Chadbourne, Billie Niles: see
Johnson, Robert B., & Billie Niles Chadbourne
Chalker, Jack L.,
"Dance Band on the Titanic", in
IAsfm Jul 1978;
Asimov's Choice: Extraterrestrials & Eclipses
(ed. George Scithers)
(Davis/Dial 1978; Dale 1978, 0895591073)
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Antology Volume 1
(ed. George Scithers)
(Davis/Dial 1978;
vt Isaac Asimov's Masters of Science Fiction,
Davis/Dial 1978, 0803736975);
The 1979 Annual World's Best SF
(eds. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha)
(DAW 1979);
and
Dance Band on the Titanic
(publ. unknown)
Story:
Adventures of a ferry boat crew traveling between alternate versions of
Maine and Nova Scotia.
Chalker, Jack L.,
Downtiming the Night Side
(Tor 1985, 0812532880; Baen 1993, 0671721704)
What if:
Karl Marx died in 1841, causing Russia to become a weak democracy in 1917
and thus unable to fend off Germany in 1941.
Story:
A security officer on a time travel project chases terrorists back to
1841 and gets lost in a timewar between Earthers and Offworlders.
Chalker, Jack L.,
"Now Falls the Cold, Cold Night", in
AP
What if:
James Buchanan suffered a stroke in Oct 1856 and Millard Fillmore, candidate
of the American ("Know-Nothing") Party, was elected president.
Story:
When Fillmore upholds the Fugitive Slave Laws in 1858, rioting and worse
erupts in New England.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Abraham Lincoln's Father Had Moved Southward, Not
Northward", in
IoH
What if:
Thomas Lincoln was made of sterner stuff and emigrated from Kentucky to
Mississippi rather than to Illinois.
Comments:
A possibility that Lincoln would have been Confederate president, facing
off with either Douglas or Seward.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Alexander Hamilton Had Not Written About the Hurricane", in
IoH
What if:
Hamilton did not write the newspaper article which convinced his parents
he was a prodigy and should be sent to Boston to study.
Story:
Without him, the balance would not have been struck in writing the
Constitution and the states might have flown apart.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Admiral Penn Had Persisted in Disowning His Son William", in
IoH
What if:
Dismayed at his son's conversion to Quakerism, the admiral neither took
him back into his household nor made him an heir.
Story:
Without the Penn fortune, Pennsylvania and Philadelphia would not have
been founded and the land would have been split amongst the other colonies
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Champlain Had Tarried in Plymouth Bay", in
IoH
What if:
Champlain placed a settlement during his 1605 expedition, shifting
the French emphasis in N America southward from the St. Lawrence.
Story:
The Puritans would have been forced south to Virginia and Dutch New
Holland would survive.
Any Revolution would have had a different philosophy.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Charles II Had Accepted the Kingship of Virginia", in
IoH
What if:
After defeat by Cromwell at Worcester, Charles II accepted the invitation
to place his throne in Virginia and took control of British N America.
Story:
Charles would have been a more kingly figure on his return to London, and
the neglect of the colonies which provoked the Revolution would not happen.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Columbus Had Kept His Straight Course Westward", in
IoH
What if:
Columbus did not listen to Pinzon on Oct 7, 1492, and kept sailing true west.
Story:
Landfall would have have likely been made between Cape Canaveral and the
Carolinas, and Spanish colonization would have focused on N America.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Gilbert Livingston Had Not Voted New York Into the Union", in
IoH
What if:
Even though 10 states had already agreed, New York's convention refused
to ratify the Constitution.
Story:
Rhode Island and North Carolina would also have remained outside the
Union, creating a Balkanized N America with civil and military conflict.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If James Macdonnel Had Not Closed the Gate of Hugomont Castle", in
IoH
What if:
Two British soldiers failed to prevent Napoleon from capturing Hugomont.
Story:
Napoleon would have split the British army and won at Waterloo.
Primarily a list of events that would have not occurred.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If King Ethelred of England Had Not Married the Norman Emma", in
IoH
What if:
William the Conqueror had no claim to the English throne.
Story:
Not particularly AH discussion of the family connections.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Lafayette Had Held the French Reign of Terror in Check", in
IoH
What if:
La Fayette accepted the people's call to be the French chief executive.
Story:
With La Fayette in power, the Reign of Terror would not have happened,
Napoleon would have been restrained and France would be a world power.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Orsini's Bomb Had Not Failed to Destroy Napoleon III", in
IoH
What if:
Felice Orsini killed Napoleon III.
Story:
Without Napoleon, there would have been no Franco-Prussian war and 500k
men would have lived longer lives.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If President James Buchanan Had Enforced the Law in November, 1860", in
IoH
What if:
Buchanan fully enforced federal law upon S Carolina's succession,
snuffing out the Civil War before it could start.
Story:
Slavery would have been slowly dissolved, but black suffrage never
extended nor white supremacy organizations created.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Queen Elizabeth Had Left a Son or Daughter", in
IoH
What if:
Elizabeth I found a man both wise and docile enough to marry.
Story:
With a Tudor heir, English advances in the arts would have continued,
Puritanism averted, but likely no American Revolution.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Skipper Jennings Had Not Rescued Certain Shipwrecked Japanese", in
IoH
What if:
The Auckland did not rescue several Japanese fisherman and take them to San
Francisco.
Story:
US interest in Japan would have not perked, and the island nation would
have eventually ended up a Russian or British puppet.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Boy George Washington Had Become a British Midshipman", in
IoH
What if:
Mary Washington did not change her mind, and son George entered the British
navy.
Story:
Without Washington's leadership, the revolutionary army would have
fallen apart.
Even supposing victory, there would have been no Constitution.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Confederates Had Marched on Washington After Bull Run", in
IoH
What if:
The Confederates were more organized and followed hard on the heels of
the panicked Union army to Washington.
Story:
With Washington occupied, the border states would also have seceded and a
peace negotiated, with future Balkanization and conflicts.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Confederate States Had Purchased the East India Company's Fleet in
1861", in
IoH
What if:
The South took up the company's offer and purchased ten good steamships.
Story:
The Confederate navy would have been capable of averting the blockade,
and independence fully achieved by 1863.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Moors Had Won the Battle of Tours", in
IoH
What if:
Abd-ar-Rahman defeated Charles Martel at Tours.
Story:
The Moors would have pushed on to conquer the rest of the Europe, and the
arts, sciences and role of women in society would have been altered.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Philharmonia Had Not Given Concerts at Vicenza", in
IoH
What if:
Musicians did not join to form the Philharmonia in the mid 1500s.
Story:
There would be no professional musician class today and music would not
be divided between classical and popular.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Pirate Jean Lafitte Had Joined the British at New Orleans", in
IoH
What if:
Jean Lafitte accepted a British commission as captain in the Royal Navy.
Story:
Without him, Andrew Jackson would have lost the Battle of New Orleans and
not become president, thus allowing nullification to survive.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If the Spanish Armada Had Sailed at Its Appointed Time", in
IoH
What if:
The Armada sailed in January rather than July 1588.
Comments:
Elizabethan culture would have been stifled and Protestantism smashed,
with Spanish spoken from Mexico to the St. Lawrence.
Chamberlin, Joseph Edgar,
"If Themistocles Had Not Beaten Aristides in an Athenian Election", in
IoH
What if:
The electoral competition between Themistocles and Aristides fell in
Aristides's favor.
Comments:
Without the fleet that Themistocles advocated, Greece would have lost to
Persia at Salamis and we'd all be worshipping Mithra today.
Chandler, A. Bertram,
Kelly Country
(... 1983; DAW 1985, 0886770661);
revision of
"Kelly Country", in
Void ... 1976
What if:
Australian Ned Kelly escaped police capture in 1880 and led a successful
Irish-Australian rebellion against British authority.
Story:
A mental time traveler causes Kelly's escape and wakes up in world where
Australia rather than the US is embroiled in Vietnam.
Charmatz, A.,
"Sailing Through Program Management", in
Analog 5 Jan 1981
------------,
"A Second Chance", in
Analog 9 Nov 1981
What if:
Columbus returned from his first voyage to find that modern management
techniques were being applied to Spain's exploration efforts.
Story:
A series of memos showing increasingly poor relations with project
managers, etc, as Columbus reports on voyage one and prepares for the next.
Chaykin, Howard: see
Niven, Larry, & Howard Chaykin
Chesnoff, Richard Z., Edward Klein, & Robert Littell,
If Israel Lost the War
(Coward-McCann 1969)
What if:
While Israel hoped for a diplomatic settlement, Arab forces delivered a
devastating surprise attack on 5 Jun 1967.
Story:
A day-by-day account of the 6-day fall of Israel and its repercussions in
the US, USSR and the new UAR.
Chesterton, G.K.,
"If Don John of Austria had Married Mary Queen of
Scots", in
IIHHO (all eds.); and
The Common Man
(Sheed & Ward 1950)
What if:
As the title says.
