Customer Reviews

The Way It Wasn't: Great Science Fiction Stories of Alternate History

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A highly entertaining series of short stories. The stories in this book are very original and are not reprinted in many other collections of Alternate History, with the exception of two. If you love alternate history, I encourage you to read, if not buy this book.

The title of this book is somewhat misleading - the stories within (with one exception) are not really (in my opinion) "science fiction". All are alternative history stories, although somewhat atypical of the genre. It seems that some authors have alternative timeline theories and write stories to support them. The authors in this book use alternate timelines as frameworks for good stories. Being a fan of both SciFi and alternative history, I gave this book a read and was quite impressed with the quality of the writing. I'm not familiar with all of the authors, but will be looking out for their other works. "The Winterberry" stood out. At first you don't see the connection with alternate history, but eventually you catch on, with sad realization. Worthwhile reading for all.

Everyone has wondered "What if..." at some point, whether the question involved his or her own life or some pivotal event in history. History as we know it is jolted and questioned at every turn in this emotional collection of engaging and imaginative fiction. Many "what if..." questions are addressed in this volume that allow authors and readers alike to rewrite history, correcting perceived wrongs or tragedies ("Suppose They Gave a Peace..."), creating heroes where none existed before ("The Lucky Strike"), and exploring horrors best left to imaginations and late night readings ("We Could Do Worse"). Any fan of science fiction will enjoy these well-selected, well-ordered stories.

This 364 page book includes 13 short stories based on various alternate histories. My personal favorite is Harold Waldrop's story "Ike at the Mike" in which Dwight Eisenhower is a serious-minded jazz musician (similar in temperament to Dizzy Gilespie, I guess) instead of President of the United States, while Elvis Presley (after a youthful dalliance with music) brings his charisma to bear on politics. Also worth mentioning is "The Sleeping Serpent" by Pamela Sargent, who imagines a world where nomadic culture, as championed by a fluid Mongolian empire and its native American cousins, triumphs over urban Western Civilization.