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Tales From Alternate Earths #1
Tales From Alternate Earths
Our world could have been so very different...
Eight stories take us on a journey into how our world could have been. What if the nukes had flown that day over Cuba? What if Caesar had survived? Imagine the Tunguska meteor with a different outcome. What if there was a true story behind HG Wells' most famous tale? See the world as it might have been if China discovered the New World first. And what if all of this was never meant to be and dinosaurs ruled the Earth?
Authors Jessica Holmes, Daniel M. Bensen, Terri Pray, Rob Edwards, Maria Haskins, Cathbad Maponus, Leo McBride, and collaborators Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria show us the world that might have been - if the butterfly's wings had fluttered a different way, if the world changed between heartbeats, if a moment of decision saw another choice.
This is the fourth anthology from Inklings Press, aiming to provide a platform for new and upcoming authors and to open the door onto different worlds.
Eight stories take us on a journey into how our world could have been. What if the nukes had flown that day over Cuba? What if Caesar had survived? Imagine the Tunguska meteor with a different outcome. What if there was a true story behind HG Wells' most famous tale? See the world as it might have been if China discovered the New World first. And what if all of this was never meant to be and dinosaurs ruled the Earth?
Authors Jessica Holmes, Daniel M. Bensen, Terri Pray, Rob Edwards, Maria Haskins, Cathbad Maponus, Leo McBride, and collaborators Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria show us the world that might have been - if the butterfly's wings had fluttered a different way, if the world changed between heartbeats, if a moment of decision saw another choice.
This is the fourth anthology from Inklings Press, aiming to provide a platform for new and upcoming authors and to open the door onto different worlds.
156 pages, Kindle Edition
First published August 19, 2016
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August 20, 2016
Tales From Alternate Earths Book Review
Some of you may not know this, but one of the most fascinating scientific theories I've ever found in life has been the theory of alternate
realities. The theory that our world is one of an infinite amount of realities, with each reality similar in all but one way, is one of the most
incredible and interesting scientific theories in the world, and I love anything that revolves around this subject. So I jumped at the opportunity
to review a brand new anthology from Inklings Press, called "Tales From Alternate Earths". Released a couple of days ago, the anthology covers
tales of various alternate histories and worlds, some that emerged from a small change to our history, and some from a massive change. Tales of
horror, science fiction and thrillers make up the heart of this anthology, showcasing our world from various different viewpoints.
The incredible authors in this anthology include Jessica Holmes, Daniel M. Bensen, Terri Pray, Rob Edwards, Maria Haskins, Cathbad Maponus, Leo
McBride, and collaborators Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria. The stories range from political upheaval in the form of a President Kennedy who
was never assassinated and a Cuban Missile Crisis that hadn't been diffused, but rather the nukes had flown. Tales of ancient rulers living past
their time or the dinosaurs having never gone extinct and becoming the dominant species on Earth. The most fascinating thing about these altered
histories however is just the sheer amount of knowledge one gains from reading these stories. While I'm a huge fan of history, I don't claim to
know everything, and by the end of this anthology, once you read what the true histories were of each story, you will come away with a real sense
of a better understanding of our world.
Overall, this is a phenomenal read that is not to be missed. Each of these stories are super well written and pack both an action-packed and
emotional punch. In a short span of time, the reader will instantly become invested in the lives of these various characters and their world, and
getting glimpses into what our world could have been like if one tiny detail had changed is a fascinating thing to consider, so be sure you read
the fourth anthology from Inklings Press, "Tales From Alternate Earths", today!
Some of you may not know this, but one of the most fascinating scientific theories I've ever found in life has been the theory of alternate
realities. The theory that our world is one of an infinite amount of realities, with each reality similar in all but one way, is one of the most
incredible and interesting scientific theories in the world, and I love anything that revolves around this subject. So I jumped at the opportunity
to review a brand new anthology from Inklings Press, called "Tales From Alternate Earths". Released a couple of days ago, the anthology covers
tales of various alternate histories and worlds, some that emerged from a small change to our history, and some from a massive change. Tales of
horror, science fiction and thrillers make up the heart of this anthology, showcasing our world from various different viewpoints.
The incredible authors in this anthology include Jessica Holmes, Daniel M. Bensen, Terri Pray, Rob Edwards, Maria Haskins, Cathbad Maponus, Leo
McBride, and collaborators Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria. The stories range from political upheaval in the form of a President Kennedy who
was never assassinated and a Cuban Missile Crisis that hadn't been diffused, but rather the nukes had flown. Tales of ancient rulers living past
their time or the dinosaurs having never gone extinct and becoming the dominant species on Earth. The most fascinating thing about these altered
histories however is just the sheer amount of knowledge one gains from reading these stories. While I'm a huge fan of history, I don't claim to
know everything, and by the end of this anthology, once you read what the true histories were of each story, you will come away with a real sense
of a better understanding of our world.
Overall, this is a phenomenal read that is not to be missed. Each of these stories are super well written and pack both an action-packed and
emotional punch. In a short span of time, the reader will instantly become invested in the lives of these various characters and their world, and
getting glimpses into what our world could have been like if one tiny detail had changed is a fascinating thing to consider, so be sure you read
the fourth anthology from Inklings Press, "Tales From Alternate Earths", today!
October 26, 2016
Writing a review for a short story anthology takes a little more effort than writing for a book with a single story and author. In most anthologies, there will be stories the reader loves and those s/he hates making it uncomfortable to review. Well, if you’re in this group, what’s not to like about Tales From Alternate Earths? Nothing, nothing at all!
This anthology ranks high among the best edited and exceptionally well-written story collections I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. History and the possibility of alternate realities and parallel universes have always fascinated me. These stories were right up my alley and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I rated each story separately and none of them are less than four stars. Following are (for me) the individual five star stories:
One More Dawn by Terri Pray is a fascinating alternative for the lives of two of history’s most famous—Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.
All my life, I’ve been fascinated with the life and the conspiracies that revolve around the death of John F. Kennedy. I’ve always wondered what might have happened if the Cuban Missile Crises had gone down differently. Now, I know! One World by Cathbad Maponus will knock your socks off!
If you know of, or have actually heard the recording of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” you’ll love The Secret War by Leo McBride, especially the ending!
Time travel, alien invasion, and alternative history roll into one huge story that will rock your world. Tunguska, 1987 by Maria Haskins—what a great ending for this anthology.
Regardless of your interest in history, all these stories are superb examples of the imaginative powers of the human mind combined with extraordinary storytelling talent. I believe there’s something here for everyone and highly recommend Tales From Alternate Earths to everyone of all ages.
This anthology ranks high among the best edited and exceptionally well-written story collections I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading and reviewing. History and the possibility of alternate realities and parallel universes have always fascinated me. These stories were right up my alley and I thoroughly enjoyed the read. I rated each story separately and none of them are less than four stars. Following are (for me) the individual five star stories:
One More Dawn by Terri Pray is a fascinating alternative for the lives of two of history’s most famous—Julius Caesar and Cleopatra.
All my life, I’ve been fascinated with the life and the conspiracies that revolve around the death of John F. Kennedy. I’ve always wondered what might have happened if the Cuban Missile Crises had gone down differently. Now, I know! One World by Cathbad Maponus will knock your socks off!
If you know of, or have actually heard the recording of H.G. Wells’ “War of the Worlds” you’ll love The Secret War by Leo McBride, especially the ending!
Time travel, alien invasion, and alternative history roll into one huge story that will rock your world. Tunguska, 1987 by Maria Haskins—what a great ending for this anthology.
Regardless of your interest in history, all these stories are superb examples of the imaginative powers of the human mind combined with extraordinary storytelling talent. I believe there’s something here for everyone and highly recommend Tales From Alternate Earths to everyone of all ages.
August 21, 2016
I picked this up as a pre-order seeing it floating in the ethos of facebook. And being stuck in, with not much to do found myself soon emerged in the wonderful short stories contained within.
Of the eight stories, contained within, I think I enjoyed
One More Dawn and The Secret War although I think the dinosaurs ruled the world comes in pretty close too. Lol… who doesn’t love dinos! What I found was that even though I’m not into history, that the authors actually chose events that most people are and do know about even if they’ve not read many historical novels before. The greatest accomplishment for this collection is the fact that the ‘what ifs’ really could have happened, just that minute decision, or someone missing something, pushing something or someone…. And well some of these could well have been our future.
The collection was pretty polished, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary and the ‘meet the author’ at the end of each story allowed me to get to know where and how those ideas came about, in a short manor which didn’t detract me from moving onto the next one.
I think my only comment is that although they’re meant to be short stories, and each author they really did pack a lot into each one, as a novel reader mostly, I found myself wishing that there was just a little bit more… A good thing I guess it means I didn’t want to leave the world the authors had created. So well done indeed.
A great collection which really makes you think, wonder, sometimes laugh and feel things you might never have thought.
Take a chance, and see what an alternate universe could have looked like. You’d be surprised for sure.
I’ll be watching out for more stories from Inklings Press, and the authors involved in this collection.
Of the eight stories, contained within, I think I enjoyed
One More Dawn and The Secret War although I think the dinosaurs ruled the world comes in pretty close too. Lol… who doesn’t love dinos! What I found was that even though I’m not into history, that the authors actually chose events that most people are and do know about even if they’ve not read many historical novels before. The greatest accomplishment for this collection is the fact that the ‘what ifs’ really could have happened, just that minute decision, or someone missing something, pushing something or someone…. And well some of these could well have been our future.
The collection was pretty polished, I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary and the ‘meet the author’ at the end of each story allowed me to get to know where and how those ideas came about, in a short manor which didn’t detract me from moving onto the next one.
I think my only comment is that although they’re meant to be short stories, and each author they really did pack a lot into each one, as a novel reader mostly, I found myself wishing that there was just a little bit more… A good thing I guess it means I didn’t want to leave the world the authors had created. So well done indeed.
A great collection which really makes you think, wonder, sometimes laugh and feel things you might never have thought.
Take a chance, and see what an alternate universe could have looked like. You’d be surprised for sure.
I’ll be watching out for more stories from Inklings Press, and the authors involved in this collection.
August 22, 2016
Warning: Mild spoilers included in the review.
I normally don't like anthologies and tend to avoid short stories. With that said, I loved this book. Tales from Alternate Earths addresses many of my daydreams. Time travel, slight changes that affect big outcomes, and what if possibilities abound. At the same time, you get the feeling you could turn a corner or wake up from a nap and the bent timelines would be real. As Brent A. Harris so deftly stated it, "The idea of alternate history is to create a world that—no matter how different—is also just similar enough that there’s this kinda creepy reflection of our own world, which hopefully provides the reader a new perspective." This book is full of tales that have that "creepy reflection of our own world" feeling.
September 26th, 1983 by Jessica Holmes was well chosen as the opening short story. I will freely admit that I am not as well informed on either current world events or historical events as I should be. I was busy with my small life in 1983 and never heard of Stanislav Petrov. Despite not knowing the original history, this alternate version was so well written and compelling that it kept me glued to the page until the masterful twist at the end. What if the button had been pushed? After reading this story, I was eager to dive into the next one.
One More Dawn by Terry Pray was a complete contrast in style and setting. The story opens with the knowledge that someone has come to the end of their life, yet the emotional impact is softened for the reader by descriptions of the lavish, luxury of the surroundings. Very soon I realized this story was an alternative of ancient history in Egypt. Reading it, I felt the soft breezes blowing the linen hangings, heard the fear in the voice of the priestess, knew the sorrow of the Great Queen. The story has no action, no great cataclysmic changes, but was written almost poetically as the loss of a loved one was suffered by one of the most famous of ancient rulers. What if love was stronger than ambition?
Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, a joint effort by Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria, is a fun ride that left me guessing until the end. I thought I knew what it was about when the Two Faced God was mentioned, but the twist at the very end completely surprised me. This particular alternate history is really alternate PREhistory. However the authors wove an interesting story with commentary on many aspects of modern life that made me think. This story, most of all in this book, exemplifies the "what if" aspect of the alternate history genre. What if another species had evolved instead of us?
