What If 2.... A second helping of alternative history fiction

Short Story Collections

The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century edited by Harry Turtledove with Martin H. Greenberg (2002)

Some of science fiction's most visionary authors present a collection of chilling "what if" stories that offer an alternate version of actual historical events in an anthology that includes Kim Stanley Robinson's "The Lucky Strike," Greg Bear's "Through Road No Wither," and works by Gregory Benford, Susan Schwartz, Harry Turtledove, and others.

Roads Not Taken: Tales of Alternate History edited by Gardner Dozois and Stanley Schmidt (1998)

An introduction to the increasingly popular genre of alternate history contains ten stories by such notable authors as Gregory Benford, Robert Silverberg, and Harry Turtledove that meld fiction and fact to recast history's most dramatic events.

Garrett, Randall Lord Darcy (2002)

Lord Darcy, Chief Investigator for the Duke of Normandy, and his assistant, Master Sorcerer Sean O'Lochlainn, use their occult powers and deductive skills to solve mysteries and bring criminals to justice, in an omnibus edition containing all of Lord Darcy's adventures, originally published as Too Many Magicians, Murder and Magic, and Lord Darcy Investigates.

Novels

Barnes, Steven Lion's Blood: a Novel of Slavery and Freedom in an Alternate America (2002)

In an intriguing work of alternate history in which the peoples of Africa colonize the Americas, bringing European slaves to the New World, the fates of two families--one Islamic African aristocrats, the other Druidic Irish slaves--collide as two young men, one of each dynasty, must confront their world and each other.

Barnes, Steven Zulu Heart (2003)

In the sequel to Lion's Blood , set in the late nineteenth century in an America colonized by Africa, two men of very different backgrounds--Kai, an Ethiopian aristocrat, and Aidan, a white Irishman and Kai's former slave -- become caught in the middle as a rebellion builds toward civil war and divided loyalties threaten to destroy them.

Cunningham, Elizabeth Daughter of the Shining Isles: the Magdalen Trilogy Vol. 1 (2000)

Raised by weather-witching mothers on the Isle of Women, Maeve meets her soulmate in Esus of Nazareth as they both apprentice with the Druids on Mona, leading Maeve to discover her strength and courage as Esus uncovers his destiny.

Harrison, Harry King and Emperor (1996)

In the third book in the The Hammer and the Cross series, Shef, the visionary and warrior, is forced to defend his Northern kingdom against the might of a reborn Roman Empire.

Norton, Andre The Shadow of Albion: Carolus Rex: Book 1 (1999)

Thanks to the magic of the dying Duchess of Roxbury, Sarah Cunningham is hurtled into a unstable alternative world -- in which King Henry IX rules Britain, America never revolted, and Napoleon marches across Europe -- where she joins forces with a royal spy, the Duke of Wessex, to rescue a missing princess.

Norton, Andre Leopard in Exile: Carolus Rex: Book 2 (2001)

As Napoleon continues his devastating march across Europe, aided by the Marquis de Sade, an evil magician who will do anything to destroy the rightful king and queen of France, the Duke and Duchess of Wessex risk their lives to defend the embattled royals.

Pullman, Philip The Golden Compass (1995)

Living among scholars in the hallowed halls of Jordan College, Lyra hears rumors of a magical dust that supposedly possesses powers that can unite whole universes, and begins a dangerous journey to find it.

Pullman, Philip The Subtle Knife (1997)

In the sequel to The Golden Compass, Lyra and her new friend, Will, tumble into the strange tropical otherworld of Cittagazze, where adults are absent and children run wild, as they search desperately for Will's missing father.

Pullman, Philip The Amber Spyglass (2000)

The final volume in the award-winning His Dark Materials fantasy series joins returning characters with new ones and reveals startling revelations while the battle for the Kingdom of Heaven rages on and ultimately unlocks the secret of Dust.

Skimin, Robert Custer's Luck (2000)

What if Gen. George Armstrong Custer had won the 1876 Battle of the Little Bighorn after all and had emerged a national hero? That is the question Skimin poses in this vividly imagined alternative history.

Tarr, Judith The Pride of Kings (2001)

At his coronation as the new king of England, Richard the Lionheart, lured by dreams of glory and driven by faith, makes a fateful choice between a mortal crown and a magical one and embarks on a Crusade to free Jerusalem from the infidels, leaving behind a kingdom threatened by beings wielding the powers of dark magic.

Turtledove, Harry Sentry Peak (2000)

When Avram claims the throne of his late father, King Buchan, his cousin Geoffrey contests the throne, raising an army of blue-clad northern troops to send against his southern rival's gray-uniformed forces. Drawing upon his considerable knowledge of military history and his love of alternate realities, veteran sf and fantasy author Turtledove has crafted a fantasy spin on the Civil War.

Weber, David The Excalibur Alternative (2002)

Lying helpless in the face of a raging storm in the North Sea, a fleet of medieval ships finds sudden rescue in the arrival of a powerful group of aliens, who offer salvation in exchange for eternal bondage fighting as star soldiers, but Sir George, a determined Englishman, vows never to be a slave.

West, Paul Cheops: A Cupboard for the Sun (2002)

A novel set in the Fourth Dynasty of ancient Egypt finds Greek historian Herodotus transported back in time to the side of the obsessed dying pharaoh Cheops and his entourage of daughters, sons, wives, and courtiers.

Visit Uchronia: The Alternate History List.

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