Comments:
Essay on England's place in Christendom and whether it would have
accepted a Scottish Catholic queen and a Spanish prince-consort.
Chiang, Ted,
"Tower of Babylon", in
Omni Nov 1990;
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eighth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1991, 0312060092, 0312060084);
and
Nebula Awards 26: SFWA'S Choice for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of
the Year
(ed. James Morrow)
(HBJ 1992, 0151649340, 0156654725)
What if:
An older idea of cosmology were correct.
Story:
After centuries of work, the Tower of Babylon has reached the vault of
heaven and stoneworkers now attempt to break through.
Comments:
Winner: 1990 Nebula for best novelette;
Nominee: 1991 Hugo for best novelette.
Chilson, Robert,
"The Devil and the Deep Blue Sky", in
BT
What if:
Observing the continued success of Stanley brothers in auto racing, Henry
Ford brought out the Model A steamer in 1911.
Story:
Congress investigates internal combustion engines when a kerosene shortage
arises.
Chilson, Robert,
The Shores of Kansas
(Popular Library 1976)
What if:
Teddy Roosevelt was assassinated.
Story:
...
Christopher, John,
Fireball
(Dutton 1981, 0525297383; Tempo 1984)
Story:
Two boys are caught in a strange ball of fire, emerging in ancient Roman
times where they help Christians overthrow the Roman Empire.
-----------------,
New Found Land
(Dutton 1983, 0525440496)
Story:
The boys flee to N America and face more adventures with Viking settlers and
Aztecs.
-----------------,
Dragon Dance
(Dutton 1986, 0525442278)
Story:
The boys travel on to California.
Churchill, Winston S.,
"If Lee had not Won the Battle of Gettysburg", in
IIHHO (all eds.); and
WMHB3
Trans.:
German tr. by Walter Brumm,
"Wenn Lee die Schlacht von Gettysburg nicht gewonnen Hatte", in
Heyne Science Fiction Magazin #9
What if:
Jeb Stuart reached the battlefield in time to support Pickett's charge.
Later, Lee unilaterally freed the slaves and Britain recognized the CSA.
Story:
Some theorizing about how a Confederate defeat at Gettysburg might have
prevented the formation of the English-speaking union.
Clagett, John,
A World Unknown
(Popular Library 1975)
What if:
Jesus never lived and Constantine dissolved the Roman empire.
Story:
A man finds himself in another world after a nuclear airplane experiment goes
awry.
Clark, Ronald W.,
The Bomb that Failed
(Morrow 1969;
vt The Last Day of the Old World,
Cape 1969)
What if:
The Trinity test was a failure, due in part to Klaus Fuchs.
Story:
An agonizing invasion of Kyushu leads to US use of rice fungus bombs, and
the Soviets exploit border incidents for a drive on the English Channel.
Clarke, Comer,
If the Nazis Had Come
(World 1962)
Clarke, Gerald,
"Yorktown: If the British Had Won", in
Time 2 Nov 1981
Coleman, Terry,
Empire
(Sinclair-Stevenson ...)
What if:
Texas never joined the Union.
Story:
...
Collyn, George,
"Unification Day", in
New Worlds May 1966; and
The Traps of Time
(ed. Michael Moorcock)
(Rapp & Whiting 1968)
What if:
Napoleon won at Waterloo.
Story:
England notes the 150th anniversary of its inclusion in the French empire.
Compton, K.T.,
"If the Atomic Bomb Had Not Been Used", in
Atlantic Dec 1946
Conner, Mike,
Hun
(Tor ..., not yet published)
Cook, Rick,
"Hackers", in
Analog Apr 1989
What if:
Space travel grew from the efforts of model rocket makers rather than
nat'l programs.
Story:
Participants in a 1989 space race encounter a man with a story about a
world in which the gov't spent billions on space and achieved little.
Cooper, Edmund,
"Jupiter Laughs", in
BT
What if:
Jesus of Nazareth was slain by Herod's troops before his family could flee
to Egypt.
Story:
The murder of Jesus, his family and the magi, with an epilog about Rome's
British satrap "Queen" Victoria's humiliating coronation.
Cooper, Giles,
The Other Man: A Novel Based on His Play for Television
(Panther 1964)
Coppel, Alfred,
The Burning Mountain: A Novel of the Invasion of Japan
(HBJ 1983,
015114978X; Charter 1984)
What if:
A lightning strike disrupted the Trinity test.
Story:
Operations Olympic and Coronet, the invasion of Japan.
Cores, Lucy,
"Hail to the Chief", in
BT
What if:
The Watergate break-in went undiscovered and Richard Nixon was president
until poor health caused his resignation in 1994.
Story:
In 1996, a plumbers unit breaks into a Hyannisport house to retrieve a
tape stolen from the San Clemente archives.
Cornett, Robert: see
Randle, Kevin, & Robert Cornett
Corvo, Baron: see
Rolfe, Frederick William
Costa, A.,
L'Appel du 17 juin: roman
(Lattes 1980)
Costello, Holford,
Aristopia. A Romance-History of the New World
(Arena 1895)
What if:
The first settlers in Virginia discovered a reef of pure gold and set up a
Utopian colony.
Story:
History of the land of Aristopia, from its founding to its final takeover of
N America 300 years later.
Costello, Matthew J.,
Time of the Fox
(ROC 1990, 0451450418)
Story:
A mental time traveler studying what made the Beatles so great is
sidetracked into "change war" action involving Rommel's Afrika Korps.
--------------------,
Hour of the Scorpion
(ROC 1991, 0451451287)
Story:
Our hero becomes a US infantry lieutenant as the time war shifts focus to
the Tet offensive and the attack on the US embassy in Saigon.
--------------------,
Day of the Snake
(ROC 1992)
Story:
More time-war action, involving Pearl Harbor.
Costikyan, Greg,
"The West is Red", in
Asimov's Science Fiction May 1994
What if:
Marxism works and capitalism doesn't.
Story:
An academician/computer expert from the USSR visits a Washington, DC, torn
between failing capitalism and flowering Communism.
Cotter, Donald R.,
"How World War II Really Ended", in
National Review 23 Aug 1985
What if:
The US had to invade Japan after a demonstration shot of the atomic bomb
over Tokyo Bay failed to make an impression.,
Story:
The invasion bogs down due to fanatical resistance, and the Soviets
intervene in 1947.
Coulson, Juanita,
"Unscheduled Flight", in
BT
Story:
The Bermuda Triangle offers a one-way trip to an America colonized by
Vikings and English pirates.
Coulson, Robert,
"Soy la Libertad!", in
BT
What if:
Magellan discovered the Americas.
350 years later abolitionists blocked US annexation of Texas.
Story:
A US Customs inspector considers the disastrous possibilities on a Balkanized
N America of the assassination of Texas president Lyndon Johnson.
Coulson, Robert: see also
DeWeese, Gene, & Robert Coulson
Counsil, Wendy,
"Black Handkerchiefs", in
f&sf Dec 1991
What if:
After defeating the US in WW2, the Japanese set the AmerInds up as governors
of the country.
Story:
Decades after the war, white Americans meet secretly to enjoy relics of
Euro-American culture, and argue with a man who advocates accommodation.
Comments:
May not be AH.
Lack of detail leaves room for the possibility that the Japanese defeat the US
in the future.
Coward, Noel,
Peace in Our Time: A Play in Two Acts and Eight
Scenes
(Doubleday 1948);
included in
The Collected Plays of Noel Coward: Play Parade
(Heinemann 1958)
What if:
Nazi Germany invaded and conquered England in the fall of 1940, with an
Allied counter-invasion in 1945.
Story:
How an occupied people relate to their conquerors, as demonstrated by the
patrons of a pub, variously resisters and collaborators.
Comments:
A play first presented at the Theater Royale in Brighton in July 1947.
Cox, Glen E.,
"The More Things Change...", in
AP
What if:
Dewey defeated Truman in the election of 1948.
Story:
How playing hardball over Communism led to Dewey's win.
Cox, Irving E., Jr.
"In the Circle of Nowhere", in
Universe Jul 1954;
Fantastic Jan 1960;
AH; and
Cosmic Critiques
(eds. Isaac Asimov & Martin H. Greenberg)
(Writer's Digest 1990, 0898793947)
Trans.:
German tr. by Sylvia Brecht-Pukallus,
"Im Kreis des Nirgendwo", in
SVW
Story:
Following a study of racial equality, an AmerInd from a world where red men
enslaved Europe is transported to our Chicago.
Cox, Richard (ed.),
Operation Sea Lion
(Thornton Cox 1974, 090272617X; Presidio 1977, 0891410155)
What if:
Nazi Germany carried out Operation Seelöwe, invading England on 22 Sep 1940.
Story:
A detailed account of Germany's miserable 5-day failure.
Comments:
Based on a war game played out in 1974 by British and West German officers.
Comments:
Synopsis in Morton's
"Introduction to Sealion".