One World by Cathbad Maponus was the one story in the book that scared me. I was born the same year that President Kennedy was assassinated and grew up with that extreme event being the pivotal horrific event in US history until 9/11. The assassination was awful, but it could have been so much worse. Unlike many, I never really hero worshiped JFK as so many seem to do. For this reason, I jumped right to the premise of this story and it felt like reading a real account of that period in history. This story is well written and I could tell the author had a good background in history by the little details he included that made the story seem so real. What if a President decided to seize more power?
Stargazing on Oxford Street by Rob Edwards is a poignant story of loss, sorrow, and angry grief. If the previous story scared me, this one made me sad. A midnight trip through the tormented ruins of a great city, one slight change in trajectory and millions of lives lost rather than a lot of forest. Such a loss is unfathomable to us. Yet it could happen, we could lose more than the lives of millions. One small change in trajectory and we could lose the whole world. This is the kind of thing that this story made me think about. The author wrote it in such a way that I could feel Charlotte's pain, a deep, soul wrenching pain at such a monumental loss. What if a big one hit?
The Secret War by Leo McBride is wonderful and the title did not give away even a bit of what was to come. From the first hints of calling an automobile a contraption to the nickname of the protagonist that my mind kept telling me I should know, the author gave pieces of the puzzle to the reader. There are probably very few adults in the English speaking world who would not know the protagonist once his name is put forth at the end of the story, but Leo McBride wove his tale in such a way that I was not completely sure until the end. This story delivers a delightful twist to the alternate history genre. It follows one of the crooked paths my own mind often wanders. What if the stories in books were about real events?
Treasure Fleet by Daniel Benson in my opinion does not belong in this anthology. I did not enjoy it. The story idea is interesting. Unfortunately the execution is juvenile at best. It read a lot like an essay done by the class screw up who thinks he's funny, but isn't. I would have given the book 5 stars, had this story not been in it.
Tunguska by Maria Haskins closes the anthology with a fascinating story of alien overlords and struggle in a world of peace, prosperity and plenty. In Maria Haskins own words, "Utopias are complicated." She delivers a well crafted story that made me think one thing then changed it all up on me at the end. I particularly enjoyed the past time line blended with the present time line, so that clues were dropped along the way, but I never guessed what was coming until the author was ready to reveal it. This was a great choice to end the book.
There were a few editing errors through out, but none that really upset my sensibilities. Typos happen.
I enjoyed Tales from Alternate Earths enough to keep it in my stack of "to be read again" books and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys thinking "What if?"
I normally don't like anthologies and tend to avoid short stories. With that said, I loved this book. Tales from Alternate Earths addresses many of my daydreams. Time travel, slight changes that affect big outcomes, and what if possibilities abound. At the same time, you get the feeling you could turn a corner or wake up from a nap and the bent timelines would be real. As Brent A. Harris so deftly stated it, "The idea of alternate history is to create a world that—no matter how different—is also just similar enough that there’s this kinda creepy reflection of our own world, which hopefully provides the reader a new perspective." This book is full of tales that have that "creepy reflection of our own world" feeling.
September 26th, 1983 by Jessica Holmes was well chosen as the opening short story. I will freely admit that I am not as well informed on either current world events or historical events as I should be. I was busy with my small life in 1983 and never heard of Stanislav Petrov. Despite not knowing the original history, this alternate version was so well written and compelling that it kept me glued to the page until the masterful twist at the end. What if the button had been pushed? After reading this story, I was eager to dive into the next one.
One More Dawn by Terry Pray was a complete contrast in style and setting. The story opens with the knowledge that someone has come to the end of their life, yet the emotional impact is softened for the reader by descriptions of the lavish, luxury of the surroundings. Very soon I realized this story was an alternative of ancient history in Egypt. Reading it, I felt the soft breezes blowing the linen hangings, heard the fear in the voice of the priestess, knew the sorrow of the Great Queen. The story has no action, no great cataclysmic changes, but was written almost poetically as the loss of a loved one was suffered by one of the most famous of ancient rulers. What if love was stronger than ambition?
Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, a joint effort by Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria, is a fun ride that left me guessing until the end. I thought I knew what it was about when the Two Faced God was mentioned, but the twist at the very end completely surprised me. This particular alternate history is really alternate PREhistory. However the authors wove an interesting story with commentary on many aspects of modern life that made me think. This story, most of all in this book, exemplifies the "what if" aspect of the alternate history genre. What if another species had evolved instead of us?
One World by Cathbad Maponus was the one story in the book that scared me. I was born the same year that President Kennedy was assassinated and grew up with that extreme event being the pivotal horrific event in US history until 9/11. The assassination was awful, but it could have been so much worse. Unlike many, I never really hero worshiped JFK as so many seem to do. For this reason, I jumped right to the premise of this story and it felt like reading a real account of that period in history. This story is well written and I could tell the author had a good background in history by the little details he included that made the story seem so real. What if a President decided to seize more power?
Stargazing on Oxford Street by Rob Edwards is a poignant story of loss, sorrow, and angry grief. If the previous story scared me, this one made me sad. A midnight trip through the tormented ruins of a great city, one slight change in trajectory and millions of lives lost rather than a lot of forest. Such a loss is unfathomable to us. Yet it could happen, we could lose more than the lives of millions. One small change in trajectory and we could lose the whole world. This is the kind of thing that this story made me think about. The author wrote it in such a way that I could feel Charlotte's pain, a deep, soul wrenching pain at such a monumental loss. What if a big one hit?
The Secret War by Leo McBride is wonderful and the title did not give away even a bit of what was to come. From the first hints of calling an automobile a contraption to the nickname of the protagonist that my mind kept telling me I should know, the author gave pieces of the puzzle to the reader. There are probably very few adults in the English speaking world who would not know the protagonist once his name is put forth at the end of the story, but Leo McBride wove his tale in such a way that I was not completely sure until the end. This story delivers a delightful twist to the alternate history genre. It follows one of the crooked paths my own mind often wanders. What if the stories in books were about real events?
Treasure Fleet by Daniel Benson in my opinion does not belong in this anthology. I did not enjoy it. The story idea is interesting. Unfortunately the execution is juvenile at best. It read a lot like an essay done by the class screw up who thinks he's funny, but isn't. I would have given the book 5 stars, had this story not been in it.
Tunguska by Maria Haskins closes the anthology with a fascinating story of alien overlords and struggle in a world of peace, prosperity and plenty. In Maria Haskins own words, "Utopias are complicated." She delivers a well crafted story that made me think one thing then changed it all up on me at the end. I particularly enjoyed the past time line blended with the present time line, so that clues were dropped along the way, but I never guessed what was coming until the author was ready to reveal it. This was a great choice to end the book.
There were a few editing errors through out, but none that really upset my sensibilities. Typos happen.
I enjoyed Tales from Alternate Earths enough to keep it in my stack of "to be read again" books and I recommend it to anyone who enjoys thinking "What if?"
August 18, 2016
What if....?
There is surely no other step-child in the weird and wacky family that makes up the genre known as 'Speculative Fiction', which is better suited to the short story format than alternative history. It allows an author to hone in on a point, even a single moment, in history and ask 'what if something different happened?' The answer is often not one that needs volumes to explore, but is better left to clever tending by an expert of bonsai literary expression. This anthology is a veritable greenhouse of such well-shaped bonsai.
Nuclear war actually having happened is the theme taken up by two of the authors, but with very different time points: 'September 26th, 1983' by Jessica Holmes and 1962 for 'One World' by Cathbad Maponus. One explores how Britain might be today if a Russian officer had not used cool headed common-sense back in the Eighties and the other is set in an America where the Cuban Missile crisis reached another possible conclusion.
"So, you said Oxford Street. This is Oxford Street. Anything special you want to see?"
Meteor strikes impacted enough to inspire the work of three of the authors in the anthology. 'Stargazing on Oxford Street' by Rob Edwards, has a view of how London could be which is very different to the one we have today. 'Tunguska, 1987' by Maria Haskins provides a totally original take on the cataclysmic event that flattened miles of forest in an isolated corner of the vast Siberian hinterland. 'Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon' by Brent A Harris & Ricardo Victoria is set in an almost unrecognisable alternative present day earth, but then the timeline as it is pictured here diverged in geological not historical time.
Away from the terrors of technology or the impact of astronomical objects, 'Treasure Fleet' by Daniel Bensen and 'One More Dawn' by Terri Pray both pose interesting and very human 'what-ifs?'. 'Treasure Fleet' considers the idea of a medieval China converted to Islam and 'One More Dawn' is set in Ancient Egypt as a dying Pharaoh is tended by his loving wife.
“Um,” said Ogilvy, “I would say the chances are around a millio...”
Having a favourite in such a strongly written anthology as this is almost as impossible as having a favourite child - and may even be just as unethical, I am not sure. But I have to admit that I do have one: 'The Secret War' by Leo McBride. It is the one story that does the utterly unexpected and turns the idea of alternative history as approached by all the other stories in this collection completely on its head: what if a famous fictional story was really true? And then, when we have been brought to realise the impact of that, the author cleverly - and seamlessly - ties it into an equally famous real world event.
This collection of historical 'what ifs?' are each a near-perfect miniature cameo and a genuine delight. I can highly recommend it to all connoisseurs of speculative fiction, no matter which branch or sub-branch of the genre is their preferred regular perch. I think the only negative criticism I could offer is that the anthology includes more than one story drawing on the same actual event or very similar scenario. I think I might have possibly enjoyed the book just that little bit more if each story was tackling something unique from all the others - and the stories I appreciated the most were those that moved away from the more explored post-apocalyptic tropes and offered unexpected, unusual 'what-ifs?'.
I really enjoyed how many of the authors pulled in a second - and sometimes even a third - historical variable, to help expand and explain the events of their stories. All the contributions are well written and polished, all impacting in their own unique ways, offering thought-provoking glimpses of how things could have been - IF....
There is surely no other step-child in the weird and wacky family that makes up the genre known as 'Speculative Fiction', which is better suited to the short story format than alternative history. It allows an author to hone in on a point, even a single moment, in history and ask 'what if something different happened?' The answer is often not one that needs volumes to explore, but is better left to clever tending by an expert of bonsai literary expression. This anthology is a veritable greenhouse of such well-shaped bonsai.
Nuclear war actually having happened is the theme taken up by two of the authors, but with very different time points: 'September 26th, 1983' by Jessica Holmes and 1962 for 'One World' by Cathbad Maponus. One explores how Britain might be today if a Russian officer had not used cool headed common-sense back in the Eighties and the other is set in an America where the Cuban Missile crisis reached another possible conclusion.
"So, you said Oxford Street. This is Oxford Street. Anything special you want to see?"
Meteor strikes impacted enough to inspire the work of three of the authors in the anthology. 'Stargazing on Oxford Street' by Rob Edwards, has a view of how London could be which is very different to the one we have today. 'Tunguska, 1987' by Maria Haskins provides a totally original take on the cataclysmic event that flattened miles of forest in an isolated corner of the vast Siberian hinterland. 'Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon' by Brent A Harris & Ricardo Victoria is set in an almost unrecognisable alternative present day earth, but then the timeline as it is pictured here diverged in geological not historical time.
Away from the terrors of technology or the impact of astronomical objects, 'Treasure Fleet' by Daniel Bensen and 'One More Dawn' by Terri Pray both pose interesting and very human 'what-ifs?'. 'Treasure Fleet' considers the idea of a medieval China converted to Islam and 'One More Dawn' is set in Ancient Egypt as a dying Pharaoh is tended by his loving wife.
“Um,” said Ogilvy, “I would say the chances are around a millio...”
Having a favourite in such a strongly written anthology as this is almost as impossible as having a favourite child - and may even be just as unethical, I am not sure. But I have to admit that I do have one: 'The Secret War' by Leo McBride. It is the one story that does the utterly unexpected and turns the idea of alternative history as approached by all the other stories in this collection completely on its head: what if a famous fictional story was really true? And then, when we have been brought to realise the impact of that, the author cleverly - and seamlessly - ties it into an equally famous real world event.
