Weekly Update #99

Editor's Note

I am more amazed than you know that I actually made it to the 99th Weekly Update. So much has changed since the original and now that I look back on it I find it ironic that I am talking about the Wild Card series in both posts. I don't do the "Important Events in Alternate History" anymore, but they have been replaced by my "Today in #althist" on Twitter. I can't even remember what the blog looked like back in the day. I should have took some screenshots before I started making changes.

Next week I will be doing a special thank you to my fans to celebrate Weekly Update #100. I hope all of you check it out because it is really important for me to share with you how grateful I am that you gave The Update and I a chance to inform and entertain you.

And now the news...

Coming Soon: Lowball edited by George R.R. Martin

One of my favorite shared world series, Wild Cards, has an important announcement. For those who don't know, Wild Cards is a multi-author series edited by George R.R. Martin (Song of Ice and Fire) with assistance from Melinda M. Snodgrass. The POD is in 1946 when an alien genetically-tailored virus is released in Earth's stratosphere over New York city, killing or horribly deforming many, but giving a few lucky individuals super powers. With twenty-one volumes of content, the participating authors cover the many effects of the virus during the ensuing decades as super-heroes and super-villains appear all over the world.

Like a lot of comic book series, history is not altered greatly by the presence of these miraculous humans, but there some changes including the fall of communist Vietnam, a new Caliphate and a Marxist nation controlling much of Central and Western Africa. Paul at Gollancz reviewed the updated trillogy, calling the first book a "very entertaining book to read" and said the second book has a "kick-ass plot."

The news I am excited about, however, is the announcement made over at Martin's not a blog: the twenty-second volume LOWBALL is complete and has been delivered to Tor.  Exciting!

Update: The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher

The Age Atomic, Adam Christopher's sequel to the superhero noir fantasy thriller Empire State, continues to get coverage across the Internet. Here is the description from Angry Robot in case you missed it:

The Empire State is dying. The Fissure connecting the pocket universe to New York has vanished, plunging the city into a deep freeze and the populace are demanding a return to Prohibition and rationing as energy supplies dwindle. 

Meanwhile, in 1954 New York, the political dynamic has changed and Nimrod finds his department subsumed by a new group, Atoms For Peace, led by the mysterious Evelyn McHale. 

As Rad uncovers a new threat to his city, Atoms For Peace prepare their army for a transdimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State.

"Montoc1701" of Geek Syndicate reviewed the novel calling it a "sequel that not only delivers but shows how comfortable the author has become in his creation, delivering what can only be describing as a fun atomic rollercoaster of a ride that is begging for more." Cool. Adam Christopher was also a guest on Episode 140 of The Skiffy and Fanty Show to talk review etiquette for published authors, Amazon’s recent acquisition of Goodreads and his new book. Tim Pratt was also a guest on the episode.

Update: The Good, the Bad and the Infernal by Guy Adams

Guy Adams is continuing to promote his recent novel: The Good, the Bad and the Infernal. Here is the description in case you missed it:

A weird western, a gun-toting, cigarrillo-chewing fantasy built from hangman’s rope and spent bullets. The west has never been wilder. A Steampunk-Western-Fantasy from Guy Adams. 

“You wish to meet your God?” the gunslinger asked, cocking his revolver, “well now... that’s easy to arrange.”

Every one hundred years a town appears. From a small village in the peaks of Tibet to a gathering of mud huts in the jungles of South American, it can take many forms. It exists for twenty-four hours then vanishes once more, but for that single day it contains the greatest miracle a man could imagine: a doorway to Heaven. 

It is due to appear on the 21st September 1889 as a ghost town in the American Midwest. When it does there are many who hope to be there: traveling preacher Obeisance Hicks and his simple messiah, a brain-damaged Civil War veteran; Henry and Harmonium Jones and their freak show pack of outlaws; the Brothers of Ruth and their sponsor Lord Forset (inventor of the Forset Thunderpack and other incendiary modes of personal transport); finally, an aging gunslinger who lost his wings at the very beginning of creation and wants nothing more than to settle old scores.

Those looking to learn more can read Adams' guest blog on SFX where he discusses the joys and challenges of writing a steampunk western and his interview over at The Qwillery, which described his novel as "a Weird Western with a remarkable cast of characters".

LoneStarCon 3 Announces Additional Program Participants

LoneStarCon 3, the 71st World Science Fiction Convention ("Worldcon"), has confirmed over 90 additional program participants, taking the number announced so far to more than 170 in total.

