What do you think?
Rate this book
Making History: Classic Alternate History Stories
A dazzling display of history as it might have been, this impressive array of award-winning writers explores the histories that never were, from Ancient Rome to Imperial China and much more. The book features classic reprints of alternate-history stories by Karen Joy Fowler, Kathleen Goonan, Gregory Benford, Nisi Shawl, Harry Turtledove, Michael Bishop, Lisa Goldstein, Alan Smale, Louise Marley, Maureen McHugh, Michaela Roessner, Rich Larson, Sheila Finch, Ben Loory, Walter Jon Williams, Nicholas DiChario, Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn, and editor Rick Wilber.
Contents
Introduction by Rick Wilber
"Game Night at the Fox and Goose," by Karen Joy Fowler
"The Lincoln Train," by Maureen McHugh
"Zeppelin City," by Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn
"Manassas, Again," by Gregory Benford
"Kamehameha's Bones," by Kathleen Goonan
"P Dolce," by Louise Marley
"A Clash of Eagles," by Alan Smale
"The House That George Built," by Harry Turtledove
"Something Real," by Rick Wilber
"Vulcanization," by Nisi Shawl
"James K. Polk," by Ben Loory
"Foreign Devils," by Walter Jon Williams
"Every So Often" by Rich Larson
"It's a Wonderful Life," by Michaela Roessner
"The Winterberry," by Nicholas DiChario
"Miriam," by Michael Bishop
"If There be Cause," by Sheila Finch
"Paradise is a Walled Garden," by Lisa Goldstein
Contents
Introduction by Rick Wilber
"Game Night at the Fox and Goose," by Karen Joy Fowler
"The Lincoln Train," by Maureen McHugh
"Zeppelin City," by Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn
"Manassas, Again," by Gregory Benford
"Kamehameha's Bones," by Kathleen Goonan
"P Dolce," by Louise Marley
"A Clash of Eagles," by Alan Smale
"The House That George Built," by Harry Turtledove
"Something Real," by Rick Wilber
"Vulcanization," by Nisi Shawl
"James K. Polk," by Ben Loory
"Foreign Devils," by Walter Jon Williams
"Every So Often" by Rich Larson
"It's a Wonderful Life," by Michaela Roessner
"The Winterberry," by Nicholas DiChario
"Miriam," by Michael Bishop
"If There be Cause," by Sheila Finch
"Paradise is a Walled Garden," by Lisa Goldstein
374 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 5, 2019
145 people are currently reading
84 people want to read
About the author
Rick Wilber
78 books37 followers Rick Wilber's novel ALIEN DAY (Tor Books 2021) is the sequel to ALIEN MORNING (Tor 2016), which was a finalist for the John W. Campbell Memorial Award for Best Science Novel of the Year. ALIEN DAY offers a wry near-future look at life on Earth and the alien home planet of S'hudon. On Earth, the ambitious TV celebrity and action hero Chloe Cary finds herself involved with Earth's jovial but deadly alien overlord Twoclicks and his son, The Perfection. On S'hudon, Chloe's boyfriend, Peter Holman, tries to rescue his sister Kait from the clutches of Twoclicks' evil brother Whistle; but finds out that it isn't Kait who needs to be rescued. The novel, says best-selling author Julie Czerneda, offers an "original, engaging, wonderfully complex alien world populated by unforgettable characters."
Wilber also recently co-authored (with Alan Smale), the alternate-history collection, THE WANDERING WARRIORS (WordFire Press, 2020). The book features "The Wandering Warriors" novella that first appeared as the cover story in the May/June 2018 edition of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, and also has two additional stories, one from each author. Both authors have won the Sidewise Award for their alternate-history stories.
Also out in 2020 was the short-story collection, RAMBUNCTIOUS: NINE TALES OF DETERMINATION (Word Fire Press, 2020), which holds nine of Rick's favorite stories from more than fifty published over the past thirty years.
Rick recently edited the ebook anthology, MAKING HISTORY: CLASSIC ALTERNATE HISTORY STORIES (New Word City, 2019). The book reprints classic stories by writers Karen Joy Fowler, Gregory Benford, Kathleen Goonan, Harry Turtledove, Lisa Goldstein, Walter Jon Williams, Maureen McHugh, Nisi Shawl, Michael Bishop, Alan Smale, Rich Larson, Sheila Finch, Ben Loory, Nicholas DiChario, Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn, and editor Rick Wilber.
His collection, THE MOE BERG EPISODES (New Word City, 2018) reprints four alternate-history stories that first appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine.
