Any good Alternate History authors?

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

So nice to see this thread pretty much come to a stand still. It was going along nicely and someone had to come in and crap on it. All because they wanted to flash their virtual wiener. This was the whole point of my thread regarding "no need for politics" at least the random kind brought up for no other reason than selfishness and grand standing. Because unless its brought up in the discussion naturally and is ON TOPIC all it does is drive people away. I am not saying thats what KennyC was doing. I am just pointing out that random (off topic) attempts of politics or religion kill threads. And thats exactly what has happened here.

And based on this thread I was exactly right. All but BenG of course who tried to persist (good on you BenG).

So lets leave out politics and religion unless its naturally part of the discussion that derives from a book thats currently being discussed.

If anyone has issues with my post. Why not just message me. No need to further taint the thread with nonsense.

WTF?

I and others posted legitimate responses and because they didn't fit your narrow definition of alternate history you get all huffy?

With that kind of attitude exhibited by some here it's just as well that the thread die (or be closed).

And the humorous "political" suggestion is actually very appropriate in that there is much revisionist history taking place these days....what is alternative history if not different beliefs/opinions of what actually took place?

[Guns4Hire]

Originally Posted by kennyc

WTF?

I and others posted legitimate responses and because they didn't fit your narrow definition of alternate history you get all huffy?

With that kind of attitude exhibited by some here it's just as well that the thread die (or be closed).

And the humorous "political" suggestion is actually very appropriate in that there is much revisionist history taking place these days....what is alternative history if not different beliefs/opinions of what actually took place?

WTF is exactly right. You are not involving yourself in any Alternate History discussion regarding books. You are bringing up nonsense for whatever self inducing reasons.

Nowhere in this thread do any of us talk about "the revisionist history thats taking place these days". Thats only you. We are talking about Alternate History fictional books. As well, Alternate and Revisionist are two very different things. And while to some the bible could fit that description the only ones that would bring something like that up is someone that has an agenda or an axe to grind. Or someone that just wants to piss others off. So if thats all you want to do create your own thread.

You can play like you aren't getting it. But you know exactly what kind of Alternate History that this thread was created to discuss. Again if you want to discuss "current revisionist history" or even the bible as "fictional religion", go create a thread for it. And quit jacking the thread.

[Guns4Hire]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alternate_history

Definition

In writing an alternate history, the author makes the conscious choice to change something in our past. According to Steven H Silver, alternate history requires three things: 1) the story must have a point of divergence from the history of our world prior to the time at which the author is writing, 2) a change that would alter history as it is known, and 3) an examination of the ramifications of that change.[4]

Quite a bit of good information at that link explaining the different types of AH. As well as what is and isn't AH.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

WTF is exactly right. You are not involving yourself in any Alternate History discussion regarding books. You are bringing up nonsense for whatever self inducing reasons.

...We are talking about Alternate History fictional books. As well, Alternate and Revisionist are two very different things. And while to some the bible could fit that description the only ones that would bring something like that up is someone that has an agenda or an axe to grind. Or someone that just wants to piss others off. So if thats all you want to do create your own thread.

You can play like you aren't getting it. But you know exactly what kind of Alternate History that this thread was created to discuss. Again if you want to discuss "current revisionist history" or even the bible as "fictional religion", go create a thread for it. And quit jacking the thread.

I get it. Do you? The thread title is:

Any good Alternate History authors?

The opening post says: "I've read most of the biggies, Turtledove, Conroy, SM Sterling, but I'm looking for some new authors. Any suggestions? "

I'm sorry you don't understand. I have no agenda whatsoever other than my offering and opinions. And certainly revisionist history is at the core of alternate history. Please continue to discuss the topic, but please stop attacking others for offering to join in and make suggestions.

This sort of behavior and exclusionary attitude is why the thread has died, or it has simply run its course. That happens you know.

[Guns4Hire]

Originally Posted by kennyc

I get it. Do you? The thread title is:

Any good Alternate History authors?

The opening post says: "I've read most of the biggies, Turtledove, Conroy, SM Sterling, but I'm looking for some new authors. Any suggestions? "

I'm sorry you don't understand. I have no agenda whatsoever other than my offering and opinions. And certainly revisionist history is at the core of alternate history. Please continue to discuss the topic, but please stop attacking others for offering to join in and make suggestions.

This sort of behavior and exclusionary attitude is why the thread has died, or it has simply run its course. That happens you know.

In case no one has suggested it, how about the Bible.....that's pretty much alternate history as far as I'm concerned.

Thats your suggestion to this thread? Seriously? That is your suggestion for an Alternate History title? And you thought you were going to be taken seriously? I really don't believe you.

I'm done. Obviously you want a different type of topic to take place here, other than AH. Or you just want to annoy people.