This collection of historical 'what ifs?' are each a near-perfect miniature cameo and a genuine delight. I can highly recommend it to all connoisseurs of speculative fiction, no matter which branch or sub-branch of the genre is their preferred regular perch. I think the only negative criticism I could offer is that the anthology includes more than one story drawing on the same actual event or very similar scenario. I think I might have possibly enjoyed the book just that little bit more if each story was tackling something unique from all the others - and the stories I appreciated the most were those that moved away from the more explored post-apocalyptic tropes and offered unexpected, unusual 'what-ifs?'.
I really enjoyed how many of the authors pulled in a second - and sometimes even a third - historical variable, to help expand and explain the events of their stories. All the contributions are well written and polished, all impacting in their own unique ways, offering thought-provoking glimpses of how things could have been - IF....
August 20, 2016
I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this book. I've never read these types of stories before but one of my favourite authors, Maria Haskins, has a story featured in it so I was eager to read it.
I admit to being a bit confused when I read the first story, wondering whether this was a book about different types of worlds as the title suggests "Alternate Earths", but when I got to the end of the story and the author's note explained the idea behind it, I realised what a brilliant tale it was. Very cleverly written and thought-provoking.
All the stories in this collection will make you wonder. The authors have imagined what our world would have been like had certain things happened or not happened. For example, if a meteorite had landed in a different place.
As with all anthologies, it is a bit of a mixed bag and there were stories that I enjoyed more than others because of the writing style and content. My favourites included "Stargazing on Oxford Street", "The Secret War", and "Tunguska". All the stories are well worth reading and will appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction as well as speculative fiction.
I admit to being a bit confused when I read the first story, wondering whether this was a book about different types of worlds as the title suggests "Alternate Earths", but when I got to the end of the story and the author's note explained the idea behind it, I realised what a brilliant tale it was. Very cleverly written and thought-provoking.
All the stories in this collection will make you wonder. The authors have imagined what our world would have been like had certain things happened or not happened. For example, if a meteorite had landed in a different place.
As with all anthologies, it is a bit of a mixed bag and there were stories that I enjoyed more than others because of the writing style and content. My favourites included "Stargazing on Oxford Street", "The Secret War", and "Tunguska". All the stories are well worth reading and will appeal to those who enjoy historical fiction as well as speculative fiction.
August 24, 2016
I was interested in this book as I have a keen interest in alternative history and believe that short story really suits this genre, giving time to explore an idea and get the reader thinking without having to construct a detailed world history or long running plot.
This collection from little known (well to me anyway!) authors was an enjoyable mix of stories. They all had interesting plots, several of them with quite surprising twists and there were none that I lost interest in and skipped, which I do sometimes do with short story collections.
I'm not going to do any spoilers and go through the plots and subjects in any detail but they cover a range of historical departures (although there is a certain concentration on an event that happened in 1908 in our time) I did like the brief description of the real historical event relevant to each story.
If you like alternative history and short stories I would recommend this book.
I was given a pre-publication copy and agreed to give an unbiased review.
This collection from little known (well to me anyway!) authors was an enjoyable mix of stories. They all had interesting plots, several of them with quite surprising twists and there were none that I lost interest in and skipped, which I do sometimes do with short story collections.
I'm not going to do any spoilers and go through the plots and subjects in any detail but they cover a range of historical departures (although there is a certain concentration on an event that happened in 1908 in our time) I did like the brief description of the real historical event relevant to each story.
If you like alternative history and short stories I would recommend this book.
I was given a pre-publication copy and agreed to give an unbiased review.
March 13, 2019
A solid four. But the only story I really loved was The Secret War
March 5, 2018
I never knew how much I actually enjoyed short stories until I bought this book. The detail and fast pace made them good reads, but the intricacy of throwing in actual historical events to be twisted and turned at a moment's notice were simple put... intriguing.
My favorite tales from the book were One More Dawn, by Terri Pray; Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, by Brent A. Harris & Ricardo Victoria; Stargazing on Oxford Street, by Rob Edwards; The Secret War, by Leo McBride; and finally, Tunguska 1987, by Maria Haskins.
I thought these tales were well written and inspiring. I would love to pick up some of the other collections of short stories, and Alternate History seems to have definitely caught my eye!
My favorite tales from the book were One More Dawn, by Terri Pray; Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, by Brent A. Harris & Ricardo Victoria; Stargazing on Oxford Street, by Rob Edwards; The Secret War, by Leo McBride; and finally, Tunguska 1987, by Maria Haskins.
I thought these tales were well written and inspiring. I would love to pick up some of the other collections of short stories, and Alternate History seems to have definitely caught my eye!
September 13, 2016
Originally posted at: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2016/09/...
I don't read a lot of indie books. The problem is I got burned pretty badly by some awfully written stories that turned me off to that spectrum of fiction. That being said, I know a lot of good people (including some people who contributed to what I am about to review) who are making a serious effort to be authors outside of the big publishers, which I can respect. So when given the chance to review Inklings Press' Tales From Alternate Earths, I was excited to try out the indie scene again.
Tales is a rather short anthology (coming in at just over 100 pages); it was an easy read with just eight stories, so I will review each one individually. Here we go:
"September 26th, 1983" by Jessica Holmes: Our hero is a young woman who scavenges the outskirts of her village to help maintain it's restrictive society in a post-nuclear war Britain. She and her neighbors worship "Petrov" and are governed by the wardens who punish any dissent and ban anyone from leaving the "borders" of their domain. Our protagonist, however, feels there isn't much left to pilfer and so she decides to risk the wardens' ire by going outside the boundary, where she receives a rude awakening regarding the state of the world.
The close call of 1983 is one of those obscure pieces of history that is made even more fascinating by the fact that most of the world didn't even know about it until the Cold War ended. I like what Jessica did with the story as well, managing to combine the usual dark pessimism of most post-apocalyptic stories with that plausible optimism that those same stories often leave out. Definitely worth a read.
"One More Dawn" by Terri Pray: An Egyptian queen must confront the fact that her Roman husband, who abandoned his country to be with her, is dying. Her only hope is that he can live to see one more dawn with her and their family.
Not much really to say about this story and I probably already gave away the twist even with my short plot summary (just think of the most famous Egyptian queen of the Roman era and it will come to you). It's about a powerful woman used to having things go her way now forced to be helpless like the rest of us in the face of death. That said, the story did have some odd moments, including a healer character who may have been magical, although the question was left sort of ambiguous and didn't really tie into the story that well. I think if you left that character out, "One More Dawn" might have been a better story, but otherwise it wasn't that bad.
"Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" by Brent A. Harris & Ricardo Victoria: In this timeline, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs instead crashed into the Moon. Dinosaurs are thus allowed to continue to dominate Earth and soon an intelligent species evolved from raptors establishes an advanced civilization. Their world, however, is coming to an end when the damaged Moon finally breaks apart and crashes into the Earth. Nevertheless, our clever dinos have a plan. They will use a spaceship to go back in time and destroy the asteroid before it crashes into the Moon. What could go wrong?
I, frankly, loved this story. It truly captured the high concept ideas alternate history is famous for and showcased some wonderful world building even with the constraints of it being a short story. I liked how the spaceship was essentially a flying bio-dome inside which our carnivorous characters' food sources are allowed to run free. Even the dinosaurs were well-done, featuring more scientifically accurate feathers rather than the scales that Hollywood gives them.
Yes the story is implausible, but who cares? Intentional implausibility often makes for the best stories. I can't recommend this story enough.
"One World" by Cathbad Maponus: From the perspective of a Secret Service agent, we get the real story behind what happened after the Cuban Missile Crisis went hot. Through him we discover the sinister motives behind President Kennedy's championing of a one world government, how millions died to prevent anyone from challenging the new world order and the government's attacks on free society.
And we went from a story I loved to a story that I didn't like at all. Admittedly I think people give JFK too much credit as a president. To be fair, he was probably the best person we could have asked for to keep the lid on nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but he was lukewarm about things like civil rights (unlike LBJ who is often forgotten by historians) and his many extramarital affairs are ignored today, despite the fact that most contemporary politicians would not be given a break like for them.
That said, even I found the depiction of JFK as some sort of inhuman megalomaniac who wanted to conquer the world to be rather...silly. If you are the type of person who believes in black helicopters, false flag attacks or FEMA concentration camps, this is a story for you. Everyone else should just skip it.
"Stargazing on Oxford Street" by Rob Edwards: A British astronomer travels into the destroyed remnants of London for personal reasons before the rebuilding effort begins. On the way she and her guide remark on the world that was lost and how they could lose even more if the London Event happens again.
In this timeline, the Tunguska event happens not over the Siberian wilderness, but instead over London in 1908. I always thought this would be an interesting point of divergence to write about, especially since at the time Britain was the most powerful nation in the world and had the largest empire. All of this could have come crashing down if London was destroyed and could leave the world so different to be almost unrecognizable to us today.
That being said, world-building was rather light and except for a few references to Germany being a world leader, we don't know much about what is going on outside of London proper. I still enjoyed the descriptions of what was essentially a bombed out London and the theme of cosmic indifference to the wants and desires of humans, while leaving out the tentacle monsters of Lovecraftian fiction. Definitely worth a read.
"The Secret War" by Leo McBride: A writer is on the run from the British government as he tries to make it back to London and tell the world what really happened to Thomas Henry Huxley. As he dodges patrols, he witnesses more and more soldiers marching south, yet none of the papers mention the horror that came from the stars.
This story can be best be summed up as: what if War of the Worlds was based on something that actually happened? With that mind, you can probably guess the identity of the writer, but the actual twist to the story is something else entirely, which I liked. The build up to it, however, was so heavy-handed you could see it coming from a mile away. Thus it was a good idea, but poorly executed.
Nevertheless, I should point out that this is more of a secret history than an alternate history. Maybe I am just being a purist, but I don't like how these stories keep ending up in alternate history anthologies. Although not a bad story, it still isn't alternate history and thus should not have been included since history has not technically changed, just our understanding of it.
"Treasure Fleet" by Daniel Bensen: In this timeline, Islam spreads to China and the Shia emperor rules the most powerful empire in the world. His reign is challenged, however, when the Sunni Arabs revolt and deny control of Mecca to him. When his admiral disgraces himself by losing to the Arab fleet, he risks everything to save his life by recommending a "flanking maneuver". Instead of sailing west again across the Indian Ocean, he will sail east and attack them through the Mediterranean Sea. Of course we all know he will run into something else before he reaches Europe.
This was another great read in this anthology. The world-building was superb. I'm not sure if I have ever read a story before about a Muslim China, but considering they were for a long time one of the most powerful nations in the world, I could easily see them using their numbers and resources to make themselves the leader of Dar al-Islam. I also loved the references to other works of literature like Treasure Island and the hilarious translations of the people our intrepid explorers discover.
That being said, I probably liked it only slightly less then "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" simply because it lacked the over-the-top awesomeness of time traveling space dinosaurs; still, it is a story I can highly recommend.
"Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins: This story is told from the perspective of two Swedes who live at different points in a timeline where a race known as the "Metallics" have conquered the Earth. They punish any dissent harshly, but bizarrely are more than willing to help humanity thanks to their advanced medicine and renewable energy technology. One of our protagonists is a hunter who destroys a Metallic for killing his dog and is now on the run from them. The other is his descendant, a young girl who has been "invited" (in reality she has no choice but to come) to study at the Metallic capital located at Tunguska. She has no love of the Metallics and decides to become a martyr and take as many Metallics with her as possible. What she discovers at Tunguska quickly shatters her view at the world...but doesn't necessarily convince her the Metallics are what humanity needs.
This story should not have been included in this anthology and I mean that in the best way possible. While reading this story I couldn't help but feel this would make an awesome young adult novel. After the ending, and I will try not to spoil it, I couldn't help but feel upset that there wasn't anything else to read. I could honestly feel there was more of a story that needed to be told. If Maria expanded on this short story and made it a full length novel (or even a series) she would find a major fan in me.