The author of some sixty published short stories, his most recent short fiction includes the novella, "Billie the Kid," forthcoming in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, "Tin Man," co-authored with Brad Aiken, in the May/June 2021 Asimov's, the novelette "The Hind," co-authored with best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson, in the November/December 2020 issue of Asimov's, the short story, "False Bay," in the forthcoming anthology, MOVIES, MONSTERS & MAYHEM (WordFire Press, 2020), the novelette, "Ithaca," co-authored with Brad Aiken, in the May/June 2020 Asimov's), the story, "Donny Boy," in the Alternate Peace anthology (ZNB, edited by Steven Silver and Joshua Palmatier) and the novella, "The Secret City," in the September/October 2018 Asimov's, among others.
Rick's short story, "Today is Today," from the July 2018 issue of Stonecoast Review, has been reprinted in The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2019 (ed, Rich Horton) and in Lightspeed Magazine. His novella, "The Secret City," was runner-up for the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History -- Short Form of 2018 and his story, "Something Real," won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History--Short Form in 2013.
He is the editor of the baseball fantasy anthology, "Field of Fantasies" from Nightshade/Skyhorse (2014), which reprints about two dozen baseball/fantasy stories by outstanding mainstream and genre writers from Stephen King to Karen Joy Fowler and and many more. He also edited 2011's "Future Media" (Tachyon) 2011, brings together classic works of fiction and non-fiction about the future of the mass media.
Rick's 2009 novel, "Rum Point," is a baseball/murder mystery/thriller from McFarland Books and his 2007 memoir, “My Father’s Game: Life, Death, Baseball” from McFarland Books, was called by best-selling author Peter Straub “a stunning book,” and one that “abounds with faith, heartbreak, love,
Wilber also recently co-authored (with Alan Smale), the alternate-history collection, THE WANDERING WARRIORS (WordFire Press, 2020). The book features "The Wandering Warriors" novella that first appeared as the cover story in the May/June 2018 edition of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, and also has two additional stories, one from each author. Both authors have won the Sidewise Award for their alternate-history stories.
Also out in 2020 was the short-story collection, RAMBUNCTIOUS: NINE TALES OF DETERMINATION (Word Fire Press, 2020), which holds nine of Rick's favorite stories from more than fifty published over the past thirty years.
Rick recently edited the ebook anthology, MAKING HISTORY: CLASSIC ALTERNATE HISTORY STORIES (New Word City, 2019). The book reprints classic stories by writers Karen Joy Fowler, Gregory Benford, Kathleen Goonan, Harry Turtledove, Lisa Goldstein, Walter Jon Williams, Maureen McHugh, Nisi Shawl, Michael Bishop, Alan Smale, Rich Larson, Sheila Finch, Ben Loory, Nicholas DiChario, Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn, and editor Rick Wilber.
His collection, THE MOE BERG EPISODES (New Word City, 2018) reprints four alternate-history stories that first appeared in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine.
The author of some sixty published short stories, his most recent short fiction includes the novella, "Billie the Kid," forthcoming in Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, "Tin Man," co-authored with Brad Aiken, in the May/June 2021 Asimov's, the novelette "The Hind," co-authored with best-selling author Kevin J. Anderson, in the November/December 2020 issue of Asimov's, the short story, "False Bay," in the forthcoming anthology, MOVIES, MONSTERS & MAYHEM (WordFire Press, 2020), the novelette, "Ithaca," co-authored with Brad Aiken, in the May/June 2020 Asimov's), the story, "Donny Boy," in the Alternate Peace anthology (ZNB, edited by Steven Silver and Joshua Palmatier) and the novella, "The Secret City," in the September/October 2018 Asimov's, among others.
Rick's short story, "Today is Today," from the July 2018 issue of Stonecoast Review, has been reprinted in The Best Science Fiction & Fantasy 2019 (ed, Rich Horton) and in Lightspeed Magazine. His novella, "The Secret City," was runner-up for the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History -- Short Form of 2018 and his story, "Something Real," won the Sidewise Award for Best Alternate History--Short Form in 2013.
He is the editor of the baseball fantasy anthology, "Field of Fantasies" from Nightshade/Skyhorse (2014), which reprints about two dozen baseball/fantasy stories by outstanding mainstream and genre writers from Stephen King to Karen Joy Fowler and and many more. He also edited 2011's "Future Media" (Tachyon) 2011, brings together classic works of fiction and non-fiction about the future of the mass media.
