Meacham, Beth,
"A Dream Can Make a Difference", in
BAOF
What if:
Marilyn Monroe survived her suicide attempt and went into politics, running
against Reagan for governor of California.
Story:
After Hinckley assassinates Pres. Monroe in 1981, a female news producer
recalls the path Monroe followed to the White House.
Meacham, Beth,
"One by One", in
AW
What if:
Tecumseh turned the tide at the Battle of the Thames (Detroit) and the
Northwest Territories only became a US state decades later.
Story:
In the 20th century, conflict between whites and reds in "Indiana"
constantly simmers with acts of terrorism and retaliation.
Meacham, Beth,
"A Spark in the Darkness", in
AO
What if:
Hellen Keller learned to pick locks.
Story:
The narrative of a safe-cracker.
Menard, Pierre,
1938: La distruzione di Parigi
(Frasinelli 1984)
What if:
Petain led a successful French coup in 1934.
Story:
...
Mendini, Douglas,
"What If...", in
Entertainment Weekly 7 Aug 1992
What if:
Marilyn Monroe's stomach was pumped in time to prevent her death from a drug
overdose.
Story:
A series of short news blurbs about Marilyn's career through 1989.
Meredith, Richard C.,
At the Narrow Passage
(Putnam's 1973, 039911100X; Berkley 1975, 0425027309; rev Playboy 1979)
Story:
An agent from a Macedonian world visits timelines where Britain suppressed
American revolutions and Albigensia survived orthodox crusaders.
--------------------,
No Brother, No Friend
(Doubleday 1976, 03851111096; rev Playboy 1979, 0872165647)
Story:
Further adventures in a world of fascist, isolationist America and another
colonized by an England that escaped Norman conquest.
--------------------,
Vestiges of Time
(Doubleday 1978, 0385131747; rev Playboy 1979, 0872165728)
Story:
And closing in a world of Punic victory over Rome.
Meredith, Richard C.,
Run, Come See Jerusalem!
(Ballantine 1976, 0345250664)
What if:
Chicago did not burn in Oct 1871.
Story:
A time-hopper, fleeing an American religious dictatorship in a history in
which Nazi Germany nuked Chicago, recuperates in 1871 Chicago.
Merwin, Sam,
The House of Many Worlds
(Doubleday 1951; Galaxy SF Novel 12 (1952); Modern Literary Editions ...);
revision of
"The House of Many Worlds", in
Startling Stories Sep 1951
Story:
Time guardians intervene in affairs in divergent worlds, including one where
Aaron Burr conquered and reshaped the USA.
Merwin, Sam,
"Three Faces of Time", in
Ace Double #... (Ace 1955);
revision of
"Journey to Misenum", in
Startling Stories Aug 1953
Story:
Cross and vertical time-travel adventure in a slightly different ancient
Rome.
Mielke, Thomas R.P.,
Grand Orientale 3301
(Heyne 1980)
What if:
The Arabs continued during the Middle Ages to rise in power and technology,
but became divided.
Story:
People from our world encounter Arabic nations fighting for control of
powerlines from hydroelectric plants in Europe.
Miesel, Sandra,
Shaman
(Baen 1989, 0671698443);
revision of
Dreamrider
(Ace 1982, 04411566797)
Story:
A woman from the 2009 of one world dreams of historical events happening
differently (without much follow through) and becomes a shaman in another.
Miles, Robin,
"Throwing out Time at the Red Lion", serial in
Miniature Wargames #91 & #92 (Dec 1990 & Jan 1991)
Milan, Victor J.,
Wild Cards XII: Turn of the Cards
(Bantam 1993)
Miller, John J.: see
Leigh, Stephen, & John J. Miller
Miller, John J.: see
Martin, George R.R., & John J. Miller
Miller, Mark R.,
"Split End", in
Analog Nov 1991
Story:
A scientist discovers that time travelers cause the formation of
impermanent alternate "virtual" timelines when they make changes in history.
Minogue, Kenneth,
"What If Karl Marx Had Drowned in a Cross-Channel Ferry
Accident? (1847)", in
WIESSF
What if:
As the title says.
Comments:
Essay from that timeline that revolutionaries such as Lenin lacked a
fundamental theory that this obscure thinker could have provided.
Mitchell, Gary,
"The Wars that Never Were", in
Miniature Wargames #81 (Feb 1990)
What if:
The Confederacy abolished slavery in late 1863 and was immediately
recognized by Britain and France.
Comments:
Wargaming British and French intervention in the US Civil War, with a
timeline describing events up to the concluding Treaty of Berlin (1865).
Mitchell, Kirk,
Never the Twain
(Ace 1987, 0441569730)
Story:
A Bret Harte descendant attempts to make his ancestor the literary giant
of 1900 by arranging for Mark Twain's success in the gold fields.
Mitchell, Kirk,
Prcourator
(Ace 1984, 0441680291)
--------------,
New Barbarians
(Ace 1986, 0441571018)
--------------,
Cry Republic
(Ace 1989, 0441123899)
What if:
Rome defeated Arminius in the Teutoburg Wald and the legion responsible
was posted to Judea, where 20 years later, Pilate spared Jesus of Nazareth.
Story:
A 20th-century Roman general who believes in republican gov't becomes Caesar.
Mitchell, V.E.,
"Against the Night", serial in
Amazing Stories May & Jun 1992
Story:
WW2 in which the secret British plan to create an aircraft carrier out of
a piece of the Greenland ice shelf was enacted.
Mitsuse Ryu,
Seito totokufu
(Hayakawa Shobo 1975)
What if:
Japan lost the Sino-Japanese War.
Story:
...
Modesitt, L. E., Jr.,
Of Tangible Ghosts
(Tor 1994, 0312857209)
Moffett, Judith,
"Chickasaw Slave", in
IAsfm Sept 1991; and
AP
What if:
Andrew Jackson's image was tarnished by a land-dealing scandal, leading to
Davey Crockett becoming president in 1828.
Story:
Just as the Confederacy wins its independence in 1853, a soldier recounts
how the flight of a slave may have broken the Compromise of 1850.
Montana, Ron,
The Sign of the Thunderbird
(Manor 1977)
Story:
Soldiers from post-nuclear war USA are thrown back to 1860, where they help
create an AmerInd nation and a Free State of New Mexico.
Montville, Leigh,
"What If? Bubbles and the Babe", in
Sports Illustrated [Classic] Fall 1991 (v75, no18)
What if:
Henry Frazee's mistress prevented him from trading Babe Ruth to the New York
Yankees in 1919.
Story:
Reminiscing about the many men who played for the Boston Red Sox, the
greatest dynasty in baseball history.
Moorcock, Michael,
Gloriana; or, the Unfulfill'd Queen. Being a Romance
(Allison & Busby 1978, 085031237X; Fontana 1978; Avon 1979;
Warner/Popular Library 1986, 0445202718)
What if:
Refugees from Troy founded a new empire in Britain.
Story:
Political machinations in London, capital of Elizabethan-level Albion, which
is ruled by a virgin queen.
Moorcock, Michael,
The Nomad of Time
(SFBC ...)
(---------------),
The Warlord of the Air
(New English Library 1971; Ace 1971, 0441876005;
rev Quartet 1978; DAW 1978; Granada 1981)
Trans.:
German tr. by Sylvia Pukallus,
Der herr der Lufte
(Heyne 1982)
Story:
Oswald Bastable travels from 1902 to 1973 in a world where longtime peace
has maintained European imperialism.
(---------------),
The Land Leviathan: A New Scientific Romance
(Doubleday 1974, 0385014732;
Quartet 1974, 0704320185, 070433013X; DAW 1976; Panther 1981, 0583131026)
Trans.:
German tr. by Sylvia Pukallus,
Der Landleviathan
(Heyne 1982)
Story:
Continuing to 1904 on a world where premature technological development did
the world no good.
(---------------),
The Steel Tsar
(DAW 1982, 0879977736)
Trans.:
German tr. by Sylvia Pukallus,
Der Stahlzar
(Heyne 1984)
Story:
Bastable ends up on a 1941 Kerenskian Russian airship fighting Japanese
invaders and Cossacks led by a Georgian named Djugashvili.
Moore, Alan, & Dave Gibbons,
Watchmen
(DC Comics ..., 0930289234);
collection of
Watchmen #1-12, comic book series (DC Comics 1986-87)
What if:
Costumed vigilantes appeared in 1939 and a real superhero with superpowers
was created in 1959 by an accident in a nuclear research lab.
Story:
In 1986, Nixon is still president, someone is killing old costumed heroes
and nuclear war looks imminent.
Why are the latter two related?
Moore, C.L.: see
Padgett, Lewis, & C.L. Moore
Moore, Ward,
Bring the Jubilee
(Farrar, Straus & Young 1953; Ballantine 1953; Avon 1972, 038002440?;
Easton 1987);
revision of
"Bring the Jubilee", in
f&sf Nov 1952; and
The Fantastic Civil War
(ed. Frank McSherry, Jr)
(Baen 1991, 0671720635)
Trans.:
German tr. by Walter Brumm, Der grosse Suden
(Heyne 1980)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by ...,
E Tudo o Tempo Levou
(Clássica 1992)
What if:
Confederates occupied the Round Tops during the first day of Gettysburg,
leading to victory in the battle and Confederate independence.
