What do you think?
Rate this book
Time Well Bent: Queer Alternative Histories
We have always been here. For as long as there's been such a thing as sex, alternate sexual identities have been a fact of life. So why have we been so nearly invisible in recorded history and historical fiction? Now editor Connie Wilkins, a Lambda Literary Award finalist, has assembled fourteen stories that span the centuries from ancient times to the Renaissance to the modern era and explore alternate versions of our past. Their queer protagonists, who bend history in ways dramatic enough to change the world and subtle enough to touch hearts and minds, rescue our past from invisibility, and affirm our place and importance throughout all of history, past, present, and future
186 pages
First published January 1, 2009
2 people are currently reading
153 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
June 23, 2019
I have a story in this book, but somehow I had never cracked open my author's copy until a few weeks ago. The unifying theme of this anthology is both ambitious and important. Queer, bisexual and non-binary individuals have been around forever, but they're invisible in most history books. For this collection editor Connie Wilkins invited contributors to imagine how the world might be different, in subtle or in important ways, if some of the historical figures had been queer.
The different authors interpreted this premise in widely differing ways. Perhaps the most literally alternative world arises from Dale Chase's "A Marriage of Choice", which gives us a gay Thomas Jefferson working hard to convince James Madison that the Bill of Rights should include the right to marry whomever one chooses - a right that still has not been recognized by many in the US, let alone around the world. At the other end of the spectrum is Simon Sheppard's vividly imaginative "Barbaric Splendor", a supposed journal written in the seventeen hundreds by a group of Dutch visitors - and ultimately prisoners - of Kubla Khan. No history is changed in this story, but we get a profoundly different view from that provided by Coleridge.
The stories offer a great variety in time, place and tone. Rita Oake's lyrical "A Wind as Sharp as Obsidian" focuses on Malinalli, the Mayan slave who became the lover of Spanish conqueror Hernado Cortez. In "Sod 'Em", Barry Lowe imagines a gay scribe in a remote medieval monastery rewriting the tale of Sodom as the conquering hordes of Vikings bear down. Erin Mackay's "Morisca" provides a moving and erotic narrative about the relationship between the Infanta Isabella - later Queen Isabella of Spain - and her Moorish servant Ghaliya. M.P. Ericson's "A Spear Against the Sky" is set in Roman-occupied Britain. Sandra Barret takes on the mystery of America's first colony in "Roanoke". In "The Heart of the Storm", editor Connie Wilkins returns to one of her favorite periods, World War II, to offer a mix of realistic historical detail and traditional magic. Of course, no alternative history collection would be complete without some speculation on the true identity of William Shakespeare. Catherine Lundoff provides a complex but satisfying take on this in "Great Reckonings, Little Rooms".
My own contribution to Time Well Bent, "Opening Night", is set in the Victorian period and speculates about how lyricist William Gilbert's homoerotic attraction to a brilliant young actor might have prematurely derailed his famously contentious relationship with composer Arthur Sullivan.
I found a few of the stories confusing, probably because I didn't recognize the period or the protagonists. Overall, however, this book delivers what it promises - a fresh, original, emotionally satisfying perspective on possible histories from a queer point of view.
The different authors interpreted this premise in widely differing ways. Perhaps the most literally alternative world arises from Dale Chase's "A Marriage of Choice", which gives us a gay Thomas Jefferson working hard to convince James Madison that the Bill of Rights should include the right to marry whomever one chooses - a right that still has not been recognized by many in the US, let alone around the world. At the other end of the spectrum is Simon Sheppard's vividly imaginative "Barbaric Splendor", a supposed journal written in the seventeen hundreds by a group of Dutch visitors - and ultimately prisoners - of Kubla Khan. No history is changed in this story, but we get a profoundly different view from that provided by Coleridge.
The stories offer a great variety in time, place and tone. Rita Oake's lyrical "A Wind as Sharp as Obsidian" focuses on Malinalli, the Mayan slave who became the lover of Spanish conqueror Hernado Cortez. In "Sod 'Em", Barry Lowe imagines a gay scribe in a remote medieval monastery rewriting the tale of Sodom as the conquering hordes of Vikings bear down. Erin Mackay's "Morisca" provides a moving and erotic narrative about the relationship between the Infanta Isabella - later Queen Isabella of Spain - and her Moorish servant Ghaliya. M.P. Ericson's "A Spear Against the Sky" is set in Roman-occupied Britain. Sandra Barret takes on the mystery of America's first colony in "Roanoke". In "The Heart of the Storm", editor Connie Wilkins returns to one of her favorite periods, World War II, to offer a mix of realistic historical detail and traditional magic. Of course, no alternative history collection would be complete without some speculation on the true identity of William Shakespeare. Catherine Lundoff provides a complex but satisfying take on this in "Great Reckonings, Little Rooms".
