Showing posts with label Surrounded by Enemies. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Surrounded by Enemies. Show all posts

Monday, November 16, 2015

Weekly Update #211! The Man in the High Castle and Surrounded by Enemies

Editor's Note

I will be going through a minor medical procedure today so that's the reason you are seeing this Weekly Update posted a little earlier than usual. Don't worry, its nothing serious, but I couldn't guarantee I would be around to promote this on social media like I usually do. Hopefully everything goes well so I can get back to the alternate history. I have two new videos for the channel, plus an upcoming series of videos that I am going to talk about more below.

And now the news...

Amazon's The Man in the High Castle Premiers This Friday

Well we finally made it guys. Amazon will be premiering the ten episodes of its adaptation of The Man in the High Castle this Friday. If you follow me on Facebook or Twitter, you have probably seen me talk a lot about this show (by the way, you're welcome Amazon for all the free publicity) and I'm going to talk more about it in the weeks to come.

I am going to be releasing vlogs for every episode on my YouTube channel where I and a special guest will discuss what we liked and didn't like about each episode. I'm not sure what the schedule is going to be for these reviews. It may be weekly, daily or just whenever we can find the time to film them. Nevertheless, I am really looking forward to it, especially after watching Dominic Patten's review of the entire series on Deadline where he recommended the show as an excellent adaptation of Philip K. Dick's original work.

Be excited guys. I really hope I am not jinxing myself, but I think we are finally going to see a quality work of alternate history from Hollywood. In the meantime, if you want more High Castle content, check out this list from FanSided of the 20 things you need to know about the series.

Video of the Week: Talking with Surrounded by Enemies Author Bryce Zabel

This week's featured video is Cody Franklin's interview of Bryce Zabel, author of Surrounded by Enemies, on the Alternate History Hub:
Its something different from Cody and hopefully we will see more videos like this in the future. You guys can also check out my interview with Bryce from last year here.

Honorable mention this week goes out to Brooke Johnson reading an excerpt from her book, The Brass Giant.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judgeWhen 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 FacebookTwitter and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Tuesday, November 3, 2015

New Releases 11/3/15

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

Hardcovers

Made to Kill: A Novel by Adam Christopher

It was just another Tuesday morning when she walked into the office--young, as I suspected they all might be, another dark brunette with some assistance and enough eye black to match up to Cleopatra. And who am I? I'm Ray, the world's last robot, famed and feared in equal measure, which suits me just fine--after all, the last place you'd expect to find Hollywood's best hit man is in the plain light of day.

Raymond Electromatic is good at his job, as good as he ever was at being a true Private Investigator, the lone employee of the Electromatic Detective Agency--except for Ada, office gal and super-computer, the constant voice in Ray's inner ear. Ray might have taken up a new line of work, but money is money, after all, and he was programmed to make a profit. Besides, with his twenty-four-hour memory-tape limits, he sure can keep a secret.

When a familiar-looking woman arrives at the agency wanting to hire Ray to find a missing movie star, he's inclined to tell her to take a hike. But she had the cold hard cash, a demand for total anonymity, and tendency to vanish on her own.

Plunged into a glittering world of fame, fortune, and secrecy, Ray uncovers a sinister plot that goes much deeper than the silver screen--and this robot is at the wrong place, at the wrong time.

Made to Kill is the thrilling new speculative noir from novelist and comic writer Adam Christopher.

Manners & Mutiny by Gail Carriger

If one must flirt...flirt with danger.

Lessons in the art of espionage aboard Mademoiselle Geraldine's floating dirigible have become tedious without Sophronia's sweet sootie Soap nearby. She would much rather be using her skills to thwart the dastardly Picklemen, yet her concerns about their wicked intentions are ignored, and now she's not sure whom to trust. What does the brusque werewolf dewan know? On whose side is the ever-stylish vampire Lord Akeldama? Only one thing is certain: a large-scale plot is under way, and when it comes to fruition, Sophronia must be ready to save her friends, her school, and all of London from disaster--in decidedly dramatic fashion, of course.

What will become of our proper young heroine when she puts her years of training to the test? Find out in this highly anticipated and thrilling conclusion to the New York Times bestselling Finishing School series!

Tales from the Loop by Simon Stålenhag

Simon Stålenhag’s Tales from the Loop is a wildly successful crowd-funded project that takes viewers on a surprising sci-fi journey through various country and city landscapes―from small towns in Sweden and the deserts of Nevada to the bitter chill of Siberia―where children explore and engage with abandoned robots, vehicles, and machinery large and small, while dinosaurs and other creatures wander our roads and fields. Stålenhag’s paintings and stories take place in an alternate version of Sweden in the ’80s and ’90s, primarily in the countryside of Mälaröarna, a string of islands just west of Stockholm, and how this reality came about: the development of the Loop, a large particle accelerator and the side effects of the massive project. These incredibly captivating works and accompanying text capture perhaps a not-too-distant reality that is both haunting and imminent: addressing the many ways developing technology and nature can create havoc and wonder in our world―plus, its impact on the next generation. This is the English edition of the first book in Swedish that sold out in its initial printing.