Congratulations.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

Thats your suggestion to this thread? Seriously? That is your suggestion for an Alternate History title? And you thought you were going to be taken seriously? I really don't believe you.

I'm done. Obviously you want a different type of topic to take place here, other than AH. Or you just want to annoy people.

Congratulations.

I don't want anything other than to get possible reading recommendations and to have my suggestions taken seriously instead of getting grief for offering them.

[obs20]

‘Who controls the past,’ ran the Party slogan,

‘controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.’

George Orwell, 1984, chapter 3

[shootingMaNs]

Thought of a few more.

Peter Tsouras wrote a few about WWII- "Hitler Triumphant" and "Rising Sun Victorious." I thought they were a little dry, but interesting.

If you like short stories, Turtledove and Martin Greenburg edited "The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20TH Century." Great mix of stuff in that. JFK, WWII, Abe Lincoln as a communist(what is Turtledove's fixation on that, anyways?).

[Guns4Hire]

The Return of William Proxmire by Larry Niven (its a short story).

The point of view character, a physicist with a time-travel theory, is approached by retired Senator William Proxmire. Proxmire has come up with a scheme to abolish such money-wasters (as Proxmire views them) as space travel. His plan is simple; many of those who worked for or advocated space travel cited the science fiction of Robert A. Heinlein as their inspiration. However, the iconic writer only began his career after being discharged from the United States Navy due to tuberculosis. If a time traveler were to cure Heinlein, he would presumably remain in the military and this impact on history would be negated.
Sure enough, the scheme is carried out. However, Proxmire finds out that he has not succeeded as well as he would have liked. Although Heinlein's absence from the literary world of the new timeline did neutralize the science fiction magazines of the 1950s, other authors took Heinlein's place just a decade later - in mainstream literary magazines such as The New Yorker. Science fiction thus gained an air of respectability, and inspired people to even greater achievements. Proxmire's political career ended when this culture of science fiction fans boycotted Wisconsin cheese in response to his Golden Fleece Awards.
The new timeline is far more technologically advanced; solar power satellites can be seen in the night sky, a lunar colony exists, and a mission to Mars is underway. The healthy Heinlein turned out to be as skilled an officer as he would have been an author, and is now an admiral with great influence over an equally healthy space program - he denies the Russians spacecraft, but has placed a number of cosmonauts on the Mars mission as payment for fusion bombs to be used in the ship's ORION drive.

Although I am not a big short story guy. I enjoyed this when I read it.

[kennyc]

Originally Posted by Guns4Hire

The Return of William Proxmire by Larry Niven (its a short story).



Although I am not a big short story guy. I enjoyed this when I read it.

Thanks for that. I love Niven and may have read this one if it's an older one....will check it out.

You have publication details?

Never mind, I found linkage here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ret...lliam_Proxmire

[plumboz]

Put this one on your radar. Afrika Reich by Guy Saville, coming out next spring.

Afrika Reich

Alan

[dugong]

I think that one of the most imaginative alternate history (+ time travel) plots using the Nazi theme was "The Proteus Operation" by James Hogan. The plot involves a timeline in which the world progresses peacefully and prosperously after World War I for several centuries. A group from the future of this timeline decides that history should have gone in a different direction. They go back in time to the 1920's and create disruption and disturbances and raise an obscure Austrian artist to power. Within 50 years, the Nazis have near total world domination and America is on the verge of falling. The American government sends a small group back in time to 1939 to try to stop the Nazis. (How they attained time travel technology is explained later). The group becomes marooned but attempts to complete the mission anyway. Among other things, they persuade Roosevelt and convince a failed British politician named Churchill to go back into government service. then history gets changed again.

An alternate history plot with a religious element is Mysterium, by Robert Charles Wilson. In this novel an accident in a government research facility throws a small Michigan town into a world where their part of North America is controlled by French speaking Gnostics. Their version of Gnostic Christianity in this world is particularly brutal and treats the hapless Michigan transplants as something malevolent that must be expunged.

Stephen Barnes wrote a series of novels in which an element of the plot was that when phone systems began using quantum technology, people would slip back and forth between timelines every time they used the phone. The result was increasing disputes about the facts of history. Sometimes I wonder if I’ve fallen into that kind of timeline recently.

[GlenBarrington]

Great suggestions! I'm going to look these up!

[mediax]

Don't know if these might be of interest - they're essays, rather than fiction - but Robert Cowley has pulled together a series of essays by historians in three books:

What If?
More What If?
and
What If? America

which consider what might have happened if things had gone differently at certain points in history.

The only one I've actually laid hands on is the first (in my local Waterstones), and it did look very intriguing.

[gthrift]

Newt Gingrich and William Forstchen wrote two alternate history series. One is based on the Civil War and the other on the Pacific War.

Here is a review of Gettysburg, the first book in the Civil War series, which I think is the better series. - link