Worlds That Weren't

Rating:
Summary: Four Interesting Alternative Histories
Review: "Worlds That Weren't" is a fascinating glimpse at four alternative histories written by writers who are masters of this subgenre of science fiction. Mercifully short is Harry Turtledove's contribution, which recasts the Athenian general Alkibiades as an early precursor to Alexander the Great, aided and abetted by a most unlikely warrior, Sokrates (It may be the least attractive of the four to those unfamiliar with Classical Greek history.). S. M. Stirling's look at an alternative Texas under the sway of a rejuvenated British Empire is set in the same time as his alternative history novel "Peshawar Lancers" and is a fascinating, gripping light piece of entertainment. A more sobering alternative history is presented by Mary Gentle's contribution, set in the same time as her novel "Ash", regarding the aftermath of the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by a non-Moslem Ottoman Turkish empire. Yet the best tale in this brief collection is saved for last, in Walter Jon Williams' delightful look at the famous gunfight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, with one Friedrich Nietzsche as a gun-toting gambler.

Rating:
Summary: Four Interesting Alternative Histories
Review: "Worlds That Weren't" is a fascinating glimpse at four alternative histories written by writers who are masters of this subgenre of science fiction. Mercifully short is Harry Turtledove's contribution, which recasts the Athenian general Alkibiades as an early precursor to Alexander the Great, aided and abetted by a most unlikely warrior, Sokrates (It may be the least attractive of the four to those unfamiliar with Classical Greek history.). S. M. Stirling's look at an alternative Texas under the sway of a rejuvenated British Empire is set in the same time as his alternative history novel "Peshawar Lancers" and is a fascinating, gripping light piece of entertainment. A more sobering alternative history is presented by Mary Gentle's contribution, set in the same time as her novel "Ash", regarding the aftermath of the conquest of the Byzantine Empire by a non-Moslem Ottoman Turkish empire. Yet the best tale in this brief collection is saved for last, in Walter Jon Williams' delightful look at the famous gunfight at the O. K. Corral in Tombstone, Arizona, with one Friedrich Nietzsche as a gun-toting gambler.

Rating:
Summary: German Freddy vs. Wyatt Earp !
Review: Allright, I've read Nietsche and I've visited the OK Corral. I've got a copy of The Tombstone Epitaph dated October 27, 1881 with the headline "Yesterday's Tragedy--Three Men Hurled Into Eternity In The Duration Of a Moment." so you might be inclined to think that I'd probably give the last novella: " The Last Ride of German Freddy " by Nebula award winner and Kenpo Karate fanatic Walter John Williams the best marks , right?

You're right.

But not for the reasons you might imagine. It really stands out worlds apart (pun intended) from the other three 'alternative history' fantasy stories. Yes, I'm familiar with Greek history, and the catastrophic invasion of Syracuse. When Mark Twain was asked what was the turning point in his life he quipped "When Caesar crossed the Rubicon. "

He was right, of course, it changed Western Civilisation! Had he wanted to risk being a bit more obscure he could have gone further back in time and replied " When Alcibiades was arrested on the way to Syracuse. " If he hadn't, the expedition probably would have succeeded and it would have been The Athenian, not The Roman Empire that conquered the known world. However Harry Turtledove's handling of the story is lame, not because he has--as one reviwer noted--Socrates as an unlikely character aiding Alcibiades (Socrates did in fact fight as an Athenian hoplite, though not at Syracuse) but because the story never gets off the ground. It just doesn't deliver the goods.

Worse still are S.M Stirling and Mary Gentle's offerings. Were they in a hurry?

Ok, so it's er...light summer reading.

By contrast 'German Freddy' with Nietsche as a gambler and gunslinger in The Wild West who berates Curly and John Ringo for bribing elections--not because it's dishonest, but because these outlwas are now becoming 'citizens and taxpayers' instead of the warlike 'Roman Supermen' he admires ("What was Romulus? A bandit!) Falling in love with Tombstone's 'Helen of Troy' (Sadie) and debating philosophy with Doc Holliday between Poker hands is a pure delight. Well crafted and suspensefull.

