinion that history is rarely black and white. While the Confederacy stood for things that are abhorrent to many people in modern day society, it is truly difficult to vilify them when you consider the number of people in slavery today is higher than in any point in history. It is often hypocritical of a modern-day alternate historian to paint a picture of a grimdark Confederacy, when our own world can be pretty grimdark for millions of people under the bonds of slavery.
Yet it still happens. Probably the most notable example is Harry Turtledove's Great War multi-series. This eleven-volume series has an independent Confederacy transformed into a Nazi-analogue, complete with their very own Hitler and Holocaust. I understand that Turtledove was trying to tell us that "it can happen here", but one still wonders whether it was plausible. While I realize that every culture has the capacity to commit horrible atrocities on others, the long centuries of anti-Semitism that eventually brought about the OTL Holocaust do not translate well into how the South would deal with its black population, even after a major loss in a war.
This brings me to my last major point about American Civil War alternate histories: do your research. It is possible to create a timeline that gives the reader a realistic portrayal of an independent Confederacy, especially in the Information Age where you have access to virtually infinite amounts of content on the war, along with the opinions of scholars with varying viewpoints. Do not allow your bias or the myths on the Civil War (many of which are still taught in American schools) to cause you to sacrifice the hard work necessary to make a plausible timeline.
Nevertheless, whether your American Civil War timeline leans to the implausible extremes or tries to be as realistic as possible, it is still likely to be controversial regardless of where you publish it. Many Americans are still fighting the Civil War in the public arena. Some of the worst arguments I have witnessed between alternate historians involved the American Civil War. Lost Cause enthusiasts, militant Lincoln advocates and plaid old Internet trolls will tear apart whatever you create. So be warned when writing an American Civil War alternate history, a hard skin and cool demeanor is a must.
In conclusion, American Civil War alternate histories are very difficult to write. The most common PODs tend to be implausible and should be avoided. Do not allow your personal bias to replace good research and be ready to deal with intense criticism from every side. I do not mean to discourage would be alternate historians who wish to tackle this significant period of history, just be warned that to do it right is a lot harder then it looks.
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Mitro is founder, editor and contributor of Alternate History Weekly Update. When he is not busy writing about his passion for alternate history, he spends his time working as a licensed attorney in the state of Illinois and dreams of being a published author himself one day.
