Alternative History Books You Have Read

[Lonestar]

I prefer the Axis of Time series.

At the start of Australian author Birmingham's stellar debut novel, a United Nations battle group, clustered around the U.S.S. Hillary Clinton (named after "the most uncompromising wartime president in the history of the United States"), is tasked in the year 2021 with stopping ethnic cleansing by an Islamist regime in Indonesia. When an experiment goes horribly wrong on a special ship doing research on wormholes, most of the battle group is deposited in the middle of the U.S. fleet on its way to Midway in 1942. The WWII carriers and supporting vessels attack a Japanese Self-Defense Force ship, triggering devastating computer-operated defensive fire from the 21st-century fleet. While the action sequences are outstanding, this book really shines in depicting the cultural shock that both navies experience. The Clinton group reflects a multicultural society that finds the racist and sexist attitudes of 1942 America almost as repugnant as those of the Axis powers, while the mere thought of non-whites and women not just serving in uniform but holding command drives many Allied officers and civilian officials apoplectic. The author also subtly shows the ways in which 20-plus years of the War on Terrorism have changed our attitudes. Unlike many alternate histories, the novel avoids the wish-fulfillment aspect inherent in the genre.

[Kuciwalker]

At the start of Australian author Birmingham's stellar debut novel, a United Nations battle group, clustered around the U.S.S. Hillary Clinton (named after "the most uncompromising wartime president in the history of the United States")

That's a gorgeous premise.

[Darius871]

In addition to the stuff already listed, David Downing's The Moscow Option was tough to put down.

[molly bloom]

Originally posted by Rufus T. Firefly
Anybody read "Idlewild" by Mark Lawson? It's a British alernative history written in the mid-90s (and not published in the US as far as I can tell), with the premise that JFK survived the assassination only to become a failed president who was vilified for Vietnam (and, coincidently, Marilyn Monroe survived her suicide attemt to become a failed actress, occasionally seen later in life on episodes of "Murder She Wrote"). Doesn't really work as a novel (like most AH, in my opinion), but the speculation is fun -- particularly the fact that assassination buffs are still with us, but now they're assasination-attempt buffs. Anyway, anybody read it? I'd be curious to hear other opinions.

I read it far too long ago to give any valid opinions unfortunately. I seem to have either mislaid or lost my copy.

I seem to remember another A.H. tale with Marilyn in where she becomes a politician, but I can't recall the name.

[Eli]

Let's see... I haven't read much AH books, but those that I remember:

The Years of Rice and Salt - Good, but as with almost all KSR books, it could be at least 20% shorter without losing much.

Turtledove's Videssos series - Not really alternative history, but I found them interesting.

The Man in the High Castle - Meh. It was the first AH book I read and it put me off the genre for a couple of years.

Hmmm - I really haven't read much AH.

[Eli]

So... Draka or Island in the Sea of Time?

[lord of the mark]

Originally posted by Eli
So... Draka or Island in the Sea of Time?

Ive never read Draka - see post above.

ISOT isnt proper AH to purists, as its time travel based. But its fun in a lot of ways, even if Stirling is a little over the top in inserting his opinions (yeah, steve, we know, you dont believe in God or in traditional ways of doing things, though you DO like acoustic folk music) and theres some questions about his accuracy on certain things (the density of settlement of native americans was FAR lower in 1200 BCE than in 1492, so epidemics are NOT going to cut nearly that fast)

Hes got some great characters, some interesting stuff about technology, a good sense for the bronze age AND for late 20th century Nantucket, and its just all around good.

Read it, but keep a pinch of salt.

[Eli]

I read his Dies the Fire trilogy, so I'm prepared to face weird religious stuff.

For now I decided to read Draka - It's been a while since I read a real AH.

[Lonestar]

Originally posted by Eli
I read his Dies the Fire trilogy, so I'm prepared to face weird religious stuff.

For now I decided to read Draka - It's been a while since I read a real AH.

Ugh. You're gonna regret it...

[Wycoff]

Originally posted by Eli
So... Draka or Island in the Sea of Time?

ISOT.

The Draka series just seems too stupid to bother reading. It's not really AH at all when your premise is so incredibly unrealistic. You might as well write a book in which Charlemagne and his scholars invent jet aircraft and tanks and conquer the world.

[Wycoff]

While on the topic of quasi-AH books, my rant about the ridiculousness of the Draka series made me remember another book.

The book is Jack Faust, and is written by Michael Swanwick. It's a modern take on the Faust story. Instead of being a demon, Mephistopheles is a manifestation of a malevolent alien race from a different dimension. Mephistopheles introduces Faust to the secrets of modern science, leading to a mid-15th century Industrial Revolution. Unlike the Draka books, this book is open with its fantastical premise.

It's a cool little book, one that you can breeze through in 2 or 3 hours. It's definately worth reading if you have an afternoon to kill. It has some sexually explicit material, though, so I wouldn't recommend it for the young 'uns.

[Eli]

ISOT is too similar to Dies the Fire, which I finished reading only a couple of months ago.

I read a few pages of the first Draka book. The premise doesn't seem too ridiculous to me.

[Eli]

Do all Draka books have as many combat scenes as the first?

[Nostromo]

Originally posted by Wycoff
So no one else here liked "Man in the High Castle?" It's probably the most critically acclaimed alternate history book.

Can't say I enjoyed it. I often feel after reading a Philip K. Dick book that he had a great idea, with lots of potential, but that he ruined it somehow.

[onodera]

It's probably not what you were asking for, but Fomenko's New Chronology is quite interesting.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_Chronology_(Fomenko)