Well that is all I have to say on the individual stories. As for the anthology as a whole, Tales was a great read and made me feel better about the indie scene as a whole. I also liked how many female protagonist there were, especially from rarer settings in English-language books, like Sweden. If I had one criticism, I feel there wasn't much variety regarding the short stories. There were multiple stories involving nuclear war, the secret origin of the flu, time travel and the Tunguska event. Perhaps Inklings Press didn't have that many submissions so they weren't able to be choosy, but if they were to publish an alternate history anthology again, I do hope they would include some more diverse stories.
All in all, I can still recommend Tales From Alternate Earths. It is an impressive collection of indie alternate history that you should be reading.
I don't read a lot of indie books. The problem is I got burned pretty badly by some awfully written stories that turned me off to that spectrum of fiction. That being said, I know a lot of good people (including some people who contributed to what I am about to review) who are making a serious effort to be authors outside of the big publishers, which I can respect. So when given the chance to review Inklings Press' Tales From Alternate Earths, I was excited to try out the indie scene again.
Tales is a rather short anthology (coming in at just over 100 pages); it was an easy read with just eight stories, so I will review each one individually. Here we go:
"September 26th, 1983" by Jessica Holmes: Our hero is a young woman who scavenges the outskirts of her village to help maintain it's restrictive society in a post-nuclear war Britain. She and her neighbors worship "Petrov" and are governed by the wardens who punish any dissent and ban anyone from leaving the "borders" of their domain. Our protagonist, however, feels there isn't much left to pilfer and so she decides to risk the wardens' ire by going outside the boundary, where she receives a rude awakening regarding the state of the world.
The close call of 1983 is one of those obscure pieces of history that is made even more fascinating by the fact that most of the world didn't even know about it until the Cold War ended. I like what Jessica did with the story as well, managing to combine the usual dark pessimism of most post-apocalyptic stories with that plausible optimism that those same stories often leave out. Definitely worth a read.
"One More Dawn" by Terri Pray: An Egyptian queen must confront the fact that her Roman husband, who abandoned his country to be with her, is dying. Her only hope is that he can live to see one more dawn with her and their family.
Not much really to say about this story and I probably already gave away the twist even with my short plot summary (just think of the most famous Egyptian queen of the Roman era and it will come to you). It's about a powerful woman used to having things go her way now forced to be helpless like the rest of us in the face of death. That said, the story did have some odd moments, including a healer character who may have been magical, although the question was left sort of ambiguous and didn't really tie into the story that well. I think if you left that character out, "One More Dawn" might have been a better story, but otherwise it wasn't that bad.
"Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" by Brent A. Harris & Ricardo Victoria: In this timeline, the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs instead crashed into the Moon. Dinosaurs are thus allowed to continue to dominate Earth and soon an intelligent species evolved from raptors establishes an advanced civilization. Their world, however, is coming to an end when the damaged Moon finally breaks apart and crashes into the Earth. Nevertheless, our clever dinos have a plan. They will use a spaceship to go back in time and destroy the asteroid before it crashes into the Moon. What could go wrong?
I, frankly, loved this story. It truly captured the high concept ideas alternate history is famous for and showcased some wonderful world building even with the constraints of it being a short story. I liked how the spaceship was essentially a flying bio-dome inside which our carnivorous characters' food sources are allowed to run free. Even the dinosaurs were well-done, featuring more scientifically accurate feathers rather than the scales that Hollywood gives them.
Yes the story is implausible, but who cares? Intentional implausibility often makes for the best stories. I can't recommend this story enough.
"One World" by Cathbad Maponus: From the perspective of a Secret Service agent, we get the real story behind what happened after the Cuban Missile Crisis went hot. Through him we discover the sinister motives behind President Kennedy's championing of a one world government, how millions died to prevent anyone from challenging the new world order and the government's attacks on free society.
And we went from a story I loved to a story that I didn't like at all. Admittedly I think people give JFK too much credit as a president. To be fair, he was probably the best person we could have asked for to keep the lid on nuclear war during the Cuban Missile Crisis, but he was lukewarm about things like civil rights (unlike LBJ who is often forgotten by historians) and his many extramarital affairs are ignored today, despite the fact that most contemporary politicians would not be given a break like for them.
That said, even I found the depiction of JFK as some sort of inhuman megalomaniac who wanted to conquer the world to be rather...silly. If you are the type of person who believes in black helicopters, false flag attacks or FEMA concentration camps, this is a story for you. Everyone else should just skip it.
"Stargazing on Oxford Street" by Rob Edwards: A British astronomer travels into the destroyed remnants of London for personal reasons before the rebuilding effort begins. On the way she and her guide remark on the world that was lost and how they could lose even more if the London Event happens again.
In this timeline, the Tunguska event happens not over the Siberian wilderness, but instead over London in 1908. I always thought this would be an interesting point of divergence to write about, especially since at the time Britain was the most powerful nation in the world and had the largest empire. All of this could have come crashing down if London was destroyed and could leave the world so different to be almost unrecognizable to us today.
That being said, world-building was rather light and except for a few references to Germany being a world leader, we don't know much about what is going on outside of London proper. I still enjoyed the descriptions of what was essentially a bombed out London and the theme of cosmic indifference to the wants and desires of humans, while leaving out the tentacle monsters of Lovecraftian fiction. Definitely worth a read.
"The Secret War" by Leo McBride: A writer is on the run from the British government as he tries to make it back to London and tell the world what really happened to Thomas Henry Huxley. As he dodges patrols, he witnesses more and more soldiers marching south, yet none of the papers mention the horror that came from the stars.
This story can be best be summed up as: what if War of the Worlds was based on something that actually happened? With that mind, you can probably guess the identity of the writer, but the actual twist to the story is something else entirely, which I liked. The build up to it, however, was so heavy-handed you could see it coming from a mile away. Thus it was a good idea, but poorly executed.
Nevertheless, I should point out that this is more of a secret history than an alternate history. Maybe I am just being a purist, but I don't like how these stories keep ending up in alternate history anthologies. Although not a bad story, it still isn't alternate history and thus should not have been included since history has not technically changed, just our understanding of it.
"Treasure Fleet" by Daniel Bensen: In this timeline, Islam spreads to China and the Shia emperor rules the most powerful empire in the world. His reign is challenged, however, when the Sunni Arabs revolt and deny control of Mecca to him. When his admiral disgraces himself by losing to the Arab fleet, he risks everything to save his life by recommending a "flanking maneuver". Instead of sailing west again across the Indian Ocean, he will sail east and attack them through the Mediterranean Sea. Of course we all know he will run into something else before he reaches Europe.
This was another great read in this anthology. The world-building was superb. I'm not sure if I have ever read a story before about a Muslim China, but considering they were for a long time one of the most powerful nations in the world, I could easily see them using their numbers and resources to make themselves the leader of Dar al-Islam. I also loved the references to other works of literature like Treasure Island and the hilarious translations of the people our intrepid explorers discover.
That being said, I probably liked it only slightly less then "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" simply because it lacked the over-the-top awesomeness of time traveling space dinosaurs; still, it is a story I can highly recommend.
"Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins: This story is told from the perspective of two Swedes who live at different points in a timeline where a race known as the "Metallics" have conquered the Earth. They punish any dissent harshly, but bizarrely are more than willing to help humanity thanks to their advanced medicine and renewable energy technology. One of our protagonists is a hunter who destroys a Metallic for killing his dog and is now on the run from them. The other is his descendant, a young girl who has been "invited" (in reality she has no choice but to come) to study at the Metallic capital located at Tunguska. She has no love of the Metallics and decides to become a martyr and take as many Metallics with her as possible. What she discovers at Tunguska quickly shatters her view at the world...but doesn't necessarily convince her the Metallics are what humanity needs.
This story should not have been included in this anthology and I mean that in the best way possible. While reading this story I couldn't help but feel this would make an awesome young adult novel. After the ending, and I will try not to spoil it, I couldn't help but feel upset that there wasn't anything else to read. I could honestly feel there was more of a story that needed to be told. If Maria expanded on this short story and made it a full length novel (or even a series) she would find a major fan in me.
Well that is all I have to say on the individual stories. As for the anthology as a whole, Tales was a great read and made me feel better about the indie scene as a whole. I also liked how many female protagonist there were, especially from rarer settings in English-language books, like Sweden. If I had one criticism, I feel there wasn't much variety regarding the short stories. There were multiple stories involving nuclear war, the secret origin of the flu, time travel and the Tunguska event. Perhaps Inklings Press didn't have that many submissions so they weren't able to be choosy, but if they were to publish an alternate history anthology again, I do hope they would include some more diverse stories.
All in all, I can still recommend Tales From Alternate Earths. It is an impressive collection of indie alternate history that you should be reading.
November 23, 2017
This is a really good collection of short stories. While they all have the theme of alternate history, any reader who enjoys in depth and complex characters, intriguing plots, and plot twists will find something to enjoy in this collection. It is a pleasure to read, as each author has delved into different aspects of history, wringing a fable out of a ‘what if?’
It comes as no surprise that stories in this collection were nominated and won awards in the field of alternate history writing. The best part of short stories is that if you enjoy it, there is the chance to track down more of what they have written, and all the authors in this collection have other books to explore.
The stories cover a huge range of history, from the Mesozoic, Egyptian, obscure and not so obscure political events of recent times, meteor impacts, as well as Chinese and South American exploration. It helps, but is not essential to know a little about the time of the story. Even knowing nothing of the period, the stories are enjoyable and fascinating reads.
While not all stories in any collection will be to the taste of the reader, they are diverse enough in scope to ensure every reader will find a number of great reads.
It comes as no surprise that stories in this collection were nominated and won awards in the field of alternate history writing. The best part of short stories is that if you enjoy it, there is the chance to track down more of what they have written, and all the authors in this collection have other books to explore.
The stories cover a huge range of history, from the Mesozoic, Egyptian, obscure and not so obscure political events of recent times, meteor impacts, as well as Chinese and South American exploration. It helps, but is not essential to know a little about the time of the story. Even knowing nothing of the period, the stories are enjoyable and fascinating reads.
While not all stories in any collection will be to the taste of the reader, they are diverse enough in scope to ensure every reader will find a number of great reads.
February 21, 2017
This is a collection of eight intriguing stories from different authors. I found all of the writing well done and enjoyed each story. It is always fascinating to find a look at new authors through collections like this. The stories inside take a look at a somewhat similar them of alternate history and times. I won't go into each story, but I will just say this collection is a one to pick up and would make a great addition to anyone's library. The stories take you into a different dimension of thinking and on a great journey.
February 9, 2017
An enjoyable and competent collection of 'what if' alternate history stories. The thing I liked about the series was that there were several historical 'turning points' that I only had vague knowledge of and it made me want to research those points in history more. I loved the little author notes at the end of each story explaining the piece of history and how the author tweaked it. I love those little insights into the author's idea machine.
As with all short story collections there are some mediocre stories that weren't quite up to the same standard as those that stood out. So I won't focus on those but on the ones I found captivating. Those stand out stories included Leo McBride's "The Secret War" which was just a brilliant imagining of where HG Wells 'War of the World's' story truly came from. The tale was mysterious, gripping and so very well written and a left of field take on 'alternative history', dealing with the origination of an idea rather than an event. "Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins is also a brilliant read, a great time travel tale that swept you off your feet from start to end.
Finally I really loved the idea that was the basis of "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" from Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria, where dinosaurs ruled the earth because the meteorite never hit. It was an awesome concept, and the characterisation of non-humanoid characters was very unique and well done. The story itself was a bit rough around the edges, could have done with a bit more rigorous structural editing by the authors to tighten things up, but that didn't dim the enjoyment of the story.
All in all worth a read, and a great anthology from a small press.
As with all short story collections there are some mediocre stories that weren't quite up to the same standard as those that stood out. So I won't focus on those but on the ones I found captivating. Those stand out stories included Leo McBride's "The Secret War" which was just a brilliant imagining of where HG Wells 'War of the World's' story truly came from. The tale was mysterious, gripping and so very well written and a left of field take on 'alternative history', dealing with the origination of an idea rather than an event. "Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins is also a brilliant read, a great time travel tale that swept you off your feet from start to end.