Cron, Thomas,
"Tuning the Crosswhen Radio", in
[Clayton Junior College] The Clay Tablet 1980
Story:
The purchase of a radio lets its proud new owner pick up broadcasts from
other timelines.
Cronin, Philip M.,
"If Britain Had Suppressed America's War for Independence", in
Harvard Magazine Jul/Aug 1976
What if:
...
Story:
Three possible American histories.
Crosby, Ernest,
"If the South Had Been Allowed to Go", in
North American Review Dec 1903
What if:
...
Story:
Slavery withers away and the states re-unite.
Crowley, John,
"Great Work of Time", in
Novelty
(Doubleday 1990, 0385261713, 0385263473);
and
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Seventh Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1990, 0312044518, 0312044526)
What if:
Cecil Rhodes died in 1893, and left his fortune to endow a secret society
to preserve and extend the British Empire.
Story:
Among other tasks, the Otherhood must ensure that Rhodes dies before he can
rethink his will.
Crumey, Andrew,
Music, In a Foreign Language
(Daedalus 1994)
Story:
An alternate Britain experiences the fall of Communism.
Cunliffe, Marcus,
"What If?", in
American Heritage Dec 1982
Comments:
Discussion of counterfactual arguments, with examples from the American
presidency.
(Follow-up letters to editor appear in Feb 83 issue.)
Cupp, Scott,
"Thirteen Days of Glory", in
Razored Saddles
(eds. Joe R. Lansdale & Pat LoBrutto)
(Dark Harvest 1989,
0913165492; Avon 1990, 0380711680)
What if:
The defenders of the Alamo were homosexuals defending their lifestyle.
Story:
Drag-queens fight an outraged Mexican army.
Comments:
Borderline secret history, but for reasons of personal safety, Cupp has
stated it is AH.
Dabney, Virginia,
"If the South had Won the War", in
American Mercury Oct 1936
What if:
Pickett's Charge succeeded, and the defenders of Vicksburg were a bit more
tenacious.
Story:
A look at the CSA during Huey Long's presidency.
Daniel, Kate,
"The Defiant Disaster", in
BAOF
What if:
Amelia Earhart survived the crash at Howland Island.
Story:
Years later, as head of the Nat'l Space Exploration Administration, she must
cope with the space plane accident that killed Chuck Yeager.
Daniels, Tony,
"The Careful Man Goes West", in
IAsfm Jul 1992
What if:
AmerInds were absorbed peacefully into a multi-cultural society.
Story:
People have the ability to choose from a variety of possible futures, and one
of them picked one in which the AmerInds were instead wiped out.
Daniels, Tony,
"God's Foot", in
Asimov's Science Fiction May 1993
What if:
What if the Eurasian and African tectonic plates collided with the N American
during the late Cretaceous.
Story:
A Korean-Japanese tourist climbs the great Appalachian peak Cheaha and
becomes embroiled in a conflict between strange Western gods.
Davidson, Avram,
"O Brave New World!", in
BT
What if:
Offered the choice of going to hell or to America, George II's heir opted for
the latter.
Story:
The center of British power shifts to Philadelphia, leading to an English
uprising in the early 1800s against American tyranny.
Davidson, Avram: see also
Goldstone, Cynthia, & Avram Davidson
Davin, Eric L.,
"Avenging Angel", in
Far Frontiers II/Spring 1985
(eds. Jerry Pournelle & Jim Baen)
(Baen 1985, 0671559540);
and
The Fantastic Civil War
(ed. Frank McSherry, Jr.)
(Baen 1991, 0671720635)
What if:
The CSA developed a long-range rocket and fired it on Washington during
Lincoln's second inauguration, 4 Mar 1865.
Story:
An explanation of its development and how it provoked the sack of Richmond
and a harsher Reconstruction.
Davis, Grania,
"Chroncop", in
f&sf Aug 1993
Story:
A time cop looks for a group of missing tourists, with brief mention of
visits to AH worlds.
Davis, Guy,
Baker Street: Honour Among Punks
(Caliber 1990)
What if:
World War II never happened.
Story:
...
de Camp, L. Sprague,
"Aristotle and the Gun", in
Astounding Feb 1958;
Gun for Dinosaur and Other Imaginative Tales
(Doubleday 1963);
Alpha 3
(ed. Robert Silverberg)
(Ballantine 1972);
Analog: Writer's Choice
(ed. Stanley Schmidt)
(Davis/Dial ...);
Space Mail Vol. II
(eds. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph Olander)
(Fawcett 1982, 0449244814);
BAW; and
The Legend Book of Science Fiction
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(Legend 1991;
vt Modern Classics of Science Fiction,
St. Martin's 1992, 0312072384, St. Martin's 1993, 0312088477)
Trans.:
German tr. by Werner Fuchs,
"Ein Yankee bei Aristoteles", in
Ein Yankee bei Aristoteles
(Heyne 1980)
What if:
Aristotle abandoned the study of natural science.
Story:
Trying to teach Aristotle the scientific method, a time traveler instead
overawes and sours him on scientific research.
de Camp, L. Sprague,
Lest Darkness Fall
(Ballantine 1949; Pyramid 1963; Ballantine 1974; Ballantine 1983);
revision of
"Lest Darkness Fall", in
Unknown Dec 1939
Trans.:
Portugese tr. by Eurico Fonseca,
A Luz e as Trevas
(Livros do Brasil 1987)
Story:
Transported to Rome in the time of Justinian, a man decides to start up a
few modern industries and avert the Dark Ages.
de Camp, L. Sprague,
"The Round-Eyed Barbarians", in
Amazing Stories Jan 1992;
WMHB4; and
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Tenth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(Martin's 1993, 0312094248, 031209423X;
vt Best New SF 7,
Robinson 1993, 1854872346)
What if:
The Chinese discovered the Americas at about the same time as Columbus.
Story:
C. 1560, Spanish and Chinese explorers meet in N America, and a dispute over
a Spaniard's elopement with a AmerInd girl must be settled.
de Camp, L. Sprague,
"The Wheels of If", in
Unknown Dec 1940;
The Wheels of If
(Shasta 1948);
The Wheels of If and Other Science-Fiction
(Berkley 1970, 0425018938);
The Virgin and the Wheels
(Popular Library 1976);
AH;
The Wheels of If & The Pugnacious Peacemaker
(Tor SF Double #20)
(Tor 1990, 0812502027);
and
Unknown Worlds: Tales from Beyond
(ed. ...)
(Bristol Park 1993, 0884860779)
What if:
Oswiu of Northumbria adopted the Celtic rather than Roman branch of
Christianity. Later, the Arabs won at Tours.
Story:
A DA from our New York finds himself residing in the body of a Celtic
Christian bishop in "New Belfast".
Comments:
Sequel is Turtledove's
"The Pugnacious Peacemaker".
Dean, William,
"A Passage in Italics", in
f&sf May 1972
What if:
Italy invented the first atomic bomb and won WW2.
Story:
An Occupying Forces MP harasses the customers in an Amerian barbershop.
Later, the barber discovers his straight razor has disappeared.
DeBrandt, Don H.,
The Quicksilver Screen
(Ballantine 1992, 0345373413)
Story:
Adventures of a professional viewer in a 21st century in which Infinite
Range TV provides a look at other timelines.
deFord, Miriam Allen,
"Slips Take Over", in
f&sf Sept 1964; and
WoM
Deighton, Len,
SS-GB: Nazi-Occupied Britain 1941
(Cape 1978, 0224016067; G.K. Hall 1979, 0816167486; Knopf 1979, 0394504097;
Ballantine 1980, 0345284941; Curley 1992, 0792713249, 0792713230)
Trans.:
German tr. by Kurt Wagenseil & Ursula Pommer,
SS-GB
(Heyne 1983)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Roberto Raposo,
SS-GB
(Civilização Brasileira 1982)
What if:
Germany won the Battle of Britain.
Story:
A Scotland Yard detective tries to raise his motherless son and investigate
a murder in occupied England.
Comments:
Synopsis in Giordano's Wenn Hitler den krieg gewonnen haette.
Del Rey, Lester, [& Paul W. Fairlane],
The Infinite Worlds of Maybe
(Holt, Rinehart & Winston 1966)
Story:
Crosstimers view the 2nd American War Between the States.
Delaplace, Barbara,
"Farewell, My Buddy", in
BAOF
What if:
Humphrey Bogart became a private detective rather than an actor.
Story:
His business about to go belly-up, Bogey broods about how unrealistic
Hollywood tec movies are, particularly those starring Ray Chandler.
Delaplace, Barbara,
"No Other Choice", in
AP
What if:
Dewey ousted Roosevelt from the White House in 1944.
Story:
Rather than bomb Hiroshima, Dewey orders that a demonstration shot of the
atomic bomb be given, but the Japanese refuse to surrender.
Delaplace, Barbara,
"Painted Bridges", in
AO
What if:
Hitler was committed to an asylum before he gained power.