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Summary: A host of alternative history stories
Review: Harry Turtledove, et.al.'s Worlds That Weren't provides a host of alternative history stories: new novellas which range in setting from ancient Athens to a very different Turkish empire Fans of alternate history will find these novellas striking and unusual.

Rating:
Summary: Intriguing
Review: I enjoyed all four of the stories in this anthology. In fact I went to get The Peshawar Lancers and Ash: A Secret History after reading the Stirling and Gentle contributions here.

While I'm a big fan of Turtledove, I found it difficult to appreciate the Turtledove novella as I'm not as familiar with ancient Athens and Sparta as he is. I was unfamiliar with Alicibiades and thus his story wasn't as compelling as some of the others.

Stirling's novella takes place in a very different Texas from ours, where a rain of comets destroyed Western civilization. I wasn't clear where the cannibal tribes came from, and there weren't enough hints (that I could fathom) to figure it out, nor was I clear on whether the "Seven Tribes" were all Native American or if they included some European settlers (it appeared they did). The story was well-told and there were compelling characters who stayed after the story ended, especially Sonya Head-on-fire.

Same problem with Gentle's world, I wasn't clear where history had shifted but also a well-layered story. The backstory of this tale is the role of the woman soldier (disguised as a man). I'm not sure the future-flashes, which this 14th century woman saw as a vision, were necessary to the plot, but her ruminations on being remembered after death were poignant. I'm looking forward to reading both their novels in hope it will fill some of this in.

Williams' take on Tombstone was a real hoot putting Nietzsche in the middle of the dynamics. His afterward is fascinating, showing how the cinema version of the OK Corral shootout cut out the context of cowboys versus lawmen, and that the Clanton vs Earp battle wasn't an end but a beginning of an end.

A good time, and in the tradition of good alternate history, it got me thinking of how things really happened.

Rating:
Summary: A well-developed alternate to traditional history settings
Review: Science fiction fans of alternate history settings will want to place Harry Turtledove, et.al.'s Worlds That Weren't anthology high on their reading lists: it provides four novellas by Turtledove, Stirling, Gentle and Williams, each featuring a well-developed alternate world from 1452 Constantinople to a mysterious Old World figure stalking Tombstone. Each makes for a diverse, well-developed alternate to traditional history settings.

Rating:
Summary: Nothing in Common but Too Expensive
Review: Since this is a collection of four unrelated alternative history novellas I first discuss them separately:

The piece about Alkibiades becoming an earlier Alexander of Macedon shows Harry Turtledove at his best: a good idea, credible story but still solid history and (unusual bonus for this author) short.

S. M. Stirling's story about a hunting party in an America after the fall described in his "Peshawar Lancers" universe is a somewhat odd mixture of post-nuclear expedition a la "The Postman", a western revenge movie and gothic horror-story. A good summer read.

Mary Gentle's story is the low point of the book: it gives the distinct impression of something put together from earlier, discarded material just to meet a deadline. It is unclear to the end what the story really is about and as a teaser or introduction into the "Ash" universe it fails miserably.

But the book as a whole is saved by its last piece: William's story about Nietsche in Tombstone is a rare gem. Crazy and funny (imagine: Nietsche as a gunman and gambler!), but still accurate. Just great.

My opinion about the book: the stories have nothing in common beyond the fact that they are all taking place in alternate histories. That wouldn't be a problem in a bigger anthology or in a magazine, but for a hardcover with just four stories it adds up to too expensive. So read it, but don't buy.

Rating:
Summary: Great intro to alternate history; hardcore fans might yawn
Review: These four alternate-history novellas made an appetite-whetting introduction for me, a newbie to alternate history.

In Turtledove's "The Daimon," Socrates looks on in dismay as a great Greek general, Alkibiades, flouts politically-motivated criminal charges against him and parlays victory in one battle - a battle which, in "real" history, was lost - into a position of unmatched power in Athens. Once on this pedestal, however, Alkibiades resorts to the same murderous tactics used by his old foes.