Finally I really loved the idea that was the basis of "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" from Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria, where dinosaurs ruled the earth because the meteorite never hit. It was an awesome concept, and the characterisation of non-humanoid characters was very unique and well done. The story itself was a bit rough around the edges, could have done with a bit more rigorous structural editing by the authors to tighten things up, but that didn't dim the enjoyment of the story.
All in all worth a read, and a great anthology from a small press.
August 23, 2016
The eight stories within this book take the world we live in and make it something else entirely, simply by changing one fact. With some stories, that fact appears relatively minor on the surface, such as Caesar surviving to a ripe old age. Other authors change one major fact, such as with the choice to use nuclear weapons. Whichever fact each author changes within his/her chosen era, we are taken to a world that is, at times, unrecognizable as the one we now inhabit.
I love the concept for this book. The stories make us think about all the possibilities seemingly random events create for our future. One choice, by one person or by the masses, can and does alter the path we walk.
As with any anthology, I enjoyed some of these stories more than others. This had far more to do with content and the author's approach to a story than it did writing ability, as all of the stories are exceptionally well written.
A common undercurrent with these stories is tragedy and darkness. The authors didn't choose to change a detail for the better, though at times it might initially appear to be that way. Instead, we see the tragedy and chaos stemming from that one change. And we might ask ourselves, "What if?"
I love the concept for this book. The stories make us think about all the possibilities seemingly random events create for our future. One choice, by one person or by the masses, can and does alter the path we walk.
As with any anthology, I enjoyed some of these stories more than others. This had far more to do with content and the author's approach to a story than it did writing ability, as all of the stories are exceptionally well written.
A common undercurrent with these stories is tragedy and darkness. The authors didn't choose to change a detail for the better, though at times it might initially appear to be that way. Instead, we see the tragedy and chaos stemming from that one change. And we might ask ourselves, "What if?"
October 13, 2016
Tales from Alternate Earths is an anthology of eight alternate-history short stories collected by Inklings Press. Featuring scenarios ranging from how time travel contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs to if China had converted to Islam and discovered South America, the authors create an intriguing series of thought-provoking 'what-ifs' guaranteed to leave their readers wondering, peopled by compelling characters that were consistent and relatable, including the non-human ones. The ability to sketch in an entire culture in the backdrop to a short story was just one of the aspects of the writing in this anthology that impressed me.
I don't read a lot of short stories, as my general objection is that I get into a short story about the time it ends. This was not the case with this anthology; the stories were remarkably well-crafted, with premise and characterisation meshing to bring me in from the opening page. The authors added to that achievement by bringing an enormous depth of imagination to their stories, creating scenarios that entertained, worried, and best of all, opened up ideas I'd never considered before. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the stories, and I'll be haunting several people's websites looking for their next work after reading this!
I don't read a lot of short stories, as my general objection is that I get into a short story about the time it ends. This was not the case with this anthology; the stories were remarkably well-crafted, with premise and characterisation meshing to bring me in from the opening page. The authors added to that achievement by bringing an enormous depth of imagination to their stories, creating scenarios that entertained, worried, and best of all, opened up ideas I'd never considered before. I thoroughly enjoyed each of the stories, and I'll be haunting several people's websites looking for their next work after reading this!
August 15, 2017
I received a copy of this anthology from one of the authors for an honest review. There was no other compensation aside from the enjoyment of reading.
Tales From Alternate Earths is another anthology from Inklings Press. If you like the idea of what-ifs and alternate universes, this is a book for you. From dinosaurs who time travel to the Cuban Missile crisis happening, this book has it.
Each story is written by different people with different voices, but work together in this book. I didn't feel one story was too out of place from the others. There were some stories I didn't care for, but that is more because I couldn't place myself into the world the author was presenting.
The stories are well written and brought an interesting view of what-ifs to world events. No one used the easy one of Germany winning WWII. Instead, the stories dealt with the aftermath of events we don't usually think are debilitating. We learn these events in school, regurgitate them for the test and essays, but never think on the impact these events could have had.
This is a quick anthology to get your brain thinking. It is enjoyable and I do reccommend it for the reader of alternate worlds.
Tales From Alternate Earths is another anthology from Inklings Press. If you like the idea of what-ifs and alternate universes, this is a book for you. From dinosaurs who time travel to the Cuban Missile crisis happening, this book has it.
Each story is written by different people with different voices, but work together in this book. I didn't feel one story was too out of place from the others. There were some stories I didn't care for, but that is more because I couldn't place myself into the world the author was presenting.
The stories are well written and brought an interesting view of what-ifs to world events. No one used the easy one of Germany winning WWII. Instead, the stories dealt with the aftermath of events we don't usually think are debilitating. We learn these events in school, regurgitate them for the test and essays, but never think on the impact these events could have had.
This is a quick anthology to get your brain thinking. It is enjoyable and I do reccommend it for the reader of alternate worlds.
July 25, 2017
Imagine a box of chocolates. Each is coated with delicious, mouth-watering dark chocolate. Yet each is completely different inside. One has ginger. One a cherry. Another hot pepper. You don’t know what’s next.
So it is with “Alternate Earths”. Each author imagines a world different from our own, diverging in a small or significant way that leads to the different flavors of the stories.
If you like alternate histories, this one is for you. If you like science fiction, you’ll be well pleased. If you like good writing you’ll be delighted.
So it is with “Alternate Earths”. Each author imagines a world different from our own, diverging in a small or significant way that leads to the different flavors of the stories.
If you like alternate histories, this one is for you. If you like science fiction, you’ll be well pleased. If you like good writing you’ll be delighted.
July 11, 2017
Here are eight fascinating tales that involve survival in one form or another. Each story is based on an historic event that takes off in a different direction in an alternative universe.
September 26th, 1983, Jessica Holmes
Magda believes the world has ended, until she looks beyond her borders. One of my favorite stories.
One More Dawn, Terry Pray
An Egyptian queen reminisces as her dying Roman husband wants to see his descendents for the last time. More reminiscence than story.
Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria
A split moon threatens Earth. I loved Gon'rak and Car'ren. The story, though wonderfully imaginative, is riddled with typos.
One World, Cathbad Maponus
What if the Cuban missiles during the crisis had fired? Hard to follow but well told.
Stargazing on Oxford Street, Rob Edward
London is a wilderness of devastation after a meteor strike. Astronomer, Charlotte Smith, has a special reason for visiting London before it is rebuilt.
I'm confused by the timing. Did the meteor strike 5 years ago or 40?
The Secret War, Leo McBride
A scientist's life depends on alternative facts to explain a falling star.
Treasure Fleet, Daniel Bensen
As Admiral Fong struggles to survive, he enables China's great discovery.
In some ways I found it confusing.
Tunguska, 1987, Maria Haskins
Here is a thought provoking story that leaves you wondering if dystopia is the answer to survival of the human race. Will the disaster repeat itself through rebellion of one person?
There is something to like about each story. All are what-if stories. What if an historic crisis took a different turn? In what way would we survive it, providing we did? How would our world be shaped?
As you read, be prepared for a surprise twist at the end of each story.
September 26th, 1983, Jessica Holmes
Magda believes the world has ended, until she looks beyond her borders. One of my favorite stories.
One More Dawn, Terry Pray
An Egyptian queen reminisces as her dying Roman husband wants to see his descendents for the last time. More reminiscence than story.
Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon, Brent A. Harris and Ricardo Victoria
A split moon threatens Earth. I loved Gon'rak and Car'ren. The story, though wonderfully imaginative, is riddled with typos.
One World, Cathbad Maponus
What if the Cuban missiles during the crisis had fired? Hard to follow but well told.
Stargazing on Oxford Street, Rob Edward
London is a wilderness of devastation after a meteor strike. Astronomer, Charlotte Smith, has a special reason for visiting London before it is rebuilt.
I'm confused by the timing. Did the meteor strike 5 years ago or 40?
The Secret War, Leo McBride
A scientist's life depends on alternative facts to explain a falling star.
Treasure Fleet, Daniel Bensen
As Admiral Fong struggles to survive, he enables China's great discovery.
In some ways I found it confusing.
Tunguska, 1987, Maria Haskins
Here is a thought provoking story that leaves you wondering if dystopia is the answer to survival of the human race. Will the disaster repeat itself through rebellion of one person?
There is something to like about each story. All are what-if stories. What if an historic crisis took a different turn? In what way would we survive it, providing we did? How would our world be shaped?
As you read, be prepared for a surprise twist at the end of each story.
December 1, 2016
This is the second ‘Tales from’ anthology I’ve reviewed, so I was looking forward to getting into this one to find a few gems. I did find them but, like the previous anthology, some stood out more than others. Overall, the stories are well written and have clearly been meticulously edited, and I came across only a few minor grammatical errors.
The first tale, ‘September 26th, 1983’, had the same problem as a few others in this anthology, in that the story itself was not as strong as the idea behind it. I liked the idea of a historical figure, all be it a little known one, taking on the mantle of divinity, and being the foundation of some weird cult in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, but the actual plot was a little simplistic. The MC travels to a place she is not meant to go to, where she is given a book, which reveals the truth about what really happened, then she returns home. There’s a brief confrontation, after which she runs away again. Half the people in the village believe her, and go with her. I’m not quite sure why they take her word, over the religious doctrine they had been brought up with, and this is one of the story’s sticking points.
For me, this had all the hallmarks of something that could be made into a much longer story. The ideas and sub-plots could have been explored more deeply.
I liked the second story, ‘One More Dawn’, instantly, though it’s not so much of a story, as it is a glimpse at a specific moment in time (All be it a moment in an alternative world). The story revolves around two key historical figures, but I don’t want to say too much about who they are, because it could spoil the reader’s true enjoyment of the tale. While reading, I took great pleasure trying to figure out who these people were, and it was very gratifying, towards the mid-way point, for me to find out I was right. It was hardly surprising that I figured it out, though. The details the author included were fantastic.
It was this attention to detail that made the story so enjoyable, not to mention the real sense of personality that came across from the characters. They felt like real people, with real human frailties and emotions. Though the historical cevent that occurred did have world changing consequences, it was not those changes that the story was about. It was purely about these people, and that one brief moment in their lives, and the author executes it immaculately.
On the whole, I liked ‘Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon’. The premise behind the story was nice, with the idea that the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs never hit the earth, but instead collided with the moon. The dinosaurs then went on to evolve into more sentient, and ultimately space faring, species. Unfortunately, the poor moon was not so lucky, and is about to tear itself apart, scattering death and destruction on the earth. Enter our heroes, whose mission is to go back in time, 66 Million years, and change the course of the asteroid, and, obviously, history.
I said the premise was nice, and I really do like it, but I’m not sure if the science would bear up the idea. I would have thought that the dinosaurs, having had so much time to evolve and develop, would have reached a point where they had colonised more of the universe, or achieved some higher, sublime, sentience, and the loss of the earth, though tragic, would not have been such a catastrophic thing. There’s also the usual time travel paradox that, if they go back and change things, they would have no reason to go back and change things. Mind you, the way the story pans out, that turns out not to be a problem. The time travel dichotomy didn’t bother me, though. Things like that can always be explained away by alternative dimensions (We wouldn’t have this anthology without them), isolated time bubbles, dead end time loops, ect ect. They certainly didn’t distract me from my enjoyment of the story. The characters were engaging and were, as they were descended from dinosaurs, certainly colourful and a break from the norm of hardened space adventurers.
I struggled a bit with the story, ‘One World’, I have to admit. I think it was because I had trouble with the idea that JFK would turn into the person that he does, after being such a revered inspirational president, but I suppose that was the whole point of the story. Bad decisions and events can change people for the worse. Also, we don’t know what sort of president he would have become if he’d survived the assassination attempt, even after the successful resolving of Cuba. I’m thinking about the situation in the UK, when Tony Blair became Prime minister. He was kind of revered. Maybe if he’d been assassinated in those early days, he too would have taken on the mantle of a new hope for change, tragically cut down. As it turned out, a decade later, the guy wasn’t looking so inspirational. Anyway, I’m digressing, but that does demonstrate one thing the story has in its favour; it gets the reader thinking.