Story:
A Jewish psychiatrist tries art therapy, but in the case of patient
Schickelgruber it backfires powerfully.
Delaplace, Barbara,
"Standing Firm", in
AW
What if:
Neville Chamberlain was made of sterner stuff.
Story:
How Chamberlain made up his mind to stand up to Hitler at Munich, including
a conversation with appeasement proponent Churchill.
Delaplace, Barbara: see also
Haldeman, Jack C. II, & Barbara Delaplace
Delisle de Sales, Jean Claude Izouard,
Ma République
(... 1791)
Comments:
A history text of France, but chapter 21 speculates on an alternate French
Revolution resulting from a stronger Louis XVI.
Deloria, Vine, Jr.,
"Why the U.S. Never Fought the Indians", in
Christian Century 7-14 Jan 1976
What if:
In 1813, southern AmerInds joined with Tecumseh to oppose both the US and
Britain in the War of 1812, earning themselves a seat at Ghent.
Story:
Sharing N America leads to a more humane society, despite such troubles as
the presidential succession crisis of 1876 and the buffalo war of 1880.
Dent, Guy,
Emperor of the If
(Heinemann 1926)
What if:
England was not subject to glaciers during the Ice Ages.
Story:
...
Denton, Bradley,
"The Territory", in
f&sf Jul 1992; and
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Tenth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1993, 0312094248, 031209423X;
vt Best New SF 7,
Robinson 1993, 1854872346)
What if:
After his brother was killed by Unionists in 1861, Sam Clemens decided to
remain in Missouri rather than move west to Nevada.
Story:
Joining Quantrill's raiders just in time for the attack on Lawrence, Kansas,
Clemens begins to wonder about the mess he's gotten into.
Comments:
Nominee: 1992 Nebula for best novella, 1993 Hugo for best novella.
Denton, Bradley,
Wrack & Roll
(Popular Library 1986, 0445203064)
What if:
Roosevelt choked on a chicken bone in 1933, and Patton rolled into Russia
after the fall of Germany.
Story:
NASA is destroyed by fans after a 1967 lunar disaster kills a rock star.
In 1979, her daughter goes on tour.
Derleth, August, & Mack Reynolds,
"The Adventure of the Snitch in Time", in
The Misadventures of Sherlock Holmes
(ed. ... Wolfe)
(Citadel 1991,
0806512350)
Story:
In infinite alternate worlds, even fiction might be true.
A traveler visits one such to ask Sherlock Holmes for help.
DeWeese, Gene, & Robert Coulson,
"Queen of the Timies", in
AWC
Dexter, Lewis A.,
"What If Joseph McCarthy Had Not Been a U.S. Senator in
1950-55? and/or What If There Had Been a Serious, Responsible Senator with
Gifts as Great as McCarthy's for Publicity Who Had Pre-Empted the
Communism-in-Government Issue from Him in 1949", in
WIESSF
What if:
As the title says.
Comments:
Without obvious witch-hunting, a better job of explaining the dangers of
proStalinism and rooting it out would have occurred.
Di Filippo, Paul,
"Anne", in
Science Fiction Age Nov 1992
What if:
Concerned about Hitler, Otto Frank sent his daughters to America with his
brothers-in-law, where they move to Hollywood.
Story:
Excerpts from the diary of Anne Holland, from reading for a part in The
Wizard of Oz to her divorce from Mickey Rooney in 1951.
Di Filippo, Paul,
"Campbell's World", in
Amazing Stories Sep 1993
What if:
Anthropologist Joseph Campbell became editor of Astounding in 1937.
Story:
A Navajo story-writer recounts Campbell's plans to publish tales leading to
world harmony and how they averted WW2.
Di Filippo, Paul,
"Mairzy Doats", in
f&sf Feb 1991
What if:
Harry Truman became a career soldier, Robert Heinlein went into politics,
and atomic and rocket research moved at a much faster pace.
Story:
In a 1948 Heinleinian America, an SF writer meets the president and is
recruited for a mission to the Moon to hunt down Axis refugees.
Di Filippo, Paul,
"Walt and Emily", serial in
Interzone #77 & #78 (Nov & Dec 1993)
Story:
An encounter between Walt Whitman and Emily Dickinson.
Di Filippo, Paul,
"World Wars III", in
Interzone #55 (Jan 92)
What if:
Starting with Einstein in 1918, every nuclear physicist was murdered, and
nuclear weapons were never developed.
Story:
A soldier in Kiel c 1970 for the big allied push against the Soviets meets
an old reporter with a crazy tale about time travelling.
Di Filippo, Paul: see also
Rucker, Rudy, & Paul Di Filippo
DiChario, Nicholas A.,
"Dao De Qing", in
AT
DiChario, Nicholas A.,
"Extreme Feminism", in
AW
What if:
The struggle for women's suffrage in America was more violent.
Story:
Susan B. Anthony participates in a gun purchase and a demonstration gone
awry, and despite her desires finds herself becoming an outlaw.
DiChario, Nicholas A.,
"Giving Head", in
AO
Story:
After a head injury, Manfred von Richthofen is forced to visit Sigmund Freud,
who is studying what make a man a perfect warrior.
DiChario, Nicholas A.,
"Would He Do Woody?", in
BAOF
What if:
"Eddie" Chaplin didn't achieve on the silver screen.
Story:
The tale of a modern silent actor named Charlie Chaplin who's just made a
movie about his grandfather who didn't quite make it in show biz
Dick, Philip K.,
The Crack in Space
(Ace 1966)
Trans.:
Portugese tr. Elisabeth Maria Jesus de Souza,
Fenda no Espaço
(Europa-America 1984)
What if:
Sinanthropes rather than man's predecessors became the dominant primates.
Story:
The future of our world tries to use this alternate world to relieve
overpopulation problems.
Comments:
Synopsis in Lodi-Ribeiro's
"Hist—rias Naturais Alternativas".
Dick, Philip K.,
The Man in the High Castle
(Putnam's 1962; Penguin 1965; Berkley 1974, 0425039080; Gollancz 1975,
0575019581; Gregg 1979, 0839824769; Vintage 1992, 0679740678; ROC UK
1993, 014017172X)
Trans.:
German tr. by Heinz Nagel,
Das orakel vom Berge
(Bastei-Lübbe 1982)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Sílvia Escorel,
O Homem do Castelo Alto
(Brasiliense 1985)
What if:
Before his 1933 inauguration, FDR was assassinated in Miami, which eventually
led to the Axis winning WW2.
Story:
Relations between Americans and their rulers, with light from the Tao and an
AH novel about a world in which the Axis lost the war.
Comments:
Winner: 1963 Hugo for best novel
Dick, Philip K.,
Radio Free Albemuth
(Arbor House 1985, 0877957622; Avon 1987, 0380702886)
Dickinson, Peter,
King and Joker
(Pantheon 1976, 0394406036; G.K. Hall 1976, 0816164347;
Hodder & Stoughton 1976, 0340207000; Avon 1977; Mysterious 1993)
----------------,
Skeleton-in-Waiting
(Bodley Head 1989, 0370313550; Pantheon 1989,
0394580028; Thorndike 1990, 01560540044)
What if:
Edward Duke of Clarence did not die in 1887 and became king of England in
1910 rather than his brother George.
Story:
Princess Louise (b. 1963) discovers some skeletons in the (royal) family
closet and must solve some mysteries.
Dicks, Terrance,
Timewyrm: Exodus
(Dr. Who 1991, 0426203577)
What if:
The Nazis conquered Britain.
Story:
A Dr. Who crosstime adventure.
Disraeli, Isaac,
"Of a History of Events Which Have Not Happened", in
Curiosities of Literature
(ed. Benjamin Disraeli)
(Moxon 1849; Routledge,
Warne & Routledge 1863; William Veazie 1864; Widdleton 1865)
Comments:
Essay on possible alternatives in history, but without much development.
Comments:
Discussed in Stableford's "A Note on Alternate History".
Dixon, Dougal,
The New Dinosaurs: An Alternate Evolution
(Grafton 1988, 0246132590; Salem House 1988, 0881623016;
Fawcett 1989, 0449904423)
What if:
The KT meteorite impacts never occurred and the Great Extinction of the
dinosaurs never happened.
Story:
Pictorial biology of the modern result of continued dinosaur evolution.
Dixon, Larry: see
Lackey, Mercedes, & Larry Dixon
d'Ormesson, Jean,
La gloire de l'empire
(Gallimard 1971)
Trans.:
English tr. by Barbara Bray,
The Glory of the Empire
(Knopf 1974, 0394481216)
What if:
Eurasia was united under a single empire.
Story:
...
Dorrington, Nigel,
"The Court Martial", in
The Drabble Project
(eds. Rob Meades & David B. Wake)
(Beccon 1988)
Douay, D.,
Le principe de l'oeuf
(Calmann-Lévy 1980)
Dowd, Maureen,
"It's a Wonderful 2d Term (Apologies to Mr. Capra)", in
New York Times 8 Nov 1992
What if:
George Bush fired two hardline advisors and refocused his presidency on
domestic affairs.
