Alternate History Books

• What if the South had won the American Civil War?
  
  
• What if the Nazis had won World War II?
  
  
• What if the Cold War had turned hot?

• Some of the books contain serious historical studies of what might have been if leaders of the past had made different decisions or luck had not influenced historical events in a particular way.
  
  
• Other books that we look at, include novels or short stories - sometimes these books involve realistic changes to history that could have happened, but didn't - whereas in other cases, they involve fantastic elements such as time travel or travel between parallel worlds, dinosaurs or even or vampires.

A Damned Fine War: A Novel of Alternate History By Bill Yenne IPS Books Released: 2012-12-28 Kindle Edition (448 pages)   Product Description: A DAMNED FINE WAR A Novel of Alternate History By Bill Yenne May 1945: Having defeated Hitler, Josef Stalin sets out to conquer the world with his mighty Red Army. One man stands in his way: General George S. Patton, Jr. A young journalist finds herself face-to-face with a sinister conspiracy to ignite World War III in the ashes of World War II. A young GI finds himself face-to-face with the unthinkable. They are suddenly caught up in a sweeping drama with global implications Writes Charles M. Province of the General George S. Patton, Jr. Historical Society, “A Damned Fine War is A Damned Fine Book! Patton did, indeed, have the intelligence, ability, and capacity for five-star rank.” Editorial Reviews: Bill Yenne’s A Damned Fine War is an action-packed, Patton-size novel. This book, a classic battle between good and evil played out on an international stage, is fast moving and entertaining. Any person interested in history will be properly moved by the what-if scenarios involving victorious armies and men of history. A great read. I highly recommend it! —Brian Sobel, Author of The Fighting Pattons I have always enjoyed counterfactual histories, but good ones are more than just entertainment. Alternative histories can make us think about what might have happened if things had turned out a little differently, and what the consequences would have been. Bill Yenne’s A Damned Fine War succeeds triumphantly on both accounts. It is an excellent read, and offers us some sobering “might have beens.” — Gary Sheffield, Professor of War Studies, University of Birmingham (UK)

DISASTER AT STALINGRAD: An Alternate History By Peter Tsouras Frontline Books Hardcover (256 pages) List Price: $29.95* Lowest New Price: $21.44* Lowest Used Price: $21.69* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: It is early September 1942 and the German commander of the Sixth Army, General Paulus, assisted by the Fourth Panzer Army, is poised to advance on the Russian city of Stalingrad. His primary mission was to take the city, crushing this crucial center of communication and manufacturing, and to secure the valuable oil fields in the Caucasus.What happens next is well known to any student of modern history: a brutal war of attrition, characterized by fierce hand-to-hand combat, that lasted for nearly two years, and the eventual victory by a resolute Soviet Red Army. A ravaged German Army was pushed into full retreat. This was the first defeat of Hitler's territorial ambitions in Europe and a critical turning point of WWII.But the outcome could have been very different, as Peter Tsouras demonstrates in this fascinating alternate history of this fateful battle. By introducing minor - and realistic - adjustments, Tsouras presents a scenario in which the course of the battle runs quite differently, which in turn throws up disturbing possibilities regarding the outcome of the whole war.

Outrageous Fortunes: a Novel of Alternate Histories By Steven W. White Steven W. White Released: 2011-03-16 Kindle Edition (372 pages) List Price: $2.99* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: Shy amateur historian Randy Sullivan, age 23 and unhappy with his life, is approached by his double from a parallel Los Angeles, a bombastic physicist and inventor who calls himself "Sully." Using a form of sideways time travel, they step out of this reality and visit versions of Earth stranger than Randy has ever imagined... and those so eerily close as to be just out of reach. But all is not well back home. Randy's out-of-control adolescent brother and sister are left in the care of his cool-headed and gorgeous neighbor Penelope - the love of Randy's life. They are stranded by encroaching California wildfires. The flames are drawing near and time is running out. And Sully, genius and connoisseur of a thousand worlds, has a secret plan of his own - and it does not involve Randy Sullivan ever getting home alive.