Story:
An historian from a fifth-rate 1952 US, overshadowed by the CSA and the
Germanic Union, travels back to Gettysburg, 1 Jul 1863.
Moore, Ward,
"A Class with Dr. Chang", in
BT
What if:
The Sino-German alliance defeated Japan and won WW2.
Story:
A Chinese-American history prof at UC-Monterey finds that his students are
violently bigoted.
Moore, William O.,
"Let Us Cross Over the River: A Flight of Fancy for Wargamers", in
The General ... 1989 (vol 25, no 5)
What if:
Stonewall Jackson seemingly rose from the dead after Chancellorsville, and
followed Lee to Gettysburg, occupying the Round Tops.
Story:
Details of Jackson's resurrection and the Confederate victory at Gettysburg,
plus the capture of Baltimore and the armistice in August.
Morales, Alejandro,
The Rag Doll Plagues: A Novel
(Arte Publico 1992, 1558850368)
What if:
A mysterious plague swept through Mexico City in 1788.
Story:
Doctors fight the plague in 1788, 1970 and 2050.
Moran, Daniel Keys,
The Armageddon Blues
(Bantam 1988, 0553271156);
revision of
"All the Time in the World", in
IAsfm ... 1982
Story:
In 1968, a woman from 2731 meets an immortal born in 1712, and they set
out to prevent the nuclear war of 2007.
Moran, Tony,
"Close Your Eyes and Stare at Your Memories", in
Amazing Stories Jan 1973
Morgan, Roger,
"If I had been... Konrad Adenauer in 1952", in
IIHB
What if:
Adenauer did not ignore Stalin's proposal for German re-unification.
Comments:
His five reasons for exploring the idea, plus some commentary about the
all-German election of 1954.
Morin, Edgar,
"Le Camarade-Dieu: un conte de Noël", in
France Observateur 28 Dec 1961
What if:
Surviving death in 1953, Stalin is proclaimed a living god in 1961.
Story:
Reactions from elsewhere.
Morris, Howard L.,
"Not by Sea", in
If Feb 1966
What if:
Napoleon used balloons to invade England.
Story:
Foiling the invasion.
Morrissette, Gabriel: see
Shainblum, Mark, & Gabriel Morrissette
Morrow, James,
"Abe Lincoln in McDonald's", in
WMHB2; and
The 1990 Annual World's Best SF
(eds. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha)
(DAW 1990, 0886774241)
What if:
Lincoln made peace with the Confederacy in 1863.
Story:
Through time travel, Lincoln gets a look at slavery in 2009.
Morrow, James,
"Arms and the Woman", in
Amazing Stories Jul 1991; and
WMHB3
What if:
Upon finding out that the Trojan War was being fought over her, Helen
decided she didn't need the guilt.
Story:
Notified of Helen's desire to end the war, the leaders of both sides aren't
having any of it.
Morrow, James,
"Bible Stories for Adults, No. 31: The Covenant", in
WMHB1
What if:
Moses couldn't get a replacement set for the tablets he smashed on the
golden calf, and society had to be constructed without them.
Story:
An attempt to computer-reconstruct the law of Moses from the tablet shards,
which have been saved.
Morselli, Guido,
Contro-passato prossimo: un'ipotesi retrospettiva
(... 1975; Adelphi 1987)
Trans.:
English tr. by Hugh Shankland, Past Conditional: A Retrospective Hypothesis
(Chatto & Windus 1989, 0701129174)
What if:
Austria-Hungary invaded Italy via a secret tunnel in May 1916, forcing it
out of the war in five days.
Story:
How lightning tactics achieved victory for the Central Powers in WW1 and led
to the creation of a semi-socialist W European federation in 1917.
Motta, Luigi,
Il tunnel sottomarino
(... 1927)
What if:
A transatlantic tunnel was begun in the 1920s.
Story:
...
Mulisch, Harry,
De toekomst van gisteren: protokol van een schrijverij
(De Bezige Bij 1972)
What if:
Hitler was assassinated in 1944, which event was followed by an SS
countercoup and German victory in WW2.
Story:
An author in a world in which Germany lost WW2 explains why he isn't writing
about a world in which Germany won, in which world is an author...
Mullally, Frederic,
Hitler has Won: A Novel
(Simon & Schuster 1975, 0671220748; Macmillan 1975, 0333184289)
What if:
Hitler attacked the Soviet Union immediately instead of toying with Greece
and Yugoslavia.
Meanwhile, Japan attacked Vladivostok.
Story:
A young officer and a maverick bishop get involved in a last-ditch attempt
to topple Hitler.
Murphy, Walter F.,
"What If Peter Had Been Pope During World War II?",
in
WIESSF
What if:
God re-ran history, giving Pope Pius XII St. Peter's moral character.
Comments:
The Oct 1943 roundup of Roman Jews leads the Pope to criticize the 3rd Reich
and Great Britain, and the Nazis attack the Vatican.
Murrin, John M.,
"No Awakening, No Revolution? More Counterfactual Speculations", in
Reviews in American History Jun 83
What if:
Three men who powered the American Great Awakening did not do so.
Comments:
Scholarly argument that minus the evangelical movement, the revolution
would still occur and independence probably gained, but no Civil War.
Nabokov, Vladmir,
Ada, or Ardor: A Family Chronicle
(McGraw-Hill 1969; Fawcett 1970; McGraw-Hill 1986, 070457778;
Vintage 1990, 0679725229)
Nathanson, E.M., & Aaron Bank,
Knight's Cross
(Carol/Birch Lane 1993, 1559721685)
What if:
Hitler was captured by the Allies in early 1945.
Story:
...
National Lampoon, editors of,
"Grand Fifth Term Inaugural Issue: JFK's First 6,000 Days", in
National Lampoon Feb 1977
What if:
Jackie Kennedy died in Dallas instead of JFK.
Story:
A whimsical look at Kennedy's first 16 years, including his marriage to
Christina Onassis and military intervention in N Ireland.
Nelson, Ray,
Timequest
(... 1985;
vt Blake's Progress,
Laser 1975, 0373720130)
Story:
William Blake, his wife and others travel through time changing how things
turn out.
In one instance, the Romans never defeat the Egyptians.
Nesbitt, Mark,
If the South Won Gettysburg
(Reliance 1980, 0937740012)
What if:
Lee listened to Longstreet and flanked the Union on the South before the
battle's third day.
Story:
A day-by-day account of the battle, and JEB Stuart's raid on Washington.
Final chapter provides outline of consequent American history to 1940.
Newman, Kim,
Anno-Dracula
(Simon & Schuster 1992, 0671717804; Carroll & Graf 1993, 0881849677;
Pocket UK 1994, 0671715917; Avon 1994, 038072345X)
What if:
Dracula actually existed, defeated Van Helsing and married the widowed Queen
Victoria.
Story:
A human agent of the Diogenes Club and a vampire are among those hunting for
Jack the Ripper, who is killing vampire whores.
Newman, Kim,
"Famous Monsters", in
Interzone #23 (Spring 1988);
and
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Sixth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1989, 0312030096, 0312030088)
What if:
H.G. Wells's book The War of the Worlds was not fiction.
Story:
A Martian gets a job in Hollywood.
Neman, Kim,
"Slow News Day", in
Interzone #90 (Dec 1994)
Story:
The 50th anniversary of D-Day, the German invasion of England on June 5, 1944.
Newman, Kim, & Eugene Byrne,
"Ten Days That Shook the World", in
Interzone #48 (Jun 1991);
and
Aboriginal #27 (Jul/Aug 1991)
What if:
Theodore Roosevelt won the 1912 election, but was assassinated while
trying to break up a Chicago labor strike before the inauguration.
Story:
How reaction to the anti-socialist backlash, early entry in WW1 and the
corrupt presidency of plutocrat Charles Foster Kane led to a socialist
revolution.
---------------------------,
"Tom Joad", in
Interzone #65 (Nov 1992)
Story:
Ideology agents Elliott Ness and Melvyn Purvis hunt for a legendary
agitator and end up confronting Chairman Capone's enforcer Frank Nitti.
---------------------------,
"In the Air", in
Interzone #46 (Apr 1991)
Story:
Musician Charlie Holley recounts how Howie Hughes and Jack Kerouac
crashed a party in honor of George Patton's Revolutionary Fraternity Squadron.
Newman, Kim, & Eugene Byrne,
"The Wandering Christian", in
Tales of the Wandering Jew
(ed. Brian Stableford)
(Daedalus 1991, 0946626715)
What if:
Constantine was defeated by Maxentius at the Milvian Bridge after his
army panicked, making Christianity a laughing-stock of a religion.
Story:
In 4759 (999 AD), the Wandering Jew/Christian tells the story of his
life, from 30 AD Jerusalem to Persian-besieged Jewish Rome.
Nicholas, Herbert N.,
"Hail Our Britannic Bicentennial", in
Virginia Quarterly Review Summer 1976
What if:
Britain prevented troops and siege supplies from reaching Washington at
Yorktown, leading to a Cornwallis victory.
Story:
The states remain within the British Empire, but are permitted to form a
unified government after a constitutional convention in 1787.
Nichols, Lyn,
"Mahogany Dreams", in
AT
Nicolson, Harold,
"If Byron had Become King of Greece", in
IIHHO (all eds.)
What if:
Lord Byron did not die of a fever in 1824.