Story:
How Bush could have enjoyed a 97% approval rating by 1992 and easily
embarked on a second term.
Downing, David,
The Moscow Option: An Alternative Second World War
(New English Library 1979, 0450039463; St. Martin's 1980, 0312548915)
What if:
An Aug 1941 plane crash left Hitler lying in a coma and Göring in charge of
the 3rd Reich for 6 months.
Story:
Left to its own devices the Wehrmacht took Moscow in Oct 1941.
Also, details on Pearl Harbor, Malta, Cairo, Midway, Panama and Jerusalem.
Doyle, Arthur Conan,
"The Death Voyage", in
Saturday Evening Post 28 Sep 1929;
Strand Oct 1929;
Uncollected Stories: The Unknown Conan Doyle
(eds. John Michael Gibson &
Richard Lancelyn Green)
(Secker & Warburg 1982, 0436133016; Doubleday 1982,
038519028X)
What if:
Wilhelm II did not abdicate.
Story:
The Kaiser travels to Kiel and convinces the sailors to give up their revolt
and sail into one last grand battle against the British.
Drake, David,
Fortress
(Tor 1987; Tor 1988, 0812536207, 0812536215)
What if:
JFK escaped assassination and in 1965 announced a Star Wars-like missile
defense program.
Story:
In 1985, a former NSA agent is caught between Americans, Neo-Nazis, Jews and
space aliens in a fight for control of an orbital defense platform.
Dreyfuss, Richard: see
Turtledove, Harry, & Richard Dreyfuss
Droit, Jacques,
Malheureux Ulysse
(... 1956)
What if:
Louis XVI escaped arrest.
Story:
In 1870, France is ruled by Louis XIX.
Duits, Charles,
Ptah Hotep: roman
(Denoël 1971, 1981)
What if:
Constantine suppressed Christianity.
Story:
Far future of a Egyptian-Roman-Arab world.
Dunn, J.R.,
"Crux Gammata", in
IAsfm Oct 1992
What if:
Nazi Germany invaded England and won at Stalingrad, thereby conquering Europe
before the US could enter the war.
Story:
In the early 1970s, the first American rock band to tour Nazi Europe tries to
avoid provoking an incident, but the authorities have other plans.
Dunn, J.R.,
"Long Knives", in
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future: Volume III
(ed. Algis
Budrys)
(Bridge 1987, 0884042456)
Story:
Agents from one timeline protect hated leaders (e.g., Hitler) in others from
crosstime assassins.
Dunn, J.R.,
"Men of Good Will", in
Amazing Stories Mar 1993
What if:
Archimedes built machines to replace slaves, and the contributions of others
led to an industrial revolution 1800 years early.
Story:
A Roman agent is sent to Jerusalem to extract a Galilean rabbi who seems to
be at the center of possible trouble for the empire.
Dupuy, Trevor N.,
Options of Command
(Hippocrene 1984)
Comments:
Extrapolations based on changes in command decisions during 10 WW2 battles,
including the Battle of Britain, Pearl Harbor, Stalingrad, and Normandy.
Dvorkin, David,
Budspy
(F. Watts 1987, 0531150534)
What if:
Hitler was killed by a Russian attack while visiting the Eastern Front in Mar
1943 and his successors made peace with the US and Britain.
Story:
In 1988, while hunting for a Red spy in the Berlin embassy, an American agent
finds that Germany hasn't reformed as much as it pretends.
Easton, Thomas A.,
"Black Earth and Destiny", in
AP
What if:
Andrew Jackson outmaneuvered John Quincy Adams and was elected president in
1824, four years early.
Story:
Jackson invested government money in biological research.
70 years later, George Washington Carver contemplates two job offers.
Ede-Borrett, Stephen,
"1688--The Glorious Revolution and the War that Never Was", in
Miniature Wargames #65 (Oct 1988)
Edwards, Owen Dudley,
"If I had been... William Ewart Gladstone in 1880", in
IIHB
What if:
Gladstone appointed a more progressive Cabinet at the beginning of his 2nd
term as British Prime Minister.
Comments:
With his Cabinet's backing, Gladstone pushes through Parliament a Land Bill
which would alleviate Irish unrest.
Edmondson, G.C.,
To Sail the Century Sea
(Ace 1981)
Story:
The US gov't, during Nixon's 4th term, sends a team back to alter the Council
of Nicaea in 325 and the future course of East-West relations.
Comments:
Non-AH predecessor is The Ship that Sailed the Time Stream.
Effinger, George Alec,
"Everything but Honor", in
WMHB1
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Ícaro S. França,
"Tudos Menos a Honra", in
Isaac Asimov Magazine de Ficção Científica #6
What if:
Robert E. Lee fought for the Union and the Civil War was over before Lincoln
could issue an Emancipation Proclamation.
Story:
Thinking things would be better, a black physicist working in 1938 Imperial
Germany goes back in time to make Lee follow a different path.
Effinger, George Alec,
"The Fifteen-Minute Falcon", in
BAOF
What if:
Gypsy Rose Lee was a private detective.
Story:
The Maltese Falcon retold in 14 pages with all gender roles reversed.
Effinger, George Alec,
Look Away
(Axolotl 1990)
What if:
An internat'l peacekeeping force intervened in the American Civil War.
Story:
...
Effinger, George Alec,
"Prince Pat", in
AK
What if:
The "3rd Generation" of Kennedys included some extra children, including
JFK's son Patrick.
Story:
In 2000, Patrick Bouvier Kennedy runs for president with the aid of his
numerous cousins, all intent on avoiding 1990s style marketing-politics.
Effinger, George Alec,
Relatives: A Novel
(Harper & Row 1973, 0060111496; Dell 1976);
revision of
"The City on the Sand", in
f&sf Apr 1973; and
"Relatives", in
Bad Moon Rising
(ed. Thomas M. Disch)
(Harper & Row 1973, 0060110465)
Story:
One world in which Europe never colonized America or Africa, another in which
Germany won WW1.
Effinger, George Alec,
"Schrödinger's Kitten", in
Omni Sep 1989
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Sixth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1989, 0312030096, 0312030088);
The 1989 Annual World's Best SF
(eds. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha)
(DAW 1989);
Nebula Awards 24: SFWA'S Choice for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of
the Year 1988
(ed. Michael Bishop)
(Arbor House 1989);
and
The New Hugo Awards: Volume III
(ed. Connie Willis & Martin H. Greenberg)
(Baen 1994, 067187604X; SFBC 1994)
Story:
An Arab girl who dreams of potential futures becomes a quantum physicist.
Later she meets Hugh Everett (of the many worlds theory).
Comments:
Winner: 1988 Nebula for best novelette, 1989 Hugo for best novelette
Effinger, George Alec,
"Shootout at Gower Gulch", in
AO
What if:
Frank James prevented Bob Ford from killing his brother Jesse.
Story:
James eventually becomes a famous Hollywood actor, but Ford
has a relative who also ended up in Hollywood.
Effinger, George Alec,
"Target: Berlin! The Role of the Air Force Four-Door
Hardtop", in
New Dimensions 6
(ed. Robert Silverberg)
(Harper & Row 1976, 0060138645);
and
BAW
Trans.:
German tr. by Juergen Langowski,
"Ziel: Berlin!", in
HSL
What if:
In a fit of sanity, world leaders decided to postpone WW2.
Story:
Excerpts from Effinger's book on how the WW2 of the 1970s was fought with
automobiles instead of aircraft in order to conserve fuel.
Eisenstein, Phyllis,
Shadow of Earth
(Dell 1979)
Story:
A female student from our world is stuck in a chauvinist Midwest of a world
where the
Spanish Armada triumphed.
Eklund, Gordon,
All Times Possible
(DAW 1974)
Story:
A man from a timeline where the US went fascist after FDR's murder sets
out to change the past and becomes dictator of Red America.
Eklund, Gordon,
"The Karamazov Caper", in
WMHB4
What if:
Pope Innocent VIII was assassinated in 1486 and his successor suppressed
knowledge of Columbus's voyage.
Later, Bering "discovered" the Americas.
Story:
400 years later, tsarist agent Leon Trotsky investigates the ritualistic
murder of a babe near Seattle.
Eklund, Gordon,
"Red Skins", in
f&sf Jan 1981
What if:
The Americas were discovered in 1219 by a Moslem, but not seriously colonized
until Europeans showed up c. 1700.
Story:
100 years after AmerInds banded together to handle the immigration problem,
Nazi Germany threatens war if scientist-refugees are not returned.
Eklund, Gordon,
"The Rising of the Sun", in
BT
Trans.:
German tr. by Sylvia Brecht-Pukallus,
"Die Sonne geht auf", in
SVW
What if:
Europe fell to the Moslems and was discovered by the Incas in 1600.
Story:
In 1899, a renegade Arab inventor detonates an atomic weapon over Cuzco just
as the city falls to the Aztecs.
