Alternate History

I finished an alternate history last night (alternate history being my favorite subgenre of sci-fi), and I was actually a little scared while reading it.  Alternate histories aren't scary in the way that Stephen King is, because obviously, they haven't happened.  But thinking about what the world would have been like if Ad. Hi. (and I refuse to use his name, because I don't want any bad elements finding this website while looking for ne0-Naz1 propaganda; this also explains the zero and one in that there word) had prevailed.  I'm not sure how far back you have to go to make that scenario work in your head, but one thing you have to do is remove the Japanese from the equation.  Because it was their overeager desire for world domination including the US that brought us into the war.

The book I read, In the Presence of Mine Enemies, makes that supposition; and delays the conquest of America to the fifties.  But one thing the book only barely (and uneasily) touches on is the idea that AH could not have been okay with the Asian population in general.  I don't know if you could have a Germanic Empire working alongside a Japanese Empire.  It seems that the two egomaniacs in charge of these hypothetical empires would have had too much hatred to let the other live normally.  I guess the book suggested unease based on the surge of Japanese computer advances (and it should be said, I guess, that in the book, America plays no role whatsoever, being the disorderly occupied territory that it became), and a certain prejudice was suggested, but I think it might be greater than that.

Still, the idea at the core of the book is that there is no denying the march of democracy, even in a facist state like a victorious post-war Germany.  At the end of the book, we're left feeling very much like the world has turned for the better, and that elections and nationalism will prevail.  It's interesting, and I don't know if I agree.  I guess that downtrodden people often hunger for their own voice in government, but the book paints these people (some of whom are Jews--hidden very well) as powerful.  Though scared for their lives (the Jews), in a society where all the supposedly unsavory elements are removed, I'm not sure I can make the leap that all of sudden they're hoorah-ing democracy.  Besides the hidden Jews, I mean.  They have a very clear reason to desire a more democratic society. 

But what do I know?  It was an enjoyable book, nonetheless, and I may look into more books by the author, Harry Turtledove.  (Though most of his books are war-driven and series, which I am not so much interested in.  I like reading about the societies that are created when the course of history is changed.  I don't like reading about the wars that change the course of history.  If that makes sense.)  I have a hard time finding alternate histories that don't deal with war more than culture.  If you know any, by all means recommend them, though I've read Stirling and Flint, for the most part.

Comments

[jwer]

If you haven't yet, you should definitely read The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick.

[Scott]

While it isn't literature so to speak, I have always loved Marvel's "What if," series.
What If...Captain Marvel had not died, Spiderman had joined the Fantastic Four, Wolverine had killed the Hulk. These books are great...very much alternate history of the comic book world. Usually the outcomes are terrible, but you don't really mind, cause you know it's not really happening...this is the comic book nerd I am...I view all other comic series as "really happening."

[manogirl]

Thanks for the tips, though I have to admit, Scott, that I don't so much read the comic books. Now, I have read some of those essay books with the "What If..." history scenarios in them. They were kind of boring, because the authors (historians all) were so unimaginative. And how much can you really expand on in three pages?