Story:
An overview of Byron's life from 1824 to 1854, including how he became king
of Greece in 1831 and his wife's attempts to usurp power.
Nimersheim, Jack,
"A Fireside Chat", in
AP
What if:
Warren Harding died during the campaign of 1920, putting James Cox in the
White House.
But Cox died too and his Veep became president.
Story:
In 1923, President Franklin Roosevelt meets with German Chancellor Adolf
Hitler, who successfully pulled off the Beer Hall Putsch.
Nimersheim, Jack,
"#2, With a Bullet", in
AO
Story:
Meanderings about the fame of Jack Kennedy, the King of Krime.
Nimersheim, Jack,
"The Rising Sun at Dusk", in
AT
Nimersheim, Jack,
"The Wages of Sin", in
BAOF
What if:
Bonnie and Clyde found a safer way of making money than bank robbery.
Story:
B&C go into tent-revival sex therapy, but still have a fatal date with the
FBI on a Louisiana highway.
Nimmo, David G.
"What If?...Evacuating the AfrikaKorps", in
Command #30 (Sep-Oct 1994)
What if:
Hitler consented to plans to evacuate the Afrikakorps in early 1943.
Story:
Short scenario of how it would have worked.
Niven, Larry,
"All the Myriad Ways", in
Galaxy Oct 1968;
WoM;
All the Myriad Ways
(Ballantine 1971);
Approaches to Science Fiction
(ed. Donald L Lawler)
(Houghton Mifflin 1978, 0395254965);
Galaxy: Thirty Years of Innovative Science Fiction
(eds. Frederick Pohl, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph D Olander)
(Playboy 1980, 0872235688; Worldview 1981, 0872236471);
and
N-Space
(Tor 1990, 0312850891; Tor 1992, 0812510011; Orbit 1992, 1857230035)
Trans.:
German tr. by ..., "Myriaden", in
Myriaden
(Bastei-Lubbe 1973)
What if:
The Cuban Missile Crisis escalated to nuclear exchange.
Story:
A detective investigates a series of suicides involving the Crosstime
Corporation.
Comments:
Retold in comic-book form by Niven & Chaykin.
Niven, Larry,
"Bird in the Hand",
f&sf Oct 1970;
World's Best Science Fiction: 1971
(eds. Donald A. Wollheim & Terry Carr)
(Ace 1971);
and
The Flight of the Horse
(Ballantine 1973, 0345234871)
Story:
Time-traveling souvenir hunters destroy Henry Ford's first auto.
Niven, Larry,
"Death in a Cage", in
The Flight of the Horse
(Ballantine 1973, 0345234871)
Story:
Post-holocaust time-traveler creates our timeline by preventing a blow-up
resulting from the Cuban missile crisis.
Niven, Larry,
"The Return of William Proxmire", in
WMHB1; and
N-Space
(Tor 1990, 0312850891; Tor 1992, 0812510011; Orbit 1992,
1857230035)
What if:
SF author Robert Heinlein did not resign from the navy.
Story:
Sen. Proxmire tries to destroy NASA by preventing Heinlein from becoming a
writer.
Comments:
Nominee: 1990 Hugo for best short story.
Niven, Larry,
"There's a Wolf in My Time Machine", in
f&sf Jun 1971;
BAW; and
Zoo 2000: Twelve Stories of Science Fiction and Fantasy
(ed. Jane Yolen)
(Seabury 1973, 0816431035)
Story:
A time traveler strays sideways to a timeline where the dominant
inhabitants developed from wolves instead of hominids.
Niven, Larry, & Howard Chaykin,
"All the Myriad Ways", in
Unknown Worlds of Science Fiction #5 (... 1975, Marvel Comics)
Nock, Albert Jay,
"If Only--", in
Atlantic Aug 1937
Noël-Noël,
Voyageur des siècles
(publ. unknown)
Nolan, William F.,
"The Worlds of Monty Wilson", in
Amazing Stories Jul 1971;
Alien Horizons
(Pocket 1974, 0671779281);
and
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Storie
(eds. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph D. Olander)
(Doubleday 1978, 0385130449; Avon 1978, 0380507730)
Story:
In 1990, a NASA employee suddenly "shifts" to a timeline where Sirhan
Sirhan missed Robert Kennedy and Apollo 11 met disaster.
Norden, Eric,
The Ultimate Solution
(Warner 1973, 0446751545)
Trans.:
Portugese tr. ...,
O Ultimo Judeu
(Panorama ...)
What if:
FDR was assassinated in 1933.
Story:
Police-work in Nazi-occupied New York.
Norton, Andre,
The Crossroads of Time
(Ace 1956; Gregg 1978, 0839824181)
Story:
Caught in a fight between crosstimers, a man from our world is stranded
on one where the Axis attacked US coasts after England's fall.
-------------,
Quest Crosstime
(Viking 1965; Ace 1965, 0441696821;
vt Crosstime Agent,
Gollancz 1975)
Story:
Further adventures in a world where Richard III won at Bosworth in 1485
and Cortez's death prevented the Spanish conquest of the Aztecs.
Norton, Andre,
Wraiths of Time
(Atheneum 1976, 0689500572; Fawcett Crest ...; Tor 1992, 0812545727)
Story:
Adventures and magic in an African empire of a world where Islam never got
started.
Norwood, Warren,
Time Police: Trapped!
(publ. unknown)
Story:
Our hero visits a 1968 where Leslie King, Jr. is president and names Gov.
Nixon of California his running mate.
Nourse, Alan E.,
The Universe Between
(Paperback Library 1967)
Story:
Attempts to transmit matter between planets opens a path to another
universe, with so much damage the alternate has to destroy the transmitter.
Nurse, Patricia,
"One Rejection Too Many", in
IAsfm Jul/Aug 1978;
Asimov's Choice: Extraterrestrials & Eclipses
(ed. ...)
(publ. unknown);
Inside the Funhouse: 17 SF Stories about SF
(ed. Mike Resnick)
(Avon 1992,
0380766434)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by César Tozzi, "Uma Recusa a Mais", in
Asimov: O Melhor da Ficção Científica
(ed. ...)
(Expressão & Cultura 1980)
Story:
A woman submitting SF stories written by a time-traveler to IAsfm gets
upset with their continual rejection and decides to make some changes.
Nutman, Philip,
Wet Work
(publ. unknown)
What if:
George Bush was re-elected.
Story:
...
Nye, Jody Lynn,
"The Father of His Country", in
AP
What if:
Ben Franklin was elected president in 1789 rather than Washington.
Story:
Franklin manipulates the government by using pseudonymous newspaper writings
to influence public opinion, un-nerving Veep John Adams.
Olsen, Per G.,
"Medaljens bakside", in
Død og ved godt mot i New York
(Gyldendal Norsk 1979, 8205116598)
What if:
Norway fought a bitter War of Independence against Sweden, 1905-37.
Story:
Journalist interviews war veteran.
Olsen, Per G.,
"I Albions tid", in
Asterveg
(Bok og Magasinforlaget 1989)
What if:
Wat Tyler's rebellion in 14th-century England succeeded.
Magic works.
Story:
Two sailors are stranded in an "Albion" ruled by Dark Magic.
Oltion, Jerry,
"Red Alert", in
Analog Oct 1991; and
WMHB4
What if:
Montezuma kicked the Spaniards out of Mexico and N AmerInds had similar
success, leaving only the European colony on Manhattan Island.
Story:
The Cuban Missile Crisis, recast in the 1800s as the Iroquois Federation
inter-tribal air force vs. Manhattan.
Orgill, Michael,
"Many Rubicons", in
BT
What if:
MacArthur invaded China against orders and later set himself up as US
dictator.
Story:
MacArthur turns to psychic exploration of alternate possibilities to find
out where he went wrong.
O'Rourke, P.J.,
"The Seventies that Never Happened", in
National Lampoon Feb 1980
What if:
The counterculture took over the US.
Story:
...
Overgard, William,
The Divide
(Jove 1980)
What if:
Axis powers using jets and V-4 rockets defeated and partitioned America.
Story:
Thirty years later, the American resistance develops the atomic bomb.
Padgett, Lewis,
"Tomorrow and Tomorrow", serial in
Astounding Jan & Feb 1947;
Tomorrow and Tomorrow
(Consul 1951);
and
Tomorrow and Tomorrow & The Fairy Chessmen
(Gnome 1951)
Padgett, Lewis, & C.L. Moore,
Beyond Heaven's Gates
(Ace Double #D-69 (Ace 1954));
revision of
Padgett's "The Portal in the Picture", in
Startling Stories Sep 1949
Story:
A man and woman fall into a non-Christian parallel run by alchemic priests,
who believe our New York is Paradise.
Parker, Geoffrey,
"If The Armada Had Landed", in
History v61, pp 358-368
Comments:
Primarily an analysis of the relative strengths of Spanish and English land
forces, but includes speculation on the effect of Spanish landfall.
Parnicki, Teodor,
Czas siania i czas zbierania
(publ. unknown)
Parnicki, Teodor,
I u moznych dziwny: powiesc z Wieku XVII
(Pax 1965, 1979, 8832110054)
Parnicki, Teodor,
Muza dalekich podrozy: powiesc
(Pax 1970)
What if:
The 4th Polish Kingdom was established following the 1793 uprising.
Story:
...