Eklund, Gordon,
Serving in Time
(Laser 1975, 0373720068)
What if:
George Washington was killed in New York in August 1776, and the US did not
become independent until after a second rebellion in 1796.
Story:
A boy from 2169 is forced into the Time Service and discovers that he must
fix American history.
Elgin, Suzette Haden,
"Hush My Mouth", in
AH
Trans.:
German tr. by Sylvia Brecht-Pukallus,
"Schweig stille, Mund!", in
SVW
What if:
The North refused to enlist black soldiers during the Civil War, and blacks
ejected whites from the South after devastating epidemics.
Story:
Blacks have found that their only common language is the oppressor's English.
Some refuse to speak until a better tongue is found.
Elliot, Jeffrey M.: see
Reginald, Robert, & Jeffrey M. Elliot
Ellis, Charles D.,
The Second Crash
(Simon & Schuster 1973, 0671214748)
What if:
Jack Golsen did not bail out the brokerage firm of Hayden, Stone in 1970,
thus provoking the worst Wall Street crash in history.
Story:
Description of the financial aftermath, plus Senate hearings revealing Wall
Street's many excesses and consequent legislation.
Erickson, Steve,
Tours of the Black Clock
(Poseidon 1989, 0671649213; Avon 1990, 0380709449)
What if:
Germany did not invade the Soviet Union in 1941, but did invade England in
1942, and Mexico sometime later.
Story:
...
Eriksson, James S.,
America Vichinga
(Frasinelli 1984)
Étienne, Gérard,
Un ambassadeur-macoute à Montréal
(Nouvelle-Optique 1979, 289017008X)
What if:
Quebec seceded from Canada in 1970.
Story:
Interaction between the Duvalier dictatorship of Haiti and Quebecois
separatists.
Evans, Christopher,
Aztec Century
(Gollancz 1993, 0575055405, 0575055383; Gollancz 1994,
0575057122)
What if:
The Aztecs were not defeated.
Story:
The Aztecs rule 20th century Britain.
Comments:
Winner: 1994 BSFA Award for best novel
Falconer, Stuart,
"Fugue and Variations", in
Interzone #85 (Jul 1994)
What if:
Franz Süssmayr was felled by rheumatic fever in 1791 rather than
Wolfgang Mozart.
Story:
A modern man explores his grandfather's odd library, reading about Mozart's
life until 1825, including his meeting with Mary and Percy Bysshe Shelley,
and the origin of Wagner's opera Frankenstein.
Farber, Sharon N.,
"Trans Dimensional Imports", in
IAsfm Aug 1980
Story:
A woman publishes fiction never written in our timeline and gains moral
strength from talking to her counterpart in another.
Farmer, Philip José,
"Sail On, Sail On", in
Startling Stories Dec 1952;
A Century of Science Fiction
(ed. Damon Knight)
(Simon & Schuster 1962);
WoM;
Decade: The 1950's
(eds. Brian Aldiss & Harry Harrison)
(Macmillan 1976, 0333190017; St. Martin's 1978, 0312189850?;
St. Martin's 1980, 03121898707);
SF: Author's Choice
(ed. Harry Harrison)
(Berkley 1968, 1976);
The Road to Science Fiction #3: From Heinlein to Here
(ed. James Gunn)
(NAL/Mentor 1979, 0451617843);
A Treasury of Modern Fantasy
(eds. Terry Carr & Martin H. Greenberg)
(Avon 1981, 0380771152);
The Classic Philip José Farmer, 1952-1964
(ed. Martin H Greenberg)
(Crown 1984, 0517551934);
The Great SF Stories: 14
(eds. Isaac Asimov & Martin H. Greenberg)
(DAW 1986, 0886771064);
and
Masters of Fantasy
(eds. Terry Carr & Martin H. Greenberg)
(Galahad 1992; Bristol Park 1994, 0884860949)
Trans.:
German tr. by Ronald M. Hahn,
"Weitersegeln! Weitersegeln!", in
Das lachelm der Gioconda
(ed. Rene Oth)
(Luchterhand 1985)
What if:
The world was flat, and Bacon developed a radio from theological principles.
Story:
Columbus sails off the edge of Earth.
Farmer, Philip José
Two Hawks from Earth
(Ace 1979, 0441833659);
rev. of
The Gate of Time
(Belmont 1970, 050502016?)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Eurico Fonseca,
Universos Paralelos
(Livros do Brasil 1986)
Story:
American and German pilots from different WW2s meet on an Earth where the
Americas are only an archipelago, but Europe is still at war.
Comments:
Synopsis in Lodi-Ribeiro's
"Hist—rias Naturais Alternativas".
Farren, Mick,
Necrom
(Ballantine 1991, 0345361857)
Story:
Crosstime adventurer visits an Aztec-dominated modern Earth.
Fawcett, Bill,
"Lincoln's Charge", in
AP
What if:
Stephen Douglas won the election of 1860, but the Republican-controlled
Senate still provoked Southern secession.
Story:
In 1863, with the Union facing imminent disaster, General Abe Lincoln and
his Illinois militia must lead an attack at Carrolton, Indiana.
Fawcett, Bill,
"Zealot", in
AW
What if:
Moses led his people into guerrilla warfare.
Story:
After three years of fighting, the Hebrews occupy pharaoh's Gizan palace,
but find themselves beseiged by an overwhelming force.
Feeley, Gregory,
"The Crab Lice", in
AT
Fehrenbach, T.R.,
"Remember the Alamo!", in
Analog Dec 1961;
Analog 1
(ed. John W. Campbell)
(Doubleday 1963);
Political Science Fiction: An Introductory Reader
(eds. Martin H. Greenberg & Patricia Warrick)
(Prentice-Hall 1974, 0136554044, 013685396X);
and
Transformation II
(ed. ... Roselle)
(Fawcett 1974);
and
BAW; and
The Great SF tories: 23
(eds. Isaac Asimov & Martin H. Greenberg)
(DAW 1991, 0886774780)
What if:
Napoleon conquered Britain.
Story:
A Britisher from our (?) timeline goes back in time to the Alamo, but its
defenders behave like 20th-century liberals.
Ferguson, Brad,
The World Next Door
(Tor 1990, 0812537955);
revision of
"The World Next Door", in
IAsfm Sep 1987; and
There Will Be War 8: Armageddon
(eds. Jerry Pournelle & John F. Carr)
(publ. unknown)
What if:
Nuclear war broke out in the early 1960s.
Story:
In up-state NY, 1980s survivors of the war have strange dreams of a world
full of home computers, cable television, etc.
Ferguson, Neil,
"The Monroe Doctrine", in
Interzone #6; and
Interzone: The First Anthology: New Science Fiction and Fantasy Writing
(eds. John Clute, Colin Greenland & David Pringle)
(J.M. Dent 1985,
0460022946; St Martin's 1985, 031242535X)
What if:
Marilyn Monroe was elected president.
Story:
When the Soviets invade Czechoslovakia, Marilyn tries a little personal
diplomacy on Leonid Brezhnev.
Ferrell, Thomas H.,
"What If There Were a Unitary Rather Than a Federal
System?", in
WIAP
What if:
The Constitution of 1787 were rejected, but after civil unrest, a more
centrist Constitution was adopted in 1797.
Comments:
Description of US government and political parties under a system in which
states are little more than geographic regions.
Finch, Sheila,
"If There Be Cause", in
Amazing Stories Feb 1992; and
WMHB4
What if:
Sir Francis Drake planted the seed of Protestantism among AmerInds of the
Pacific Coast.
Story:
200 years later, religious war breaks out when the Spanish begin their
colonization of California.
Finch, Sheila,
Infinity's Web
(Bantam 1985, 0553252518)
Story:
Analogous versions of the same woman interact through particle physics,
Tarotry, mysticism and a twist in spacetime.
Finch, Sheila,
"Old Man and C", in
Amazing Stories Nov 1989; and
WMHB2
What if:
A Swiss patent office employee quit his job to become a professional
musician.
Story:
As the USA drops a new type of bomb in Korea, a 75-year-old Einstein frets
about whether he's wasted his life as a violin teacher.
Finch, Sheila,
"Reichs-Peace", in
HV
What if:
Rudolf Hess's flight was successful and a Pan-European federation began a
1000-year peace.
Story:
An attempt to use telepathy to rescue Hitler's adoptive son after an
accident on the Moon.
Finney, Jack,
The Woodrow Wilson Dime
(Simon & Schuster 1968);
revision of
"The Other Wife" (vt "The Coin Collector"), in
Saturday Evening Post Jan 1960;
The 5th Annual of the World's Best S-F
(ed. Judith Merrill)
(Simon & Schuster 1960);
I Love Galesburg in the Spring
(Simon & Schuster 1963)
(Eyre & Spottiswoode 1975);
About Time: Twelve Stories
(Simon & Schuster 1986, 0671628879);
and
Three by Finney
(Simon & Schuster 1987, 0671640488)
Story:
Adventures in various timelines with minor differences.