E-Books

Alt Hist Issue 8: The magazine of Historical Fiction and Alternate History edited by Mark Lord

The eighth issue of the popular magazine of historical fiction and alternate history contains six great new short stories. Alt Hist Issue 8 includes new stories in the Battalion 202 series set in the aftermath of a successful German invasion of Britain, as well as tales featuring bridge burning in the American Civil War, a secret mission against the Suez Canal in the World War One, a story that speculates what if the atom bomb hadn’t been dropped on Japan, and taking us back to the Middle Ages, a story that follows the dreams and reality of a peasant girl caught up in the brutal Hundred Years War.

Stories include:

Dewey Defeats Truman by Mark Devane
A Sword by Andrew Knighton
The Retreat Proceeded Orderly, at Least by Kenan Orhan
The Fullness and the Hollowness by Jonathan Doering
Small Miracles by Jonathan Doering
His Last Day by Richard Buxton

Surrounded by Enemies: A Breakpoint Novel by Bryce Zabel

What if Kennedy survived Dallas?

President John F. Kennedy has lived through the ambush in Dealey Plaza. America holds its collective breath, seeing its president nearly executed in broad daylight. But as the country marches on, the office of the President finds itself under a much more insidious type of fire. Political scandal, an endless war, and a country coming apart at the seams take the 1960’s in a terrifying new direction, and both John and his attorney-general brother, Bobby, struggle to stay ahead of their enemies, political and otherwise, and steer America toward a greater future.

Bryce Zabel is a master of the cover-up and the conspiracy, creating the Emmy-award winning series DARK SKIES. SURROUNDED BY ENEMIES is the first novel in the new Breakpoint series—each book exploring seminal moments in popular history and taking readers on a journey into a mirror world where events are both unexpected yet startlingly believable.

This savvy, fiercely intelligent novel, perfect for readers of Harry Turtledove, brings together elements of political thriller and page-turning history, enthralling readers with a sharply written take on the America that was, and the America that could have been.

WINNER OF THE 2013 SIDEWISE AWARD FOR ALTERNATE HISTORY

The Time Travel Chronicles edited by Crystal Watanabe

Time travel. Humanity has long imagined what it would be like to be able to create a time machine, what we might see if we could travel into the future, or be transported to the distant past. And what if it were possible to travel into our own, more recent past? Would we be able to change our present, or are we prisoners of predestination? Is fate what we make of it?

In this latest title in the acclaimed 'Future Chronicles' series of speculative fiction anthologies, fourteen authors confront the question of time travel and its consequences, exploring a landscape where past, present and future all become imaginable destinations.

"The Time Travel Chronicles" features stories by science fiction grandmaster Robert J. Sawyer (Calculating God), Amazon bestselling author Rysa Walker (the Chronos series), Best American Science Fiction notable Samuel Peralta (Faith), plus eleven more of today's top authors in speculative and science fiction.

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.

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Matt Mitrovich is the founder and editor of Alternate History Weekly Update, a blogger on Amazing Stories and a Sidewise Awards for Alternate History judgeWhen 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 FacebookTwitter and YouTube. Learn how you can support his alternate history projects on Patreon.

Monday, August 18, 2014

2013 Sidewise Award Winners (Plus Hugo News)

In case you don't follow The Update on social media, yesterday the winners of the 2013 Sidewise Awards were announced. There was a tie in the long-form category, something which hasn't happened since 2002. The winners were the The Windsor Faction by DJ Taylor and Surrounded by Enemies by Bryce Zabel. Vylar Kaftan's "The Weight of the Sunrise" also won in the short-form category.

I admit I am surprised by the outcome of the long-form winners. Although I thought Surrounded by Enemies was a strong contender (read my review at Amazing Stories), I actually didn't enjoy reading The Windsor Faction (you can read my review of that book also at Amazing Stories). Perhaps I wasn't the target audience or else something in my life was distracting me (I was just beginning the difficult process of moving to a new home when I started the book). Either way, perhaps I will give it another shot somewhere down the line and see if my feelings about the book change.

Along with the Sidewise Awards, the 2014 Hugo winners were also announced. Among the many winners was Mary Robinette Kowal's alternate history "The Lady Astronaut of Mars" for best novelette. Its good to see our favorite genre represented in the Hugos.

A bit of house cleaning: no Weekly Update this week because I was camping this weekend and didn't have the time. Go read the winners of the Sidewise and Hugo Awards and if you don't have a copy, remember you can purchase one and put some wind in our sails by clicking through our Amazon banner. I will be back next week with an extra helping of alternate history news.

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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.

Thursday, August 14, 2014

Interview: Bryce Zabel

Here is my interview with Bryce Zabel, author of the Sidewise nominated Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas? (check out my review over at Amazing Stories).

Who is Bryce Zabel?

