A comprehensive list of the top 25 best alternate history books. I have thought through what i want to happen in my alternate timeline but because i have only heard of alternate history through the videos on alternate history hub including his collaboration with emperortigerstar on if the south had won the civil war, i dont know how to. The best alternative histories in literature on abebooks. Sometimes they take us to our worst nightmarelike a nazi ruled united statesor a place with time travel. Imagine living in britain in 1946 if the nazis had won the war. Alternate history project gutenberg selfpublishing. If you just cant stand that thought that the usa might not win, then please dont read this book series. All of those categories are stories that do not take place anywhere near the u.
Everyday low prices and free delivery on eligible orders. The making of the modern world main market by sebestyen, victor isbn. As a result hitlers dream of germania, a new capital to challenge that of ancient egypt, babylon, and rome is built, and the nazi empire has spread itself across most of the former russian lands. Wales and england still exist for instance as does the ottoman empire. However society, while different, most of the population hibernates because the winter temperatures go as low as 20c and mammoths, wooly rhinos and glypodonts still exist, is more similar than you might expect from such a distant pod. Alternate history 101 worldcon, 2001 updated for sidewise awards compiled by evelyn c. Alternate history or alternative history commonwealth english ah is a genre of speculative fiction consisting of stories in which one or more historical events occur differently.
Doomsday stories is a broad strokes alternate universe crossover series between axis powers hetalia and 1983. These stories usually contain what if scenarios at crucial points in history and present outcomes other than those in the historical record. Please make sure you understand the typical definition of alternate history, found in the what is alternate history page. Oct 18, 2019 the best alternate history stories of the 20th century explore fascinating, often chilling what if accounts of the world that could have existedand still might yet. In writing an alternate history, the author makes the conscious choice to change something in our past. Should you have suggestions or material youd wish to add to an existing althistory, please contact the author to discuss integration, or propose it on the discussion pages. A hypothetical axis victory in world war ii has become a common concept of alternative history. The stories are told entirely through the eyes of the nations themselves, more specifically those around what had been central europe. Rieu, whose translation of the odyssey is the first of the books published, and will be the countrys bestselling book over the next decade. World war iii 1946 an alternate history in a painstaking process this alternate history storyline has been researched and is presented for your entertainment. This map shows the landmass of doggerland the northwestern protrusion of europe into what is now the north sea and its coastlines 18,000, 10,000, and 9,000 years before the present, when huge ice sheets formed during the planets ice age contained so much water that sea level was hundreds of feet below its current level. Probably the first book length alternate history, napoleon and the conquest of the world. Best alternate history novels and stories 610 books.
From august, 1945, until the end of the war in 1947, world war ii turned into a nuclear war. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped. Americas first atom bomb test fails and the us is forced to invade japan in 1946. Gamers will have new technologies and events to recreate on the table top. Superhero roleplaying in a world on fire, 1936 1946, set in an alternate history version of world war ii where people known. Author felix posted on july 30, 2016 november 19, 2019 categories bovington tank museum, world war two tags 15mm, 1946, alternate history, black prince, bovington wargames show 2016, centurion mk1, churchill, tortoise leave a comment on heer 1946 the man in the high castle. He is the coauthor of the national book awardwinning the complete directory to prime time network and cable tv shows, 1946present. The alternate history scenarios listed take place from 1919 through at least 1946. Online shopping for alternate history science fiction books in the books store. Fans of the comic book series will be able to refight the air battles portrayed in the series.
Dec 21, 2019 author felix posted on july 30, 2016 november 19, 2019 categories bovington tank museum, world war two tags 15mm, 1946, alternate history, black prince, bovington wargames show 2016, centurion mk1, churchill, tortoise leave a comment on heer 1946 the man in the high castle. You will learn the reason of 1946 being a significant year which the author termed the making of the modern world. An example of honorary alternate history is the 1980s series the zone by james rouch about world war iii in europe. Science fictions most illustrious and visionary authors hold forth the ul. Despite that the reich has never admitted to the evils it committed during the war. With james stewart, donna reed, lionel barrymore, thomas mitchell. When is an alternate history entertaining, and when is it harmful. Alternate history or alternative history, sometimes abbreviated ah, is a genre of fiction consisting of stories that are set in worlds in which one or more historical events unfolds differently from how it did in reality. It explores how the past and present could have been different using examples from ou. May 27, 2015 there are alternate histories, traditionally considered a subset of science fictionstories that tweak the past, imagine changes wrought by events twisting differently than the history we know. Thats the question asked in our list of the top 25 alternative histories in literature.
Complete directory to prime time network and cable tv. This is a list of alternate history fiction, sorted by type. January the penguin classics series is launched in the u. The stories span the length of the 20th century and deal with parallels, a war in australia instead of vietnam, texas occupying the same cultural space as poland in our history, and so on. It is thus a novel of future history rather than an alternative one. Published in 2004 this is a collection of alternate history shortstories. The title of this listopia says best alternate history novels and stories, yet oryx and crake, the year of the flood, the handmaids tale and 1984, which was written in 1949, are all set in the future due to this, and as earlier comments agree with me, ive removed these titles from this list.
Neither side advanced as countries used the bomb as. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. An angel is sent from heaven to help a desperately frustrated businessman by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed. Arch of triumph whose construction commenced in 1946 i. The guns of the south has the confederates equipped with ak47s by. Superhero roleplaying in a world on fire, 1936 1946, set in an alternate history version of world war ii where people known as talents have developed unexplained powers. Set in our world, but not quite, these books give us a way to look at our pastand sometimes our presentwith fresh eyes. Hypothetical axis victory in world war ii wikipedia. An alternate history novel is mentioned by the protagonists in which ww 3 was averted, though needless to say it doesnt have the kennedys being assassinated either.