Fisher, H.A.L.,
"If Napoleon had Escaped to America", in
Scribner's Jan 1931;
IIHHO (all eds.); and
Pages from the Past
(Clarendon 1939; Books for Libraries 1969, 0836912608)
Trans.:
German tr. by Walter Brumm,
"Wenn Napoleon nach Amerika entkommen ware", in
Heyne Science Fiction Magazin #12
What if:
Napoleon did not surrender after Waterloo but fled to Boston.
Story:
L'empereur looks for new lands to conquer and focuses on S America, but will
it be enough?
Fleming, Peter,
Operation Sea Lion: The Projected Invasion of England in 1940, An Acoount
of the German Preparations and the British Countermeasures
(Simon & Schuster 1957; Ace ...; Greenwood 1977, 0837194296;
vt Invasion 1940: An Acoount of the German Preparations and the British
Countermeasures,
Hart-Davis 1957; Pan 1975)
What if:
Germany occupied England in 1940 or made no invasion preparations at all.
Comments:
Mostly background mat'l but chapter 20 discusses events which could not
have occurred if either supposition were true.
Flynn, John L.,
"Paradox Lost", in
...
What if:
The Library of Alexandria was not burned.
Story:
...
Flynn, Michael F.,
"Forest of Time", in
Analog Jun 1987
What if:
The US never united, resulting in a collection of independent States
fighting constant border wars.
Story:
A crosstime traveler is stranded in a Wyoming Valley where Pennsylvania is
fighting for control vs Virginia and New York.
Flynn, Michael F.,
"On the Wings of a Butterfly", in
Analog Mar 1989
What if:
Pizarro's 2nd expedition met with greater success.
Story:
A member of the Shining Path goes back to ensure that Pizarro encounters the
Inca Empire before civil war broke out.
Ford, John M.,
The Dragon Waiting: A Masque of History
(Simon & Schuster 1983,
0671475525; Avon 1985)
What if:
Byzantine emperor Julian mandated religious tolerance in the empire and
Justinian had time to consolidate his gains.
Also, magic works.
Story:
A Welsh mage, Florentine doctor, German vampire and Greek mercenary become
involved in England's Richard III's struggle for power.
Comments:
Winner: 1984 World Fantasy Award for best novel
Ford, John M.,
"Fugue State", in
Tor SF Double #25 (Tor 1990)
What if:
A European superstate arose from WW1.
Story:
...
Ford, John M.,
"Mandalay", in
IAsfm October 1979;
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Anthology Volume 4
(ed. George Scithers)
(Davis/Dial 1980;
vt Isaac Asimov's Worlds of Science Fiction,
Davis/Dial 1980, 0803741928)
Story:
Crosstime travelers are stranded in a tunnel lined with hatches leading to
all sorts of parallel worlds; they search for the "Homeline".
-------------,
"Out of Service", in
IAsfm Jul 1980
Story:
An Alternities guide is stranded after the "Fracture" and tries to convince
the local gate operative that it will lead to the correct Homeline.
-------------,
"Slowly By, Lorena", in
IAsfm Nov 1980; and
The Fantastic Civil War
(ed. Frank McSherry, Jr.)
(Baen 1991, 0671720635)
Story:
A doctor on a vacation offered by the Alternities Corporation is stranded in
an 1867 where British intervention is prolonging the Civil War.
-------------,
"Intersections", in
IAsfm 26 October 1981
Story:
An Alternities guide crosses over into the real 1944 WW2.
Forester, C.S.,
"If Hitler Had Invaded England", in
London Daily Mail ...;
Saturday Evening Post 16-30 Apr 1960; and
Gold from Crete: Ten Stories
(Little Brown 1970; Joseph 1971, 0718108426; Pinnacle 1976)
What if:
Nazi Germany invaded England on 30 Jun 40.
Story:
...
Fortier, Ron,
The Boston Bombers #1-3, comic book series (Caliber Comics 1990)
What if:
"Jesus" was female, leading to a matriarchal Catholic Church.
Story:
20th-century aventures of League of Nation operatives in a conflict against a
Roman African airship.
Foster, Alan Dean,
"Polonaise", in
BT; and
With Friends Like These...
(Ballantine 1977, 0345257014)
What if:
Poland became an important player on the world stage, capable of putting
down Hitler in 6 months.
Story:
A secret Polish space project to impose world peace in an age of nuclear
proliferation.
Fowler, Karen Joy,
"Game Night at the Fox and Goose", in
Interzone #29 (May/Jun 1989);
WMHB1; and
Interzone, The Fifth Anthology
(eds. John Clute et al)
(publ. unknown)
What if:
The war between the sexes took a violent turn in 1872 when American women
began to fight back against degradation.
Story:
A woman betrayed by her boyfriend meets a traveler who says she can take her
to a more equable world.
Frankowski, Leo,
The Cross-Time Engineer
(Ballantine 1986, 0345327624)
---------------,
The High-Tech Knight
(Ballantine 1989, 0345327632)
---------------,
The Flying Warlord
(Ballantine 1989, 0345327659)
---------------,
The Radiant Warrior
(Ballantine 1989, 0345327640)
---------------,
Lord Conrad's Lady
(Ballantine 1990, 0345368495)
Story:
An engineer accidentally transported back to medieval Poland decides to
defeat the coming Mongol invasion.
Franzel, Emil: see
Boeheim, Carl von
Freireich, Valerie J.,
"Measure for Measure", in
Aboriginal Dec 1991
What if:
Wat Tyler was not killed at Smithfield but became an advisor to Richard II,
prolonging that king's reign and leading to an English enlightenment.
Story:
Two time travelers from our future and another meet outside Geoffrey
Chaucer's home and fight to retain the histories they remember.
Fried, Robert C.,
"What If Hitler Got the Bomb? (1944)", in
WIESSF
What if:
After Heisenberg produced a laboratory chain reaction, Germany went on to
produce A-bombs in early 1944, dropping them on London and Leningrad in May.
Comments:
An essay arguing how unlikely such a course of events was, and how the Nazis
would still have lost the war due to superior Allied air power.
Friesner, Esther M.,
Druid's Blood
(NAL/Signet 1988, 0451154088)
What if:
During the reign of Claudius in Rome, a druid magically isolated Britain
from the rest of the world.
Story:
Mage-queen Victoria employs a Holmesian detective to find a stolen grimoire
on which rests her authority.
Friesner, Esther M.,
"Jane's Fighting Ships", in
AW
What if:
Napoleon invaded and conquered England in 1798.
Story:
In 1811, Jane Austen meets Davey Crockett and finds that they have much
in common, including a distaste for l'empereur's ambitions.
Friesner, Esther M.,
"Such a Deal", in
f&sf Jan 1992; and
WMHB4
What if:
Rejected by Ferdinand and Isabella, Columbus's voyage of discovery was
instead financed by a Jewish Granadan merchant.
Story:
As Catholic Spain lays siege to Granada, Columbus's ships return from meeting
the Aztecs, and they carry more than gold.
Friesner, Esther M.,
"Told You So", in
AK
What if:
Magic works.
Also, after saving a leprechaun, John Kennedy was granted the power of making
anything true merely by saying so.
Story:
JFK begins to change the world for the better, but a misstatement in Berlin
has disastrous effects.
Garrett, Randall,
"Gentlemen: Please Note", in
Astounding Oct 1955;
Takeoff!
(eds. Polly Freas & Kelly Freas)
(Donning 1979, 1986, 0915442841)
What if:
Frustrated by gov't contractors, Isaac Newton changed his field of study.
Story:
A series of letters showing how Newton became disillusioned and came to
write the Principia Theologica.
Garrett, Randall,
Lord Darcy
(SFBC 1983)
(--------------),
Murder and Magic
(Ace 1979, 0441545416)
((------------)),
"The Eyes Have It", in
Analog Jan 1964;
Rulers of Men
(ed. ... Santesson)
(Pocket 1965);
and
The Best of Randall Garrett
(Pocket 1982)
What if:
Richard Couer de Lion survived Chaluz, ruling well and leaving the
Anglo-French kingdom to nephew Arthur.
Also, magic was codified c. 1300.
Story:
A lecherous count is killed and the best clue is the last thing he saw.
((------------)),
"A Case of Identity", in
Analog Sep 1964; and
Analog 4
(ed. John W. Campbell)
(Doubleday 1966)
Story:
The Marquis of Cherbourg disappears and a man who looks like him is
found dead near the harbor.
((------------)),
"The Muddle of the Woad", in
Analog Jun 1965; and
Special Wonder: The Anthony Boucher Memorial Anthology of Fantasy and
Science Fiction
(ed. J. Francis McComas)
(Random House 1970)
Story:
The Duke of Kent's coffin is found occupied by the body of the chief
investigator for the duchy.
