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 books are opening atlantisdiscovery, colonization, and alternate version of frenchindian war, the united states of atlantisrevolutionary war, and liberating atlantiscivil war. Alternate history fiction continues to thrive in the twentyfirst century, particularly as film and television adaptations are. The land that time forgot is an edgar rice burroughs science fiction novel that starts out as a nervewracking wartime naval adventure but develops into the story of a unique and mysterious prehistoric lost world, as a submarine enters a subterranean passage under the sea and emerges into a tropical world sustained by volcanic heat.
Although this is primarily a fantasy and time travel series with elements of steampunk, there are interludes of alternate history. You could always go with what would happen if harry turtledove andor sm stirling never went into alternate history. And the man in the high castle is among the most wellknown books that tackle that question. However, this is a profascism narrative written by an alternatehistory adolf hitler, who in this timeline emigrated from germany to the united states in 1919 after the great war, and used his modest artistic skills to become first a pulpscience fiction illustrator and later a successful science fiction writer, telling lurid, purpleprosed. Jan 18, 2012 alternate histories have delighted adult readers of speculative fiction including me for years, but fewer have been aimed at younger fry, possibly because kids are still supposed to be. Alternate history fiction is one of the hidden gems of literature, a sprawling chasm of a genre often overlooked by those not familiar with it. 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. Listen to 122112 to enjoy an alternative history science fiction story. Best alternate history novels and stories 619 books. Sometimes they take us to our worst nightmarelike a nazi ruled united statesor a place with time travel. Weve included alternate history novels focusing on different time periods and different parts of the world so there is sure to be something for everyones area of interest.
Well, alternate history is a sub genre of science fiction. Alternate history or, as grammatical purists call it, alternative history is an inaccurate but common label for a small but intriguing body of literature. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. This particular selection of fiction mostly comes from the what if category where history has diverged from its path and gone in another direction. Browse fiction science fiction alternate history ebooks to read online or download in epub or pdf format on your mobile device and pc. This genre intersects with historical fiction, hard science fiction, soft science fiction, postapocalyptic fiction, and dystopian fiction, to name a few other genres. The stories are conjectural but are sometimes based on fact. Alternate history fiction books to read now penguin random. Most works in this genre are based on real historical events.
What if the history of the transatlantic slave trade had been reversed and africans had enslaved europeans. He easily blends fantasy and science fiction into historical storylines. The question of what if is a jumping off point for many authors. Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories in which one or more historical events occur differently. One of the oldest alternate history discussion boards on the net, and certainly the largest englishlanguage one, hosts vibrant debate allohistorical topics, a writers forum for fiction, fora dedicated to games, media and maps in the genre, as well as lively social and political discussion. But the agreements of world leaders do not touch the hearts of soldiers. Maybe not quite what your thinking of but in the same ballpark. At other times, were shown an england that never became a world power. Discover the best alternate history science fiction in best sellers. It gets lumped in with run of the mill historical fiction, or it gets shelved in the scifi section. Some other good ones would be what if the new wave science fiction movement never happened.
Alternate history has been seen as a subgenre of literary fiction, science fiction, or historical fiction. American archaeologist martin padway is visiting the pantheon in rome in 1938. As the germans, with england and france on their side, slam deep into russia, stalins terrible machine fights for its life. Listen to 122112 to enjoy an alternativehistory science fiction story.
It is similar to mark twain s a connecticut yankee in king arthurs court. According to the authoritative encyclopedia of science fiction, the first book to dabble in alternate history was a french novel in 1836 that imagined a world in which napoleon escapes the. 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. Jan 12, 2017 according to the authoritative encyclopedia of science fiction, the first book to dabble in alternate history was a french novel in 1836 that imagined a world in which napoleon escapes the. Alternate history literature asks the question, what if history had developed differently. The man booker prize winner and magnificent best selling work of historical fiction the wolf hall trilogy, book 1 hilary mantel 3. The books are opening atlantisdiscovery, colonization, and alternate version of frenchindian war, the united states of atlantis revolutionary war, and liberating atlantis civil war. This seemed to spark a brand new revolution of alternate history. Jul, 2018 science fiction and fantasy writers love to twist real history into alternate history and explore stories that might have been. Lest darkness fall is possibly the earliest and best example of the alternate history genre. Alternate history is one of those subgenres that tends to fly a bit under the radar. The list tries to avoid novels featuring timetravel or parallel universes as they could be seen as subgenres.
The list tries to avoid novels featuring timetravel or. Alternate history, science fiction rag and bone, by priya sharma, is about tom, who buys unwanted household items and scavenges other materials including bones and resells them in an. Another term occasionally used for the genre is allohistory literally other history. 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. Science fiction and fantasy writers love to twist real history into alternate history and explore stories that might have been. Alternate histories have delighted adult readers of speculative fiction including me for years, but fewer have been aimed at younger fry, possibly because kids are still supposed to be. Many, many alternate history ask how the world would be different if germany had won world war ii. Best alternate history books best science fiction books. The man booker prize winner and magnificent best selling work of. This is perhaps because on the surface it can look like fantasy or sciencefiction involved as it is with stories of worlds not our own however beneath the surface its an entirely different thing. Perhaps one of the first real science fiction alternate history books we come across is h. Alternate history lessons for childrens fiction books. Napoleon and the conquest of the world by louis geoffroy, napoleon s first french empire emerging. Alternate history books bring readers to familiar but slightly foreign worlds.
From the golden age of science fiction, this book is one of those that shows that theres a rather fuzzy line between alternatehistory and time travel, and sometimes one can cause the other. May 11, 2009 alternate history books history reading science fiction written word they want you to have a happy birthday. This is a list of alternate history fiction, sorted by type. Alternate history books history reading science fiction written word they want you to have a happy birthday. Schmitz, 1962 star ships, aliens from the future, time travel, romance, cannibalism, pet humans and mutebutbrilliant aliens. Alternate history, alternate realities fiction, books. These book on topic alternate history highly popular among the readers worldwide. Its the query at the center of one of literatures most fascinating and occasionally terrifying genres. Alternate history, long popular with fiction writers, has also been explored by historians and journalists.
The alternate history never let me go follows the lives of several children who grew up in a strange, special school. Alternate history or alternative history, for the grammar geeks reading this, is a genre of stories where history has changed from the actual course of the real worlds history. Its the deceptively simple engine driving a wealth of great fiction. Its an early21stcentury example of crossgenre fiction, mixing fantasy, historical, science fiction, alternate history and metafiction together and gentle is a compelling writer. An alternate history is not a history at all, but a work of fiction in which history as we know it is changed for dramatic and often ironic effect. 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. The notion that history could be altered by a single, sometimes seemingly innocuous.
Alternate history chapter 15 the cambridge companion to. It starts with the age of colonization, but the east coast of north america was separated from the rest before the europeans discovered it. Time travel seemed to become synonymous with the genre. Here, alternate history crosses paths with time travel. Alternate history fiction books to read now penguin. Alternate history or alternative history, sometimes abbreviated as ah, is a genre of speculative fiction consisting of stories in which one or more historical events occur differently. Here are ten of our favorites, twisting the biggest historical event of the last century. Its very well written the author is the guy who wrote the remains of the day and won the nobel prize for literature, but the real focus of the book is not really about the characters, but about the slow reveal of why the school and the children were special. Alternate timelines and sidebyside universes no longer just.
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