Alternate History

In an "Alternate Kennedys" history where Joe Kennedy lives to become president, things go horribly wrong as the rivalry between ex-president Joe and his now-president brother Jack turns violent.

Young Leonardo da Vinci experiments with his flying machine in the politically charged atmosphere of late 15th century Florence. He dreams of soaring into the heavens, but Lorenzo de Medici is eager to use this new invention to his advantage on the battlefield.

New York Times bestselling author Harry Turtledove has intrigued readers with such thought-provoking "what if..." scenarios as a conquered Elizabethan England in Ruled Britannia and a Japanese occupation of Hawaii in Days of Infamy and End of the Beginning. Now, in the first of a brand-new trilogy, he rewrites the history of the world with the existence of an eighth continent... Atlantis lies between Europe and the East Coast of Terranova. For many years, this land of opportunity lured dreamers ... more info>>

One world among many... eleven stories about them all What if Lincoln never became president, and the Civil War never took place? What if Columbus never discovered America, and the Inca developed a massive, technologically advanced empire? What if magic was real and a half-faerie queen ruled England? What if an author discovered a book written by an alternate version of himself? These are just some of the possible pathways that readers can take to explore the Other Earths that may be waiting jus... more info>>

A complex alternate history story, "Everything But Honor"--a Hugo Award finalist for best novelette--is the tale of Dr. Thomas Placide, a Black physicist in 1938 Germany, who travels back in time to alter the outcome of America's War Between the States to better the plight of Southern Negro slaves, but with dire consequences.

An alien on Earth known as Dr. Tachyon has developed a gene-warping virus that kills most of its victims, mutates most of the survivors, and for a lucky few, grants genuine superpowers. A 1946 biological terrorist attack rains the viral spores over New York City, and in the chaotic aftermath, North Dakota farmboy-decorated war hero-struggling actor Jack Braun develops the strength of Superman ... except he can't fly. When the chaos settles down, Jack teams up with Earl Sanderson, who can project... more info>>

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 ... more info>>

What if "Lawrence of Arabia" had turned his back on his native England and the Western world and instead chosen Allah and the Arab world? What would that have done to the Middle East?

Russia, Communist China, Japan, Nazi Germany, the United States: they began World War II as mortal enemies. But suddenly their only hope for survival--never mind victory--was to unite to stop a mighty foe--one whose frightening technology appeared invincible. Far worse beings than the Nazis were loose. From Warsaw to Moscow to China's enemy-occupied Forbidden City, the nations of the world had been forced into an uneasy alliance since humanity began its struggle against overwhelming odds. In Bri... more info>>

In the newest volume of this exhilarating series, Eric Flint continues to reshape American history, imagining how a continent and its people might have taken a different path to its future. With 1824: The Arkansas War, he spins an astounding and provocative saga of heroism, battlefield action, racial conflict, and rebellion as a nation recovering from war is plunged into a dangerous era of secession. Buffered by Spanish possessions to the south and by free states and two rivers to the north, Ark... more info>>

What if Joan of Arc hadn't burned?

Confederate naval forces are reduced to the defense of Vicksburg, and an enterprising young captain plots a rescue mission to sail north and recover $65 million in gold coins buried near a Mississippi plantation.

It is December 7, 1941, and the Japanese launch an attack against United States naval forces stationed in Pearl Harbor. The Japanese follow up their air assault with an invasion and occupation of Hawaii. With American military forces subjugated and civilians living in fear of their conquerors, there is no one to stop the Japanese from using the islands' resources to launch an offensive against America's western coast.

Crawling out of the ruins of a nuke-shattered America, a new reality shapes an unpredictable terrain of human resilience and unabated savagery. Born and bred in Deathlands, Ryan Cawdor has seen the pulsing of its dark heart. And he understands more than most that tomorrow is certain to arrive. But to see it means surviving today--any way he can. Rumors of an untouched predark ville in the mountains of West Virginia lure traders in search of unimaginable wealth. They're coming from all direction... more info>>

In a far future Earth, John Skein's skills as a Communicator bring him wealth and fame. He uses his mind as a conduit for joining the intellects of his clients to solve business or technical problems ... all for a substantial fee. When he joins his newest clients to solve a problem of matter transportation, the overload jolts Skein into a new perception of time that is driving him slowly insane.

History shows that leadership is crucial in war, but there are other factors at work. What if history were given a twist or two, and great commanders on land and sea fought their greatest battles under different circumstances? Turtledove and his colleagues turn the past upside down and inside out, and the possibilities are endless.... The historical Flora MacDonald helped Bonnie Prince Charlie escape Scotland after his failed rebellion in 1745. Captured by the English, said she would have helped... more info>>

In the fall of 1884, 18-year-old H.G. Wells and his acerbic professor T.H. Huxley ascend to the rooftop of London's Normal School of Science to observe a meteor shower--and discuss the possibility of life on Mars.

Suppose the movement for women's rights in the 1800s had adopted the tactics of another minority who felt their rights to be threatened? In desperate circumstances, Susannah and her sisters take the law into their own hands in "The Invisible Empire."

Author Note: "The Last Ride of German Freddie" sprang fully-armed from my head in a discussion in Joe Haldeman's topic in the online forum Duelling Modems, in which I suggested that it might be fun if someone wrote an alternate-history story in which Nietzsche went West and tested his theories to destruction at the O.K. Corral. No sooner had I suggested this than I realized that I should be the one to attempt the story. As with some of my other alternate histories, all the characters actually ex... more info>>

This fascinating alternate history story is set a few hundred years ago in an America that has been colonized primarily by Mongolians (who, by the way, have taken over most of Europe). A Mongolian settler who was raised by Native American Indians finds he must try to bridge the gap between cultures to counter threats from English settlements (England is one of the few remaining independent countries in Europe). In so doing, he seeks to re-unite the Native American peoples and the peoples of Mong... more info>>

With the incomparable vision and breathtaking detail that brought his now-classic Mars trilogy to vivid life, bestselling author Kim Stanley Robinson boldly imagines an alternate history of the last seven hundred years. In his grandest work yet, the acclaimed storyteller constructs a world vastly different from the one we know.... It is the fourteenth century and one of the most apocalyptic events in human history is set to occur--the coming of the Black Death. History teaches us that a third of... more info>>

The election of 1956 is at stake and the remorseless thug known as the President has his operatives out in the field making sure there are no surprises.

In this collection of novellas, four masters of alternate history turn back time, twisting the facts with four brilliant excursions into what might have been.

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 ... more info>>

Short post-apocalyptic "Alternate Kennedys" story.