((------------)),
"A Stretch of the Imagination", in
Men and Malice: An Anthology of Mystery and Suspense by West Coast
Authors
(ed. Dean Dickinsheet)
(Doubleday 1973, 0385027796)
Story:
A publisher in Normandy apparently hangs himself one day.
(--------------),
Too Many Magicians
(Doubleday 1967; Gregg 1978, 0839824971; Ace ..., 0441816967);
orig. serial in
Analog Aug-Nov 1966
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Eurico Fonseca,
Terra da Magia
(Livros do Brasil 1980)
Story:
Lord Darcy investigates espionage-related murders in Cherbourg and at a
sorcerers' convention in London.
(--------------),
Lord Darcy Investigates
(Ace 1981, 0441491413)
((------------)),
"A Matter of Gravity", in
Analog Oct 1974; and
Alfred Hitchcock's Fatal Attractions
(ed. Elana Lore)
(Davis/Dial 1983,
0385279140)
Story:
A materialist count is killed when he is flung from his laboratory window.
((------------)),
"The Sixteen Keys", in
Fantastic Stories May 1976
Story:
Lord Vauxhall dies after apparently aging 50 years in an hour, and the
papers he was carrying have disappeared in his 16-room mansion.
((------------)),
"The Ipswich Phial", in
Analog Dec 1976; and
The 13 Crimes of Science Fiction
(eds. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Charles G. Waugh)
(Doubleday 1979, 0385152205)
Story:
During the search for a stolen magical weapon, a royal secret agent is
found dead on an undisturbed beach in Normandy.
((------------)),
"The Napoli Express", in
IAsfm Apr 1979; and
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Anthology Volume 2
(ed. George Scithers)
(Davis/Dial 1979);
Story:
A copy of a treaty between the Angevin Empire and Byzantium secretly
travels to Athens via the Napoli Express for signing.
----------------,
"The Bitter End", in
IAsfm Sep-Oct 1978;
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Anthology Volume 4
(ed. George Scithers)
(Davis/Dial 1980;
vt Isaac Asimov's Worlds of Science Fiction,
Davis/Dial 1980, 0803741928);
and
Alfred Hitchcock's Fear
(ed. Cathleen Jordan)
(Davis/Dial 1982)
Story:
Rat poison is used to murder a man in a bar, but magic is required to
explain how the murderer disguised its bitter taste.
----------------,
"The Spell of War", in
The Future at War I: Thor's Hammer
(ed. Reginald Bretnor)
(Ace 1979,
0441358691);
and
The Best of Randall Garrett
(Pocket 1982)
Story:
The first meeting of Lord Darcy and Master Sean, on a battlefield.
Comments:
See also Kurland's Study in Sorcery, Ten Little Wizards and
The Unicorn Girl.
Gaspar, Laszlo,
"Mi, I. Adolf", in
...
Story:
Nightmare post-WW2 world in which fascists exert power through terror.
Gat, Dmitri,
"U-Genie SX-1--Human Entrepeneur: Naturally Rapacious
Yankee", in
BT
Story:
Time-traveling merchants ruin their present by arranging for the existence
of Henry Ford.
Gatch, Tom, Jr.,
King Julian: A Novel
(Vantage 1954)
What if:
George Washington accepted the American crown and his descendants still rule.
Story:
...
Gentle, Mary,
The Architecture of Desire
(Bantam UK 1991, 0593019520; ROC 1993,
0451452348; ROC 1994, 0451453530)
Story:
Story of a mage in a Britain divided between Queen Carola and Lord-Protector
Olivia Cromwell.
Comments:
Non-AH predecessor is Rats & Gargoyles.
Geoffroy-Château, Louis-Napoléon,
Napoléon et la conquête du monde, 1812-1823: histoire
de la monarchie universelle
(Dellaye 1836; J. Bry 1851; Tallandier 1983, 2235015301;
vt Napoléon apocryphe,
Paulin 1841; Librairie Illustrée 1896)
What if:
Napoleon sought out and destroyed the Russian army rather than freeze in
Moscow.
Story:
Napoleon keeps on going.
Comments:
Apparently the first AH written in novel length.
Extensive synopsis in Alkon's
"From Utopia to Uchronia".
Gerrold, David,
"The Firebringers", in
AW
What if:
Various Hollywood stars were in real life the types of men they played in the
movies.
Story:
Commanding a bomber carrying a nuclear device to Berlin, Col. Gregory
Peck has second thoughts, and argues with Reagan, Bogart, et al.
Gerrold, David,
"The Impeachment of Adlai Stevenson", in
AP
What if:
Eisenhower made Joe McCarthy his running mate, leading to Stevenson winning
the election of 1952.
Story:
A writer assigned to draft Stevenson's resignation speech looks back on how
6 years of intelligent decisions provoked Congressional uproar.
Gerrold, David,
"The Kennedy Enterprise", in
AK
What if:
After divorcing Rose, Joe Kennedy moved to Hollywood, where he married
Gloria Swanson and his sons went into the movie business.
Story:
Second-rate actor Jack Kennedy enjoys his greatest successes in sci-fi
features, and ends up the captain of Gene Roddenberry's Enterprise.
Gerrold, David,
The Man Who Folded Himself
(Random House 1973, 039447922X; Faber 1973,
0571104770; Popular Library 1974; Aeonian 1976, 0884111911; rev Bantam
1991, 0553290061)
Story:
A man inherits a time-travel belt and explores the nature of paradox.
Mentions some change-the-past incidents but without much follow through.
Comments:
Nominee: 1973 Nebula for best novel, 1974 Hugo for best novel.
Gerrold, David,
"What Goes Around", in
AO
What if:
Charles Manson and his "family" became rock musicians rather than
murderers.
Story:
The slaughter of the third-rate Manson family provokes commentary
on modern society and culture.
Gibbons, Dave: see
Moore, Alan, & Dave Gibbons
Gibson, William,
"The Gernsback Continuum", in
Universe 11
(ed. Terry Carr)
(Doubleday 1981; Zebra 1981, 0821711431);
Burning Chrome
(Arbor House 1986, 0877957800; Ace 1987, 0441089348);
Mirrorshades: The Cyberpunk Anthology
(Arbor House 1986, 0877958688; Ace 1988, 0441533825);
and
The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction,
1960-1990
(eds. Ursula K. LeGuin & Brian Attebery)
(Norton 1993,
0393034568)
Trans.:
German tr. by Reinhard Heinz,
"Das Gernsback Kontinuum oder: Der amerikanische Traum", in
HSL
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Eduardo Salo,
"O Continuo de Gernsback", in
Reflexos do Futuro
(ed. Bruce Sterling)
(Livros do Brasil 1989)
Story:
A photographer glimpses/visits a timeline where architecture, transport,
etc., are all out of 1930s pulp SF.
Gibson, William, & Bruce Sterling,
The Difference Engine
(Bantam 1991, 0553070282; Gollancz 199x, 057505297X)
What if:
Byron led the Industrial Radicals to English power, and Babbage perfected
his analytical engine so that the Information Age began a century early.
Story:
A paleontologist accidentally acquires a set of punch cards from Ada Byron,
dropping him right in the middle of a circle of mayhem and murder.
Comments:
Nominee: 1991 Nebula for best novel.
Gilbert, Adrian,
Britain Invaded
(Century 1990)
What if:
British forces were wiped out at Dunkirk, and England was invaded by Nazi
Germany. But...the war still ends in Axis defeat in late 1945.
Story:
Time-Life style documentation of the occupation of Britain, 1940-1945.
Gilliam, Richard,
"Jeremiah Phipps: Vampire Hunter", in
AWC
Gillies, John,
"A Sending Parable: What Might Have Been the Result Had St. Paul Traveled
East to the Orient Instead of West", in
Christian Century 24 Feb 1971
What if:
As the title says.
Story:
The difficulties faced by the Tokyo Christian Ministry in Arizona,
particularly its competition with American Christian missions.
Gilliland, Alexis A.,
"Demarche to Iran", in
AP
What if:
Gerald Ford gave Nixon a specific, rather than general, pardon, thus keeping
his popularity high enough that he beat Carter in 1976.
Story:
On his masseur's advice, Ford threatens to break relations with Iran after
the embassy seizure, just like Austria did with Serbia in 1914.
1945
(Baen 1995, not yet published)
What if:
Hitler was lying in a coma in December 1941, and Germany did not declare
war on the US after Pearl Harbor.
Story:
....
Gjaerevold, Einar,
"Isens veg", in
Evigskogen
(Bok og Magasinforlaget 1990)
What if:
A new Ice Age came in the 19th century.
Story:
An unorthodox woman's struggle to keep alive beside the ice-covered North
Sea.
Gluckman, Janet, & George Guthridge,
Child of the Light: The Madagascar Manifesto
(St. Martin's 1992, 0312063172)
What if:
The Nazis establish a Jewish homeland on Madagascar.
Story:
...
Glyer, Mike,
"The Men Who Corflued Mohammed", in
AWC
Go to next section.
Robert B. Schmunk
(altworld@panix.com)