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. And the man in the high castle is among the most wellknown books that tackle that question. The cold war begins with democratic china leading the eastern powers of the free world against the western bloc. A bit dated, but it provides a good yardstick to measure the cold war era paranoia. These stories usually contain what if scenarios at crucial points in history and present outcomes other than those in the historical record.
In harry turtledoves mesmerizing alternate history of world war ii, the choices of men and fate have changed history. Set in a version of america that is ruled by japan and germany, with a neutral zone in between, this book is gets a little loopy, but its a classic of the genre. This vibrant fiction genre could be renamed what if books. The cold war is the term used to define the period between the end of world war ii in 1945 and the ultimate collapse of the soviet union and its satellite states in 1991. Does anybody know of any alternate history novels set inaround the revolutionary war period. The alternate history stories cover some classic areas for speculative fiction and of interest to alternate history buffs. Mar 21, 2014 would there have been a cold war in the twentieth century. Alternate history or alternative history in commonwealth english, sometimes abbreviated as ah, is a genre of speculative fiction consisting of stories in which one or more historical events occur differently. The protatgonists in the cold war were the west, led by the united states, and the eastern bloc, led by the soviet union. In showing what could have happened, the authors show how precarious the cold war peace actually was and how little it would have taken to tip the balance into world war three. Behind this mission is the hope that the vietnam and cold wars, mlks assassinationand all subsequent american maladieswill never occur.
Feb 17, 2016 kings thrilling alternate history is a wonderfully written story about jake epping, a timetraveller sent back to 1963 to prevent the assassination of president john f. Many, many alternate history ask how the world would be different if germany had won world war ii. This week, we give students the opportunity to develop their own narratives based on alternate histories. Cold war hot vividly brings to life these and many other alternate scenarios, taking the reader behind the scenes at these momentous moments in history. Harris 1992 novel is among the ultimate alternate world war ii stories. Alternative history of cold war 1rise of communism duration. The best alternative histories in literature on abebooks. The gladiator, in which the soviet union wins the cold war in a parallel world.
Fantasybased alternate history books spiritwalker series by kate elliott beginning with cold magic, this steampunk series is set in a version of the 19th century in which the ice age never ended, changing the balance of power across the globe. Dick you cant discuss alternate history without bringing up the man in the high castle. Tsouras, a collection of alternate history scenarios in the cold war. Alternative history is a fandom lifestyle community. An alternate history of the american civil war, by jeffrey evans brooks, a single telegram changes the course of the civil war. Obviously, cold war hot examines various alternate paths that the cold war could have taken that would have resulted in either combat where there was none, or in a greater, more violent. Subtitled the worlds foremost military historians imagine what might have been, what if. Alternate decisions of the cold war edited by peter g.
A vivid, lyrical reimagining of the cold war era from the perspective of. But none of these tales are just speculation on alternative versions of history. It starts with the age of colonization, but the east coast of north america was separated from the rest before the europeans discovered it. Skills practice alternative history as narrative the new. Alternate history books counterfactual, alternative and. Professionally, he works in emergency medical services. Johnston with john bell hood as commander of the army of tennessee in the battle of atlanta. Kornbluth 1955 the russians and chinese overrun the us mainland.
The stories are told entirely through the eyes of the nations themselves, more specifically those around what had been central europe. Plenty of alternate history books focus on world war ii, but a new series coming in 2011 goes one better. Formatting changed 30 oct 2010 the idea behind this page is not to list every single possible alternate history created. Small means playing in the margins, subtly twisting known history, or exploring secret histories, changing the meaning of events while leaving the timeline more or less intact. This is due to the reality that a collection of diverse writers will necessarily have different talents and different focuses which are more or less conducive to the writing of alternate history. Because world war ii played out differently, the cold war is very different. If youve never tried our ebooks, take a look at nypls ebook central to see how it works. What if there were magicians during the napoleonic war. Inspired by a recent oped by columnist roger cohen, students will read archival times articles on the historical events of their choice, then write postcards that reimagine the. Kingsley amis, michael chabon and philip roth have imagined alternate histories and helped give the genre credibility. Alternate history books welcome to alternate history books, the site about alternate history and counterfactuals. Alternate history fiction continues to thrive in the twentyfirst century, particularly as film and television adaptations are created from alternate history books. Tsouras is the author or editor of twentytwo books on military operations and alternate history.
Advising the householder on protection against nuclear. Most works in this genre are based on real historical events. The most unusual alternate history novels ever published. These alternate history books imagine the possibilities.