Parnicki, Teodor,
Sam wyide bezbronny: powiesc historyczno-fantaztyczna w trzech czesciach
(Pax 1976)
What if:
Julian the Apostate survived the Persian campaign and lived until 383.
Story:
...
Parnicki, Teodor,
Srebrne orly
(Pax 1956, 1960; Czytelnik 1965)
What if:
A Polish state was created in the 10th century.
Story:
...
Pearton, Maurice,
"If I had been... Adolphe Thiers in 1870", in
IIHB
What if:
Thiers accepted the appointment to be French Minister of War as the
Franco-Prussian War began.
Story:
Thiers's diary demonstrates how he used his position to prevent French
aggressive action which would provoke a German unification.
Peirce, Hayford,
Napoleon Disentimed
(Tor 1987, 0812548981, 081254899X)
What if:
The Ottomans invaded Russia c 1697, preventing its rise to power and leaving
it helpless before Napoleon a century later.
Story:
Cross- and vertical time travel adventure involving an attempt to prevent
Napoleon's European takeover.
Pellegrino, Charles,
Flying to Valhalla
(Morrow 1993; Avon 1994,
0380718812)
What if:
The Titanic did not sink, which led to aviator Harriet Quimby living an
extra 40 years.
Comments:
First-contact tale set in 2054, but a digression on pp. 178-179 reveals that
it's not quite set in our future.
Percy, H.R.,
"Letter from America", in
BT; and
Visions from the Edge
(ed. ... Bell)
(Pottersfield 1981)
What if:
The French won the Battle of Quebec and took over Britain's American
territories at the end of the French and Indian War.
Story:
An annotated letter from a 1975 Boston terrorist seeking Soviet aid for a
British-American revolt against the Republic of New France.
Person, Lawrence,
"Details", in
IAsfm Apr 1991
Story:
A man tries to cope with slow but steady reality shifts.
Person, Lawrence,
"Huddled Masses", in
AP
What if:
Walter Mondale beat Ronald Reagan in the 1984 election, and Nicaragua took
the opportunity to export revolution.
Story:
In 1979, while US forces intervene in the Mexican civil war, refugees
overwhelm the Immigration and Naturalization Service in Houston.
Petrie, Charles,
"If: A Jacobite Fantasy", in
Weekly Westminster 30 Jan 1926;
The Jacobite Movement: The Last Phase, 1716-1807
(Eyre & Spottiswoode 1950);
and
IIHHO (1972, 1974 eds. only)
What if:
In 1745, Bonnie Prince Charlie decided at Derby to continue his advance into
England and the Hanoverians fled.
Story:
Review of the Stuart restoration and speculation on how the Hanoverians
would have mucked things up, particularly in America.
Pfaffe, Ivan,
"Eisenhowers schwester Fehler: Wie den Tschechoslowakei für den
Westen verlorenging", in
Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 23 Feb 1985
Pignotti, Lorenzo,
Storia della Toscana sino al principato: con diversi saggi
sulle scienze, lettere e arti
(Didot 1813-14; Marchini 1821; Gaetano Ducci 1826)
Trans.:
English tr. by John Browning,
The History of Tuscany
(Black, Young & Young 1823)
What if:
Lorenzo de Medici did not die in 1492.
Story:
He saves Italy from foreign invasion and Europe from the Protestants.
Piper, H. Beam,
"Crossroads of Destiny", in
Fantastic Universe Jul 1959; and
The Worlds of H. Beam Piper
(Ace 1983, 0441910521)
What if:
George Washington died at Germantown.
Story:
TV execs discuss an AH TV series, not realizing one participant is from a
different timeline.
Piper, H. Beam,
Paratime
(Ace 1981, 0441651690)
Story:
Tales of the Paratime Police guarding crosstime byways.
Comments:
Except for
"He Walked Around the Horses", all
Earths shown are exotic locales with no clear divergence from (or
similarity to) ours.
(------------),
"He Walked Around the Horses", in
Astounding Apr 1948;
World of Wonder
(ed. ... Pratt)
(Twayne 1951);
Best SF 3
(ed. ... Crispin)
(Faber 1958);
Aspects of Science Fiction
(ed. ... Doherty)
(Billings 1959; J. Murray 1963; Billings 1970, 0719522153);
Science Fiction Through the Ages 2
(ed. I.O. Evans)
(Panther 1966);
A Science Fiction Argosy
(ed. Damon Knight)
(Simon & Schuster 1972, 0671211269);
Space Mail
(eds. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph Olander)
(Fawcett 1980);
Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Treasury
(eds. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph Olander)
(Bonanza 1980, 0517336359);
The Golden Age of Science Fiction
(ed. Kingsley Amis)
(Hutchinson 1981; Penguin 1983);
The Great SF Stories: 10
(eds. Isaac Asimov & Martin H. Greenberg)
(DAW 19...);
AH; and
The Amis Story Anthology: A Personal Choice of Short Stories
(ed. Kingsley Amis)
(Hutchinson 1992)
Trans.:
German tr. by Lore Strassl, "Der Mann, der um die Pferde herumging", in
SVW
What if:
Burgoyne won at Saratoga, forestalling American independence and the Age
of Revolution.
Story:
Germans investigate a man claiming to be a British diplomat and carrying
documents regarding some nonexistent French emperor named Napoleon.
(------------),
"Police Operation", in
Astounding Jul 1948;
Space Police
(ed. Andre Norton)
(Cleveland 1956);
Analog: The Best of Science Fiction
(ed. anon.)
(publ. unknown);
and
The Best of Astounding
(ed. Tony Lewis)
(Baronet 1978, 0894370243)
(------------),
"Last Enemy", in
Astounding Aug 1950;
Astounding SF Anthology
(ed. John W. Campbell)
(Simon & Schuster 1952);
and
BAW
(------------),
"Temple Trouble", in
Astounding Apr 1951
(------------),
"Time Crime", in
Astounding Feb-Mar 1955
--------------,
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen
(Ace 1965, 0441490557;
Garland 1975, 082401420X;
vt Gunpowder God,
Sphere 1978);
fixup of
"Gunpowder God", in
Analog Nov 1964; and
Time Wars
(eds. Charles G. Waugh & Martin H. Greenberg)
(Tor 1986, 0812530489, 0812530497);
and
"Down Styphon", in
Analog November 1965; and
Robert Adams' Book of Soldiers
(eds. Robert Adams, et al)
(Signet 1988, 0451155599)
What if:
Bronze Age Indo-Aryans crossed the Bering straight to colonize America.
Story:
A Penn state trooper is transported to a N America where priests of Styphon
exert political control through their monopoly on gunpowder.
Comments:
Lord Kalvan sequels are Green & Carr's
Great Kings' War and
"Siege at Tarr-Hostigos" and Carr &
Green's
"Kalvan Kingmaker".
Pirie-Gordon, C.H.: see
Rolfe, Frederick William, & C.H. Pirie-Gordon
Pitney, John J., Jr.,
"What If There Were Three Major Parties?", in
WIAP
What if:
FDR was killed in 1933, and when Jack Garner instituted no New Deal, Huey
Long ran for president in 36 as a Populist.
Comments:
The many ways in which presidential elections could get hung up in the
Electoral College or Congress if there were three equi-strength parties.
Pohl, Frederick,
The Coming of the Quantum Cats
(Bantam 1986, 0553257862)
Story:
In a US ruled by a militaristic regime, crosstime travel is used to steal
better technology.
Several versions of the same person get caught up.
Pohl, Frederick,
"The Deadly Mission of Phineas Snodgrass", in
Galaxy Jun 1962;
Day Million
(Ballantine 1970);
In the Problem Pit
(Bantam 1976);
100 Great Science Fiction Short Short Storie
(eds. Isaac Asimov, Martin H. Greenberg & Joseph D. Olander)
(Doubleday 1978, 0385130449; Avon 1978, 0380507730)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by José Sanz, "A Missão Mortal de P. Snodgrass", in
Dia Milhão
(José Olympio 1975)
Story:
A man travels back to 1 AD Rome and teaches modern medicine, causing a
population explosion.
Comments:
Satire of de Camp's
Lest Darkness Fall.
Pohl, Frederick,
"Let the Ants Try", in
Planet Stories Winter 1949;
Beyond the End of Time
(Doubleday 1952; PermaBooks 1952);
and
Alternating Currents
(Ballantine 1956)
Story:
Following a nuclear war, a scientist carries some mutated ants 40 Myr into
the past and returns to find his present irrevocably altered.
Pohl, Frederick,
"Target One", in
Galaxy Apr 1955; and
Alternating Currents
(Ballantine 1956)
Story:
Victims of a nuclear war decide to go back in time and kill Einstein.
Pohl, Frederik,
"The Reunion at the Mile-High", in
Foundation's Friends: Stories in Honor of Isaac Asimov
(ed. Martin H. Greenberg)
(Tor 1989, 0312931743; Tor 1990, 0812509803);
and
Inside the Funhouse: 17 SF Stories about SF
(ed. Mike Resnick)
(Avon 1992, 0380766434)
What if:
Hearing about Einstein's letter to FDR, a biochemist wrote a similar letter
proposing a crash study of biological warfare.
Story:
Fred Pohl attends the 50th anniversary meeting of The Futurians and listens
to Isaac Asimov tell a reporter about the typhus bomb.