Gentle's fifteenth-century heroine in "The Logistics of Carthage" followed her son to war, discovered that she preferred a soldier's life to a prostitute's, and joined a company of European mercenaries. Now, her company finds itself stranded on the coast of North Africa with a corpse they cannot bury because of a religious dispute. During a tense and bloody standoff, Yolande has what she believes are visions, but which are actually glimpses of the future 500 years hence. This was the least satisfactory story, as it seemed not to have much of a point. It might make more sense to fans of Gentle's "Ash" series.

In "The Last Ride of German Freddie," Williams plunks German philosopher Frederich Nietzsche onto the dusty streets of 1881 Tombstone, Arizona and pits him against the Earp brothers. Nietzsche tries his hand at some trigger-assisted social engineering at the OK Corral. But is it really social engineering, or merely the vengefulness of a man thwarted in love?

With Shikhari in Galveston, Stirling brings us the most inventive and fully-realized of these four universes: a radically different present-day Earth that, in the nineteenth century, saw her population slashed and much of her land rendered scarcely habitable by a catastrophic heavenly bombardment. The British Empire still reigns - albeit not supremely - over much of what remains. A British officer and his Indian servant travel to the wilds of southern Texas for a hunting expedition, and, rather than hunting for trophies, find themselves fighting for their lives against an adversary unlike any they ever imagined.

Those who, like me, are new to alternate history, or just not well versed in the real history behind the fiction, will benefit from first reading the afterword accompanying each novella.

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Summary: Greece, The British Empire, Gothic Carthage and Tombstone...
Review: When I first picked up "Worlds That Weren't", I was expecting an alternate-history version of "Legends", the 1998 fantasy anthology in which prominent fantasy authors wrote novellas based in worlds that they were best known for in the fantasy genre. My guess was partly right.

Two of the stories - S.M. Stirling's "Shikari in Galveston" and Mary Gentle's "The Logistics of Carthage" do in fact take place in universes the authors have previously explored. Each about a generation before the main action of the novels (or series), Stirling's story revolves around the father of Athelstane King (the hero of "The Peshawar Lancers") and Mary Gentle's deals with the 'parents' of Ash from "Ash: A Secret History".

The other two, though, seem to be independent works. Harry Turtledove's explores what would've happened had Socrates gone with Alcibiades to Syracuse (in Sicily) and if Alcibiades would not have fled following his summons back to Athens during the Peloponnesian War. Without giving too much away, he reenvisions Alcibiades as a possibly less-successful Alexander the Great a full 80 years before Alexander's time. Walter Jon Williams, on the other hand, takes a look at a Tombstone, Arizona to which Friedrich Nietzche had been medically exiled. He had Nietzche (sort-of) joining the Clantons against the Earps at the famous O.K. Corral shoot-out and creates a much different legacy for the Old West.

All four novels are well done and each author knows his or her territory well (and, more importantly, provides details about the real-world events in their respective afterwords), but some succeed better than others. Turtledove has problems resisting the temptation of having characters dwell on alternate fates (i.e., events as they actually happened). Stirling's Neobritish Empire has all the hallmarks of good action on a broad, fascinating canvas, but ends up reading more like a James Bond story than as alternate history. Even his afterword comes out much that way where he talks about the creative process more than the dynamics of his world (much of which, admittedly, you can get in the appendices of "The Peshawar Lancers"). Gentle's and Williams' works seem to fair better, but I am much less familiar with their work than with Turtledove's and Stirling's.

On the whole, though, all four stories are very well done. The book represents a couple of days worth of diverting, fun reading and it's not always necessary to be familiar with the authors' worlds (or the history involved) to enjoy the stories. Nonetheless, though, for people reading the books for their historical merit, you may wish to read the afterwords before the stories to refresh the given histories. Most of them do not give away the stories turn out (Turtledove's being a partial exception). I would still like to see a "Legends"-line anthology of alternate history stories, but, in the mean time, this will hold me over.