‘Stargazing on Oxford Street’, I liked. Again, it was not a complex story, but it was packed full of atmosphere and foreboding. It compelled me to continue reading, just to find out what was going on. There’s a nice pacing of revelations to the story, and hints of how a major catastrophe can change the world. I’ll not say what the catastrophe was. The joy in this story is finding that out for yourself, but that does give rise to the only flaw I can find. I felt that, at the end, I didn’t connect with the MC enough. Sure, she’d lost someone important to her, but so did a lot of people, so I’d like to have seen more insight into why this person was important to her. The problem is really that the story gives the impression that she is journeying somewhere to do something quite specific, but in the end it’s a more personal journey, and the emotional connection as to her reasons doesn’t quite come across in the end.
I was only a few pages into reading ‘The Secret War’, when I started to think ‘This feels very familiar. It’s got a kind of ‘War of the Worlds’ vibe about it. That’s because it was ‘War of the Worlds’, or, at least, an alternative side to it. It certainly says something about the quality of the writing when I reader is able to pick up the resemblances to an established work, even before any mention is made of Mars, or alien invasion, so top marks to the author for that one.
The story is basically about how those in authority would have been dealing with this Martian invasion into Victorian England, specifically how they would deal with keeping it a secret from the population at large, to prevent mass panic, ect. Obviously it was a time before smart phones, internet and 24 hour news coverage. Newspapers and word of mouth was the nature of information distribution, and there were no high speed transit systems, so keeping things under wraps would not have presented as major a problem as it would today. Still I do seem to remember that, in the book, the Martians did spread themselves far and wide over the country, which would have made it impossible to keep the buggers a secret. Towards the end, I was starting to worry that this story had a major flaw, but no. My fears were allayed by the story’s final revelations. I won’t say what they are, and you may work some of them out for yourself, but they make the end very satisfying.
‘Treasure Fleet’ did not grip me as much as some of the other stories. It was an interesting concept, with China discovering the New World by accident, and the writing was high quality, providing realistic historical detail. It made for a pleasant read, but the second half had the narrative wandering into the POVs of the natives they encounter which, for me, distracted from the story. I think this was intended to provoke empathy for the natives in some form, and such a device would work okay in a longer, more involved story about the conflict between an exploring/conquering nations, and indigenous people, but that wasn’t really what this story was about. I can’t help feeling that it would have been better it the author had stuck with the MC’s POV in that later half, and explored the decision he is forced to make, choosing between the divine mission he was sent to undertake, and the new desire he is presented with, that being the acquisition of wealth. The idea behind this story is strong, but the story itself could be stronger.
‘Tunguska’ is another of this anthology’s high points. The story is written from two separate POVs, sixty years apart, and at first there seems little to connect them. Then little clues start creeping in, certain names, places and events, and by the end the whole thing connects. I’ll not give too much away about the story, because it is another one where the joy of reading lies in discovering what’s going on, but I will say that there is some good characterisation in this one. I really felt for the characters, both past and present, and the overall plot is tightly done. The duel time POVs, and the slow reveal of the linked past and present make this the sort of story I like, so it’s probably by favourite one of the collection
The first tale, ‘September 26th, 1983’, had the same problem as a few others in this anthology, in that the story itself was not as strong as the idea behind it. I liked the idea of a historical figure, all be it a little known one, taking on the mantle of divinity, and being the foundation of some weird cult in a dystopian post-apocalyptic world, but the actual plot was a little simplistic. The MC travels to a place she is not meant to go to, where she is given a book, which reveals the truth about what really happened, then she returns home. There’s a brief confrontation, after which she runs away again. Half the people in the village believe her, and go with her. I’m not quite sure why they take her word, over the religious doctrine they had been brought up with, and this is one of the story’s sticking points.
For me, this had all the hallmarks of something that could be made into a much longer story. The ideas and sub-plots could have been explored more deeply.
I liked the second story, ‘One More Dawn’, instantly, though it’s not so much of a story, as it is a glimpse at a specific moment in time (All be it a moment in an alternative world). The story revolves around two key historical figures, but I don’t want to say too much about who they are, because it could spoil the reader’s true enjoyment of the tale. While reading, I took great pleasure trying to figure out who these people were, and it was very gratifying, towards the mid-way point, for me to find out I was right. It was hardly surprising that I figured it out, though. The details the author included were fantastic.
It was this attention to detail that made the story so enjoyable, not to mention the real sense of personality that came across from the characters. They felt like real people, with real human frailties and emotions. Though the historical cevent that occurred did have world changing consequences, it was not those changes that the story was about. It was purely about these people, and that one brief moment in their lives, and the author executes it immaculately.
On the whole, I liked ‘Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon’. The premise behind the story was nice, with the idea that the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs never hit the earth, but instead collided with the moon. The dinosaurs then went on to evolve into more sentient, and ultimately space faring, species. Unfortunately, the poor moon was not so lucky, and is about to tear itself apart, scattering death and destruction on the earth. Enter our heroes, whose mission is to go back in time, 66 Million years, and change the course of the asteroid, and, obviously, history.
I said the premise was nice, and I really do like it, but I’m not sure if the science would bear up the idea. I would have thought that the dinosaurs, having had so much time to evolve and develop, would have reached a point where they had colonised more of the universe, or achieved some higher, sublime, sentience, and the loss of the earth, though tragic, would not have been such a catastrophic thing. There’s also the usual time travel paradox that, if they go back and change things, they would have no reason to go back and change things. Mind you, the way the story pans out, that turns out not to be a problem. The time travel dichotomy didn’t bother me, though. Things like that can always be explained away by alternative dimensions (We wouldn’t have this anthology without them), isolated time bubbles, dead end time loops, ect ect. They certainly didn’t distract me from my enjoyment of the story. The characters were engaging and were, as they were descended from dinosaurs, certainly colourful and a break from the norm of hardened space adventurers.
I struggled a bit with the story, ‘One World’, I have to admit. I think it was because I had trouble with the idea that JFK would turn into the person that he does, after being such a revered inspirational president, but I suppose that was the whole point of the story. Bad decisions and events can change people for the worse. Also, we don’t know what sort of president he would have become if he’d survived the assassination attempt, even after the successful resolving of Cuba. I’m thinking about the situation in the UK, when Tony Blair became Prime minister. He was kind of revered. Maybe if he’d been assassinated in those early days, he too would have taken on the mantle of a new hope for change, tragically cut down. As it turned out, a decade later, the guy wasn’t looking so inspirational. Anyway, I’m digressing, but that does demonstrate one thing the story has in its favour; it gets the reader thinking.
‘Stargazing on Oxford Street’, I liked. Again, it was not a complex story, but it was packed full of atmosphere and foreboding. It compelled me to continue reading, just to find out what was going on. There’s a nice pacing of revelations to the story, and hints of how a major catastrophe can change the world. I’ll not say what the catastrophe was. The joy in this story is finding that out for yourself, but that does give rise to the only flaw I can find. I felt that, at the end, I didn’t connect with the MC enough. Sure, she’d lost someone important to her, but so did a lot of people, so I’d like to have seen more insight into why this person was important to her. The problem is really that the story gives the impression that she is journeying somewhere to do something quite specific, but in the end it’s a more personal journey, and the emotional connection as to her reasons doesn’t quite come across in the end.
I was only a few pages into reading ‘The Secret War’, when I started to think ‘This feels very familiar. It’s got a kind of ‘War of the Worlds’ vibe about it. That’s because it was ‘War of the Worlds’, or, at least, an alternative side to it. It certainly says something about the quality of the writing when I reader is able to pick up the resemblances to an established work, even before any mention is made of Mars, or alien invasion, so top marks to the author for that one.
The story is basically about how those in authority would have been dealing with this Martian invasion into Victorian England, specifically how they would deal with keeping it a secret from the population at large, to prevent mass panic, ect. Obviously it was a time before smart phones, internet and 24 hour news coverage. Newspapers and word of mouth was the nature of information distribution, and there were no high speed transit systems, so keeping things under wraps would not have presented as major a problem as it would today. Still I do seem to remember that, in the book, the Martians did spread themselves far and wide over the country, which would have made it impossible to keep the buggers a secret. Towards the end, I was starting to worry that this story had a major flaw, but no. My fears were allayed by the story’s final revelations. I won’t say what they are, and you may work some of them out for yourself, but they make the end very satisfying.
‘Treasure Fleet’ did not grip me as much as some of the other stories. It was an interesting concept, with China discovering the New World by accident, and the writing was high quality, providing realistic historical detail. It made for a pleasant read, but the second half had the narrative wandering into the POVs of the natives they encounter which, for me, distracted from the story. I think this was intended to provoke empathy for the natives in some form, and such a device would work okay in a longer, more involved story about the conflict between an exploring/conquering nations, and indigenous people, but that wasn’t really what this story was about. I can’t help feeling that it would have been better it the author had stuck with the MC’s POV in that later half, and explored the decision he is forced to make, choosing between the divine mission he was sent to undertake, and the new desire he is presented with, that being the acquisition of wealth. The idea behind this story is strong, but the story itself could be stronger.
‘Tunguska’ is another of this anthology’s high points. The story is written from two separate POVs, sixty years apart, and at first there seems little to connect them. Then little clues start creeping in, certain names, places and events, and by the end the whole thing connects. I’ll not give too much away about the story, because it is another one where the joy of reading lies in discovering what’s going on, but I will say that there is some good characterisation in this one. I really felt for the characters, both past and present, and the overall plot is tightly done. The duel time POVs, and the slow reveal of the linked past and present make this the sort of story I like, so it’s probably by favourite one of the collection
September 27, 2016
As a student of history, I've always been fascinated with great moments in time. Of course we can't change what happened but there's an entire branch of fiction dedicated to exploring the "what if's" of history. Alternative history as a genre is often difficult to define and even harder to write.
"Tales From Alternate Earths," the latest anthology from Inklings Press, presents eight tales of wonder and "what if's" that reach back to ancient Romans (and earlier) to events not far removed from our present. And the collection they've assembled does alternative history right.
The collection starts with a fascinating tale from Jessica Holmes rewriting the events of Sept. 26th, 1983 when the Soviet early warning nuclear detection system incorrectly alerted that the US fired intercontinental ballistic missiles. She reimagines the events as if the Soviets believed the alert and the consequences of that action.
Author Terri Pray follows with a detailed account of the last days of Julius Caesar, but not as we know it. It was so well written I forgot entirely about Caesar's true demise and found myself buying in to her retelling.
From there the collection reimagines Earth as ruled by dinosaurs from the imaginative story "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" from Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria.
Nuclear war and the rise of JFK to presumed world leader in the story "One World" by Cathbad Maponus is an intriguing take on a very well known figure.
Rob Edwards takes a real event, the meteorite that struck a remote Russian forest, and places it in another setting in urban London in his tale "Stargazing on Oxford Street."
"The Secret War" by Leo McBride is an excellent tale of what truly inspired H.G. Wells. The tone and feel of this story easily one of my favorites in the collection.
Daniel Bensen's "Treasure Fleet" tells the tale of a Chinese empire that's converted to Islam and discovers the New World. Though well written and highly unique, I couldn't quite get into the story as much as the others.
The collection ends with another of my favorites, "Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins. This time traveling tale grabbed me from the first line and didn't let go till the end.
As the fourth offering of short stories from Inklings press, I found this anthology to be imaginative and original. This was the first time Inklings Press opened the doors to out-of-house authors and it was a welcome addition to an already strong field of writers.
If you like to guess the course of history and how things could be different if only one thing were changed, this collection is for you. I can't recommend this enough. Even if you aren't a student of history, pick the anthology up. The writing is so strong and convincing you'll not be disappointed.