I've spent all my professional career writing something.  First, it was TV news, local markets up to being a CNN correspondent here in Los Angeles.  Then I went into longform magazine journalism, doing everything from lighter fare to hard core investigative pieces.  Eventually, I ended up in screenwriting.  I've been lucky enough to have created or developed five produced primetime TV series, worked on a dozen staffs, and had multiple feature films and miniseries produced.  Writing books is something that's happened very recently with A.D. After Disclosure: When the Government Finally Reveals the Truth About Alien Contact, followed by my recent novel, Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas?

What got you interested in alternate history?

My father taught high school history so it's always been something I've been interested in.  I've also loved making up stories, and it's been a natural thing to bring them together.  My first hard-core alternate history was the NBC series I created, Dark Skies, that told the story of the UFO cover-up through the real events and personalities of the 1960s.  That one also included JFK, so I guess I've returned to my roots.

What is Surrounded by Enemies about?

Surrounded by Enemies is my response to all the wishful thinking that always surrounds the alternate history take about JFK living past the assassination attempt in Dallas.  Writers always seem to make it either a time travel fantasy or a political fantasy about how the world would have been so much better if JFK had lived.  My take is that President Kennedy probably was murdered as a result of a conspiracy and that if he'd survived the attempt in Dallas that would hardly have been the end of it.  In my book, both Kennedy and his attorney general brother Robert become the first real conspiracy theorists because they know that the Kennedy administration had many powerful enemies.  Might these powerful dark forces have tried to take JFK out by other means if they'd failed in Dallas?  I think the answer is yes.  I've told that story and found it to be fresh and challenging for both myself and readers.  The publisher put together a terrific website for the book at www.WhatIfKennedyLived.com and I'd like to encourage people to check it out.

Who designed the cover?

The supremely talented graphic artist Lynda Karr designed the book's starkly powerful cover.  We also worked together to create five faux magazine covers from this alternate history that are used between most chapters.  Those were incredibly fun to work on and put together, particularly the one where JFK actually got to meet the Beatles when they came to America to play on the Ed Sullivan Show.  The absolute most pristine way to see these covers is to read the eBook version where they can be seen full screen in their pristine glory.

How did it feel to get nominated for a Sidewise Award?

It's always an honor to be nominated for an award by people who have read the work and put it forward. The Sidewise has been won by people like Philip Roth, Michael Chabon and Harry Turtledove and that's damn fine company.  A few years ago, I won a screenwriting award from the WGA (Writers Guild of America) that was evaluated by working writers who read the screenplays rather than watched the finished films to evaluate the work.  That made it mean so much more, and I put the Sidewise Award in that category.

Speaking of Turtledove, he wrote a foreword to Surrounded by Enemies. How do that come about?

Ironically, Harry and I met back in the 90s when we each had a kid who had a school essay nominated for sci-fi writing and we sat together at the ceremony.  Years after that, I came to him with an alternative history idea about JFK called Winter of Our Discontent that he really liked and we planned to do together.  We fooled around with one particular take on it, wrote a few chapters (and briefly posted them on the Internet), but each got pulled our separate ways.  Later, when the 50th anniversary of Kennedy's assassination was approaching, I decided on a very different approach to the book and wrote that version solo with Harry's blessing.  After it was done, he agreed to write the Foreword, fine gentleman that he is, and it's at the front of the current book.  I've always been impressed by his prolific and high quality writing, and it was my great honor to have him bless Surrounded by Enemies.

Any advice for aspiring authors?

There is no one path to success.  Interview a hundred working writers about how they came to be recognized and they will all have a different story.  And if you ask a hundred writers for advice, most of them will contradict each other.  The right path to sell is the one that works.

Friday, June 27, 2014

Preview: Surrounded by Enemies: What If Kennedy Survived Dallas? by Bryce Zabel

My goal to read and review all of the 2013 Sidewise nominees got some help when I was contacted by one of the authors, Bryce Zabel, who sent me a review copy of his book Surrounded by Enemies: What If Kennedy Survived Dallas? Here is the description from Amazon:

What if President John F. Kennedy had survived the assassination attempt on November 22, 1963 -- and then set out to solve the attempted-murder mystery of who really tried to kill him? That's the provocative premise of Bryce Zabel's controversial new novel, "Surrounded by Enemies: What if Kennedy Survived Dallas?" In time for the 50th anniversary of President Kennedy's assassination, the award-winning Hollywood screenwriter/producer cleverly imagines the twists that history would have taken if the shots missed -- and JFK (and his attorney-general brother Bobby) fought back against the forces out to destroy him. In Zabel's smart, fast-paced, meticulously researched "alternate history" of the Sixties, the charismatic Kennedy's dark personal and political secrets lead to shocking but plausible plot surprises. The novel's iconic cast of characters includes the Beatles, Marilyn Monroe, Cassius Clay and even Lenny Bruce, all in a world that never was but might have been.

Expect a review after I post my review of The Windsor Faction later next week.

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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.