Pohl, Frederick,
"Waiting for the Olympians", in
IAsfm Aug 1988;
The 1989 Annual World's Best SF
(eds. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha)
(DAW 1989)
WMHB1
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by Fábio Fernandes, "Esperando os Olimpianos", in
Isaac Asimov Magazine de Ficção Científica #3
What if:
Jesus was not executed for sedition and Rome never fell.
Two millennia later, aliens announce their imminent arrival.
Story:
It is suggested to a sci-rom author in a rut that he try writing a "What
If?" book, but he can't see the point of it.
Polsby, Nelson W.,
"What If Robert Kennedy Had Not Been Assassinated
(1968)", in
WIESSF
What if:
As the title says.
Comments:
Kennedy would not have been the Democratic candidate, but as Humphrey's veep,
he would have led party reform and accelerated Vietnam withdrawal.
Powlesland, Aidan,
"Prelude to War: Poland, pivot of history: 1st August
1939-1 November 1939",
in
Miniature Wargames #70 (Mar 1989)
What if:
Poland and Germany signed a non-agression pact in September 1939.
Comments:
Outline of Aug to Nov, including Britain's retreat to isolation and civil
strife in France, as Germany prepares for Operation Attila in Dec.
Poyer, David C.,
The Shiloh Project
(Avon 1981, 0380787334)
What if:
Pickett's Charge succeeded and the Confederacy won at Gettysburg, leading to
British recognition of the CSA and Confederate independence.
Story:
120 years later, both Confederacy and Underground Railroad plan to hijack a
Union nuclear artillery shell being shipped past Hampton Roads.
Poyer, Joe,
Tunnel War
(Atheneum 1979, 068911009X)
What if:
Construction of the Chunnel started 80 years earlier.
Story:
Germany attempts to sabotage the project in 1911.
Pratt, Fletcher,
The Blue Star
(Ballantine 1969; Ballantine 1975, 0345245377);
revision of
"The Blue Star", in
Witches Three
(Twayne 1952)
What if:
Gunpowder was never invented.
Also, magic works.
Story:
...
Purdom, Tom,
"The Redemption of August", in
Asimov's Science Fiction Mar 1993
What if:
Von Kluck did not modify the Schlieffen plan and attacked Paris from the
front rather than behind.
Story:
Two time travelers fight to affect the events of Aug 1914, each believing
his personal timeline is better replaced by another.
Purser, Philip,
"Alternative Biography: Margaret Thatcher", in
The Oldie #30 (2 Apr 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Ron Reagan", in
The Oldie #31 (16 Apr 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Germaine Greer", in
The Oldie #32 (5 May 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Paul Johnson", in
The Oldie #33 (30 May 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Roy Hattersley", in
The Oldie #35 (11 Jun 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Antonia Fraser", in
The Oldie #36 (25 Jun 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Clive James", in
The Oldie #37 (9 Jul 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: John Birt", in
The Oldie #38 (23 Jul 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Fiona Pitt-Keithley", in
The Oldie #39 (6 Aug 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Chris Patten", in
The Oldie #40 (20 Aug 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: John Patten", in
The Oldie #40 (20 Aug 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Dirk Bogarde", in
The Oldie #41 (3 Sep 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Auberon Waugh", in
The Oldie #42 (17 Sep 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Peregrine Worsthorne", in
The Oldie #43 (1 Oct 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Edwina Currie", in
The Oldie #44 (15 Oct 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Kenneth Clarke", in
The Oldie #45 (29 Oct 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Nigel Kennedy", in
The Oldie #46 (12 Nov 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: David Hockney", in
The Oldie #47 (26 Nov 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Betty Boothroyd", in
The Oldie #48 (10 Dec 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Melvyn Bragg", in
The Oldie #49 (24 Dec 1993)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Clint Jefferson", in
The Oldie #50 (7 Jan 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: David Jenkins", in
The Oldie #51 (14 Jan 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Justice Rantzen", in
The Oldie #52 (4 Feb 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: John Major", in
The Oldie #53 (18 Feb 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Lord Waterhouse", in
The Oldie #54 (4 Mar 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Lady Diana Spencer", in
The Oldie #55 (18 Mar 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Lorena Bobbitt", in
The Oldie #56 (1 Apr 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Brian Clough", in
The Oldie #57 (15 Apr 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: Andrew Neil", in
The Oldie #58 (29 Apr 1994)
--------------,
"Alternative Biography: General John Osborne", in
The Oldie #59 (13 May 1994)
Story:
Short humorous sketches of different lives that famous people might have led.
Quarrie, Bruce,
Hitler: The Victory that Nearly Was
(David & Charles 1988, 0715392158; Guild 1989)
What if:
Germany started a 'Manhattan Project' in 1939 and postponed Barbarossa until
1942, and the Japanese did not attack Pearl Harbor until Sep 42.
Story:
Detailed description of WW2 from Malta to Beria's capitulation of the Soviet
Union in Jun 43, with an afterword about the A-bombing of New York.
Quilliet, Bernard,
La véritable histoire de France
(Presses de la Renaissance 1983, 2856162754)
Randle, Kevin, & Robert Cornett,
Remember the Alamo!
(Charter 1988)
-------------------------------,
Remember Gettysburg!
(Charter 1986)
Story:
A team travels back in time to prevent a Confederate victory and the consequent
Nazi victory in WW2.
-------------------------------,
Remember the Little Bighorn!
(Charter 1990, 1557733309)
Story:
A remnant of the team goes back to prevent George Armstrong Custer from
being elected president in 1880.
Reginald, Robert, & Jeffrey M. Elliot,
If J.F.K. had Lived: A Political Scenario
(Borgo 1982);
revision of
Reginald's The Attempted Assassination of John F. Kennedy: A Political
Fantasy
(Borgo 1976)
Story:
A Lord President of the US remembers his boyhood during the early 1960s.
Reich, Tova,
"Mengele in Jerusalem", in
Harper's Jun 1986
What if:
Josef Mengele, the Nazi doctor, hid in Jerusalem,
Story:
The search for Mengele has an unusual conclusion.
Reilly, Rick,
"What If? Short By a Nose", in
Sports Illustrated [Classic] Fall 1992 (vol 77, no 17)
What if:
A sneeze by Jerry Kramer resulted in the Dallas Cowboys winning the 1967 NFL
championship rather than the Green Bay Packers.
Story:
The decisive play of the game, plus comments on the futures of Kramer, the
Packers and the Cowboys.
Remillard, Colin,
"All the Changling Worlds", in
Science Fiction Review Apr 1992
Story:
A man searches various alternate worlds for one in which a friend does not
go insane, visiting one where the Vietnam War dragged on to 1989.
Renouvier, Charles,
Uchronie (l'utopie dans l'histoire), esquisse
historique apocryphe du development de la civilisation Europeenne tel
qu'il n'a pas ete, tel qu'il aurait pu etre
(Bureau de la Critique Philosophique 1876; Alcan 1901; Artheme Fayard
1988);
revision of
title unknown, in
Revue philosophique et religieuse ... 1857
What if:
Marcus Aurelius helped reform the Roman army, free the slaves, repress the
Christians and avert the Dark Ages.
Story:
Narrative of a 17th-century man about to be executed by the Inquisition.
Resnick, Laura,
"Amandla!", in
AT
Resnick, Laura,
"A Fleeting Wisp of Glory", in
AK; and
Galaxy #3 (May/Jun 1994)
What if:
The Cuban missile crisis blew up.
Story:
Centuries after Armageddon, legends of the two Camelots become entwined.
Resnick, Laura,
"The Vatican Outfit",
AW
What if:
Mafiosi warned Pope John Paul I of his imminent assassination.
Story:
After numerous assassination attempts, John Paul adopts a new management
style to run the church.
Resnick, Laura,
"Saint Frankie", in
AO
Story:
St. Francis of Assisi heard slightly different voices, and was a bit more
helpful assisting the rich renounce property and wealth.
Resnick, Laura,
"Under a Sky More Fiercely Blue", in
BAOF
What if:
Lucky Luciano really was sent on a secret mission to Sicily in 1943.
Story:
A boy older than his years guides Luciano to the home of a local capo.
Resnick, Laura,
"We Are Not Amused", in
AP
What if:
Victoria Woodhull, the first female candidate, was elected US president in
1872.
Story:
Series of letters from Queen Victoria to the radical feminist president, at
first expressing approval but not later.
Resnick, Mike,
"The Bull Moose at Bay", in
IAsfm Nov 1991; and
AP
What if:
Theodore Roosevelt was not wounded during the 1912 assassination attempt,
leaving him healthy enough to successfully campaign for president.
Story:
Four years later, as TR anticipates defeat by Woodrow Wilson, he discusses
women's suffrage with various friends and allies.
Resnick, Mike,
"Bully!", in
Bully!
(Axolotl 1990);
IAsfm Sep 1991;
Bwana & Bully!
(Tor SF Double #33)
(Tor 1991, 0812512464);
Stalking the Wild Resnick
(NESFA ...);
and
Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut Off the Sun?
(Tor 1992, 0312852762; Tor/Orb 1994, 0312890109)
What if:
When told during a 1910 safari that 50 white men would join him to tame
Africa, Teddy Roosevelt did not turn the offer down.
Story:
How TR tried to create a republic of the Congo, ousting the Belgians but
ultimately failing due to the non-democratic traditions of the natives.
Comments:
Nominee: 1991 Hugo for best novella, 1991 Nebula for best novella.
