Ever wonder how life would be different if history had taken a different turn. It is also a fairy tale, philosophical treatise on the nature of time, parody of the history of the novel, and erotic catalog. The black plague devastated the population of europe. The worldwar series, by harry turtledove turtledoves classic althistory saga interrupts a world war ii already in progress with the arrival of an alien armada. 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. Weve put together our top 20 of the best series ever from crime to scifi, kids to teens, historical to contemporary fiction. Rummel contents preface concordance between never again novels, this book, and website executive summary human security what themes run through this book. Best alternate history novels and stories 619 books. The difference engine 1990 by william gibson and bruce sterling is widely regarded as a book that helped establish the genre conventions of steampunk. Alternate history, counterfactual literature, speculative fiction the genre has. Its a meticulously thought out detective yarn set in a world where the nazis won world war ii. His days of infamy books have japan occupying hawaii.
The most unusual alternate history novels ever published. Two lovers are sent back in time to 1906 with modern weapons and 38 billion 1906 dollars. These stories can blend speculative elements with historical facts, which is perfect for prompting discussion about what is truth and what is fiction in the novels discussed. 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. Prime members enjoy free twoday delivery and exclusive access to music, movies, tv shows, original audio series, and kindle books. Alternate history project gutenberg selfpublishing. Like newlike newvery goodvery goodgoodgoodacceptableacceptablenew. Like the title says, what in your opinion book, novel, graphic novel, etc. The wild cards story collections were created by a group of new mexico science fiction authors, pulled together and edited by game of thrones author george r. Whittling all historical fiction books into one manageable list is impossible, truly. Fuck i look forward to every new book in the series. I can suggest some of the books by harry turtledove.
A comprehensive list of the top 25 best alternate history books. Discuss, rate, and post links to ah sites on the web. Snodgrass, also a contributor to the series there is a secret history of the worlda history in which an alien virus struck the earth in the aftermath of world war ii. These stories usually contain what if scenarios at crucial points in history and present outcomes other than those in the historical record. Dick, watchmen by alan moore, fatherland by robert harris, the. The book mixes historical facts with imagined outcomes. The western allies are caught unprepared and both ground and air forces take heavy hits as the red army moves inexorably westwards. Alternate history books are a great way to explore these questions, and alternate history for teens is becoming increasingly popular. The following shelves are listed as duplicates of this shelf. Listen to 122112 to enjoy an alternativehistory science fiction story. Harry turtledove is an american author of alternate history, historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy novels. The war planners, the war stage, and pawns of the pacific. Gift ideas in alternate history science fiction any department.
It has been split into several parts for ease of reading, and the formatting on certain websites. There is a secret history of the world a history in which an alien virus struck the earth in the. And just to help you out, weve listed them all in the order they were written. And thats the great thing about a brilliant series, once you finish one book, theres always another. Instead of picking a divergent point and speculating on its repercussions, eric flint drops a slice of 2000 into 17th century germany. Alternate history, alternate realities fiction, books. It starts with the age of colonization, but the east coast of north america was separated from the rest before the europeans discovered it. Colson whiteheads pulitzer and national book award winner imagines. Amazon greenlights alternate history series the man in.
He is the author of several different series, including the southern victory, worldwar, crosstime traffic and other series. We currently have 52,708 articles, and look forward to growth. A rich, complex alternate history with great characters and vivid action. Most are written by historians or other people fairly knowledgeable on historical topics. 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. Some of them are, colonization and worldwar series alien invasion during world war 2 cross time traffic series a trading company with a. Ada, or ardor tells a love story troubled by incest.
Magestic part 1 is a very large book, presented in a series of large chapters. And the man in the high castle is among the most wellknown books that tackle that question. Set in berlin in 1964, the greater german reich enjoys an uneasy peace with the u. Alternate history science fiction 112 of over 30,000 results for books. In contemporary alternate history literature, undoubtedly the most frequently explored premise is the whatifthenazishadwon postulation. Tl191 uniform, weapons and equipment of the secondary combatants. 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 books to read now penguin. Any and all original alternate histories are permitted here. The undisputed king of alternative histories is the prolific harry turtledove, who has helped guide the genre into mainstream reading. A great work of art, a necessary book, radiant and rapturous it provides further evidence that he is a peer of kafka.
Alternate history or alternative history is a genre of fiction consisting of stories in which one or more historical events occur differently. As a young adult, naomi became a teacher to help inspire children. Diehard fans are encouraged to contribute to the series through baens bar, an online. Best alternate history novels and stories 619 books goodreads. This category is for literary works spanning multiple novels, in the alternate history subgenre of speculativescience fiction. These alternate history books imagine the possibilities.
His southern victory or timeline191 series has the confederates beating the union. The series covers a renewed war in europe, one that is initiated by the soviet union. Dick adaptation the man in the high castle for a full season is great news for both science fiction lovers, and for the. List of fiction employing parallel universes wikipedia. The wheel of time by robert jordan series the world of dreams, and the mirror worlds which represent what could have been had various events in history happened in different ways. The years of rice and salt by kim stanley robinson.
This final alternate history novel from the now deceased robert conroy is built. The book of alternative history, experts consider what might have happened if key moments in time had gone differently, including the nazis winning world war two, abraham lincoln surviving his assassination, the allies losing the battle of the. The british publishing company greenhill books has published a series of anthologies of short alternate history scenarios on many different subjects. The worldwar series, by harry turtledove turtledoves classic. Also the series is on the frontcover of the new radiotimes with a 4 page article on the writing of the book and the making of the series.
Instead of putting together a list of the 223,546 best historical fiction books, i opted instead for adult historical fiction showstoppers that present a. It can be variously seen as a subgenre of literary fiction, science fiction, and historical fiction. Regina king in watchmen mark hillhbo watchmen is a brutally provocative reckoning of alternate history damon lindelofs new vision is more than just a confrontation of white supremacy. What if the history of the transatlantic slave trade had been reversed and africans had enslaved europeans. The result is an alternate history novel narrated by a young philip roth living on the outskirts of newark, nj, with his family when lindbergh, the nominee of the america first party, wins the presidency and persecution of jews becomes commonplace.
The series is written as a history, using fictional and real life characters to describe the events of 1945 through to 1947. Alternate history fiction books, listed by author, with links to the authors own pages upon ahf where you can find further information on the book, its genesis and artwork and links to where to purchase the books. Many, many alternate history ask how the world would be different if germany had won world war ii. Schmitz, 1962 star ships, aliens from the future, time travel, romance, cannibalism, pet humans and mutebutbrilliant aliens. Magestic ebook free alternate history novels and stories.
Also an amazon prime tv series, it is first a parable for what. You are welcome to contribute any pages you wish, whether it be a minor sketch of an alternate history or an entire story thats fullyfleshed out. Set in a world where teddy roosevelt is elected president for a second time. Behind this mission is the hope that the vietnam and cold wars, mlks assassinationand all subsequent american maladieswill never occur. Agent of byzantium has the byzantine empire surviving. How would that have changed the ways that people justified their.