The latest additions include authors and editors from all areas of the science fiction field. Newly-confirmed authors include Catherine Asaro, David Brin, Steven Brust, Charlaine Harris, Tanya Huff, David D. Levine, George R. R. Martin, Elizabeth Moon, Melinda M. Snodgrass, Howard Waldrop and the master of alternate history Harry Turtledove. Editors include John Joseph Adams ("Lightspeed"), Lou Anders (Pyr), Patrick and Teresa Nielsen Hayden (Tor), and Jacob Weisman (Tachyon).

With over 500 hours of programming planned, LoneStarCon 3 expects well over 400 participants, and they will be adding further names to the list regularly between now and the start of the convention on August 29. The full list of confirmed participants may be found on the LoneStarCon 3 website.

Calender

April 25-June 15: Steampunk: Nature & Machine in Norwalk, CT.

May 26: Last day to see the steampunk exhibition at Aigantighe Art Gallery in Fairfax, NZ.

June 15: JaycCon XIII in Portland, OR and the Time Traveler's Rummage Sales in Seattle, WA.

August 17: Another Time Traveler's Rummage Sales in Seattle, WA.

Oct 25-27: Steamcon in Seattle, WA.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

The 5: Sports Alternate Histories at The Interrobang.

Asimov, de Camp and Heinlein at the Naval Aviation Experimental Station by Andrew Liptak at Kirkus.

Barnes & Noble Nook Press Contract Terms are INSANELY Bad! at Holly Lisle: Writer.

Coming Soon! “Fiendish Schemes”, The Long-Awaited Steampunk Sequel to K.W. Jeter’s “Infernal Devices” by John DeNardo at SF Signal.

The enigmatic and alternate Robert Harris by Alison Morton at Layered Pages.

Extract from Jasper Kent's THE PEOPLE'S WILL at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist.

Helping with the website by Richard Lee at Historical Novel Society.

HP Lovecraft, pulp philosopher by Brian Kim Stefans at Salon.

Iranian time travel machine not all it seems at Geeks are Sexy.

TOC: ‘Dead Man’s Hand: An Anthology of the Weird West’ Edited by John Joseph Adams at SF Signal.

What would the Senate look like without the 17th Amendment? by Scott Bomboy at Yahoo.

Book Reviews

Etiquette & Espionage by Gail Carriger at More Than a Reading Journal.

Necessary Evil by Ian Tregillis at Pat's Fantasy Hotlist.

The Rise of Ransom City by Felix Gilman at Functional Nerds.

The Spear of Destiny by Jason E. Thummel at Amazing Stories.

The Top 20 Zombie Novels of the Last Decade by Paul Goat Allen at B&N.

Comics

10 Insane Alternate Versions Of Batman You Won’t Believe Exist by Patrick Dane at WhatCulture!

Check out Chip Kidd’s ‘Before Watchmen’ deluxe edition covers by Kevin Melrose at CBR.

New comics releases include alternate-history fantasy-horror and a colorful foodie memoir by Noel Murray and Oliver Sava at AV Club.

Films

10 Movies That Improved On History By Blatantly Lying by Shaun Munro at WhatCulture!

Mortal Instruments’ Steampunk Prequel In Development…Too Soon? by Jessy Williams at Bleeding Cool.

Steampunk meets kung fu in action-comedy Tai Chi Hero at CultureMap Dallas.

Games

'BioShock Infinite': The steampunk style floating city, the 'virtual actress,' and more design notes by Nakisha Williams at EW.com.

Book Review - GURPS Alternate Earths at Other Times.

Interactive Storytelling In Video Games: How Much is Enough? by BH Shepherd at Lit Reactor.

Laika Believes preview: The robot space dog with a heart of gold by Jordan Mallory at Joystiq.

Pulp Manifesto - Crimson Skies and fan fiction gone horribly wrong/right by Grant Gardiner at Tommy Thunder.

Review of Zeitgeist III – Digging for Lies at Nerd Trek.

The Room for Android review: An excellent all-around puzzle game by Jason Parker at CNet.

Interview

Terry Bisson at Locus.

Ellen Datlow at LitStack.

Charles Stross at Tor.

Television

Review of Elementary: Season 1, Episode 19 at Thinking about books.

* * *

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 and The 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.