Resnick, Mike,
"How Jerry Phipps Won His Hugo", in
AWC
Resnick, Mike,
"Lady in Waiting", in
AK
What if:
Marilyn Monroe did not become an actress.
Story:
Washington, DC, waitress Norma Jean gets picked up by the president for a
one-night stand and futilely dreams of becoming first lady.
Resnick, Mike,
"The Light That Blinds, the Claws That Catch", in
IAsfm Jul 1992; and
Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut Off the Sun?
(Tor 1992, 0312852762; Tor/Orb 1994, 0312890109)
What if:
Alice Roosevelt did not die on 14 Feb 1884.
Story:
To protect his wife's fragile health, husband Teddy lives a quiet life as a
naturalist, but dreams of greater accomplishments.
Resnick, Mike,
"Mwalimu in the Squared Circle", in
Asimov's Science Fiction Mar 1993;
AW, and
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eleventh Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1994; SFBC 1994)
What if:
In order to end the Tanzania-Uganda war of 1980, Julius Nyrere accepted Idi
Amin's challenge to a boxing match
Story:
Outweighed by 200 pounds, Nyrere struggles to stay alive in the boxing ring.
Comments:
Nominee: 1994 Hugo for best short story.
Resnick, Mike,
"Over There", in
IAsfm Apr 1991;
WMHB3; and
Will the Last Person to Leave the Planet Please Shut Off the Sun?
(Tor 1992, 0312852762; Tor/Orb 1994, 0312890109)
What if:
Under duress, Woodrow Wilson in May 1917 gave Teddy Roosevelt permission to
re-form the Rough Riders and go to France.
Story:
TR discovers that the natures of war and the enemy have changed in 20 years.
Reynolds, Mack, & Dean Ing,
The Other Time
(Simon & Schuster 1984; Baen 1984, 0671559264)
Story:
An archaeologist is displaced in time and has a chance to witness the
Spanish conquest of Mexico.
He wonders if he can change history.
Reynolds, Mack: see also
Derleth, August, & Mack Reynolds
Reynolds, Pamela,
Earth Times Two
(Lothrop, Lee & Shepherd 1970)
Story:
Crosstime adventure on a world where telepathic research replaced the
advance of technology.
Richard-Bessière, F.,
Croisière dans le temps
(Fleuve Noir 1951)
What if:
Time travelers prevented the assassination of Henri IV in 1610.
Story:
France unifies Europe, but world war begins a century later and
civilization collapses in the 20th century.
Richards, R.W.,
A Southern Yarn
(Rokarn 1990)
What if:
Lee's Army of Northern Virginia defeated Grant's Army of the Potomac at Ox
Ford in spring 1864 and later captured Washington.
Story:
Story of Lee, Grant and a fictional sergeant during May and June 1864.
Comments:
Non-AH prequel is Brothers in Gray.
Richards, John Thomas,
"Minor Alteration", in
f&sf Dec 1965
What if:
John Wilkes Booth decided to leave Washington before killing Abraham Lincoln.
Story:
A man troubled by dreams that he is Booth convinces his doctor to hypnotize
him, and awakes in an unhappy world dominated by Britain.
Richardson, Hal,
"The Time of Fear", serial in
Melbourne Argus 28 Jul-6 Sep 1956
What if:
Japan won the Battle of the Coral Sea.
Story:
Life in occupied Australia.
Riddell, Peter,
"If Tony Benn had won", in
Times of London 17 Aug 1992
Story:
Several short scenarios based on what-ifs in British politics between 1974
and 1990.
Rigaut, Jacques,
"Un brillant sujet", in
Littérature #18 (Mar 1921);
and
Papiers posthumes
(Sans Pareil 1934)
Story:
A time traveler poisons Jesus, does plastic surgery on Cleopatra, etc.
Riker, William H.,
"What If Elbridge Gerry Had Been More Rational and Less
Patriotic? (1787)", in
WIESSF
What if:
Massachusetts delegate Gerry votes against a Constitutional proposal,
causing the entire convention to collapse.
Comments:
Speculation on the Balkanization of N America, begun by armed conflict
between New York and New England for Vermont.
Ritch, William Alan: see
Linaweaver, Brad, & Ritch, William Alan
Robban, Randolph,
Si l'Allemagne avait vaincu
(Editions de la Tour du Guët 1950)
Trans.:
German tr. by ...,
Wenn Deutschland geseigt hatte
(Kohlhammer 1981)
What if:
Germany won WW2 using atomic weapons.
Story:
A diplomat imagines a world in which Germany lost.
Roberts, John Maddox,
King of the Wood
(Doubleday 1983, 0385175841; Tor 1986, 0812552067, 0812552075)
What if:
Pagan Vikings fleeing forced conversion to Christianity established
strong settlements in N America, and were later joined by Saxons.
Story:
An outlaw Saxon prince from eastern N America takes part in the Mongol
conquest of Mexico.
Roberts, Keith,
Pavane
(Hart-Davis 1968; Doubleday 1968; Ace 1968,
0441654304; Berkley 1976; Gollancz 1984)
Trans.:
German tr. by Thomas Schluck, Die folgenschwere ermordung ihrer majestat
Elisabeth I.
(Heyne 1977;
vt Pavane,
Heyne 1984)
Trans.:
Portuguese tr. by ..., Pavana
(Clássica 1992)
What if:
Elizabeth I was assassinated, the Armada triumphed, and Europe and the New
World languished under 500 years of Church rule.
Comments:
1968 Hart-Davis ed. does not include "The White Boat".
Comments:
See also the reference mat'l entry for Roberts' "The Peacock Dance".
(------------),
"The Signaller", in
Impulse Mar 1966;
Another World: A Science Fiction Anthology
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(Follett
1977, 0695806955);
and
The Best of British SF 2
(ed. ... Ashley)
(Futura 1977)
(------------),
"The Lady Anne" (vt "The Lady Margaret"), in
Impulse Apr 1966;
A Day in the Life: A Science Fiction Anthology
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(Harper & Row 1972, 0060110767);
AH; 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)
(------------),
"Brother John", in
Impulse May 1966
(------------),
"Lords and Ladies" in
Impulse Jun 1966
(------------),
"Corfe Gate", in
Impulse Jul 1966
(------------),
"The White Boat", in
New Worlds Dec 1966;
The Grain KingsÊ(Hutchinson 1976);
and
The Passing of the Dragon
(Berkley 1976)
Story:
Steam locomotives and heroic semaphore operators represent modern-day high-tech.
Secret quasi-priesthood of scientists hunted by Inquisition.
Roberts, Keith,
"Weihnachtsabend", in
New Worlds Quarterly No. 4
(ed. Michael Moorcock)
(Berkley 1972);
The Grain KingsÊ(Hutchinson 1976);
The Passing of the Dragon
(Berkley 1976);
HV;
The World Treasury of Science Fiction
(ed. David G. Hartwell)
(Little, Brown 1989, 0316349410);
and
Alternate Worlds #2 (not yet published)
Trans.:
German tr. by Michael Nagula, "Weihnachtsabend", in
SVW
Trans.:
German tr. by Tony Westermayr, "Weihnachtsabend", in
Die neuen Gotter
(Goldmann 1979)
What if:
A junta overthrew George VI and Churchill in 1940, then made peace with the
Axis.
Story:
A girl disappears during the joint celebration of Christmas and the Hunt on
a British estate.
Roberts, Ralph,
"How the South Preserved the Union", in
AP
What if:
In 1849, Zachary Taylor and Millard Fillmore were killed in an accident,
elevating the Senate president pro tem to the US presidency.
Story:
David Atchison's presence in the White House provokes the abolitionist
North into secession, leading to a different Civil War.
Robinett, Stephen,
"Helbent 4", in
Galaxy Oct 1975;
The Best from Galaxy Volume IV
(ed. Jim Baen)
(Award 1976);
Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, Fifth Annual Collection
(ed. Lester Del Rey)
(Dutton 1976, 052506494X);
and
The 1976 Annual World's Best SF
(eds. Donald A. Wollheim & Arthur W. Saha)
(DAW 1976)
Story:
A "man" sent to fight aliens returns to Earth 300 years later but it
isn't the Earth he left.
The new one thinks he's the menace.
Robinson, Frank M.,
"Causes", in
AT
Robinson, Frank M.,
"Hail, Hail, Rock and Roll", in
AWC
Robinson, Frank M.,
"One Month in 1907", in
AO
What if:
Hugo Gernsback was screwed in a business deal by Charles Ponzi.
Story:
The lives of the two men are swapped, with the former originating
the infamous "Gernsback Scheme" and the latter sf magazines.
Robinson, Kim Stanley,
"The Lucky Strike", in
Universe 14
(ed. Terry Carr)
(Doubleday 1984; Tor 1986, 0812532716,
0812532724);
The Best Science Fiction of the Year #14
(ed. Terry Carr)
(Gollancz 1985,
0575037148, 0575037474;
vt Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction of the Year,
Tor 1985, 0812532732, 0812532740);
Nebula Awards 20: SFWA'S Choice for the Best Science Fiction and Fantasy of
the Year 1984
(ed. George Zebrowski)
(HBJ 1985, 0151649278, 0156654776);
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Second Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(Bluejay 1985, 0312944853, 0312944845);
AH;
The Planet on the TableÊ(Tor 1987, 0812552377, 0812552385);
There Won't Be War
(eds. Harry Harrison & Bruce McAllister)
(Tor 1991, 0712519418);
The Norton Book of Science Fiction: North American Science Fiction,
1960-1990
(eds. Ursula K. LeGuin & Brian Attebery)
(Norton 1993, 0393034568);
and
Remaking History and Other Stories
(Tor/Orb 1994, 0312890125)
Trans.:
German tr. by Michael Nagula, "Der Flug de Lucky Strike", in
SVW
Trans.:
German tr., Michael Windgassen, "Lucky Strike", in
HSL
What if:
The "Enola Gay" crashed on a practice flight.