Rick's 2009 novel, "Rum Point," is a baseball/murder mystery/thriller from McFarland Books and his 2007 memoir, “My Father’s Game: Life, Death, Baseball” from McFarland Books, was called by best-selling author Peter Straub “a stunning book,” and one that “abounds with faith, heartbreak, love,
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
November 29, 2019
I picked up this all-reprints collection of alternative history stories when the editor advertised it on his Facebook page. Some of the stories were terrific--Wilber's "Something Real" was my favorite in the book, a retelling of a bizarre but true WWII spy story that ends with a speculative element that led to a long series of stories with the same protagonist. "Every So Often," also a WWII-based story, although set earlier, by Rich Larson, was a quiet story, strong in implications. "The Winterberry" by Nicholas Dichario was a truly touching story of an alt-history of the JFK assassination. "Game Night at the Fox and Goose" by Karen Joy Fowler was immersive, high-octane fun.
What I picked up from this collection that I had not previously realized was how pervasive time travel and multi-worlds quantum mechanics were in alternate history. Sure, I'd read stories that used these tropes, but I'd been under the misimpression that most alternate history stuck to a strict definition: take a historical event, change it, follow the consequences. Very few of the stories in here stuck strictly to that paradigm. I thought back over major alternate history novels I'd enjoyed--1632, Man in High Castle, Guns of the South--and, yes, each of them had a fantasy/SF speculative element in addition to the alteration of history. It's not clear to me whether this would be a broad revelation or whether I was isolated in my misperception. Regardless, the perspective was valuable to me.
Recommended for those who enjoy alternate history.
What I picked up from this collection that I had not previously realized was how pervasive time travel and multi-worlds quantum mechanics were in alternate history. Sure, I'd read stories that used these tropes, but I'd been under the misimpression that most alternate history stuck to a strict definition: take a historical event, change it, follow the consequences. Very few of the stories in here stuck strictly to that paradigm. I thought back over major alternate history novels I'd enjoyed--1632, Man in High Castle, Guns of the South--and, yes, each of them had a fantasy/SF speculative element in addition to the alteration of history. It's not clear to me whether this would be a broad revelation or whether I was isolated in my misperception. Regardless, the perspective was valuable to me.
Recommended for those who enjoy alternate history.
February 2, 2024
One of the most extensive explanation for the development of the alternate history genre is the influence of postmodernism on history and historiography.
The noticeable features of postmodernism here are its tongue-in-cheek relationship to history; skepticism of traditional historical narratives, especially grand narratives; and privileging of alternative voices. The suggestion is that since postmodernism has knocked the historian from her roost, what we call history is not inarticulate from literature.
In postmodern historiography, then, the alternate historian has the same privilege to truth as the academic.
All said and done, the game of 'What If?' has been particularly widespread among military historians, who like gambling whether the consequence of a particular battle would have changed the course of history.
++What would be the outcome of a Persian victory at Salamis in 480 BC?
++What if Napoleon were to triumph at Waterloo?
Or going beyond dry military history one could grapple with broader philosophical puzzles –
++What would have happened had Pilate pardoned Jesus?
++What if Pius XII had denounced the Holocaust?
++What if Pizarro and his conquistadores had not brought potatoes from Peru back to Europe?
Eighteen magnificent pieces of short-fiction written by award winning, popular architects of the alt-history genre find place in this anthology.
The stories are:
1. Game Night at the Fox and Goose - Karen Joy Fowler
2. The Lincoln Train - Maureen McHugh
3. Zeppelin City - Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn
4. Manassas, Again - Gregory Benford
5. Kamehameha's Bones - Kathleen Goonan
6. P Dolce - Louise Marley
7. A Clash of Eagles - Alan Smale
8. The House That George Built - Harry Turtledove
9. Something Real - Rick Wilber
10. Vulcanization - Nisi Shawl
11. James K. Polk - Ben Loory
12. Foreign Devils - Walter Jon Williams
13. Every So Often - Rich Larson
14. It's a Wonderful Life - Michaela Roessner
15. The Winterberry - Nicholas DiChario
16. Miriam - Michael Bishop
17. If There be Cause - Sheila Finch
18. Paradise is a Walled Garden - Lisa Goldstein
All eighteen stories are delightful, and ask penetrating questions:
a. What if Rome never fell to barbarians but in its place subjugated and ruled them, from Albion to the Ganges?
b. What if Babe Ruth injured his arm and never played major league?
c. What if the inhumane and ruthless Leopold II of Belgium had to come face to face with his nemesis?
d. What if a injured Abraham Lincoln endured the assassination attempt and a very different kind of Restoration emerged in the Civil War’s outcome?
e. What if Nazi Germany had built an atomic bomb before the Allies?
f. What if England had been the European country to power California, rather than Spain?