"Tales From Alternate Earths," the latest anthology from Inklings Press, presents eight tales of wonder and "what if's" that reach back to ancient Romans (and earlier) to events not far removed from our present. And the collection they've assembled does alternative history right.
The collection starts with a fascinating tale from Jessica Holmes rewriting the events of Sept. 26th, 1983 when the Soviet early warning nuclear detection system incorrectly alerted that the US fired intercontinental ballistic missiles. She reimagines the events as if the Soviets believed the alert and the consequences of that action.
Author Terri Pray follows with a detailed account of the last days of Julius Caesar, but not as we know it. It was so well written I forgot entirely about Caesar's true demise and found myself buying in to her retelling.
From there the collection reimagines Earth as ruled by dinosaurs from the imaginative story "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon" from Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria.
Nuclear war and the rise of JFK to presumed world leader in the story "One World" by Cathbad Maponus is an intriguing take on a very well known figure.
Rob Edwards takes a real event, the meteorite that struck a remote Russian forest, and places it in another setting in urban London in his tale "Stargazing on Oxford Street."
"The Secret War" by Leo McBride is an excellent tale of what truly inspired H.G. Wells. The tone and feel of this story easily one of my favorites in the collection.
Daniel Bensen's "Treasure Fleet" tells the tale of a Chinese empire that's converted to Islam and discovers the New World. Though well written and highly unique, I couldn't quite get into the story as much as the others.
The collection ends with another of my favorites, "Tunguska, 1987" by Maria Haskins. This time traveling tale grabbed me from the first line and didn't let go till the end.
As the fourth offering of short stories from Inklings press, I found this anthology to be imaginative and original. This was the first time Inklings Press opened the doors to out-of-house authors and it was a welcome addition to an already strong field of writers.
If you like to guess the course of history and how things could be different if only one thing were changed, this collection is for you. I can't recommend this enough. Even if you aren't a student of history, pick the anthology up. The writing is so strong and convincing you'll not be disappointed.
February 25, 2017
I liked this idea for an anthology and even though the premise is popular and often tried, I was intrigued to pick it up and explore the stories. My favorites were "Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon," which also had the best title and the most imaginative characters, and "The Secret War," which provided a unique twist to a story I already thought I knew something about.
The collection is reasonably eclectic but I thought there were too many post-apocalyptic stories set in ruined cities. This tended to necessitate so much world-building that there wasn't enough time to fully develop the plot and characters. In that vein, I would have liked to see a world more subtly altered, or perhaps more stories in which the world was unequivocally altered for the better; I think the story, "One More Dawn" could be characterized this way. But mostly, I came away from this collection thinking that this group of authors believe we now live in the best of all possible worlds.
The anthology is thoughtfully arranged and introduced. I enjoyed the Prologue and the Meet the Author sections at the end of each story and would read more in the Inklings Press series. It reads like a labor of love for authors exploring new ideas and finding their voices.
The collection is reasonably eclectic but I thought there were too many post-apocalyptic stories set in ruined cities. This tended to necessitate so much world-building that there wasn't enough time to fully develop the plot and characters. In that vein, I would have liked to see a world more subtly altered, or perhaps more stories in which the world was unequivocally altered for the better; I think the story, "One More Dawn" could be characterized this way. But mostly, I came away from this collection thinking that this group of authors believe we now live in the best of all possible worlds.
The anthology is thoughtfully arranged and introduced. I enjoyed the Prologue and the Meet the Author sections at the end of each story and would read more in the Inklings Press series. It reads like a labor of love for authors exploring new ideas and finding their voices.
March 16, 2022
** - September 26th, 1983 - okay for a dystopian short story, but it makes me want to read a far better story by Ashley Capes - which is in the book "The Yellow Butterfly And Other Stories" - again.
** - One More Dawn - A tale of Caesar and Cleopatra in Egypt. Okay but not so exciting.
* - Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon - Slow and confusing story with timetravelling dinosaurs. Perhaps I was too tired. Could give it another try after reading the others.
* - One World - Alternate story about J. F. Kennedy and a nulcear war. Not my taste.
*** - Stargazing on Oxford Street - A good flowing story, but it cannot keep it's promise as it apruptly ends. I expected a more emotional ending.
** - The Secret War - Bacteria play an important part in this story. Average.
* - Treasure Fleet - Here America is discovered by the Chinese who try to reach Mekka from the west. Nice idea but I didn't like the way the story is written, it felt so staccato to me.
**** - Tunguska, 1987 - I like the story told from two different viewpoints in the years 1929 and 1987. Some interesting speculation about time travelling and/or parallel universes. With a creepy note but still some hope.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 20, 2016
An anthology of stories that all ask the same intriguing question - what if? Each scenario, from the Cuban Missile crisis, to an alternate fate for John F. Kennedy, is turned on its head, and given a different, speculative outcome.
Generally, I felt that most of the stories didn't have enough time to develop as much as they could have. I know they are short stories, but many writers have been able to describe something very poignant, serving to evolve the story that much more, with only a few lines. I wasn't very absorbed by many of the stories, with the exception of The Secret War, by Leo McBride, and Tunguska, 1987, by Maria Haskins. McBride's clever tale has a twist at the end that left me surprised and pleased, and Haskin's story was well-written and clearly thought out.
I picked up several spelling errors in some of the stories, ones which I feel a thorough edit should've picked up.
Although speculative fiction is a genre I mostly enjoy, this collection left me a bit cold for the most part.
Generally, I felt that most of the stories didn't have enough time to develop as much as they could have. I know they are short stories, but many writers have been able to describe something very poignant, serving to evolve the story that much more, with only a few lines. I wasn't very absorbed by many of the stories, with the exception of The Secret War, by Leo McBride, and Tunguska, 1987, by Maria Haskins. McBride's clever tale has a twist at the end that left me surprised and pleased, and Haskin's story was well-written and clearly thought out.
I picked up several spelling errors in some of the stories, ones which I feel a thorough edit should've picked up.
Although speculative fiction is a genre I mostly enjoy, this collection left me a bit cold for the most part.
February 11, 2017
This was a fascinating read. I really liked how inventive and interesting these short stories were. If you like to expand your mind a little and think about how things could be read this book.
Read
December 3, 2016Although I love the concept of time travel, I’m a newcomer to reading the alternate history genre. Tales From Alternate Earths has made me a fan. My favorite in this collection of short stories is One World by Cathbad Maponus. Set in the early sixties, it gives an alternate and quite interesting view of the Kennedy response to the Cuban missile crisis.
This collection is put expertly together and by talented authors. Each story takes the reader on an imaginative journey into the “what if.” I now have a new genre to put on my list of favorites.
This collection is put expertly together and by talented authors. Each story takes the reader on an imaginative journey into the “what if.” I now have a new genre to put on my list of favorites.
August 18, 2017
I LOVE 'What if' stories!!! One of my all-time favorite movies (because it is a splendid 'what if' story) is Starman. The first novel I ever finished is a 'what if', but I digress.
Tales from Alternate Earths.. a very interesting read and I know as an artists how painful it can be to receive the word as an opinion. Traffic accidents draw our interest... that doesn't mean it's a GOOD thing. Well, this book is no traffic accident. There are a couple of fender-benders along the way, but
Let's take it step by...
1. September 26th, 1983 by Jessica Holmes
The only thing I didn't like about this story was the title. I mean I get it, but it was just low-hanging fruit in my opinion, especially when you consider where the story takes you. Inventive and sensitive... you can tell the author's been people-watching for a while! I give this one 4.5 out of 5
2. One More Dawn by Terri Pray
For me, the engagement of the 'what if' isn't enough. As I stated before Starman hit hard because it was the story of what if someone took us up on our invitation to come to Earth and set a spell. Answer: we shot him out of the sky! But that is just where the story BEGINS! In One More Dawn, we get treated to a view of Caesar not being killed in the Roman Senate. He has grown old and is about to die... and aside from the exposition hinting and detailing the differences of the life he lived, nothing else is gained from this story. It just takes that long for him to die and for his wife, Cleopatra, to come to terms with the fact that he is dying. Something I recognized on Page One, but Page Twelve I am really ready for him to go. 3.0 out of 5
3. Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon by Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria
What if we're the top of the food chain? Or should I say, what if we weren't the top of the food chain until...
There were some hits & misses with this one. While I enjoyed the suggestion of the toe-clawed wonders ruling it all, I found their evolution more story-fitting than fleshed out, salad-bar picking nuances that served the story while leaving others behind or a little inconsistent. The Science-Fiction application of time-travel was handled with particular care, which was good... and the end was KA-BOOM! 3.75 out of 5
4. One World by Cathbad Maponus
What if JFK had reacted differently to the Cuban Missile Crisis? I am always going to have problems with stories where nearly all of the characters lose their minds. It just shakes me out of my suspension. But that is what it takes for the events to unfold - for everyone in the Power That Be Chamber to just lose it and for the main character to be slow and less than redeemable in his resolve. 3.5 out of 5
5.Stargazing on Oxford Street by Rob Edwards
What if a meteor had struck the Earth in a different place? The pacing of this story was just so slow that it pulled away from what could have been very gripping drama. Every step of the journey was drawn out and seemed repetitive. By the time I got to the mental meat of the story, I didn't care as much as I should have. 3.0 out of 5
6. The Secret War by Leo McBride
STOP THE PRESS! What if what was fiction was actually non-fiction, but made fiction anyway?! Approaching Asimovian plateaus with the subject matter, the story takes you through not only one major point of our history... but two and to think we wanted to believe they were unrelated. WRONG! It took me a second to get Bertie from H.G. Wells (cuz yeah, his parents named him 'H' - duh) but after I laughed at myself, I finished a ride that teased my senses and sensibilities. 5.0 out of 5
7. Treasure Fleet by Daniel Bensen
MAJOR What If Engine! What if one country was actually two of them and they had the idea to go around the world about 60 years before Columbus. It was a bit heavy-handed for me. Having China adopt Islam and then discover the Americas was just a bit much for me to take in the way it was presented. It took me too long to get engaged. 3.0 out of 5
8. Tunguska, 1987 by Maria Haskins
How do you make time-travel more interesting? Tell your story from more than one time! Oh, how easy it was to hate the Metallics! They killed a dog! Oh, it's on alright! Flash forward to another POV. The Metallics are still just as hated, but someone's ready to do something about it. As the two time-points come together you're removed from the here and now and taken to the world of the writer. Loved the trip! 5.0 out of 5
3.84 out of 5 overall
Tales from Alternate Earths.. a very interesting read and I know as an artists how painful it can be to receive the word as an opinion. Traffic accidents draw our interest... that doesn't mean it's a GOOD thing. Well, this book is no traffic accident. There are a couple of fender-benders along the way, but
Let's take it step by...
1. September 26th, 1983 by Jessica Holmes
The only thing I didn't like about this story was the title. I mean I get it, but it was just low-hanging fruit in my opinion, especially when you consider where the story takes you. Inventive and sensitive... you can tell the author's been people-watching for a while! I give this one 4.5 out of 5
2. One More Dawn by Terri Pray
For me, the engagement of the 'what if' isn't enough. As I stated before Starman hit hard because it was the story of what if someone took us up on our invitation to come to Earth and set a spell. Answer: we shot him out of the sky! But that is just where the story BEGINS! In One More Dawn, we get treated to a view of Caesar not being killed in the Roman Senate. He has grown old and is about to die... and aside from the exposition hinting and detailing the differences of the life he lived, nothing else is gained from this story. It just takes that long for him to die and for his wife, Cleopatra, to come to terms with the fact that he is dying. Something I recognized on Page One, but Page Twelve I am really ready for him to go. 3.0 out of 5
3. Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon by Brent Harris and Ricardo Victoria
What if we're the top of the food chain? Or should I say, what if we weren't the top of the food chain until...