Weekly Update #97

Editor's Note

To quote what a wise woman once said: "Oops!... I Did It Again."

Yes, I failed to post an article on both Thursday and Friday. Sorry guys but I just did not want to post anything unless it was something worthwhile.  Hopefully today's Weekly Update will make up for it. The good news is despite my two bad weeks last month, The Update reached 13,797 hits. That is our third best month in our almost two years of existence. So good to know we are getting back on track.

Holy crap, is it really number 97?!?! I am just a few weeks away from breaking 100! I wonder if I should do anything special to mark the occasion...

And now the news...

Update: The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher

Adam Christopher's sequel to Empire State came out last week. Titled The Age Atomic, here is a brief description from Amazon:

The Empire State is dying. The Fissure connecting the pocket universe to New York has vanished, plunging the city into a deep freeze and the populace are demanding a return to Prohibition and rationing as energy supplies dwindle. 

Meanwhile, in 1954 New York, the political dynamic has changed and Nimrod finds his department subsumed by a new group, Atoms For Peace, led by the mysterious Evelyn McHale. 

As Rad uncovers a new threat to his city, Atoms For Peace prepare their army for a transdimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State.

You can check out an extract from the novel at the Angry Robot website. Meanwhile, if you would like to learn more about the author and his works, you can read the interviews he did with Chuck Wendig,  Lawrence Schoen, Mary Robinette Kowal and a little known cable television channel called CNN.

Hope you had a happy release day Adam!

Update: The Good, The Bad and the Infernal by Guy Adams

Last week also saw the release of The Good, The Bad and the Infernal by Guy Adams. Here is the description from the interview Guy Adams did at My Bookish Ways:

“You wish to meet your God?” the gunslinger asked, cocking his revolver, “well now… that’s easy to arrange.” 

Every one hundred years a town appears. From a small village in the peaks of Tibet to a gathering of mud huts in the jungles of South American, it can take many forms. It exists for twenty-four hours then vanishes once more, but for that single day it contains the greatest miracle a man could imagine: a doorway to Heaven. 

It is due to appear on the 21st September 1889 as a ghost town in the American Midwest. When it does there are many who hope to be there: traveling preacher Obeisance Hicks and his simple messiah, a brain-damaged Civil War veteran; Henry and Harmonium Jones and their freak show pack of outlaws; the Brothers of Ruth and their sponsor Lord Forset (inventor of the Forset Thunderpack and other incendiary modes of personal transport); finally, an aging gunslinger who lost his wings at the very beginning of creation and wants nothing more than to settle old scores. 

A weird western, a gun-toting, cigarrillo-chewing fantasy built from hangman’s rope and spent bullets. The West has never been wilder.

But should you read it? Falcata Times was less than impressed saying "it’s a Guy Adams novel...clipped prose, some cracking turns of phrase and of course some dialogue that hangs around in your mind, but all round, it just wasn’t a book that took me on the journey into the unknown that I was wanting."

O well, not every AH book will be a hit.

Update: Milkweed series by Ian Tregillis

Those interested in the Milkweed series by Ian Tregillis will be happy to know the first book in the series, Bitter Seeds, is now only $2.99. Here is the description from Pat's Fantasy Hotlist:

It’s 1939. The Nazis have supermen, the British have demons, and one perfectly normal man gets caught in between. 

Raybould Marsh is a British secret agent in the early days of the Second World War, haunted by something strange he saw on a mission during the Spanish Civil War: a German woman with wires going into her head who looked at him as if she knew him. 

When the Nazis start running missions with people who have unnatural abilities—a woman who can turn invisible, a man who can walk through walls, and the woman Marsh saw in Spain who can use her knowledge of the future to twist the present—Marsh is the man who has to face them. He rallies the secret warlocks of Britain to hold the impending invasion at bay. But magic always exacts a price. Eventually, the sacrifice necessary to defeat the enemy will be as terrible as outright loss would be. 

Alan Furst meets Alan Moore in the opening of an epic of supernatural alternate history, the tale of a twentieth century like ours and also profoundly different. 

At the publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management software (DRM) applied.

After you are done reading Bitter Seeds, you should check out the sequel The Coldest War, which Elfy from Travels Through Iest called "very very good and probably the book of the year so far for me." How can you say no to praise like that?

Paradox Interactive Expands Publishing Business with Paradox Books

Paradox Interactive made an interesting announcement that aspiring authors (especially fans of video games and history) should take note of. The global PC strategy games publisher will be branching out to book publishing with a new e-book initiative called “Paradox Books”.