My own contribution to Time Well Bent, "Opening Night", is set in the Victorian period and speculates about how lyricist William Gilbert's homoerotic attraction to a brilliant young actor might have prematurely derailed his famously contentious relationship with composer Arthur Sullivan.
I found a few of the stories confusing, probably because I didn't recognize the period or the protagonists. Overall, however, this book delivers what it promises - a fresh, original, emotionally satisfying perspective on possible histories from a queer point of view.
October 19, 2010
“Time Well Bent” [Lethe Press, 2009] is one of the more intriguing collections of stories that I have had the pleasure of reading—for a number of reasons.
The first, off-hand, is that it contains several tales about lesbian love; something that I have not had an opportunity to review, previously.
"A Wind Sharp as Obsidian" by Rita Oakes opens the collection and sets the tone for the stories that follow; inasmuch as it is an imaginative example of superb writing. Malianalli, a mortal, is in a relationship with the Mayan goddess Xochi. The story then goes on to focus on one moment in that relationship, and leaves the fictional consequences to take their shape in the reader's imagination. This allows the author to concentrate on the political, physical, and spiritual world of the Mayan peoples at the cusp of the conquistadors' invasion. An intriguing “What if” melding of history and fiction.
"Roanake" by Sandra Barret is the second ‘gal-story’ set in the early (1585-1587) Puritan settlement of that name in North America. Elizabeth, unhappy with the rigidly enforced gender roles of Roanoke, is fortunate enough to be mentored by Maigan, okitcitakwe (two-spirits) to the Croatan Indians. This story is unique inasmuch as it explores lesbianism in Puritan society, and the feminine side of ‘two spirits’. It also provides a ‘what if’ answer to the Roanoke mystery.
In "A Spear Against the Sky," M.P. Ericson has chosen the Roman settlement of Britannia as a setting, and two of the most famous women warriors in history; Boudica and Cartimandua. It is a story that adds an intriguing and plausible dimension to our patchy knowledge of events.
In "Great Reckonings, Little Rooms," Catherine Lundoff shines her light on Woolf's Judith Shakespeare as an Elizabethan cross-dresser in a story of complex relationships packed into this short story.
"The Heart of the Story" by Connie Wilkins is alternative history set in the second world war. It's a compellingly solid and active world where mythology and history come together, around a fairytale lesbian love story.
"Morisca" by Erin Mackay is a juxtaposition of great leaders and lowly individuals, in a tale set in the fifteenth century court of Spain. This is a heart warming and charming look behind the scenes.
On the male side "The Final Voyage of the Hesperus," by Steven Adamson blurs the lines between dreams and realities as the Hesperus sails between India and the sugar plantations of the West Indies. Woven into this is a male love story that is divinely inspired.
"A Marriage of Choice" by Dale Chase is a quintessential 'what if' story that imagines Thomas Jefferson debating the terms of the American Bill of Rights with James Madison—as narrated by Jefferson’s male lover, Caleb. Personally, I found this story the most fanciful and intriguing as the two most celebrated minds in American history come together to debate an issue that is not yet settled; i.e. same-sex marriage. A real flight of fancy!
"The High Cost of Tamarind" by Steve Berman is a slight juxtaposing two young men's haunting past and present, but it was a bit too impressionistic for me to follow comfortably.
"Sod 'Em" by Barry Lowe is an interesting tale set against an austere location and time—around the ninth or tenth centuries. It is a fairly credible recreation of the conditions a lowly monk might have endured, and almost certainly M/M relationships did result. The idea that the Bible, as we know it, is the product of various translations, transcription and interpretations over the centuries is a ‘what if’ story in itself.
"Barbaric Splendor" by Simon Sheppard is sometimes creepy guided tour of the fabled Xanadu; i.e. the court of Kubla Khan, and it is definitely not what popular, historical accounts have led us to believe.
"Opening Night" by Lisabet Sarai, is very cleverly set around the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, “Ruddigore,” but from there it departs rather dramatically from G&S history. Okay, I was prepared to live with that, but the North American connection left me backstage. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting take superbly written.
"A Happier Year" by Emily Salter is a charming period piece spun around E.M. Forster's “Maurice,” a novella that was suppressed until after Forster's death. Salter has created a very sensitive story in which she extrapolates how the publication might have affected society if it had been published before the Great War. She has also created a beautifully complicated character in Henry.
