counterfactual (n.) - (A hypotheses) running contrary to the facts. Source: The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition

In the past, I have reviewed several Counterfactual or Alternative Fiction novels ranging from the excellent (What If?) to the horrid (Virtual History). Recently, I got the chance to find a compendium of alternative science fiction edited by one of the guardians of the genre, Harry Turtledove. And The Best Alternate History Stories of the 20th Century turned out to be one of the best collections I have read.

As Turtledove states in the preface:

The stories in this collection, in their quality and the variety, show where the field went in during the last century. I have no doubt that, with so many talented writers wondering what might have been, we will continue to see many more fascinating, thought-provoking stories in the century just being born. The purpose of any good fiction, after all, is not to examine the created world alone, but to hold up that created world as a mirror to the reality we all experience. Alternate history gives us a fun-house mirror that lets us look at reality in ways we cannot get from any other type of story. That, to me, is its principal attraction – along with the joys of storytelling.

I have to agree – the people selected for this book do a fantastic job at weaving tales of what might have been, what could have been as they examine sometimes large and sometimes small changes in the timeline we know as ‘truth’.

[ • the STORIES • ]
The stories run the gamut of history, from the discovery of America to what the future could be like – if the past had been just a little different. Some authors take a look at the more horrific side of counterfactuality (Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner, while others bring a humorous slant to their story (Allen Steele). But nearly all shine as some of the best of their genre

• The Lucky Strike - Kim Stanley Robinson
   When the Enola Gay goes down in a routine accident, the Lucky Strike gets the fateful job – and the difference causes change that has long – and far – lasting effects.

• The Winterberry - Nicholas A. DiChario
   What would JFK have been like if he had only been critically wounded instead of killed by Oswald’s bullet? In this touching tale, we find an injured ex-President seeing the rest of his life through the eyes of a child.

• Islands in the Sea - Harry Turtledove
   What if Constantinople had fallen to the Muslim attackers – would the Balkans have turned to Islam, leading that religion to take over as the leading religion of the world instead of Christianity?

• Suppose They Gave Peace a Chance - Susan Shwartz
   This touching tale tells that although some things change, sometimes things stay much the same. In an election during the Vietnam War, Nixon loses but the ravages of the war still impact an American neighborhood.

• All the Myriad Ways - Larry Niven
   A mixture of detective story and multiple timelines as a local detective comes face to face with the endless possibilities of multiple universes.

• Through Road No Whither - Greg Bear
   Two nazi soldiers find out the hard way that the future can be drastically different than you expect when you mess with Fate.

• Manassas, Again - Gregory Benford
   In a world where AI gained a foothold, man suddenly finds himself having to fight for his existence in a world that hasn’t known war for over a century.

• Dance Band on the TITANIC - Jack L. Chalker
   A man down on his luck discovers a ferry which moves on a unique route – one where the world isn’t as immutable as we expect – and offers him a chance for redemption he never thought he’d have.

• Bring the Jubilee - Ward More
   A tale of a history writer who is given a chance to explore history of the Union’s loss in the Civil War in the face – but finds that sometimes history can be the most delicate of things.

• Eutopia - Poul Anderson
   A traveler from a perfect world visits an alternate timeline – and has to fight for his life to return to everything he knows.

• The Undiscovered - William Saunders
   A great tale of ‘What if’ that has Shakespeare being captured by native American’s in pre-colonial times.

• Mozart in Mirrorshades - Bruce Sterling and Lewis Shiner
   In this alternate universe, corporations from the future invade alternate pasts for resources, polluting the other timelines with abandon.

• The Death of Captain Future - Allen Steele
   This is a fun tale, sort of 50’s campy humor to it. A first-person tale of a space worker and his dealings with the self-made.

• Moon of Ice - Brad Linaweaver
   In a world where Nazi Germany discovered – and used – the bomb first, Joseph Goebels leaves us a testament to what he thought the world would become – and the horror at finding out how wrong he was.

[ • my THOUGHTS • ]
The stories range from decent to fantastic, although they tend to hover toward the better quality overall. Bring the Jubilee is the longest at 98 pages, and though it drags occasionally, it is one of my favorite stories in the book. Shorter tales All the Myriad Ways and The Undiscovered are some of the best in this book, although I enjoyed Dance Band on the TITANIC quite a bit as well. Only two examples stood out as lesser – and that was mostly in comparison to the ‘competition’ in the collection: The Death of Captain Future is amusing, although I’m not sure why it was included into an counterfactual book. It seems more like the general science fiction adaptation of human progress instead of a true alternate history. Manassas, Again had a good idea but for the most part bored me. And although Mozart in Mirrorshades wasn’t a favorite, that can be attributed to the fact that I am not a huge cyberpunk fan – readers who are might find more enjoyment from this peace, which is unique if nothing else.

As a whole, this book satisfied my urge from some counterfactual fiction. Unfortunately, Turtledove’s intros to each story offered up dozens more books for me to add to my Amazon.com wish list … so you can expect the book reviews in the future – whichever future that is.


[ • other COUNTERFACTUALS • ]
What If?
The first of the group that I read, What If tackles many of most common counterfactual themes – the lost orders hadn’t been lost in the Civil War, if the Mayans and Aztecs had united against Cortez, etc. A great collection of stories that ask “What If?”

What If? 2
This is a sequel to the book above, and one that tackles new topics such as what would have become of Christianity if Pontius Pilate had spared Jesus Christ and if WW2 could have been decided quicker if Patton and Montgomery hadn’t been held back.

Einstein’s Dreams
Not really a ‘counter-factual’ per se but fits well with the genre as the author examines dozens of worlds from Einstein’s Dreams in which time has a different meaning from our own.

Virtual History
Worst of the bunch, only get this if you are deeply into the counter-factual study – or need a nap.

Recommended: Yes