“We’ve spent more than a decade creating and telling compelling stories through our computer games, stories that have engaged and captivated people from all parts of the globe, and books are just another medium to get those stories out there and engage with our audience,” said Fredrik Wester, CEO of Paradox Interactive. “Add to that the fact that our company was founded on pen and paper role-playing games and books, and that we have several published authors amongst our ranks here at Paradox, so this felt like a very natural progression for us.”

Three books will be available under Paradox Books initially, and several more have been signed and will be distributed later in the year. The books will broach everything from biographical behind the scenes books to game strategy guides to fiction and novels. The inaugural round of books to be made available will include: A Year with Mojang: Behind the Scenes of Minecraft by Tomas Arnroth, The Communist Campaign in Karelia - A Hearts of Iron III Strategy Guide by Jason Pitruzzello and Coriolis by Mattias Lilja.

If you got an idea that you think Paradox might like, it doesn't hurt to try...

Calender

April 4: Launching Adam Christopher's The Age Atomic at Forbidden Planet, London, UK.

April 10: "How to Change the Future" address by Brian David Johnson, author of Vintage Tomorrows: A Historian And A Futurist Journey Through Steampunk Into The Future of Technology at the San Francisco 2013 conference.

April 24: The last day to fund Time Soldiers, the WWII Board Game by Ray Shingler, on Kickstarter.

And for steampunk fans, check out Tor's list of steampunk events for April.

Links to the Multiverse

Articles

The Abuse of Counterfactual History (10 Years After, Cont’d) by CK MacLeod.

Counterfactual Dublin: Ernest Lee’s Science and Art Museum at Sibling of Daedalus.

Cover & Synopsis: “The Doctor and the Dinosaurs” by Mike Resnick (+ A Weird Western Cover Gallery) at SF Signal.

Did You Know?: 13 Moments In Alternate History by Trevor Abes at Buzz Feed.

Steampunk FAQ by Cindy Spencer Pape at Steamed!

Book Reviews

King of Trees by Carmen Webster Buxton at An Eclectic Bookshelf.

Lord Kelvin's Machine by James P. Baylock at Falcata Times.

Vintage Tomorrows by James H. Carrott and Brian David Johnson at BC Books.

Comics

The Land of Oz to get a Steampunk makeover for Free Comic Book Day at Flickering Myth.

Films

'ID4' Sequels To Have Alternate History Where Will Smith's Son Pushed to Prominency, Which Doesn't Really Sound That Different at I Watch Stuff.

Games

Couldn't Score a Copy of BioShock Infinite? Try Out These Other Alternate History Franchises! by Christopher Groux at Quick Jump.

Interviews

Mary Robinette Kowal at Lit Stack.

* * *

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 and The 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.

New Releases 3/26/13

Hardcover

Island 731 by Jeremy Robinson

Description from Amazon.

The high adventure of James Rollins meets the gripping suspense of Matthew Reilly in Jeremy Robinson's explosive new thriller

Mark Hawkins, former park ranger and expert tracker, is out of his element, working on board the Magellan, a research vessel studying the Great Pacific Garbage Patch. But his work is interrupted when, surrounded by thirty miles of refuse,  the ship and its high tech systems are plagued by a series of strange malfunctions and the crew is battered by a raging storm.

When the storm fades and the sun rises, the beaten crew awakens to find themselves anchored in the protective cove of a tropical island...and no one knows how they got there. Even worse, the ship has been sabotaged, two crewman are dead and a third is missing. Hawkins spots signs of the missing man on shore and leads a small team to bring him back. But they quickly discover evidence of a brutal history left behind by the Island’s former occupants: Unit 731, Japan’s ruthless World War II human experimentation program. Mass graves and military fortifications dot the island, along with a decades old laboratory housing the remains of hideous experiments.

As crew members start to disappear, Hawkins realizes that they are not alone. In fact, they were brought to this strange and horrible island. The crew is taken one-by-one and while Hawkins fights to save his friends, he learns the horrible truth: Island 731 was never decommissioned and the person taking his crewmates may not be a person at all—not anymore.

Paperback

1636: The Kremlin Games by Eric Flint

Description from Amazon.