Stars & Stripes Forever: A Novel of Alternate History (Stars and Stripes Trilogy) By Harry Harrison Del Rey Released: 2007-12-18 Kindle Edition (369 pages) List Price: $7.50* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: On November 8, 1861, a U.S. navy warship stopped a British packet and seized two Confederate emissaries on their way to England to seek backing for their cause. England responded with rage, calling for a war of vengeance. The looming crisis was defused by the peace-minded Prince Albert. But imagine how Albert's absence during this critical moment might have changed everything. For lacking Albert's calm voice of reason, Britain now seizes the opportunity to attack and conquer a crippled, war-torn America. Ulysses S. Grant is poised for an attack that could smash open the South's defenses. In Washington, Abraham Lincoln sees a first glimmer of hope that this bloody war might soon end. But then disaster strikes: English troops have invaded from Canada. With most of the Northern troops withdrawn to fight the new enemy, General William Tecumseh Sherman and his weakened army stand alone against the Confederates. Can a divided, bloodied America defeat England, or will the United States cease to exist for all time? From the Paperback edition.

1942: A Novel By Robert Conroy Ballantine Books Released: 2009-02-24 Paperback (358 pages) List Price: $15.00* Lowest New Price: $7.74* Lowest Used Price: $0.31* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: December 7 is “the date which will live in infamy.” But now Japan is hatching another, far greater plan to bring America to its knees. . . . The Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor was a resounding success–except for one detail: a second bombing mission, to destroy crucial oil storage facilities, was aborted that day. Now, in this gripping and stunning work of alternate history, Robert Conroy reimagines December 7, 1941, to include the attack the Japanese didn’t launch, and what follows is a thrilling tale of war, resistance, sacrifice, and courage. For when Admiral Isoroku Yamamoto sees how badly the United States has been ravaged in a two-pronged strike, he devises another, more daring proposal: an all-out invasion of Hawaii to put a stranglehold on the American Pacific Fleet. Yamamoto’s strategy works brilliantly–at first. But a handful of American soldiers and a determined civilian resistance fight back in the face of cruelty unknown in Western warfare. Stateside, a counterassault is planned–and the pioneering MIT-trained aviator Colonel Jimmy Doolittle is given a near-impossible mission with a fleet of seaplanes jury-rigged into bombers. From spies to ordinary heroes and those caught between two cultures at war, this is the epic saga of the Battle of Hawaii–the way it very nearly was. . . .

Archangel: A Novel of Alternate, Recent History By Aaron Worthing Released: 2012-01-12 Kindle Edition (347 pages)   Product Description: On September 11, 2001, a businessman faced a grim choice. Perched on the ninety-third floor of the North Tower of the World Trade Center, he had to choose between dying in the fire rising around him, or jumping. He chose to jump. In our world he died, one of around three thousand to die that day. In the alternate world where Archangel takes place, someone was there to catch him. A fireman, wearing a mask, leapt out of a window in the tower and with no visible means of propulsion, the fireman flew after him. The fireman caught the man and brought him down to a soft, controlled landing, live on national television. A real-life superhero had made his national debut. This is that superhero's story. But this isn't a fairy tale. Around a thousand people still died in the vicious attack. However, this fireman was able rescue many people from the top of the burning towers. And when he saw the South Tower begin to fall, he caught it using only his mind and set it down safely in Central Park. Finally, he tried to stop Flight 93 from crashing, but in his effort to save the plane it ripped apart, and only a handful were saved. So in that day of mourning, there was joy and also a question: who was this fireman? Archangel follows the story of this fireman, from his childhood in the Philippines to his debut as a superhero on September 11. Filled with action and suspense, laughter and tears, international intrigue and romance, this novel provides an unflinchingly realistic portrayal of a what a superhero would really look like in our modern world and how that world would respond.