Each significant event around the world in 1946 are summarised in around ten pages. World war three 1946 book one the red tide stalin strikes first an almost total rewrite, including end notes that assist the reader down the path of a convincing, alternate history. Command decision test of battle view topic luftwaffe. January 5 the estonian writer jaan kross is arrested and imprisoned by the occupying soviet authorities. On page 466 in simon sebag montifiores book stalin. Jan 26, 2005 should you have suggestions or material youd wish to add to an existing alt history, please contact the author to discuss integration, or propose it on the discussion pages. Popular alternate history books goodreads share book.
The best alternate history stories of the 20th century. The original print with the correct title is available fully restored on the looney tunes golden collection vol. Chapter xiii united states army center of military history. World war iii in may 1946 alternate history discussion. Superhero roleplaying in a world on fire, 19361946, set in an alternate history version of world war ii where people known. In this alternate history of world war ii, the ripples of change begin decades earlier, with german air ace hermann goring killed in 1917, and u. Both shows are alternate histories, a subgenre of science fiction and historical fiction that explores what the world might look like had major. This book contains an example of alternate alternate history, in that one of its characters authored a book depicting a reality in which the allies won the war, itself divergent from realworld history in several aspects. The book is trying to deliver a general atmosphere of the world. By using historical documents from the us joint chiefs of staff we know exactly what the contingency plans were in the case of an expected soviet attack in 1946. What if allied air superiority was challenged by new luftwaffe secret weapons. It can be variously seen as a subgenre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction. Nuttalls alternate history posits that the third reich was successful in beating the soviets, and winning the war. A new alternate history of america from the author of the peshawar lancers, the bestselling novel the chicago suntimes called a pleasure to read and harry.
Robinson played minor league baseball for the montreal royals in 1946. Plausibility, as the necessary brake and control element, has been our most essential guide. If you are interested in alternate histories from time periods other than world war ii, please feel free to visit my other alternate history page. The book and book series listed below are just a few examples of the many creative explorations of history that are out there. Luftwaffe 1946 alternate history western front eastern front what if word war ii hadnt ended in 1945. Forstchen in 1995, describing the period immediately after world war ii wherein the united states had fought only against japan, allowing nazi germany to force a truce with the soviet union, after which the two victors confront each other in a cold war which swiftly turns hot. Evolution of downfall while the war was being fought in the philippines and okinawa, plans were ripening rapidly for the largest amphibious operation in the history of warfare. Wikipedia tells us, the new chronology is a pseudohistorical theory which argues that the conventional chronology of middle eastern and european history is fundamentally flawed, and that events attributed to the civilizations of the roman empire, ancient greece and ancient egypt actually occurred during the middle ages, more than a thousand years later. According to steven h silver, alternate history requires three things. We have made a list of our favourite alternate history books which we think you. At other times, were shown an england that never became a world power. Alternate history fiction requires that the world described be historically the same as ours up to some point prior to when the author wrote the story, after which things begin to get different.
Japan and germany continue fighting the allies into 1946 in this alternative history that mixes historical realism with pure fantasy. Since the present time is just the wildly unlikely result of several trillion coincidences, it makes sense that humans would occasionally wonder what would happen if one or two events concluded differently. The best alternate history stories of the 20th century explore fascinating, often chilling what if accounts of the world that could have existedand still might yet. These are the kinds of tantalizing questions that alternate history books explore. I have thought through what i want to happen in my alternate timeline but because i have only heard of alternate history through the videos on alternate history hub including his collaboration with emperortigerstar on if the south had won the civil war, i dont know how to write a good alternate history book. Marsh currently works in the computer services industry and as a media consultant. It is important to distinguish among alternate histories, parallel worlds, alternate universes, and secret histories.
His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii. Learn about 431 famous, scandalous and important events that happened in 1946 or search by date or keyword. Exsoldier john rolfe, newly back from the pacific, has made a fabulous discovery. Feb 17, 2016 alternate history books bring readers to familiar but slightly foreign worlds.
History buffs can explore the whatifs through simulations and rich. Luftwaffe 1946 alternate history western front eastern front. His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. World war iii 1946 an alternate history in a painstaking process this. This vibrant fiction genre could be renamed what if books.
This is a collection of their short stories about an alternate history where the us had a communist revolution in the early 1900s instead of russia. Whatifalthist is a channel about how history could have been different. There are alternate histories, traditionally considered a subset of science fictionstories that tweak the past, imagine changes wrought by events twisting differently than the history we know. The original print with the correct title is available fully restored on. Agent of byzantium has the byzantine empire surviving. Doomsday, history diverging in 1983 when the cold war turned into a catastrophic nuclear hell. However society, while different, most of the population hibernates because the winter temperatures go as low as 20c 20c, and mammoths, wooly rhinos and glypodonts glyptodonts still exist, is more similar than you might expect from such a distant pod. Alt hist readers might be interested in a new anthology containing 28 science fiction and fantasy stories based on an extraordinary secret history vatican vaults is a captivating collection of original science fiction and fantasy stories based on the same alternate world premise.
1391 413 529 947 379 337 477 940 166 1037 155 1367 1297 875 1437 1547 681 955 904 1038 760 202 1495 177 573 705 392 772 897 1484 491 200 956 640 966 682 967 1222 1441 1061