"At Reading Station, Changing Trains," by C.A. Gardner revisits T.E. Lawrence's multiple-revised history to add the construction of gender identity to T.E.'s exercises in self-creation.
As an added feature the authors have each included an explanatory note at the end of their contribution, shedding light on the process and intent behind each entry.
If you enjoy a broad variety of unique and imaginative stories, superbly written, then this book is for you.
The first, off-hand, is that it contains several tales about lesbian love; something that I have not had an opportunity to review, previously.
"A Wind Sharp as Obsidian" by Rita Oakes opens the collection and sets the tone for the stories that follow; inasmuch as it is an imaginative example of superb writing. Malianalli, a mortal, is in a relationship with the Mayan goddess Xochi. The story then goes on to focus on one moment in that relationship, and leaves the fictional consequences to take their shape in the reader's imagination. This allows the author to concentrate on the political, physical, and spiritual world of the Mayan peoples at the cusp of the conquistadors' invasion. An intriguing “What if” melding of history and fiction.
"Roanake" by Sandra Barret is the second ‘gal-story’ set in the early (1585-1587) Puritan settlement of that name in North America. Elizabeth, unhappy with the rigidly enforced gender roles of Roanoke, is fortunate enough to be mentored by Maigan, okitcitakwe (two-spirits) to the Croatan Indians. This story is unique inasmuch as it explores lesbianism in Puritan society, and the feminine side of ‘two spirits’. It also provides a ‘what if’ answer to the Roanoke mystery.
In "A Spear Against the Sky," M.P. Ericson has chosen the Roman settlement of Britannia as a setting, and two of the most famous women warriors in history; Boudica and Cartimandua. It is a story that adds an intriguing and plausible dimension to our patchy knowledge of events.
In "Great Reckonings, Little Rooms," Catherine Lundoff shines her light on Woolf's Judith Shakespeare as an Elizabethan cross-dresser in a story of complex relationships packed into this short story.
"The Heart of the Story" by Connie Wilkins is alternative history set in the second world war. It's a compellingly solid and active world where mythology and history come together, around a fairytale lesbian love story.
"Morisca" by Erin Mackay is a juxtaposition of great leaders and lowly individuals, in a tale set in the fifteenth century court of Spain. This is a heart warming and charming look behind the scenes.
On the male side "The Final Voyage of the Hesperus," by Steven Adamson blurs the lines between dreams and realities as the Hesperus sails between India and the sugar plantations of the West Indies. Woven into this is a male love story that is divinely inspired.
"A Marriage of Choice" by Dale Chase is a quintessential 'what if' story that imagines Thomas Jefferson debating the terms of the American Bill of Rights with James Madison—as narrated by Jefferson’s male lover, Caleb. Personally, I found this story the most fanciful and intriguing as the two most celebrated minds in American history come together to debate an issue that is not yet settled; i.e. same-sex marriage. A real flight of fancy!
"The High Cost of Tamarind" by Steve Berman is a slight juxtaposing two young men's haunting past and present, but it was a bit too impressionistic for me to follow comfortably.
"Sod 'Em" by Barry Lowe is an interesting tale set against an austere location and time—around the ninth or tenth centuries. It is a fairly credible recreation of the conditions a lowly monk might have endured, and almost certainly M/M relationships did result. The idea that the Bible, as we know it, is the product of various translations, transcription and interpretations over the centuries is a ‘what if’ story in itself.
"Barbaric Splendor" by Simon Sheppard is sometimes creepy guided tour of the fabled Xanadu; i.e. the court of Kubla Khan, and it is definitely not what popular, historical accounts have led us to believe.
"Opening Night" by Lisabet Sarai, is very cleverly set around the Gilbert and Sullivan operetta, “Ruddigore,” but from there it departs rather dramatically from G&S history. Okay, I was prepared to live with that, but the North American connection left me backstage. Nonetheless, it’s an interesting take superbly written.
"A Happier Year" by Emily Salter is a charming period piece spun around E.M. Forster's “Maurice,” a novella that was suppressed until after Forster's death. Salter has created a very sensitive story in which she extrapolates how the publication might have affected society if it had been published before the Great War. She has also created a beautifully complicated character in Henry.
"At Reading Station, Changing Trains," by C.A. Gardner revisits T.E. Lawrence's multiple-revised history to add the construction of gender identity to T.E.'s exercises in self-creation.
As an added feature the authors have each included an explanatory note at the end of their contribution, shedding light on the process and intent behind each entry.