Story:
The "Lucky Strike" is selected to bomb Hiroshima, but its bombardier is
horrified by the power of the atomic bomb.
Comments:
Nominee: 1984 Nebula for best novelette, 1985 Hugo for best novelette.
---------------------,
"A Sensitive Dependence on Initial Conditions", in
Interzone #49 (Jul 1991);
Author's Choice Monthly #20;
Remaking History
(Tor 1991, 031285126X);
and
Remaking History and Other Stories
(Tor/Orb 1994, 0312890125)
Comments:
An essay on quantum physics and AH, with various possible outcomes of the
bombing of Hiroshima described.
Robinson, Kim Stanley,
"Remaking History", in
IAsfm Mar 1989;
WMHB1;
Remaking History
(Tor 1991, 031285126X);
and
Remaking History and Other Stories
(Tor/Orb 1994, 0312890125)
What if:
The 1980 rescue of the hostages in Iran succeeded.
Story:
A lunar film company remakes the DeNiro classic Escape from Teheran and
discusses Great Men and Women.
Rochelle, Warren G.,
"A Peaceful Heart", in
Aboriginal May/Jun 1989
What if:
The Confederacy gained independence.
100 years later, civilization along the eastern seaboard has fallen apart due
to biological warfare.
Story:
In 1978, a man raising two orphan boys on a N Carolina island must cope with
the eldest's desire to find out what's happening on the mainland.
Rolfe, Frederick William, & C.H. Pirie-Gordon,
Hubert's Arthur: Being Certain Curious Documents Found
Among the Literary Remains of Mr. N.C.
(Cassell 1935; Arno 1978, 0405110057)
What if:
Arthur Plantagenet escaped from King John.
Story:
Arthur becomes King of Jerusalem and later returns to England to overthrow
his uncle.
Romano, Deane,
Flight from Time One
(Walker 1972, 0802755542; Fitzhenry & Whiteside 1972)
What if:
The Qarmatian Muslims enjoyed further victories after Basra or Great
Britain capitulated to the Nazis.
Story:
An astral disarmamament inspector discovers a crosstime Nazi plot to destroy
his timeline, Time One.
Rowder, Louise,
"CruiseCon", in
AWC
Rowder, Louise,
"The Symmetry of Duty", in
AT
Roy, Archie,
All Evil Shed Away
(John Long 1970; Apogee 1986)
What if:
Churchill was assassinated in June 1940 and an armistice followed, then
invasion and occupation.
Story:
In our 1945, two officers find a manuscript written by a time traveler from
occupied Britain 1970 who decided to set things right.
Rucker, Rudy,
The Hollow Earth: The Narrative of Mason Algiers Reynolds of Virginia
(Morrow 1990, 0688094139; Avon/AvoNova 1992, 0380755351)
Story:
In 1836, an expedition including Edgar Allen Poe set out for the S Pole to
locate the entrance to the Earth's hollow interior.
Rucker, Rudy, & Paul Di Filippo,
"Instability", in
WMHB2
What if:
Members of the Beat Generation decided to disrupt an H-bomb test.
Story:
William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac and John von Neumann intersect at White
Sands.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"ApocalypseCon", in
AWC
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"The Arrival of Truth", in
AW
What if:
Sojourner Truth marched through the South telling the slaves to take what is
theirs.
Story:
Slaves at a Virginia plantation await Truth's coming.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"The Best and the Brightest", in
AK
What if:
Robert Kennedy was elected president in 1964.
Story:
A black reporter faces a personal crisis when he is given evidence that RFK
ordered an assassination attempt on Martin Luther King, Jr.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"Common Sense", in
AO
What if:
Thomas Paine did not emigrate to America.
Story:
A highborn Englishwoman witnesses Paine's trial for treason, while
Ben Franklin worries about finding a voice for the American rebels.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"Faith", in
AT
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"Fighting Bob", in
AP
What if:
Progressive Party candidate Robert La Follette was elected US president in
1924, but died in 1925 during a stalemate with Congress.
Story:
Six years later, family, friends and enemies of La Follette meet to argue
over the Wisconsin Senate race, breaking open old wounds.
Rusch, Kristine Kathryn,
"Sinner-Saints", in
f&sf May 1993; and
BAOF
What if:
Lillian Hellman joined a third party movement and ran for the US Senate,
losing lover Dashiell Hammett as a consequence.
Story:
15 years later, in the midst of the Communist witch hunts, Sen. Hellman must
decide how much to admit regarding her relationship with Hammett.
Russ, Joanna,
The Female Man
(Bantam 1975, 0553111752; Gregg 1977, 0839823517; Beacon
1986, 0807063134; Easton 1994);
included in
Radical Utopias
(Book-of-the-Month Club 1990)
Trans.:
German tr. by Werner Fuchs, Planet der frauen
(Dromer Knaur 1979)
Story:
Interaction of a woman from a future where a plague killed all men, a 1960s
woman from a timeline where WW2 didn't happen, and the author.
Rutman, Leo,
Clash of Eagles
(Ballantine 1990)
What if:
The Nazis enjoyed enough success in Europe that they could invade the US.
Story:
...
Ryan, J.B.,
"The Mosaic", in
Astounding Jul 1940
Story:
A time-traveler from Arabic America alters the outcome at Tours.
Saberhagen, Fred,
A Century of Progress
(Tor 1983, 0523485689, 0812553411, 081255342X)
Story:
A man is recruited into helping a group fighting Hitler in all timelines.
Saberhagen, Fred,
The Mask of the Sun
(Ace 1979; Tor 1987, 0812553098, 0812553101,
0812513576)
What if:
The Inca rebellion against Spanish domination succeeded.
Story:
A man from our world gets involved in a time war between Inca and Aztec
timelines, seeing action in old Cuzco.
Sagara, Michelle,
"For Love of God", in
AW
What if:
Thomas a Becket did not return after fleeing England because of his dispute
with Henry II.
Story:
Armies representing the two sides meet on a French battlefield, and Becket
remembers the history of his relationship with Henry.
Sagara, Michelle,
"The Sword in the Stone", in
AT
Salisbury, Robert H.,
"What If Marbury v. Madison and the Impeachment of John
Marshall (1803)", in
WIESSF
What if:
Congress impeached and removed Chief Justice Marshall from office.
Comments:
Scholarly history describing the "crippling" of the US Supreme Court, ending
in impeachment of three justices who supported abortion in 1973.
Salomon, Warren,
"Time on My Hands", in
IAsfm Oct 1982
What if:
Alexander the Great besieged Jerusalem.
Story:
...
Sanders, William,
Journey to Fusang
(Warner/Questar 198...)
What if:
The Mongols sacked Europe from Moscow to Cordova, leaving the Moors and
Chinese to discover the New World during the 16th century.
Story:
In the late 1600s, an Irish rogue adrift in N America sets his sights on
Chinese California but must first cope with a Cossack army loose in the SW.
Sanders, William,
The Wild Blue and the Gray
(Warner/Questar 1991, 0446361429)
What if:
With British help, the Confederacy won the Civil War.
Story:
The sole member of the Cherokee air force is attached to a Confederate
squadron fighting in France in 1916.
Sarban,
The Sound of His Horn
(Davies 1952; Ballantine 1960)
Trans.:
Spanish tr. by Manuel Figueroa, El Cuerno de Caza
(Editorial Arte y Literature 1981)
Story:
A man escapes a Nazi POW camp in 1943 and falls into the future of a world
where Germany won WW2.
Sargent, Pamela,
"The Sleeping Serpent", in
Amazing Stories Jan 1992; and
WMHB4
What if:
The Mongols conquered mainland Europe and crossed the Atlantic.
Story:
Led by the son of the khan of France, the Iriquois federation moves to drive
the English out of New England.
Saunders, Jake,
"Back to the Stone Age", in
Lone Star Universe: The First Anthology of Texas Science Fiction Authors
(eds. George W. Proctor & Steven Utley)
(Heidelberg 1976, 0913206083);
and
Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year, Sixth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(Dutton 1977, 0525064958; Ace 1978, 044105482X)
What if:
Disaster at Oak Ridge scrapped the Manhattan Project, and the US decided
not to invade Japan.
Story:
In 1954, random bombers fly over the bombed-out Japanese islands,
eliminating any signs of human activity they happen to find.
Scanlon, Michael L.,
"Kansas City Kitty", in
L. Ron Hubbard Presents Writers of the Future: Volume VI
(ed. Algis Budrys)
(Bridge 1990)
What if:
The US intervened in the Hungarian crisis of 1956.
Story:
...
Schachner, Nat,
"Ancestral Voices", in
Astounding Dec 1933
Schimel, Lawrence,
"A Stable Relationship", in
AT
Schimel, Lawrence,
"Taking Action", in
AW
What if:
Precognition of what might be, including the Rodney King beating, pushed
Martin Luther King, Jr. away from the path of non-violence.
Story:
The civil right movement follows a more violent route, leading to a duel
between MLK and George Wallace.
Scholz, Carter,
"The Ninth Symphony of Ludwig van Beethoven and Other Lost
Songs", in
Universe 7
(ed. Terry Carr)
(Doubleday 1977, 0385114141)
Story:
Mental time travelers examining Beethoven's creative process drive the
composer mad before he can complete the Ode to Joy.
Comments:
Nominee: 1977 Nebula for best novelette, 1978 Hugo for best novella.
Scortia, Thomas N.,
Artery of Fire
(Doubleday 1972, 0385086598; Popular Library 1972,
0445005351);
revision of
"Artery of Fire", in
Original Science Fiction Stories Mar 1960
Story:
An attempt to transmit "Black Field" power from Pluto to Earth has
disastrous crosstime potential, heading directly for Hiroshima 1945.
Scott, Melissa,
A Choice of Destinies
(Baen 1986, 0671655639)
What if:
After the conquest of Persia, Alexander of Macedon returned west to quell a
rebellion of League cities.
Story:
His return and dealings with early Rome.
Scott, Melissa, & Lisa A. Barnett,
Armor of Light
(Baen 1988, 0671697838)
What if:
Witchcraft works. Also, Sir Philip Sidney survived Zutphens.
Story:
In 1593, Elizabeth I directs Sidney and Christopher Marlowe to protect James
VI/I from magical attacks.
Seabury, Paul,
"The Histronaut", in
f&sf Apr 1963
What if:
Lenin did not return to Russia from Switzerland.
Story:
A time traveler destroys Lenin's train, but returns to his home time to find
Washington DC occupied by Germans.
Seabury, Paul,
"What If George Washington Had Been Captured by General
Howe: Mrs. Murray's War (1776)", in
WIESSF
What if:
The owner of the farm where the battle of Murray Hill was fought persuaded
Howe to forget refreshment and pursue Washington.
Comments:
Memoir of an historian who discovers Mrs. Murray's diary and who shows it to
Howe's biographer while at the Royal New York Historical Society
Sell, William,
"Other Tracks", in
Astounding Oct 1938; and
Science Fiction Adventures in Dimensions
(ed. Groff Conklin)
(Vanguard 1953)
Story:
Two scientific assistants use a time machine to visit the past, and discover
that they have changed the present.
Comments:
First known story to theorize that changing the past will alter the
time-traveler's home time.
However, little historical development.
Shainblum, Mark, & Gabriel Morrissette,
"The Infinite Man", in
Gene Day's Black Zeppelin ... (... , Renegade Comics)
What if:
Britain and Russia fought a war in the 1880s.
Story:
...
Shapiro, Stanley,
A Time to Remember
(Random House 1986)
Story:
To prevent his brother's death in Vietnam, a man travels back to 1963
Dallas, but an altered history may also need correction.
Comments:
Basis for the 1990 movie Running Against Time.
Shaw, Bob,
The Two-Timers
(Ace 1968, 0020080794)
Story:
A man goes back in time to save his wife from a killer, creating a world in
which the wife didn't die and another version of himself exists.
Sheckley, Robert,
"The Deaths of Ben Baxter", in
Galaxy Jul 1957; and
Store of Infinity
(Bantam 1960, 0553052292)
Story:
Scientists manipulating history are faced with three equally undesirable
choices.
Sheckley, Robert,
"Disquisitions on the Dinosaur", in
Dinosaur Fantastic
(eds. Mike Resnick & Martin H. Greenberg)
(DAW 1993; SFBC 1994)
Story:
Time travelers bring dinosaurs forward to ancient Rome, and various invading
(in our timeline) armies decide not to invade.
Sheckley, Robert,
"Dukakis and the Aliens", in
AP
Story:
In 1989, on his first day as president, an alien invasion conspiracy is
revealed to Michael Dukakis.
His reaction requires reworking history.
Sheckley, Robert,
"Miranda", in
AO
Shelley, Rick,
"The Worlds I Used to Know", in
Analog Jan 1988
Shepard, Lucius,
"A Spanish Lesson", in
f&sf Dec 1985; in
Terry Carr's Best Science Fiction Stories of the Year #15
(ed. Terry Carr)
(Tor 1986)
Sherman, Joel Henry,
Traitors to the Crown
(Ballantine, bot yet published)
Sherman, Josepha,
"Monsieur Verne and the Martian Invasion", in
AW
Story:
In a steampunk 19th century, the great inventor Jules Verne discovers and
fights a creature from outer space.
Shetterly, Will,
"Hero Worship: Public Faces and Private Dreams", in
Captain Confederacy (vol 2) #2 (Jan 1992, Epic Comics)
What if:
The South won the Civil War due to un-described events c. 1862.
Story:
An autobiographical sketch of a reporter, born to Union parents but working
in the CSA.
---------------, & Vince Stone,
Captain Confederacy (vol 1) #1-12, comic book series (Steeldragon 1986-87)
Story:
The CSA develops a Captain America-type superhero in the 1980s but he is
unhappy being ordered about in an apartheid-ridden country.
Comments:
Letters to editor often more interesting than the story.
Issues #1-2 revised and re-issued as Captain Confederacy Special Edition.
------------------------------,
Captain Confederacy (vol 2) #1-4, comic book series (Epic Comics 1991-92)
Story:
Super-heroes from eight N America nations, Germany and Japan, meet in New
Orleans, where the representative from Texas is murdered for his weaponry.
Shi Jian,
title unknown, in
'Strange Tales' May 1990
What if:
Germany won WW2.
Story:
...
Shiner, Lewis,
"Oz", in
Full Spectrum
(eds. Lou Aronica & Shawna McCarthy)
(Bantam 1988, 0553274821)
What if:
Lee Harvey Oswald was not murdered.
Story:
Ozzie is acquitted and later becomes a rock star, with mention of the
conspiracy trials and America's exit from Vietnam.
Shiner, Lewis,
"Twilight Time", in
IAsfm Apr 1984
Trans.:
German tr. by Michael Windgassen, "Zeit des Zwielichts", in
HSL
What if:
Aliens secretly invaded in the 1950s, using subliminal TV, drugged food, etc,
in an attempt to establish a police state.
Story:
A political prisoner is sent back into 1961 in a time travel project to
remove alien influence.
Shiner, Lewis,
"Voodoo Child", in
Asimov's Science Fiction Jul 1993; and
Glimpses
(Morrow 1993)
What if:
Jimi Hendrix did not accidentally overdose on sleeping pills.
Story:
A man from 1989 tries to keep Hendrix alive so that he may produce "Last Rays
of the Rising Sun".
Comments:
Seemingly AH, when taken within the context of the whole novel Glimpses,
it is not.
Shiner, Lewis,
"White City", in
IAsfm Jun 1990; and
The Year's Best Science Fiction, Eighth Annual Collection
(ed. Gardner Dozois)
(St. Martin's 1991, 0312060092, 0312060084)
Story:
Tesla conducts an experiment with atmospheric electricity at the Chicago
World's Fair with results unanticipated by his backers.
Shiner, Lewis: see also
Sterling, Bruce, & Lewis Shiner
Shippey, Tom,
"Enemy Transmissions", in
HV
Story:
Occult use of dreams in a 3rd Reich that succeeded, some of which are of our
timeline.
Shippey, Tom: see also
Harrison, Harry, & Tom Shippey
Shirer, William,
"If Hitler Had Won World War II", in
Look 15 Dec 1961
Story:
Mostly a speculative essay, but passages from the diary that Shirer might
have kept are included.
Shukman, Harold,
"If I had been... Alexander Kerensky in 1917", in
IIHB
What if:
Kerensky did not stop Kornilov's occupation of Petrograd.
Comments:
Kerensky decides that Kornilov's aid is the only way to alleviate civil
unrest and prevent a Bolshevik takeover.
Shwartz, Susan,
Byzantium's Crown
(publ. unknown)
--------------,
The Woman of FlowersÊ(Warner/Popular Library 1987, 0445203587, 0445293595)
--------------,
Queensblade
(... 1987)
What if:
Mark Antony and Cleopatra won at Actium and moved the Roman capital to the
east.
Also, magic works.
Story:
...
Shwartz, Susan,
"Count of the Saxon Shore", in
Alt
What if:
Arthur of Britain survived the battle of Camlann.
Story:
An old warrior reflects on the battle and its aftermath.
Shwartz, Susan,
"Loose Cannon", in
WMHB2
What if:
T.E. Lawrence (of Arabia) survived his 1935 motorcycle accident.
Story:
In 1940, Churchill convinces Lawrence to go back to N Africa, where he meets
Rommel.
Comments:
Nominee: 1990 Nebula for best novelette.
Shwartz, Susan,
"Suppose They Gave a Peace...", in
AP
What if:
Due to the increasing count of body bags returning from Vietnam, George
McGovern was elected US president in 1972.
Story:
Not waiting for the promised US withdrawal, N Vietnamese continue marching
on Saigon.
An Ohio family worries about its soldier son.
Comments:
Nominee: 1992 Nebula for best novelette, 1993 Hugo for best novelette.
Go to next section.
Robert B. Schmunk
(altworld@panix.com)