The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century Del Rey Released: 2001-10-02 Paperback (415 pages) List Price: $18.00* Lowest New Price: $4.00* Lowest Used Price: $0.01* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: Explore fascinating, often chilling "what if" accounts of the world that could have existed–and still might yet . . . Science fiction’s most illustrious and visionary authors hold forth the ultimate alternate history collection. Here you’ll experience mind-bending tales that challenge your views of the past, present, and future, including: • "The Lucky Strike": When The Lucky Strike is chosen over The Enola Gay to drop the first atomic bomb, fate takes an unexpected turn in Kim Stanley Robinson’s gripping tale. • "Bring the Jubilee": Ward Moore’s novella masterpiece offers a rebel victory at Gettysburg which changes the course of the Civil War . . . and all of American history. • "Through Road No Wither": After Hitler’s victory in World War II, two Nazi officers confront their destiny in Greg Bear’s apocalyptic vision of the future. • "All the Myriad Ways": Murder or suicide, Ambrose Harmon’s death leads the police down an infinite number of pathways in Larry Niven’s brilliant and defining tale of alternatives and consequences. • "Mozart in Mirrorshades": Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner explore a terrifying era as the future crashes into the past–with disastrous results. . . . as well as works by Poul Anderson • Gregory Benford • Jack L. Chalker • Nicholas A. DiChario • Brad Linaweaver • William Sanders • Susan Shwartz • Allen Steele • and Harry Turtledove himself! The definitive collection: fourteen seminal alternate history tales drawing readers into a universe of dramatic possibility and endless wonder.

The Novel: An Alternative History: Beginnings to 1600 By Steven Moore Bloomsbury Academic Paperback (704 pages) List Price: $29.95* Lowest New Price: $12.98* Lowest Used Price: $9.38* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: >

1945: A Novel By Robert Conroy Ballantine Books Released: 2007-05-29 Paperback (432 pages) List Price: $14.95* Lowest New Price: $6.99* Lowest Used Price: $0.15* Usually ships in 24 hours* *(As of 22:06 Pacific 18 May 2013 More Info) Click Here Product Description: America has dropped atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. But Japan has only begun to fight. . . . In 1945, history has reached a turning point. A terrible new weapon has been unleashed. Japan has no choice but to surrender. But instead, the unthinkable occurs. With their nation burned and shattered, Japanese fanatics set in motion a horrifying endgame–their aim: to take America down with them. In Robert Conroy’s brilliantly imagined epic tale of World War II, Emperor Hirohito’s capitulation is hijacked by extremists and a weary United States is forced to invade Japan as a last step in a war that has already cost so many lives. As the Japanese lash out with tactics that no one has ever faced before–from POWs used as human shields to a rain of kamikaze attacks that take out the highest-value target in the Pacific command–the invasion’s success is suddenly in doubt. As America’s streets erupt in rioting, history will turn on the acts of a few key players from the fiery front lines to the halls of Washington to the shadowy realm of espionage, while a mortally wounded enemy becomes the greatest danger of all. Praise for Robert Conroy’s 1901 “Likely to please both military history and alternative history buffs . . . The writing . . . keeps us turning the pages.” –Booklist “Fascinating . . . skillfully crafted.” –Oakland Press “Packed with action.” –Detroit News

Citrus White Gold -- An Alternate History Novel of Citrus County, Florida By John Charles Miller John Charles Miller Released: 2012-04-02 Kindle Edition (252 pages)   Product Description: The evening of April 9, 1891, the Citrus County Commission chambers in Mannfield, Florida were taken over by a partisan group from the nearby town of Inverness, declaring Inverness to be the new county seat. "Stolen" is what irate folks from Mannfield said. In fact, the County clerk, still in his chair at his desk, writing, had been loaded into a mule-drawn wagon and hauled off, along with county furniture and records. By 1917, Mannfield was no longer on maps -- it was a "ghost town" with naught but longleaf pine and turkey oak-covered woods. Nothing remained, not even foundations, just a lonely cemetery, a dried up pond and old sandy roads. Could things have been different? The history of Mannfield, Citrus County and even the United States of the late 1890s and early 1900s changed when Jim Harkins went on one of his nature-loving bicycle rides down the northern portion of the Withlacoochee State Trail in Citrus County in the early autumn of 2001. All caused by a wandering gopher tortoise crossing the trail.