Alternative history of ussr if the soviet union won the cold war. The narrator knows some of the facts of the war and the defeats the u. Luckily for you, there are a ton of allohistories that pick more obscure and interesting points of. As the germans, with england and france on their side, slam deep into russia, stalins terrible machine fights for its life. The resulting world, compared to ours, is ahead of the times technologically paper books are seen as antiquated and quaint but behind the times culturally the hippie. Most alternate history stories are some variation of what if hitler had won the civil war, and was a dinosaur. The book features work by historians john keegan, david mccullough, stephen ambrose, and others. But the agreements of world leaders do not touch the hearts of soldiers. It is notable that when compared to other similar collections, the authors generally.
Jan 20, 2016 top 10 books about the cold war the long, nucleararmed standoff that followed the second world war was a terrifying parody of peace which inspired some brilliant literature francesca kay. Doomsday, history diverging in 1983 when the cold war turned into a catastrophic nuclear hell. What if the south had won the american civil war, or the british had won the. 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. Divided into ten chapters, the book considers every time period from the berlin blockade through 1989. What a waste that show turned out to be, they had some interesting though probably very implausible alternate history ideas early on but turned into a random topic of the week show pretty quick. The third reich and the united states are locked in a cold war, and harris delights. Alternative history of ussr if the soviet union won the cold. Works of alternate history fiction trickled in during the nineteenth century and early twentieth century, but a true bloom of the genre sparked during the cold war era. Tired of alternate history books where the axis won world war ii, or the south won the civil war. We all love a good alternate history yarn no one more so, it must be. The most intriguing alternate history weve heard of in ages. Doomsday stories is a broad strokes alternate universe crossover series between axis powers hetalia and 1983.
In devils tower, the mass deaths of the civil war have brought about the return of. The books are opening atlantis discovery, colonization, and alternate version of frenchindian war, the united states of atlantis revolutionary war, and liberating atlantis civil war. This novel is about the cold war and astronauts a combination of alternate history and hard science fiction. Some major names such as sinclair lewis, kingsley amis, michael chabon and philip roth have imagined alternate histories and helped give the genre credibility. Id really love to read another authors alternate take on the era, but i havent found any other titles yet. Dicks brainwarping story is set in a world where the axis powers won world war ii, and america has been divided between japan and nazi germany the brain twisting bit. Obviously, cold war hot examines various alternate paths that the cold war could have taken that would have resulted in either combat where there was none, or in a greater, more violent operational tempo. That said, cold war hot ranks highly among the alternate history collections, and includes some of the best and most original pieces i have encountered. In showing what could have happened, the authors show how precarious the cold war peace actually was, and how little it would have taken to tip the balance into world war three. The pilot episode of the 90s tv show sliders had an alternate earth where the usa fell to the soviets. Dc comics tangent books take place in a world where the cuban missile crisis ends in florida and cuba nuking each other at roughly the same moment, turning the cold war hot. Peter tsouras compiled several wellresearched essays from learned historians, many who have contributed to his other alternate history collections which focus on other interesting periods, such as world war ii and the cold war. In the aftermath of world war ii, the earths population was devastated by an alien virus.
Alternative history of ussr if the soviet union won the. The third reich and the united states are locked in a cold war, and harris delights in dropping hints concerning everything that is different as a result of the twist of the historical record. Top 10 books about the cold war books the guardian. There are lots of alternate history novels out there about the civil war, but mark sumners novel is different. Alpine civil war night of the living alternate history map game. Sep 17, 2016 alternative history of ussr if the soviet union won the cold war. Ever wanted to know what might have happened if history had turned out differently. Beginning with cold magic, this steampunk series is set in a version of the 19th century in which the ice.
Alternate history is a subgenre of speculative fiction or science fiction and historical fiction that is set in a world in which history has diverged from the actual history of the world. James has been studying military history, particularly world war ii, since 3rd grade. List of books and articles about cold war online research. Cold war hot vividly brings to life these and many other alternate scenarios, taking the reader behind the scenes of these pivotal moments in history. This is one of the most famous alternate history books. Some, known as jokers, were cursed with bizarre mental and physical mutations, others, granted superhuman abilities, became the lucky few known as aces. Timelines is an outstanding alternate history, and has a gold ranking, which means it has been identified as a very good timeline in the alternate history community.
A surprisingly effortless, if complex, read, its labyrinthine narrative weaves plot strands in and out of each other like silk, keeping the pages turning until the coffee goes cold. Probably the first book length alternate history, napoleon and the conquest of the world. Best alternate history novels and stories 620 books. They all share what you have come to expect from alt hist.
The politics of the contemporary alternate history novel jstor. If you see a way this alternate history can be updated or improved without compromising previous work, please say so on this pages talkpage or come on chat. Most alternate history stories are some variation of what if hitler had won the civil war, and. Alternate history literature asks the question, what if history had developed differently.
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