If you enjoy a broad variety of unique and imaginative stories, superbly written, then this book is for you.
September 19, 2017
Wilkins has gathered fourteen stories that explore not only alternative histories but the queer men and women involved in changing those histories. They span centuries, cultures and continents and range from hard history to gentle mythology, and each one of them is genuinely interesting not only for the histories they change but for the characters they introduce. Of course, the history most interesting is that which is most personal to you. Among my favorites are the two colonial American stories, “Roanoke” by Sandra Barret and “A Marriage of Choice” by Dale Chase. Barret takes the mysterious disappearance of the Roanoke colony and injects a heroine, Rose Payne, who becomes a two-spirit huntress gathering game for the fledgling colony with the help of her Native American mentor, the beautiful Maigan. How their affair ends also explains the extermination of the colony. Fascinating stuff. One of the most moving stories, however, is Emily Salter’s “A Happier Year,” which envisions what might have happened to two young, impressionable men had E.M. Forster published maybe the best queer novel ever, Maurice, when it was written in 1914 instead of 1971. Sometimes history reverberates loudest in the heart. But these are only my favorites. If you love Shakespeare or are fascinated by the Hesperus, dig Aztec myth or Lawrence of Arabia, or simply like seeing where and how queer people will pop up to change the world in the most marvelous ways, you will find Time Well Bent to be time well spent indeed. Full review at https://outinprintblog.wordpress.com/...
May 26, 2018
I always want to love alternative history, and yet I'm picky about it. When events happen in fiction that could have made a better future than the reality we got, I feel both delighted and conflicted: is this cheapening the horrors of what really happened? By contrast, perhaps they highlight it. These stories don't generally shy away from that - I'm still gnawing on the tale of a gay Thomas Jefferson as a marriage-equality campaigner while still being an unapologetic slave owner (Samuel Hemmings in this story). There are two stories of Indigenous lesbian resistance to colonialism, a gay Indian (from India) survivor of a brutal Caribbean voyage, a transgender T.E. Lawrence, a tale in which everything you think you know about Shakespeare and Marlowe was wrong (except Marlowe being gay, that part was true) a painfully sad but hopeful story that considers what the influence might have been if E.M. Forster's Maurice had been published at the time it was written instead of decades later after his death...There is a LOT to chew on here, and while not all the stories worked for me, the ones that did really haunt me.
November 10, 2012
Slash Readers: Alright, so 'Time Well Bent', is a collection of short stories. All of the short stories are based on historical fact and what might've happened if certain things had gone different. So, don't get this thinking it's straight up historical fiction... it is but it isn't exactly. :) All of the stories in this anthology were well done and interesting. I did not have any big problems with any of them. My biggest issue with the book actually was the fact that the author's comments/statements came after the stories. I would have enjoyed the stories more if I had read the comments first. I think that also would have lead well into the stories and give the readers a bit more perspective on some of the events. I admit I'm not a big history buff but the wide range and variety of stories and histories in this anthology means that the reader may not always have a good idea of the actual historical events the work is based off of.
Aside from my issue of layout in this anthology, I thought the stories themselves were well written and entertaining--even if I didn't know a whole lot about all of the historical settings--as a whole. My least favorite of the stories in this anthology the one about Kubla Khan, I disliked mostly because it felt out of place among the other stories. It was well written, I personally just did not care for it. So, if you enjoy history and don't mind people messing with the facts this is a fun anthology. :)
Aside from my issue of layout in this anthology, I thought the stories themselves were well written and entertaining--even if I didn't know a whole lot about all of the historical settings--as a whole. My least favorite of the stories in this anthology the one about Kubla Khan, I disliked mostly because it felt out of place among the other stories. It was well written, I personally just did not care for it. So, if you enjoy history and don't mind people messing with the facts this is a fun anthology. :)
March 19, 2011
What a delightful bunch of "what ifs" where a gay or lesbian character holds the key to some event in history. You will meet some famous people here: Thomas Jefferson, William Gilbert, the future Wueen Isabella of Castile, Christopher marlowe, and Lawrence of Arabia. The strong theme in this anthology is that love is at the center of all strong relationships, gay or straight, and that people's beliefs about sin and decadence have nothing to do whith why people love. I particularly enjoyed the T.E Lawrence story and the one about the fellow looking for E. M. Forrester. They don't all have happy endings, but it is nice to dream that someone caught in the opporession of earlier times might have had a second chance at happiness.
January 16, 2012
Not all excellent, but some very good stories among this collection.
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews