29 of 30 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Mixed Bag, Editors don't seem to "get" the subject, June 15, 2010
This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories (Paperback)
The problem here is that the editors do not seem to know what Alternate History stories are, and instead picked quite a few Speculative Fiction tales.
Now, here is what I think Alt Hist is:
There is a crucial point in history, a crux, where if one (perhaps minor) thing changed, it would significantly change History as we know it. A classic Alt Hist story has believable characters with normal human reactions and emotions. Scientific advancement may have well changed significantly also, along with the usual political changes. It can add Fantasy or magic, as long as that is explained in the terms of the new alternate timeline. Often, people who we know from history are shown as their "what if" counterparts. The story is usually set long enough after the crux for the changes to ripple through. Now, that's just my opinion, of course.
So let's look at the three new stories specially picked for this compilation:
(WARNING, there might be some SPOILERS ahead!)
The Raft of the Titanic, by James Morrow. The author is well known for his Speculative Fiction series about a world where the giant body of the Deity is found and must be towed through the ocean. His short story here seems to be similar- the Titanic sinks, and the survivors (nearly all the passengers and crew survive) build a huge raft, which they then pilot through the sea of the world for years, setting up a society of sort, utilizing cannibalism as one of the primary food sources. Well, you see- the characters (as is common in Spec Fic) do not react as normal humans, natural science is more or less trampled and there's no "alternate timeline". The story is not "Alternate History" by my definition. I also did not care for it at all.
Sidewinders, by Ken MacLeod. This is a pretty good story and could be classic Alt Hist. The idea here is that some individuals can slip sidewise through various alternate timelines. It would serve well as the introductory chapter in a full length book set in that universe. But it's not long enough for us to get our teeth into the characters or the world.
Darwin Anathema, by Stephen Baxter is indeed classic Alt Hist. Here the timeline is one where Galileo did not commit "heresy", thus the Church was never challenged, thus Darwin (or his memory) is being charged with Heresy four hundred+ years later. Not bad.
Then we have a number of reprints, some which I have read, and a number which I am not familiar with. Harry Harrison has an interesting tale about a crux point in history. It's well done, but it's not about what the alternate timeline would be like should the crux change- it's about the crux point itself. Similar with Roncesvalles by Judith Tarr, although it is a well written story. Both worth reading, mind you.
Two stories I have read before and are pretty classic Alt Hist: Catch That Zeppelin, by Fritz Leiber (I have always found Leiber to be a good choice) and Weinachtsabend by Keith Roberts. Both are great.
I am going to cover one more story, as it shows whatI think may be wrong with the idea behind this collection. The Lucky Strike, by Kim Robinson. The story is set in the last days of WWII, where the primary crew for the Atomic Bomb attack can't go, thus a alternate crew must go. SPOILER! The bombardier has a crisis of conscience and deliberately misses Hiroshima. Japan surrenders anyway, as the bomb is quickly touted as a "example". Wow, what a great idea for a crux point! There could be several interesting alternate timelines from here- obviously the Cold War would be different, but how? Would no one build up a nuclear arsenal? Or, maybe by not having the horrors of Hiroshima to warn us, would Atomic bombs be used in a later conflict, perhaps against North Korea? Either could make a interesting Alt Hist timeline and world. But the story ends with the crux point. I don't think that is Alternate History, Mr Watson & Mr Waites- that's the crux point from which a real Alt Hist story would come from.
Now, there's some gems here, and if you have not read all the stories, this volume might be worth getting. But be prepared to be frustrated several times, even with some of the better authors, due to what I think is the Editors misunderstanding of this genre.
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19 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
1.0 out of 5 stars
Don't waste your money, June 10, 2010
This review is from: The Mammoth Book of Alternate Histories (Paperback)
I'm about 200 pages into this turkey and I can't believe how bad this book is. The Pope calls a crusade after the 6 Day War which results in an assualt on Istanbul that escaltes into a nuclear war? Less than 50 Aztec warriors returning with Columbus (there couldn't be more than that coming back on the one ship that is carrying them) intervene in the Spanish siege of Moorish Granada and route the forces of both sides, capturing the Moslem ruler and both Ferdinand and Isabella? The U. S. becomes a totalitarian dictatorship because Bob Dylan did not go to Chicago in 1968?
I enjoy alternate histories, but I require that they be based on a rational, plausible alternatives not wild speculation based on the authors' failure to due even basic research.
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