A New York Times bestseller in hardcover.  A new addition to the multiple New York Times best-selling Ring of Fire series,. After carving a place for itself in war-torn 17th century Europe, the modern town of Grantville, West Virginia continues its quest for survival. A Grantville resident helps Russia modernize, but he in turn must deal with 1600s Russian culture, politics, and women–or wind up dead.

#14 in the multiply bestselling Ring of Fire Series.

1636. Grantville has bounced back and established its new mission and identity, but it seems some have been left behind—people like Bernie Zeppi, courageous in the battle, but unable to figure out what to do with himself in a world that’s utterly changed. Then Russian emissary Vladimir Gorchacov arrives in Grantville and hires Bernie to journey to Moscow and bring the future to a Russia mired in slavish serfdom and byzantine imperial plots. Bernie jumps at the chance. He figures it to be an easy gig, complete with high pay and hot-and-cold running women.

But one thing Bernie hasn’t counted on is the chance to find his purpose in Mother Russia, from fighting the needless death of children from typhoid to building the first dirigible in Russian history. And then there’s love. Just as Bernie realizes his feeling for a certain Russian noblewoman may have gone way beyond respect, he finds them both enmeshed in the deadly politics of Kremlin power struggles.

War with Poland is afoot and Russia itself is about to get a revolution from within–three centuries early. Bernie Zeppi, former Grantville auto mechanic, is going to have the chance to prove he’s not the loser he believed himself to be. For now Bernie’s task is to save the woman he loves and the country he has come to call his own from collapse into a new Dark Age.

The Age Atomic by Adam Christopher

Description from Amazon.

The Empire State is dying. The Fissure connecting the pocket universe to New York has vanished, plunging the city into a deep freeze and the populace are demanding a return to Prohibition and rationing as energy supplies dwindle.

Meanwhile, in 1954 New York, the political dynamic has changed and Nimrod finds his department subsumed by a new group, Atoms For Peace, led by the mysterious Evelyn McHale.

As Rad uncovers a new threat to his city, Atoms For Peace prepare their army for a transdimensional invasion. Their goal: total conquest – or destruction – of the Empire State.

The Good the Bad and the Infernal by Guy Adams

Description from Amazon.

Every one hundred years a town appears. From a small village in the peaks of Tibet to a gathering of mud huts in the jungles of South American, it can take many forms. It exists for twenty-four hours then vanishes once more, but for that single day it contains the greatest miracle a man could imagine: a doorway to Heaven.

It is due to appear on the 21st September 1889 as a ghost town in the American Midwest. When it does there are many who hope to be there: traveling preacher Obeisance Hicks and his simple messiah, a brain-damaged Civil War veteran; Henry and Harmonium Jones and their freak show pack of outlaws; the Brothers of Ruth and their sponsor Lord Forset (inventor of the Forset Thunderpack and other incendiary modes of personal transport); finally, an aging gunslinger who lost his wings at the very beginning of creation and wants nothing more than to settle old scores.

A weird western, a gun-toting, cigarrillo-chewing fantasy built from hangman’s rope and spent bullets. The West has never been wilder.

The Scourge by Roberto Calas

Description from Amazon.

God has forsaken this land.

A mysterious plague descends upon 14th century England, ravaging the country and trapping the souls of the afflicted in eternal madness. The feudal hierarchy--and even the church itself-- slowly crumbles as the dead rise to feed and the living seek whatever shelter they can. The bishops of England call for calm and obedience, but one man isn’t listening.

Sir Edward of Bodiam has been separated from the woman he loves and nothing on heaven or earth can stop him from seeking her out.

Edward and two of his knights travel through the swiftly changing landscape of England, a countryside now overrun by the minions of hell. The knights encounter madness, violence, and sorrow, but Edward fights his way ever deeper into the thickening darkness of unholy terror.

Roberto Calas brings you along on a dark, historical tale full of love, death, and black humor. Follow Edward as he journeys to save his wife, his kingdom, and his very soul.

Video Games

BioShock Infinite

Description from Steam.

Indebted to the wrong people, with his life on the line, veteran of the U.S. Cavalry and now hired gun, Booker DeWitt has only one opportunity to wipe his slate clean. He must rescue Elizabeth, a mysterious girl imprisoned since childhood and locked up in the flying city of Columbia.

To fans, authors and publishers...

Do you want to see your work given a shout out on our New Releases segment? Contact Mitro 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 volunteer editor for Alt Hist magazine. His fiction can be found at Echelon Press, Jake's Monthly and The 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.