There were some hits & misses with this one. While I enjoyed the suggestion of the toe-clawed wonders ruling it all, I found their evolution more story-fitting than fleshed out, salad-bar picking nuances that served the story while leaving others behind or a little inconsistent. The Science-Fiction application of time-travel was handled with particular care, which was good... and the end was KA-BOOM! 3.75 out of 5
4. One World by Cathbad Maponus
What if JFK had reacted differently to the Cuban Missile Crisis? I am always going to have problems with stories where nearly all of the characters lose their minds. It just shakes me out of my suspension. But that is what it takes for the events to unfold - for everyone in the Power That Be Chamber to just lose it and for the main character to be slow and less than redeemable in his resolve. 3.5 out of 5
5.Stargazing on Oxford Street by Rob Edwards
What if a meteor had struck the Earth in a different place? The pacing of this story was just so slow that it pulled away from what could have been very gripping drama. Every step of the journey was drawn out and seemed repetitive. By the time I got to the mental meat of the story, I didn't care as much as I should have. 3.0 out of 5
6. The Secret War by Leo McBride
STOP THE PRESS! What if what was fiction was actually non-fiction, but made fiction anyway?! Approaching Asimovian plateaus with the subject matter, the story takes you through not only one major point of our history... but two and to think we wanted to believe they were unrelated. WRONG! It took me a second to get Bertie from H.G. Wells (cuz yeah, his parents named him 'H' - duh) but after I laughed at myself, I finished a ride that teased my senses and sensibilities. 5.0 out of 5
7. Treasure Fleet by Daniel Bensen
MAJOR What If Engine! What if one country was actually two of them and they had the idea to go around the world about 60 years before Columbus. It was a bit heavy-handed for me. Having China adopt Islam and then discover the Americas was just a bit much for me to take in the way it was presented. It took me too long to get engaged. 3.0 out of 5
8. Tunguska, 1987 by Maria Haskins
How do you make time-travel more interesting? Tell your story from more than one time! Oh, how easy it was to hate the Metallics! They killed a dog! Oh, it's on alright! Flash forward to another POV. The Metallics are still just as hated, but someone's ready to do something about it. As the two time-points come together you're removed from the here and now and taken to the world of the writer. Loved the trip! 5.0 out of 5
3.84 out of 5 overall
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
April 24, 2019
Once I started reading this, I actually tore through many of the stories pretty quickly. I thought that the theme of the anthology, which was imagining alternative events or outcomes in human history, was quite interesting. That said, like many multi-author anthologies, the styles and interpretations of the authors included were wildly variable. In fact, if I had a criticism, it’s that it was actually too variable. Every time I felt I had a grasp of the events and alternate history in one story, I’d move on to another one that was incredibly different in time period, characters, and theme. Sometimes that worked, as I found the new story as interesting as the one I’d left. Sometimes, not quite so much.
A few stories stood out as particular good. I liked the subtle tension set against the domestic calm of Terri Pray’s “One More Dawn,” and the interesting twists of history in Jessica Holmes’ “September 26th, 1983.” My favorite stories, though, were the last three. I liked Leo McBride’s “The Secret War” because its shell-shocked and traumatized main character really spoke to me, and I enjoyed twist at the end. Daniel Bensen’s “Treasure Fleet” had a richly imagined world and interesting characters. I think more science fiction and fantasy writers should look at 14th century China’s domination of the seas!
But if I had to choose one favorite, I’d have to pick Maria Haskins’ “Tunguska, 1987.” Haskins’ characters had great depth, and her world had some fantastic science fiction elements—the mysterious metal invaders, their incredible powers, and the fact that some people could sense the alterations that time travel produced, all of it made a good story. What’s more, her reveals at the end were as subtle and fascinating as her earlier writing, and left me with as many questions as she’d answered.
A couple of the stories really weren’t to my taste. I felt that while “Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon” had an interesting premise, the story felt like it had too many elements, some of which didn’t feel like they went together. The story had two authors, so I almost wondered if it was a “too many cooks” problem. I didn’t care for “One World,” because honestly it read a little like a conspiracy theory gone amok, and I just couldn’t relate or sympathize with the main character (for most of the story, he seemed more like an observer than a protagonist). “Stargazing on Oxford Street” had an interesting setting and a good premise, but I felt that the main characters didn’t really accomplish anything or do much.
Overall, I felt that Tales from Alternate Earths was a good indie anthology and a good way to discover lots of new sci-fi authors. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in alternate history or science fiction.
See more of my reviews at https://www.lunarianpress.com.
A few stories stood out as particular good. I liked the subtle tension set against the domestic calm of Terri Pray’s “One More Dawn,” and the interesting twists of history in Jessica Holmes’ “September 26th, 1983.” My favorite stories, though, were the last three. I liked Leo McBride’s “The Secret War” because its shell-shocked and traumatized main character really spoke to me, and I enjoyed twist at the end. Daniel Bensen’s “Treasure Fleet” had a richly imagined world and interesting characters. I think more science fiction and fantasy writers should look at 14th century China’s domination of the seas!
But if I had to choose one favorite, I’d have to pick Maria Haskins’ “Tunguska, 1987.” Haskins’ characters had great depth, and her world had some fantastic science fiction elements—the mysterious metal invaders, their incredible powers, and the fact that some people could sense the alterations that time travel produced, all of it made a good story. What’s more, her reveals at the end were as subtle and fascinating as her earlier writing, and left me with as many questions as she’d answered.
A couple of the stories really weren’t to my taste. I felt that while “Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon” had an interesting premise, the story felt like it had too many elements, some of which didn’t feel like they went together. The story had two authors, so I almost wondered if it was a “too many cooks” problem. I didn’t care for “One World,” because honestly it read a little like a conspiracy theory gone amok, and I just couldn’t relate or sympathize with the main character (for most of the story, he seemed more like an observer than a protagonist). “Stargazing on Oxford Street” had an interesting setting and a good premise, but I felt that the main characters didn’t really accomplish anything or do much.
Overall, I felt that Tales from Alternate Earths was a good indie anthology and a good way to discover lots of new sci-fi authors. I’d recommend it to anyone interested in alternate history or science fiction.
See more of my reviews at https://www.lunarianpress.com.
June 17, 2017
One of my favorite sub-genres of Science Fiction is Alternative Earths, where one small event changes everything in the world. Being such a super-geek in this sub-genre it's easy to disappoint me. Like how Star Wars super fans are disappointed every time a Star Wars film comes out.
The first story disappointed me, not because of the writing, which was good, or anything like that. I was disappointed because it focused on a point in history when one man's decision saved all of humanity. As a super-geek in the sub-genre, I found it too immediate of a cause and effect. However, the story was not written for the super-geeks, it was written for people with passing interest in the sub-genre or new to it completely. In that it did its job and wasn't a turn off to super-geeks.
To me, the Alternative Earth sub-genre is like the complex series of dominoes falling on each other. I believe the editor felt the same way putting this anthology together. The first story was there to give a good example of how the genre worked, like showing how one domino will knock down the next.
Reading further there were several stories that as a super-geek I loved. Looking at them I can see how a science fiction fan would like them, as well.
If you are fan like me I'll say this, "These are alternative Earth stories."
If you are the rest of the world and didn't have to stop reading to buy it, then this anthology is targeted for you. If you were ever in history class and wondered, "What if...?" Then you should like this collection. If you are a science fiction fan who likes seeing beyond the fancy gadgets and is interested in the effects those little gadgets have on society, then you should find it interesting to see how a small event changed the world as we know it.
If the purpose of this collection was to reach out beyond the small base of super fans, like me, and show some the rich story telling possibilities this sub-genre has then it did that admirably. In the process it gave us super fans a break from really bad works that we buy just because they are alternative Earth stories.
The first story disappointed me, not because of the writing, which was good, or anything like that. I was disappointed because it focused on a point in history when one man's decision saved all of humanity. As a super-geek in the sub-genre, I found it too immediate of a cause and effect. However, the story was not written for the super-geeks, it was written for people with passing interest in the sub-genre or new to it completely. In that it did its job and wasn't a turn off to super-geeks.
To me, the Alternative Earth sub-genre is like the complex series of dominoes falling on each other. I believe the editor felt the same way putting this anthology together. The first story was there to give a good example of how the genre worked, like showing how one domino will knock down the next.
Reading further there were several stories that as a super-geek I loved. Looking at them I can see how a science fiction fan would like them, as well.
If you are fan like me I'll say this, "These are alternative Earth stories."
If you are the rest of the world and didn't have to stop reading to buy it, then this anthology is targeted for you. If you were ever in history class and wondered, "What if...?" Then you should like this collection. If you are a science fiction fan who likes seeing beyond the fancy gadgets and is interested in the effects those little gadgets have on society, then you should find it interesting to see how a small event changed the world as we know it.
If the purpose of this collection was to reach out beyond the small base of super fans, like me, and show some the rich story telling possibilities this sub-genre has then it did that admirably. In the process it gave us super fans a break from really bad works that we buy just because they are alternative Earth stories.
March 3, 2018
I chose this book as I believed it would contain 8 complete, albeit short, alternative history stories based on different events in time. While all of the stories are very intriguing, I was at times disappointed to learn that the stories were not complete. While that was OK with me on certain stories, there were others in which I wanted to know how the author would carry the story to its completion. For instance, One More Dawn, the snippet of Caesar and Cleopatra growing old together was one that I could have left alone as I feel it lacked any real plot. However, One World, the story of an alternate ending to the Bay of Pigs, was in my opinion excellent. I just don't know how the authors could begin these stories and not want to finish them. If I were in their shoes, I couldn't do it.
There were stories in the book that were a little odd as well. While the concept unveiled in Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon was very thought provoking and the plot proved to be a good one, the thought that dinosaurs of all creatures had adapted human-like qualities was a little far fetched. The concept of dinosaurs tapping on computer screens with their sharp claws in a space ship seems a little ludicrous to me. Wouldn't these highly intelligent beings have invented something that was more suited to their physical attributes? Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much ;).
In the end, the book is worth the read. It certainly makes you think...and writers who are just starting out in this genre will be inspired at the ingenuity of the plots.
There were stories in the book that were a little odd as well. While the concept unveiled in Twilight of the Mesozoic Moon was very thought provoking and the plot proved to be a good one, the thought that dinosaurs of all creatures had adapted human-like qualities was a little far fetched. The concept of dinosaurs tapping on computer screens with their sharp claws in a space ship seems a little ludicrous to me. Wouldn't these highly intelligent beings have invented something that was more suited to their physical attributes? Maybe I'm just thinking about it too much ;).
In the end, the book is worth the read. It certainly makes you think...and writers who are just starting out in this genre will be inspired at the ingenuity of the plots.
August 28, 2018
A number of stories from alternate Earths. The first is about a fake Soviet woman astronaut. The second is about the brother of Christopher Columbus and who really discovered what. The third story seems to be about a growing ice age where people from Finland are considering moving south.
Story four is one where religion is compulsory in all schools. There are religious fanatics, book burning ala Hitler and even attacks on witchcraft. Even Harry Potter is not allowed. The next story takes place in an 1873 England where there's a very strange museum which houses exhibitions of fairies, brownies, a vampyr, a redcap and other what to us are fairy-tale creatures. Something goes quite wrong.
The next one is a complex time-travel story involving a librarian, a cosmetic danger and the end of a reality. Another fascinating story is where New England is going to have a vote on leaving England. Terrorism exists there, too. There's a sort of blah story about a fake moon landing. There's a what-could-have-been story about Hitler and a story about a major undersea complex.
The stories, except for the one, are all well-done and a few of them reach the fascinating and wonderful level.
Story four is one where religion is compulsory in all schools. There are religious fanatics, book burning ala Hitler and even attacks on witchcraft. Even Harry Potter is not allowed. The next story takes place in an 1873 England where there's a very strange museum which houses exhibitions of fairies, brownies, a vampyr, a redcap and other what to us are fairy-tale creatures. Something goes quite wrong.
The next one is a complex time-travel story involving a librarian, a cosmetic danger and the end of a reality. Another fascinating story is where New England is going to have a vote on leaving England. Terrorism exists there, too. There's a sort of blah story about a fake moon landing. There's a what-could-have-been story about Hitler and a story about a major undersea complex.
The stories, except for the one, are all well-done and a few of them reach the fascinating and wonderful level.
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