All of these adrenaline-charged notions and many more can be discovered in this anthology.
Highly suggested.
The noticeable features of postmodernism here are its tongue-in-cheek relationship to history; skepticism of traditional historical narratives, especially grand narratives; and privileging of alternative voices. The suggestion is that since postmodernism has knocked the historian from her roost, what we call history is not inarticulate from literature.
In postmodern historiography, then, the alternate historian has the same privilege to truth as the academic.
All said and done, the game of 'What If?' has been particularly widespread among military historians, who like gambling whether the consequence of a particular battle would have changed the course of history.
++What would be the outcome of a Persian victory at Salamis in 480 BC?
++What if Napoleon were to triumph at Waterloo?
Or going beyond dry military history one could grapple with broader philosophical puzzles –
++What would have happened had Pilate pardoned Jesus?
++What if Pius XII had denounced the Holocaust?
++What if Pizarro and his conquistadores had not brought potatoes from Peru back to Europe?
Eighteen magnificent pieces of short-fiction written by award winning, popular architects of the alt-history genre find place in this anthology.
The stories are:
1. Game Night at the Fox and Goose - Karen Joy Fowler
2. The Lincoln Train - Maureen McHugh
3. Zeppelin City - Michael Swanwick and Eileen Gunn
4. Manassas, Again - Gregory Benford
5. Kamehameha's Bones - Kathleen Goonan
6. P Dolce - Louise Marley
7. A Clash of Eagles - Alan Smale
8. The House That George Built - Harry Turtledove
9. Something Real - Rick Wilber
10. Vulcanization - Nisi Shawl
11. James K. Polk - Ben Loory
12. Foreign Devils - Walter Jon Williams
13. Every So Often - Rich Larson
14. It's a Wonderful Life - Michaela Roessner
15. The Winterberry - Nicholas DiChario
16. Miriam - Michael Bishop
17. If There be Cause - Sheila Finch
18. Paradise is a Walled Garden - Lisa Goldstein
All eighteen stories are delightful, and ask penetrating questions:
a. What if Rome never fell to barbarians but in its place subjugated and ruled them, from Albion to the Ganges?
b. What if Babe Ruth injured his arm and never played major league?
c. What if the inhumane and ruthless Leopold II of Belgium had to come face to face with his nemesis?
d. What if a injured Abraham Lincoln endured the assassination attempt and a very different kind of Restoration emerged in the Civil War’s outcome?
e. What if Nazi Germany had built an atomic bomb before the Allies?
f. What if England had been the European country to power California, rather than Spain?
All of these adrenaline-charged notions and many more can be discovered in this anthology.
Highly suggested.
September 7, 2021
Best collection
This is by far one of the best collections that I have ever read. Each story was at least a 4.5 stars rating in my opinion. A few stood out as my favorites. They are "If There Be a Cause" by Sheila Finch, " Paradise is a Walled Garden " by Lisa Goldstein and "Something Real" by Rick Wilber. These three were wow reads for me. If you like well written alternate history stories you will love this anthology.
This is by far one of the best collections that I have ever read. Each story was at least a 4.5 stars rating in my opinion. A few stood out as my favorites. They are "If There Be a Cause" by Sheila Finch, " Paradise is a Walled Garden " by Lisa Goldstein and "Something Real" by Rick Wilber. These three were wow reads for me. If you like well written alternate history stories you will love this anthology.
June 27, 2019
Mother good or bad, some of the short stories are good, some are not.
Unless short stories catch me right away, I generally dislike them. And this book reminded me why.
When the stories were good, they leave you hanging and wanting more and when they are not so good, it makes you wonder why you read it at all.
Unless short stories catch me right away, I generally dislike them. And this book reminded me why.
When the stories were good, they leave you hanging and wanting more and when they are not so good, it makes you wonder why you read it at all.
August 22, 2019
Worth reading
Great mix of stories. Some with really interesting ideas of alternative history - steam punk, conspiracy theory and much more.
Great mix of stories. Some with really interesting ideas of alternative history - steam punk, conspiracy theory and much more.
March 2, 2023
Thought provoking counterfactual award winning short stories. Includes ancient romans trekking across the continental US; Lincoln’s Train; and 16 others. Although just months have passed since first reading them, I’m compelled to read them again now!
This book certainly stirs high appreciation for well written short stories.
This book certainly stirs high appreciation for well written short stories.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews