Alternate Warriors

Rating:
Summary: Three and a half star anthology
Review: ALTERNATE WARRIORS is an interesting conceit. What would happen if Jesus, Martin Luther King, Junior, Mohandas Ghandi, and other historical peacemakers had instead picked up the sword and fought back?

My favorite story in this collection, bar none, was Mercedes Lackey's "Jihad." In this alternate-universe story, T.E. Lawrence turns his back on his own country and Westernism as a whole, and instead unites the Middle East. Great story, well told, and it made sense. Five stars plus for that.

My second favorite story was Judith Tarr's "Queen of Asia." This twists known-history nicely, and brings Alexander to Asia as bridegroom, not conqueror. Four and a half stars for that.

My third favorite story was Jack C. Haldeman II's "Death of a Dream." This story turns on King's "I have a dream speech," and asks the question, "What if he hadn't made it?"

The bloody aftermath of that not happening made a great deal of logical sense. In addition, the choice of President after JFK died was an interesting one; Richard Daley (the first; mayor of Chicago during the 1968 riots at the Democratic National Convention). And King alludes to a certain Georgia governor, put on the ticket to placate moderates; Haldeman is surely alluding to Jimmy Carter, who I can well believe would have done something had he found himself in the horrible situation Haldeman describes. Four solid stars for that.

I also really enjoyed Lea Hernandez' story "Al Einstein -- Nazi Smasher!" It was a great deal of fun to read; couldn't take it seriously, but enjoyed it all the same.

Some of the other stories were good, some were blah. One didn't make much sense; maybe it needed more space?

I refer to the Jane Austen story by Esther Friesner. I really like her conception of the history (in her take, Napoleon is alive and has conquered England, with the United States allying with France due to France's help in the American Revolutionary War). I enjoyed her view of Jane Austen -- she lives and breathes. And I can handle her unusual romances between Jane and Davy Crockett and Jane's sister falling in love with a French Lieutenant.

I just can't buy that Jane would be allowed to go on Napoleon's ship. No matter what happened after that; it just took me right out of the reader's trance.

The story succeeds on many levels; best I can do is refuse to rate this story, or rate it on its potential. Potential: five stars plus. But it's too short and needed more time. Another ten pages would have helped this story develop and grow nicely.

I want to see more in this world; the story whetted my appetite for an alternate history with Jane Austen in it, and I really enjoy Ms. Friesner's writing.

But this story was too short. Two and a half for it, wishing I could give it more.

Most of the rest of the stories were marginal to good, but didn't really make much of an impression.

So, the final tally is three and a half stars, recommended, mostly so you can read Ms. Lackey's incredibly realistic story about T.E. Lawrence.

Barb Caffrey

Rating:
Summary: Weakened Warriors
Review: Resnick's Alternates series is my personal favorite collection of alternate history stories, as editor Resnick has commissioned a wide variety of fiction writers in each to imagine alternate timelines and individuals. But Alternate Warriors fails where books like Alternate Kennedys and Alternate Presidents succeeds. While Mohandas Gandhi's evolution into a radical terrorist is plausible, many of the stories here -- Jane Austen captaining a warship? -- are just silly. Worse, they're not even interesting.